"I want them to be my children," he said. "I'd like your blessing to formally adopt Katerina and Levi and legally make them my children, last name and all."

I stared at Dimitri for a moment, not fully processing his words. "What?"

"I want to start the process of adopting Katya and Levi," Dimitri repeated. "I started looking into it recently, and it seems to be a bit of a lengthy process, but it's one I want to pursue, no matter how long it takes."

I didn't realize I had started crying until I felt the first tears streak down my cheeks. I saw Dimitri's face fall momentarily before I was leaning over and bringing his lips to mine, kissing him softly.

"Yes," I whispered. "I would love to start the process."

Dimitri held me tightly to him, bringing our lips back together. I broke the kiss a moment later, shifting how I was sitting so that I was sitting between Dimitri's legs and able to still watch where Katya and Levi were playing. I was comforted in Dimitri's arms as we sat in silence.

Katya came running up to us a moment later. "Mommy, will you swing with me?"

I smiled. "Of course, baby," I said. "Is Daddy allowed to join us?"

She looked at Dimitri, thinking, before shaking her head. "Girls only."

I laughed. "Okay, let's go." I turned and gave him another quick kiss before standing up. "Sorry, babe."

Dimitri smiled. "I'll take Levi to the baby swings," he said, gesturing to the other side of the park where the other swing set sat.

"Come on, Mommy!" Katya called.

"Coming," I said, giving Dimitri another smile before Katya grabbed my hand and attempted to drag me toward the regular swings. She had outgrown the baby swings a couple of months ago and had been begging us to let her on the "big girl swings" as she called them.

"Do you want Mommy to push you?" I asked when we reached the swings. I gave her a boost up so she was sitting in it properly.

Katya nodded. "Yes, please."

She clutched the swing chains tightly as I gave her a small push. She fruitlessly swung her legs back and forth, trying to create momentum but not succeeding.

"Higher, Mommy," she called, and I gave her another big push.

She shrieked in joy as she swung higher and higher. She managed to pump her legs correctly a couple of times, furthering her momentum, but she wasn't able to keep it up. I pushed her on the swings for another ten minutes before starting to slow her down. The sun was starting to set, and we needed to get home.

"Don't stop," Katya demanded.

"It's time to go home, Katya," I said as the swing came to a stop. I walked around to the front of the swing and held out my arms to help her off. She pouted, not moving.

"I don't want to," she said.

"I'm not giving you a choice," I said. "It's time to go home."

Katya shook her head, clutching the swing chains tightly. "No."

"Katerina, it's time to go home. We can come back and swing another time," I said. "Do you want to climb off the swing with my help, or do you want me to take you off the swing?"

She shook her head again, not saying anything, her face defiant. I knew her attitude was partially due to the sugar high wearing off, and I sighed. I stepped forward and picked her up, holding her with one arm while my other pried her hands from the swings. She immediately burst into tears, and I knew then that her attitude was likely also due to being overtired. I recalled what Dimitri had said about her sleeping in Levi's room, which meant she likely hadn't been sleeping well, and I wasn't sure how long her nap was today since Dimitri and I had also fallen asleep.

Despite her tears and attitude, she didn't fight me carrying her away from the swings, and her legs wrapped around my waist, making it easier for me to hold onto her. Her cries had settled down by the time we made it across the park to Dimitri and Levi, but she was still silent crying in my arms, sniffling every so often. I rubbed her back in a soothing gesture, trying to help her calm down.

Dimitri gave me a questioning look, and I mouthed, "Later" to him. He nodded, scooping Levi out of the toddler swing.

"Ready to go?"

I nodded, still soothing Katya. We walked the short distance to the car and strapped both kids into their car seats. Our house was only a few minutes away by car, and it didn't take long for us to pull into the driveway.

"They had baths last night," Dimitri told me as we carried the kids inside. "They're both probably ready for bed."

I nodded and looked down at Katya. Her eyes were starting to droop. "Do you want me to carry you to bed, or do you want to walk?"

