Rose

I shivered as I walked across the street and opened the driver's door, slipping inside the car. I looked at Sydney sympathetically and reached out, catching a few of the tears that were on her cheek.

"Oh, sweetie," I whispered softly as I wiped her cheek. Sydney sniffed and more tears fell. She turned and looked at me and my heart broke for her. I had never seen her so upset in my life, and I just wanted to pull her close. So I did, I leaned over the console and hugged her, stroking the back of her head softly.

"Tell me who to punch, and I'll punch them," I whispered. Sydney shuddered and just cried harder. I winced to myself and kissed her head, hugging her tight.

"Why can't they just accept it?" Sydney sobbed. I nodded and soothed her quietly.

"They just don't understand," I said but she shook her head. Sydney pulled back and wiped her hands over her face.

"You don't get it! They told me to abort my baby! How am I supposed to take that? They said that my baby was an abomination and would come to any baptisms, and if I kept this 'mockery of their religion' then they wanted nothing to do with me."

I frowned and gripped her hand tightly. "Oh Syd," I said quietly. I couldn't imagine the pain she was in. Her parents meant something to her, but I knew that they weren't exactly accepting of Adrian. That was made abundantly clear when Sydney went from discussing wedding ideas to asking me to stand as her witness at her elopement.

"I just want them to accept us," she sobbed, clutching at her belly. I nodded and rested my hand on her belly, feeling my soon-to-be godson move around.

"We accept you, your brother accepts you," I said trying to shed some light but it wasn't enough. I knew that having a parent accept your baby and your relationship meant a lot.

"I know, but at what cost? I don't want Dalton to be shunned too," she hiccupped. I tsked quietly and rested my head against hers.

"He loves you, he's your twin. He'll risk it. Look at how accepting he has been of you and Adrian, he even came to my surprise party and he knew he'd be in a room full of Ekons and didn't flinch. He doesn't care if he gets shunned," I placated. Sydney nodded because deep down she knew that too. Sydney sucked in a couple of deep breaths and looked me over with a frown.

"Did we wake you? I'm so sorry."

I shook my head. "I just got into bed," I said.

"Rose, it's one a.m."

I shrugged and spotted Adrian coming out of our building. "Do you want to get together again in the morning? I think Adrian wants to take you home."

Sydney nodded. "Yeah, I think I'm just overly hormonal right now, plus I'm uncomfortable and I just… I'm just a mess."

I smiled at her. "We're allowed to have those days, just take a deep breath, take a bath and get a good sleep. You need it," I said gently. Sydney nodded and leaned in to hug me again, squeezing me tightly.

"Thank you," she whispered. I nodded and kissed the top of her head. I got out of the car and wrapped my arms around myself, running back across the street. Adrian gave me a sympathetic smile and thanked me quietly before I ran up the stairs and back into our place.

I made it back inside and locked our front door, shivering the slightest bit as I rubbed my hands over my shoulders. Dimitri got up from where he was on the couch and wrapped his arms around me tightly. I cuddled into his arms for warmth and sighed.

"Poor Sydney," I whispered.

"I know. Adrian filled me in. That's terrible," Dimitri whispered. I nodded and pulled back, rubbing my eyes.

"I'm exhausted," I yawned. Dimitri nodded and brushed my hair from my face tenderly. He didn't comment but took my hand and led me back to bed, opening his arms for me to cuddle to him. I laid on my side and scooted back so my back was pressed against his chest, tucking the duvet around us.

"I was enjoying memory lane," Dimitri said kissing my cheek.

I chuckled and looked up at him. "Oh yeah?"

"Yes. There was one that I sort of remembered, like the memory was familiar. It was a New Year's party and you had way too much glitter on."

I smiled and stroked his cheek gently. "You proposed that night," I whispered. Dimitri shifted up on his elbow and grinned at me.

"Really?"

"Yes, you put my engagement ring in the bottom of my glass and I almost swallowed it," I laughed, my body shaking the bed a little. Dimitri laughed too and brushed his fingers over my cheek.

