I woke a few times throughout the night to feed Maksim, with Dimitri taking him as soon as he finished eating to burp him and change his diaper. I appreciated being able to fall back asleep after that, and when I woke for the final time, I saw the sun had risen, though the clock showed that it was barely six in the morning. Maksim had fed just over an hour ago, so we had at least another hour or two before he would need to eat again. When I turned over in bed, I wasn't surprised to find that Dimitri was awake and watching me.

"Did you sleep at all?" I asked.

"A little," he said.

"You need to sleep, Comrade."

"I will."

"When?"

Dimitri shrugged. "Eventually."

"Well, I know one way to help tire you out," I said. Dimitri arched an eyebrow, longing in his gaze. I laughed. "Get your mind out of the gutter. We still have a few more weeks before we can do that. I meant exercise. I didn't like being slow to respond last night, even with the warning my nausea gave us."

"You weren't slow, Roza," Dimitri said.

"I felt slow," I said. Dimitri didn't argue. "I was thinking about going back to the basics and going for a run. Would you like to come with me?"

Dimitri glanced at where Maksim was still sleeping in his bassinet before nodding. We both stood from the bed and took a moment to get dressed. Dimitri pulled on a pair of joggers, only slightly looser than a pair of leggings would be, and a long-sleeved shirt. I dressed similarly in a pair of leggings and a sports bra. I pulled on a fleece-lined quarter zip over the top of the sports bra, and I grabbed Maksim's baby monitor before we went downstairs. I wasn't surprised to see Karolina and Olena sitting in the living room. They were, however, surprised to see us.

"You're up early," Karolina said.

I shrugged. "Is there such a thing as being up early with a newborn? I feel like I've just been sleeping whenever I've been able to."

Olena laughed. "It'll be like that for a while. Sleeping when the baby sleeps is the best advice."

"We plan on doing that a bit today," I said. "But we're going to go for a run first. Would you mind keeping an eye on Maksim? We should be back before he wakes up and needs to be fed again."

Olena nodded. "You don't even need to ask."

I thanked her, placing the baby monitor down on the side table. "We'll be back soon."

Dimitri and I left the house and did a few stretches in the yard, loosening our muscles before we started running towards the center of Baia. We started at a slow jog, and I knew Dimitri was slowing his pace to keep even with me. It felt good to run and stretch my legs, and I knew I shouldn't push myself, but part of me wanted to race Dimitri a bit. Maybe on the way back.

After a couple of miles, I started to feel the exhaustion setting in, and I motioned to Dimitri to turn around. When we were in sight of the house, I set off at a sprint, pushing myself harder than I probably should have. Dimitri upped his pace, staying one step behind me, and allowing me to reach the house first. I knew he let me beat him, but I still took it as a victory. We did a couple more stretches before walking back into the house, finding Karolina and Olena exactly where we left them.

"Maksim still asleep?" I asked.

Karolina nodded. "Yes. He's moved around a little bit though, so I think he'll be up in less than thirty minutes."

"Thanks. That gives us enough time to shower," I said, turning toward the second level of the house. Dimitri followed me without a word, and when he turned to go toward our bedroom, I grabbed his hand and led him into the bathroom instead.

"What are you doing?" he asked.

"Saving water," I said as I started the shower. "Come on."

We both stripped out of our clothes, and I stepped into the shower first, relaxing under the spray. Dimitri followed me a moment later. I reached up and adjusted the shower head a bit so that it could reach both of us. Dimitri grabbed the shampoo and instructed me to turn around. I did as he said and let him massage the shampoo into my hair. Once I rinsed it, he repeated the motion before shampooing his own hair. I let him continue taking care of me, knowing it was his love language. He worked the conditioner through my hair, and then his, before grabbing my loofah and gently using it to wash away the sweat and grime that had gathered from the past day and our run.

When I turned back around, I took the loofah from his hand and returned the favor. I added a bit more soap to create more lather and ran the loofah over his body, spreading the suds everywhere. I knelt in the tub to run the loofah down his legs, ignoring a certain part of his anatomy.

"Roza," he said, his voice gruff.

"What?" I asked, looking up with an innocent smile.

I finished washing his legs before I stood again. I turned, rinsing the loofah, and hung it back up. I turned back to him, and before he could turn me around to rinse the conditioner from my hair, I leaned up on my tip toes to kiss him. As he kissed me back, I snaked a hand down and wrapped it around his dick. He groaned against my mouth as he grew hard in my hand.

"Roza," he hissed as I ran my hand up and down his length.

"Do you want me to stop?" I asked, pausing my motion.

"No," he murmured. "Not unless you want to."

I shook my head. "I don't plan on stopping until you come."

I held true to my word and continued to pump him, twisting my wrist at the tip. Dimitri buried his face in my shoulder, muffling his moans. Excitement surged through me as Dimitri pressed a kiss to my neck as he came. He seemed to freeze as he realized what he had done.

"It's okay," I murmured. "I love you."

He relaxed back into my arms, and I worked him until he was spent. He leaned back with a smile on his face, and I kissed him softly.

"Better?" I asked. He nodded, and I smiled. "Okay, you can rinse my hair now."

We exited the shower a few moments later, and Dimitri followed me to our bedroom. Maksim wasn't in his bassinet, and I assumed that meant he was downstairs with Olena and Karolina. He had likely woken during our shower. I crossed to the dresser to pull out clean clothes, settling on another pair of leggings and a button-down shirt that would provide easy access for Maksim. I put the clothes on the bed before dropping my towel. Dimitri came up behind me as I was pulling on my leggings, having already dressed.

"Can I return the favor?"