She simply nodded, and I stifled my laugh and carried her to her bedroom. I made quick work of changing her into her pajamas once in the room.

"Go potty and brush your teeth while I pick out a bedtime story."

She did as I said and was back a moment later. I crawled into bed with her, and she was out before I got halfway through it. I carefully climbed out of her bed, setting the book on her nightstand. I flipped on her nightlight before slipping out of the room, closing the door behind me softly.

I walked across the hall to Levi's room, where he was also ready for bed. Dimitri handed him to me wordlessly, and I took a seat in the rocking chair, making quick work of my top to nurse him.

"Everything else is done," Dimitri said softly. "His diaper is changed, and his pacifier is on the side table."

"Thanks," I murmured as Levi latched.

Dimitri slipped out of the room a moment later, and I quietly finished nursing Levi, noticing it didn't take long for him to fall asleep, too. I easily switched him to his pacifier and laid him in his crib, watching for a moment to make sure he stayed asleep. Once I was sure he wasn't going to wake, I turned on his nightlight and slipped out of the room, also closing his door behind me softly.

Dimitri was waiting in our bedroom for me with the baby monitor in his hand as he checked the feeds. I stood in the room, a little uncertain for a moment. I knew I had nothing to feel awkward about, but after sleeping by myself for the past week, it was a bit daunting to go back to sleeping in the same bed. If Dimitri sensed my hesitation, he didn't show it.

"I know it's still early," he said, "but it's been a long day, and I thought you might want to turn in early."

I nodded. "Yeah, some good sleep would be helpful. I suppose I should go to my classes in the morning, especially since spring break is next week."

Dimitri's lips quirked up in a small smile. "That would probably be smart. Though if I remember anything from college, don't be surprised if the Dean of Students office reaches out to you about your absence."

"I've barely missed a week," I said.

Dimitri shrugged. "I know. It'll probably depend on if your professors reported your absence to them or not."

I sighed. "I'll deal with it tomorrow. But mentioning spring break, are we still going to visit Lissa?"

Dimitri shook his head. "I canceled our flights last Thursday since I wasn't sure how long you'd be in the hospital. I figured we could reschedule for early May when you're out of class?"

I sighed, nodding reluctantly. "Okay."

"I know you really wanted to see her," Dimitri said. "I'm sorry."

I shook my head. "It's not your fault. Maybe we can use that time to work on us."

Dimitri's lips turned up in a smile. "I'd like that. Do you want me to draw you a bath?"

I shook my head, yawning. "No, not tonight. Thank you, though."

I walked over to my dresser, pulling out a pair of shorts to sleep in. One of Dimitri's shirts was already sitting on the top of my dresser, and I grabbed it before disappearing into the bathroom to get ready for bed. When I came back out a few minutes later, Dimitri was under the covers, and the lights were out except for his bedside light. He had a weathered western novel in his hands, but he put it down when I opened the door.

"I can shut the light off if it bothers you," he said.

I shook my head as I climbed into the bed. "It's fine."

"What was wrong with Katya earlier?"

"Oh, she just didn't want to leave the park," I said. "I think she was also overtired, and coming off the sugar high doesn't make a good mix."

Dimitri made a noise of agreeance but didn't say anything else. I tugged the covers up to my chin as I lay on my side. Dimitri went back to reading his novel, and I closed my eyes, trying to sleep. Sometime later, I flipped onto my back, sleep still eluding me despite the tiredness I could feel behind my eyes. I tried turning my back to Dimitri, but that made me more restless. A moment later, I heard Dimitri turn the light off.

"Come here," he whispered. I didn't hesitate, and I crawled into his arms. He held me tight to him, and with my head pillowed on his chest, it didn't take long to fall asleep.

The following day seemed to drag on, though I kept my word and went to each class. In my free time between classes, I started looking into the adoption process in Texas. Dimitri was right in saying that it was a bit of an involved process, and we'd have to jump through to show the court that it was in Katya's and Levi's best interest for Dimitri to adopt them.

