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CHAPTER 15

DPOV

The kids were reluctant to go home that day. They wanted to spend the night at their grandmother's house. I would've let them stay if I'd known this on beforehand. But now they didn't have their pajamas, toothbrush and fresh clothes for tomorrow.

On the other hand, if they stayed here, I would be able to spend more time with Rose and then we could talk. In the end, I decided I'd come back with the kids tomorrow, along with their stuff, so they could stay for a couple of days with their grandmother. I dreaded the long drive, but I figured we could stop on the way and go to the mall because Liam had outgrown almost all of his clothes and Inna could use some new jeans too. When they heard we were going shopping tomorrow, they were all ecstatic.

"Are you coming tomorrow too, Rose?" Alisa asked once we were in the car, driving home.

I chuckled. "I don't think Rose wants to sit another four hours in this car, Alisa."

"But it's a daytrip," Inna argued. "We're going to the mall, right?"

I guess it was sort of a daytrip. But still.

"Yeah, maybe Rose needs some clothes too," Liam piped in.

I glanced at Rose. "You up for it?" I asked.

"Well, actually," Rose said, grinning at me. "I wouldn't mind to go shopping."

The children cheered and I smiled. The rest of the ride home was quiet. The kids were tired after today's events and when I dropped Rose off at campus, Liam and Alisa were asleep. Inna looked on the verge of falling asleep, too.

I looked at Rose. "I hope you had fun today. I know my family can be a little…loud."

"They're amazing," Rose said smiling. "Just like you."

It took all of me not to lean over and kiss her senseless. I had to remind myself that my kids were in the backseat. They might be asleep, but it would just be my luck if they'd wake up just when I was kissing Rose.

"I'll see you tomorrow, then?" I said.

Rose nodded and then glanced behind her. Biting her lower lip, she glanced back at me. She hesitated, but then leaned forward and kissed my cheek.

"See you tomorrow," she whispered.

I stared after her, a dazed smile on my face, as she walked to her dorm. My thoughts were still with her when I drove home. Liam and Alisa were still half asleep when we arrived and I had to carry them inside. Inna followed and immediately went to bed.

After I'd put Liam and Alisa to bed, I checked on Inna to see if she was actually in bed. She was, and she was already fast asleep. I smiled and pressed a kiss to her forehead before leaving her room. I went to take a shower and when I returned to my bedroom, I heard my phone buzzing. I retrieved it from my bed and looked at the screen. It was Ivan.

"Hey, what's up?" I said.

"Hey," he replied. "I wanted to know how things went down with Rose. We didn't have a chance to talk earlier. So, did you tell her?"

"I told her, yes," I said, a grin spreading across my face as I thought back to this afternoon.

"And?" Ivan pressed.

My grin widened. "She said she felt the same way."

"I knew it! I knew she was hot for you!" Ivan exclaimed. "So…did you make out with her?"

"A gentleman doesn't kiss and tell."

"So you did make out with her!" he said. "So, how was she? I bet she's a fabulous kisser. She sure looks like it. When are you guys going to hook up?"

I rolled my eyes, not dignifying that with a response. "We still have to talk about some things, though."

"What do you have to talk about?" he asked. "I thought you already said everything."

"Yes," I said, "but…well, I've got three kids, Ivan. Most girls her age would stay the hell away from guys like me."

"Yeah, but you told me she is pretty mature for her age," Ivan said, for once serious. "And she adores your kids. So, really, I don't see what the problem is."

"Yeah," I said shrugging. "We'll see how it works out." I hoped to God it would work out. "She's going shopping with us tomorrow. I guess we'll talk then."

"Ugh, shopping," Ivan muttered. "Rather you than me."

"Yeah, well, the kids need clothes," I said with a shrug. I just realized it might be good that Rose was coming along. She probably knew a lot more about clothes than me. Tasha used to go shopping with the kids. I came along a few times, but it's not like I picked out their clothes. "Where are you?" I asked, changing the subject. "Are you home yet?"

