After I Chose You

E i g h t

With the soup, salad, cheese assortment, and the coq au vin all finished, and the family chatting amongst themselves, I announced that it was time for dessert.

Dmitry gave me a slight smirk, his chestnut colored eyes lighting up with excitement and amusement. I stared at him blankly, already knowing he'd laugh the minute I walked out with strawberries and cream. Then, when we were alone, he'd being it up slyly and I'd reply with some sort of clever yet sassy remark.

"That would be lovely, Miss Anya," Jean grinned brightly.

Dima nodded, "Yes, Anya, darling. I cannot wait to see what you've made."

He chuckled under his breath and I stood up from the table, a guilty smile playing on my lips. Once my back was turned from the table and I was entering the kitchen, I rolled my eyes and muttered under my breath, "Oh, you."

I opened the ice box and pulled out the strawberries and cream I had prepared just a few hours ago and six china bowls with blue trim from the cupboard before making my way back to the dining room.

I avoided eye contact with Dmitry as I placed the treat in the center of the table and then began to pass the bowls around to each member of the family. Amélie lit up in a pleasant smile, "Ah...Anya! Strawberries and cream! How nice. This looks good. Thank you."

I grinned, feeling genuinely honored to be the one who inspired Amélie to want to learn English. She was the kindest person I had ever met and being with her everyday in the kitchen and getting to know her over the past month, was the one of the best experiences I had had in my entire life. So in French, I replied merrily, "Merci, Amélie. J'ai appris du meilleur."

(AN: "Thank you, Amélie. I learned from the best.")

She beamed warmly, "Thank you."

"De rein."

I handed the children their bowls, receiving polite thanks, before handing Jean his. Then, I found myself in front of Dmitry, who was smiling mischievously up at me. He cleared his throat and then whispered, "You were saying?"

I glanced away from him to see all eight Benoit eyes on us, causing me to smile awkwardly and hand him his bowl, mumbling back, "Strawberries and cream...and sugar. Not just strawberries and cream."

I plopped down in my seat and the Benoits began to serve themselves. "Ahh...I had no idea I had to be that technical," Dima teased.

"Well, that was the surprise," I giggled softly, feeling clever before serving myself.

Dima rose an eyebrow and nodded, "Impressive...but technically, I guessed correctly."

"Technicalities always did annoy me," I stated as my lips parted into a smile.

Pierre cleared his throat dramatically and in his small adorable voice, asked, "Will you both stop flirting? We're trying to start dessert time here!"

"My apologies, Mr. Benoit," Dima chuckled, "Can I still get that book signed though? I really am sorry...I'll behave..."

Pierre melted into a smile and bit into a strawberry before nodding, "Okay. You can. As long as you be good."

Dima reacted over-excitedly, which made the petite boy giggle profusely and I stare at Dmitry in a sort of awe. I took a bite of the heavenly delicacy and beamed, taking in Dmitry's expression for the little child and realizing he would make an exceptional father someday.

Sure, we weren't even wed yet, nor engaged, and the thought may have been rather random, but the way he smiled at Pierre and the comments he made to entertain the boy, made it almost impossible to not imagine him as a father of one of our own children.