This was what my dream was: sitting in the backyard with my friends and family, my children playing in the yard with their friends. Food was on the grill; well Dimitri was trying to grill, and Christian was saving him. Dimitri was a fantastic cook, but grilling was not his strong suit.

"I can't believe that Oliver is five," Mia said as she nursed her son, peeking under her cover to check him.

"I know. Thank God I am past the stage of him sticking his hands down his pants. I thought I was going to need to duct tape his pants shut," I laughed as I ran my fingers through my hair. I glanced toward the bouncy castle we rented, smiling at the kids on it. Oliver and Teddy were thick as thieves, and Lissa's oldest was trailing along after them at all costs. Rene was three but wanted to roll with the big kids.

"Just wait, you may have to do that all over again," Lissa teased, and I groaned quietly before looking at Jillian.

"How are you feeling? Can I get you anything?"

Jillian looked up from the book in her hands and smiled.

"I'm perfect, thank you. But I wouldn't mind water," she said as she rested the book on her engorged stomach. When Dimitri and I decided we wanted another child, we turned to Jillian again. We trusted her, we knew that she took care of herself. But this time, we were expecting twins.

I got up and got her a bottle of water out of the cooler. We didn't hire staff for our Independence Day party, instead opting for a more lowkey event. Jillian's daughter came too with her boyfriend, and it made me chuckle to see that they were having just as much fun as the kids with the bouncy castle.

We couldn't rent one if the adults couldn't have fun too. We rented a smaller one for the younger kids too, and Tasha and Ivan's daughter was going to town on it, laying in the sun while Lissa's son bounced around her.

"Are they kicking a lot today?" I asked Jillian.

"I think they're sleeping now," Jillian said as she ran her hand fondly over her stomach, "However, you need to tell me if there is going to be a third book. I cannot put this down. I didn't like I'd like a supernatural book, but I've gone through both in the last week."

I smirked at her.

"I'm neither denying nor acknowledging," I grinned. The first book was supposed to be a stand-alone, but at the last minute, I changed the ending to make it open-ended. It took off in a way that I never imagined, but I was grateful for it. I was able to stay home with the kids and work, but it was doing something that I loved.

"You mentioned that Dimitri is taking a hiatus?" Lissa asked almost hesitantly.

I nodded. "Yeah. He feels guilty that he doesn't spend enough time with me and the kids. I know that works hard, but with two more on the way, we both felt that it was time. We can afford the hiatus. I remember once upon a time he said that he never wanted to subject someone to the life as a singer's partner, and I always thought he was bitter about it. But being a full-time performer's wife, I get it. He's gone all the time, and I didn't realize that I was lonely sometimes. I mean, I had the kids, but I missed my husband. And I know that he missed me, but it put a bit of strain on us," I explained as I ran my finger over the lip of my glass, "We even did counselling for a bit because of it."

Jillian's head cocked to the side while Maria and Lissa frowned. The two of them knew; Mia was the one who recommended the counselling. We knew when we needed to take a step back from the world and be just Rose and Dimitri. When we were apart, we missed each other like crazy, but once we were together we fought. It got to the point where it was easier when he was gone and I didn't want that. He didn't want that.

Since the counselling, things have changed for the better. We both took a step back professionally. We did the minimum to keep our contracts but didn't actively pursue other work.

"Who's idea was it?" Jillian asked as Tasha sat down. If I hadn't become as close with Jillian as I had, I would have been slightly put off by the question, but she asked out of concern.

"His," I said after a moment, "Tasha and the rest of his management will be announcing it later this week."

"It's the right time. The majority of the label is understanding of it, given that he has young children and enough success. It also helped that his father-in-law holds his contract," Tasha said gently, laughing when Rene ran up to her, pressing her now sidewalk paint-covered hand against her bare leg and running away.

"Little rascal," Lissa laughed and handed Tasha baby wipes from the diaper bag. Tasha smirked as she wiped the paint from her legs, balling it up and tossing it onto the table in front of us.

"Roza?"

I cranked my head back to look towards the grill.

"Yeah?"

"Do you need anything?"

I smiled softly and held up my glass. "I won't say no to another one of these!" I called out, biting my lip and I smiled. While his official hiatus wasn't announced yet, it started once we decided to have more kids. And in that time, he learned mixology when the kids went to bed. And he was becoming a skilled mixologist.

Dimitri came over, his bare feet crunching against the grass. Once he was behind me, he plucked the glass from my hand and leaned down, kissing the tip of my nose.

