So many people had touched my belly today and it felt strange but in a good way. With Lissa and Tasha planning the baby shower, there were a lot more people here than I anticipated. Some were other singers or actors that Dimitri had worked with before, some were my friends from high school or university.

Either way, there were a lot more people here than I thought there would be. And it wasn't strict to the women-only rule, I had no issue with men coming. I wanted Dimitri to be able to share the moment with me too.

Dimitri said that he needed to step out for a minute, and I nodded, smiling indulgently at Olena. I was happy that she was here, and I could share this moment with all of my friends. I caught movement out of the corner of my eyes and turned seeing Andrew come in with Gloria in tow.

I stepped towards them and hugged Andrew with a grin, thanking him for coming. He had a large bag with him and said that he was going to set it on the table with the rest. I nodded and smiled at him as he walked by. I turned to tell Gloria to make herself comfortable, and she could help herself to the refreshments when her face turned bitter.

"I don't know why Andy was so intent on coming today, but I'm his girlfriend," she spat and I raised my brows at him.

"Do you feel threatened?" I asked with a small chuckle.

"No. I don't need to be threatened but you aren't much to look at, and clearly unable to keep yourself close. But I'm not stupid either. He's a good looking guy, so he may be your friend, but that's all he's going to be," she said and her face changed again as Andrew came back. Now was a perky, fake two-face woman.

"Please tell me that I am not the only man that came," Andrew joked.

I laughed and shook my head as I pointed towards the refreshments table where Ivan was holding people's attention. Andrew nodded and made an assuring noise before Gloria gasped.

"Oh my God. Dimitri Belikov is here!?" she squealed not so quietly, noticing him and then taking in the other people here. I forced a smile and turned to see Dimitri as he walked closer.

"Dimitri. Thank God! I thought I was going to be the only man here," Andrew said, clasping his hand and giving him a one-armed hug.

"I wasn't getting out of this, no matter how hard I tried," Dimitri said with a wink.

"Hey!" I exclaimed and he smiled at me, dipping his head down and pecking my lips.

"I'm kidding, I'm kidding."

"Hey, don't test her. My sister on feisty on a good day," Andrew joked and I watched the realization flash through Gloria's eyes.

"That's because I've had to deal with you," I chuckled before finding a chair to sit on. Gloria seemed stunned as Andrew led her to a chair near me, and she shifted almost uncomfortably. I didn't want to say that I was smug, but I was. I thought I got away from the high school pettiness when I left high school.

Tasha took up her role handing gifts to Millie and me while Dimitri got settled in a chair next to me. Tasha passed up the first gift, handing me the card first.

I opened the card and read it before smiling at Gerrie. I handed the card to Lissa wh was waiting to write what was gifted to me on the card. When I pulled out the tissue paper I laughed, pulling out a onesie that said 'My Mom's Hot.'

"Love it," I laughed as I folded it back in my lap and then pulled out the array of little socks and hats. I couldn't help the little squeal as I looked at the little booties she bought as well.

"Thank you," I said as I put the gifts back into the bag. I took the next gift from Millie and set it in my lap, thanking everyone after I opened a gift. Dimitri opened a few too, smiling at all the little socks we got. There were a lot of books and stuffed animals, clothes and toys. Everything was pretty gender neutral which was nice.

There was a box that was a little different from the rest. Abe brought it up to me with a smile.

"These belonged to me when I was young," he said quietly and I took the box, opening the lid carefully. There was a blanket folded inside the box, a soft cotton that was weaved in dark blue, red, and yellow threads. Nestled on top was a gold pin with gold coins attached to it. One of the bangles had a blue circle on it, almost like an eye.

"These are beautiful," I said as I pulled the pin out.

"These are for good luck. The nazar is to bring safe and reel evil spirits. It's an old Turkish superstition, but I felt that you deserved them," he explained. I smiled and handed the pin to Dimitri for him to see.

"There is another box of things that Mallory mailed me, but I figured it would be best for you to open those at home," Abe whispered and I nodded.

"Thank you," I said softly.


They were fighting again. I hated that I was the cause of that fight. Dimitri had not had one pleasant conversation with his sister Sonya since we announced my pregnancy. She was combative, volatile, and downright nasty.

She didn't have a good thing to say about my pregnancy and hadn't even congratulated her brother in becoming a father. But when she started making nasty remarks about me on trending feeds, it was harder to ignore.

