"False alarm?"
"False alarm," I moaned as I sunk down onto the chair, shoving a pillow between my knees. This was the second false alarm this week, but sometimes it felt like the cramping was an actual contraction.
But I was grateful regardless, I was three days from my due date. I was happy to have gotten this far, we were worried for a few weeks that I was going to go early due to stress. Dimitri had done everything he could to remove stress, but it was unavoidable. After the gun scare, my security changed, and I wasn't alone as often. It helped in ways, but in other ways it stressed me out.
Lissa started hanging around more, trying to help distract me while keeping me company. Work for Dimitri was getting busy, events needed to be planned, software needed to be updated. Dimitri tried to delegate out of town meetings, but he couldn't delegate all.
But on said trip, across the country, I went into false labour.
To say I was embarrassed to have to make Dimitri bail mid-meeting for nothing was an understatement, but he brushed it off with a laugh, stating that I saved him from a very boring meeting.
"I just want Olive out!"
"I know, Roza, I know," Dimitri crooned from when he sat in the grass with Sofia, spinning the wheel on the water table. Sofia was fascinated with it, and loved the water so much. It was too cool out still for us to get out the kiddie pool we bought her, but we thought this was okay. By the time the nice weather came around, the pool we were having built would be finished.
I rubbed my hand against my belly, groaning when Olive's foot pushed up under my rib cage. Olive was too big for my belly now. And I was counting down the minutes for it to be over.
"Ma!" Sofia squealed, showing me the plastic ball she fished out of the water table. I smiled at her and scooched forward on the chair so I could look at it better. It was a simple red ball, but if we pretended that we had never seen it before, it would make her excited.
"That is so pretty, Sof," I enthused, kissing her hand and then let go so she could put the ball back in the water. Dimitri smiled at her and flicked a few balls towards her in the water, and then flicking the droplets of water on his fingers at her. She squealed in excitement and laughed, splashing Dimitri. The water sloshed over the edge of the table and landed on his shirt, but he didn't mind.
He was in his happy place, even if he got to his happy place because his wife is cramping like the world was going to end.
Dimitri looked up from Sofia and gave me a smile, but it didn't quite reach his eyes. He was worried about me. I was in pain and uncomfortable, and there wasn't anything he could do to help.
"Do you want me to rub your back? Or get your ball? Would you feel more comfortable on the ball?" He asked, taking the ball Sofia offered him.
I shrugged. He had gone out and bought everything under the sun to try and help with the discomfort in the last month, but not much helped. The inflatable ball Dimitri bought for me to sit on helped with the pressure, but it didn't take away the pain. Plus, I didn't want him to fuss. He worried too much.
"I'm okay," I replied softly.
Dimitri raised a brow at me but didn't push it. Sofia was starting to lose interest in the water table, turning to me and placing her soaking hands on my stomach.
Sofia giggled at the marks it left on my stomach before pointing at me.
"Pee!"
"What?" I laughed, ruffling her curls.
"Mommy pee!" Sofia exclaimed, pointing at my lap. I shook my head confused, but when I saw the look on Dimitri's face I frowned.
"What?"
"Rose, did your water break?"
I frowned and moved the pillow away from between my knees, revealing the large wet spot between my legs.
"Oh shit!"
Dimitri stood up and scooped Sofia up into his arms before wrapping his other arm around my waist.
"I'm going to say that is wasn't a false alarm. I'm going to get Sofia packed up, and then we will take her to Adrian's," Dimitri said, supporting my weight as we walked into the house. I nodded and went into our bedroom, grabbing some clothes and then for the shower. I didn't take long to clean up and dress, meeting Dimitri in the hall, Sofia perched on one arm, her bag slung over his other, our bag for the hospital with it.
"Ready?"
"God yes! Get this baby out!" I said with a slight chuckle. I could feel the pressure in my pelvis already, but I was ready. The twenty minute drive to Adrian's house felt like hours long as the contraction grew stronger. They weren't necessarily quicker, but they were growing in intensity.
I knocked on Adrian's door a little harder than I meant to, but the contraction that was starting to roll through me was not pleasant.
