Secret Dream: Delos Series, 1B1

by Lindsay McKenna

  “If you send them an invitation, they will,” Lia said, enthusiastic. “Dilara and her family just love weddings!”

  Lia eased from beneath Cav’s arm and stepped to her dad, giving him a big hug. He hugged her back and smiled down at her, kissing her brow and then releasing her. Lia then walked over to her mother, giving her a kiss and a big, long embrace. Susan gave Lia a gentle hug and kiss on her scarred cheek. “I’m so glad you can both come,” Lia said tearfully, her voice wobbling.

  Susan sniffed and nodded, wiping her eyes. “I never thought this day would come, but I’m so happy it has, Lia. You and Cav are a beautiful-looking couple and you’ll be so pretty in whatever wedding gown you want to wear …”

  Nodding, her throat tight with unshed tears, Lia whispered, “We’ve all had our dreams and hopes smashed, but look at us, five years later.”

  Cav saw the heartfelt emotions mirrored in the faces of her family. He understood the fallout of Lia’s assault on her parents. Silently, he wished his mother, Elizabeth, were here to see who he had fallen in love with. Cav knew she would approve. A sadness wound through him for a moment, and then, when Lia moved back to him, slipping beneath his arm once more, and gave him that beaming smile of joy, he couldn’t help but quietly put the past away. Lia was his present. She was his future. And as she snuggled beneath his arm, leaning against him, her head resting on his shoulder, he saw the unfettered joy shining in her expression. Her happiness was infectious, surrounding him, and he leaned over, kissing her temple.

  “Have you got a place picked out to live?” Susan asked.

  Lia said, “We live in a condo right now.” She wrinkled her nose. “It’s okay, but I don’t like being in a high-rise.”

  “I wouldn’t imagine so,” Steve said. “You’re a country girl. You belong out in nature.”

  “Cav? What about you?” Susan asked. “Do you like living in the city?”

  “It doesn’t bother me,” he admitted. “My job before taking one at Delos with Lia pretty much had me on the road. I was rarely home.”

  “Are you glad those days are over, son?”

  Cav nodded, holding Steve’s stare. “Yes, sir, I am. I’m more than ready to settle down.”

  “Maybe doing some house hunting then in Virginia?” Susan asked.

  Lia studied Cav. “We haven’t really even talked about it yet.”

  “Well, you have time,” Susan reassured her.

  *

  Lia lay sated against Cav near midnight. They had all retired at ten p.m. but she and Cav had not gone to sleep. Instead, he’d made tender love to her, and her body hummed with pleasure once more. She lay by his side, moving her fingers languidly across his powerful chest. “I’m so happy,” she admitted, leaning forward, placing a kiss against his damp skin. “I’m so glad I decided to tell my mom and dad about us getting married.”

  He chuckled. “I didn’t see how you were going to keep it a secret for much longer.”

  She laughed. “No … you’re right. I was just bursting to tell them.” She squeezed him and kissed his chest. “Thank you for putting up with my ups and downs on this.”

  Cav nodded, curving his arm more surely around her small shoulders, bringing her more firmly against him. He liked the way her breasts pressed against his chest, her featherlight fingers weaving unknown patterns across his flesh. “I always want you to be happy, Lia.”

  “The way you love me, Cav …”

  “What?” He raised his head, looking down into her half-closed eyes, seeing the satisfaction gleaming in them.

  “I’ve never had a man love me with so much tenderness. Sometimes,” she confided softly, opening her palm and deliberately placing it over his heart, “I think you’re a fantasy I dreamed about, and you finally came true. Sometimes I’m afraid I’ll wake up and find out it really was only a dream. That I’m back in La Fortuna, in my house.”

  He smiled a little, stroking his fingers slowly along her upper arm. “Well, you’re the first to tell me I’m someone’s fantasy come true. Usually, I got told I was someone’s nightmare.”

  “Impossible! I’ll never see you as anything less than my dream come true.” She leaned up, caressing his mouth. “You are so sensual … so sexy, I can’t keep my hands off you!”

  “That we’ll agree on,” he murmured, caressing her breast, brushing the nipple, feeling her tense with pleasure, a soft little gasp escaping from her lips. Lia was so easily pleased. Cav felt her move her hips suggestively against his. They had made love an hour ago, and they both enjoyed relaxing in one another’s arms afterward.

