Love Me Until My Heart Stops

47: I Don’t Think She’d Need Convincing

“How are you doing?” Ella mused as she followed Esmé back into her home, Oliver balanced on her hip. It was the beginning of March and with Gerard away with the team playing the second leg of their round of 16 tie for the Champions League, Esmé had offered to watch her nephew for the night, affording his parents a chance to have a night to themselves. It was still a little tense, a few rumours were still circulating with regards to Esmé and Gerard’s relationship, but since the magazine article, things had died down somewhat, something which Esmé was grateful for. It had been tough on her, tougher than she had thought it would be, and she was grateful to have the night to herself. It’d been too long since she had had the chance to relax.

“I am getting steadily bored of that question” Esmé commented, leading her sister into her living room “But I am pretty good thanks” she added, offering Ella a small smile.

“I can imagine you are” Ella commented, shifting Oliver gently “But madre insisted I ask. She’s got wedding hats picked out and she doesn’t want to have to send them back” Ella mused.

Esmé shook her head. “She knows that Eloisa’s wedding is not until the end of the year right?” she teased gently.

Ella smiled. “I think it is yours she is banking on. We have bets that you and Gerard will bring the date forwards” she enthused, moving to place Oliver onto the couch whilst Isaac padded into he room, setting down all that Esmé would need to take care of the 10 month old for the night.

Esmé lifted her eyebrow. “You do?” she posed, moving to sit beside Oliver who stretched up his arms, wanting a hug from his aunt.

Ella grinned. “Gerard’s not famed for his patience” she mused as she helped Isaac to set up Oliver’s travel cot “And we figure it is only a matter of time before you give Oliver a cousin to play with. I said that you’d consider October, not wanting to clash with Eloisa, but she thinks you’ll get there even earlier. She and Martin have gone for July, after the Euros” she enthused.

“How do you imagine Gerard and I spend our time?” Esmé posed, her nose wrinkled slightly.

Ella smirked. “I know how I would spend my time if my boyfriend was Gerard” she teased, earning a playful glare from Isaac.

Esmé shook her head. “We do other things” she muttered.

“That magazine spread you two did didn’t exactly dispel the idea that all you do is have sex. You wearing his shirt, him wearing no shirt and the looks on your faces” Ella teased.

Esmé rolled her eyes gently and moved to pick Oliver up, kissing his cheek gently. “He’s gotten so big compared to the little baby I held all those months ago” she mused, changing the subject swiftly.

Ella nodded. “He grows more and more every day” she mused, moving to place the diaper bag down on the coffee table.

“He looks like his madre” Esmé complimented softly.

Ella grinned. “He’s a handsome boy, what can I say?” she teased as she folded up a blanket, setting it beside the bag.

Esmé nodded her head quietly before she smiled down at Oliver, tickling his sides to earn a small laugh from the baby. He had been a surprise, Ella had dropped the bombshell of her pregnancy in the middle of a lunch with their mother, but Esmé adored him. He was the only niece or nephew she had to date and she doubted she could have been any more smitten with him. Ella, who was placing the last of Oliver’s things down, smiled at the sight of her little sister, her hand quickly moving to collect Esmé’s phone which sat on the coffee table. Entering her password, she snapped a quick picture of Esmé and Oliver before she sent it to Gerard, setting the phone back down on the table.

“Isaac and are I off” Ella smiled “He’s due a bottle in an hour or so and then he should have his bath. He loves it when someone reads to him before he goes to bed” she explained gently.

Esmé nodded. “I think I should be able to manage” she enthused gently “He’s always an angel for me” she added, poking out her tongue.

Ella rolled her eyes gently. She doubted it would be too much longer before she was babysitting for Gerard and Esmé.

~#~
“Who’s that?” Neymar teased as he stood on the bench behind Gerard, his eyes staring down at the phone which sat in the defender’s hand. The game was over, Barcelona had secured a place in the quarter final with a 3-1 aggregate win, and the team were preparing to fly home, something which pleased Gerard. It was silly, he’d seen Esmé the day before when they’d left for Germany, but he still couldn’t wait to get home. She was always the best person to talk to after a game, she wasn’t afraid to tell him where he’d gone wrong, and he liked going through it with her. She wanted to help him get better and he liked that about her.

“Who do you think it is?” Sergio Busquets quipped “He only gets texts from one person” he added.

“That’s not true” Gerard replied, shaking his head.

“Yes, it is” Lionel contributed, pulling his bag onto his shoulder “Esmé’s the only person who texts you” he noted.

Gerard rolled his eyes and flicked his stare down to the screen, a small smile appearing on his face at the sight of the picture that had been sent to him. He knew that Ella must have done it, from the look on Esmé’s face, she was entirely unaware of the picture even being taken, but that didn’t make it any less adorable. She looked at home with Oliver in her lap, a smile on her face and laughter on the baby’s, and Gerard couldn’t not grin at the sight of it. He knew the only thing that could have made it better was if it was his son or daughter sat in her lap.

“Where’d she get a baby?” Neymar chirped, stealing the phone out of Gerard’s hand, padding quickly across the changing room.

“Baby?” Lionel posed.

Gerard shook his head. “It’s her nephew, Oliver” he mused, trying to steal his phone back “Esmé’s watching him for the night because her sister wanted to go out with her boyfriend” he added.

Lionel smiled, his dark eyes admiring the picture which Neymar was showing off to the team. “She looks awfully comfortable like that” he enthused, a smirk on his face.

“It’s not going to happen in the near future” Gerard replied, stealing the phone back from Neymar and stowing it in his pocket “We’ve only just gotten back on track” he mused.

“You say that” Lionel teased, lifting his bag onto his shoulder “But I said a similar thing to Antonella a few weeks before we conceived Thiago” he grinned.

Gerard rolled his eyes. “I don’t want to be the one who pushes for it, Leo” he mused as he collected his own bag, following the smaller man out of the door. It was something he had given thought to, one of many things that he had contemplated, but he didn’t want to put it on Esmé. They had agreed that it was right to wait, that they needed to take their time, and after the Shakira episode, Gerard was sure that Esmé was more certain of that call than ever. It had been a kick to them, one that they didn’t need, and whilst they seemed alright, he didn’t want to start pushing things. They were good and he didn’t want to mess with it.

Lionel stopped and patted the taller man’s shoulder. “From the look on her face in that picture, and the one in the magazine, I doubt it would take much convincing” he smiled before he jogged ahead, trying to catch up with the others.

Gerard watched the argentine walk away before he pulled his phone out of pocket, smiling down at the picture of Oliver and Esmé. He didn’t want to push for it, he didn’t want to put any more pressure on Esmé, but that didn’t mean he couldn’t think about it. Admiring the image, he pondered the notion of Esmé carrying around a bump, his bump, before he quietly shook his head. It was something he was going to have to wait for.
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Thanks to FootieJo, Jayme112234 and petitmonstre for the comments :)