He'd left my mother's house just before us. He should be home by now. Unless he'd gone somewhere else.

"I'm going over to some friends," he said and I could almost hear him grinning.

"You mean girlfriends?"

"I don't have girlfriends. I do, however, have friends who happen to be girls," he said. "It's not the same thing."

"Uh-huh. Well, I'll leave you to it then."

"Talk to you later," he said before disconnecting.

With a sigh, I put my phone on my nightstand and crawled into bed. I thought of Rose again, wondering when I'd be able to kiss her again. I smiled and let out a contented sigh. After a while, I drifted off to sleep, dreaming about my Roza.

The next morning I had to get up early again to pack my kids' bags. They were running around the house, excited to go to the mall, and I had to practically drag them to the kitchen so they'd eat their breakfast. When I was sure they'd stay seated, I went back upstairs to finish packing their bags. When they were done, they came upstairs to get ready.

An hour later, we went to pick up Rose. I'd texted her on beforehand so she knew we were coming and she was already waiting outside when we arrived.

"Hey guys," she said cheerfully when she got inside the car.

The kids greeted her enthusiastically, all happy she was here. They were loud during the ride to the mall and I wondered if I would get through this day without an aspirin. I don't think they'd ever been this loud before.

Thankfully, they calmed down a little when we arrived at the mall. Inna immediately started dragging me towards a shop she used to go to with her mom. Rose took Liam and Alisa by the hand and followed us inside.

Since I knew nothing about fashion, I was happy Rose was around to help me out. It was obvious this wasn't my department.

As we stood in line to pay for Inna's new clothes, my hand accidently touched Rose's. When I looked at her, I saw that she was smiling at me. My heart lifted and I smiled back at her, wishing I could hold her in my arms.

When the kids started to get hungry, we went to the food court to have lunch and afterwards, we continued our shopping spree. I was relieved when we'd finally found some clothes for Liam, too.

"Hey, would you mind if I go in there for a while?" Rose asked, pointing at a store called Forever 21. I noticed Inna looking at it wistfully. "I kind of need some new jeans, too."

"Uh yeah, sure," I said.

"Can we go too, Daddy?" Inna asked, tugging at my sleeve.

I glanced back at the store. "Fine. We can go, too," I said at last.

She smiled happily and ran after Rose. We followed them around the store. Inna found this skirt she really wanted to try on, but I wasn't too sure about it. I thought it was a little short, but when she started looking at me with her puppy dog eyes, I gave in.

When she came out of the changing room, I had to admit it wasn't as bad as I'd first thought it was. The skirt was knee-length and Rose said it was fine so I figured it was alright if she'd wear it. Inna attacked me with a hug when I told her she could have the skirt.

My eyes almost bugged out of my head when Rose came out in black skinny jeans and a red top that showed off her curves, but that didn't show too much skin at the same time.

"What do you think?" Rose asked grinning as she looked into the mirror.

"Um, you look pretty," I stammered. Yeah, right. Pretty. As if that was the right word to describe how sexy Rose looked right now.

Alisa and Inna looked at her in awe whereas Liam was bored from all the shopping and was playing with his stuffed animal in the corner so he didn't notice a thing.

"One day I want to be just as beautiful like Rose," Alisa murmured when we walked out of the store half an hour later. Rose had purchased the jeans and red top, along with some other things.

"You already are, sweetheart," I responded softly, squeezing her hand as she looked up at me, smiling widely.

Around four o'clock I dropped the kids off at my mother's. They were all eager to show off their new clothes to her and my sister, Viktoria, who was there as well. I felt kind of sad leaving my kids behind, but it was only for a few days.

"Call me if anything's wrong," I said to my mother.

"Of course," she assured me. "You go home now and have some time for yourself." She smiled and then eyed Rose, who was chatting with Vika. "Or spend some time with Rose."

