When I Dream of You: A Valentine's Day Romance

by Marcella Swann

  “Will you play ball with me?” he asked.

  Devon turned to him and found that Joe was looking right at him. “Yeah,” said Jackie, who was right next to him.

  Devon looked up at Aria and she smiled shrugging. This was going to be a true test to see what he might do as a response. “Where’s the ball?” he asked.

  Aria smiled and knew that while it wasn’t his most ideal situation to be put in, he was going to try and that was more than she could say for a lot of men. “I’ll go get it.” Joe got up and ran from the table. She walked over to him and leaned against his ear.

  “I owe you one,” she said.

  He looked at her and smiled. He was sure she could pay him back. He had ideas. Joe came running out with the ball and Devon walked out to the yard with Joe and Jackie.

  Aria picked up Jamie from the highchair and put her on her lap as she sat down next to Jillian. “Let’s watch them play,” she said. It was something she hadn’t expected or experienced before but Devon was finally opening up and she was happy to see that the awkwardness had slipped away.

  Chapter 17

  Aria heard from Paul shortly after they had arrived at the hospital. Marisa was definitely in labor. Her water broke the minute they walked through the door. She was immediately taken back to the room and prepped to deliver the baby.

  An hour later he called again to tell them Paul Jr. was born. He sounded like a proud papa and Devon was utterly blown away. He had never experienced a moment that shook him like that, imagining that it wasn’t just any woman but Aria in labor with his child.

  Get yourself together, Devon thought to himself. There was still so much to experience in their relationship, but it was unmistakable now: what he was feeling was love and it shook him.

  Aria had pretty much admitted that she loved him. She didn’t say it in so many words, but he did feel it by the words that she did speak. He knew the look. He’d broken enough hearts over his 38 years to know that lovelorn look. There had been many opportunities when Devon could have left the house. She gave him plenty of outs, periodically saying things like I know you have better things to do. You don’t have to keep me company. I’ll be fine if you decide to leave. However, he didn’t want to go. From the moment he played football with Jackie and Joe, he realized that he was glad he hadn’t bolted.

  Besides, the evening was winding down and all that was left was making sure they had something to eat and getting them off to bed. That shouldn’t be so difficult.

  Aria offered to make the kids a pizza as they were watching cartoons. He sat in the living room and watched them, but when he noticed that they were engrossed in the show, he decided to get up and check to see if she needed help. He entered the kitchen and she was reaching over to get the pizza out of the oven.

  “Need help?” he asked.

  She twirled around as she stood up and shot a smile in his direction. “Nope. I think I’ve got it.” She put the pizza down on a trap and grabbed some plates from the cabinet. He came up behind her, when he saw her reaching and pulled the plates from the cabinet. “Thank you.” she said. She turned around and he moved in to claim a kiss. He had been wanting to do that since they had first gotten there and had been caught by Jackie at the door.

  “You’re welcome,” he said. He pulled back and put the plates on the table, then turned to face her. “You’re going to make a good mom one day.”

  She laughed. “Why? Because I make such a mean pizza.”

  He snickered. “Well, that too, but you’re good with them and they adore you. Probably almost as much as I do.”

  “Do you realize that you’re sometimes a big softie?” she asked.

  He shrugged. “Can’t be myself all the time.”

  She smiled. It was the reason that she was falling in love with him. While he was Alpha, just like she wanted, he was also caring and sweet. He would protect her at the drop of a hat. She felt that. “You are being yourself all the time. This is just a different side of yourself.”

  He nodded. She saw but he didn’t want to fall too fast, too quickly. He wanted to gradually have a little push and pull with her and that’s what he saw was happening. “We better let the kiddies know that their pizza is done.”

  She smiled. She looked down at the pizza on the tray. There wasn’t enough for the six of them, so they could have something after the kids went to sleep. “Do you want to wrangle them in here? Or, should I do that?” she asked.

