When You Close Your Eyes

Pushing the front door closed behind him, Lionel spared a small sigh, more than slightly relieved to be home for the day. It had been a long day, between training and a couple of other things that he’d had to do, he’d barely had a second to relax, and he was glad to be home, even if he knew that it was a little silly, he had missed spending time with Isabelle and Isla.

Settling his bag down, he ensured that he’d moved it out of the doorway before he padded into the living room, his dark eyes settling on Isabelle who was curled up on the couch, quietly reading a book whilst Isla snoozed contently in her Moses basket. Pausing for a second, he admired them briefly before he cleared his throat, something which made Isabelle startle a little before she lifted her head. “I didn’t hear you come in” she quipped “I thought you were going to be later?” she added, offering him the seat at her side.

Lionel, who’d moved to toe off his shoes, sat down beside her before he shrugged a little. “I guess I just got things finished quicker than I thought I would” he mused softly “How’s she been?” he added, his fingers gently straightening out the socks which Isla wore. The little girl stirred a little at the feel of his fingers, but didn’t wake up, something which made Lionel smile a little.

It still felt a little strange, despite the couple of weeks that had passed since Isla had arrived, the idea that they were a family of three still felt a little unfamiliar to him, but Lionel was pleased with how things were going, even if he and Isabelle hadn’t had a lot of time for just the two of them, he was more than a little proud with how things appeared to be going.

Isabelle, who’d moved to settle her book on the coffee table, admired the soft smile he wore for a couple of seconds before she shook her head gently. “She’s been pretty quiet” she mused softly “I mean, she was a little grumpy when she first woke up this morning, but after a nappy change and a feed, she’s been more than content” she added warmly.

Lionel offered Isabelle a small smile before he ducked down, pressing a gentle kiss against the top of Isla’s head, a sight which made Isabelle grin. “You know, I don’t think you’ve stopped smiling since she came along” she enthused softly. It was sweet, the way that he smiled whenever he was around Isla, and Isabelle had to admit that she found it sweet, even if a small part of her was still worried about the two of them, she liked how contented he’d seemed since the little girl had arrived.

Lionel spared her a soft look before he shook his head. “It’s still a little strange” he mused “I mean, we’ve got a baby, Isa, but I am pretty happy. Things are pretty good right now, aren’t they?” he added, his tone gentle and curious.

He knew that she was still worried, even if she hadn’t said anything, he knew that she was still a little nervous about the prospect of things between them changing, and he wanted to reassure her, even if things had been pretty good since Isla had been born. He wanted to assure her that he wasn’t going to let things between them falter.

Isabelle mulled his words over briefly before she nodded her head, a soft smile on her face. “Things are pretty good” she agreed softly “I mean, I know I was a little worried before she came along, but I kind of like us as a family of 3” she added, her fingertips gently pushing through Isla’s copper colored hair.

Lionel watched the movement of her fingers for a moment before he shifted his stare slightly, catching sight of the engagement ring which sat on Isabelle’s finger.

It wasn’t something that they’d talked about, after Isabelle had shared the news that she was pregnant, the idea that they were engaged was something that had been pushed to the back of their minds, and whilst Lionel didn’t want to rush things, he knew that it was something that they needed to discuss, even if they did put off the idea of wedding planning for a while longer, a small part of him wanted to talk about it.

“Leo?”

Lionel, who’d drifted off a little, startled a little at the sound of Isabelle’s voice before he lifted his head, tilting it slightly. “Huh?” he posed.

“I asked what you wanted to do for lunch” Isabelle quipped, a small amused smile on her face “Are you Ok?” she added.

“I’m fine” he quipped “I was just thinking” he mused softly.

Isabelle titled her head. “Should I be concerned?” she quipped, her voice caught between concerned and playful.

Lionel allowed her words to hang around them for a couple of seconds, not missing the tone of her voice, before he shook his head, his hand gently moving to take a hold of hers. “You don’t have anything to be worried about, nena” he mused softly “I was just thinking about the future. I did sort of propose to you a little while ago” he added, his fingers gently fussing with the ring she wore.

Isabelle watched his fingers for a moment before she tilted her head. “Leo…”

“I know that you’re still worried” Lionel interrupted softly “I mean, it’s only been a couple of weeks since Isla arrived, but it was just something which crossed my mind. I did propose to you, Isa, and aside from agreeing to put it off until after our little girl arrived, we’ve barely even mentioned it” he added, his voice soft. He didn’t want to push her, if he knew one thing about Isabelle, it was that she didn’t handle being pressured well, but he wanted her to know that it had crossed his mind.

“You’re right” Isabelle agreed softly “Since you proposed, we have barely talked about the idea of actually getting married, but I don’t think there’s any harm in waiting a little longer, Leo. We’ve just had a baby, Isla’s not even a month old yet, and I don’t think we need to rush into anything. You said it yourself, things are pretty great right now” she added, her fingers gently messing with his.

Lionel watched their fingers briefly before he ducked into her, pressing a soft kiss against her lips. “You’re right” he agreed between soft kisses.

“I normally am” Isabelle quipped, offering him an impish smile.

Lionel rolled his eyes a little, something which made Isabelle giggle softly before she carefully shifted her hand, cupping his cheek gently before she pressed another kiss against his lips. “You know that we’ll get there eventually, don’t you?” she posed as she ducked back slightly, resting her forehead against his “I mean, I want to take some time before we start to think about wedding planning, but you know that… that you and me, it’s what I want, don’t you?” she added, her tone soft and gentle.

Lionel searched her eyes for a couple of seconds before he nodded, a quirked smile playing at the corner of his mouth. “Of course I know that, Isa” he mused softly “And I don’t mind waiting, just as long as we get there” he added, his fingers gently tucking some of the blonde hair off of her face.

Isabelle quirked a soft smile at the feeling of his fingers against her cheek before she leant towards him, gently pressing another kiss against his lips. She wanted to take their time, with Isla having only just arrived, the last thing she wanted was to barrel into planning a wedding, but she wanted him to know that it was what she wanted, even if she did want to wait for a while. She wanted him to know that they’d get there eventually.