You Took My Heart by Surprise

“You’re sure that you don’t mind doing this?” Sergio posed as he looked at Isla, his brown eyes fixed on the little girl which the blonde cuddled close. It had been a little while, Esmé and Ethan were already approaching a month old, and Sergio couldn’t quite wrap his head around just how fast they were growing up. They were bigger, it had gotten a little harder for him to hold them both at the same time, but he was pleased with their progress. They were growing up fast and he was more than grateful that Emilie had come to him when she had. Now that they had the twins, he couldn’t imagine being without them.

“Are you kidding?” Isla posed, smoothing down Esmé’s dark hair “I’ve been itching to take care of them since I saw them for the first time” she added.

“I don’t doubt that” Sergio replied, smoothing out his shirt “I just wanted to make sure that you didn’t mind” he added.

“Me and Cristiano have got them” Isla mused, carefully settling Esmé down into her seat “You should focus your attention on your lovely girlfriend” she added with a small smile.

Sergio shook his head. It had been a spur of the moment decision, with the twins having arrived, things had been a little up in the air for a while, but Sergio wanted to get his relationship with Emilie back on track, something which had led him to organize a dinner for the two of them. It was a good time, with his birthday having past and hers following soon after, he’d found the perfect excuse to take her out and he could only hope that she went along with it. It’d been a while since they’d been out on a date and he wanted to make sure that it was a good one. It was only going to get harder to find time alone with Ethan and Esmé around. “I can’t imagine she’s going to make this easy” Sergio commented as he rested on the back of the couch, subtly checking on the twins.

“Em doesn’t make things easy” Isla noted “She never has done” she added.

“I know that” Sergio shrugged “I just figured that by now, she would trust me a little more. It’s been almost 2 years, Isla” he noted.

“She has her ways” Isla shrugged “Jeremy left her pretty broken” she added.

Sergio sighed. Emilie’s ex-boyfriend was not something they talked about.

“She does love you, Sergio” Isla mused as she patted his back softly “And she does want all of the things you do, she’s just not going to let herself be rushed. Emmy’s always had to overthink, even before that asshole, and she’s getting there with you. I can tell” she assured him gently.

Sergio offered her a small look before a sound at the foot of the stairs captured his attention, causing him to flick eyes to Emilie who stood ahead of him. Allowing his eyes to look her up and down, he swallowed, letting out a small ‘wow’.

“You look amazing, Em” Isla grinned, nudging Sergio’s back “Doesn’t she, Sergio?” she added.

Sergio nodded, a small smile appearing on his face. It had been a while, Sergio couldn’t quite recall the last time he’d seen Emilie so dressed up before, but he had to admit that he liked it, even more so with the curves she still had from her pregnancy. “You look stunning, Em” he murmured.

Emilie shifted a little before she lowered one of her hands, tugging at the slightly high skirt which stopped mid-way down her thighs. “You don’t think it looks too tight?” she posed.

“Not even slightly” Sergio replied, taking a little step towards her “Emmy, you look spectacular. I didn’t even know you owned a dress like this” he mused, his fingers tugging at her dress slightly.

“It was my gift to her for her birthday” Isla noted, moving to carry the twins into the kitchen “You can thank me later” she added over her shoulder.

Sergio watched her go before he flicked his attention to Emilie, flashing her a small smile. “You ready to go?” he posed.

Emilie nodded gently and flashed him a little smile, slightly excited by the prospect of having him to herself, even if it was just for a little while.

~#~
“The guys keep asking about the twins” Sergio noted as he sipped on his glass of wine, his dark eyes fixed on Emilie. It had been a pleasant dinner, Sergio had enjoyed having Emilie’s attention fixed on him for a change, and he wanted to drag it out for a little while. It was going to be a little while before they had another chance to be alone together and he was reluctant to let it slip by quickly.

“They do?” Emilie posed, smiling a little.

Sergio nodded “Most of them are just amazed by the idea that they’re mine, but I was thinking that in the near future, you could make a trip to the training ground with them. Benitez is usually pretty nice when it comes to this sort of thing” he explained.

“You want me to do that?” Emilie posed.

“Of course I do. I’m never going to get tired of showing off my little family” he insisted with a grin.

Emilie smiled. “You and me, we’re a little family now are we?” she teased, leaning over the table slightly.

Sergio smiled. “I like to think we are” he commented gently “I know you and me isn’t entirely back to where it was before last summer, but we’re getting there and I can’t think of anywhere else I’d rather be than with you and our children, Em. I know you’re still struggling, I get that, but I just want you to know that I am going nowhere. You’ve got me, Em” he assured her gently, his fingers lacing through hers.

Emilie eyed their hands for a second before she nodded. “I know I have” she murmured “And I intend to keep it like that” she added.

Sergio smiled and ducked down a little, kissing the back of her hand. “I love you, Emmy” he murmured gently.

Emilie smiled, her cheeks warming slightly. It was sentimental, for almost two years, they had been in some kind of relationship, but still it gave her butterflies, the idea that he felt as strongly for her as she did for him.

“Em?” Sergio posed after a moment of silence “What’s going on up there?” he noted, tapping the side of her head gently.

“I was just thinking” she noted.

“That’s never good news for me” Sergio pointed out, half joking.

Emilie shook her head. “I was thinking about how you still give me butterflies. I know I am a pain, I am perfectly aware of how much trouble I cause for you…”

“But you also know that it doesn’t matter” Sergio interjected, smiling gently “You’re the best kind of trouble” he added.

Emilie let out a girlish giggle, something which made Sergio chuckle. It made a change to see her a little more light-hearted and he hoped it would become a more regular occurrence. For the first time in a long time, she actually looked as though she was comfortable around him, a sight he had missed.