"Yeah, well," I said, avoiding her gaze. "We should be going. See you in a few days, Mama." I kissed her cheek and then kissed my kids on the top of their heads. "Have fun with your grandmother," I told them. "And behave while I'm gone."

"Bye Daddy!"

It was silent as Rose and I walked back to the car.

"Do you want to grab a bite to eat somewhere?" I asked, a little nervous.

"Sure," she responded smiling.

I smiled, relieved. "Do you have any preferences as to where to go?"

"No, not really."

I didn't know anything in the neighborhood so I decided to just head home and see if we passed some good restaurant on the way. At last, I pulled up at a small but seemingly decent restaurant on the highway. As we walked side by side to the entrance, our hands brushed against each other like earlier today.

Taking a deep breath, I took her hand in mine. When she looked up at me in surprise, I feared she'd pull away, but instead she smiled. Feeling more confident, I laced our fingers together and held open the door for her with my free hand.

We slid into a booth in the back corner so we'd have some privacy to talk. After ordering, Rose gave me a small smile and then put her hand on mine.

"Are you okay?" she asked softly. "You've been quiet for a while now."

I looked into her beautiful brown eyes and a smile crept onto my face. "Yes, I'm fine. It's just…" It's just I'm nervous and afraid you're going to change your mind about me and I'll end up with a broken heart. I groaned inwardly. Since when had I turned into such a lovesick guy?

"It's just what?" Rose pressed when I didn't continue.

I looked at her, hesitant to tell her. Ugh, just say what's on your mind, Dimitri, I scolded myself.

"I know we already talked about it yesterday, but… Are you sure?" I asked. "Are you sure you want this? I mean, it's not too late to change your mind. I'd understand-"

"Dimitri," she interrupted me gently. I sighed and looked up at her. "I'm sure," she said, her eyes never leaving mine.

"Don't you care that I've been married before? That I already have kids?" I asked frowning.

She shrugged. "I know that I care about you," she said. "And I also care about your kids. A lot." She sighed and looked down. "But if you have doubts…"

"No!" I said quickly, taking her hand. She looked up at me, raising her eyebrows. "No, I meant what I said yesterday. I want to be with you."

Rose smiled.

"It's just… I'm thinking about the kids," I said. "I don't know how they'll react to this. To us being together." I was pretty sure Liam would be fine with it since he'd once asked if Rose could move in with us. I figured Alisa would be okay with it, too. But Inna… I wasn't sure about her. She still missed her mother greatly and even though she'd warmed up to Rose, I wasn't sure she'd be too happy about me dating someone that wasn't her mother.

She nodded. "I understand. If they're not okay with it, then we'll stop. I don't want to hurt them."

I looked at her in surprise. She would put aside her own happiness for my kids? I wasn't even sure I could do that. I loved my kids to death, but I loved Rose too. I wanted her in my life. But I guess that if my kids really weren't okay with me being with Rose I would let her go. They were my kids after all and they meant the world to me.

We agreed we wouldn't tell the kids right away. Because if it didn't work out between us, I would have upset them over nothing. We'd keep it quiet for a while and if things were going well, we'd tell them and hope for the best.

Our waiter came just then to bring us our food. As we ate, we made some small talk.

"You want dessert?" I asked, looking at the menu again.

"Ugh, I don't know," she moaned. "I think I ate a little too much pasta."

I chuckled. "So that means no?"

She considered and then shrugged. "Oh, what the hell." Looking at the menu, she said, "I want the chocolate cake. Are you going to take something?"

"I don't think so," I said, putting the menu away.

"Well then, would you mind sharing the chocolate cake with me because I don't think I'll be able to eat all of it."

"Sure," I said smiling.

The waiter brought us the cake a few moments later. He smiled and winked at Rose before walking away. I watched him leave with a frown.

"Hey comrade," Rose said, waving her hand in front of my face. "The cake's here. What are you looking at?"

