If You Love Me

Forty: It’s A Good One

Eyeing the door which stood ahead of her, Nora pushed a nervous hand back through her hair, a soft sigh falling out of her mouth. It had been a little while, after she had shared the news of her pregnancy with Gerard, she had had to head to work before they’d had the opportunity to talk any more, but Gerard had been quick to insist that she visit him when she was done, something which made her slightly nervous. She knew that she couldn’t duck out of it, regardless of the fact that she was still trying to wrap her head around the idea that she was pregnant, she knew that she couldn’t avoid talking to him, but still she was a little apprehensive, even if seeing Gerard’s excited reaction had soothed a few of her nerves. She still didn’t quite know what to say.

Brushing a few loose hairs off of her face, she briefly thought about heading back towards her car, before she shook her head, moving to pull her key out of her pocket. Hesitating briefly, she slipped it into the lock before she pushed the door open, quietly ducking into the house before she nudged the door closed behind her.

“Nora?”

Nora, who’d moved to toe off her shoes, lifted her head at the sound of Gerard’s voice before she quirked a small smile. “I hope you don’t mind me letting myself in” she mused softly.

Gerard chuckled a little before he shook his head. “That’s why I gave you the key, so that you could come and go” he enthused softly.

Nora simply nodded her head before she moved to pull her coat off, quietly hanging it on the hook which sat beside the door.

Gerard watched her for a moment before he stepped towards her, gently taking a hold of her hand before he levered her into a soft hug. Nora stilled slightly, not expecting the soft embrace, before she cuddled into him, resting her head against his shoulder for a few moments before she gently pulled away, her blue eyes peeking into his. “Do you think we could talk?” she posed softly.

Gerard offered her a small smile before he nodded his head. “I think we can probably handle that” he mused softly “Why don’t you come through and sit down?” he added, gesturing over his shoulder towards the living room.

Nora nodded her head before she stepped passed, ducking into the living room before she sat down on the couch, her fingers messing shyly with the ends of her hair.

Gerard, who’d followed her into the room, watched her for a second before he quietly sat down beside her, his hand quickly taking hers in order to stop her from fussing before he offered it a small comforting squeeze. He knew that she was nervous, from the moment she had stepped into his home, she had looked more than slightly uncertain and shy, and he wanted to offer her a little comfort, even if he doubted that he would be able to get rid of her nerves entirely, he wanted to encourage her to calm down slightly. “You know” he mused softly “If you want us to talk, you might want to actually use some words. I’m not psychic” he teased feebly.

Nora spared a soft laugh at his awkward joke before she shook her head, her eyes not moving away from their hands. “I still haven’t quite wrapped my head around it yet” she murmured softly “I mean, we’ve only been dating for six months and now we’re going to have a baby. It’s huge, Gerard, and it’s…it’s still not settled in yet” she added, her fingers messing with his shyly.

Gerard watched her mess with his hand for a second before he nodded his head softly. “It’s a surprise” he agreed softly “But it is a good one, Nora” he added, squeezing her hand gently.

Nora looked up at him shyly, something which made Gerard shake his head gently before he lifted his other hand, settling it softly against her cheek. “You’re right” he noted softly “It is still early days in our relationship, but that doesn’t mean that we can’t figure this out. We’re good together, we were as friends and we are as a couple too, and I am sure that we can figure this out” he insisted, his thumb lightly tracing the line of her cheekbone.

Nora leant into his touch slightly before she closed her eyes. “You really think that?” she posed softly.

“I do” Gerard confirmed “The timing isn’t perfect, I mean, I think we can both agree that we would have liked to wait a while, but I still think we could make it work, even if we do hit a few bumps along the way. I think me, you and baby could be pretty happy” he added, his eyes glancing down towards her stomach. It still felt a little strange, the idea that Nora was expecting was one which was likely to take a while to settle in fully, but saying the words made him smile, something he doubted would wear off for a while.

Nora stayed still for a moment, quietly mulling over his words before she leant away from his hand, her blue eyes looking up at him. “You, me and baby?” she posed softly.

Gerard quirked a small smile before he nodded his head. “We can still take the other things slowly” he noted softly “I’m not going to press you on anything else, but I want to assure you that we’re in this together. We’re having a baby, Nora” he added, placing his hand against her stomach.

Nora glanced down at his hand, his words ringing in her ears, before she sniffled softly, something which caused Gerard to tilt his head. “Are you crying?” he posed softly.

Nora sniffled a little before she shook her head. “No” she lied gently.

Gerard chuckled softly before he leant into her, pressing a soft kiss against her lips. Nora smiled at the soft contact, enjoying it for a few seconds before she gently leant back, her fingers pushing a few hairs off of his forehead. “We’re having baby” she repeated softly, her eyes mirroring his.

Gerard held her stare before he nodded his head, a bright grin on his face. He was under no illusions, with Nora expecting, things between them were likely to take a little more work than before, but he was confident that they could figure things out as they went, even if they did encounter a few hiccups along the way, he was sure that they’d somehow make it work.
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Thanks to FootieJo for the comment :)