Times Change (complete)

Chapter 23

'I seem to be doing a lot of this tucking in thing lately.' I thought to myself with a silent chuckle.

As I stood up someone knocked on our door. Taking the pizzas, I paid and tipped the delivery boy. I put the pizzas in the fridge and got ready for bed myself.

Before going to sleep I text Abe and asked for some reinforcements.

"Abe, we have reached the ski lodge and are about to go to bed. I think that it would be for the best if you could send us some reinforcements. Just to be on the safe side."

"Yes, my plane has made it back to the academy. I will be leaving in an hour bringing Pavel, Sergei and the same guardians that escorted you and my baby girl to the jet this morning. I will be there long before the two of you wake up."

"Thank you. We are in room 2012. And please make sure that Janine gets nowhere near Roza or me. I don't want to start a war, but if I see her and she starts bad mouthing my Roza. That is exactly what is going to happen."

"There is no need to worry about that I have already called in a favor and made sure that Janine will not even be at the ski lodge at all."

"Thank you, Abe, that is all very much appreciated. I know how badly that you want to see Roza in person. And in just a few more weeks you will finally be able to have your long-awaited reunion with your daughter."

"There is nothing to thank me for. You just look after my kizim and keep her safe, healthy and happy."

"I will do everything in my power to do that for the rest of my life."

"I know that you will."

The following day Roza and I were relaxing in our room watching movies. When I decided that I wanted her to have her promise ring before she went to Spokane. So as soon as the movie ended I turned the television off and turned to her.

"Roza, my love." I slide down onto the floor on one knee her eyes widened in shock. 

"In Russia when a man has found his true love and he knows that he wants to be with her forever. But he can't propose to her yet for some reason or another, he buys her..." 

I took the ring box out of my duster pocket and held it up in front of her. 

"... a promise ring." 

I opened the box and she gasped as her hand flew to cover her mouth.

"A promise ring is just as it sounds. A promise to one day ask his lady love to marry him. That is what this ring is, it is my promise to ask you to marry me after graduation. Milaya moya, will you accept this ring as my promise to spend the rest of my forever with you? To love you and my promise to always be faithful to you." I asked as I watched tears roll down her cheeks. (my dearest)

She sobbed, "yes, yes Mitya. Yes, I will. Yes, I do. Ever how you say it the answer is yes milaya moy." She flung herself into my arms, "I love you sooo sooo much." (my dear)

I took the ring from the box and slide it onto her right ring finger kissed it and then I kissed her sealing our promise with that kiss. 

When she said yes, I knew. Somehow, I just knew, that everything would work out just as it should for us.

We would get to spend the rest of our lives together happy and in love. I knew that there would be difficult times for us, just as there always were for everyone.

The only place that you could have a perfect life was in heaven and we were on Earth. Even though being in my Roza's arms felt like being in heaven to me, or at least what I thought heaven would feel like.