If You Love Me

Gently pulling her hair up into a ponytail, Nora spared a glance towards the mirror which stood a little away from her, her blue eyes scanning her stomach for any sign of her bump beneath the sweater that she wore. It had been a little while, after they’d shared the news of her pregnancy with her mother, a couple of hours had passed, and with them due to head to dinner at Gerard’s parents’ home, she had opted to take a couple of moments to herself, wanting to soothe her nerves slightly. She knew that she had no real reason to be concerned, since she and Gerard had gotten together, his parents had been nothing short of welcoming towards her, but still she was a little nervous about sharing the news with them, something she doubted would go away easily.

Chewing on her lip, she scanned her appearance quietly before she shifted her hand, lightly brushing it over her stomach.

“You can’t see it”

Nora jumped at the sound of Gerard’s voice before she lifted her head, looking towards where he stood in the doorway, a familiar doting grin perched on his lips. “You can’t?” she posed softly.

Gerard, who’d stepped a little further into the room, shook his head gently. “You can’t” he confirmed “Although, you’re still glowing” he added, an impish smile on his face.

Nora scoffed a little, something which made his smile widen before he stepped towards her, wrapping his arms around her waist. “You look beautiful, Nora” he murmured softly “I mean, you normally do, but with our bump? It’s something else” he fussed softly, kissing up her neck gently before he pecked her lips lightly. He could tell that she was slightly nervous, the way that she had ducked away towards her bedroom made it obvious to him, but he doubted that he could shift her nerves, even if he was confident that she had no reason to be concerned, he doubted that he could encourage her to relax even if he tried.

Nora closed her eyes at the feeling of his lips against her skin before she shook her head, her cheeks a soft shade of pink. “You’re very sweet” she mumbled softly.

Gerard smiled at her comment, quipping something about her being lucky to have him, before he leant down, sneaking a couple of light kisses before the sound of someone knocking reached his ears, causing him to look up towards the door, his eyes settling on Maria who wore a small smile on her face. “Maria” he breathed softly.

“I didn’t mean to ruin the moment” Maria noted softly “But Nora’s phone was ringing and I figured I’d bring it through before I head out” she added, offering the phone out towards Nora.

Nora took the phone out of her hand and scanned the screen briefly before she shook her head. “I need to take this” she murmured “I’ll be back in a couple of minutes” she added before she stepped out of the room.

“You know, I really like the way you two are together”

Gerard, who’d been watching Nora step out of the room, startled slightly at the sound of Maria’s voice before he turned around, offering her a slightly sheepish smile. “You do?” he posed softly.

“I’ll admit, I had my doubts that the two of you would get it together” Maria mused softly “But, now that you are together, I like how you are. You’re good for her” she insisted, her voice warm and kind.

Gerard offered her a soft look, quietly mulling over her words, before he offered her a shy smile. “I like how we are too” he noted softly “So much so, I am thinking about suggesting that we move in together” he added gently.

Maria tilted her head. “You are?” she posed gently.

“I am thinking about it” Gerard reiterated softly “I mean, with the baby on the way, it seems like a sensible step to make, but I am slightly hesitant about asking. I know Nora, I know how she reacts to pressure, and I am worried about trying to put too much on her too soon” he explained gently. It was a thought that had crossed his mind frequently, with the baby on the way, it only made sense to him that he and Nora moved in together, but even time he thought about asking, he stopped himself, not wanting Nora to think that he was attempting to push her into something she wasn’t quite ready for.

Maria smiled gently at his words before she stepped towards him, offering his shoulder an encouraging squeeze. “You’ve got to let her figure it out” she noted softly “Nora’s stubborn, she always has been, and if you try and nudge her in one direction, she’ll pull in the other. You’re right, with a baby on the way, it is logical that the two of you live in one place, but you’ve got to let Nora figure that out. She will, I have no doubt about it, but you’ve got to be patient” she explained softly.

Gerard spared her a soft look, quietly mulling her words over, before he nodded his head. “You’re probably right” he noted.

“I probably am” Maria quipped with a small smile “But don’t stop doing what you’re doing. She’s really happy, Gerard, and I think that’s on you” she enthused warmly before she stepped out of the room, mumbling a soft goodbye to Nora who stepped passed her.

Nora watched her mother out of the room before she looked towards Gerard, offering him a curious look.

Gerard smiled at the sight of it before he shook his head. “It’s nothing to be worried about” he mumbled “You ready to go?” he added, stealing a quick kiss.

Nora furrowed her forehead slightly, something which made Gerard laugh softly before he took a hold of her hand, insisting that she had nothing to be worried about.

~#~
“Are you sure that I can’t get you anything else, Nora?” Montserrat fussed as she padded around the table, pouring coffee into the mug which sat ahead of Gerard. It had been a good night, with Gerard’s parents keen to spend time with the two of them, the dinner had been calm and fun, and whilst Nora still felt slightly apprehensive about sharing the news of her pregnancy with them, she had enjoyed herself.

Nora, who’d been quietly finishing off her dessert, shook her head. “I’m OK, thank you” she fussed softly.

Montserrat offered her a small look, wordlessly asking if she was sure, before she padded back towards her own seat. Nora watched her back around the table before she lifted her head slightly, sharing a small look with Gerard who grinned down at her, his hand quickly taking a hold of hers. “Now?” he mumbled low enough for just her to hear.

Nora hesitated for a second before she nodded her head.

Gerard smiled and squeezed her hand before he shifted his stare across the table, clearing his throat slightly. “Mama, papa” he noted gently “Me and Nora, we’ve got a little bit of news that we’d like to share with you” he added.

Montserrat, who’d been happily sipping on her drink, tilted her head. “News?” she posed softly.

Gerard nodded. “It’s been under wraps for a few weeks” he noted “Me and Nora, we wanted to ensure that things were good before we started to share the news with other people, but we feel like now is the right time to start sharing. Mama, papa, Nora’s pregnant” he added, failing to stifle the smile which appeared on his face at the slightest mention of Nora’s pregnancy.

Montserrat’s eyes widened slightly before she shook her head, settling her stare on Nora. “You’re pregnant?” she breathed.

Nora simply nodded her head, a shy smile on her lips.

Gerard noted the look on his mother’s face before he slipped his wallet out of his pocket, moving to pull the sonogram picture from inside before he settled it into her hands. “This is baba” he mused softly.

Montserrat stared at the picture speechlessly before she shook her head, a small sniffle falling out of her mouth. “You’re going to have a baby?” she murmured softly.

Gerard grinned proudly before he nodded his head. “We are” he enthused.

Montserrat let out another soft sniffle before she pushed herself up to her feet, quickly wrapping her arms around both Nora and Gerard. Gerard chuckled at her reaction, hugging her softly, before he dipped down slightly. “I think she’s excited” he mumbled low enough for just Nora to hear.

Nora spared a small roll of her eyes at his joke before Montserrat pulled away, moving to show off the sonogram picture to her husband who fussed over it with her happily. Nora watched the older couple for a moment before she felt Gerard wrap his arm around her, pulling her into a soft hug that she was more than happy to return, a sense of relief washing over her.