That night, after the kids were asleep, we started the paperwork. There were a few pieces we needed to fill out and file with the district court via a lawyer. Dimitri worked on filling out the adoption petition form that a local family law firm had sent him while I went in search of Adrian's death certificate. I had been given a copy for my records, and we'd need it for the case to prove Adrian didn't have any parental rights.

That week, Dimitri worked with the law firm to formally file the petition and officially start the process. They told us that it could be anywhere from a few weeks to a few months before we heard anything back and reassured us the wait was normal and nothing to be concerned about.

The wait was nerve-wracking, and it was something that came up frequently in my sessions with Dr. Hayes, especially in our joint sessions. I continued attending the sessions weekly, and as time went on, I went down to two sessions a week and one joint session a week. We spent time talking about everything and anything – with the exception of sex. I was still avoiding the conversation, and Dimitri didn't bring it up either. We continued working on our relationship in all other aspects, though, and committed to at least one date night a week.

A month after we filed the petition, we were given a hearing date with the court, which our lawyer assured us was a good sign. At the hearing, we explained why we wanted to proceed with the adoption. The judge mainly wanted to hear from Dimitri about his reasonings, though I still had to be present as the sole living biological parent of Katerina and Levi.

"I've loved Katerina and Levi for nearly two years now," Dimitri said. "From the moment I started my relationship with their mother, I began to fall in love with them. I knew they were a packaged deal with Rose, and I regarded them as if they were my own flesh and blood. I want to be legally responsible for them, want them to legally be mine. Not belong to me, but—" Dimitri paused, trying to find the right word. It was one of the few times I had seen him struggle with English. "Sorry," he added. "English isn't my first language."

"You're fine, Mr. Belikov," the judge said, a kind smile on her face. "I understand what you're trying to say. Mrs. Belikova, why do you want Mr. Belikov to officially adopt Katerina and Levi?"

Even months later, the use of Belikova as my last name startled me a bit. I wasn't used to hearing it and had nearly been expecting her to call me by my maiden name.

I stood up, facing the judge. "Dimitri has been there for us in our darkest times. He's supported me and my children, and I couldn't have asked for a better father than him. From the beginning of our relationship, he accepted them as part of me. He formed bonds with them, especially Katerina, and I can't imagine not having him as part of their life." I reached out and took Dimitri's hand. "He's accepted me, flaws and all, and he loves us for who we are. I asked him before we got married about biological children and whether he wanted a child of his own. His immediate response was that he did have children of his own: Katerina and Levi.

"We've had our share of struggles, especially recently, but he hasn't hesitated in standing by our sides and keeping us a family throughout it. There's no one else I would want to fill the role of being the father of my children," I said. My voice wavered at the mention of our struggles, my thoughts going to our failed pregnancy. I shoved my feelings down for now. There would be time for that later.

"We're going to break for a recess, and I'll call you back in when we're ready."

"Thank you, Your Honor," Dimitri said.

We walked from the courtroom, our hands still intertwined. We managed to sit on a bench in the hallway patiently, waiting to be invited back in. Dimitri's foot tapping against the ground was the only outward sign of nervousness, and I found myself rubbing my thumb in a circular motion against the back of his hand.

It felt like an hour before our lawyer came out to call us back in, but a glance at the clock showed it had only been ten minutes. The judge was already in the courtroom when we walked in, and I dared to get my hopes up at the twinkle in her eyes.

"Thank you both for sharing your perspectives and reasons for wanting to proceed with this adoption. After careful consideration by the court of the documents and statements provided, your petition has been approved. Congratulations, Mr. Belikov," she said. "You're officially the legal guardian of Katerina and Levi Hathaway.

I hope y'all enjoyed this chapter! I'm in the process of editing Taken and wanted to get y'all's input. I won't be making any super major changes and will mostly be fleshing out Rose and Dimitri's relationship a bit. Would y'all rather get updates for each new chapter (i.e. I delete the current chapters and reupload, triggering a notification for those subscribed) or just update the existing chapters without deleting (i.e. editing the existing content, not triggering a notification)?