Love Me Until My Heart Stops

“How are Ella and Eloisa doing?” Gerard posed as he sat down at the dining room table, his hand placing down a plate of food ahead of his girlfriend who was quietly studying a list of things that they still needed to do ahead of their wedding. It had been a quiet few days, unlike the weeks prior to his meeting Roberto which had been filled with Delia’s presence, the couple had been left alone for a few days and Gerard was a little grateful. He wanted Esmé to think, he wanted her to consider things and he wanted to do it without her mother who seemed intent on doing anything she could to keep her father from her. He knew that Roberto wasn’t without his flaws, he had run away when things had gotten tough, but Gerard hoped that she would at least consider meeting him once their wedding was over with. He just wanted her to give it a chance.

“About as well as can be expected. They’re pissed at mama like I am, but at the same time, wary about giving our padre the benefit of the doubt. We talked about it and decided that if we did do it, we’d do it together and only once all 3 of us were comfortable with it” Esmé noted, chewing absently on the end of her pen. It hadn’t been a pleasant conversation, Ella had yelled, Eloisa had cried, and Esmé had left it in no better frame of mind than the one she had entered with. It was strange for her, after 26 years the idea of seeing her father disconcerted her and she wanted to forget it for a little while. She just wanted things to be calm for the few weeks that were still separating her from her wedding day.

“Have you spoken to Delia?” Gerard posed, levering the pen out of her hand and replacing it with her fork.

“Briefly” Esmé commented “She said sorry, I said I needed time, she said she’d give it to me” she added.

Gerard nodded his head thoughtfully. “How are you handling the planning?” he posed, gesturing to her notepad.

“Your mother’s been a great help” Esmé enthused, glad to finally be off of the topic of her family “She’s handled invitations and RSVPs and she’s working on the flowers with my input obviously. We’re getting there, but you need to think about a suit fitting” she mused.

“Can’t I wear one I already have?” Gerard posed.

Esmé offered him an unimpressed look, something which made him laugh. “Come on, Esmé, it’s not like it is for you. You want a dress, one that you’ll hopefully only have to wear the once. You want it to be special, it has to be the right colour, the right fit, the right cut…for me, it’s just a suit” he teased.

Esmé rolled her eyes. “You’re getting a suit, Gerard” she mused, taking a mouthful of the meal he’d given her.

Gerard smiled. “I will get one” he smiled gently “But only on the grounds that I get to see your dress” he teased.

Esmé snorted. “You’re not seeing it until I walk down the aisle in it” she commented.

“You have one?” Gerard posed.

Esmé shook her head gently. “Your madre wants to take me to get one, but I don’t want to do it without my mother there. I know we’re not on the best terms right now, but she’s my mama and it’s a moment I know she’s been waiting for” she explained softly.

Gerard’s face softened a little. “Why don’t you call her and arrange it for this weekend? The team is away and you’re not going, so why don’t you do it then? It will give you a chance to clear the air with her before we get too close to the big day” he reasoned gently. He knew that it was getting at her, even if she was doing her best to stifle it, and he wanted things to calm down before they reached their wedding day. It was still a while off, more than 10 weeks, but he didn’t want the day ruined for Esmé. If things panned out, then it was going to be the only wedding day she got and he wanted it to be the one she deserved.

Esmé pondered his suggestion for a second. “You think she’s in the wrong, don’t you?” she posed.

Gerard nodded. “Your father is no angel, Esmé, he did run away, but he tried to make amends and your mother deprived him of that. I know she thinks she was doing the right thing, but he deserved a shot at getting to know the three of you and she shouldn’t have taken it away from him” he explained softly.

“She wanted to protect us” Esmé reasoned.

“I’d understand that if you were still 8 years old, but you’re 27, your sisters are in their 30s. She should have told you at 18 that he wanted to know you and you should have made that choice yourselves” Gerard noted.

Esmé nodded her head gently. “I’ll call her” she noted gently.

“I’m glad” Gerard smiled gently “I want things to go off with a hitch when our day comes, Esmé, and you being on good terms with your madre is probably important to that. I don’t want family dramas detracting from the most wonderful day of your life” he enthused.

“Of my life? What about yours?” Esmé posed, noting the teasing grin which had appeared on his face.

“It’ll be pretty important” Gerard shrugged nonchalantly, deliberately attempting to lighten the mood.

Esmé let out a squeak, playing along. “What could be more important than our wedding?” she teased.

“Hm. The world cup, the Euros twice, the Champions league…”

“You’re an ass” Esmé interrupted, shaking her head playfully.

Gerard grinned. “But you love me” he mused impishly.

Esmé shook her head gently. “I do” she mused softly “You can be a pain from time to time, but that doesn’t mean I am any less thrilled to have you” she smiled.

Gerard smiled back at her and placed his hand over hers, promising without a word that he would endeavour to give her the wedding day she deserved despite the sense of chaos around her family.