Dimitri smiled, shook his head, and set the soggy Post it note down on the table. "No."

"No?" My heart felt like it had been ripped out of my chest. "But...why not? Oh, God...there's someone else, isn't there?"

"What are you talking about?"

"We were apart for so long. I gave you back the ring. And after all this time passed, you grew tired of waiting for me. I got so skinny and ugly. No doubt you found another gorgeous woman and fell in love with her and don't want me anymore-"

"Roza," he interrupted gently as he got down on his knees before me and grabbed my hands. "My beautiful Roza. When will you ever realize that you are the only one for me?"

I bit my trembling lip as he reached behind and retrieved something out of his pocket. "Will you give me the incredible honor of becoming my future wife?" Dimitri opened his palm. Settled perfectly against his tan skin, was the diamond ring.

"Are you a freeking idiot?" I punched him. Hard. "Of course I'll marry you! You didn't even have to ask!"

Our lips smashed together. The amount of passion coming off in waves from him and the bliss and happiness coming from within me had me responding to him just as greedily. I wrapped my legs and arms around him as he slid his hands to my waist and not so carefully brought us to our bedroom. I felt more alive than I had in what seemed like forever.

Tossing me on the mattress, Dimitri didn't waste any time in tearing his clothes off. When he was in all his naked glory, there was only one thing I could say.

"You sexy savage beast, you." I purred. "Come here..."

The bed dipped down as it absorbed his tremendous weight. I eagerly parted my thighs and welcomed his large body, wrapping my arms around him and kissing him until I couldn't breathe.

"I missed you. It feels like I'm learning your body all over again. But your scent is so familiar to me...warm vanilla cookies." Dimitri's warm breath tickled my neck as he nuzzled my skin, leaving torturous bites here and there. "God, you are so beautiful to me. You take my breath away."

I thought of the clothes I was wearing: A raggedy old T-shirt with a Kool-Aid stain, faded jeans with holes, and mismatched socks. And it wasn't as if my face made up for my lack of style. I wasn't wearing any makeup. My hair was tossed brutally in a ponytail. And although I had gained five pounds back in the last week, my bones still stuck out of my skin here and there.

"I don't know why you think I'm pretty," I whispered truthfully. "I don't look anything like I used to."

"You make it sound as if I'm comparing and sizing you up." Dimitri slowly tugged the shirt over my head and placed kisses along my chest. "You want to know why you are the most beautiful woman in the world to me? Because you are you. People change, Roza. They go through tough times and grow older. You won't ever be that same girl you were when you first came to the academy, and I'm not just talking looks wise, so stop wishing you would be like I know you are right now."

"I just wish I could be prettier for you," I said. "And I know that sounds really insecure and unconfident, but that's how I feel and I'm being honest with you. I don't deserve you."

"You could not be more wrong about that, baby," Dimitri murmured.

I gasped when he pulled the cups of my bra down and suckled one of my pale-pink tips into his warm and wet mouth until it turned a brilliant red.

"I'm going to show you just how beautiful you truly are." Dimitri said, his smile full of promises.

The next morning, I knocked gently on the door. "Hi, Mrs. Smith."

The professor lifted her eyes to look up at me from behind square glasses. Her stare was too shrewd for my liking and I bit my tongue to keep from saying something I would later regret.

"Ah, Miss Hathaway. What a pleasant surprise." she closed the text book she was reading and stood up. "What do I owe this pleasure."

The classroom was empty, and as I walked in and took my usual seat in the front—or at least, what used to be my seat—I felt those judgmental hazel eyes follow me and burn a hole in my face.

Mustering up confidence and courage, I decided not to beat around the bush and just come right out and say what I had to. "I want to come back to class and finish getting my degree."

"Ah," Mrs. Smith walked slowly around the desk and leaned her hip against it, long and lean arms crossed over her chest. "I thought that was what you might say." With a slow exhale, she removed her glasses and met my level stare. "I'm just afraid that's not possible."

"What?" My voice came out as a shout, and I worked quickly to regain my control. "What do you mean that's not possible?"

"You left my class over a year ago, Miss Hathaway. Do not forget that."

I scoffed and waved my arms. "Yeah, but you teach the same lessons every year, don't you? I mean, come on, not that much has changed in biology."

