"Oh Roza, it is you who are far too good for me."
"Not in this life time baby, not ever in a million years."
"Now, what about the satellite cakes?"
I couldn't help but grin at him.
"I want some of them to be painted with hop scotch grids on them. With bridges between the cakes connecting all of them. I want the base color to be turquoise and the writing and drawing in sapphire blue and blush. I also want miniatures of all of the children of our circle on the cakes. Some of them on the bridges, maybe even fishing off the bridge. And some of them playing hop scotch, some of them playing soccer and some playing jump rope . And I want them to be able to be kept too. That way we can keep the ones of our children, Eddie and Mia can have the one of Aleesha, Karo can have the ones of Pasha and Zo, Sonja can have the one of Roz, Jerimiah and Adele can have the one of David and Sonya and Mishka can have the one of Gabe. What do you think of that idea baby?"
"You are such a wonderful mother lyubov' moya, and a fantastic aunt. I think that it is all a great idea, detka. And it is yet another way to include all of the children in our wedding. To make sure that they all know that they are just as important to us as anyone and everyone else is." (my love, baby)
I shrugged. "I do my best for all of you."
"Well you are amazing at it detka. What about the cake flavors?" (baby)
"The same as our last cake."
"Ok, so the wedding cake is done. So, what's next detka?" (baby)
"The groom's cake, and that is completely up to you. You have to decide what you want your groom's cake to look and taste like."
"What is a groom's cake supposed to look like? What I mean is, how many tiers is it supposed have and what shape is it supposed to be and stuff like that?"
"It is your cake baby, so it can look anyway that you want it to."
"Really?"
"Yes."
His smile was almost giddy. "So, it would be alright with you if I had a western themed groom's cake?"
I busted out laughing. "Baby it's the groom's cake for a reason. So, whatever you want it to look and taste like is just fine with me."
"Then I want a round, as in a circle, cake and for it to look like the old west. With you, all of our children and I on horses. I want it to look like we are riding past tumbleweeds and off into the sun set, all of us happy and together. And have the other children playing and running along the sides of the other two tiers."
I leaned over and kissed him.
"You are such an amazing father and uncle and soon to be husband baby. You do so much for all of us."
"It's easy to do things for you and our children detka. Because I love all of you so much. I would rather die than to have to be without any of you. You and our children are the best things that have ever happened to me, my Roza." (baby)
"Just as you are to us baby, just as you are to us."
"Thank you. Now what else do we need to decide on?"
"Our invitations and the ice sculptures."
"All right, do you have any clue what kind of invitations that you want?"
"I do actually, as long as they are ok with you."
"Whatever you want is fine with me."
"Well, I would like the front of our invitations to look like our cake topper. But with cherry blossoms raining down from above. And inside the invitations I would like there to be actual dried cherry blossoms. Just to make sure that the scent is there but not the water to stain the invitations."
"Oh Roza, that is bloody brilliant lyubov' moya just bloody brilliant. It would tie our invitations, our cake, the lanterns, the blush color and the flowers that the girls will drop all in together." (my love)
"Thanks. I want the driver of the carriage to have on a waistcoat of sapphire blue. And I would like for the footman, on the back of the carriage, to have on a waistcoat of turquoise."
"That would tie them into everything too detka. And it all sounds magnificent to me lyubov' moya." (baby, my love)
"Thank you, Mitya. I would also like a real carriage, that looks like that, to carry the two of us from the church to the reception and from the reception back here. With the driver and footman to be dressed just like they are on our invitations and cake."
"Well, I am sure one of the courts blacksmiths can make one. And if not, then I am absolutely one million times positive, that your father can get you one built somewhere."
"Thank you, Mitya." I whispered as I caressed his cheek with one of my hands only for him to lean into my touch and smile.
"For what detka?" He whispered back. (baby)
"Everything. Loving me, giving me our children, being my king, marrying me, teaching me to fight... just everything."
"I can say the same to you, you know."
"But I didn't teach you to fight."
"Yes, you did, my Roza. You taught me to fight for us, for our love, for our children, for our family and for our people."
"I love you."
"I love you too dorogaya moya, I love you too." (my darling)
"Forever?"
"Yes, lyubov' moya, forever and always." (my love)
We sat there on the sofa in our bedroom making out for a while before we got back to the wedding decisions.
"Ok, so that leaves the ice sculptures, right?" My gorgeous fiancé asked me.
"Yes. Do you have anything particular that you would like?"
"How many will we need?"
"At least six or eight. Hopefully that will be enough, I mean they aren't for anything except aesthetic appeal. It's not like we will brake them apart for the ice or anything like that. Although we could make one or two of them into fountains. For example, we could have one that pours out champagne and another that pours fruit punch. One for the adults and one for the kids. I think the kids would all get a real kick out of that." I laughed, and my future husband laughed with me.
