Give Me Your Heart

“Are you sure that we have to go to this thing?”

Riley, who was sat at the foot of her bed, lifted her head, her eyes landing on Gerard who stood a little ahead of her, his hand messing with the tie which he had tucked beneath his collar. It had been a little while, since the cup final, a week had past, and with a few days left before Gerard departed to join up with the Spanish squad ahead of the Euros, they were due to attend her brother’s wedding, something she knew had set Gerard on edge.

It wasn’t something they’d done a lot, with Riley’s parents been hesitant about their relationship, she and Gerard had tended to shy away from spending time with them or with her elder brother, but with Lucas due to get married, she knew that there was no avoiding it, even if it was likely to be a little awkward between her and her parents, she didn’t want to miss out on the day her older brother got married.

“It’s my brother’s wedding, Gerard” Riley quipped as she moved to slip her feet into her shoes “What do you think?” she added as she pushed herself to her feet. She knew that he was nervous, from the moment she had bought the topic up in conversation, he had appeared a little timid about the prospect of going, but Riley wanted to assure that it would be fine, even if it did have the potential to be a little awkward, she was sure that her parents would want to keep things as smooth and as calm as they could.

Gerard rolled his eyes a little before Riley stepped towards him, gently taking his tie between her fingers. “You know, my parents aren’t likely to bat an eyelid” she mused as she carefully adjusted the knot “It’s Lucas’ day and they’re going to be preoccupied with him and Isla. They’re probably not going to notice that you’re there” she insisted gently.

Gerard, who’d been watching her fix his tie, lifted an eyebrow, a slightly dubious expression on his face. “You don’t know that” he countered softly “And the last thing I want is to spend a day with your parents, listening to them tell me about how bad we are together” he complained gently. He knew that she had a point, with Lucas getting married, the chances were that Audrey and Luis’ focus would be on him and his bride, but still the idea unsettled him. He knew that they weren’t fond of him, even if he was the father of their first grandchild, and he doubted that their opinions of him would have changed much.

“You’re going to be fine” Riley mused softly, tucking the tie beneath his collar.

“You don’t know that” Gerard countered, an apprehensive expression on his face.

Riley admired the look on his face for a moment before she pushed herself up onto her toes, pressing a soft kiss against his lips. “It’s going to be fine” she insisted as she pulled away “And the second that it’s not, we can leave” she insisted.

Gerard offered her another slightly uncertain look before he nodded his head, conceding that he would go with her. Riley spared a soft smile before she pressed a kiss against his cheek, mumbling another soft encouragement. She knew that it was going to take a little work, after their talk with her parents, things had been cordial, but she knew that it would take more time for them to get used to the idea that Gerard was going to be around for a while.

~#~
“You could at least attempt to crack a smile” Riley teased as she plopped into the seat beside Gerard, her elbow gently nudging his. it had been a lovely day, despite having taken a year to plan, the ceremony had been small and intimate, and Riley had to admit that she was thrilled for her brother and his wife, even if the idea of spending time with her parents did make her a little uncomfortable, she was glad that she hadn’t skipped out.

Gerard, who’d been sipping on a glass of water, offered her a small smile, something which made Riley shake her head. “It’s not going to be so bad” she noted softly, her fingers lacing with his “It’s just dinner and then we can go and collect Alex from your parents. It’s an hour, maybe two tops” she insisted softly. She knew that he was nervous, from the second that they had arrived at the church, he had been a little quiet, and Riley wanted to relax him a little. It had been a while, since Alexander had been born, they had only seen her parents fleetingly, and she wanted the meal to pass as smoothly as it could. The last thing she wanted was to cause an issue on her brother’s wedding day.

“Two hours?” Gerard quipped, an eyebrow raised.

“At the most” Riley noted, a hopeful look on her face.

Gerard studied the expression on her face for a moment before he opened his mouth, preparing to retort only to be cut off as Audrey and Luis appeared. “Riley” Audrey grinned.

Riley offered Gerard a soft look before she flicked her attention to her mother, greeting her with a soft smile. “Hola, mama” she enthused softly.

“It’s been a while” Audrey noted gently “How is my little grandbaby?” she grinned as she plopped down into her seat.

“He’s wonderful, mama” Riley enthused softly “He’s growing so quickly” she added before she fished her phone out of her bag, showing off the latest picture she had of Alexander.

Gerard, who was quietly sat beside her, watched her for a moment before he flicked his attention to Luis, not missing the slightly stern expression the elder man wore. He knew that it wasn’t going to happen quickly, despite Alexander having arrived, he knew that Luis and Audrey were still a little wary of him, but he hoped that they would warm to him eventually, even if it did take a while. He didn’t want to be faced with a scenario that would see Riley’s parents causing them trouble when it came to their future together.

Offering the older man a look, he shook his head a little before he pushed himself to his feet, pressing a light kiss to the top of Riley’s head. “I’m just going to get a little air” he mused softly.

“Are you OK?” Riley posed.

“I’m fine” Gerard mused “I’ll be back in a second” he added before he padded away, making his way out of the small function room.

~#~
Pushing his hand back through his hair, Gerard let out a small sigh, his stomach turning a little at the prospect of heading back into the wedding reception. He knew that he had to, even if it did make him uncomfortable, he knew that it meant a lot to Riley, but the idea of making small talk with her parents unsettled him. it wasn’t new, even when they’d been together the first time, Luis and Audrey had had reservations about him, but still it irked him, even if it wasn’t a sudden occurrence, he had been a little hopeful that they would be more prepared to give him a shot.

“You’re coming back inside at some point, aren’t you?”

Gerard, who’d been resting against the wall, startled a little before he turned, flicking his attention to Luis who stood away from him, his hands in his pocket.

“I was…uh…I was just about to” Gerard babbled.

Luis offered the younger man a look before shook his head, taking a couple of paces towards him. “You’re still nervous around us?” he posed.

“Nervous?” Gerard peeped, a startled look on his face.

Luis spared an amused snort before he shook his head. “You have nothing to be concerned about, Gerard” he quipped softly.

Gerard tilted his head. “Sir?” he posed.

“Me and my wife, we’ve not been the kindest to you since you started to date our daughter” Luis quipped “We’ve not made you feel welcome and we’re sorry for that” he noted softy.

Gerard, who’d been watching him, tilted his head, something which made Luis smile. “You’re good for Riley” he noted gently “Better than I thought you were and I don’t want to be a problem, Gerard, I don’t want to cause trouble, and I want to apologize for the way me and my wife have behaved. You’re a big part of Riley and Alex’s lives and I guess I am trying to say that…You make her happy, Gerard and I want that to continue” he insisted softly. He knew that it was late, Riley and Gerard had been dating for months, but he wanted to offer the younger man his blessing. Whether he liked him or not, he made Riley happy and that was something Luis liked seeing.

Gerard blinked a couple of times before he tilted his head, something which made Luis pat his shoulder. “Keep doing what you’re doing, Gerard” he enthused softly.

Gerard offered him a slightly dubious look before he nodded, quirking a shy smile. He knew that it was only a small step, Luis offering his blessing, but it was something that made him feel a little better. It was bound to make things a little easier when it came to taking steps forwards.