The door opened to reveal Tasha with a confused look on her face, but one look at mine was all the answer she needed.
"Adrian! I think you're on double duty now," Tasha called out to him, resting her hand on my shoulder. "Are you okay?"
"No. My contractions are lasting for forty seconds and this baby is kicking like a mule on fire," I grit out, taking the hand she offered and squeezing it. Sydney came into view as well, Vinnie hot on her trial when Dimitri and Sofia came to the door.
"Come with me, sweetie. We're gonna have a fun day," Sydney said taking Sofia from Dimitri, shifting her towards me so I could kiss her head. I held onto Sofia for a moment, smelling her hair and kissing her ear.
"Mommy loves you very much," I said, trying to keep the discomfort I was feeling off my face and voice. Sofia wrapped her little arms around my neck and squeezed as tight as she could. The surging hormones in my system was fighting with me and I felt the weepy emotions creep in.
Dimitri kissed the back of my head before kissing Sofia's. "Are you going to have fun with Uncle Adrian and Sydney?"
Sofia gave him a smile and cuddled into Sydney. I blew out a forced breath when she wasn't looking, and then remembered to let go of Tasha's hand before I crushed it.
"Shit. Sorry Tasha," I said but she shook her head.
"Don't worry about it. I've gotten strong hands with Vinnie," she reassured. I gave her a weak smile and rested my hands on my lower back.
Adrian finally came into the front room, looking from Dimitri to Sydney and Tasha, then to me.
"So, it's go time," Adrian said with a smile, clapping his hands together and rubbing them. I rolled my eyes at him, leaning back into Dimitri. I really wanted to sit down now.
"I think we should get going," Dimitri said, squeezing my shoulders gently, "I will call you with an update in an hour or so. If Sofia gets too fussy or having two little ones gets to be too much, I left Abe's number in the diaper bag," Dimitri explained.
"I know how to take care of a baby," Adrian protested, but I narrowed my eyes at him. He held his hands up in surrender.
"Sorry. Go. Get! Go have that baby before you have it on my front step," Adrian said before practically shooing us out of the door.
I jolted awake to find brownish green eyes above me, a small smile on her face as she wiped the damp cloth over my forehead.
"Hi," Mom said, wiping the cloth over my temples and the side of my neck.
"Hi. Did you see her?" I asked quietly, licking my lips.
Mom smiled and nodded her head. "I saw her when the nurse took her for her tests. She's beautiful," she said quietly. I smiled and nodded my head. Labour took less time this time, but it was just as painful. I was exhausted and sore, but happy.
"She is. I can't wait to cuddle her," I sighed, letting my eyes close again, resting my head back against the pillow. Mom moved the cloth to the other side of my neck and wiped it over my skin. The door to my room opened and I opened my eyes, finding Dimitri immediately. He looked tired too, but I knew that his exhaustion was from worrying about me.
"Hey, you," I said smiling at him. Dimitri smiled at me and came over, leaning down to kiss me. It was a bit more of a kiss that was appropriate in front of my mom, but I was too tired to care.
"Where is she?"
"She's on her way back right now. How are you feeling?" Dimitri asked, sitting down on the edge of the bed. Mom's hands left me and she stepped out of the room to give us a moment alone.
"I'm okay. Sore and tired like I should be, but I'm okay," I said running my finger over his arm, "How are you?"
Dimitri smirked and nodded his head. "I'm good."
I nodded and closed my eyes again, licking my lips again. They were dry and my throat was dry, and I was starving. I was absolutely ravenous.
I sat up against the pillows with a tired smile, holding my hands out for my baby. She was surprisingly smaller than Sofia in size, but she was nine pounds and six ounces. I bit my lip as I pulled her to me, cradling her against my chest as she slept.
"Look at those little fingers," I whispered to myself, rubbing one of her teeny tiny fingers with mine.
"She's perfect."
I smiled up at Dimitri and cuddled into him, kissing her head.
"So, you still want to stick with the first name?" I asked.
Dimitri nodded. "I like Arya Oliva," he said, his hand coming to cup the back of her little head.
I hummed and rested my head against his shoulder, letting my eyes droop closed. I felt at piece, except one more person was missing from this snuggle fest.