Olena seemed like she was trying to distract me from the fact that they were fighting, but I could still hear them. She was helping me set up the crib, folding the outfits and nursing blankets. I glanced over my shoulder towards the door when I heard Dimitri's voice raise.

Olena had come out to help out during the last few weeks of my pregnancy but also offered to stay a week or so after. I could see how that would be smothering to some people, but I thought it was sweet. Mildred was being extra cautious during this round of treatment, not wanting to risk getting sick or getting me sick.

I wasn't so concerned about me, but more for the baby. But again, we were all being cautious.

"I hate that they're fighting," I said to Olena.

"They've always fought like cats and dogs," she soothed, setting the blankets on the shelf.

"I know, but it feels like even more since I came into the picture," I said, setting the monitor on the table beside the crib. Olena smiled at me sympathetically and stroked my cheek.

"This isn't your fault. If Sonya cannot be happy for her brother then that's her own problem. But Karolina, Viktoria and I are all very happy and excited. Paul and Zoya are thrilled to have another cousin. You have enough on your plate, don't let her add anything else to it," she said kindly, "If I had an issue like Sonya liked to think I do, I would have said something. But I don't. I already see you as my daughter."

I smiled at her and sighed, sinking down into the wooden rocking chair. I introduced Dimitri to my love for flea markets and one weekend, we found an old Windsor rocking chair at a garage sale. You could see that it had been loved, but I didn't care. A coat of paint and it was perfect.

I took the rest of the clothes and rested them on my lap, folding them on my stomach.

"There is something I wanted to ask you," I said to Olena as I folded. Olena had moved to setting some picture books on the shelf. They weren't realistic for now, but for when the baby was older.

"What's that, dear?"

"If me and Dimitri ever did decide to get married, do you think Sonya would make my life miserable?"

Olena tsked. "I wouldn't let her."

"I've heard planning a wedding can bring out the worst in people," I joked. Olena smiled at me.

"Like I said, I wouldn't let her," she said as Dimitri came to a stop in the doorway.

"Hey," I said with a small smile. Dimitri smiled at me fondly and then at his mother.

"Hi," he said as he stepped into the room, "It looks amazing in here."

"We work well as a team," Olena mused. Dimitri smiled and came over, kissing the top of my head.

"How bad was that?" I asked quietly. Dimitri shrugged and made a face, but I didn't push the topic further.

Dimitri helped his mother put away a few more things before we had declared the room finished. I held my hands out for Dimitri to help me out of the chair.

"So what is this about wedding planning?" Dimitri asked with a chuckle, "I heard when I was coming into the room."

Olena smiled at us. "I was telling Rose that if you two decided to marry, I wouldn't let your sister cause issues for you," she said indulgently.

Dimitri shook his head. "I wouldn't put it past her to cause a scene at the wedding itself."

I snorted a laugh. "Then I guess we would elope," I joked. Dimitri chuckled, but there was something in his eyes that make me cock my head at him.

Olena had said that she wanted to have dinner with Mildred so that the two could get to know one another. I liked the idea that they were bonding, it made everything feel more…normal.

Dimitri had been cooking dinner more often the last week. Every time I cooked meat or chicken or pork, the smell would make me dry heave. I sat at the island and watched him cook, smiling to myself as I watched him. As he plated our dinner, his eyes flicked up to mine and smiled.

"There's something I want to talk to you about," he said as he set my plate of pasta in front of me.

"What's that?" I asked as I put cheese, salt and pepper on my food.

Dimitri sat down beside me with his plate, resting his chin on his interlaced fingers.

"Was the idea of eloping just a joke? Or is that something that you've thought about?"

I paused as I lifted my forkful of food to my mouth.

"I mean, I've thought about my life with you. We have a child on the way. It seems like marriage is the logical direction in our relationship," I said as I set my fork down on my plate. "Is it something that you've thought about?"

Dimitri nodded. "Yeah," he said, "And you're not the first person to mention elopement."

"I'm not?"

"No. Karolina and Viktoria have both said it since we told them about the baby. And, after all the fighting with Sonya, I know that even if we did a traditional wedding, she'd make things a living hell. But when you said it today, I really thought about it," he said softly.

I licked my lips and turned my body towards his, crossing my ankles together.

"This is something that you want?" I asked as I bit my lip, "Just us and a justice of the peace or a minister?"