  “I think I can handle that job.” He laughed as he went into the living room. He clapped his hands together and called them. “Hey guys...the food is ready.”

  Jackie turned to him. “We’re not all guys.” She laughed and he snickered. She wasn’t as nervous around him as she had been, but then again, he did tone down his vocabulary. He still couldn’t believe how nervous he had been when the day first started out.

  The kids jumped up and hurried out to the kitchen, where Aria had loaded up their plates. They sat down and started to eat.

  “What do you guys want to drink?” Aria said.

  “Pssssttt,” Devon said. She looked up at him. “They’re not all guys. Jackie informed me.”

  Aria chuckled. “Oh...you did, did you?” She kissed the top of Jackie’s head and the girl giggled.

  “Just needed to point out the obvious,” she said. They each rattled off their drinks.

  Devon and Aria worked together to sort out the drinks. When the kids were eating and talking to one another, Devon leaned against the counter that Aria stood near. “Being a parent is exhausting,” he said.

  She laughed. “Can you imagine bringing another home?”

  Devon pictured that and again it was Aria’s face that came to mind. He couldn’t imagine having five kids. Yet, if they all resembled Aria, then maybe it wouldn’t be so bad. “These are great kids. Marisa and Paul did something right.”

  Aria was intrigued with his response. They were great kids but to acknowledge that made her happy. She crossed her arms and kept watching them. “They sure did,” she said.

  AFTER THE KIDS HAD eaten, Aria left Devon in the living room. “I’m going to go get the kids to sleep,” she said. He nodded and watched her as she left. He sat down on the couch and tried to relax. He didn’t know how long it typically took kids to go to sleep but he would give her time. Several times he thought that he needed to go up and see if she was all right, but then would give her a few more minutes. There were four kids to get ready for bed. He was sure that she’d be down soon.

  However, Aria was quickly realizing that Marisa was dead right. It was an Olympic feat to get the kids to bed. Jamie was quick to lie down in her crib but the others were asking for water, or saying they needed to use the restroom. By the time she had Jillian down, she was certain she’d collapse herself.

  Yet, she held tough and got Jackie and Joe down, feeling a sense of accomplishment. When she left Jackie’s room, she caught Devon out in the hall. “I’m exhausted,” she said.

  He laughed. “I thought maybe you got lost,” he said.

  “How long have I been up here?” she asked. She looked at her watch and shook her head. “An hour? Man, that was no easy task.” It made sense why Marisa and Paul would lay the kids down together. She couldn’t fathom doing that by herself every night.

  They walked down the stairs and she yawned as she reached the bottom. “Rest your wary legs,” he said, grabbing her hand and pulling her to the couch. She fell down on the couch and lifted her foot into her palm. She started to massage and before she knew it, he had taken over. “Lie back,” he said in a forceful tone. She looked at him, then slowly laid back on the couch. He sat down, then lifted her feet into his palms and slowly started to massage. She knew the feeling was always amazing and this time was no different.

  “That feels good,” she moaned. She closed her eyes and focused on the feel of his palms methodically massaging her feet. She was so caught in the moment that she barely caught the phone call when Paul called her cell. She quic
kly pulled it out of her pocket.

  “Hello?”

  “Hey, Ari, it’s Paul. So, I hate to ask this of you but can you keep the kids overnight. Marisa’s blood pressure spiked and they’re monitoring her. I just don’t want to leave her. I can call my mom if I need to.”

  Aria glanced at Devon and he watched her, concerned about the expression in her eyes. “Not at all, Paul. Don’t think anything of it. I’m happy to do it. Okay. See you tomorrow.” She disconnected the call and Devon stopped rubbing her feet.

  “Tomorrow?” he asked.

  “Turns out that Marisa is having some funky things going on with her BP. They want to monitor her, and I’m needed overnight.” She reached out to touch his hand. “I completely understand that you’ll have to go. After all, tomorrow is a workday.”