"That is not the point," The professor paced back and forth with her arms behind her in that annoying way she always did when scolding a student. "The point is, no matter how great of a student you were, you're not equipped to reenter my class and pretend like you've never left-"

"Well, gee, I didn't mean to inconvenience you with my kidnapping, Mrs. Smith. If it ever happens again, I'll be sure to tell my captor not to take me because it would piss off my biology teacher. Who knows, maybe the "please don't kill me!" and "somebody help me's!" just didn't cut it for them. Thanks a lot, you frickin' vulture."

Grabbing my bag and tossing it over my shoulder, I stalked out of the-

"Miss Hathaway," The professor's voice was slightly amused and mildly annoyed. "You frickin' hothead, you didn't let me finish."

Clenching my jaw until my molars burned from the amount of pressure, I spun around to face my biology professor. "What is it?"

I skipped all the way to Lissa's apartment, happiness and disbelief soaring in my veins. I couldn't believe Mrs. Smith had let me off the hook like that. After checking to see how much I had remembered from her classes, which was pretty much everything, she'd agreed to tutor me on every weekend until I was up to speed with the rest of the class. Once I was caught up to their level, she promised she would stick me back in regular classes as long as I promised to work my hardest.

Bam. Bam. Bam. Bam.

I banged on Lissa and Christian's apartment.

"Coming!" Christian called out. Thirty seconds later, he opened the door and I burst out laughing. He had a sunny-yellow apron and oven mittens on. There was a whisk in his left hand, covered with chocolate batter.

"Who are you...Betty Crocker?"

"No," he winked. "But I do bake better than her."

"You wish." I scoffed, and sauntered inside.

"Auntee Ro Ro!" Rosie bounced up and down in her playpen, clapping her tiny hands together and squealing in excitement the instant she saw me.

"Oh, boy." Christian muttered. "I just got her settled down for a nap. Now she'll never go back to sleep."

"Hi, honey!" I ran over and scooped her up, then twirled her carefully in the air as I held her to my chest. "I missed you."

Rosie beamed up at me, flashing eight dazzling small teeth.

"Man," Christian murmured to himself, just standing there, oven mittens crossed over his chest. "My kid is good looking."

"Yeah, I'd have to agree with you on that one." I ran my fingers through her unruly platinum-blond curls. "Thank God she took after her mother."

To my utter surprise, he simply smiled. "Yeah, thank God. My girls are beautiful."

With that, he went back into the kitchen to bake. As I bounced the infant on my hip, Rosie reached up and grabbed the emerald pendant dangling from my neck. Her forehead scrunched as she studied the sparkling gem with fascination.

"Pretty, huh?" I smiled. "Uncle Dimitri gave it to me for Christmas."

Rosie's head snapped up at the mention of my fiancé's name.

"Uncle Deemeetee?"

I laughed at her pronunciation. For being twelve months old, she talked pretty good for her age. But it was words like that that tickled my fancy.

"Yes, Uncle Dimitri. Do you remember him-"

She bobbed her head up and down before I had finished the question, then she started to squirm in my arms and make a high-pitched waling noise. It wasn't quite a cry, but it was a very unusual sound for a baby.

"She wants something!" Christian called out from the kitchen. "Don't tell me you took her cracker away from her and ate it!"

I walked down the hallway. "I think she wants to go see Dimitri."

"Well, take her then. If you want to." Lissa's husband licked the remaining chocolate off the whisk and tossed it in the sink.

"You would let me do that? Take her?...Alone?"

He arched a black brow. "Are you crazy? Of course we would. Lissa and I trust you more than anyone in this world with our daughter." he put two cupcake trays in the oven. "Besides, you're her Godmother, after all."

My heart skipped a beat in my chest. "What did you say?"

"Christian!" Lissa hissed, coming into the kitchen. She was dressed in a fabulous shimmering royal-blue gown and her blond hair was curled to perfection. Black, low heels dangled from her hand, as if she wanted to wait until the last possible minute to put the uncomfortable footwear on.

Lissa pegged me with apologetic eyes. "Sorry. Uh, it was supposed to be a surprise, but Christian kind of spoiled it, didn't he-"

"Sorry, babe."

"It's not a big deal," she said. "We were only going to ask if you and Dimitri wanted to be her Godparents. And only if you accepted our, um, offer...then you would be her Godmother. Sorry. I didn't mean to make this awkward for you and put you on the spot like this."

"Are you kidding me?" I socked her in the shoulder. Something I'd been doing a lot lately. "Sign me up!"

