If You Love Me

“Are you sure that you don’t mind doing this, Nora?” Emilia posed as she stepped through towards the living room of Gerard’s home, her eyes peeking back towards her sister who followed after her. It had been a last minute call, with her wedding anniversary having arrived, Emilia and Mateo had been keen to head out for the night, but with Maria busy, she had opted to ask Nora to keep an eye on Sofia, something that the blonde woman was more than happy to do, even if it did step on the toes of the quiet night in that she and Gerard had planned. She was more than happy to spend a little more time with her niece.

Nora, who’d been cooing contently to Sofia, smiled a little at the sound of sister’s voice before she shook her head. “I don’t mind” she noted softly “I mean, next time you need a babysitter, I could do with a little more notice, but I am more than happy to keep an eye on her for a couple of hours. It’s been a while since you and Mateo had a night off, hasn’t it?” she posed softly.

Emilia nodded. “It has been a while” she confirmed softly “Don’t get me wrong, mama and Mateo’s madre have been pretty great when it comes to helping out with her, but it will be nice to have a night where we can be a couple rather than mama and papa” she mused as she padded a little further into the room, settling Sofia’s bag down beside the coffee table.

Nora, who’d moved to settle down on the couch, nodded her head quietly before she flicked her attention back towards Sofia, her fingertips lightly straightening out the tufts hair which sat on the baby’s head. Emilia opened her mouth to speak again, to insist that she and Mateo wouldn’t be too long, but she stopped herself, instead opting to smile at the sight of her little sister. It wasn’t the first time, since Sofia had arrived, Nora had been a natural with her, and it made Emilia surer that it wouldn’t be too long before she found herself babysitting for Nora and Gerard.

Admiring her sister with the baby for a moment, she shook her head softly before the sight of Gerard stepping into the room caught her attention, causing her to lift her head slightly. “Are you sure that you don’t mind giving up your night, Gerard?” she posed softly “I mean, it’s pretty short notice” she added gently.

Gerard, who’d moved to settle down on the couch beside Nora, offered her a small smile before he shook his head. “I don’t mind at all” he noted softly.

Emilia offered him a slightly dubious look, wordlessly asking if he was certain, before she nodded. “We shouldn’t be gone for too long” she mused softly “Mateo’s made us a reservation at the restaurant where he proposed to me and we plan on having dinner before we come back to get her. We should be a couple of hours at the most” she insisted.

Nora spared her a soft look before she shook her head. “You don’t have to rush” she noted softly “I mean, we’ve got both yours and Mateo’s numbers so we can call if we need anything. You should enjoy yourself, Emmy” she insisted softly.

Emilia offered her sister a gentle look before she nodded her head. “You’ll call if you need anything, right?” she pressed softly.

“Of course we will” Gerard insisted, offering her a reassuring smile.

Emilia admired his smile for a second before she stepped towards the couch, pressing a soft kiss against the top of Sofia’s head before she mumbled a soft goodnight. Hesitating for a second, she briefly contemplated sticking around, before Nora nudged her gently, offering her a small smile which wordlessly told her that there was nothing to be worried about.

Emilia returned her smile warmly before she pushed herself up slightly. “Gracias for this” she mused “I know it was a little last minute and I am grateful for this, so much so, me and Mateo will happily return the favour when the time comes” she added impishly.

Nora scoffed a little before she shook her head, something which made Emilia giggle softly before she stepped out of the room. She knew that they were moving slowly, for a while, Nora had been keen to insist that things weren’t going to move particularly fast between the two of them, but Emilia was confident that things would speed up for them. They were good together, they had been for a while, and Emilia was certain that it was only a matter of time before things started to move quickly between them.

~#~
Gently settling Sofia down into her Moses basket, Gerard let out a soft yawn, his blue eyes watching as the little girl drifted off to sleep. It had taken them a while, with Sofia proving to be a little fussy without her mother or father around, it had taken a little over an hour to soothe the little girl sleep, and Gerard had to admit that he was pleased that she had finally settled, even if it had taken them a while. He was glad that she was asleep.

Allowing another yawn to fall out of his mouth, he gently smoothed out the tufts of hair which sat on her head before he rested his head back, enjoying the quiet for a couple of seconds.

“Is she asleep?”

Gerard startled slightly at the sound of Nora’s voice before he lifted his head, looking towards where she stood in the doorway. “She is” he confirmed gently “I mean, it took a while, but she’s settled and should stay asleep until Emilia and Mateo get back. Did they give you any idea how much longer they were going to be?” he posed, making a little room for her at his side.

Nora moved towards the couch and settled down beside him, cuddling into his side happily. “Emmy said that they were just leaving the restaurant” she noted gently “They should be here within the next half an hour or so” she added, her fingers lightly tracing shapes into the material of his jeans.

Gerard watched the movements of her fingers, allowing a comfortable silence to settle over the two of them, before he gently leant over, kissing the top of her head lightly. “You know” he murmured softly “You were a natural with Sofia” he added quietly, not wanting to disturb the quiet which had settled over the room.

Nora, who’d been contently rested against his shoulder, lifted an eyebrow. “You think so?” she posed softly.

Gerard nodded his head gently. “You did a wonderful job, Nora” he mused “You’re going to make a pretty wonderful madre someday” he added, his voice caught between teasing and tentative. He knew that it was a long way off, for a while, things between him and Nora were going to centre around getting used to one another before they even contemplated making steps forwards, but still he wanted her to know how serious he was about them, even if he was happy to wait for a while. He wanted her to know that there were onto a good thing.

Nora’s cheeks warmed a little before she lightly shook her head. “Someday” she repeated gently.

Gerard nodded his head lightly before he leant forwards, pressing a soft kiss against her shoulder. “We’re in no hurry” he murmured softly “For a while, I like the idea of enjoying this, of enjoying us” he added, pressing a light kiss against her cheek.

Nora smiled a little at the feel of his lips against her skin before she tilted her head, allowing her to press a soft kiss against his lips. Gerard smiled warmly at the contact and held her close, wordlessly vowing to himself to make the most of the honeymoon period of their relationship. He knew that it wouldn’t last forever, eventually he and Nora were going to run into their first hiccup, but he wanted to enjoy it whislt it lasted.