"Anything for you," he said softly, "Anything for anyone else? I am at your service today."

Lissa, Mia, Maria, and Tasha piped up that they wanted a margarita too, Jillian smiling at him and asking for a can of pop. Dimitri nodded and said that he would be back shortly. I smiled in his direction and looked back at the girls, raising my brows.

"What?" I asked.

Maria shrugged. "You just seem happier lately. I may be your assistant and now manager, and I noticed it over the last few years that things changed. This has been good for you," she said and I smiled at her.

"Thanks," I said as I tied my hair up to keep it off my neck, "Speaking of happier, have you and Eddie picked a wedding date?"

Maria blushed, not liking the attention being brought to her. All eyes turned on her at the prospect of wedding talk. I stood up and stretched gently, sighing as I watched the kids on the bouncy castle. I jumped when something cold rested against my arm, the iced glass a shock compared to the heat.

"Thanks," I said softly as I took the glass from Dimitri. He nodded and kissed the corner of my mouth, wrapping his arms around my waist. I leaned back into him and sighed quietly, turning my eyes back onto where Oliver was holding hands with Milly as they jumped.

"They're perfect," I said gently.

"They are," Dimitri said as we swayed gently.

"Do you think they'll get along with the twins?"

"I'm sure they will. All kids bicker and fight. But they'll love each other," Dimitri whispered in my ear, kissing the top of it before pulling away when our kids climbed off the castle. I smiled at them as they ran as fast as their feet would carry them, and Dimitri scooped them up in his arms.

"Can we eat?" Oliver asked. Dimitri grinned and nodded his head.

"Of course. The food's almost ready," he said as he headed back towards the house, stopping to look at me.

"Coming?"

I nodded and followed after them, sipping my drink as I corralled the girls to eat, giving my arm to Jillian to use to stand.

Five Years Later

The cords were ones I knew well, the debut song that was forever ingrained in my heart. There were so many nights when I heard Dimitri strum the chords mindlessly, but it always made me smile. It was only fitting that this was the last song he'd perform live for a while.

"Tell me something girl," Dimitri's voice rang out, echoing and bouncing across the stadium. I fiddled with my ear as I walked onto the stage, grinning at Dimitri as I got closer. It felt right that we sang this together, and today of all days it meant a lot too.

We had been established as a performance couple, and I had become established as a writer. I still sang from time to time, but mostly just wrote. I sold my catalogue back to the label, knowing that selling it back to my musical manager meant it went back into my own pocket in the end. Abe wasn't about to let just anyone have my catalogue.

"Most people wouldn't say this, but this isn't a bad way to spend our anniversary," I quipped after the song ended, grinning at Dimitri.

I smirked to myself as I turned off the T.V., standing up from my chair in the office. I was supposed to be up here doing a bit of work, but I wasn't exactly in the mood to write. Instead, I dug out some DVDs from the tours we had been on. After putting all of the disks away, I closed the door to the office closed.

The house was surprisingly quiet, and I wasn't sure if I enjoyed it, or if it worried me. I moved down the stairs silently, listening carefully as I listened, and found the sounds of quiet giggles.

I blew out a breath as I walked into the living room. There was a cluster of bodies on the floor, and I wasn't sure where my husband started, and where my children ended. I crossed my arms over my chest as I watched them, chuckling to myself when the children overpowered Dimitri, though I doubt that he was overpowered.

He collapsed on the ground with an exaggerated groan, shouting as they all dog-piled on him. I snorted and could see Dimitri peeking out from under Charlotte's foot before he grinned. In a swooping motion, he had all of them bundled in his arms as he rolled, laughing loudly as he stood up with all of them.

"Careful you don't crush Theo's arm!" I called out with a laugh, wincing a little as he turned to me. Theo was the most accident-prone of our children and was recovering from a broken wrist.

"We're fine, Roza. See, his arm is out of the fray," Dimitri mused as he turned where the bright green cast stuck out among the fray of limbs.

I walked forward and pecked his lips carefully and then pulled Oliver from the fray, kissing his curls as I set him on his feet. Oliver was a bean sprout, shooting up in height that by the time he was ten, he was almost as tall as me.

"Ma!" he groaned but I just smiled at him.

"Grandpa Abe's going to be here soon," I mused as I ran my fingers through his hair, "Is everything that you want to bring with you in your bag?"

Oliver thought about it for a second before he bolted up the stairs and I chuckled quietly. Dimitri set the other three down, ruffling Milly's hair as they disbursed. I smiled at Charlotte as she skipped past me, calling out for our Dane, Ox.

