The Secrets We Hold

Chapter 22

When we get off the plane and grab our luggage, Dimitri calls for a cab. Opening my carry-on, I grab myself and Adira a puffer jacket to put on; it is definitely colder than I thought it would be. While I put mine on, Dimitri put Adira's on before handing her back to me.

The cab took about ten minutes to get here and the drive to Dimitri's house was only about a fifteen-minute drive. When we arrived, Dimitri offered his thanks to the driver in Russian before getting all the luggage out of the trunk. I grabbed my carry-on while he grabbed both of our suitcases since I had to carry Adira.

Knocking on the door, we are immediately greeted by an older woman with a black eye who looked almost exactly like Dimitri. "Dimka! You're home!" The lady says in a heavy accent, giving Dimitri a huge hug. She must be Olena.

Once she steps back from the hug, she looks at me in confusion. "I'm Rose and this little one is Adira."

Her eyes light up in recognition and she also gives me a hug. "It's so nice to meet you. Come in. Come in."

We all make our way into the house and sit down in the living room. "Yeva is taking a nap right now but she'll be up in the next hour. Now, this is a pleasant surprise. Dimka, why didn't you tell me that you were bringing Roza with you?" Olena says.

He looked at his mother sheepishly. "It was a last-minute thing. She was in danger at the academy so Queen Tatiana and Guardian Petrov decided it would be best if she accompanied me on this trip."

"Ahh, well, I'm glad that I am finally able to meet her. Now, you both are probably hungry so why don't you guys go shower while I make you something to eat. Are you both okay with sharing a room? I was only expecting Dimka so only his room is ready."

"That's completely fine. Thank you." I said kindly.

Dimitri shows me to his old room and I make a note to take the time later to look around. He goes to shower in his mother's room, leaving me to shower in his room. I managed to get both me and Adira showered in about twenty minutes. I put on leggings and a long sleeve shirt and I get Adira dressed in a onesie to keep her warm.

I walk to the kitchen once I am done and see Dimitri with his mom and with, who I am assuming is, his grandmother. Olena is the first one to spot me.

"Roza, dear, why don't you take a seat? I'm almost done making the black bread." Taking a seat at the table, I stand Adira up in my lap.

Looking up at Dimitri, I tilt my head to the other woman. "Rose, this is Yeva. Yeva, this is Rose and her daughter Adira."

"It's nice to meet you, Yeva." I say and she responds with something in Russian.

Olena explains what she said. "She just said whatever and that she hopes you know that you will have to put in work now that you are here."

"Of course. I wouldn't dream of not pulling my own weight here." I said and narrowed my eyes slightly at Dimitri. He just shrugs, silently telling me that he warned me about her.

I hear the oven ding and Olena pulls out a loaf of bread that smells amazing. She cuts me a slice and puts it on the plate in front of me. There was butter on the table already so I took a chunk of butter and lathered the bread before taking a bite of it. It was delicious and I quickly ate the rest of the bread. Dimitri sat in front on me at the table and had placed another slice of bread on my plate before eating his own.

"So, did you like the black bread?" Olena asked with a smile once I was done eating.

"Definitely. No wonder Dimitri likes it so much."

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"Rose, do you want to walk around town for a bit?" Dimitri asks me a little bit later on in the day.