Chapter Twenty-Eight
Sarah
“You’re going overboard,” I said as Dmitri added another stuffed animal to the cart. He insisted on taking us shopping this evening to buy anything and everything Alexis would need.
When I agreed to stay with him last night, I didn’t expect much to change. Maybe that was naive of me.
This morning, before I left for work, Dmitri declared that I would be moving into the master bedroom with him. I acted like his bossiness annoyed me, but there was something thrilling about it. I didn’t think I would like it if I felt like he was just trying to throw his weight around. But it wasn’t like that with Dmitri. His bossy attitude was endearing in the way that it tended to be for my own good. It was usually either to keep me safe or give me what I truly wanted, such as sharing a room with him.
He also insisted on turning the guest room I’d been sharing with Alexis into a real bedroom for her, with completely new furniture and toys. I’d told him we could just have her room at my apartment packed up and everything sent to his home, but he insisted on buying everything new for her. I didn’t object because I had a feeling he was trying to make up for lost time with his daughter by providing something special for her.
“Kitty!” Alexis squealed, and we suddenly had yet another stuffed animal in the cart. I just smiled and shook my head.
“Maybe we should try to pick some furniture,” I suggested, wanting to get out of the toy store before they addedanything else to the cart. As it stood, we were already shaping up to have the most spoiled little girl in Brooklyn.
“You want to choose your very own bed?” Dmitri asked Alexis.
“Yeah!” she yelled, drawing the attention of everyone in the store. My instinct was the shush her, but I fought that. She was having the best time, and I didn’t want to stifle her, even if it was disruptive for everyone else.
Checking out took a while, and Alexis ended up adding three picture books to the loot from a display near the register. It was quickly becoming obvious that Dmitri couldn’t tell her no.
We picked up dinner in a drive-thru and then spent an hour at the furniture store. Alexis insisted that she wanted orange walls. I tried to talk her into a more neutral color, sure that she was going to change her favorite color to something else in just a few months. But Dmitri saw no problem with hiring someone to paint over the bold colors she wanted on the walls as many times as she wanted.
I had a feeling I was going to have to get used to being overruled with these two around. But I didn’t mind it. In fact, spending the evening together like this was more fun than I realized it would be. It was as if we were a real family, and there was a warm, happy feeling associated with that.
I’d never seen Dmitri look so at ease either. His smile came easily, and there was something casually relaxed about him.
It all felt right.
So, that evening when it was time to put Alexis to bed, I took his hand.
“Do you want to come with us? Help me tuck her in and maybe tell her something important?”
His eyebrows scrunched, but his expression cleared after a moment when he understood what I meant.
He scooped Alexis up off the floor, and she giggled as he carried her up the stairs. He’d never done the bedtime routine before, so I took over when we got to the room, changing her into pajamas and brushing her hair. Then I helped her pick out a book and one of her new stuffed animals to sleep with.
The whole time, Dmitri stood off to the side, watching everything. I got the impression that he was trying to learn how to take care of her, and it was sweet that he cared so much.
Once she was tucked under the covers, I gestured for him to come sit with me on the edge of Alexis’s bed. He looked unsure, so I grabbed his wrist and pulled him down to sit beside me. He landed heavily, jostling Alexis and making her laugh.
“Sweetie, Dmitri and I need to talk to you about something.”
She looked at Dmitri and then back at me. “What’s wrong?”
Her little voice was pitched high, and I reached out to grab her hand. “Don’t worry. It’s not anything bad. It’s just…”I trailed off, looking at Dmitri. I was her mom, and it might make sense for me to tell her, but this felt like his news to share.
“I’m your daddy,zayka,” he said, using the Russian nickname he gave her the night they met. His voice was deep and full of affection.
Alexis looked confused. “What?”
She’d only asked me once why she didn’t have a dad, and I avoided directly answering the question by telling her I wouldalways be there for her and she didn’t need anyone else. Now, her eyes met mine, and I could see that she wanted me to explain how it was possible that Dmitri was her father.
“Dmitri hasn’t been in our life for a while, but heisyour dad. He’s going to take care of you with me from now on.”
I didn’t know what reaction to expect, but I assumed it would be big. Excited, hurt, confused. Any of those would have been understandable.
Instead, she just gave Dmitri a small smile and said, “Okay.”
I blinked and looked at Dmitri, who looked just as stunned as I felt. I figured that a child as young as her was better able to accept this kind of thing without too much upset. Not sure what else to do, I opened the book she chose and started to read it to her. She settled back on the pillow and watched me with sleepy eyes.
She fell asleep when I was on the third page. As I closed the book, Dmitri leaned over her still form and pressed a kiss to her forehead. The sight made my heart swell with joy, and I was so glad he loved our daughter already.