Reading VA: Reading Frostbite (ON HOLD)

Ch 13: TWELVE

DPOV
"This feels weird," commented Roza. We walked around the garden just outside the area of the Palace we'd been residing in for a week now.
"What? Us walking around in each other's embrace?" I teased, knowing full well she meant doing this while others cleaned up after the attack... and that the attack had happened in the first place. Not to mention we'd just found out we were having a baby, our very own baby, one we'd come to expect and accept we could never have. Or so we had believed.

"Dimitri!" she playfully reprimanded and slapped me lightly in response.

We were currently walking through a hedge maze, a low cut one with a few pretty clear exit points... at least if you were my height you'd easily be able to orient yourself, but we were purposefully "getting lost" in it. The hedge only came half way up Roza's calves, not even, and was a brilliant, deep shade of green and very neatly manicured.

"I was talking about doing this when we should be helping clean up... not to mention also be working on the guardian stuff that goes along with the fallout, head counts, shift shuffling, security tightening and what not," Rose elaborated.
"Roza," I sighed. "We've got a baby to think of."
"I know, I know. I'm just not use to doing nothing," she whined and snuggled into my side. "I'm not sure how I'm gonna handle this pregnancy, Dimitri. I know you're more than ready for a baby, for this baby. I'm not so sure I am."
"You're not in this alone, my love. That baby is half me, after all, and you have plenty of people who love you to no end and will help you just us much. We're ready for this, dear." I halted suddenly and pulled her into a kiss. "We are ready, Rose. We'll be married in under three weeks and back at the Academy. We've been through too much, we're too connected and supportive of each other for this baby, for our baby, not to be a welcome addition to our family." I loved the sound of that. Our baby and our family. "I love you, Roza. I love our baby. And... I'll have you know, I'm just as scared as you right now. I'm scared I'll not be good enough, I'm scared I'll be different around our child, I'm scared to death of losing our miracle."
"I love you, too, Dimitri. We love you, Daddy," said Rose as she snuggled into my chest.
"I love you, Mommy," I whispered against the top of her head before kissing it. "So much, so so much."

We just stood there until, "Did I hear parental terms?" came from Karo. Uh oh. Caught. Not as if Roza's non-fighting didn't give it away. A smile played on my lips and I couldn't help the excited grin as Roza turned in my arms. "I did!" squealed Karo in joy. "I did, didn't I?"
I nodded. "Yeah, you did."
"But no one can know yet," rushed out a worried Roza. "I hate keeping this from the rest of you and I don't like asking you to stay quiet, but it's just until after the wedding. Please Karo? Lissa figured it out a handful of hours ago. The morning sickness hasn't even started. Never mind we still aren't sure how this is possible, but it's happening." I had never heard Rose 'word vomit' like that, let alone so fast. I knew I had to try calming her. So I did what I knew would work best, I slowly rubbed her arms and shoulders. I sensually glided over her arms and massaged her shoulders, trying to lessen the tension in her body. It had just worked when it backfired on me.
"Not helping, Comrade," moaned Rose as she twisted to face me. Her dark eyes had become darker with lust. Of course I had to forget the hormones that were making her so moody would also make her more susceptible to lust.
"Get a room, you two!" playfully complained Karo. "I don't need to see this."
"This is nothing compared to this morning," said Rose after turning back to face my eldest sister.
"What about this morning?" asked a suspicious yet amused Karo.
"Ask Vika."
"Huh?" confusion momentarily crossed her face before understanding fell into place. "Oh! Ew! You two are disgusting. She's a child."
"That's exactly what I said," agreed Roza. "She's an innocent child and that was something no one could possibly un-see."
"She's not that innocent," muttered Karo in distaste and disapproval.
"Huh?" Now I was confused.
"Oh! You haven't heard? Rose hasn't told you?" she asked me then looked at the woman in my arms. "You haven't told him?"
"No. It's spoilers. So she told you, then, huh? How'd Sonya react?"
"Not too well, but she did fess up and things got easier from there. That's not to say she didn't get a big bitch out from Sonya, she did."
"I copped an earful from Vika," said Roza. What on earth were they going on about?! Karo's face turned apologetic.
"Sorry about that, Roza. She told us what she said. We know you were trying to fill Dimitri's roll and she's extremely sorry and hates herself for hurting you when you were already in more than too much pain." My sister's face lightened and she laughed at the next thought. "You gave Mama one hell of a fright that morning. She would have loved it if you had stayed, we all would have. You were our link to my brother you're currently wrapped in." Karo laughed again. "She nearly had a search team sent out to look for you, she was that worried. We all were. Vika blamed herself so much she was actually in tears-and you know how she is, just like our Dimitri here, keeps her emotions in check and tried to never let them show. It all spilled out after Babushka told us that you had to leave, fight or no fight."