In the End

Bunching her shirt up slightly, Ariella quirked a sheepish smile, her eyes admiring the reflection of her stomach in the mirror. There wasn’t too much to look at, unless she was looking for it, the new roundness of her stomach was almost undetectable, but she couldn’t but smile whenever she looked at it, still a little in awe of the idea that they were expecting. It had surprised her, from the moment that her doctor had placed the test kit into her hands, she hadn’t quite been able to wrap her head around it, but after their visit to Jessica, she had relaxed a little more, reassured that things were progressing well.

Adjusting her grip on her shirt slightly, she gently brushed a thumb over the small bump of her stomach before she felt a hand against her side, something which caused her to smile, her eyes looking up at Gerard who’d appeared at her side, his seemingly immovable smile affixed to his face. “What are you doing?” he asked quietly, his thumb lightly tracing up and down her bare side.

Ariella’s cheeks flushed a soft shade of pink at the feel of his thumb against her skin before she shook her head, quietly diverting her eyes down towards her feet. “What does it look like I am doing?” she mumbled.

Gerard smiled, admiring the soft hint of colour on her cheeks, before he leant down, pressing a soft kiss against the warm skin. “I didn’t mean to intrude” he quipped “But I thought I’d come and let you know that your mother and Stefan are downstairs. Apparently, they didn’t come over to have lunch with just me and they thought it’d be a good idea if I came up here to get you” he added, his voice playful and sarcastic.

Ariella, who’d moved to straighten out her shirt, scoffed. “You want to spend the afternoon with my mother and stepfather alone?” she asked.

“It wouldn’t be so bad” Gerard played along, a wide smirk on his face “But you should probably put in an appearance. I mean, it’s your mother’s birthday and you’re her only child. I think she’d probably appreciate seeing you at some point. Besides, haven’t you got something you want to give to her?” he asked, sparing a brief look over towards the white envelope that Ariella had left on the top of her dresser.

It hadn’t been very long, after they’d had their first appointment with their midwife, a little over a week had passed, but with Estella’s birthday having arrived, and Jessica having insisted that the pregnancy was progressing as it should be, they’d decided to tell the grandmother-to-be about Ariella’s pregnancy, something Gerard knew Ariella was looking forwards to. He wanted to wait, with little to no sign of a noticeable bump, he wanted to make the most of the pregnancy being their little secret for as long as he could, but he knew that Ariella was excited about sharing the news, and he had opted to go along with her, still a little surprised that she was so excited about the idea of them having a baby.

Ariella, who’d moved to pull her hair into a messy bun, followed the line of his stare before she shook her head, sparing a look up at him. “You can still change your mind” she mused “I’ve got another card somewhere. I can write it out and we can...”

“We should give her that one” Gerard interrupted “I mean, we didn’t get her another present” he added, a half-smile on his face.

Ariella smiled up at him gently before she pushed herself up onto her toes, pressing a soft kiss against his cheek before she stepped past him, making her way out of the room. Gerard hesitated for a moment before he stepped towards the dresser, lifting the envelope up into his hands before he followed after Ariella.

~#~
“So, what do you two have planned for the rest of the day?” Ariella asked as she stepped into the living room, settling a mug of tea down ahead of both Estella and Stefan. It had been a good afternoon, with both her mother keen to make the most of being made a fuss of, the lunch that she and Stefan had had with Ariella and Gerard had been light hearted and fun, and Ariella was pleased by it, even if a small part of her was slightly nervous about the birthday card that she and Gerard had yet to present to the older woman. She was confident that her mother’s good mood would only be enhanced by the card’s content.

Estella, who’d been quietly perusing a magazine that Ariella had left on the coffee table, shrugged. “I don’t know” she mused “I mean, I keep asking him, but all he ever says is that I have to wait. That it’s a surprise” she added, sparing a brief glare towards Stefan.

Stefan smirked. “You can keep glaring” he quipped “I know how much you love surprises, Estella” he added.

Estella snorted out a laugh, but didn’t reply, affording Ariella and Gerard the chance to share a brief glance, wordlessly agreeing that that was the right moment. Quirking a timid smile, Ariella gently pushed herself up to her feet before she padded out of the room, returning seconds later with a white envelope in her hands. “Before I forget, mama” she quipped “Me and Gerard, we got you something” she added, extending the envelope out towards Estella.

Estella quirked an eyebrow before she reached out, taking the envelope out of Ariella’s hands before she tore the top off, slipping out the birthday card which read ‘Happy Birthday Grandma’. “Grandma?” she snorted “I know I am not a spring chicken anymore, Ella, but this is a little harsh, even for you. And Gerard. I expected better” she quipped, her voice warm and teasing.

Ariella and Gerard merely smiled at her, not wanting to ruin the moment.

Estella rolled her eyes playfully before she flicked the card open, her eyes landing on the black and white image which had been taped inside. Frowning, she stared at the picture for a couple of seconds before she lifted her head, looking up at her daughter. “What is this?” she breathed.

Ariella’s smile widened at her surprise. “It looks like a sonogram to me” she mused “What do you think, Geri?” she posed.

“It’s what it looks like to me” Gerard played along.

Estella merely gawked at the pair of them, something which made Ariella giggle softly, her fingers timidly playing with the ends of her hair. “Happy birthday, mama” she breathed.

Estella flicked her stare between the couple and sonogram for a few moments before she turned to look at Stefan. “I’m awake, right?” she asked.

Stefan laughed. “Very much so” he replied.

Estella nodded, allowing a moment of silence to hang over the group, before she breathed out a shaky laugh. “I’m...I’m going to be a grandmother?” she breathed.

Ariella nodded. “In about six months, yeah” she confirmed sheepishly.

Estella took another second, trying to digest the words, before she ushered herself to her feet, wrapping both Gerard and Ariella in a tight hug. “I’m going to be a grandmother” she repeated “You’re going to be parents” she fussed as she stepped back, her hand lightly touching Ariella’s stomach.

Ariella marveled at her mother, admiring the soft grin she wore, before she wrapped her in another hug, something Estella didn’t hesitate in returning, fussing quietly about how amazing the news of her daughter’s pregnancy was. Gerard watched the two of them briefly before he moved to shake Stefan’s hand, greeting his congratulations with a small smile before he felt his weight being pulled back towards Estella who was quick to wrap him in another enthusiastic hug, making Ariella giggle gently, glad that the news had gone down so well.