She rubbed the sore spot and beamed. "Really?"

I scoffed. "Heck yes!" I gazed down at Rosie, who was playing patty cake with the back of my hand and tracing the lines of my necklace. "Wow. Thank you guys. This is such an honor."

Lissa smiled as she walked around the island and went to give her husband a hug. She rested against his side and he draped an arm around her slim waist. Bending down, he placed a lingering, adoring kiss against her lips. The words, "I love you" went unspoken, but not unknown. The love and happiness and joy in their eyes spoke wonders.

"I know this may be hard to believe," Christian cleared his throat awkwardly and stared down at his shoes. "But, uh...I want to say thanks, Rose."

"Yes," Lissa nodded. "We wouldn't have anyone else but you and Dimitri taking care of our daught-why are you not in your suit?" she stared at her husbands jeans and T-shirt with incredulity.

"I was making cupcakes."

"You need to go get dressed now!" she pointed to the stairs like a scolding mother telling her child he was grounded. "We're going to be late! And, oh, my God. Rosie's not even dressed. What have you been doing the last hour and a half while I've been getting ready?"

Christian's feet shuffled towards their bedroom. "Baking cupcakes."

My grin stretched from ear to ear. "Where are you guys going?"

"My parents twenty-third anniversary," she said as frantically ripped clothes from Rosie's closet in her nursery.

"Ah, gotta love the Barbie version of the Adam's family. Wait, wait, wait, wait. You're taking Rosie?"

Lissa shrugged. "Yeah. Why?"

"Well, um," I stared down at the infant in my arms, not wanting to part with her just yet. "Rosie wants to see Dimitri and I was going to ask you if that was okay. But, never mind. This is way more important-"

Lissa squealed so loudly, both Rosie and I cringed.

"You'll baby-sit her for me?"

Slowly, hesitantly, I nodded. "Yeah..."

"Oh, my God. You are a saint!" My best friend kissed both of my cheeks. "I love my daughter dearly. But it would be nice for Christian and I to spend a little time together alone, even if it's just for the few minutes we get on the way to my parents house."

"Here. How about this?" I said. "You pack little Rosie here a diaper bag with a change of clothes and Pj's, and I'll take her off of your hands for the night and bring her back in the morning."

Lissa and Rosie both squealed, and my best friend did a little happy dance before crushing me in one of her signature run-and-tackle-bear hugs.

After Lissa was done packing a diaper bag and bundling Rosie up in sneakers, jeans, a onesie with the words: My Aunt Rocks, and a pink jacket with a cross bone skull on the back, she gave us both kisses and hugs and we were off.

"Are you cold?" I asked as we walked home. God, the infant smelled good. Lavender and Johnson's baby shampoo. Yum. I just wanted to eat all of her cuteness up.

Rosie shook her head and laid her cheek against my shoulder. "Uncle Deemeetee?"

I laughed, my breath making little bursts of fog in the air. "Yes, he's home. Are you excited to see him?"

She bobbed her head up and down eagerly and I laughed again.

Minutes later, we'd arrived at mine and Dimitri's apartment. Walking inside, I was met with a warm blast of toasty air and wonderful smells wafting from the kitchen. As I shut and locked the door, I smiled as I thought how funny it was that Lissa and I always had our men in the kitchen cooking for us. Normally, it should have been the other way around.

"I'm home!" I said, walking into the kitchen.

Dimitri turned around, smiling. "And you're not alone," he said, spotting Rosie bouncing up and down on my hip.

"She's spending the night," I informed him. "And she misses her uncle."

Setting Rosie carefully on the ground, I gave her a kiss on her chubby cheek and watched as she crawled over to Dimitri and sat on his leather boots. "Uncle Deemeetee!" she cooed, tugging on his jeans, begging to be picked up.

Laughing at the awkward expression on his face, I said, "You can touch her. She won't bite."

Slowly, almost as if she had some contagious disease, he reached down, put his large hands under her armpits, and hoisted her up.

Rosie squealed excitedly and put both of her tiny, chubby hands on his face. Giggling, she leaned forward and kissed his nose. "Hiiiiiii!"

Rosie appeared like she was having the time of her life with her uncle, but Dimitri on the other hand, looked like he was getting a vasectomy.

"Relax a little, will ya, babe." I put my hand on his shoulder. "You're scaring the child."

"What do I do with her?" he asked tightly, whole body stiff as a boulder. "I don't want to drop her."

