Happily Ever After: 6 Marriage Romances In 1 (BWWM Romance)

by BWWM Club

  She was breathtaking. It wasn’t that she was supermodel beautiful because he had dealt with so many of those types. There was just something alluring in her naturalness. She didn’t wear makeup like most of the women he knew. Even her hair was pulled back into a curly haphazard ponytail, her hair shined from the lights above her and although at first it looked a nondescript brown he picked up hints of red and gold. Her skin was smooth and had a bronze quality to it, like she had spent days in the sun recently. She had high cheekbones and full pouty lips, but her most distinct feature were her dark almond shaped eyes framed by incredibly thick and long lashes that he could see even from a distance.

  He observed her for a few moments, amused that she was so absorbed in the book she was reading that she was oblivious to his presence.

  *****

  Someone cleared their throat behind her. She spun around and came face to face with one of the most handsome men she had ever seen in her life. Embarrassed at being caught in this room uninvited, she hastily tried to put the book she was perusing back, but she knocked into one of the bookshelves and sent several books tumbling. She bent down to retrieve them and bumped her head on the marble table. Hard.

  Chapter 2

  “Are you okay?” he asked with a frown. “Do you need a doctor?”

  “Ow,” Jordan said sitting up. “No, I’m okay,” she said rubbing the small knot on her head.

  “You have a very hard head,” he said in his thick accent.

  “What?” Jordan spluttered.

  “I meant you hit your head very hard,” he explained.

  He helped her up and they sat on the small sofa, his proximity gave her goosebumps. She was able to check him out fully for the first time. To say the man was gorgeous would be an understatement. He looked like he stepped out of a movie. He looked like a model in his tailored charcoal gray suit. Jordan felt under dressed next to him.

  He had a thick shock of dark black hair which was graying at the temples, but rather than distract from his looks it only made him look more distinguished. She wondered if it was natural or if it was just highlighted for effect, after all he was only thirty years old. His jawline was strong, he was clean shaven and sitting so close Jordan noticed there was a small scar on his chin. She looked up at him, her mouth parted involuntarily and she took a deep intake of breath. His eyes were the color of amber and expressive, as he looked down at her. Even sitting down he towered over her. She expected he was over six feet tall, with wide shoulders and a powerful build. He smiled at her suddenly flashing a set of unbelievably straight teeth. He looked less imposing as a single endearing dimple in his cheek appeared.

  “I’m Dimitri Vladikov. You must be Miss Hill,” he said.

  “Yes. I didn’t mean to snoop. I was looking for the kitchen and stumbled across this room. I just love books,” she finished lamely.

  “No need to apologize. The library is not off limits. I guess you can say it’s a public library,” he teased.

  Jordan smiled, it was a corny joke.

  “Why are you here?” she asked abruptly.

  “I live here,” he responded arching one eyebrow.

  “No, sorry. I meant Ivanna said you would be gone this weekend,” she explained.

  “Ah! Yes, I wrapped up my business early and my weekend plans fell through,” deciding on the spot that he would cancel his weekend plans.

  “Oh,” was all she could muster.

  “You were looking for the kitchen? Shall I show you the way?” he asked grasping her hand.

  She felt electricity at his touch. She was struck speechless for a moment.

  “No, I’m fine,” she recovered.

  Suddenly Jordan’s stomach rumbled loudly, betraying her. Embarrassed she flushed crimson. Dimitri smiled.

  “You must be hungry. I’m famished as well. Uzhin should be ready soon.”

  “Uzhin?” Jordan questioned.

  “Yes sorry sometimes I speak in Russ-glish. In English I guess it would be dinner? Although in the US you eat heavy at night. I guess it’s more like lunch I suppose,” he rambled.

  “Come on, let’s go to the kitchen,” he said taking her hand once again. Jordan didn’t protest and let him lead the way. He had a very commanding presence.

  As he stood up, Jordan realized she was right, he was about six one and his suit fit him impeccably, showing off his impressive physique. She couldn’t help but check him out.

