It's been a year since I last saw the gang. The property I bought was bare. I had a lot of acres and a beautiful mansion and barn to accompany the land. My parents and I were talking now, they only wanted what was best for me and I knew that. They paid for my building and everything I wanted. They bought everything for the baby. I had everything I could possibly need. Adrian had paid me billions and was still paying for child support. He lost all visiting rights when he was tested for drugs and it came back positive. My friends have only talked to me, but haven't been down to visit. I heard that Dimitri was dating again and Lissa and Christian were about to tie the knot. She was also expecting, she didn't want to be too fat to wear a wedding gown so the wedding was set for six months after the baby was born so she could lose the weight and be done breast feeding.
They were supposed to be coming down to visit me for the next two weeks, but so far I haven't gotten word. I was constantly busy with the farm and Brantley Jacob, my beautiful baby boy. He was a spoiled baby. I had a maid and cook in the house. I constantly reminded myself not to hire a nanny. I wanted to raise this child, not have it not know its mother or father. It would need me to be there. I had a hundred or so barn hands that helped at all times. I always had a walkie-talkie on my hip where they could reach me and cell phone, I had a baby monitor on the other hip and a Bluetooth in my ear. I was equipped. The baby monitor had Brantley screaming his head off. The gate's intercom had the gang asking for entrance. I walked over. "Come on in. Talk to Liam and he'll show you the way." I pushed the open button. I walked to one of the five nurseries. I picked little Brantley up. "Hey cutie." I cooed.
He screamed dramatically. I frowned, lifting him up. I smelled his butt. Dirty diapers, how gross. I walked to the changing table and started doing his diaper.
"Rosie Posie? You there?" my walkie blurred.
"Here Liam. They in?"
"Yep, where do you want them?"
"Bring them on in to Nursery 3."
"You got it beautiful." I was just finishing up changing Brantley when I heard Liam's voice. "Oh god, little buddy did that?" he chuckled. I put on Brantley's pants and lifted him into my arms.
"Yes, your little buddy did that." I called back to him. Brantley giggled. I kissed his plump cheek. "My beautiful baby boy." I walked out and saw the gang. Dimitri was looking grave. Lissa and Christian looked in love.
"Rosie, can I hold my little man?" I looked at Liam. He was sweaty and dirty.
"Uh, keep dreaming. You're all icky and I just gave 'your little man' a bath." He reached for him anyways. "I said keep dreaming sucker. Now, I'd like to introduce you to my best friends Lissa and Christian."
"Who's he then?" he nodded towards Dimitri, Dimitri watched me.
"Someone that means a lot to me." Liam nodded. "Come back when you aren't icky and you can hold him." Brantley was laughing in my arms, holding on to my hair.
"Fine." He took his shirt off, wiping off the sweat and ick off of him. I sighed.
"Now go get a shirt." He went to put it back on. "Gross…" he laughed. "Grab one from the barn closet loser." He walked away. I looked back at the gang. "I've missed y'all." I hugged Lissa with one arm and then hugged Christian. I just looked at Dimitri unsure what to do. "So how's life?" I whispered. Brantley tugged on my hair. "No." I grabbed his tiny hand, pulling it from the strands. Lissa laughed.
"Life's good for us." Christian said, wrapping his arm around Lissa.
"That's really good." I smiled. "What about you?" I looked at Dimitri. We stared at each other a moment before he answered.
"Awful." I looked down into Brantley's bright green eyes. I kissed his forehead.
"I'm sorry." He caught the meaning.
"Rose… you haven't introduced us to this little guy."
"That there is my little man." Liam had rejoined us. "This is- ow!" I smacked him.
"This is Brantley Jacob Mazur. He's country." Liam chuckled. Lissa looked down at him.
"He is beautiful." She bit her lip. "Can I hold him?"
"Yeah, after Liam…" I laughed. "He's possessive of his cowboy in training." She smiled. I pulled her a little closer. "Plus, he'll leave us alone until tomorrow." She giggled. "Here you go. Bring him back in an hour." I warned as I handed him over. "If he comes back covered in mud again, I swear to cow that I will kill you." He held Brantley to him.
"That was by accident." He defended himself.
"Goodbye Liam." He laughed and left us. I unclipped the baby monitor and put it on the table. "We can have an hour of us time now." I smiled. "I'm sorry I didn't come up to see you guys. Adrian met me half way for the court date." I shrugged.
"He's gotten clean… did you know that?" I shook my head.
"I really don't care." I led them to the living room. "I kind of realized something when I found him and then when Dimitri and I picked up my stuff." I sat down on the couch near the television. "I mean I realized that I never really loved Adrian. I tried replacing Mason with Adrian… and then after that large realization… I realized something else."