"You won't." I smiled at his worried expression. "Rosie's tougher than she looks. Just be natural. She already loves you."

Rosie made a little pleading noise and we both looked over at her. She waved her hand at me.

"You want me to hold you?" I asked.

"No." Rosie shook her head vigorously. "Come o'er here."

I did as she said. "What do you want, honey? Are you hungry? Uncle Dimitri's cooking us dinner—"

The infant reached out, grabbed the gold chain around my neck, and held the chunky emerald pendant out to Dimitri. There was a questioning and curious note to her ice-blue eyes.

"Yes," Abruptly, his lips lifted into the most beautiful, happy smile. "I gave that to your aunt. I wanted to show her how special she is to me..."

As Dimitri talked and Rosie mumbled along, firing out question after question, that smile remained on his face and he relaxed, cradling the tiny infant to his broad chest.

Smiling somewhat sadly at the fact that I would never be able to give him the gift of children and knowing what a shame that was because he'd be a wonderful father, I quietly exited the room, saying, "I'll let you two get acquainted."

Starting the shower, I waited for the spray to heat up as I peeled my clothes off and stared at my naked reflection in the mirror. Aside from the hickeys covering my neck, breasts, and the sensitive skin on my hip and inner thighs, my body was looking better. I'd gained nearly eight pounds since Dimitri started shoveling calorie-rich foods down my throat, and although bones were still visible and dark circles shown under my eyes, I was starting to feel beautiful once again.

The steam was thick and hot, indicating the shower was ready. Stepping in, I carefully set my feet on the tile and let the scorching water hit my back and spray down my legs. The aching muscles in my neck and lower back from my, ahem, activities with Dimitri last night eased and I instantly felt myself relaxing, which was something I desperately needed.

After shampooing my hair and running the Dove beauty bar all over my body, I made quick work of shaving my legs, then I hopped out and toweled off quickly. Once I'd thrown on a pair of old shorts and a comfy tank-top, I brushed my hair and ran downstairs, eager to spend sometime with my niece and fiancé.

"Aw," I grinned. "You got her to sleep."

Dimitri came over, cradling a snoozing Rosie in his arms. He was careful not to disturb her as he leaned down and kissed me.

"I was just putting her down," he whispered, walking over to the playpen. Placing one hand behind her neck and the other on her bottom, he slowly eased her away from his warm body and into an ocean of pink and yellow blankets. Rosie stirred and started to cry, but once Dimitri gently patted her back for a few moments, she was out like a light.

As her soft snoring noises filled the room and my fiancé rose to his full height, I asked, "How'd you do that?"

"Rubbed her feet together, in circles. Works like magic."

"I'll have to remember that when I want to sneak out of the apartment," I pointedly stared at his boots.

Chuckling, he came over and wrapped his arms around me. "That would never happen. I'd follow you wherever you go."

"I don't doubt that for a second. Hey, you wanna watch some Discovery channel? I recorded Planet Earth on the DVR—is something wrong?"

Dimitri stared into my eyes for the longest time before smiling a tight, slightly pained smile. "No. Come on. Let's watch your favorite show."

Was he having second thoughts about proposing to me?

I was about to argue, but he grabbed my palm, led me over to the couch, and pulled me down against his body. Placing kisses against my throat, he murmured things in his native Siberian tongue. For some strange reason, I didn't believe them to be words like, "I love you" and "you're so beautiful." My gut instinct told me that Dimitri was trying to distract me. That he was speaking…regretful and apologetic words in Russian.

My lids snapped open and I pushed against his chest. "Stop! Tell me what's wrong."

Dimitri looked at me, shook his head, and murmured, "Nothing." Then he tilted his neck and pressed his mouth to mine.

I didn't kiss him back, not even when his tongue darted in my mouth and he pulled my bottom lip between his teeth.

Something was off. Definitely wrong.

Ripping from his touch and scrambling to my feet, I kicked up my chin and raised both of my brows in that no-nonsense style. "I'm not stupid. I know you better than that. Now, tell me what's wrong or we can continue to play this ping-pong match. Because I sure as hell ain't going to stop until I know what's up with you. What's on your mind? Please…just let me know. I hate to be left in the dark."

"I want to tell you something, and I'm not sure how you're going to handle it." Dimitri was silent for the longest time, and I was two seconds away from screaming and pulling my hair out.

Finally, he said, "There's a chance that Ivan may still be alive."