"And my mother, and your mother, and maybe Abe if you want him there," he said reaching for my hand, "I want it to be about us. Not about everything else."

I smiled at him and took in a slow breath. "So we're doing this?" I asked and bit my lip.

Dimitri smiled at me, raising our hands and kissing my hand.

"Roza, will you marry me?" he asked, pressing my palm against his cheek.

"Will you marry me?" I asked with a laugh.

"Of course, I will," he said as he leaned forward, pressing a kiss to my lips.


When we told Olena the following morning, she was ecstatic for us. And after we told Olena, we told Mildred and Andrew. I would have liked it if Karolina and Viktoria could have been here, but it was too last minute. Abe said that he would try and make it in time for the ceremony at the church near our place.

After we told Mildred, we went to a jeweller's to get wedding bands. I didn't want anything too crazy, but something that was still me. As I looked at the bands, another ring caught my eye in the engagement settings. It seemed vintage, but not at the same time. It was a circle stone with two halos around it, little fringes on the sides like leaves. The band was gold, but it spoke to me.

"Like that?" Dimitri asked, resting his chin on my shoulder, his arms slipping around my stomach.

"Yeah, it just caught my eye," I said as I started to move back over to wedding bands but he stopped me. He called the jeweller over and asked her to take the ring out that I was looking at. I was a little bashful about it, we had only come here for wedding bands.

"This one is one of my favourites," she commented as she took the ring out and handed it to me. I slipped it onto my finger and looked at it.

"It's gorgeous," I mused.

"Do you want it?" Dimitri asked, kissing the shell of my ear.

I scoffed a laugh. "We're here for wedding bands," I said as I turned my head to look up at him.

"So? What kind of husband would I be if I didn't buy you an engagement ring, even if we're eloping?" he asked. I laughed at him but nodded, sliding the ring off and handing it back to the jeweller.

"We still need to pick out bands," I said as I slid back to wedding bands. We spent about an hour in the store before we left with three rings. Two wedding bands and one engagement ring that I wore out of the store.

After that, the days blurred together until I was standing just outside the doors of the chapel. I found a simple and pretty white dress. It came to my knees and was flowy, cascading over my body like water. Millie had a beautiful purple silk cap that matched her dress, sniffing a little as she readjusted some curls around my face.

"You look so beautiful," she whispered, gripping my hand. I smiled at her and licked my lips, glancing at Abe as he stood behind me.

"Thank you," I whispered, "Thank you for being here today."

"I wouldn't have missed it for the world," she said softly, glancing up when Andrew poked his head out the door. I didn't have flowers, choosing not to bother with something that was going to die so quickly.

"We're all ready for you," Andrew said with a soft smile. I nodded and blew out a breath.

"Ready?" I asked Abe and Mildred.

"Are you?" Abe asked. I nodded and lopped my arms between Mildred's and Abe's, letting them lead me into the church. I didn't feel nervous per se, but excited and jittery. I had seen Dimitri in a suit so many times, but walking up the aisle in a white dress made it feel a lot different.

When I got to Dimitri, I couldn't help the smile that crossed my face as I took his hand. the minister kept it short, but as I looked into his eyes, I felt like we were the only two people in the room. Our lives had changed so much in the last year, and there was a lot of emotions that had been held. There was hardship, fights, joy, and I wouldn't want to share those moments with anyone else.

I didn't want to have to have those moments with anyone else. I wanted to walk up next to him every morning, I wanted to tease him about how he drank his coffee, and I wanted to watch how his nose twitched in his sleep for the rest of my life. I wanted him to run his fingers through my hair in the morning, to kiss my ear every night before we went to sleep. I wanted all of the moments for the rest of my life. We didn't write vows, instead, we wrote letters to each other to read this morning.

The exchanging of rings and silent promises made Andrew tear up, taking pictures on his phone as we shared our first kiss as a married couple.


Tonight, Maria was an absolute godsent. Three weeks from my due date and I'm about ready to pop. Literally, I was starting to worry that my skin wouldn't be able to contain the baby any longer. The dress she had picked was comfortable enough, well, as comfortable as one could be this pregnant. It was floor length and sparkly, a purple and pink mix with lace. It was forgiving too, stretchy enough around my body but still form-fitting.

There was a dinner tonight, I knew that it was important, but I couldn't remember exactly what it was for. Dimitri had promised that we wouldn't be out too late, but I knew that there was a certain length of time that we needed to be there.

