If You Love Me

Resting back into the chair that she sat in, Nora quirked a soft smile, her blue eyes settled on the engagement ring which sat on her finger. It was still an unfamiliar feeling, even despite having shared the news with their families, the idea that she and Gerard were engaged was one which still felt odd to her, but she had little doubt that it was she wanted, even if Gerard’s asking had caught her by surprise, she was certain that it was a step that she wanted the two of them to take.

Admiring the ring quietly, she gently pushed it around her finger before the sound of the bedroom door opening reached her ears, causing her to look up, smiling softly at Gerard who had stepped into the room. “What are you doing up here?” she posed, relaxing into her seat a little more.

Gerard, who’d moved to check on Alba who was safely sleeping in her crib, shrugged. “You’ve been up here for a while” he noted “And seeing as our guests departed a while ago, I thought I could come up here and see what the two of you are up to. I can go if you want me to” he offered.

Nora, who’d moved to curl up a little in the seat beside Alba’s crib, shook her head. “You don’t have to do that” she noted, her fingers lightly twisting her engagement ring around.

Gerard watched the small movements of her fingers for a moment, a soft smile appearing on his face, before he stepped towards her, gently taking her hand in his. “I am guessing that you like this?” he quipped “I don’t think I’ve seen you stop smiling at it yet. I did a good job?” he posed, peeking up at her softly.

Nora admired the slightly apprehensive expression on his face before she nodded, offering him a small smile. “It’s beautiful” she fussed “You really picked it out by yourself?” she added, her voice caught between soft and teasing.

Gerard nodded. “I did” he confirmed “I mean, I did think about asking your mama or Emmy for help, but I figured as soon as I mentioned the word ‘engagement’ they’d end up telling you and I didn’t want them to spoil the surprise. Don’t get me wrong, I love your mama and your sister, but they’re not subtle” he added playfully.

Nora scoffed, mumbling something about his comment being an understatement, before she shook her head, her eyes settling on their hands which sat in her lap. “You know” she noted, disturbing the quiet which had settled around the two of them “I still can’t quite believe that you actually asked” she added, lightly brushing her thumb over the back of his hand.

Gerard, who’d been contently messing with ring, quirked a half-smile. “You’re not the only one” he noted “But I am happy that I did, even more so since you gave me the answer I was hoping for” he added, gently pressing a kiss against the back of her hand.

He had been worried, when he had pulled the box out of his pocket, the look on Nora’s face had been hard to read, but he was pleased that he had asked, even more so that Nora had given him the answer that he had been itching to hear. She had caught him off guard, when he had asked, he had been expecting that Nora would ask him for a little time to think, but he was thrilled that she hadn’t, even if he was surprised. He was thrilled that she had given him the yes that he’d wanted to hear.

Nora’s cheeks warmed a little at the feel of his lips against her skin before she leant forwards, gently pressing a kiss against the top of his head. “You thought I’d say no?” she whispered curiously.

Gerard shook his head. “No” he noted “But I did think that you’d ask me for some time to think. It’s a pretty big deal, the idea of getting married, and I thought you’d want some time to get your head around it before you gave me an answer” he explained, playing with her fingers softly.

Nora watched him mess with her fingers before she shook her head, looking up at him gently. “I thought about it” she admitted.

“You did?” Gerard posed.

“For a moment” Nora confirmed with a nod “But then you made an awkward joke and started to babble, and I knew that I had my answer. I love you, I have done for a long time now, and I don’t want to hesitate when it comes to me and you. We did that for years” she added, offering him a soft smile.

Gerard spared a soft laugh before he gently lifted her hand, pressing another kiss against the back of it. “We did that for too long” he mused gently.

“We did” Nora agreed “But we got there in the end, and now we’re going to get married” she fussed, not able to stifle the bright smile which grew across her face as the words fell out of her mouth.

Gerard marveled at her smile for a moment before he nodded his head. “We are” he grinned.

Nora giggled softly before she shuffled forwards in her seat, moving to press a soft kiss against his lips. Gerard’s smile widened at the contact before he gently wrapped his arms around her, holding her close for a moment before he leant away, resting his head against hers. “I love you” he fussed, lightly tucking her blonde hair behind her ear.

Nora blushed, still not quite used to hearing those words from him, before he leant up, kissing him gently once more. “I love you too” she mumbled, brushing their noses together.

Gerard smiled a little, enjoying their embrace for a couple of moments, before he pushed himself up to his feet. “I am going to go and get ready for bed” he noted “I’ll see you there in a bit?” he posed.

Nora nodded her head. “Of course” she mused.

Gerard flashed her a small smile before he ducked out of the room, leaving Nora in the quiet nursery. Watching him out of the door, she made sure that he closed it quietly before she leant forwards, quietly checking on Alba as a soft smile appeared on her lips. It had been coming for a while, after Alba had arrived, the question had simply been when Gerard would ask, not if, and whilst Nora had been content to wait, she was pleased that he had asked, even if he had caught her off guard. She was more than happy by the idea of taking another step in their relationship.