"Nothing," I muttered, tearing my gaze away from the waiter.

"You want a bite?" she asked grinning, holding out her fork to me.

Momentarily forgetting about the waiter, I nodded and leaned in to have a taste of the chocolate cake. It was rather good. Rose took a bite and moaned.

"Oh my God, this is delicious," she exclaimed, taking another bite.

I smiled as she held out her fork again. I leaned in again, but then she pulled the fork away and brought it to her lips.

"Mmm," she said, laughing when she saw the perplexed look on my face. Then she got up and sat down next to me. "It's easier this way, I think."

"You're going to pull away again?" I asked when she offered her fork to me again.

She shook her head, still smiling. "I promise I won't."

I eyed her carefully. Deciding she looked sincere enough, I leaned in, but this time I wasn't going for the fork. I was going for her lips.

She gasped in surprise when my lips met hers. I heard the clatter of her fork on her plate as she wrapped her arms around my neck and kissed me back with fervor. I had to remind myself that we were in a restaurant and that we could hardly start to make out here so I pulled away from her with great reluctance.

I noticed the waiter standing a couple of feet away from us, a frown on his face as he looked our way. I couldn't help the grin spreading across my face.

"You wanna get out of here?" I asked, looking back at Rose.

She nodded, biting her lower lip.

There was a smile on my face the whole time as I drove us back home. I parked my car in the parking lot at campus, figuring she would want to call it a night. But, suddenly, she leaned forward and pressed her lips against mine. Before I knew it, we were lying in the backseat of the car, making out – which was not that easy since I was so tall.

"You. Are. Amazing," I breathed as I trailed kisses down her neck, making her moan in pleasure. I stopped at her collarbone and looked up at her with a grin. God, she was breathtaking.

"Why'd you stop?" she asked, breathless, tugging at the collar of my shirt as she tried to pull my mouth back to her neck.

I sat up a little. "I don't want to rush anything," I admitted. "And I don't want our first time to be in the backseat of my car. It should be somewhere romantic."

She smiled. "Aww, you're such a sap," she teased.

I glared at her playfully. "I just think we should take it slow."

Rose sobered up. "Yeah, you're probably right." Then she grinned again. "But that doesn't mean we can't make out, right?"

I grinned too. "Right."

I leaned in closer and captured her lips with mine in a long, passionate kiss. When I'd dreamt about kissing her, I'd already thought it was amazing, but kissing her in real life… It was ten times more amazing.

"Would it be okay if I'd take you out on a date sometime?" I asked when I pulled away from her.

"Wasn't this a date?" she asked with a smile.

I shook my head. "My kids were with us all day."

"Yeah, but we were alone for dinner," she argued.

"You think eating dinner at some restaurant – if you can even call it that – on the highway counts as a date?" I said, arching my eyebrow. "No way. You deserve a lot better than that."

Her smile returned. "Well then, where are you planning on taking me on our date?"

I grinned. "I don't know. I'll have to think about it. So, does that mean you're saying yes? I can take you out sometime?"

Rose nodded. "Yes."

I smiled, happy she'd said yes. It was almost midnight so we decided to call it a night. I walked her to her door and she stood on her tiptoes to kiss me goodnight.

"Can I see you tomorrow?" I asked, hopeful.

Rose smiled. "Sure."

"Okay," I said, feeling another smile creep onto my face. It was unbelievable how much she could make me smile. "Good night, Roza. Sweet dreams," I murmured, kissing her cheek softly.

"Night, comrade."

I was reluctant to let her go, but I knew I couldn't stay here all night. I gave her one last glance before leaving. I sighed happily as I walked back to my car and drove home. I couldn't wait to see her again tomorrow.

Aww, aren't they cute together? Hope you liked the chapter. Next chapter, there will be lots of Romitri! ;)

Please leave a review and tell me what you think about this chapter. Have a nice day/evening! :)