Standing for pictures was probably the worst part. The shoes I wore were flat, but my feet hurt all the time. Dimitri kept his arm around my waist as we took photos, making sure I was supported. He rested his hand on my belly and kissed my cheek.

"Just let me know and we will end the photos."

I smiled at him and licked my lips.

"I need to sit down," I said quietly through my shoulder. Dimitri winked and we moved along, making our way inside. Once we got to our seats, Dimitri pulled my chair out and held my hand as I lowered myself into my chair. I tried to keep the relief off my face, but it was hard. I didn't want everyone to know that I was exhausted.

I saw a familiar face coming towards us and I smiled.

"I didn't think you were going to come," Karleen said, leaning down and kissing my cheeks.

"I figured this was going to be the last time I got out for a while," I laughed as Dimitri sat down beside me. Karleen sat beside me, crossing her leg as she rested her elbow on the table, her attention turned to me. She was a producer that Dimitri had worked with once, and she was honestly the sweetest person I had ever met.

"How have you been feeling?"

I rubbed my hand over my bump with a smile. "Pretty good. I mean, I'm exhausted all the time, but good. How have you been? Working on anything fun?"

She shrugged. "Possibly. But I still need to check with my next potential client. But I figured that they both might need some time to recoup after the joys of new parenthood," she said with a sly smile. I cocked my head to the side and looked at Dimitri, but he didn't seem completely surprised.

"I'm missing something, aren't I? My baby brain is playing tricks on me," I said and Karleen laughed.

"I have an idea for the music you two have been working on. But, tonight is not about work, and I am not going to unload boats of information that will be overwhelming. Have you two thought of any names?"

I smiled and I could hear Dimitri chuckle. "We have. We've been disagreeing more than agreeing," he said.

"I still say I like the one I said the other night, smiling to myself as I thought about the name. it seemed like an old name, but I thought it was the sweetest.

"Can I get any hints?" Karleen asked, toying with the ends of her blonde hair.

"Winnie," I said glancing at Dimitri out of the corner of my eye.

"I like Benjamin," he said as his fingers traced over the back of my neck, but I felt his body tense up. I looked up at him and then followed his line of sight, groaning quietly. Karleen followed my gaze and looked back at me, rolling her eyes and took a large sip of her glass of wine.

"Fuck me," she grumbled.

I raised my brows at her. "No love lost?"

"Nope," she said as she set her glass down just as Greta made her presence known.

"Well, I'm surprised I've been seated here, but I guess fate had other plans for us," she said. It became apparent that she was seated at our table too and I sighed quietly, reaching for my glass of peach Italian soda. It was the closest I was getting to wine, and it was uncaffeinated, so it was two birds with one stone.

I licked my lips and set the glass down. Everything was being served in wine glasses, aside from whiskey and water.

"I thought you would have been a lot more careful about what you put into your body, Rose."

I raised my brows at Greta. "Excuse me?"

She gestured to my glass. "I think everyone knows that drinking will give your baby birth defects."

I rolled my eyes and her while Dimitri spoke. "It's not alcohol. It's Italian soda."

"And yet, you're still drinking it. Caffeine is bad for babies too," Greta spat. Everyone else who was sitting at the table had the same look on their faces as I did.

"One, I am allowed to have caffeine, just in moderation. Two, there is no caffeine in Italian soda. Three, shut the fuck up and mind your own business. Unless you've popped a baby out of your vagina, keep your mouth shit," I retorted, pointedly looking away from her.

I didn't want to listen to her opinions, and I really didn't want to be near her. My temper had been fiery in the last few weeks.

Karleen shook her head and she tried to distract me, while someone else at the table tried to keep Greta occupied. I shifted in the chair as the host started their speech, my face pinching a little. Karleen noticed it and leaned towards me.

"Everything okay?"

I nodded. "Yeah. My back hurts a bit and my legs hurt."

"Hurt?" she whispered.

"Yeah, like crampy," I whispered back. She nodded but I watched her eyes flick to Dimitri over my head. She tried to keep the concern off her face and almost succeeded.

"What?" I asked.

"Sometimes it's a sign that you're going to go into labour. But it could be days before it happens. I remember I had cramps for almost two weeks," she said, but there was a glint in her eyes that I didn't exactly trust.

Karleen leaned closer to me. "Have you lost your mucus plug?"

I knitted my brows together. "What do you mean?"

She glanced at the others and the table.

