Where We Are

“You do know that this isn’t the first time that you’ve built on of these, right?”

Iker, who was sat in the middle of the living room floor, rolled his eyes at the sound of Maia’s voice before he lifted his head, settling his eyes on where she stood in the doorway, an amused smirk pulling at the corner of her mouth. It had been a while, after they’d discussed what happened next for their little family, a couple of months had passed, and with Maia’s due date approaching rapidly, Iker had started to get their home ready for the new arrival, more than slightly excited by the prospect of their little family getting bigger. It was still a little way away, Maia’s due date was towards the end of July and the month had only just started, but still Iker wanted to be prepared, wanting things to be ready just in case she went into labour earlier than they were expecting.

“I am aware of that” Iker quipped “But it’s still not a forte of mine. Besides, I thought I could get it done in peace before you woke up from your nap” he added, offering her a small playful smirk as she stepped a little further into the room, settling awkwardly down onto the floor opposite him.

Maia, who’d moved to readjust her shirt, rolled her eyes slightly before she shook her head, offering him a small glare. “I wasn’t that bad” she noted.

Iker scoffed amusedly. “I remember a lot of yelling” he countered.

Maia rolled her eyes once more. “We got it done, didn’t we?” she quipped, pushing her hair behind her ear.

“We did” Iker confirmed “And it was a good job too. Less than a week later, you went into labour” he added, his voice softening slightly.

Maia, who’d moved to read through the instruction pamphlet, smiled a little at the soft tone of his voice before she lifted her head, her blue eyes peeking up into his darker ones. “I still remember the look on your face when my waters broke” she quipped as she gently shuffled herself towards him, her hand helping to settle his against her bump.

Iker smiled at the feel of her bump beneath his hand before he lightly shifted his thumb, tracing it back and forth over her stomach. “She caught us off guard” he noted.

Maia let out a soft laugh, but didn’t say a word, her blue eyes simply watching the light movement of thumb over her stomach.

Iker marveled at the soft sound of her laugh before he ducked forwards, gently pressing a kiss against the top of her head. “Have you started to think about names yet?” he murmured quietly, not wanting to disturb the comfortable atmosphere which filled the room. The apartment was quiet, with Maia’s due date approaching, Carolina and Hector had been quick to offer to help out a little when it came to looking after Ella, and Iker was grateful for the help, even if Maia had fought him on it when he had suggested it. He simply wanted to ensure that the last few weeks of her pregnancy were as calm and as comfortable as they could.

Maia, who’d moved to play with the hem of his t-shirt quietly, shrugged. “I’ve given it a little thought” she noted “And there are a few that I am keen on, but I’ve not settled on one name that I love yet. What about you?” she asked as she pushed herself up slightly, moving to sit between his legs as she rested her back against his chest.
Iker smiled a little, amused by how affectionate she was, before he tilted his head, resting it in the space between her neck and her shoulder as his arms settled around her waist. “I’ve got a couple of names in mind” he noted, tracing soothing circles into her bump with the pad of his thumb.

Maia smiled gently at the feel of his thumb before she leant her head against his, closing her eyes. “You want to share them?” she asked.

“I’ll tell you mine if you tell me yours” Iker replied impishly.

Maia let out another small laugh before she shook her head. “Alright” she noted “I like the name Charlie, but I also like Marco or Theo. What about you?” she asked.

Iker smiled gently before he dipped down, pressing a soft kiss against her shoulder. “Benjamin” he noted “That’s the one I like the most, but I’ve got a couple more than I like the sound of. I was thinking about Caleb or Oliver” he added, pressing another soft kiss against the material of her shirt.

Maia’s cheeks warmed a little at the feel of the soft kisses before opened her eyes, turning to look up at him. “They’re not half bad” she quipped teasingly.

Iker rolled his eyes playfully, something which made Maia giggle before she craned her neck, pressing a quick kiss against his lips. Iker flinched, not quite expecting the soft kiss, but he was quick to respond to it, kissing her back happily for a few seconds before he leant back, neatly tucking a few strands of her dark hair off of her face. “We’ve still got time” he murmured “He’s not due for another four weeks” he added.

“Four weeks is no time at all” Maia pointed out.

Iker nodded. “I know” he noted “But I like to think we’re pretty prepared this time around. It’s not exactly our first time” he added, his voice warm and reassuring. He knew that there was a part of her that was nervous, the idea of having two children under the age of two was one which seemed daunting, but Iker was confident that they’d make it work, even if it did take them some time to adapt. Adapting to their situation was one of the things that he and Maia did best.

Maia offered him a soft look, allowing his words to hang around them for a couple of seconds, before she shook her head, a light smile playing at the corner of her mouth. “You’re pretty good at being reassuring” she noted.

Iker offered her a nonchalant shrug. “It’s a skill” he quipped impishly.

Maia rolled her eyes slightly before the sound of her phone filled the air, causing her to let out a soft groan. “That’s going to be my madre calling to tell me that they’re on the way back” she noted.

Iker nodded. “You should probably get it” he noted.

Maia nodded her head before she reached her hands out ahead of her, something which made Iker chuckle before he pushed himself up to his feet. Shaking his head, he moved to take a hold of her hands before he pulled her back to her feet, something which made Maia grin brightly. “What would I do without you, eh?” she quipped playfully before she pressed a quick kiss against his cheek, ducking out of the room.

Iker watched her out of the room before he shook his head, slightly in awe of how well things were going between the two of them. It had taken them a while, when Maia had first arrived back in his life, things between them had been awkward and uncomfortable, but Iker couldn’t help but be proud of the way things had changed. They were comfortable, settled, and he hoped that it remained that way. He liked the way things were going.