"Have you called Adrian?" I mumbled.
"Yes. He said he would bring Sofia by when visiting hours start. Maybe you should sleep for a bit?" Dimitri said quietly, kissing my hair. I nodded but didn't move to let go of Arya.
"And Dad?"
"In the cafeteria, trying to find something he thinks is edible," Dimitri whispered, against my temple, his finger stroking Arya's softly. I sighed happily and dipped my head down to kiss her head.
I had to say that the yard looked even better than I had hoped. It was perfect for the fourth of July, and all of our guests looked like they were having an amazing time. Ivan brought his new fling, Natalie I think, and was speaking with Lissa's parents and some coworkers. Alberta, Eddie and our security crew were all gathered at the large patio table, playing a card game. From the look of the cards, it looked like Cards Against Humanity. My parents were speaking with Lissa and Mia, Dimitri and Adrian were in the pool with Sofia and Vinnie, Tasha and Sydney sitting not far from me in deep conversation.
I was more than happy as Adrian's friend that Adrian and Tasha were able to co-parent so well, and that Sydney and Tasha got along. Nothing would be more difficult with one of those relationships didn't work out decently.
I shifted Arya in my arms, switching her to my other breast under the blanket so she could continue feeding. I had the perfect spot under the pergola to breastfeed, but still a part of the party. I patted Arya's bottom as I scanned the crowd, coming to a stop when Christian sat down beside me.
"Hi. Coming to save your pasty-ass skin?" I laughed, noticing that the bridge of his nose and cheeks were starting to redden. I reached into the bag on the ground beside me and pulled out the sunblock, handing it to him.
"Ha ha, funny," Christian said dryly while taking the bottle from me, "but no. I wanted to talk to you about Lissa."
I raised my brows but nodded, moving Arya out from under the blanket and moved my bikini top back into place. I set her down in my lap and started to rub and pat her back.
"About?"
"Well. I was thinking about asking her to marry me, and I wanted your opinion," Christian said confidently, but I could see in his eyes that he was nervous.
"Okay."
"I wanted to be sure that she would say yes without leading her on that I'm thinking about it, but you know her better than anyone. Do you think she'd say yes?"
I smiled at him. In the beginning, I didn't like Christian so much, mostly because of the way things stood between Dimitri and Tasha, and now another player was in the mix. But after getting to know him a realizing that he genuinely loved Lissa, I liked him a bit more.
"I think that she loves more than she ever loved Aaron. And I know that if you ask her, she will be the happiest person in the world," I said with a smile, "but you have to take to Eric first or he will kick your ass."
Christian smirked but shook his head. "I actually planned on talking to Eric and Rhea at some point today. Hopefully, you or Dimitri could distract Lissa long enough?"
I rolled my eyes but nodded, making a sound of surprise when Arya spit up all over my lap. I took the towel that Christian gingerly handed to me and I wiped up Arya's mouth before wiping my lap.
"Hey, don't grimace so hard. Lissa wants a boatload of kids at some point," I quipped, giggling at the widening of his eyes. I snorted and stood up, putting Arya's hat back on her head as I walked out into the sun. Mom caught my attention first and I moved towards her, smiling at her when she noticed me.
"I think I promised you some Nana time today," I said handing Arya over. Mom quickly took her from me and cooed, kissing her cheek as she cuddled her.
"You did," she said with a smile, rubbing her hand over Arya's back. "How are you feeling? You look a bit better."
I nodded with a tired smile. I was battling with a horrible case of insomnia and could barely get any sleep, and when I did I was still exhausted. Getting in a bit of exercise in the morning and a new medication was helping, but I was still exhausted.
"I'm a bit better. I got I think four hours last night, it's more than the night before," I said with a sigh, "at least this one likes sleep so far."
Mom hummed and rocked side to side slowly. "Would it help if your father and I took the girls for the night?"
I shrugged. "I don't know. I think I'd still be up and then worry about them. But I'll think about it and see how this medication works."
Mom nodded and gave me a smile of understanding. I was happy to see that she and Dad were mending things a bit. It was slow, but I noticed that the two of them were spending time together, and even had a trip planned for early October to go to Scotland. It was slow, but they were giving things another go.