  “You’re a hungry young lioness tonight,” he teased roughly, propping himself up and laying her on her back so he could appreciate her body beneath the moonlight spreading silently throughout her room.

  “Hungry for you,” she admitted, closing her eyes, absorbing Cav’s strength and nearness.

  Cav smoothed the hair away from her cheek, and she opened her gray eyes, smiling up at him.

  “Would you like to move out of the condo at some point?” she asked. “Maybe we could look for a home more in the country instead?”

  “I was thinking about that.” He drowned in her soft gray graze. “I want you to have whatever makes you happy, Lia. I don’t really care where I live as long as it’s with you.”

  “Would you object to a farmhouse somewhere near Artemis? I love how they rebuilt their farmhouse so the offices are hidden within it.”

  Shrugging, he said, “Sure. When we get back, we can ask the gal who runs the real estate department at Artemis to help us look for what you want.”

  Smiling, Lia sighed. “You already know how many children I want.”

  “Four.” Cav saw her lips twitch. “What? More than four?”

  “No … four is fine. But that means we need a really big home. Probably a two-story one. And we’ll need five bedrooms.”

  “I see where this is going,” he said drily. “You’ve been over to Dilara and Robert’s Federal-style home. It has eight bedrooms. Is that where you got the idea?”

  Giving him a coy look, she admitted, “Well … sort of. On July Fourth, when we were over at their home, she gave me a tour when you were with Robert and the other guys barbecuing all the food for us.”

  “Uh-oh …”

  Lia laughed softly. “Okay, so I told Dilara that we were in love and would get married at some point in the future. She moved into high gear, taking me through all the bedroom suites.”

  “Hmm,” he said, stroking her cheek, barely able to hold off smiling fully. “Something tells me you let the cat out of the bag.”

  “What do you mean?”

  He caressed her cheek, leaning down, kissing her. “I’ll bet Dilara nagged you until you told her how many children you really wanted. Right?”

  Lia giggled and nodded. “Cav, you can’t blame her! Dilara comes from a huge Turkish and Greek family. They love big families!”

  “So? You told her you wanted four children?” He saw her cheeks pink up with blush, loving her even more. “Yeah, you did.”

  “Even you didn’t know at that time,” she admitted, giving him an apologetic look.

  “The man, Robert told me once, is always the last to know.”

  Lia couldn’t help but laugh. “It’s true, I guess.”

  “Let’s see,” Cav said, trying to look stern, “Dilara pumped you for intel on how many kids you wanted. When you said four, she took you through those bedroom suites to show you what you should have in the house you bought.”

  “Guilty on all counts.”

  Unable to stop from laughing, Cav shook his head. “I’m going to need to talk to Robert some more. You women are better at stealth than anyone I know.”

  Pouting, she muttered, “Well … I didn’t do it on purpose, Cav. You know how good Dilara is at getting information out of people. She does it so sweetly and with such sincerity.”

  “Oh,” he growled, “I’m sure she meant every question she asked you.”

/>   “Well,” she said, drawing invisible lines on his hard flesh with her fingertip, “she did give me some good ideas.”

  “By any chance, has Dilara put the real estate team into motion while we were out here visiting your parents?” At least Lia had the good grace to blush even more deeply. Shaking his head, Cav said, “The military ought to learn how you women strategize. It takes my breath away.”

  “I was going to surprise you when we got home, Cav. I wasn’t being sneaky. Can’t you surprise someone you love?”

  “You have me dead to rights there,” he grunted. “Does she have some farmhouses for us to look at?

  “I just got a text from her today. Dilara has found three possible farmhouses. All of them have five to seven bedrooms in them.” She searched his smiling features. “You aren’t upset about this, are you?”

  It was impossible not to keep smiling as he drowned in her pleading gray gaze. “I love you, Lia. I’ve told you since we fell in love that I want you happy. I’ll go with you to look at these farmhouses, but I want you to pick the one you most like. Okay?” Cav saw tears of gratitude gather in her eyes and his heart melted. He lived to make Lia happy, that was all there was to it.

