Give Me Your Heart

Eyeing the sonogram picture which he held in his hand, Gerard quirked a small smile before he pressed it against the inside of his locker, tacking it in place. He had been waiting, with Riley wanting to be careful about who they told and when, he’d held off taking the picture anywhere near the training ground, but with telling Riley’s parents out of the way, he’d finally convinced her to let him show it off a little, something which excited him a little.

He knew that there would be questions, even despite the fact that their relationship had been brief, a few of his friends had grown fond of Riley, and he knew that they’d ask if there was a chance for them, but he didn’t mind. For a little while, he merely wanted to fuss about the idea that he and Riley were going to be parents in a matter of months.

Admiring the picture for another moment, Gerard spared another gentle smile before he heard a small squeak from behind him, causing him to whip around to face Lionel who stood behind him, his dark eyes peeking at the picture which was stuck to the inside of the defender’s locker. “Something you want to say, Leo?” he teased as he pushed the locker closed.

“You have a scan photo” Lionel squeaked.

Gerard nodded. “I do” he quipped, smirking a little “It’s mine too, before you ask” he added brightly.

“You got Alexa pregnant?” Lionel spluttered loudly, his expression slightly concerned.

Gerard noted the look on his face before he peeked around the changing room, noting that the eyes of scattered members of the team were fixed on him. He wasn’t surprised, since he had started to date Alexa, a few of his friends had proved a little wary of how quickly he was moving on, but he didn’t want to discuss it. He knew what they would say, that he was trying too hard to move on too quickly, and he didn’t want to hear it. He was more than capable of looking after himself. “I didn’t get Alexa pregnant” he noted gently.

“Then who?” Luis Suarez posed.

“It’s Riley” Gerard noted softly.

“Riley?” Lionel posed “As in the woman you dated before Alexa? The girl you were crazy about?” he posed.

“You know another Riley that I would have slept with?” Gerard quipped, a slightly quirked smirk on his face.

Lionel rolled his eyes a little before he moved to collect the sonogram picture from inside of the defender’s locker, smiling a little at the sight of it. “You’re going to be papa?” he posed gently.

“In a little over 6 months, yeah” Gerard confirmed with a grin “I would have told you all sooner, but Riley wanted to handle our parents before we told anyone else” he enthused.

“How is Riley doing?” Andres quipped.

Gerard’s face lit up with a small smile, something which made Lionel, was sat beside him, shake his head a little. He knew that Gerard wouldn’t see it, for a while, he had tried to hide all sign that he’d had feelings for Riley, but the smile on his face at the mention of her name spoke volumes. “She’s doing great” he enthused brightly “She’s got a cute little bump and she seems to be handling it all quite well. She’s still a little nervous, but I think she’s doing OK” he explained.

“And she knows about you and Alexa?” Lionel pressed.

Gerard’s expression tightened a little before he nodded his head. “She does” he noted gently.

“And she’s OK with it?” Lionel posed.

“As OK as she can be” Gerard quipped “She is still my ex-girlfriend after all” he noted gently.

Lionel nodded his head a little before he lifted his hand, patting the taller defender’s shoulder gently. “I’m happy for you, hombre” he enthused brightly.

“You sure?” Gerard teased.

Lionel nodded. “Of course. You’re going to make a wonderful papa” he grinned, sparking nods of agreement from those who stood around them, musing their own congratulations to Gerard.

Gerard returned his smile brightly before the sound of his phone vibrating against his locker caught their attention. “Alexa?” Lionel quipped, watching as the tall defender padded towards his locker.

Gerard nodded. “She wants to grab lunch” he quipped, scanning the text quietly.

Lionel shared a look with a few of their teammates before he stepped up beside the defender, placing the sonogram down inside of the locker. “You do know what you’re doing, don’t you?” he posed quietly. It was no secret, since Gerard had started to date Alexa, a few people had voiced their worries about her and about the pace of their relationship, and Lionel merely wanted to make sure that the defender knew what he was doing. Things were only likely to get more complicated with a baby in the picture and Lionel wanted to be sure that Gerard knew it.

Gerard, who’d been sending a text back to Alexa, nodded. “I do” he confirmed.

“Then you know that that bump that you smile about is the important thing right now, right?” Lionel coaxed.

“Leo…”

“Gerard, I just want to be sure. You and Alexa, it’s been very full on since the two of you started to see one another and I want to be sure that you know that, for the time being, Riley and bump have to come first. They’re the most important thing, not your relationship with Alexa” the argentine interjected gently, his expression soft.

Gerard nodded. “I do know that, Leo, and I know what I am doing. I am more than capable of keeping my relationship with Alexa separate from what I have going on with Riley, OK? I appreciate the concern, but I am going to be fine” he insisted with a wide smile.

Lionel offered him a slightly uncertain look before he nodded. “Just promise me that you’ll be careful?” he noted gently “I’d hate to see you or Riley get hurt” he added.

Gerard nodded his head. “I’ll be fine, amigo” he grinned.

Lionel chuckled a little before he stepped towards him, pulling him into a tight hug as he mumbled his congratulations. He was wary, he had been since Alexa had come into his friend’s life, but he knew that he had to let Gerard handle it. The defender was the one who found himself in his situation and Lionel merely had to trust that he could handle it.