I do not own VA) (P.S I honestly do not know if the Dimtri knowing how to braid is cannon or if the massive amount of fanfics I have read planted it as truth, does anyone remember?)
Chapter 8
A few days later I find myself sitting in the first class seat. Abe insisted on my hands sweating as the plane lands. Last time I was in Montana I was just a scared teenager. You're not that girl anymore, I remind myself. You are so much stronger and you aren't alone this time. I let myself steal a glance at Dimitri. He's reading a tattered western (big surprise) Lennon is leaning against him fast asleep. He looks up from his book smiling at me offering a sense of reassurance. It feels like it takes an eternity to get out of the airport, Lennon is still very much asleep and Dimtri carries her out like she weighs nothing. He leads me to an old Chevy pickup truck, probably a 2005 and places Lennon in the back seat "We'll have to get her a carseat once we get into town." he whispers, buckling her in.
We settle into a soft rhythm as Dimitri drives toward a small town. "Are you okay?"
Dimitri asks startling me from my own mind.
I look behind me making sure Lennon is still asleep. "It's just…. Are we moving too fast? I just we've never really had a chance to just date. We've always been a secret or under some sort of major stress. I don't want to screw this up. With Lennon she deserves everything. I just want us to be a family."
He reaches over and takes my hand. "I know how you feel, I've been thinking about it too. I want to just date and be together and I think this is our chance to get to know each other again. I do have fears but I keep coming back to the same thing, that is that I want you. Both of you with me I never want to be apart again. That seems like enough the rest we can figure out as we go. I love you Roza and I don't want to ever let you go again. I promise we'll make this work."
"I love you too." After a few more moments of comfortable silence he pulls down a dirt road settling into a driveway at the end.
"This is it." The house in front of me is huge. It's made of dark wood almost like a giant cabin.
There are large windows looking in towards the top floor. I can see a balcony off the master bedroom. The roof points into a v with the windows meeting at a point. Dimitri gently pushes the small of my back ushering me forward with one hand and holding Lennon in the other. The inside is lined with wood flooring. A large wooden pillar sits to each side of the room. The furniture fits the rustic theme perfectly. The living room opens into a kitchen and dining area, a large oak table and chairs sit on the hardwood floor. The kitchen is paneled in the same wood, with brown peppered countertops, and all gas appliances. The large windows we passed driving up lookout on beautiful mountains and a private lake, a doc floating softly against the wind sits on the shore. I'm so caught up in the scene in front of me I don't notice Dimitri come down the long staircase.
"I put Lennon in the room next to the master bedroom…." He seems a bit awkward and unsure. "I was thinking you could stay with me in the master… but there is another bedroom if that would make you feel more comfortable." he rubs the back of his neck nervously.
I try not to laugh at how common this seems despite our anything but common relationship. "Well, Comrade I didn't come all this way with you to sleep in a separate bed."
(Start of a saucy scene)
A smile spreads across his lips as he swoops me up " In that case, let me show you the room." up the stairs and into the room he carries me, tossing me on the bed. He leans over me planting kisses trailing from my neck to my ear earning him a soft moan.
"Wait Dimitri, we can't…" Oh God that feels good. NO Rose snap out of it "We can't I need to -" his lips trace down my chest pulling at the buttons of my shirt as his hand slips under molding my breasts. "BIRTH CONTROL." I gasp the word making him stop mid fondle. "We need to get birth control." We haven't gotten birth control."
He tilts his head a bit. "That doesn't mean we can't have other fun, unless you don't want to."
Curiosity gets the best of me. "What do you mean?"
He turns back to kissing my neck, a sly twinkle catching his eyes. "Let me show you."
His hands roam my body expertly as his lips trace my stomach down to the button of my pants. He pulls them off without removing his lips; they graze the inside of my thigh causing me to gasp. His fingers slide along the top of my panties, his eyes meet mine asking silently for consent. I barely finish nodding before the offending piece of clothing lays on the floor. Spots of warm goosebumps fold under his lips as they creep along the bottom of my stomach farther down. My breathing is ragged as he moves lower and closer to the place I'm impatiently waiting for him to get to, when his lips finally take my now very swollen clit in his tongue my heart skips three beats and my voice cries out, involuntary moans echoing off the walls. His lips pull at my soft, wet skin. In the same moment his fingers flick between my wishful folds. His tongue glibly twists and turns curving along my welcoming nub. Oh God I am so wet, somehow sensing this he lets one finger slip inside gentle pumping, in and out. His other hand finds my nipple twisting it softly between his fingers. My body quivers beneath his touch, my core tightening, my trembeling body craving another finger to push me over the edge. Dimtri obliges by curving his fingers and slipping another in they begin to move rapidly in and out as he pulls hard with his mouth, until I finally feel the tightening of my core against him and fall into bliss finishing in half spoken howls of pleasure accompanied by Dimitris name.
"That was amazing," I pant as Dimitri falls beside me.
"I'm glad I could be of service." He laughs as I cuddle into his waiting arms.
"I'll find a Dr. tomorrow to set me up with an IUD. As much as I love what just happened, we have four years to make up for."
"I can't believe the Gyno only visits this po-dunk town once a month." I whine to Dimitri as I pour us both a cup of coffee. After a quick google I was able to get a number to the local clinic only to be informed it would be another two weeks before I can get in.
Dimitri laughs, "We can use condoms until then."
"Ugh, I don't want to use condoms, I want to feel you." sighing I sit next to him at the bar top.
Dimitri puts a small kiss on my head but before he can continue Lennon skips down the stairs.
"Morning Mommy. Morning Daddy." Lennon bounces in curly hair, a complete mess. "What we doing toway?
Dimitri eyes me carefully " I thought you both might want to come to work with me? Jake threatened to kill me if I didn't bring you to meet him." he chuckles as he says the last bit.