"I probably say this a lot, but you're so beautiful it hurts me."

I blushed when that warm and tingly feeling rushed through my body. He didn't say that phrase often, but it always made me feel like a diamond in his eyes.

"You don't say that enough," I simpered teasingly. Dimitri smirked at me and leaned his head down, kissing me so suddenly that I was stunned. But I didn't let that shock stop me as I kissed him back, running my fingers through his hair, and dragging my nails gently.

Dimitri moaned quietly and I smirked. I knew that he loved the feeling of my nails against his scalp. He would lay his head in my lap sometimes and I'd spend ages just running my fingers and nails over his scalp while he dozed in my lap.

When I pulled back I grinned up at him and his eyes were half-lidded, a languid smile on his face.

"I just remembered something."

"What?" I asked. Dimitri gave me a crooked smile and kissed me again, our mouths moving together at a slow pace. I shifted around in his arms, wrapping my arm around his neck as we rolled onto my back. I grinned up at him as he braced himself over me.

"I really like kissing you," he breathed. I giggled and bit my lip, reaching up to toe with a strand of his hair.

"It's not the only thing you like to do," I said saucily. Dimitri raised his brows at me and I did a dirty trick, pushing some of the more recent memories to him. His eyes glazed over slightly but then came back into focus, darkening as he raised a brow at me.

"Oh, really?" he asked. I smirked again and stretched up to kiss him. I nodded my head when I pulled away, licking my lips.

"But we should probably wait until you remember a little more for that," I snickered. Dimitri nodded and pressed a softer kiss to my lips before laying beside me again, holding me close to him. I sighed and closed my eyes, gripping the arm that was wrapped around me. I hadn't slept well since that night, but being wrapped in his arms, I knew that I would sleep tonight.

I was almost asleep when he whispered.

"What does Ya'aburnee mean?"

I turned slightly in his arms and smiled at him with half-shut eyes.

"It's what I told you the first time I told you I love you," I whispered.

"But what does it mean?"

I rolled completely and reached up, stroking his cheek. "In short; it means exactly what our love is. We would die for each other, we'd rather die than live without the other," I whispered. Dimitri's features softened and he smiled, kissing the top of my head.

I breathed out a quiet breath as the tailor pinned my veil in place. It was my final fitting, and I smoothed my hands nervously over my dress. I hated to admit that it took forever for me to find a dress I liked, but I saw this one on another bride at the store and just about died. I was lucky when she didn't like it and put it back. Lissa was quick to snatch it up while I was trying on another dress, and I knew that it was the one.

It was chiffon and tulle with thin straps, but three jewelled off-shoulder straps connecting to my arms. It was a v-neckline with white lace jeweling over the chest and bodice. It had a cathedral lace skirt that seemed to go on forever with the train, and the slit over the leg was the perfect touch. It was striking and feminine, all while giving that fairy tale look.

"I get breathless every time I see you in this," Mia whispered as she smiled at me. I looked at her in the mirror and turned to look at my mom and my bridal party, minus three.

"I get breathless too," I laughed. Lissa came up behind me and moved the veil so that it floated around me perfectly, smiling at me in the mirror.

"You look like a pretty princess," she enthused with a squeal. I smiled at her and blew out another breath while the seamstress fretted around, making sure everything fit right. She stood in front of me and adjusted the bust of my dress, her face composed and yielding.

"Take a deep breath in," she said. I did and she nodded to herself and told me I could breathe out.

"Perfect," the seamstress whispered as she stepped back, a soft smile on her face. "You are going to make a beautiful bride!"

I smiled at her and turned back to my party, looking at Mom.

"What do you think?"

"I think you are gorgeous," she whispered. I bit my lip and covered my face. I was so excited but I was also anxious and nervous at the same time. We had to push my final fitting the week before and Dimitri hadn't redeemed a lot of his memories yet. He remembered some of the older things, but not much that was within the last two years.