"I thought that you were hiding in the office," Dimitri said as he came closer with a smile.

"I was, but then I started to feel sick again so I stopped. Apparently, looking at a computer screen makes the morning sickness come on," I mused with a grimace, "Gotta add that to the list."

Dimitri smirked and brushed his thumb over my brow. "It'll get easier. Remember your first trimester with Oliver? You were nauseous all the time and didn't know why."

I nodded and ran my fingers through my hair, closing my eyes when I could hear Oliver and Charlotte fighting upstairs.

"Are we seriously doing this? A fifth?"

"We are," he chuckled, "But I will be watching you like a hawk."

I rolled my eyes and turned when Theo came into the living room, cradling his wrist.

"What's wrong?" Dimitri asked.

"Ox knocked me into the wall," he sniffed. I frowned but Dimitri moved before I did, picking him up and perching him on his hip.

"Let's go get an ice pack, yeah?" Dimitri said softly. I frowned but knew there wasn't a whole lot that could be done. I just hoped that it was contact discomfort and not a rebreak. I headed out of the kitchen and headed up the stairs, stopping in the first doorway.

"Mill, what are you doing?" I asked as I leaned against the door. Milly looked up from the picture in her hand and looked wildly guilty as she kicked the shoe box under her bed. As she kicked the box away, she hid the photo behind her back.

"Nothing," she said quickly. I raised my brows and walked into the room, sitting on the edge of her bed.

"What's that? I won't be upset," I said as I tilted my head at her. I recognized the box. She hesitated for a minute before pulling the picture out from behind her back and handing it to me.

"Who's that?"

I held the photo between my hands and smiled softly. "That is me, and my biological mom," I said before running my fingers through her hair.

"But, I thought Millie was your mom?"

"She was. She was my chosen mom. My real mom, Janine, gave birth to me, but Millie took care of me. She raised me from when I was a teenager," I explained, wincing to myself as I realized I was doing a horrible job of explaining this.

"Like Jillian?"

"No, not exactly," I said as I got comfortable on the bed. "You know how Bridget's mom didn't give birth to her? She was adopted?"

Milly nodded. "Yeah."

"Millie adopted me. Janine wasn't a good mom, she was sick. But that is me and her when I was very little. It's one of the few pictures I have of us," I explained, "Where did you find the box?"

Milly fidgeted. "In your secret spot."

I snorted a laugh and sighed. "I'm not mad, I just need a new secret spot," I said as I reached for the box under the bed, resting it between us. I flipped through the things before I pulled something out, showing it to her.

"This was Grandpa Abe and Janine when they were younger," I said, smiling at the photo. Even though things went sideways, they looked good together. I could only imagine what things would have been like if they stayed together, and I was raised by both of them. But I couldn't dwell on it now.

"Am I adopted? And Theo and Charlotte?"

I chuckled. "No, sweetheart. You are my flesh and blood," I said as I tucked her hair behind her ear. She nodded and still seemed confused.

"When you're older, I'll tell you about it more, okay?" I said. She nodded with a small smile as I leaned forward and kissed her forehead.

"Do you have any other questions?" I asked her.

She shook her head before her eyes lit up.

"If Jillian had us, why are you having this one?"

I knew that I looked like a deer in the headlights. I licked my lips and glanced towards the door before I cleared my throat.

"Did you overhear me and Daddy talking about that?"

"No, but I heard Uncle Eddie say that you were having another baby and that you had to be careful," she said and I nodded slowly.

"Can we keep that between us for now? Daddy and I want to tell your sister and brothers ourselves, okay? We were going to tell everyone next weekend," I asked gently.

"Well, you would only be telling Charlotte and Theo 'cause I heard Uncle Eddie too," Oliver said from the doorway, making me jump. I put my hand to my chest and I blew out a breath.

"Did Theo and Charlotte hear it too?"

"No. They were having a nap," he said before walking away. I nodded and sighed again.

"Okay. Do you want to keep the box for now?" I asked Milly. She pursed her lips in a way that reminded me so much of myself.

"No, that's okay. Can I go play outside?"

I smiled and nodded. "Yeah, go ahead," I said. Milly jumped up from the bed, scampering from the room. I picked up the box and put the picture back inside it, collecting the ones that fell out under the bed. I sighed as I stood up, blowing out a breath slowly as my stomach turned. I waited a minute before walking out of her room and down the hall, setting the box on the desk in the office.

"Hello!?"

I retreated from the office and headed down the stairs, smiling at Abe when I saw him standing in the living room.

