In the End

“So, what do you think?” Ariella posed as she stepped into the living room, her eyes settling cautiously on Estella who sat on the couch, cooing gently to Toby who sat in her arms. It had been a while, since they’d celebrated the holidays, a few weeks had passed, and with Gerard’s birthday having rolled around, Estella had been quick to offer her services as a babysitter, wanting to offer the couple an opportunity to take a night for themselves. She knew that it had been a while, since Toby’s arrival almost two months previous, both Gerard and Ariella had focused all of their time and attention on the little boy, and Estella wanted to encourage them to take a break, even if it was just a couple of hours. She wanted them to take a little time for themselves and enjoy being a couple.

Estella, who was quietly fussing over the baby, looked up at the sound of Ariella’s voice before she quirked a soft smile, her eyes keenly admiring her daughter.

“Gerard’s still getting dressed” Ariella continued, her fingers sheepishly smoothing out her dress a little more “So if there’s something wrong, I’ve still got time to change it. Just say the word” she added, peeking at her mother shyly.

Estella shook her head before she ducked her head slightly, smiling down at Toby. “Your mama’s being silly, isn’t she?” she quipped “She looks beautiful and I think she probably knows it too” she added, grinning at her daughter impishly.

Ariella rolled her eyes, but quirked a slight smile. “You’re not being helpful” she mumbled.

Estella shook her head. “You look amazing, Ella, really” she mused sincerely.

Ariella’s cheeks flushed a soft shade of pink before she mumbled a soft ‘thank you’, something which made Estella smile at her warmly for a few seconds before the sound of footsteps filled the air, causing Ariella to turn, her eyes watching as Gerard stepped into the room, his fingers tucking his tie beneath his collar. Smiling timidly, she looked him and down for a few seconds before she shook her head. “You look nice” she breathed softly.

Gerard, who’d moved to slip his feet into his shoes, looked up at the sound of her voice, offering her a boyish smile. “You think so?” he asked.

Ariella nodded. “You clean up pretty nicely” she mused.

Gerard flashed her another warm smile before he padded a little further into the room, placing a soft kiss on her cheek before he turned his attention towards Estella, offering her a small wave in greeting. “Hola, Estella” he mused.

“Hola, Gerard” Estella replied warmly “And happy birthday” she added.

Gerard smiled gratefully before he spared a glance down at his watch, something which caused Ariella to quirk a small smile, mildly amused by his eagerness to get going. “We should get going” she mused, cutting him off as he prepared to say the same thing “Mama...”

“Me and Toby will be fine” Estella interrupted with a comforting smile “And, should anything happen, not that it will, you’ve given me every phone number I could ever need to contact either one of you. I’ve got this under control, baby, I promise” she insisted.

Ariella offered her a slightly hesitant look before she nodded her head slowly, moving to press a light kiss against the top of Toby’s head. “Mama and papa love you so much, Toby” she mumbled softly “We’ll see you later, little one” she added.

Gerard smiled a little at Ariella’s words before he lifted his head, meeting Estella’s gaze. “We’ll be gone a couple of hours at the most” he mused “Gracias for doing this for us” he added.

Estella merely shook her head. “You don’t have to thank me” she quipped “I get to spend more time with my favourite grandson and the two of you get to head out on a date. It’s a win-win” she grinned.

Gerard breathed out a small laugh at the older woman’s enthusiasm before he took a step forwards, pressing a kiss against the top of Toby’s head before he stepped back, moving to step out of the living room. Ariella followed after him for a couple of paces, sparing a brief hesitant glance over her shoulder, before she ducked out of the room, knowing that the night ahead of them was a good idea.

~#~
“You know, we could have just had dinner at home” Gerard quipped with an impish smile, his blue eyes settled on Ariella who was sat opposite him, trying to subtly glance down towards her phone which she had settled beside her glass of champagne.

It wasn’t the first time that he had caught her, since they’d sat down at the table she had reserved for them, he had caught her glancing at her phone more than once, and he couldn’t resist teasing her a little, knowing that he had been just as bad. It was strange for them both, with that night being the first date they’d been on since Toby had been born, it was the first time that they’d left the infant with a babysitter, and they were both nervous about it, even if they were trying to pretend that they weren’t. He had little doubt that Ariella, much like himself, was itching to get back home and check on the baby.

Ariella blushed before she shook her head, moving to slip her phone into her jacket pocket. “Lo siento” she mumbled “I mean, I know that everything is fine but...”

“I’m not upset with you” Gerard interjected gently “I’m just teasing. I’ve been just as bad” he quipped.

Ariella offered him a slightly dubious look, something which made Gerard chuckle before he reached across the table, pulling her hand to his lips. “We can go” he offered “I mean, if that’s what you want to do” he added, pressing another soft kiss against the back of her hand.

Ariella shook head. “No” she mused.

Gerard lifted an amused eyebrow. “No?” he quipped.

“It’s your birthday and we should celebrate that” Ariella replied firmly “We can order a dessert to share, maybe another couple of glasses of champagne and then we can go home. My mother’s with Toby, she’d call if she needed us, and right now, she doesn’t, meaning we should stay here and make a fuss of you” she added with a smile.

She was tempted, with a large part of her wanting to head home and check on Toby, she had been tempted to accept his offer, but she had opted against it, knowing that that night was an important one. They needed it, even if things were going well between them, they needed a little time to themselves, and she wanted to make the most of it, even if she was itching to get back to Toby. She wanted to let Gerard know that she was still as invested in them as ever.

Gerard smiled before he dropped another kiss against the back of her hand. “I like that sound of that” he enthused.

~#~
Pulling his tie out from beneath his collar, Gerard tossed it onto the bed, his foot knocking the bedroom door closed behind him. It had been a good night, even despite both his and Ariella’s slight impatience to get home, they’d enjoyed a romantic dinner and walk before they’d made it back to their house, and the defender was glad that they’d done it, glad that things between the two of them still seemed as solid as ever. It had been comfortable, the rapport between the two of them had flowed as easily as it ever had, and it pleased the defender, more than glad that things between them seemed as strong as they ever had. Smiling a little to himself, he undid a couple of his shirt buttons before he padded towards the bed, laying back onto the mattress.

“Is Toby sleeping?”

Gerard, who’d draped his arm over his eyes, stirred a little at the sound of Ariella’s voice before he nodded, sitting up slightly before his eyes widened a fraction, settling on where she stood in the doorway, dressed only in her underwear. Blinking a couple of times, he looked her up and down, something which caused Ariella’s cheeks to flush pink as she looked down at her feet shyly. “I...uh...I left my pajamas out here” she babbled shyly “I’d already taken my dress off by the time I noticed and I thought...”

“You’re so beautiful” Gerard breathed, cutting her off.

Ariella’s already pink cheeks flushed a shade deeper, something which made Gerard chuckle softly before he pushed himself back to his feet, taking a couple of steps towards her. Smiling gently, he cupped his hand around her cheek before he tipped her head back, allowing him to press a soft kiss against her lips. Ariella kissed him back for a couple of seconds before she pulled back, smiling up at him shyly. “Happy birthday, mi amor” she fussed softly.

Gerard smiled gently back at her and mumbled a soft a ‘thank you’ before he leant into her, kissing her gently once more as he attempted to guide her backwards towards the bed. Ariella smiled into the kiss, giggling a little as she stumbled backwards, before she pulled back from him slightly, her hand gently cupping his cheek as she guided his stare down to hers. “I love you” she breathed, taking another couple of steps backwards.

Gerard, who’d mimicked her steps, grinned at those three words. “I love you too” he replied.