The Things That You Do

Gently knocking the front door closed behind him, Lionel rested his weight back against it, a small relieved smile playing at the corner of his mouth. It had been a while, with Barcelona having had a few pre-season matches across America, it had been a couple of weeks since he had been home, and he was pleased to be back, even if a couple of weeks wasn’t the longest period of time. He was more than looking forwards to the opportunity to see both Alexa and Zachary face to face. They had handled it well, with him having been in America, the time difference had made catching each other difficult, and whilst they’d managed to catch each other frequently, he was more than glad to be home, looking forwards to seeing Alexa and Zachary in person rather than via a screen.

Resting his head back against the door, he listened to the quiet which filled the house for a few moments before the distant sound of Zachary’s giggles filled the air, something which caused his smile to widen a fraction before he pushed himself away from the door, padding through the house towards the sound. Reaching the backdoor, he stepped into the doorway before he stopped, his dark eyes settling on Alexa who stood in the middle of the lawn, holding onto Zachary’s hands as she attempted to lead him through a few steps.

Quirking a small smile, he watched the two of them for a few moments before he cleared his throat, something which caused Alexa’s head to whip up, her blue eyes widening at the sight of him. “I’ve not missed it, have I?” he posed, nodding towards Zachary who wobbled a little on his feet.

Alexa blinked a couple of times, surprised to see him, before she shook her head, a soft smile appearing at the corner of her lips. “You haven’t” she mused “I mean, we’re getting a little closer, he can pull himself up now, but he’s not quite mastered taking a step. I imagine he’s been waiting on his papa” she added as she ducked down, lifting the little boy into her arms before she padded towards the patio, stopping a little ahead of Lionel.

Lionel stared at her for a few moments before he breathed out a soft laugh, something which made Alexa giggle gently before she stepped towards him, greeting him with a soft kiss. Lionel smiled into the kiss, noting just how much he had missed it, before he gently pulled back, resting his forehead against hers. “I’m taking that kiss as your way of saying you’re glad to see me” he quipped playfully.

Alexa scoffed, but didn’t deny it, something which made Lionel laugh softly before he leant into her, sneaking another quick kiss. “For what it is worth” he murmured between light kisses “I’m pretty glad to see you. All three of you” he added, his dark eyes briefly glancing down towards her stomach before he took a step back, allowing him to lift Zachary out of Alexa’s arms.

Alexa followed the line of his stare, smiling a little at the sight of her pronounced baby bump, before she offered her hand back towards him. “Me and Zach were about to head inside for some lunch” she mused “I mean, I wasn’t expecting you to be back so early, but I don’t we’d mind having you join us too much” she added impishly.

Lionel, who’d been quietly cooing at Zachary, smiled a little at her teasing before he placed his hand in hers. “I’d love that” he enthused.

~#~
“How was your trip?”

Lionel, who was sat on the grass playing with Zachary, jumped a little at the sound of Alexa’s voice before he turned, looking up towards where she stood on the patio, one of Zachary’s jumpers held in her hands. It had been a pleasant afternoon, with Lionel keen to spend time with Alexa and Zachary, he had been quick to suggest that they make the most of the warm summer sunshine, and it clear that both Alexa and Zachary had enjoyed themselves, something which made the argentine smile. He had missed them, despite the copious phone calls that they had shared, he had missed spending time with the two of them, and he had enjoyed their afternoon, even if they hadn’t ventured too far. He was merely glad to be home.

“It was useful” he replied “I mean, we got some training under our belts and a couple of matches, it’s all useful for the start of the season, but I missed being here. How are you doing?” he asked gently.

Alexa, who’d moved to wrap Zachary’s jumper around his shoulders, shrugged. “I’m OK” she mused, offering Lionel a soft smile.

Lionel offered her a dubious look, wordlessly asking if she was sure, before he gently reached his hand out, settling it against her stomach. “How is she doing?” he posed, his voice softening a little as the word ‘she’ slipped out of her mouth. It still felt strange, the idea that they were expecting a little girl was one which hadn’t quite settled in for him, but he knew that he was excited about it, even if he couldn’t quite wrap his head around it. He knew that he couldn’t wait to meet their little girl.

Alexa smiled, not missing the change in his voice, before she gently placed her hand over his, her thumb lightly brushing against his warm skin. “She’s fine” she enthused softly “I mean, she’s not as active as Zach was when I was pregnant with him, but she kicks every now and again. Eva’s thrilled with how she’s doing” she added, her voice warm and comforting.

“She is?” Lionel posed, not shifting his eyes away from the pronounced bump which was visible beneath the t-shirt she wore.

Alexa, who was gently tracing patterns against the back of his hand, quirked a small smile before she nodded. “She’s got a good heartbeat” she mused “And she’s grown a lot since the last scan. If you want, I can show you the DVD later” she added.

Lionel quirked a small smile. “I’d love that” he enthused.

Alexa offered his hand a soft squeeze before she felt something tug at the bottom of her jeans, pulling her attention down towards Zachary who’d pulled himself up to his feet. Quirking a small smile, she gently knelt down at his side before she took his hand, helping him to steady himself. “Are you going to walk to papa?” she cooed, sparing a brief glance towards Lionel who’d moved a couple of steps away.

Zachary stood for a couple of seconds, trying to balance on his feet, before he took a couple of shaky steps, stopping a little ahead of Lionel who was quick to wrap him up in a soft hug. “That’s my boy” he fussed as he lifted the little boy above his head, something which made Zachary squeak with laughter.

Alexa watched the two of them for a moment before she stepped forwards, settling down at Lionel’s side before she leant towards him, pressing a soft kiss against his cheek as she mumbled a soft ‘welcome home’. Lionel smiled at the feel of her lips against his skin before he shook his head, more than glad to be back.