Lissa gripped my shoulders softly. "Are you nervous because of Dimitri?"

I nodded. "I just hate that his memory won't be back in time. I knew that he had been writing his own vows, but we haven't been able to find them. He can't remember."

"Did he leave them with his best man so you didn't find them by accident?" the seamstress asked, cleaning her glasses as if she hadn't been listening in.

I looked at Lissa and gestured to my purse. Mia got to it first and pulled my phone out, handing it to me. I found Ivan's contact and hit call.

I chewed on my lip as I waited for him to pick up, but instead of his voice, I was met with a belch.

"Shit, sorry Rose. What's up?" Ivan laughed.

"Did Dimitri give you his vows?"

It was quiet for a beat. "Yeah? Why?"

I sighed. "Did it not occur to you that maybe you should have told the man with memory loss that you had them?"

"Hey, he figured it out all on his own this morning. He called and asked if I knew where he might have hidden them. Take a breath and relax. You're going to give yourself a stroke," Ivan said before he hung up. I blew a breath from my lips and handed my phone back.

"Crisis averted. Ivan has them, and, Dimitri thought of calling this morning."

"May I ask what happened?" the seamstress asked.

"He fell two weeks ago and injured his head. He has some amnesia," I explained. The seamstress frowned but patted my shoulders sympathetically. I decided it was time to take the dress off and went back into the changing room. I winced a few times as I was freed from the dress. I was starting to get more cramps again.

I got dressed quickly and excused myself to the bathroom while the girls all chattered about how excited they were about the wedding. I came back out and Lissa looked at me with raised brows but I shook my head. I didn't want to worry her.

"Where's Syd? I thought she was coming to this?"

"She had a really rough night and asked if it was okay that she didn't come," I said hesitantly.

"What happened?" Mom asked.

"Her parents. They told her to abort her baby," I said dryly. Mom looked appalled and shook her head. Mia and Lissa looked equally as appalled but we didn't linger on it because we were supposed to meet Sydney and the rest of the party for lunch. That included Baba and the groom's party.

I let Mom drive as I just didn't have the energy to do it today, and nodded off in the car. When we got to the restaurant she woke me up, but I was a little disoriented. Mom smiled at me as she helped me out of the car, wrapping her arm around my shoulder.

"You've been wincing a lot today, want to talk about it?"

I shrugged. "Dimitri took me to the ER a few weeks ago. The doctor there thinks I have endometriosis. I've been having the worst periods for the last few years, and the cramping outside of them have been horrific," I explained. Mom nodded as we walked and patted my shoulder.

"Did they prescribe you anything before you left?"

"Yes, but it only makes it tolerable. It doesn't take it away completely," I said quietly.

Mom kissed my head. "It'll get better. Once all of the wedding stuff is over, we'll find the right doctor for you. We'll get to the bottom of it."

I chewed my lip. "But what if I can't have kids because of it?"

"I think you forget that being an Ekon heals all ailments," Mom pointed out. I shrugged.

"I was sort of hoping to have that experience for the first time while I'm human," I said quietly. Mom stopped us just before we went inside and rested her hands on my shoulders.

"Regardless, we will figure all of this out."

I nodded and tried to give her a genuine smile but it fell flat. I followed her into the restaurant and spotted our group near the back window. Baba was talking Ivan and Adrian's ear off while Dimitri sat with Sydney. It made me chuckle a little to see that Sydney had balanced a few breadsticks on her belly instead of the plate on the table. When Dimitri saw us he stood up and met me halfway, slipping his arms around my waist and pulling me in for a kiss. I sighed and brushed my nose against his when we pulled away, a lazy smile on my lips.

"It's almost like you knew I needed that," I whispered.

Dimitri nodded and pulled a bottle out of his pocket. It was small, but it had my name on it.

"I knew that you were having a rough morning. Ruby got these for you, they're what you're taking but stronger," Dimitri whispered as he tucked the bottle back in his pants. I nodded and met him for another smouldering kiss, wrapping my arms around his neck.

