Love Me Until My Heart Stops

Tracing his fingers over Esmé’s stomach, Gerard smiled to himself, his head still swimming with the announcement that she had made a few days previous. It had been a shock, he and Esmé had opted to wait until they were married before they discussed the possibility of a little Piqué joining them, but he was thrilled by the idea that there was already a baby growing inside of his girlfriend. It was going to be a big adaptation, having a baby around was going to mean that they needed to be sure about them, but he had little doubts. After the Cesc fiasco, things had settled down and Gerard was sure that having a child couldn’t have come at a better time for them. They were settled, happy, and he had few concerns about bringing a baby into their lives. He was sure that it would be good for them. Smiling, he rolled onto his side and ducked his head, pressing a light kiss against the front of Esmé’s shirt.

“You don’t have to do that every morning, Gerard” Esmé mumbled, her voice still heavy with sleep.

“I think that I do” Gerard smiled as he moved to rest back against his pillows “I’d like our bump to know that I love it” he added.

Esmé shook her head. “It’s 6 weeks old” she mumbled “There isn’t even a bump” she added.

“But I know there will be one and I want to get in early” Gerard grinned “Besides, I’m excited, let me have my moments” he noted, returning his hand to the spot on her shirt that it frequented. He knew that they had a long way to go, it was at least another 7 months until their son or daughter made their first appearance, but he was excited. As much as he had agreed to wait for a little while, he’d wanted a child for some time and was excited by the notion that it was happening for them.

Esmé admired the look on his face and shook her head. She adored the smile that he hadn’t been able to get rid of since she had told him.

“You’re going to be a pain for the next few months, aren’t you?” she posed, her hand sitting on top of his.

Gerard grinned. “I don’t think I’ll be a pain” he noted, his tone a little teasing “I’ll probably be overprotective” he noted.

Esmé smiled. “I didn’t expect anything less” she mused.

“I want to look after our bump, Esmé” he murmured, his fingertips dipping beneath the material of the shirt she wore “I want to make sure that everything is alright” he added.

Esmé leant forwards and kissed his cheek. “You’re very cute for it” she smiled.

Gerard shrugged. “I try” he teased.

~#~
“How’s the speech going?” Esmé teased as she stepped into the living room, a mug of tea in her hand. It had been a quiet day, with final preparations for their wedding being handled by their mothers, Esmé had been allowed to relax for a little while, and she pleased by it. She had already been warned more than once that stress was not good for the baby that she was carrying.

“Remind me why I have to give a speech again?” Gerard grumbled, scribbling out yet another line of the speech he’d been working on.

“Tradition” Esmé noted “The groom gives a speech, the best man, and the father of the bride, or in my case, my mother” she explained as she sat down on the arm of the couch, her dark eyes attempting to catch a look at what he was writing.

Gerard shook his head and pulled the pad away, hiding it from her. “You’re not getting any details of this until I have to give it” he noted “My aim is to make my pregnant bride cry” he added.

Esmé shook her head. “That probably shouldn’t be the aim” she commented.

“It’s our wedding day and I want to see you cry once, not because you’re sad, but because you’re just so happy that you got me” he enthused, a wide grin on his face.

Esmé shook her head. “You’re going to have to have one heck of a speech to make me cry, Gerard” she noted “I’ll be grinning all day” she added.

Gerard shrugged. “I have a plan” he noted.

Esmé shook her head, a small laugh falling out of her mouth. “You’re odd. Most men wouldn’t want their brides to cry” she noted.

“I am not most men” Gerard quipped back, jotting something down onto the notepad before he hid it again, his hands ensuring that Esmé couldn’t see a thing “I know it’s stupid, but I want to be able to make you cry with nice words as opposed to yelling or whatever. I want you to remember this speech” he commented, tapping the front of the book.

Esmé shook her head gently. “You don’t have to try so hard” she noted “When you write the speech, just go with your heart on it. Tell me things that you will probably never say to me again after that day” she noted as she sipped on her drink “Oh, and be sure to thank our families for their help. They’ve done more work on this than we have” she smiled.

“They’ll be thanked” he noted “But I want my speech to be about you” he quipped.

Esmé smiled. “Then I cannot wait to hear it” she enthused “I am sure whatever you come up with will be lovely” she quipped as she pressed a kiss to his temple.

Gerard placed his hand against her hip and held her against him, relishing the small embrace for a moment. “We’re really doing this, aren’t we?” he mumbled as he helped her down into the spot beside him, making their hug a little less awkward.

“Doing what? Getting married?” Esmé posed.

“All of it” Gerard clarified “We’re going to get married and have a baby” he commented.

“You’re just figuring this out?” Esmé teased.

Gerard offered her a sarcastic smile, something which made her laugh. “Yes, Gerard, we’re really doing this. In a little under 3 weeks, we’re going to be up in front of a church full of friends and relatives and we’re going to get married and then in around 7 months, we’re going to have a baby. If that’s something you’re not sure about then you ought to…”

Gerard placed his hand over her mouth, stopping her from talking. “Don’t even think it” he murmured “You know what I want” he smiled.

Esmé nodded. “Then all you have to do is wait. 19 days” she mused.

“19 days” Gerard agreed, flashing her a grin.