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CHAPTER 14

RPOV

I was a little nervous when Dimitri came to pick me up the next morning. I hadn't slept much because I'd kept replaying what had happened between Dimitri and me in my head. I'd never expected him to kiss me, but he had. I wondered if that meant he felt the same way about me. It had to be, right? Why else would he have kissed me?

When I got Dimitri's text that he was waiting outside for me, I quickly put on my coat and hurried down the stairs. Before I opened the door, I took a deep breath to try and calm myself down. I didn't want him to notice I was nervous about seeing him.

The kids were all very happy to see me and I returned their excited grins. I went out of my way not to look at Dimitri as I sat down in the passenger seat, but I couldn't help myself from glancing at him briefly. Our eyes met and he gave me a small smile. I smiled back and then quickly looked away so he wouldn't notice the blush creeping onto my face.

We barely talked to each other during the drive to his family. And it's not like we could talk about what had happened last night with the kids within earshot. Though I doubted they would've heard, with all the noise they were making in the backseat.

When we finally arrived, the kids jumped out of the car and practically ran to the front door. They were really busy today.

"Be careful!" Dimitri called after them. It had snowed again and there were ice patches on the path to the front door.

I glanced at the house and then back at the car, suddenly wondering if it had been a good idea after all to come with them today. What if Dimitri had thought wrong and his family didn't want me here?

"Don't worry, Roza. They'll be happy to see you again," Dimitri said suddenly.

I looked at him in surprise. It was like he could read my mind sometimes. He smiled at me and started walking to the door. I followed him and he slowed down a little so we were walking next to each other. Our hands brushed against each other and from the corner of my eye, I saw that Dimitri was smiling.

Much to my relief, I was welcomed with open arms.

"Oh, Rose! It's so good to see you again," Olena said, taking me in an embrace. "How are you?"

"I'm good, thanks. How are you?" I said politely.

The rest of the family was gathered in the living room. They all greeted me enthusiastically, hugging me just like Olena had. Just like Dimitri had said last night, Ivan was also present.

"I didn't know you'd bring Rose, Dimitri," he said grinning, winking at me. "What a pleasant surprise!"

Dimitri glared at him and muttered something in Russian. Ivan shook his head, laughing. I looked at them, wondering what Dimitri had said.

I was sat next to Ivan and Viktoria during dinner. Dimitri sat across from me and it was hard not to look at him the whole time. There were a lot of Russian dishes I'd never heard of or eaten before. I knew about some, like blini, because of Dimitri and the kids. I also recognized the black bread on the table, but that was about it. I tried a little bit of everything and I had to admit it was all pretty good. Olena was a great cook.

"Jeez, Rose, how can you eat so much and stay so thin?" Viktoria asked, gaping at me. I flushed a little. Had I been a little bit too obvious? Should I not have taken seconds? "You got to share your secret now."

"I just go running once in a while," I said shrugging. "That's all I do, really."

"Wow, I'm totally jealous!" Viktoria said, but her voice was teasing. "I'd have to work out a lot if I ate like you do."

"Good genes, I guess," I said, smiling reluctantly.

"I don't think that's the only good genes you got," Ivan said smirking. I knew he was just teasing, but I still blushed. "Ouch!" Ivan suddenly groaned as he rubbed his shin.

"What's up with you?" I asked frowning.

"Nothing," he said, forcing a smile. He glanced at Dimitri and then back at me. "I, umm, just hit my leg against the table."

I looked from him to Dimitri, who was glaring at Ivan. Nothing, huh? There sure was something going on here. They just didn't want to let me in on it.

I helped Olena clear the table and we made small talk as we did the dishes in the kitchen. She was such a kind person. There was no doubt where Dimitri had learned his good manners.

"So, how's the babysitting going?" Olena asked smiling. "You not tired of it yet?"

"Oh no. Dimitri's kids are amazing. So is he," I said. "I like spending time with them."

"I'm glad to hear that," she said, her smile widening. "Dimitri definitely likes having you around, too."

"Really?" I asked, a little surprised. "Did he…did he tell you that?"

"No," she said, "but I have eyes."

She looked at me knowingly before turning around and leaving the kitchen. I stood there for a few moments, dumbfounded. Just when I was about to leave, Dimitri walked in.

"Hey," he said softly, giving me a small smile.