  When they arrived in the kitchen Shay was already there sitting at the counter drinking what looked like a milkshake. When Jordan saw her she came back to her senses and released his grasp immediately.

  “Mom,” she exclaimed when she spotted Jordan. “I was starving. I’m having a milkshake until dinner is ready,” she explained.

  “I hope you didn’t make anyone go buy you a milkshake. I hope she wasn’t too much trouble,” Jordan said with a frown.

  “None at all. Katya our cook made it,” Ivanna said indicating the chubby grandmotherly woman stirring a pot at the stove who smiled and waved at Jordan.

  “Oh Mr. Vladikov sorry. This is my daughter Shayna,” she said.

  “Hello,” Shay said with a shy smile. “Thank you for my beautiful room Mr. Vladi… I forgot how to say it. You can call me Shay by the way. No one calls me Shayna.”

  “It’s Vladikov. Or Mr. V works also,” he said with a laugh. “Katya any chance there is another milkshake?” he asked sitting at the counter next to Shay.

  “Konechno, ya znal, chto vy khotite odin,” Katya replied.

  Seeing Shay’s confused expression Dimitri translated for her.

  “She said of course. She knew that I would want one.”

  “How am I going to understand what anyone says?” Shay fretted.

  “Da. My English not so good but I understand, I will try speak English,” Katya apologized.

  “It’s okay. I like how it sounds. Besides when in Russia,” Shay assured her.

  “Don’t worry you’ll be fluent before the year is over,” he said with a smile. “And I should know how to read and write English hopefully. Katya, slyshal, g-zha Khill yavlyayetsya otlichnym uchitelem. Mozhet byt', ona mozhet pomoch' s angliyskim yazykom.”

  “Of course I would be happy to teach Katya in my spare time if she would like to learn although my Russian is only conversational. YA byl by rad pomoch” Jordan said, speaking in both Russian and English for Shay’s benefit.

  “Why didn’t you ever teach me?” Shay questioned taking another sip of her milkshake. “What is milkshake in Russian anyway?”

  “There isn’t really a word for it. I guess the closest would be molochnyy kokteyl,” Dimitri said.

  “Molla-schnee-kahtay, got it,” she said.

  “Close enough,” Dimitri laughed.

  “Jordan do you care to try Russian food or should Katya make something more American?” Ivanna asked.

  “I would love to but I don’t know about Shay,” she replied uncertainly.

  “I can try Russian food. Come on mom let’s be adventurous,” she said shocking Jordan.

  They made their way to the adjoining dining room. Jordan looked in amazement at the intricate chandelier that hung above the table. Ivanna, Dimitri and Katya followed behind, each carrying a dish.

  “Is there anything I can help with?” Jordan asked.

  “No, this is your first night. You are our guest. Relax,” Ivanna reassured her.

  Katya returned carrying a stack of plates.

  “Take yourself,” she said with a smile pointing to the food.

  When Shay finished serving herself, she picked her plate up and was about to leave the table.

  “Where are you going?” Dimitri asked.

  “I am going to call my cousin,” she replied.

  “Okay,” Dimitri answered with a frown.

  “Shay have dinner with us. It’s our first night,” Jordan admonished, clearly embarrassed.

  “She doesn’t have to stay. Just in Russia family is important. We like to eat di
nner together,” he said with a small smile. “It’s usually the only time we have to share our day.”

  Behind him Ivanna exchanged glances with Katya.

  After a pointed look from Jordan, Shay sighed but sat down. To further drive his point across the rest of the staff joined them at the dining table shortly, serving themselves from the pots on the table. Soon the table was full of lively conversation. They spoke in English, some excellently and some in the broken way that Katya did, but all to include Jordan and Shay.

  Shay took pictures of everything to send to Morgan and her friends. This seemed to amuse Dimitri.

  “I’m the same way whenever I eat in the States,” he joked.

  “This was delicious. I’m going to gain so much weight,” Jordan laughed.

  “Mom, can I please call Morgan now?” Shay requested after polishing off her dessert in three bites.