"What else could come from that?"
"Well… I loved Mason… with everything in me, but never as I said it was. I loved, well still love, only one person as what Mason was to me at the time. Mason was my best friend, he meant the world to me. I loved him, but again it was romantically, I was in love with someone I could never have." I explained. "Now that I realize that, I don't hate Adrian anymore and I don't hate Mason for talking me into that midnight date."
"Oh Rose, having a baby made you realize a lot." I grinned.
"Yeah, everything that happened a year ago… it was my epiphany." I glanced at Dimitri. "I realized that I don't need to love anyone unless I want to. Mason loved me and I felt like I had to love him back, Adrian was the same way… but I realize I have a choice in this."
"Wow…" Lissa said. "So…" she trailed off.
"Are you guys hungry or thirsty?" I interrupted.
"What do you have?" Christian asked.
"Hold on." I got my pager out. I paged Leanne. I heard footsteps. "Leanne? When is Joshua gonna have supper ready?" I looked at the tiny woman.
"It will be ready in two hours." She waited for me to say more.
"Can you bring three beers and go wake Mia?"
"Yes Ms. Rosie." She hurried away. I looked at Liss.
"I didn't think you would want beer…" I glanced at her stomach. "She is a great bartender, she can make you virgin drinks if you want."
"You have a maid… and a cook." Christian looked at where she left.
"Yes, I can't do everything. I don't have a nanny." I excused.
"Nice." He replied. "Did you buy the house?"
"No, I stayed at an apartment in Raleigh while my dad had the house and barn built and decorated. We're on good terms again… he helped me buy the horses in the barn. I hold lessons here and sometimes a retreat for couples."
"That's nice. How much do you pay for all the help?"
"Dad pays that." I noticed his silent snort. "He feels bad about Tasha." I smirked at him. "Plus, I would be able to afford it if my dad let me. I'm a billionaire. I just had a new fashion line go out." I sneered at him. Leanne came back, handing us our beers. "Thank you, is Mi-Mi up yet?"
"She is crawling down the stairs currently." Leanne smiled. I laughed. "She was up with Mr. Liam late last night."
"She was what?" I rubbed my temples. "Great, any other news?"
"No Ms. Rosie."
"You may go." She scurried off. I looked at them, taking a big swig of my beer.
"You just turned twenty one right?" I nodded.
"May." Christian nodded. I never really told anyone when my birthday actually was, we had parties of course, but it was on different days every year. "You still have quite a few months sweet pea." I winked at him. He shook his head laughing.
"Rosie." Mia grumbled. I looked at where she was dragging herself into the living room. "Why am I awake?"
"I have a more important question…" my voice was hard. She looked up. "Number one rule of the barn hands." Her face paled.
"No sexual encounters." I nodded.
"Now, what were you up to last night…?" she stood up properly, scanning the ground.
"Ms. Rosie, Joshua wishes to know if you want a snack." I looked at Leanne then the group.
"Wait for dinner or have a snack." I offered. Christian spoke up.
"Food." I nodded at Leanne.
"Traitor." Mia hissed as she walked by. "I was hanging with a friend."
"See him again and I will have you move out. If you want to live here then you have to follow the rules." She nodded. "Thank you." She sat in a chair next to the television. I looked back at Christian. "You eat a lot, maybe I should have Joshua double dinner."
"I'm offended. Dimitri eats more than me." I laughed.
"Dimitri isn't as scrawny or short as you. Unlike you he actually has a build." Lissa was cackling along with Mia. Dimitri was watching us with amusement.
"You don't know that I'm scrawny. I could be ripped." He defended himself.
"Christian, I owned a pool back in Russia. I've seen you with your shirt off, there isn't much to see." He stood up, taking his shirt off. There was light muscle. "Okay, fine. We will settle this." I grabbed the walkie-talkie. "Liam, Roman, Brent, James, and Kaleb please come to the main living room."
"Got it boss." Sounded through the living room.
"I'll show you muscle." I said. "LEANNE!" I screamed. She ran into the living room with the tray of food and set it down in front of us. "Bring me Joshua."
"Yes ma'am." She scurried off.
"Lissa." He whined. "Tell her I have muscles." She giggled.
"Baby, I love you… isn't that enough?" she was teasing. He pouted. "Fine, Rose, he has muscles."
