If You Love Me

“You’ll be home before I get back, right?”

Nora, who’d been tying the laces of her shoes, quirked a small smile at the sound of Gerard’s voice before she looked up towards where he stood in the door way, his blue eyes watching her curiously. It had been a few days, after they’d found out that they were expecting a daughter, they had opted to take a few days to allow the news to settle in before they shared it, but with them having visited his parents the previous night, she had opted to invite her mother and sister out for lunch, wanting to share the news with them face to face rather than over the phone.

“I should think so” she replied “But you know my madre and Emmy, once they get talking it’s pretty hard to shut them up” she added, offering him a small smile.

Gerard, who’d stepped further into the room, rolled his eyes slightly before he sat down beside her, his hand settling in its familiar position against her bump, a sight which made Nora smile gently. She was already confident that she would miss the way he fussed over her bump when the baby arrived. Shifting slightly, she made herself a little more comfortable before she tilted her head back, resting it gently against the pillow which sat behind her.

“I thought you were on your way out?” Gerard posed, an amused smile on his face.

Nora, who’d closed her eyes, shrugged. “My madre’s not here yet” she pointed out.

Gerard laughed gently before he felt a small movement against the palm of his hand, something which caused him to look up, his blue eyes mirroring Nora’s. “What was that?” he mumbled.

Nora smiled softly, not missing the awe in his voice, before she shifted her hand, settling it over his which still sat on her bump. “I think that that might have been our little girl saying her first hello to her papa” she mused warmly, her thumb lightly brushing over the back of his hand “I think she likes your voice” she added.

Gerard watched the movement of her thumb for a moment before he ducked down, pressing a soft kiss against the front of her shirt. “Hola, princesa” he murmured quietly.

Nora, who was watching him, smiled at the warmth in his voice before she leant forwards, pressing a soft kiss against his head.

Gerard smiled softly at the feel of her lips against his head before he lifted it, his blue eyes scanning over her face briefly before he leant towards her, sneaking a quick kiss. “I love you” he mused.

Nora’s cheeks warmed a little, slightly surprised by his words, before she shook her head. “You do?” she posed, a faint teasing smile on her lips.

Gerard, who’d shifted closer to her, rolled his eyes playfully. “You know that I do” he noted, tickling her side playfully.

Nora let out a soft laugh before she shifted, trying to avoid his fingers. “I do know that” she agreed “And you know that I love you too, right?” she added, peeking up towards him shyly. It wasn’t the first time that they had said it, for months, the words had been out there between them, but still it made Nora blush a little, even if they had been together for a while. She was still a little amazed that they’d made things work between the two of them.

Gerard noted the shy expression on her face before he leant forwards, sneaking another couple of light kisses before the sound of the doorbell filled the air, causing him to duck back slightly. “That’s going to be your madre” he mused “I’ll see you when I get back tonight?” he asked.

Nora, who’d moved to push herself up to her feet, nodded. “I should be home before you” she noted “Good luck tonight” she added before she ducked out of the room.

Gerard smiled at her words before he moved to rest back against the mattress, wordlessly musing about how well things seemed to be going between the two of them.

~#~
“Have you managed to move all of your stuff into Gerard’s place yet, Nora?” Maria posed as she sipped on her glass of wine, her eyes settled on her youngest daughter who sat opposite her, playing with the straw which sat in her glass of orange juice. It had been a pleasant afternoon, before they had ventured to the restaurant that Nora had chosen for their lunch, they had done a little shopping, and Maria was enjoying herself. It was rare, with Emilia having had Sofia and Nora expecting, the two of them were very much focused on their own lives, and it meant that Maria saw them less frequently than she would have liked, something which meant she was keen to make the most of any opportunity to spend time with her two daughters.

Nora, who’d been scanning over the menu, shook her head. “It’s still a work in progress” she noted “We’ve finished packing up all of my stuff and we’ve moved most of the boxes into Gerard’s place, but it’s going to take a while to sort it out. I have a lot of stuff and it’s going to take some time to sort through them all” she added.

Emilia, who was sat beside her sister, nodded her head. “It does take a while” she noted “I mean, I’ve been living with Mateo for years and I’m pretty sure that there are boxes of my stuff still unpacked” she added with a grin.

Nora rolled her eyes gently before she felt a small movement in her stomach, something which caused her to move her hand, settling it against her bump.

“Is baba kicking?” Maria posed, not missing the smile which had appeared on her daughter’s face.

Nora simply nodded her head, a soft smile on her face.

“You had a midwife appointment the other day, didn’t you?” Emilia posed.

Nora spared her sister a look before she nodded. “We did” she confirmed “Everything seems to be going well” she enthused softly.

“Did you find out what you’re having?” Emilia asked.

Nora nodded her head before she turned towards her bag, collecting the sonogram picture which she had stowed inside. “We did” she confirmed “We’re going to have a little girl” she revealed as she placed the picture down onto the table.

Maria reached out for it, lifting it into her hands, before she tilted her head. “A girl?” she breathed.

Nora quirked a small smile before she nodded her head. “Lucia’s very happy with my progress” she noted “She says that we’re expecting a healthy little girl” she enthused.

Maria and Emilia shared a soft look, allowing Nora’s words to hang between them for a moment, before Emilia pushed herself up to her feet, moving to wrap her little sister in a soft hug. Nora startled, a little surprised by the hug, but she was quick to return it, holding her onto her sister tightly for a second before she moved to hug her mother who was eager to fuss over her.