  “Yes you can,” Jordan said.

  “Thank you. Mr. Vladikov it was nice meeting you,” she said politely before racing towards the stairs.

  “What are your plans this weekend?” Dimitri asked.

  “I haven’t really thought about it. I thought we would have to unpack,” she answered.

  “I can have Olaf or Andrei take you anywhere you would like. Go explore the city,” he said graciously.

  “Thank you. That would be lovely,” she said.

  “Would you like to see the rest of the house?” Dimitri asked.

  “Sure,” Jordan replied yawning.

  “Oh you must be tired. Please another time. Get some rest.”

  “Thank you,” Jordan replied gratefully. She had not realized how tired she was.

  “Thank you for being here Ms. Hill. I know how hard it must be to leave your home and come to a strange place. Please make yourself comfortable. My home, is your home,” he said with a nod before retreating to his office.

  *****

  The next morning was Saturday and Jordan was surprised to see Shay was already in the kitchen helping Katya with breakfast. At home she usually slept in late. Jordan smiled as she heard their exchange. Shay was teaching Katya English and she was learning Russian.

  “Coffee… kofe.”

  “Bread… khleb.”

  “Cheese… syr.”

  “Good morning, dobroye utro. Just wait until you try to spell them. They have a different alphabet here,” Jordan told her as she sat at the counter and poured herself a cup of coffee.

  “Great,” Shay said sardonically.

  “It won’t be that hard. You’ll get the hang of it soon enough.”

  Katya set a plate before Jordan.

  “You like kasha? Porridge? Or bread and?” Katya seemed confused as she pointed at some ham.

  “Bread and vetchina, ham please,” Jordan said.

  “Ham,” Katya repeated with a nod.

  “Katya and I have been teaching each other,” Shay said proudly.

  “Like mother, like daughter?” Jordan asked with a wink.

  Shay smiled in response.

  “Mr. Vladikov offered us his car to explore the city if you’re up for it,” Jordan said sipping her coffee.

  “Sounds good. What else is there to do?” Shay said shrugging.

  “Thank you for giving this a chance Shay,” she said sincerely.

  “I figured I could mope for an entire year or make the most of it. I’m just worried I’ll look like an idiot because I can’t speak Russian,” she said with a grimace.

  “The school is run by the embassy. Your classes will be taught in English and then you have your Russian class. Besides not every student there can speak Russian either. Half of the students who attend are there because their parents are in the military or work for the embassy like I do.”

  “Why didn’t you tell me that? That’s the main reason I didn’t want to come here mother,” Shay said shaking her head.

  “I must have forgotten to mention it,” Jordan answered wryly.

  *****

  They spent their morning sightseeing. St. Petersburg was filled with countless points of interest for art and architecture and history. Shay was obsessed with history and Jordan knew she would appreciate it. There was so much to see, they possibly couldn’t see it all in one day so they decided to see St. Isaac’s Cathedral first.

  Andrei acted as their tour guide and informed them that it was the fourth largest cathedral in the world. The exterior was stunning with its gold dome but that didn’t prepare them for the astonishing interior. The multitude of columns, and statues, the multicolored granites and marbles, and various artwork was breathtaking. At the center of the main dome was a painted white dove. They weren’t very religious, or catholic for that matter but it was miraculous to experience nonetheless.

  After a filling lunch of beef and potatoes along with a delicious rye bread and home churned butter at one of the restaurants, Shayna insisted they see Yusupov Palace.

  The palace interior was luxuriantly decorated with many rooms painted with intricate artwork and decked out with gilded chandeliers, silks, frescoes, tapestries and antique furniture. Shayna was most fascinated by the history of the palace however as it was the location where the famous Rasputin was assassinated.

  By the time they completed the tour they were both exhausted and decided to call it a day. When they returned to the house the delicious smell of baking bread was pungent throughout the lower floor.

  They found Ivanna and Katya chatting in the kitchen.

  “Did you have fun?” Ivanna asked cheerfully at the two.