"Hey," I murmured, returning his smile.

We were quiet for a few moments. In the background I heard his family laughing and talking. Dimitri glanced behind him and then closed the door, shutting out the noise.

"I was wondering…" he started hesitantly, taking a step closer to me. "Can we talk? About last night?"

Oh no. Here it comes. He was going to tell me it had been a mistake and that he wanted to forget about it. Yes, the look on his face said it all. He was definitely regretting our kiss.

"I-"

"It's okay," I cut him off. I didn't want to hear it. I was sure that if he'd say it out loud, I wouldn't be able to hold back the tears that were stinging my eyes right now. "I understand. What happened last night was a mistake. " Dimitri frowned and started to say something, but I interrupted him again. Forcing a smile, I said, "Don't worry. It won't happen again."

And before he could utter another word, I stormed out of the kitchen.

DPOV

I stared after Rose, confused. What the hell did just happen? We were fine just two minutes ago and now she'd stormed off, clearly upset. Why? And why had she said those things? Did she think it was a mistake? Or did she think I thought it was a mistake? Is that why she reacted like that?

Shaking my head, I returned to the living room and saw Rose sitting beside Ivan. She looked sad. When she noticed me, she forced a smile and started talking to Ivan. Great.

I watched them for a while, but when Ivan threw his arm over her shoulder, leaning in close, I knew I needed to do something. They were laughing over some stupid joke Ivan had told and didn't even notice me at me first.

Finally, Ivan looked up. "Hey, Dimka. What's up?" he said grinning.

I could only glare at him.

"Excuse me, I need some fresh air," Rose said, clearing her throat, and she got up.

"What?" Ivan said when she'd left.

"Will you stop flirting with Rose!" I hissed.

"She seemed a little down. I just wanted to cheer her up," he said, holding his hands up in a gesture of peace. "Don't be mad, man. I wasn't moving in on her. I know she's yours."

I sighed. "But she isn't," I murmured wistfully, glancing behind me.

"Are you okay? Did something happen?" Ivan asked with a frown.

I shrugged and then figured I could tell him what had happened last night and just now in the kitchen. He was my best friend after all.

"Dude, I can't believe you kissed her," Ivan said grinning when I'd finished.

"Don't talk so loud," I said in a chastising voice. I didn't want anyone to overhear us.

"Sorry," he mumbled. Then he brightened. "You should go talk to her. Explain that it isn't what she's thinking. Tell her how you really feel about her."

"I don't think she wants to talk to me right now," I muttered.

"Well, you've got to talk to her at some point. Better now than later," he said wisely.

"I guess you're right," I admitted. Taking a deep breath, I nodded and said, "Okay, I'll go find her."

Ivan grinned again. "Good luck."

Rose was outside, sitting on the porch. She looked up when she heard the door close and her eyes widened slightly when she saw me. Then she quickly looked away from me.

"Rose, I think you misunderstood me earlier," I started as I sat down next to her.

She didn't look at me.

"I wasn't going to say that what happened between us last night was a mistake," I continued when she didn't say anything.

Rose stiffened next to me and, slowly, she looked up at me. "You don't think it was a mistake?" she asked hesitantly.

I smiled. "No. To be honest, I'd been wanting to kiss you for a very long time."

Her breath caught in her throat. "Really?"

I nodded. "I didn't, though, because, well… you're eight years younger than me and you're babysitting my kids. I'm… I'm not right for you. It's what I've been telling myself for weeks now. But, last night, I just…" I sighed and looked into her beautiful brown eyes. "I couldn't help myself."

I reached out and took her hand in mine. She looked down at our intertwined hands and then back up at me.

"I don't regret it," I said softly. "The only thing I regret is that I didn't kiss you sooner."

Rose swallowed heavily. "Why would you want to kiss me?"

Well, wasn't that obvious?

I smiled nervously. "Because I'm crazy about you."

She let out a small gasp. I waited for her to say something, but she just stared at me, shocked. Damn. Not what I had been hoping for.

"I'm sorry," I said sheepishly. "I probably shouldn't have said that. It's just-"

My words were cut off when Rose suddenly leaned in and pressed her lips against mine. I responded to the kiss immediately and drew her closer. Her arms wrapped around my neck as our lips continued to move in sync. I pulled her even closer to me until she was practically sitting in my lap.