"Hi, Dad," I said as I approached, backstepping for a moment when my children bolted for their grandfather. Milly only had one shoe on.

"Hello, kiddies," Abe said as he kissed their heads, smiling at me softly.

"Are you ready for all four of them?" I asked with a laugh.

"Yes. I think Lenor is looking forward to having a weekend with them," Abe mused, referring to his 'lady friend' as he put it. They had been 'seeing' each other for the past three years, and I thought frankly that it was time for him to call Lenor his girlfriend.

"Good," I said tiredly and rubbed my neck, trying to stifle a yawn. Abe frowned but didn't mention it out loud. Dimitri came down after a minute with the kids' bags and put the care instructions for Theo's cast in the front pocket of his bag. It was only for three days, but it felt like so much more.

"Be good," I said as I kissed each of the kids and hugged them. Oliver squirmed under my hug but managed to say 'I love you' before all but running for Abe's car. I shook my head with a small sigh, reminiscing on the days when he was still a baby and all he wanted to do was lay on my chest.

"If you need anything, call us," Dimitri said and rolled his eyes.

"Hopefully I don't need anything and I don't need to call you," he said before leading Theo and Charlotte to the car. Milly waved at us as she followed them, a big toothy grin on her face before she shut the door. I ran my fingers through my hair and sighed as I watched Abe pull out of the driveway, jumping when I turned and Dimitri was standing directly behind me.

"Where you listening to our old tapes?" he asked.

I snorted. "They aren't exactly old, comrade," I chided and he shrugged, crossing my arms over my stomach, "Do you miss it?"

Dimitri tilted his head from side to side. "Sometimes. I miss the fans mostly, but I don't miss being away from you so much. But I had an idea," he said as he tucked my hair behind my ear.

"Yeah?"

"How about you and I go down to that little coffee shop by your old apartment? We do dinner, and then we come back, and curl up under that old quilt and watch a movie?"

"You want to take this out for dinner?" I mused gesturing to myself jokingly.

Dimitri smiled and slipped his arms around my waist. I raised up on my toes and let my arms loop loosely around his neck. He didn't speak right away, just looking at me with a pensive look on his face.

"I will always want to take you. Even when we are old and gray," he said before kissing me, drawing me in closer to him. I smiled against his lips and licked mine when I pulled away.

"I'd that," I said.

I folded my arms in front of me and rested my cheek on them. The fireplace crackled beside us and the quilt that was so well loved was draped across my black. We never ended up watching the movie when we came home. The light of the fire danced across Dimitri's chest, catching the gray hairs that lay there.

"Milly and Oliver know that I'm pregnant," I mused, closing my eyes.

"Oh?" Dimitri asked, cocking his head from where it rested against his arm. I smiled and hummed quietly.

"Yeah, I guess they overheard Eddie talking about it. Milly also found my box in the office. She was looking at the photo of me and Janine when I was little. I tried explaining the whole thing to her, but she was still confused. She thought that she was adopted too because Jillian gave birth to her."

Dimitri snorted a laugh and rolled onto his side, his fingertips grazing up and down my bare spine. Despite being so warm next to the fireplace, his touch made my skin pucker.

"That is a hard topic to explain to an eight-year-old," he said and I nodded, shifting on the floor and I looked at him.

"Even though things did not go the way I thought they would in my life, I wouldn't want anything to change," I whispered. Dimitri smiled softly and leaned forward, kissing my shoulder softly.

"Me neither. I just wish I had known when to step back earlier before it put a strain on us," he said and I looked at him sympathetically.

"Hey, we figured it out eventually. You've always been a good father and husband. You have a demanding career, and I knew that from the beginning. Our lives just changed. It happens," I soothed and he nodded, the speckles of guilt he still felt in his eyes. I knew that he still felt guilty for the things he missed. He missed Milly's first steps, and when Oliver lost his first tooth. They weren't what people would consider to be big things, but to a parent they are.

But since the twins were born it was different. He was home every night to tuck the kids in, we could make plans and not need to plan around interviews, photo shoots, gigs, and publication events. We could be us without other complications.

"I think I figured out what the next book is going to be called," I said as I rolled onto my side. Dimitri nodded encouragingly. I was stuck on the title and it was blocking the flow of writing.

"What's that?"

"The Great Pretender," I smirked, "It's fitting for someone who makes everyone think their life is one thing but it's something else entirely."

Dimitri smiled. "I like it."

Tadah!

I hope you enjoyed the ride with me!