"Sure…" they all entered the living room confused. Brantley was in Liam's arms. "Hey baby." I took him from his arms, I handed him to Lissa. "Now, I will inform you all on what is happening…" I pointed to Christian. "We are having a disagreement. Remember that I sign the paychecks… take your shirts off." Dimitri was laughing quietly. I smiled at him, looking him over. I looked back at them. They shrugged and took them off. They were eight packs and huge ass muscle. I smiled, walking down the line of them. "Now Christian, this is muscle. It's rock hard and delicious to look at. That is not." He frowned.
"I'm emo, not country." He put his shirt back on and sat down. I laughed.
"You can all put your shirts back on, thank you. You were delicious to look at." They all grinned and walked out, except Liam.
"Can I have my little cowboy in making?"
"If you can get him from Liss." He walked over, shirt still off.
"Liss, is it?" she nodded. He bent to her level, looking straight into her eyes. Oh god, his panty melter look. "You are absolutely stunning." He smiled at her. "Now, what is a girl like you doing holding a baby? You should be out having fun with us… just hand over the baby beautiful." He winked at her. She giggled. She fell for it.
"Rose." Christian whined. Lissa handed the baby over, cheeks flushed.
"God Liss, you are weak." Liam held Brantley close, winking at me.
"See you later boss." He went to walk by me.
"Yeah, we're going to be talking." He raised his eyebrow.
"What about?"
"Last night activities." His face paled. "Bring my baby back in twenty minutes." He nodded and scurried out. I looked at Christian. "Now, you should hit a gym."
"You just had a guy hit on my fiancée."
"No, I believe I said if he could get Brantley from Lissa… he succeeded." He was fuming. "Hey, she fell for the panty dropper smile." I held my hands up in defense.
"You call his smile that?" Lissa asked, embarrassed.
"Yeah." Mia laughed.
"At least you didn't get the orgasmic tremble or tingle wink." She looked at me like I was crazy.
"Oh…" was all she said.
"Everyone that works here used to work for dad, all specially trained for his purpose. Liam's was to be able to seduce people."
"Oh…" I laughed.
"Let's move on." I plopped back down into my chair. "How long are you guys staying?"
"How long do you want us?" Dimitri asked. I want you forever. I thought. Mia nudged me. I looked at her, her eyes wide as she laughed. I cocked my head to the side. She tried to regain control. Oh god, I said that out loud.
"As long as you want to stay." I replied, face hot. "I'm going to go visit Nightmare… Mia, entertain. Them not the barn hands." She was on the floor laughing. I glanced at Dimitri before scurrying. I should face palm myself.
-X-X-X-
"I want you forever." I watched her with wide eyes. Mia was laughing at her. She wanted me, now? It took six years for her to want me? God, she was complicated. She didn't even realize she said it. I watched as her face heated up. "I'm going to go visit Nightmare… Mia, entertain. Them, not the barn hands." She glanced at me before scurrying away. I just sat there in shock. I was supposed to be dating and moving on, but every time I told them I was going out… I just went to Rose's favorite memory, that old bike Mason gave her. I was tired of letting her get away. I stood up from where I sat, walking towards the front door.
"Where are you going?" Lissa and them followed me.
"I'm not letting her get away for a third time." I started off slowly walking like in the movies, but the more time I took, the more I realized that I was letting her get away.
"She's going to the willow tree." Mia called as I started running. I ran after her. When I got closer to the willow tree I saw her a little further away, pacing.
"Rose." I called. She turned, looking at me. I stopped in front of her, looking down into her dark eyes, tears ready to pour. "I can't let you walk away for a third time." I whispered.
"I've lost everything Dimitri. I thought I had lost you too."
"You couldn't lose me…" I cupped her face in my hands. "Not when you've always had me."
"I'm sorry Dimitri." I was getting ready for her to turn me down again. "I'm sorry that I couldn't tell you the truth all those years ago." She whispered.
"What do you mean?"
"When you kissed me two days before I left." she explained. I brushed her hair behind her ear. "I lied to you when I told you I felt nothing." I focused on her beauty. She was an angel, my angel. I kissed her, hard. Our feelings pouring out into each other. Our tongues collided, creating such feelings. My heart burned with love for this woman. I pulled back when I couldn't breathe. I met her eyes,dark and beautiful.
"I love you Rose. Don't you know that yet? I've loved you since we've met. You're my soul mate." I kissed her lips lightly. "I will always love you." I promised her. A tear spilled over, the first I've seen in years.
-X-X-X-
I focused on what he said. "I will always love you." I let a tear spill over. I finally cried. I let him pull me into a hug. I cried for Mason, for Adrian, for my babies, for everything I've lost, and I cried for Dimtiri. Why? It's simple, I love him.