  “That would be wonderful, Cav.” She reached up, her arms twining around his shoulders. “I love you so much!”

  CHAPTER 7

  “Rayne!” Lia called, crooking her finger in the direction of the obstetric physician, who was coming out of her office at Artemis. “Got a minute?” She had been hired as one of the medical consultants to the Artemis staff and usually came in once a week to see patients.

  Rayne smiled brightly. “Sure.” She locked her office door, which was situated on the third floor of Artemis. It was a rainy October morning and Rayne had on her tan raincoat over her green doctor’s scrubs. She was on her way to work at a nearby hospital, the same one where Dara McKinley worked as a pediatrician. Hurrying down the hall filled with Artemis employees, she gave Lia a smile of hello.

  “Hey, you just got back from a visit with your folks,” she said, entering Lia’s spacious office. “Did they love Cav?” she asked, closing the door and giving Lia a warm hug of hello.

  Lia smiled. “Well, it was a little nerve-wracking at first, but yes, Cav grew on them.”

  Rayne moved her shoulder-length black hair away from her face and laughed heartily. “I was conferring with Cav in his office earlier, so I got to tell him hello. He said you two are going to announce your engagement at Christmas. I think that’s so wonderful!”

  Lia led Rayne over to the caramel leather couch. “Yes, everyone’s excited. Can you sit for a moment? I know you have to get to work shortly.”

  “Sure. What’s up?” Rayne sat down.

  Lia sat at one end, her hands clasped in the lap of her dark brown trousers. “We just got back two weeks ago from seeing my parents,” she said. “And what I have to share with you, Rayne? It’s top secret for now.” She saw the green-eyed woman become concerned.

  “Of course. Are you okay?” She reached out, touching Lia’s clasped hands.

  Nervously, Lia said in a lowered voice, “I think I’m pregnant, Rayne.” She saw the doctor’s eyes widen and then a smile broke across her lips.

  “Well, that’s wonderful!”

  “I’m not sure yet. I missed my period a week ago.”

  “Okay. Have you tested for it yet?”

  “No,” she said, hesitant. “I want to have a baby so badly I’m afraid to go find out,” Lia confessed. “Cav suggested that I contact you because you’re an obstetrician, and you can help me find out.” Lia gave her a searching look. “I know there’s a blood test I can take. And I know it’s much more reliable than one of those box kits you can buy at any drugstore.” She touched her belly. “I need you to help me, Rayne. I trust you. You work with preggo women all the time. Could I come into your hospital office and have you take my blood to find out?”

  Rayne made a cooing sound and gripped her hands. “Oh, I’d love to do that for you, Lia! This is such wonderful news! I know how much you love children.”

  Flushing, Lia said, “I’m so afraid I’m not pregnant.”

  Patting her hand, Rayne said soothingly, “Come on in after you quit tonight. I’ll draw the blood myself and take it over to the lab for analysis. Okay?”

  “And how soon would I know?”

  “Well, I know one of the girls in the lab and she does me favors,” Rayne said, giving her a smile. “If she’s there, then she’ll run it right away and we should know within twenty minutes or so.”

  “Then I could wait for the results?”

  “Sure! Bring Cav along, huh? You can both find out together.”

  Relief moved through Lia. “That would be so wonderful. Is there any chance that blood test could be wrong?”

  “Only if it’s taken too soon after becoming pregnant. There’s a certain hormone that has to be present in your bloodstream.” She patted her hand. “But you’ve already skipped a period. So,” Rayne said, calculating in her head, “that means that if you’re pregnant, you’d actually be three weeks along.”

  “We made love at my parents’ house. That’s when it would have happened.”

  “Great. If you’re three weeks into your pregnancy, Lia, that blood test will show up big-time. So no worries, okay?” Rayne rose, looking at her watch. “I gotta run. Come to my office over at the hospital. We’ll run the test and find out!”

  Lia stood and hugged the physician, who was her height. “Thank you so much, Rayne. I’m just so nervous about this!”

  Laughing softly, Rayne said, “Do you feel any different?”

  Nodding, Lia said, “Yes, I do. It’s subtle things, though.”

  “Well, that’s a good sign,” Rayne murmured, smiling warmly into her worried gaze. “I’ll see you this evening.”