We pulled away at the same time and as we gazed at each other, Rose whispered, "I feel the same way about you."

"You do?" I asked, a little surprised. After all, what had I to offer to a gorgeous, young woman like her? She had her whole life ahead of her. I would only be a complication.

"Yes," she admitted, looking down at her hands in her lap. She shifted, moving away from me slightly. "I was never going to tell you that, though, because, well…" She shrugged. "I didn't think I'd have a chance with you. I mean, I'm just a stupid and naive school girl."

"That's not true," I said fiercely. "You know that's not true. You're the most amazing woman I've ever met in my life." A smile broke out on her face, a smile that melted my heart. "I really want to be with you, Roza," I continued, my voice soft, "and if the situation was different, if I didn't have kids, if you were older or if I were younger, I would have asked you out the moment I met you – without hesitation." I paused, glancing away briefly. "But like I said earlier… I'm not good for you. You're still so young and there's so much you could do in your life. I would only hold you back."

Rose swallowed. "So what you're trying to say is…you don't want to be with me? Or, well – you can't. Because of your kids. Because of the age gap."

"The age gap isn't so bad, I guess," I admitted. "It's not like you're a minor or anything. But it's still eight years. And the kids… Well, yes, I have a lot of responsibilities. I can't just walk away from all that."

"I understand that," she said. "Did you think I was expecting you to just drop everyone and everything for me?"

"No, no. Of course not," I said gently. "But if you and I would be together… Well, it would be a lot less complicated for you if you dated someone your age. You'd be free to go wherever you wanted, whenever you wanted. With me, you'd be stuck here. And I don't want that for you…"

"Have you ever considered what I want?" she asked.

Slowly, I shook my head. "What do you want?" I whispered, looking at her.

Please say it's me you want. Please say you want to be with me. I know it was selfish, but I couldn't help it. I was so in love with her and I wanted to be with her badly. She'd admitted her feelings for me, but that didn't mean she wanted to be with me – because that meant she was stuck with three children, too.

Rose smiled and her hand found mine. She laced our fingers together and said, "I thought I'd already made that clear."

I swallowed heavily as I looked down at our hands. "Roza…"

"I know what you're going to say, Dimitri," she cut me off. "You're afraid that I won't want to stay with you because of your kids. I'll admit, it's a lot of responsibilities, having children and taking care of them, but you forget… I love those kids to death! And I am already taking care of them when you're not there."

Well, that was true. And I had to admit she was actually doing a great job at taking care of them. I trusted her completely with my kids. I knew they were safe with her.

"You're also worried you'd hold me back from the things I want in my life," she continued, "but that's not true. I want you, Dimitri. I don't mind that you already got kids. I don't mind that we can't go wherever we want, whenever we want to. I'm happy with my life how it is and I want you in it. You and the kids," she concluded, her voice fierce.

I stared at her in wonder. God, she was just so amazing.

"You just told me you want to be with me."

"Yes," I murmured.

"I want to be with you, too. Then can't we at least try?"

I sighed and looked at her. I wanted to be with her and she wanted it too. But what if it didn't work out? I didn't want to lose her. She meant so much to me. She'd been a good friend to me in the past couple of months. I could always count on her. And if it didn't work out, what would happen then?

But what if it does work out? I thought. Then you get to be with the woman you love every day. Something you'd never expected to happen in your life.

It would break my heart if it didn't work out between us, but I decided it was worth the risk.

"Yes," I said at last. "Yes, I want to try." I squeezed her hand gently and smiled. "I want to be with you."

Rose smiled back. I leaned in and kissed her softly. I was reluctant to pull away from her, but I knew I had to. I didn't want anyone to catch us like this – which would definitely happen if we stayed here.

"We should probably go back inside," I said. "Before everyone starts to wonder where we are."

She nodded, still smiling, and got up. I got up, too, and followed her to the door. Before she went inside, I grabbed her hand and turned her around.

"Can we talk some more later?" I asked. "About us?"

"Of course," Rose said.

I smiled and sneaked another kiss before going back inside.

What can I say? She was just irresistible.

There you go. They admitted their feelings for each other and want to be with each other so they're going to try and make it work! How about that? ;)

Next chapter there will be more Rose & Dimitri moments and they will talk some more. I hope you liked the chapter. Please leave a review and tell me what you think. Hope you have a nice day/evening! :)