Wedding Belles - Complete

Chapter 1

"Remind me why we're doing this again," Rose growled, kicking a rock with the toe of her converse and watching with satisfaction as it landed several yards away. For what was meant to be a happy day, she felt decidedly out of spirit.

"Because it's your birthday, and your family wants to see you," Dimitri said calmly, used to being the voice of restraint and reason – especially when it came to anything involving Rose and her family.

"So now they want to celebrate," she continued, side-skirting the real issue.

"Roza if you don't want to..."

"I do!" she hastily interjected. "I just don't want to deal with all the bullshit that goes along with my parents!"

Dimitri shrugged. In the almost two years since they'd publicly revealed they were a couple, he'd had to deal with Abe and Janine on several occasions. Individually they weren't too bad, once you got past the casual – indeed almost incidental - threats of violence, maiming and significant bodily harm. It was when they were together that things got explosive. Their first Christmas together being a case in point.

Janine had been at Court with her charge and had managed to get Christmas Day off. Knowing Rose and Dimitri had it off, too, she was determined to spend the day with them. What they hadn't counted on was Abe flying in for the holiday season and, like Janine, he wanted to spend Christmas with his daughter and her boyfriend. All of that would have been fine, but Janine and Abe loathed each other.

When Rose had first returned from Russia, Abe and Janine had been getting along well. A little too well in Rose's opinion. She was all for her parents maintaining a healthy respect and friendship with one another, but she didn't need to see them flirting and – oh so much worse – making out. However even Rose agreed that was better than how things were now.

Janine had believed her re-acquaintance and burgeoning relationship with Abe to be exclusive. One dinner party, a flirty Drozdov widow, and an enraged Janine watching from her position lining the wall, and everything had gone to hell in a handbasket. Abe and Janine had an enormous fight and had not seen one another since. Until that Christmas.

Both parents jockeying for her time and attention, Rose decided to invite each of them to Christmas lunch in the tiny apartment she and Dimitri shared in the Palace. There were actual cleaning closets that were larger than their apartment, but it was Rose's first home with Dimitri, and they were proud to show it off. They'd also reasoned it avoided them having to choose which of Rose's parents to spend Christmas with. Sadly, things had not worked out quite as well as planned. Janine and Abe would not speak directly with one another, making the entire meal decidedly forced. It all came to a head over dessert, Janine upending a Black Forest Gateaux over Abe and his favorite suit. Since then, Rose had made a point of only meeting up with them together in public, knowing her mother was a lot more likely to contain her fiery temper when others were present.

"Come on," Dimitri cajoled as they approached the entrance to one of Court's finest restaurants. "The sooner we're there, the sooner we can go home and celebrate..."

Rose shivered. Celebrating with Dimitri? She liked the sound of that.

They walked inside, finding Janine waiting in the foyer. A glimpse into the restaurant and Rose could see why. Her father and Pavel were already inside. Janine was fidgeting uncomfortably, not something Rose was used to seeing her mother do. She was dressed up and looked sensational in a soft olive-green dress that showed her milky skin and fiery hair to advantage.

"Hey Mom," Rose greeted, hugging her before standing back so Dimitri could lean down and give Janine a chaste kiss on the cheek.

"The serpent is already in there," Janine grumbled, accepting Rose's hand and walking in with them.