I left them to go see Dimitri and the kids, chuckling at Sofia in her duck floaty. Dimitri had found it online and insisted that she needed it, but I think he just liked seeing her in it. It was undeniably adorable.
I crouched down and sat at the pool's edge, letting my feet dangle in the water. Adrian had Vinnie in his arms and tossed him in the water, Vinnie giggling loudly the whole time. I smiled as I watched them, moving my feet back and forth in the water.
"You should come in," Dimitri said as he walked towards me, towing Sofia with him. Sofia squealed and laughed as the water splashed over her. I smiled at her and leaned forwards to give her a kiss on the cheek.
"I think I'm okay here," I said smiling at Dimitri. I was more enjoying the view of him shirtless and had a better view from out of the pool. Dimitri smirked at me and leaned over to kiss my cheek. Sofia started to get fussy and reached for me, so I pulled her out of her floaty and set her on the stone, watching her run off towards Dad. I waited until he had her in his arms before looking back at Dimitri, who had placed his forearms on either side of my legs.
"Have I told you how good you look today?" Dimitri asked, leaning in and kissing the spot just before my ear.
"No, and I don't believe you, but thank you," I chuckled when he kissed my ear.
"Why not?"
I playfully glared at him. "We are not getting into this again."
Dimitri smirked at me and wrapped his arms around my hips, making my legs move apart so he could stand closer.
"I don't care if you think you're 'flubby', I think you are the hottest woman alive. Deal with it," he said with a laugh, pulling me into the pool with him. I squealed but wrapped my legs around him so I didn't skin down in the pool. Dimitri grinned at me while I clung to him, his hands holding my hips as he moved into the water.
"You're a pain in the ass," I grumbled into his ear but hid my smile in his hair. Despite my unhappiness with my body post-pregnancy, Dimitri tried to keep my spirits up. I knew it wasn't permanent, but I couldn't help but feel unhappy. The brain does what it wants!
"Christian is thinking of proposing," I said quietly, shifting in his hands so I could look at him better. Dimitri smiled at me while tucking some hair behind my ear.
"I'm surprised it hasn't happened already," he said with a laugh, looking towards our kids and my parents, spotting that Christian had joined Lissa and my parents, his arm wrapped around her waist.
"I'm glad that they met each other. She deserves to be with someone who's good, not just into her for her money."
"He deserves someone good too. He had a rough upbringing," Dimitri said thoughtfully, resting the side of his head against mine.
"Rough upbringing?"
"Tasha raised him when she was younger. Her brother and his wife died when she turned eighteen and took Christian in. But when she turned twenty, she gave over guardianship to her mother, his grandmother. It was too hard and she felt that Christian would be in a better situation and household with his grandmother," Dimitri explained. I didn't know that he lost his parents, or that Tasha had raised him.
"That must have been hard."
Dimitri nodded but looked down at me. "It's not something either of them likes to talk about," he said slowly, indicating that I shouldn't broach the topic with either of them.
I stroked the back of his neck softly before steering the conversation into safer waters, pun intended.
"You're sure you want to extend the honeymoon again?"
Dimitri looked grateful for the change in conversation. "Yeah. I think it'd be better if we wait. That way you won't be breastfeeding anymore, and we can enjoy two weeks of just us. I'm looking forward to Italy," he said with a smile, setting me down on the edge of the pool again.
"I'm looking forward to it too, gives me more time to practice my Italian," I quipped as he pulled himself up to sit beside me.
I smiled at him when little arms wrapped around my neck, and a face pressed into my neck. I laughed to myself and reached behind me, pulling Sofia around so she was cradled in my lap.
"Having fun, baby?" I asked, smiling at her enthusiastic head nod and smile.
Dimitri smiled and ruffled her hair, looking over his shoulder. I followed and smiled to see Arya cuddled up in Christian's arms, while he look absolutely petrified.
"He looks like he's gonna cry."
Dimitri chuckled and nodded. "It'll be good practice for him.
Merry Christmas and Happy Holiday Lovelies!