I laughed and turned in his arms. "I appreciate the offer, but I'm good. I promise."

"If you change your mind, let me know," Dimitri said, pressing a quick kiss to my lips.

"I will."

Downstairs, I found that I was right in my assumption, and Maksim was in Karolina's arms, fussing.

"Just in time," she said, handing him over as we walked in. "He woke up about ten minutes ago but was content until now."

"Thank you," I said.

I unbuttoned my shirt and unsnapped the nursing bra, letting Maksim latch, while Dimitri disappeared into the kitchen to help Olena with breakfast. As the smells of breakfast wafted through the house, more of the family started to wake up, and Lissa and Christian came over as I finished feeding Maksim.

"Can I burp him?" Lissa asked, sitting next to me on the couch. I handed him over and adjusted my top to cover myself back up.

Lissa was a natural with Maksim, and I gave Christian a look. "Seems like you might be getting a baby of your own soon."

He shook his head. "Don't even manifest that," he said.

Lissa grinned. "We'll wait until after we get married," she said. "All bets are off then."

I knew Lissa was mostly joking, but it was clear from Christian's face that he thought she was being serious. I let him sit in discomfort for a little bit longer before spilling the beans.

"She's joking," I said, enjoying the way he audibly sighed. "I'd say you probably have at least a year, if not longer, after you're married before Lissa gets pregnant."

Dimitri called us to breakfast before Lissa or Christian could say anything else. Lissa handed Maksim back to me, and I carried him into the dining room. I knew he would likely be asleep soon, but I didn't mind holding him while we ate. Breakfast consisted of blini, eggs, sausage, and a type of porridge. I loaded up my plate and immediately dug in. I had noticed being hungrier since giving birth and starting to breastfeed – something Olena and Karolina had assured me was normal – and combined with our morning run, I was ravenous.

As predicted, Maksim fell asleep partway through breakfast, but I continued to hold him, eating with my free hand and being careful not to drop any food on him. When breakfast ended, Olena ordered me and Dimitri back upstairs to take a nap, volunteering Vika and Sonya to clean the kitchen. Lissa volunteered, too, and I knew she would help, no matter how much Olena tried to insist against it. I was starting to feel the effects of our lack of sleep combined with the run and had no issues returning to our bedroom to sleep.

I put Maksim to bed and stripped out of my leggings. I swapped the button-down for a sweatshirt and crawled under the sheets. Dimitri followed, pulling me close like he had last night.

"Get some sleep," I insisted.

He pressed a kiss to the back of my head. "Okay."

We woke to Maksim crying sometime later, and I rolled over in bed. Dimitri climbed out of bed to grab him, and I lifted my sweatshirt to give him easy access. Dimitri handed me Maksim, and I held him to my chest, letting him latch to feed. When he finished, Dimitri took him back, burping him and changing his diaper, while I got dressed again. The clock showed that it was almost eleven in the morning. We had slept for almost three hours, which seemed to be the pattern so far.

When we went downstairs, we saw Lissa and Christian playing a board game with Vika, Karolina, and Paul, and we sat and watched them. Vika immediately wanted to tap out of the game to hold Maksim, and I handed him over, taking her place.

The rest of the day followed a similar pattern, with Dimitri and I following Maksim's idea with a midday nap. Lissa and Vika kept switching off who would get to hold him when we were awake since they'd both be leaving soon.

It was late in the day when everybody started to turn in for bed. The next day was Easter, and it would be the first time I'd be leaving the house with Maksim. Lissa and Christian were leaving to go back to Court after the service, and Vika and Paul would be going back to school early the next morning.

I fed Maksim again before bed, rocking him afterward until he was asleep. I transferred him to his bassinet with ease, thankful to have given birth to a baby who could sleep through anything – so far, at least. Dimitri was already under the covers, and I turned the light off before crawling under the covers. As he had all the previous nights, Dimitri pulled me close to him, his arm draped over my waist as our bodies fit together like puzzle pieces snapping into place.

I was almost asleep when Dimitri spoke, and his words startled me awake.

"Do you want more than one kid?" Dimitri said softly.

I turned and propped myself up a bit so I could see Dimitri properly. I thought back to our dinner with Lissa and how Dimitri had watched me, waiting for a response to Lissa's question that never came. "Do you want more than one?" I asked, watching him in the dark.

He nodded. "I've always wanted a large family. I had accepted not having kids when I fell in love with you and, then, thought I wasn't worthy of them after being restored. Now that I know it's possible, well, I'd love to have as many kids as you're willing to give me."

"I'm not opposed to more," I said after a moment. "But let's get through one first, okay? I can't make any promises."

"Okay," he agreed. "Motherhood suits you, Roza. Seeing you with Maksim over the past couple of weeks has been magical. I can't find the right words to properly thank you."

I reached out and cupped his face. "You don't have to thank me."

"I do," he insisted. "I know I've said it before, and I'm going to keep saying it. I wouldn't be here right now without you. Lissa may have wielded the stake that restored me, but it was you who did the research and put in the time to bring me back. You accepted me from the moment I was restored and still accepted me when I kept pushing you away. After all the things I've done and all the ways I've hurt you, I'm just grateful you allow me to be here with you."

"You're it for me," I murmured. "There was never anyone else, not truly, and there never will be. Thank you for coming back to me."

"I wouldn't want to be anywhere else," Dimitri said.

I closed the distance between us, pressing my lips to his. He kissed me back urgently, his hands moving to pull me closer. He rolled us over so he was hovering over me, and I wound my arms around his neck, keeping him close to me. We made out for a few more minutes before Dimitri pulled back, resting his forehead against mine.

"I love you, Roza," he murmured.

"I love you, too."