  “It’s a workday for you too,” he said. It was but she didn’t have anything pressing happening on Monday. She would be all right skipping the day if she needed to. “I don’t have any meetings or anything tomorrow.”

  He shrugged. “I don’t either. So, I’ll stay.”

  He went back to massaging her feet and she fell back against the arm of the couch. That amazed her more than anything. She hadn’t anticipated his response. She wasn’t going to turn him away, especially because she could use the massage he was giving her. She closed her eyes and relaxed until she fell asleep.

  She didn’t awake until she felt someone staring at her. She opened her eyes and found Joe standing over her. “You snore,” he said.

  Aria quickly wiped her mouth. “What are you doing awake?” It was still dark outside and time on her watch said it was just after three.

  “I need something to drink,” he said.

  She nodded and looked around. She hadn’t realized Devon wasn’t there until that moment. “OK. She got up from the couch and padded her way to the kitchen. She grabbed a cup from the cabinet and filled it half full with water. She turned around and handed it to him. He took a drink and then another. Then finally took a big gulp until the glass was empty. He handed the glass back to her and she put it in the sink. “Anything else?”

  He shook his head. She followed him out of the kitchen and sent him on his way up to his bedroom. She stood for a moment until she spotted Devon walking down the stairs. She waited until he reached the bottom.

  “Where were you?” she asked.

  He pointed to upstairs. “I heard Jackie and she needed a glass of water.”

  Aria laughed. “I think they’re all in on this,” she said.

  Devon wrapped his arm around her and walked her back into the living room. He went to sit down on the chair and she laughed. “What?” he asked.

  “I think we can fit you on the couch with me,” she said.

  He snickered. “All right then. I was just trying to give you some room.” He got up and walked over to the couch, where he laid down first and then she laid down, nestling herself under his arm. He held her close and started to close his eyes when she spoke.

  “Do I snore?” she asked.

  He laughed.

  Aria shrugged. “Joe might have said something about it, but do I?”

  “Like a buzz saw,” he said, “but a cute and sexy buzz saw.” He turned his head and she snickered.

  “As long as it’s a cute and sexy one,” she said. He kissed her and she didn’t worry too much about it. She turned back around and closed her eyes.

  DEVON AND ARIA WOUND up waking up at six thirty with Jamie. Then shortly after that the rest of the kids started getting up. They all went downstairs and to the kitchen, where Aria prepared them eggs.

  “I want pancakes,” Joe said.

  “Don’t forget the bacon,” Jackie added.

  “Mommy,” Jamie said and that got everyone to laugh.

  “Yes, your mommy is at the hospital having another baby,” Aria said. Oi Vey, she thought. That thought alone seemed crazy.

  Aria prepared the pancakes and bacon, while Devon sat that the table and talked to the kids. “When’s Daddy coming home?” Joe asked.

  Aria and Devon didn’t know what to give as their response. “As soon as he’s able,” Devon said.

  Aria had to admit that was a good response. She finished preparing breakfast, grabbed some plates from the cabinet, and dished out the breakfast to each of them. “Is orange juice all right?” Aria asked.

  “I want apple juice,” Joe said.

  “Chocolate milk,” Jillian chimed in.

  Aria rolled her eyes and got the drinks from the refrigerator, then grabbed glasses and asked for each one to give their choice of drink. “What would you like, Devon?” she asked.

  He snickered. “White milk.” She looked at the options and hadn’t pulled that one out. She rolled her eyes, then went to the refrigerator and grabbed out the milk. She poured him a glass and he hid his smile. He was only teasing but he recognized the ball was still in his court.

  They sat down and ate. Three times during the meal, the question was posed again. “What time is Daddy coming home?”

  When she had the dishes in the dishwasher going, she heard the back door click open. She turned to see Paul walk into the kitchen. He glanced at her and grinned and the kids excitedly exclaimed that they were happy. Aria had to admit that she also was happy. He ran his hand against Jamie’s highchair and smiled down at her. He turned to Aria. “Thank you both so much for being here,” he said.

