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Their second Christmas of the year was spent in Russia, where the holiday was traditionally celebrated on January the seventh and nothing was eaten all day, until the first star had been seen in the sky, when a dish called kutia was taken fronify unity And if once upon a tiht of walnut-and-fruit-studded porridge, he dug into the dish with enthusiasether Erin re how ed

How ed

Leo had blossolow of his father’s love—a love which Dimitri had confessed he wasn’t sure he’d be able to show, just as he wasn’t sure if he was capable of being a good father Erin guessed that wasn’t surprising, because if you’d never been properly fathered when you were a little boy, then hoould you knoorked? But Dimitri had worked it out Of course he had Her cold, proud Russian had ive that itjust to think about it

She’d changed, too The dark fears and insecurities which had nudged the corners of her soul were now a thing of the past She recognised that it was more than Dimitri’s love which had helped her to accoth and conviction She’d been strong enough to tell him that she wouldn’t settle for second best To show him that she could and would live independently, even if that was the harder option So you et it to come to you

She lay back against the sofa while the fire crackled and waited while Dimitri read Leo a bedtime story He would be down in aAnd after that they would probably build yet another snowman

She sighed

‘Such a very big sigh,’ Diht froold

‘A happy sigh’

‘Oh?’

She looked up at hi around her back, and auto how lucky I am Lucky to have met you and had your baby Lucky to be with you now’

He looked down at her very intently as he brushed the hair away from her face ‘And all the in-between years? The wasted years?’

She shook her head ‘No, not that I’ve been thinking about that and they definitely weren’t wasted They were learning years Growing years—and growing is always painful Unless of course you happen to be a bonsai tree, in which case you don’t even get the chance!’