If You Love Me

Quietly switching off the alarm clock which sat on the bedside table, Gerard spared a small yawn, his blue eyes peeking up towards the ceiling sleepily. It was still early, even despite the fact that he had played a match the previous night, Nora had still set the alarm early, and whilst a small part of him wanted nothing more than to curl up beside Nora for a little longer, he doubted that he would be afforded the opportunity.

It had been a little while, after they’d visited Lucia for the first time, a few weeks had passed, and with Nora having passed the twelve week mark in her pregnancy, the two of them were preparing to share the news with their families, something which had led Nora to invite her mother over to her apartment for breakfast.

Staring up at the ceiling sleepily, he spared a soft yawn into his hand before he turned onto his side, his blue eyes settling on Nora who was still contently curled up against her pillow. Quirking a small smile, he listened to her soft and even breathing for a couple of moments before he dropped his stare slightly, settling it on her stomach.

It was still a foreign to him, even despite the scan a few days previous which had allowed him and Nora to hear the baby’s heartbeat for the first time, it still felt slightly surreal that they were expecting a baby, but he was excited, even if he knew that things between him and Nora were likely to still move slowly. He was more than a little excited about the idea of the baby arriving.

Briefly checking that Nora was still sleeping, he ducked his hand beneath the duvet and settled it against the small bump of her stomach, a small smile pulling at the corner of his mouth. Brushing his thumb lightly over the front of her shirt, he marveled at the feel of the small bump against his palm before Nora shifted slightly, something which caused him to lift his head, offering her a small smile. “Buenos dias” he greeted softly.

Nora stirred quietly for a moment, trying to wake herself up slightly, before she quirked a soft smile. “Buenos dias” she mumbled, yawning into her hand.

Gerard, who’d moved to pull the duvet away from her slightly, offered her a soft look. “Did I wake you?” he posed softly, pushing her pajama shirt away from her stomach.

Nora watched him for a moment, an amused expression on her features, before shook her head. “I heard the alarm” she mused softly “What are you doing?” she added amusedly.

Gerard offered her a boyish smile before he ducked down, pressing a soft kiss against her stomach. Nora giggled softly at the feel of his beard tickling her skin before she lightly nudged his shoulder, pushing him back slightly. “As adorable as this is” she mused softly “We do have to get moving. My madre said that she would be here pretty early” she added as she pushed herself up to her feet, moving to collect a clean set of clothes from her dresser.

Gerard watched her for a moment before he followed after her, his arms happily settling around her waist. “You still sure about telling her today?” he posed softly, pressing a soft kiss against her shoulder. He knew that they couldn’t avoid it, with Nora having already reached twelve weeks, it was only a matter of time before her bump became noticeable, but still he wanted to offer her the opportunity to duck out for a little while longer, wanting her to be as calm and as relaxed as she could be.

Nora closed her eyes at the feel of his lips against her shoulder before she nodded her head softly. “I’d like her to hear it from us” she mused softly “And with my bump growing pretty quickly, it’s only a matter of time before it gets noticed. I don’t think we can afford to wait much longer” she added gently.

Gerard ducked his head slightly, offering her a slightly questioning look, before he pecked the end of her nose, mumbling something about her taking a shower before he ducked out of the room. Nora watched him out of the room before she gathered her clothes into her hands, a small smile playing on her lips. It was still early days, she and Gerard had only been dating for a few months, but she was sure that she could get used to them.

~#~
“So, Nora, to what do I owe this surprise invitation?” Maria asked as she sipped on her mug of tea, her eyes trained on her daughter who sat across the table, messing with the last of her food. It had been a surprise, the invitation to join Nora and Gerard for breakfast had come out of the blue, and whilst Maria was pleased to have the opportunity to spend some time with her youngest and her boyfriend, she was a little curious. It was the first time in a while that Nora had asked to spend time with her and it had piqued Maria’s interest.

Nora, who’d been focused on her plate, lifted her head at the sound of her mother’s voice before she quirked a feeble smile. “Can’t a girl just want to spend a little time with her madre?” she asked, her finger fiddling nervously with the ends of her hair.

Maria quirked an amused smile, not missing her daughter’s nervous tell, before she shook her head. “She can do” she noted “But I’ve not seen too much of you and Gerard for the last few weeks. It’s a little sudden, no?” she teased softly.

Nora spared a nervous giggle, something which made Maria shake her head gently before shifted her hand, lightly squeezing Nora’s which sat on the table, messing absentmindedly with her fork. “What is going on, princesa?” she posed softly.

Nora glanced down at their hands for a moment before she lifted her eyes, mirroring her mother’s. “I…I do have something I want to tell you” she murmured softly “Mama, I…you’re…”

“You’re going to be an abuela again” Gerard interrupted softly, finishing Nora’s sentence.

Maria startled, surprised by the sound of Gerard’s voice, before she looked towards him. “I...I am?” she posed softly.

Gerard nodded his head gently before he pulled something out of the pocket his sweatshirt, settling it down on the table ahead of the older woman who quickly lifted it into her hand, her expression softening at the sight of the ultrasound picture. “This…this is yours?” she posed gently, peeking towards Nora.

Nora swallowed slightly before she nodded her head. “It is” she confirmed softly “It’s from my twelve week scan” she added softly.

Maria, who’d flicked her attention back down towards the picture she held in her hand, was quiet for a few moments before she shook her head, a soft laugh falling out of her mouth. “You’re pregnant?” she breathed softly.

Nora smiled sheepishly before she nodded her head. “I am” she mused softly “I had my twelve week scan a few days ago and we figured that it was about time that we started to share the news. Other than Emmy, you’re the first person to know” she explained softly.

Maria rolled her eyes, making a quip about knowing that Emilia had been hiding something from her, before she pushed herself up to her feet, quickly wrapping Nora in a tight hug. Nora squeaked, surprised by the sudden hug, before she hugged her back, smiling at the comforting words that her mother was whispering into her ear. Smiling, she hugged her happily for a few minutes before she felt her stomach lurch, something which caused her to quickly excuse herself.

Maria watched her out of the room before she flicked her attention towards Gerard. “Gerard…”

“I know” Gerard interrupted softly, knowing what was coming “And you can rest assured, I am going to do my best by both Nora and baby. I love your daughter, Maria” he insisted with a warm smile.

Maria stared at him, surprised that he had interrupted, before she shook her head, a warm smile on her face. “I know you do” she enthused before she stepped towards him, pulling him into a tight hug that he was quick to respond to “Welcome to the family” she added softly. She knew that it was still a work in progress, despite the years that they had been friends for, both Gerard and Nora seemed cautious when it came to their relationship, but Maria had little doubt that it would work for them. They were good together, Nora looked happier than she had in a while, and Maria was confident that it would only be a matter of time before they made things a little more official between them.