"I agree with you on that, so let's do that with two of the ice sculptures. Now, what kind of sculptures would you like?"
"Well, I would like a few unicorns to represent our daughters. A life size nutcracker soldier to represent both of our sons. A double heart to represent our love. What about you, what would you like?"
"That all sounds perfect to me. I would like two with a stake, with the head surrounded by a crown. To represent our lives as guardians and now as queen and king. But on the body of the stake I would like a long-stemmed rose with fairly large thorns carved into it. All of which, is also the tattoo that I want us to get to share."
"Oh, Mitya, that sounds so great. So, eight sculptures it is then. One of the unicorns can pour punch from its horn, one of the nutcrackers from his hand and a third, instead of two, the double hearts can pour champagne from a little spout on the side. What do you think?"
"I think it all sound so great. Using both a unicorn and a nutcracker does not show preference between our children. So, none of them should feel slighted or left out in the least. You are such a miracle my Roza."
"You and your loving me is the miracle to me lyubov moy." (my love)
(DPOV)
Lyubov' moya once again crushed her lips against my own and kissed me passionately. Making the both of us moan loudly. (my love)
I lifted my soon to be wife into my arms and carried her over to our bed, where we made love.
It had been far to long since we had been able to be together like this. Without any kind of disaster or problem hanging over our heads.
THREE MONTHS LATER
It was now three months later, and here I stood at the alter. Waiting on my beautiful fiancée to walk through those doors and down the aisle to me.
As the song 'From this moment on' by Shania Twain and Bryan White started playing. The doors at the back of the church opened and our son Dante and Aleesha Castile were standing there. This was the first of three sets of miniature brides and grooms. Soon they started walking down the aisle.
When they got half way down the aisle the second set of miniature brides and grooms, Simon Tanner and our daughter Lorna, started down the aisle.
Once they were half way down the aisle the third and final set of miniature brides and grooms, David and Marin, started their walk down the aisle.
Then came the flower girls. Dasha was first, second was my niece Zoya and the last flower girl was my niece Roslyn.
Then came the bride's maids. The first was Ivan's sister in law Adele, then came Christian's girlfriend Rebecca, then there was my oldest sister Karo, then my next oldest sister Sonja, next was my baby sister Vika, after her came lyubov' moya friend and former teacher Sonya Tanner. And after Sonya Tanner came my soul mate's matron of honor, Mia Castile. (my loves)
After Mia was also half way down the aisle our ring bearers, our son Ian and our nephew Paul, began their walk down the aisle. I was glad that we had found a way to involve all of the children in our wedding party. Because I knew that it bolstered all of their self-confidence and made them feel important to us. Which they all definitely are. We ended up with the entire Castile and Tanner households in the wedding party. Which we were both fine with since they are all six members of our family.
Once the ring bearers did their walk the doors at the back of the church were pushed closed by Yuri and Emil.
We had ended up with six ushers in our wedding party. And since they all wanted to be the ones who opened and closed the doors at the back of the church, they had to draw straws.
It had actually been extremely comical, to watch six grown male guardians, arguing like a bunch of little girls. Just to see who would get to be in control of the doors today.
When the wedding march had played for about thirty seconds, Yuri and Emil opened the doors again. Both of them wearing huge smiles on their faces, they were both very happy and very proud of and for both Roza and I. And when they opened the doors, my Roza stood there with her arm linked through Abe's.
Her dress was a stark, almost blinding, white. The bodice was tight with a sweetheart neckline and the entire dress was splattered with crystals, pearls, seed beads and sequins.
The skirt was full, or as our daughters called it 'fluffy', satin covered by iridescent tulle which had several different lace appliques all over it. The tulle skirt just like the bodice was splattered with crystals, pearls, seed beads and sequins.
With every step that she took, the iridescent tulle, the crystals and sequins would catch the light. And when that happened there would be rainbows of varying sizes cast all over the room. From the walls to the ceiling.
When lyubov moya and her father finally reached me, Abe lay my Roza's hand in mine. But he wasn't finished. (my love)
"Dimitri, for your health, safety and continued wellbeing don't ever hurt or make my little girl cry ever again. The only reason that tears better ever leave her eyes ever again are in love, joy and happiness. Do I make myself completely clear?"
"Crystal clear Abe. My life is now, and has been since her return. All about making sure that she is never hurt or unhappy ever again. And I promise you and Janine, to continue to do that for the rest of our eternity."
Abe reached up and patted me on the shoulder before saying, "then we will have no problems between us."
He turned to my Roza. "Please be happy kizim. I love you." (my daughter)
"We will baba, and I love you too." (daddy)
He hugged her fiercely then he turned and walked over and sat next to Janine, took her hand in his and brought it to his lips and kissed the back of it. I could see the happy tears in Janine's eyes from where I stood.