  This prompted Shayna to recount their day in detail. Surprisingly they learned that Katya understood English much better than she spoke it and followed most of the conversation only stopping occasionally for clarification.

  “Miss Jordan I make you Russian specialty. Shchi,” she said in her broken English.

  “Shchi is cabbage soup,” Ivanna explained. “As an appetizer it is just cabbage but since it is so cold today we added meat, vegetables and sauerkraut. I hope you’ll like it. Katya also made black bread.”

  “Is that the bread we had at lunch?” Shay piped up.

  “Rye bread,” Jordan answered.

  “Yes,” Katya said pulling the freshly baked rye from the oven.

  “I love that bread. I could live off of that bread,” Shay said grinning.

  “I could too,” a voice said from the doorway. “Hello. How was your day?” Dimitri asked.

  This prompted Shay to recant her adventure once again.

  Dimitri listened with real interest, showing the proper reactions and even asking Shay questions. It warmed Jordan’s heart to see how everyone welcomed them.

  While the others were deep in conversation, Dimitri engaged Jordan.

  “So we start the tutoring on Monday yes?”

  “Yes. I hope you don’t mind if I get Shay settled in at school first,” she reminded him.

  “No, of course not. We can drive in together and I will wait for you to get her situated,” he said.

  “You don’t have to do that,” Jordan protested.

  “It’s no trouble. I would like to,” he insisted.

  *****

  The remainder of the weekend passed without incident but early on Monday morning, Shay, dressed in one of her brand new uniforms, sulked through breakfast.

  “Don’t worry they’ll love you,” Jordan reassured her.

  Shay frowned. “I miss my friends,” she said sadly.

  Jordan bit her lip. She didn’t know what to say to make it better.

  A few minutes later Jordan and Shay headed towards the car when they heard a car horn. Jordan spun around. Dimitri sat behind the wheel of a silver Lexus. Jordan and Shay walked towards the car and got in.

  “Remember I am driving today,” he said jovially.

  The seats were warmed and Jordan was thankful. It was freezing outside. Jordan buckled her seat belt and stole a sidelong glance at Dimitri. He looked incredible. His hair was slicked back still wet from his shower. He wore a
gray suit that fit him immaculately underneath a black heavy trench coat. His ocher eyes sparkled and Jordan swallowed unconsciously.

  Shay said hello and then put on her headphones.

  “I thought you meant Andrei would drive us,” Jordan said after a while.

  “No, I love driving. Andrei only drives you,” he replied.

  “What did he do before he drove me?” Jordan asked confused.

  “He is the head of my security team,” Dimitri said nonchalantly.

  “Do you need security?” Jordan asked.

  “Embassy rules. I don’t need security. But Andrei needs the job. I think he prefers this to following me around all day doing nothing.”

  They chatted some more, mostly about how she was liking Russia so far, small talk. On the ride to her new school Shay was a nervous wreck. Secretly Jordan didn’t blame her. Dimitri sensing her anxiety decided to engage her in conversation to get her mind off of it. He explained the Russian educational system in detail. Jordan knew his tactic, overwhelm her with enough information that she wouldn’t have room to think about anything else. She smiled. She could see why he went into diplomacy. He explained that the International Academy, where Shay would be attending was not separated like schools in America. It taught children from levels one through eleven. Friends who started in level one would remain at the same school until they graduated. Shay seemed to love this idea. Russia did things differently he continued. When a student reached the tenth level they could choose to continue on their education or instead transfer to a vocational school and learn a trade. The median graduating age was fifteen in Russia which surprised both Jordan and Shay. Shay would be in level eight even though she was coming from seventh grade.

  When they pulled up, the structure itself was remarkable. The building looked nothing like the normal institutional type buildings Jordan was used to. Instead the place looked like it was an old church or castle that had been repurposed as a school. It was welcoming, painted white with blocks of pastel colors. Outside there were groups of children already milling about saying hello to friends before class started. There were several school buses unloading children, they were primarily yellow like the buses in the states but with bright bands of blue paint wrapped around the center.