If You Love Me

Sixty Two: Is That What I Think It Is?

Gently adjusting the small Barcelona shirt that he had dressed Alba in, Gerard quirked a small smile, moving to press a soft kiss against the top of the baby’s head. It had been coming for a while, with Alba approaching three months old, it had only been a matter of time before Gerard convinced Nora to bring the little girl to one of his matches, but still he was excited, even if he knew that Alba would have little to no idea about what was happening around her. Alba being at one of his matches was something he had been waiting on since the little girl had arrived.

Pressing another soft kiss against her forehead, he smoothed out the tufts of dark hair which sat on top of her head before he shifted his hand, carefully straightening out the material of her shirt. “I think you look pretty adorable, princesa” he fussed “Blue and red stripes seem to suit you” he added, offering her an impish smile. Alba, who was contently laying on the changing mat, let out a soft noise at the sound of his voice before she stretched her little arms up, something which caused the defender’s smile to widen slightly before he dipped down, kissing her head gently once more.

“Have I ever mentioned how cute the two of you are together?”

Gerard, who’d been contently fussing over Alba, shook his head a little at the sound of Nora’s voice before he looked up, settling his stare on where she stood on the doorway. “You’ve probably mentioned it once or twice” he quipped playfully “But I think that that’s more on her than me. We made a pretty adorable baby, Nora” he added, flashing her a soft smile.

Nora, who’d moved to step a little closer to him, nodded her head. “We did” she agreed with a soft smile “And she looks particularly cute in her little shirt” she added, her fingers lightly brushing through Alba’s dark hair.

Gerard watched the movement of her fingers for a brief moment before he stepped towards her, pressing a light kiss against the top of her head. “I have to get going pretty soon” he mumbled “You’re sure about tonight, right?” he added as he tilted his head, catching the stare of her blue eyes.

Nora held his stare for a moment, not missing the slightly nervous look in his eyes, before she quirked a small smile. “I’d not have said yes if I wasn’t sure” she mused “And besides, my madre is coming along with me to help out with Alba, so I’m sure that you’ve got nothing to worry about. Me and Alba will be just fine” she added, lightly poking his cheek. It was a trait of his, since Alba had arrived, Gerard had developed a habit of worrying, and Nora had to admit that she found it sweet, even if it did have the potential to become a little over bearing from time to time. She liked the way that he fussed over her and their daughter.

Gerard rolled his eyes playfully, something which made Nora giggle gently before she reached up, pressing a brief kiss against his lips. Gerard smiled into the kiss, holding her close to him for a moment, before he pulled back, keeping his forehead rested against hers. “You’ll be OK with your madre?” he posed quietly “You know how she likes to bring up a certain question that I’ve yet to ask you” he added, a faint boyish smile on his face.

It wasn’t something which was talked about a lot, with Nora having been more than clear with her mother and sister, the topic of an engagement was only mentioned fleetingly, but Maria still liked to drop the odd hint, even if she had made it clear that she had little intention of pushing the two of them into something they weren’t quite ready for, she liked to hint towards it.

Nora quirked a small smile before she nodded. “We’ll be fine” she replied “I mean, she’s more than likely to ask, but my answer is likely to be the same. We’ll get there when we get there” she added, offering him a small smile.

Gerard admired the warm smile on her face before he leant down, kissing her gently for a few moments before the sound of his phone, quickly followed by Alba’s cries reached them, causing them to pull apart. “I have to go” he mumbled “But I will see you two later?” he added, moving to slip his feet into the shoes which he had left beside the door.

Nora, who’d moved to try and soothe Alba, offered him a small smile before she nodded. “Of course” she enthused warmly.

Gerard nodded his head before he stepped towards her, pressing a brief kiss against her and Alba’s heads before he stepped out of the room, a familiar grin on his face. Things were going well, since Alba had arrived, things between him and Nora had felt as good as they ever had, and he wanted to keep it that way.

~#~
Pulling his shirt over his head, Gerard stepped into the changing room, his feet dragging him quickly towards his locker. It had been a good game, after a couple of tougher matches, the match against Espanyol had been a better one for the team, and Gerard was pleased with the result, even if the performance hadn’t been flawless. It had been a result that the team had needed to ensure that they closed the gap at the top of the table.

Settling his shirt down on the bench, he moved to pull open his locker before he collected his washbag, preparing to head for a shower.

“Are you going to join us for dinner, Gerard?”

Gerard, who’d been gathering his things, startled a little at the sound of Andres’ voice before he lifted his head, offering the older man a small smile. “I would do” he quipped “But Nora brought Alba along for the first time tonight and I am probably just going to go home with them. I want to see how Alba did with being here” he explained, a fond smile on his face.

Andres nodded his head, not missing the warm smile on the defender’s face, before he stepped away, allowing Gerard to turn back to his locker for a moment, his blue eyes catching on the picture of Alba and Nora which was stuck to the door.

Quirking a small smile, he admired it briefly before the sound of someone clearing their throat reached his ears, causing him to lift his head, peeking towards Lionel who stood beside him. “You look happy” he mused warmly.

Gerard lifted an eyebrow. “You’d like me to look miserable?” he teased.

Lionel rolled his eyes playfully before he shook his head. “I was just saying” he retorted “You’ve looked pretty happy since Alba came along and I was just pointing it out. How are things with you and Nora?” he posed curiously.

Gerard smiled a little at the mention of his girlfriend’s name before he stepped towards the locker, rifling through it for a second before he stepped back, showing off the small box which sat in his hand. Lionel, who’d been watching him, cocked an eyebrow at the sight of box before he tilted his head. “Is that what I think it is?” he posed, his voice soft and curious.

Gerard smiled a little at the tone of his voice before he nodded his head. “I’ve not quite figured out the details” he noted “And I am pretty sure that I am going to wait a while longer, but I am planning on asking Nora to marry me” he explained, a sheepish look on his face. He knew that he had to wait a while, both he and Nora were in agreement that they were in no rush, but still a small part of him had started planning a proposal, even if he was planning on waiting a while, he wanted to start looking ahead.

Lionel, who’d been staring at the box which sat in the defender’s hand, blinked a couple of times before he shook his head, a warm smile on his face. “You are?” he posed.

Gerard nodded. “It’s a work in progress” he confirmed “But if you could keep it to yourself...”

“You have my word” Lionel interrupted with a nod.

Gerard flashed him a small smile before he moved to stow the box back in his locker, something which made Lionel grin gently before he stepped forwards, patting his shoulder encouragingly.
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Thanks to Jayme112234 and FootieJo for the comments :)