Lennons eyes snatch open "Can I see a real horsey daddy?"
Dimitri swings her in his arms "If mommy says it's okay you can ride one."
I have never seen her get more excited about anything…ever "Mommy please! Please! Can I please!"
Dimitri pulls me into his other arm "I promise I'll be there the whole time."
"Fine." the two of them are going to be the death of me.
Lennon half falls half jumps out of her fathers arms and bounds back to her room to change.
"Don't worry I'll put her on the old mare Jake keeps around purely out of sentiment. She is too old to be of much use. Perfect for her first ride."
My worries are sated by the fact that despite the small amount of time Dimitri has spent with his daughter, I know he would never put her in danger. "I'm going to help her get dressed."
I walk in on Lennon struggling to pull a button up shirt over her head, her arm is through the head hole and she's trying to put her head through the arm hole. "Come here sweetheart I'll help you." I pull it over her head and right the holes to the correct place.
"Mommy?"
"Yes, baby?"
"Do you love daddy?"
I pause for a moment wondering where in the world that came from "Of course Lennon. I love daddy very much. It's just been a long time and we have a lot to learn about each other."
"Can we stay with daddy for a long time?"
"Of course sweetie."
This seems to satisfy her as she bounces off fully dressed and ready to ride.
After dressing myself I go back downstairs to find Dimitri braiding Lennon's hair into a tight french braid. "Nicely done, Comrade." He smiles reaching for his hat. I never knew I had a cowboy thing but oh my God, the way the wranglers fit, the black t-shirt. Boots and hat have me thinking about the lyrics to "Save a Horse" in an all new light.
The ranch we pull into is exactly how you would expect a ranch in the middle of Montana to look. Dimitri grabs my hand, squeezing it tightly as he parks the truck. Lennon is bouncing up and down in her new car seat freshly bought on the way to the ranch. "They'll love you." he whispers, leaning in to kiss my cheek.
A tall husky built man makes his way toward the truck, his hair is peppered and swept back into a hat much like Dimitris. He's tall and his face shows the wear of years in the sun and hard labor.
Dimitri jumps from the car and does that half hug, half hand shake thing men do "Jake, it's good to see you."
"I'm glad to see you, after you started remembering I thought we might not see you again." he has a very country accent.
"Yes I'm sorry I left so suddenly but there are some people I want you to meet." He opens the door and helps me out "This is my Roza." he beams, pulling me close.
"Um, Hi. Jake, right?" I reach my hand out and he takes it shaking it.
"So you're the girl that has a hold of our D. '' Laughing he rubs his hat rim smiling goodheartedly.
Dimitri looks like a kid at Christmas ``She's not the only one." as if on cue Lennon knocks on the window reminding us to unbuckle her. Dimitri obliges, holding her on his hip " This ," he says sweeping a stray hair out of her face " is my daughter Lennon."
Jake looks genuinely happy "Well it looks like you left behind more than you thought. She looks just like you." He turns to Lennon "Well, little lady, would you like to try your hand at riding a pony?"
"Yes, daddy promised!" she squeals.
Before we can get much farther a tall woman with bright hair wearing a purple apron comes out of the house "D! I was wondering when you would make your way back." he leans over kissing his cheek in the same way a mother would.
"Lillah, how are you?"
"I'm good as always dear. And who is this little cutie." she smiles warmly at Lennon.
Still a very proud daddy his smile grows "This is my daughter Lennon." he pulls me up with his free arm "And this is my Roza."
Lillah looks me up and down for a moment before pulling me into a hug. "Well, now why don't you come in and help me get these men some lemonade." I really want to say no but she has this funny way of asking you to do something with a strange authority.
Kissing Dimitri softly and reminding Lennon to be on her best behavior, I follow the women inside.
"You have a beautiful little girl. How old is she?"
"Thank you, she just turned three."
She hands me a cutting board with lemons and a knife. " Did you raise her on your own?"
Why do I feel like I'm being interrogated? "Yes and no. I have my father who found me just after I found out I was pregnant and I have good friends that stood by me, but no one really ever replaced Dimitri."
"Dimitri? That's his name then?" she asks, sitting next to me at the table.
"What do you mean? Everyone is calling him D, I figure you knew his name…"
"D.B was written on the tag of his duster when we found him." she explains "We tried to figure out where he came from but there were no missing persons cases."
That's it she wants to know why we weren't looking for him. "Dimitri was training me to be a type of bodyguard for high profile people. There was an attack on the school we were at, there were a few people we lost during the attack, the local authorities were looking for a body not a person." I whisper the last part. It's only half a lie the rest Dimitri and I had worked out this morning. "I looked all over trying to find him but then I found out I was pregnant, I was expelled and I had to leave. It killed me but I knew he would want me to make sure she was safe…so I did."
"I don't doubt that, he's a very protective young man. A good man."
"He is a very good man. I love him very much. It's been a surreal week. Having him back, I never thought I would see him again and then showed up on my doorstep." A tear drips down my cheek.
"I'm glad he found you." She smiles, pulls out glasses and puts them on the tray "Let's get these out to our men." she winks kindness radiating off her now.
I follow her out to a pen where Lennon is giggling on the back of a horse as Dimitri leads her in circles. The scene is absolutely heart melting. Lennon sees me watching as I lean against the gate "Mommy look I'm a real cowgirl."
"Yes you are baby." I laugh.
Dimitri leads the horse towards me leaning over the gate to kiss me " You survived Lillah."
"Yeah, you couldn't have given me a heads up huh?"
"Now Roza, can't have been any worse than Abe was." he tries.
"Wanna bet?" I mutter just as she comes over and sweetly hands Dimitri a lemonade. The way she smiles at me you would never know just a few minutes ago she was grilling me.