"It's like heavy, sticky, goopy discharge. Sometimes it's a little pink," she whispered. I grunted in understanding and nodded.

"Yeah, a few days ago. I called Andrea and freaked, but she told me it was normal."

She nodded again and smiled, trying to appear unconcerned. I rolled my eyes playfully and turned back to my glass of soda, taking a sip of it.

Karleen gripped my hand when I set my glass down and smirked at me.

"What is that?!" she whispered.

I looked down at the diamonds on my finger and smiled. "It was a spur of the moment," I whispered. Karleen tried not to bring attention to us and she examined my rings, smiling as she patted my hand.

"I'm very happy for you," she whispered, turning her head when there was some commotion near the speaker. I brought my attention back to the speak for a few minutes before I excused myself quietly, heading for the bathroom. I heard another chair scrap back as I went to the bathroom and I could only guess it would be.

I pushed the door open and walked into one of the stalls, hiking my dress up to go to the bathroom. I shimmied my panties down as I sat down, sighing quietly as I peed. It felt strange going to the bathroom the last few weeks. I couldn't really feel much from the bikini line down from the pressure. Sometimes I couldn't tell if I stopped peeing if it weren't for the sound.

I heard the door open too and heels click against the floor, the tap running for a second.

I balled some toilet paper up and wiped, glancing down out of habit and stilling.

"What the fuck?" I whispered.

"Are you stuck?" Karleen asked from outside the stall.

"No, I'm bleeding," I said. I heard her shoes click against the floor and she jiggled the door.

"Open the door," she said. Not even caring about modesty, I leaned forward and turned the lock, letting her open the door while I was still holding the toilet paper. She looked at my face and then at the paper, her lips pressing together.

"I think you need to call Andrea," she said calmly. I took a slow breath and shifted to wipe again and started to pull up my panties, spotting a little bit of blood on them too. I balled up some paper and stuffed them into my underwear, fixing my dress as I stood up. I flushed and washed my hands, walking back out to the table, picking up my phone and gesturing to Dimitri that I was stepping out to the main lobby.

I licked my lips as I waited for Andrea to answer her phone but it went to voicemail. I tried her office next and waited, sighing again when it went to voicemail because it was after hours. I blew out a breath and called Eddie next, starting to pace a little bit.

"Hello?"

"Hey, do you know where your mom is?" I asked, my voice shaking a little bit.

"She's right here. Mom! Rose is looking for you," Eddie called out, "Is everything okay?"

"I'm not sure," I said and heard some muffling when Andrea took my phone.

"Rose? Are you okay?"

"I'm bleeding. More than when I called last week," I said and swallowed thickly, "Like, bright red."

"Is it a lot? Or is it like spotting?"

"It was a lot. My friend told me to call you."

"Okay. I don't want you to panic. But I want you to meet me at the hospital, okay? I want to check you out and make sure everything is okay. It could be nothing," she said and I nodded to myself, telling her I would be there shortly.

I bit my lip and took in a deep breath, tilting my head back against the wall. I let out a trembling breath, trying my hardest not to cry.

"Is your baby okay?"

I lifted my head up and found Greta standing there. I wasn't sure what she was doing out here, but it was taking a lot of willpower not to cry.

"I'm fine," I whispered and started to walk back but she stopped me, her blond hair swaying around her shoulders.

"No, seriously. Is your baby okay?"

"I don't know, but I have to go," I whispered. I headed back to the table and dipped my head down, whispering in Dimitri's ear.

"We need to go. I started bleeding and Andrea wants me to meet her at the hospital to check me out," I whispered, trying not to alarm anyone else. Greta sat back down in her chair, forcing a smile at everyone, but her eyes flicked back to me.

Dimitri nodded slowly and stood up, tucking his chair back in.

"Where are you going? Dinner hasn't started," a man I didn't recognize asked from across the table.

Dimitri glanced at me, so many things flickering over his face before Greta opened her mouth.

"You cannot beseech an expectant mother from needing to go home. Sometimes exhaustion just hits you. It's better she goes home and sleep in her bed than fall asleep sitting at this table," she said offhandedly, but she caught my eye again and then looked at Karleen.

"I remember that stage; being so tired that you could tell when you had ten minutes before you passed out," Karleen added with a laugh, trying to smooth things over. I chuckled and joked about sleeping all the time and we made our exit, Karleen whispering that she would explain our absence for us.


Tada!