  *

  Cav held Lia’s hand as they sat in Rayne Mendoza’s office at the hospital. It was nearly six p.m. Rayne had drawn Lia’s blood and had been gone about twenty minutes. Lia couldn’t sit still, getting up, pacing, coming and sitting down beside him, gripping his proffered hand. Her fingers were cool and damp. He saw the anxiety in her face; she chewed on her lower lip, continually casting a look toward the door to Rayne’s office, where the doctor would reenter with the information. He wanted to take away her angst over the test results but couldn’t.

  “What if I’m not pregnant?” Lia whispered, giving him a panicked look.

  Cav moved his hand comfortingly along her tense shoulders. “Then we’ll keep trying until it happens.” For him, it wasn’t the end of the world, but he had known since meeting Lia months earlier that she wanted to have children. And she was twenty-six years old and wanted to have her children sooner, not later. He saw her face fall. Leaning over, he kissed her cheek and squeezed her. “Relax. I think you are pregnant, Lia.”

  “Really? Do you, Cav? You’re not just saying that to make me feel better?”

  Squelching a smile, he maintained a serious expression for her sake, continuing to move his hand slowly across her shoulders. “It’s a sense, baby.”

  “Your SEAL sense?”

  “Yes.”

  “Well, how accurate is it?”

  He wanted to laugh but curbed it. She was distraught over not knowing the lab results and he hoped Rayne would get back to them soon. “Pretty accurate,” he replied. “It’s saved my life and the lives of the people on my team a number of times when we were out on missions.”

  Nodding, she closed her eyes, forcing herself to take a deep breath. “Ever since that one night you made love to me, when I felt so different, I’ve thought I was pregnant.”

  “Well,” he said, keeping his voice low and calm, “we’ll find out shortly.”

  Rayne entered the office. She beamed at them. “Lia! You’re pregnant!” She waved the test results in her hand, smiling widely. “Congratulations!”

  Gasping, Lia appeared stunned. “Really, Rayne? I’m really pregnant?”

 
Laughing, Rayne handed her the results. “See this hormone?” She pointed at the paper. “It verifies without a doubt that you are pregnant. And judging by the numbers, I’d say you’re three to four weeks along.” She handed the paper to Lia. She looked over at Cav. “You’re going to be a father. Congratulations!”

  Lia stared for a moment at the paper between her trembling hands. And then she burst into tears.

  Rayne made a soft sound of sympathy and watched as Cav gathered her into his arms and held her as she sobbed against his chest. Giving him a look of thanks for his sensitivity toward Lia, she hugged her gently. “You’re going to be a mom, Lia. This is wonderful news!”

  Cav felt tears burn in the back of his eyes and he blinked them away. Lia shook like a leaf in his arms, her sobs loud and filled with relief. He knew exactly the night that he’d gotten her pregnant and joy soared through him. Kissing her sable-colored hair, he absorbed her weeping and her laughter. Never had he felt such happiness as he did in this moment with her.

  Rayne went over to her desk and grabbed a box of tissues. “Here,” she offered, pressing one of them into Lia’s hand after pulling the lab results from her clutching fingers. She gave Cav a sunny smile, and he nodded his thanks to her.

  Lia finally reined in her runaway, joyous emotions. She gave Cav an apologetic look.

  He smiled and kissed her wet lips tenderly. Her heart was pounding with such relief and happiness as she eagerly returned his searching kiss. As she drew away, she stared wonderingly over at him. “I’m pregnant, Cav. We’re going to have a baby …”

  “Yeah, I feel pregnant by proxy,” he said, giving her a warm smile, pushing some of her dark hair away from her damp, reddened cheek. “You’re going to make an incredible mother. I know you are.” His throat jammed up with so many emotions, all good, as he saw her gray eyes shining with utter happiness. He heard Rayne’s husky, low laugh. She stood up and shrugged out of her white lab coat and hung it up behind her desk.

  “Come on, you two, let’s get out of here. Cav, you should take Lia out for a celebration dinner tonight.”

  Cav stood, wrapping his hand around Lia’s and bringing her to her feet. She looked so emotional that he wasn’t certain about going out in public with her right now. “Well, maybe soon,” he told Rayne.