167a/n: Thank you all so much for the reviews for last chapter! :)
If you tried to vote on my poll after last chapter and weren't able to, my apologies. I had it marked as closed. It's been fixed now, so don't forget to stop by and vote if you want a say in what Rose and Dimitri's daughter's name will be.
Rose felt Dimitri's entire body freeze. As he stared her, she watched the questioning look in his eyes turn to accusing. When he tried to push her away, she tightened her inner thighs around his outer ones and curled her fingers into his shirt. "Please don't," she begged.
"You gave our baby away?" he asked through clenched teeth.
She shook her head back and forth fervently as she locked her gaze with his. "No," she said firmly. "It's not what you think. I would never have given our baby away."
"Then you better put my mind at ease really fucking quickly, Roza," he bit out.
When he dropped back against the cushions, Rose allowed her body to relax and unclenching her fists, her hand slid over his chest. He grabbed her wrist to still her. "Start fucking talking," he snapped.
Rose took a deep breath and closed her eyes, exhaling softly as she opened them. "I don't know how my mother found out about us," she whispered. "But she told me she knew, and that she was going to get rid of you." She laughed miserably. "I told her there was no way you would leave me."
Dimitri could feel his heart beating in his chest. A daughter? He shook his head, trying to contain his thoughts so he could listen to Rose; it was impossible.
"I told her there was no way you would leave me."
He met her gaze and was surprised to find there was no censure there, merely curiosity.
"I didn't have a choice, Rose. She brought it to the administration. But you know the good thing about private schools?" has asked sarcastically. "They're susceptible to bribery. Your mother paid them not to tell anyone what went on between us, and to give me a good reference under the condition that my new job was at least halfway across the country," he explained.
Rose nodded. "That sounds like my mother."
He lifted his hands to her thighs and gave her a gentle squeeze. "What happened to the baby, Roza?" he asked softly.
She licked her lips nervously. "When I found out I was pregnant, I begged her to let me call you, but she wouldn't. She kept putting me off, telling me that I could call you after the baby was born. By then, they'd had the landline turned off and taken my cell phone away from me. I wasn't allowed to leave the house."
"A prisoner in your own home," he said softly.
"It seemed so dramatic," Rose said. "And looking back I…I should have realized something was going on. All of a sudden my mother was so supportive. Helping me pick out things for the baby…she even let me leave the house so we could go shopping. But every time we left, we drove for hours. My mother insisted on taking me only to specialty shops, and for a daughter who'd never had her mother's attention…I was thrilled."
Her eyes filled with tears, and he watched as she swallowed past the lump in her throat. She tilted her head to the side and closed her eyes. "But it was a lie. All of it." Her voice was thick with emotion and he resisted the urge to wrap his arms around her. "It's obvious now that she just wanted me away from everyone we knew; she didn't want anyone to know I was pregnant.
"When the baby was born, they told me it was a girl…but she wasn't crying. Everything I'd read told me she'd come out screaming, and I started freaking out asking what was wrong with her." Her voice was shaky now, and he was unable to stop himself. He put his arms around her and she settled closer to him, her hands resting against his chest as her body sunk into his. "The midwife whisked her from the room and my mother told me everything would be fine."
"Midwife?" Dimitri asked.
"My mother's idea," Rose said bitterly. "She thought it would be a good idea for me to give birth in comfortable surroundings. As if that house had ever been comfortable," she spat.
"Rose—"
"I never saw her again," she continued with a hard edge in her voice. "The midwife told me she was stillborn. I begged them to bring her to me. I wanted to see her—I wanted to hold her just one time. My mother convinced me it was a bad idea, and I let her."
She choked back a sob. "If I had insisted on seeing her, Dimitri—"
"They told you she was dead, Roza," he reminded her softly. "You were scared, and your mother took advantage of that."
"I should have made them let me see her," she argued.
"When did you find out she was alive?" he asked.
"A few days ago."
He sobered at the information; she'd found out their daughter was alive, and she'd immediately come to find him.
"My dad died," she went on. "His lawyer delivered this letter to me that made absolutely no sense, and when I called my mother…she told me the truth."
"Does she know where…our daughter is?" he asked, trying to hold back his anger. It had been bad enough when Janine Hathaway had taken her daughter from him, but to find out she'd also taken his daughter from him…from them…was unfathomable.
"I don't know," Rose admitted. "I didn't ask her because I was afraid she'd lie to me. But I don't think…I don't think she'd lie to you."
"You want me to confront her."
"I want you to come with me," Rose corrected.
Rose was surprised when he thrust her away from him and spring to his feet. Dragging a hand through his hair, he began to pace back and forth in front of the couch.
"Dimitri?" she asked softly. "I know you're mad at me—"
"You?" he hissed as he turned to face her. "I'm pissed at myself for not even considering I may have gotten you pregnant. God, Roza. You were only eighteen. I can't imagine how scared you must have been…how alone you must have felt…"
Rose wished she could reassure him, but his words were true. She'd never felt so alone, never wanted anyone more than she'd wanted him after their baby had been taken away. After the last few days, her wounds were wide open again, but at least she'd known about their daughter. Every bit of information was new to Dimitri, and she couldn't imagine how he was feeling. She jumped up off the couch and moved until she was blocking him from pacing.
"Please," she said desperately as she lifted herself up onto her tiptoes and placed one hand on his shoulder. The other reached around to tangle in his hair as she placed a soft kiss on his lips. "It's not your fault, Dimitri," she whispered.
"Roza," he said gruffly as he lifted his hands to her waist and held her firmly against him.
Lowering herself back down to her feet she looked up at him, eyes wide. Her heart started racing in her chest as his eyes darkened with desire.
"Roza?" he asked softly.
Absently she ran her tongue over her lower lip before giving a single nod.
His lips came crashing down onto hers at the same time he hauled her body against his. Rose's arms tightened around his neck as she clung to him.
It was only a moment before she realized she hadn't felt this safe since the last time she was in his arms.