Give Me Your Heart

“You’re sure that you still want to do this, aren’t you?” Gerard posed as he stepped up behind Riley, his arms gently wrapping around her waist. It had been a little while, after their talk, things between them had slowly moved to get back to normal and it pleased the defender, even if he knew that Riley was still more than slightly uncertain about them, he was merely glad that she was content to give them another shot.

Riley, who’d been fixing the maternity dress she wore, nodded. “Your mother and Cassidy put a lot of thought into this” she mused, straightening the material out slightly.

“I know” Gerard mumbled “But we could just as easily stay here and not have a raft of people fussing over our bump” he added, his hand gently brushing over the pronounced bump. They didn’t have long to go, with it heading towards the end of March, Riley was only about 5 weeks away from her due date, and with each passing day, Gerard grew a little more excited. He knew that it was going to be a big change, with a baby around, the dynamic between him and Riley was likely to shift a lot, but still he was excited. After almost 8 months of waiting, he couldn’t wait to meet the little boy that he and Riley had made.

Riley watched his hands for a second before she placed hers over them, squeezing his hands softly. “They’ve put a lot of effort into this” she mused softly “And they just want a chance to make a fuss before he comes along. I am sure that you can spare a couple of hours” she added. It had taken a lot of planning, after Riley and Gerard had shared the news that they were expecting, Montserrat and Cassidy had been insistent about throwing the brunette a baby shower, and with only a few weeks left before the baby was born, the date had arrived.

Gerard, who’d moved to rest his head on her shoulder, spared a slightly dramatic sigh, something which caused Riley to shake her head. “You’ll cope” she teased as she stepped away from him, moving to pull on her shoes.

Gerard thought about retorting for a moment but stopped himself, instead opting to marvel at her as she sat down on the side of her bed.

Finishing pulling on her shoes, Riley lifted her head, her cheeks warming a little as she spotted the look on his face. “What are you doing?” she posed.

Gerard offered her a slightly amused smile before he stepped towards her, ducking down to press a soft kiss against her bump. “I’m just thinking about how beautiful you look right now” he mused softly.

The blush on Riley’s cheeks darkened a little before she shook her head, moving to pull him back to his feet. “You’re very sweet” she noted gently.

Gerard offered her another soft smile before he leant down, pressing a soft kiss against her lips. Riley held onto him for a moment before the sound of her phone echoed, causing her to step back a little, something which made him sigh. “We really have to go, don’t we?” he mumbled as he moved to pull on his jacket.

Riley, who’d moved to collect her phone, nodded, a slightly amused smile on her face.

~#~
“How are you feeling, mama-to-be?” Cassidy teased amusedly as she plopped down into the seat beside Riley, placing a glass of orange juice into her hand. It had been a pleasant afternoon, with only a few guests, the baby shower had been remarkably relaxed and Riley, who was starting to get a little uncomfortable as she approached the end of her pregnancy, was grateful for the chance to enjoy herself a little.

Riley, who’d moved to rest her feet on the coffee table ahead of her, smiled a little. “I’m feeling alright” she confirmed softly “He’s an active little thing, but he’s going easy on me right now and I am grateful for a rest” she enthused, rubbing her bump a little.

Cassidy smiled a little and stretched her hand out, rubbing the bump softly. “I still can’t quite believe that you’re going to be a madre, Ry” she mused softly “I thought for sure after you and Gerard broke up, that I would be pregnant first” she added. It was still a strange thought, despite the fact that Riley was only a few weeks away from her due date, Cassidy was still in awe of the fact that she was pregnant and she was sure that the idea that Riley was going to be a mother was going to take a little getting used to.

“You’re not the only one who thought you’d be first” Riley teased.

Cassidy rolled her eyes a little before Gerard stepped into the room, something Cassidy took as her cue to excuse herself. Offering the defender a soft smile, she patted his shoulder gently before she stepped past, allowing Gerard to take the seat she had vacated beside Riley. “You look like you’re having a good time” he enthused.

“I am” Riley confirmed “Remind me to thank your madre and Cass for setting this up” she added as she moved to rest her head on his shoulder, a small yawn falling out of her mouth.

Gerard smiled. “You’re getting tired?” he posed softly, his fingers messing with hers which sat on his leg.

“A little” Riley confirmed “But I don’t want to go yet. Your mother has promised to get out your baby pictures and I am not going to miss that” she teased with a grin.

Gerard rolled his eyes a little before he rested his head against the top of hers. “You know, we’ve yet to find you somewhere to live” he mumbled gently, breaking the comfortable silence that filled the air. It wasn’t something they talked about it, after Riley had panicked the last time he’d bought it up, he’d opted to stay away from the topic, but it was something that they needed to talk about, even if it made her a little uncomfortable, it wasn’t a topic they could avoid.

“I know” Riley mumbled, cuddling a little closer to him.

“I’ve got plenty of space at my place” Gerard offered gently “And I know you don’t want to rush things, but maybe, for a little while…”

“Riley?”

Riley, who’d been contently cuddled into Gerard’s side, lifted her head, offering a look towards Montserrat who stood in the doorway, a frown on her face.

“Mama?” Gerard posed.

“We have a couple of guests” Montserrat noted gently, her expression slightly uncertain “Riley, your mother and father…”

“Are here to see you, sweetheart” Audrey mused as she stepped into the doorway, a smile on her face.

Riley blinked a couple of times before she closed her eyes, letting out a heavy sigh that caused Gerard to squeeze her hand. He wasn’t surprised, with the due date approaching quickly, it had been almost inevitable that Audrey and Luis would make an appearance, but still it irked him a little, even if they were Riley’s parents. The last thing he wanted was for Riley get to get stressed out by her parents who, for months, had had little interest in making amends with her.