This Isn't My Idea of Love

Chapter Forty-Five: Lionel's Twenty-Seventh Birthday

Lionel couldn't stop from smiling as he spotted his wife waiting for him as he exited the baggage lounge; Argentina hadn't done to well in the world cup and he had a feeling that somehow people would find a way to blame him.

“Hola, you did so well,” Viola said as she wrapped her arms around him, she kissed his lips as he held her close; the footballer ignored the cat call of his team-mate, Javier Mascherano, who walked past the couple.

“Hola,” Lionel murmured before he kissed his wife again, he couldn't believe that the week and a half that he had been gone had been too much for him; he was exhausted and wanted nothing more than to go home and spend some time with his wife and their children.

Lionel pulled back to get a proper look at his wife, he furrowed his brow when he realised that she was wearing a forest green little mistress dress with pleated skirt paired with white barely there sandals.

“You look nice, what’s the occasion?” Lionel asked as he tilted his head, Viola smiled at him before she kissed his lips again; she knew that he was to jet-lagged to probably realise that today was his birthday.

The brunette pulled back so that they could start to walk to the car, she knew that the man carrying Lionel’s suitcase was getting impatient.

“No occasion, I just wanted to look nice for when I picked my husband up,” Viola said making Lionel chuckle as he wrapped an arm around his wife as they stepped out of the airport; the footballer held back a curse as he spotted the amount of paparazzi that were waiting for them.

The footballer felt his wife squeeze his hand before she led him over to her blue Audi A5 Coupe that Lionel had gotten her when she had returned to Barcelona.

***

“I can’t wait to see the children,” Lionel murmured as they finally pulled up outside of their home, the brunette glanced at her husband and nodded her head; she had yet to tell him about the surprise that she had organised for him.

“They’ve missed you,” Viola agreed as she climbed out of the car while Lionel moved to get his suitcase, he looked at his wife wondering what she was hiding for him; he might have been imagining things because he was jet-lagged but he knew that something was going on.

Viola glanced at her husband as they entered their home, she knew that he was a little suspicious about what she was hiding from him but that didn't mean that he had figured out what she had planned.

“I think your Madre has the children in the garden,” Viola said as she closed the front door behind her, she watched as Lionel nodded his head as he set down his bag before he headed for the back garden. Viola grinned as she watched him disappear into the back garden before she heard.

“Happy Birthday,” being called by the people that had come to his surprise party.

Viola stepped out of the house and tried to fight the laugh that bubbled in her throat as she saw the look of surprise on Lionel’s face at the sight of his family, close friends and even some of his national team-mates that were gathered in the back garden.

“What is going on?” Lionel asked a little shocked about the fact that this was happening; Viola slipped past him and moved to collect a fussy Thiago from Celia.

Sergio chuckled as he patted his friend on the shoulder, he could see that Lionel hadn't been expecting this and the younger footballer was impressed that Viola had managed to pull this off without Lionel finding out.

“Viola thought that it would be a lovely surprise if she threw you a surprise birthday party; she’s been planning this for weeks in case you were home,” Sergio said grinning at his friend, who looked at his wife who was holding their son and talking to his mother.

Agüero chuckled at the look on his friend’s face as he watched his wife; he had to admit that Viola was a lot better fit for his friend than Antonella had been.

“I have to admit that I quite like your wife, she’s definitely a good catch mate,” Sergio said making Lionel look at him, he offered the younger man a warning look before he patted him on the back and headed off to speak with his wife.

Lionel wrapped his arms around Viola making her smile as she looked at him; he kissed her cheek before he turned his attention to his eleven month old son.

Thiago smiled at his father as he held up his hands to be lifted out of his mother’s arms, Viola grinned as kept hold of their son so that Lionel couldn't take him.

Lionel raised an eyebrow at his wife wondering what she was doing, he knew that she wasn’t doing this to be mean but there was a glint in her eyes that told him that she was waiting for something.

“Papa,” Thiago said making Lionel’s attention snap to his son, he stared at him for a moment before Viola handed him over; she grinned at the look on her husband’s face as Thiago repeated the word over and over again.

“He said it to the television when we were watching your last match,” Viola said making Lionel grin as he cuddled his little boy, she knew how much hearing that word meant to him.

***

“So how does it feel to be twenty-seven?” Viola asked as she put away the last of the birthday cake, she glanced at her husband who was holding Gabriela in his arms; he smiled as he looked over at her.

Lionel knew that he would have to pull out all the stops for his wife’s birthday, it was clear that she had worked hard to organise the party that they’d just had and he had to admit that he was impressed.

“It feels great and I can’t wait for you to join me,” Lionel teased making Viola roll her eyes as she continued to tidy about, she knew that having their birthday’s close together would cause a little trouble when Thiago and Gabriela were older.

“Lala Gracias,” Lionel said as he moved towards his wife, he couldn't have been more grateful that Viola had organised this party for him; he knew that there was a chance that he would have still been in Brazil if Argentina were still in the competition.

“It was nothing,” Viola said as she brushed some hair from her face, she smiled at her daughter before Lionel kissed her; he rested his head against hers for a moment before Gabriela got fussy. “

Besides, it just means that you’ll just have to think of ways of surprising me for my birthday,” Viola said making Lionel chuckle as he move to set Gabriela down in her Moses basket; the little girl blinked up at her father before he moved to wrap his arms around Viola.

The brunette closed her eyes as she felt Lionel pull her close to him, she knew that they needed to talk about what she had told him while he was in Brazil; it wasn’t something that they could just ignore.

“I was serious about what I said Viola, I want us to renew our vows,” Lionel said as his wife turned to face him, her brown eyes searched his as he cupped her face; he could see the tension that lay in her eyes.

The brunette closed her eyes as she rested her head against his, she had a feeling that things were starting to look even better for them.

“I love you,” Viola murmured as she pressed her lips to Lionel’s, she knew that for the first time in a long time that they understood.