  Aria smiled and glanced at Devon. He was standing now, grinning that they would be free to go. “It’s not a problem,” Aria said. “How’s Mommy and baby?”

  He nodded. “Both doing well. I’ll take the kids up to see her tonight but for now...you guys can get out of here. I appreciate it again.” He hugged Aria and she wrapped her arms around him.

  “Anytime, Paul. We’ll see ourselves out.”

  Devon waved, and Paul stopped him. “It was nice to meet you and for you sticking it out with Aria. I’m sure it helped not having to do it all herself.”

  Devon shrugged nonchalantly. “I was happy to do it. Nice to meet you.” Aria said goodbye to the kids and they left the kitchen. She yawned when they got outside. He laughed. “We need to get you home and into your bed.”

  She grinned, not letting him see the excitement it covered. “That’s the best offer I’ve ever had.”

  He snickered and when they reached his car, she turned around. He pressed her against the car and kissed her, sweeping her off her feet. She sighed and then yawned, while he was trying to be romantic. He laughed as she let the yawn release itself. He opened the door for her and she got into the car waiting for him to hurry around to the other side. She needed to get some rest and then she could plan on what they would do beyond that. She had to rest before she was able to commit to anything more.

  Chapter 18

  It had been nearly a week between watching the kids and Devon’s surprise for Aria. He had everything set except one detail.

  He called his secretary into his office

  “I need a big favor. This is personal. I need you to buy a dress and some other clothing for someone to wear tonight. I need a size four delivered to this address,” he said, handing her a piece of paper. “The dress and the rest is listed on the note. It has to be delivered before six.”

  She glanced at her watch. “That’s only two hours from now.”

  “Is that going to be a problem?”

  She quickly shook her head.

  “Good,” he said, “and make sure this note is included.”

  He handed her a small cream-colored small envelope with a note inside. Jessica took the note and left. Everything was set and Devon felt ready to begin Aria’s initiation. He was certain she was fully his and was ready. He knew she wanted to experience the new, to open herself up to a more adventurous life. And he needed to see her do it—push through her inhibitions, her limitations. He wanted to see that his touch, his feel, his control was something she trusted implicitly and without question. Never trust anyone until they prove the
mselves to you first. His grandfather’s words echoed in his head as looked out over the L.A. skyline, the snow-capped San Gabriel Mountains towering in the background. He wanted to love this woman but first he needed to be in control—total control.

  WHEN ARIA GOT HOME, she spotted the boxes on her porch. She was excited to see what kind of deliveries she was getting, figuring they had come from Devon. She went up to the porch and picked them up, then fumbled with her keys at the door, until she got the door opened. She entered the house and dropped her keys and purse to the floor, and carried the boxes into the kitchen, where she had a table to lay them down.

  She opened her first box. It was the smallest of the three. Her eyes bugged out when she saw that there was another diamond necklace in there. She was running out of room to put her necklaces. Only this time, smack in the middle of the diamond was an amethyst. She looked down at the next box. She was overly excited by this point.

  She opened up the middle box and her mouth dropped. Inside of the box was a purple negligee set. She pulled it out and looked at the size. It was her size. She couldn’t imagine how he knew her lingerie size but she held it up to her and felt herself blushing as she imagined how she would look in it. It was perfect, but definitely something she needed to gain the courage to wear.

  “He’s seen you naked, Aria. Don’t get modest now.” She laughed as she spoke the words and went on to the next box. She opened it up and removed an amethyst color dress from the packaging. Again, it was in her size and it was shiny and gorgeous. She held it up against her and went to stand in front of a mirror. The straps would lie below her shoulder and the hem line was high enough that she wondered if it would even cover her. She giggled at the thought

  She walked over to the box and removed the paper that was tucked under the tissue paper of the box. She opened it up and read it.