"Alright, almost newlyweds, cut it out!" Adrian called out to us with a smirk. We were doing our rehearsal dinner tonight, and I could tell from here that Sydney was going to conk out by ten o'clock and Adrian would have to carry her to the car.

Dimitri stroked my cheek and then took my hand as we walked to the table. He pulled out my chair for me before the waiter could and I blushed, sinking down in the chair. Once Dimitri tucked me in, the waiver placed the napkin over my lap.

"I hear we are here for a celebration," the waiter said with a small.

Dimitri and I looked at each other, our hands finding one another's like magnets and intertwining.

"We're getting married at the end of the week," Dimitri supplied as he kissed the back of my hand. I smiled at him and he smiled back. If you didn't know a large chunk of his memory was gone, you would never have guessed it. He looked at me like I was the sun and moon, and I knew that from the perspective of others, we looked more in love than a Christmas Hallmark couple.

"Congratulations," the waiter said as he passed out the menus and told us about their specials. I felt horrible that Dimitri's family wasn't here yet, but I had an inkling that there was a surprise in store for us. There were a handful of empty chairs at our table.

"Anyone want to tell me why we have additional chairs at the table?"

Baba and Ivan looked at each other with grins. "It didn't take her long," Ivan laughed as he pulled out his phone. I raised my brows at him when the door on the other side of the room opened, Dimitri's family all waiting on the other side. Dimitri laughed and stood up to greet his family. I grinned at my parents and then accepted a hug from Olena, smiling when she kissed my cheek.

"Oh you look so pretty," she gushed as she cupped my cheeks. I grinned at her and moved to accept a hug from Dimitri's sisters, scooping little Katya up in my arms and kissing her rosy cheeks.

"Katya looks so much like you," I said to Sonya. She nodded and gave me a tight smile. I was never sure where I stood with Sonya, she always had a stand-off attitude with me. But I wasn't going anywhere; I was Dimitri's mate, even if he didn't exactly remember me.

"Everyone says she looks like her father," Sonya said almost bitterly. I shrugged and looked at Katya again, making an exaggerated smile at her to make her laugh. She was such a happy two-year-old.

"Well, I don't see any of him," I said honestly. I knew that the history between Sonya and Katya's father was tense, but I never liked him. He was crude and he used her for his personal gain. I never liked that.

I set Katya down and embrace Zoya and Paul, marvelling at how tall both of them had gotten. I hadn't seen them since Katya's birth, they grew like weeds and looked so much like their father, Sergey, but had the Belikov eyes.

"Ready for the big day?" Sergey asked as he kissed my cheek.

I blew out a breath. "As ready as I can be!"

Sergey smiled at me. He was tall with brown eyes and platinum blonde hair. He was still human in his early thirties.

"When you walk down that aisle, it will all feel like it was a breeze," Sergey said. I nodded and raised my brows at Viktoria, making a face.

"You didn't call me back," I said with a roll of my eyes.

Viktoria hugged me. "That was because I was on a plane!"

I shook my head and sat back down beside Dimitri, leaning into him as the table was a mixture of chatter. I rested my head on his shoulder and he turned to kiss the top of my head.

"I love you," Dimitri said quietly. I smiled and looked up at him.

"I love you. I can't wait to be Mrs. Belikov.

Dimitri smiled at me and brushed my hair behind my ear, turning his head to look at our family around the table.

"I'm ready to be Mr. Hathaway," he retorted. Mom was sitting on Dimitri's other side and looked at Dimitri, her brow cocking.

"You remembered that?"

Dimitri nodded. "Yeah, it just seemed like the right thing to say? Did I say it often?"

I nodded. "Yes. Any time I said 'Mrs. Belikov', you would say "Mr. Hathaway," I said. Dimitri seemed to beam at that knowledge and wrapped his arm around my shoulder, rubbing his thumb against my shirt. It was small, but he was remembering.