If You Love Me

Gently tickling the bottom of Alba’s foot, Nora quirked a small smile, watching as the little girl’s face creased into a soft smile of her own. It was a routine of theirs, with Alba still being a little fussy when it came to sleeping through the night, Nora had developed a habit of getting up early with the little girl so that they could head downstairs without disturbing Gerard, and she had to admit that she enjoyed their morning routine, even if a small part of her missed sleeping in. She had grown to love the quiet mornings that she and Alba spent together.

Lightly brushing her finger over Alba’s tiny foot, she marveled at the soft smile that the little girl wore before she carefully ducked down, pressing a soft kiss against Alba’s forehead. Alba, who’d been quietly staring around the room, stirred a little at the feel of the kiss before she looked up towards her mother, offering her another soft grin.

“I’m not interrupting, am I?”

Nora, who’d been quietly fussing over Alba, shook her head at the sound of Gerard’s voice before she lifted her head, smiling up at him gently. “You’re not” she mused “I was just about to get up and get her some breakfast, but I got a little distracted. She’s got such a cute little smile” she fussed, lightly brushing her fingers through Alba’s dark hair.

Gerard, who was stood in the door way, nodded his head in agreement. “Of course she has” he quipped “She’s got your smile” he enthused, a boyish grin appearing at the corner of his mouth.

Nora cheeks flushed a soft shade of pink at his compliment before she shook her head, turning her attention back towards Alba who laid on the couch, her blue eyes studying the room curiously. “What are you doing up?” she posed “I thought you had a little more time before you had to leave” she added, fiddling with the ends of her hair.

Gerard admired the shy expression on her face for a moment before he stepped a little further into the room, sitting on the couch beside Alba. Offering the little girl a light smile, he pressed a kiss against the top of her head before he flicked his attention towards Nora, carefully capturing the hand of hers which messed shyly with her hair. “I do have a little time” he noted “But I woke up and I figured I could come down here and grab breakfast with the two of you before I started to get ready. Does that sound like a plan?” he quipped, playfully poking Nora’s side.

“I think we could probably cope with that” Nora replied, a soft smile on her face.

Gerard offered her a soft look, admiring the smile on her face for a brief moment before he leant towards her, pressing a gentle kiss against her forehead. “Why don’t you head back upstairs?” he mumbled softly “I’ve got a little time before I need to head off to the airport to meet up with the team, and I think we should use it. Can you quite remember the last time we had breakfast in bed?” he mumbled, gently resting his head against hers.

Nora, who’d closed her eyes at the feet of his lips, quirked a small smile. “That would be before we had this little one” she mused, gesturing towards Alba who sat between them.

Gerard peeked down towards the little girl before he leant forwards, pressing another kiss to Nora’s forehead. “Go” he mumbled “I’ll put together some breakfast and then I’ll join you” he added, tucking a few loose blonde hairs away from her eyes.

Nora hesitated for a moment, briefly contemplating fighting him on it, before she nodded her head, something which made Gerard press another kiss to her head before he made his way out of the room, leaving Nora smiling behind him.

~#~
“So, what have you got planned for the rest of the day?” Gerard posed as he stepped out of the bathroom, towel drying his hair. It had been a quiet morning, with a couple of hours to spare before he was due to meet up with the rest of the team ahead of an away match, Gerard had been keen to spend them with Nora and Alba, and he was pleased that he had, even if they had simply spent their time lounging around in their bedroom, he had enjoyed the quite morning with his girlfriend and their daughter.

Nora, who was cooing softly to Alba, lifted her head, offering him a small shrug. “I think Emmy and my madre plan on coming over a little later to talk about possible venue options, but other than that, I don’t think we have a lot planned. We’ll probably end up watching your match later” she explained.

Gerard, who’d moved to pull on his shirt, nodded. “You’re looking at venues?” he posed curiously. It wasn’t something they’d talked about a lot, aside from picking a date, he knew that Nora had made very little progress when it came to making concrete plans for their wedding, and he wanted to ask about it, wanting to take an interest.

“We’re looking at ideas” Nora mused, lightly adjusting the little sock which sat on Alba’s foot “Is that OK?” she added, peeking up at him gently.

Gerard, who’d moved to pull his shoes onto his feet, frowned a little before he turned around, offering her a soft look. “Why wouldn’t it be OK?” he posed, a furrow in his forehead.

Nora shrugged. “It’s moving pretty quickly” she noted “I mean, you only proposed a few weeks ago, and already we’re making plans. I guess I don’t want you to think that it’s too much too soon” she mumbled, peeking up at him shyly. She knew that it was something they had to do, with a date picked, she knew that the next few months were likely to be full of planning, but she wanted to ensure that Gerard didn’t mind, even if she was sure that they were on the same page. The last thing she wanted was for him to feel overwhelmed.

Gerard admired the shy look on her face for a moment before he let out a soft laugh, something which caused Nora tilt her head in confusion. “You’re laughing” she pointed out “Why are you laughing?” she posed with a frown.

Gerard shook his head before he quirked a small smile, his hand taking a hold of hers. “Because you’re worrying over nothing, nena” he quipped “I like that you want to make plans, Nora. I love that you’re already quite excited about it, and you don’t have to worry about me thinking it is too much. I’d do it tomorrow if we could” he insisted, offering her hand a comforting squeeze. It wasn’t the first time, since he and Nora had gotten together, she had had moments where she had worried more than she needed to, and he wanted to assure her that she had nothing to be concerned about. He was more than happy by the idea that she wanted to make plans for their wedding.

Nora spared him a dubious look, something which made Gerard chuckle before he lifted her hand, pressing a soft kiss against the back of it. “I promise you, I’m excited, Nora” he insisted “Stop worrying so much” he added, flashing her a boyish smile.

Nora glanced at him, a small smile on her lips, before she shook her head. “You know that I am going to be a pain for the next few months, right?” she posed “I mean, I know I have planned things in the past, but nothing bares comparison to this. I am likely to irk you more once” she added, messing with the ends of her hair.

Gerard nodded. “I don’t doubt it” he noted with a cheeky smile that made Nora roll her eyes softly “But I am sure that I can handle it just as long as, at the end of it, you’ll be my wife. It’ll be worth it” he added warmly.

Nora shook her head lightly, allowing his words to hang around them for a few moments, before she offered him a light smile. “I love you” she mused.

Gerard, who’d been playing with her fingers, smiled gently at those three words before he lifted her hand, kissing it softly once more. “I love you too” he noted “And I have to get going. I’ll call you later to say goodnight to Alba?” he posed, pushing himself up to his feet.

Nora watched him up to his feet before she nodded, quipping something about counting down the minutes.

Gerard let out a laugh at her response before he ducked down, pecking her lips briefly before he pressed a kiss against Alba’s head, saying goodbye to her before he stepped out of the room.

Nora watched him out of the door before she turned onto her side, wordlessly noting that she couldn’t wait to take the next step forwards in their relationship. It had been a long time coming, with years of avoiding their feelings behind them, the next step for her and Gerard had been in the works for a while, and she couldn’t wait for it.