In the End

Pulling her damp hair up into a loose ponytail, Ariella quirked a soft smile, her blue eyes staring across the swimming pool towards where Gerard sat, gently soothing Toby to sleep in the shade. It had been a few days, after she and Gerard had taken a weekend away for just the two of them, they’d travelled back to Barcelona for a couple of days before they’d headed away for a family holiday, and Ariella had to admit that it was the most relaxed that she had felt in a while, even if she knew it was only a matter of time before they headed back to the city. She was keen to make the most of the break.

She knew what awaited them when they got home, with them having settled on a date for their wedding, she knew that they’d start planning for it when they got home, and whilst a large part of her was looking forwards to planning, a small part of her was keen to enjoy the time that they had left, wanting to relax before the stress of planning a wedding hit.

Gently pushing a few strands of damp hair behind her ear, she watched the two of them for a few seconds before she dropped her stare, watching her feet in the water ahead of her,

“What’s your mama smiling at, eh?”

Ariella, who’d been quietly watching the ripples of the water, rolled her eyes a little at the teasing sound of Gerard’s voice before she picked her head up, shaking it slightly. “You know why I am smiling” she quipped “And I know you know it. You don’t have to sound so smug” she added playfully.

Gerard smirked before he leant down slightly, pressing a soft kiss against the top of Toby’s head. “I think your mama thinks we’re cute, Toby” he teased, peeking towards Ariella who offered him another roll of her eyes before she pushed herself up to her feet.

Pulling her wrap around her shoulders, she padded around the edge of the pool before she sat down at the end of his sun lounger, her fingers delicately adjusting the sunhat which sat on the top of Toby’s head. Smiling gently, she watched the little boy blink sleepily for a few seconds before she lifted her head, catching Gerard’s stare as he smiled down at her. “You think I am cute too” she teased, her cheeks flushing a light shade of pink.

Gerard merely grinned at her, something which made Ariella chew on her lip for a second before Toby let out a soft grumble, something which pulled both of his parents’ attention down towards him. “I should take him inside” Ariella mumbled as she moved to take the little boy into her arms “It’s cooler in the nursery, isn’t it” she added.

Gerard nodded. “I think so” he mused “You want a hand?” he asked.

Ariella shook her head. “I am sure that I can handle it” she noted “Besides, he’s almost asleep anyway. I should be right back” she added, sparing a look down towards Toby who sat in her arms, his eyes closing tiredly.

Gerard followed the line of her stare, marveling at the sight of their son, before he nodded his head, moving to press another kiss against the top of Toby’s head. “Sweet dreams, little one” he mumbled softly, his fingers gently smoothing out Toby’s dark hair.

Ariella, who’d been watching the interaction between the two of them, smiled up at him gently before she pushed herself up onto her toes, pressing a swift kiss against his cheek before she padded back towards their villa. Gerard watched her up the patio before he shook his head, smiling gently to himself. He knew that it wouldn’t be long before they were back in Barcelona, with him needing to eventually get back to training and a wedding to plan, their return to the city was unavoidable, but he was keen to make the most of the next few days, wanting to enjoy the time that he had alone with Toby and Ariella.

~#~
Gently readjusting her wrap around her shoulders, Ariella leant back in her seat slightly, a soft smile on her face as she watched Toby sleep quietly in his crib. It had been a while, after Toby had dropped off to sleep, she had spent almost half an hour sat in the nursery, merely watching him sleep, but she couldn’t quite will herself to get up and leave, even if she had promised Gerard that she wouldn’t be gone for too long. She didn’t quite want to leave the sleeping baby alone. Chewing on her lip, she felt her smile widen as Toby made a small sound in his sleep before the sound of a light cough reached her ears, causing her to look over her shoulder at Gerard who leant against the doorframe, a teasing smile on his face.

“I thought you said you’d be right back?” he quipped.

Ariella shrugged. “I would have been” she mumbled “But I sort of got caught up in watching him sleep. I mean, don’t get me wrong, I loved our weekend away, but I...”

“I missed him too” Gerard finished for her.

Ariella nodded her head before Toby let out another sound, something which pulled her attention back towards the crib.

Gerard watched her with a soft smile for a few seconds before he padded little deeper into the room, dropping a soft kiss on the top of her head. “We made a beautiful baby, Ella” he enthused softly.

Ariella tilted her head back and smiled up at him, offering him a nod. “We did” she agreed, bashfully looking down toward her feet.

Gerard, who’d sat down on the arm of the chair that she sat in, pressed another soft kiss against the top of her head, allowing a few moments of silence to pass between them before he gently nudged her side. “You ever think about having another one?” he posed.

Ariella blinked a couple of times before she looked up at him, her head tilted slightly. “Another...another baby?” she asked.

Gerard nodded. “I think it would be nice” he mused earnestly “I mean, not right now, of course, but one day...Toby would make a wonderful big brother” he enthused with a shy laugh. He knew that he had surprised her, the look on her face spoke volumes to him and confided that the topic was one that she hadn’t been expecting him to broach, but he wanted to let her know that it had crossed his mind, even if it was a distant idea. The prospect of, eventually, welcoming a second baby was one which made him smile.

Ariella was quiet for a second, mulling over his words, before she quirked a small shy smile. “You think about that?” she asked.

Gerard shrugged nonchalantly. “A little” he quipped “I mean, I know that it’s not something which is going to happen now, and with a wedding in the offing, I wouldn’t want it to, but if...eventually...you did fall pregnant again, I think I’d be pretty happy. I mean, this is it, right? Me and you are for keeps” he explained.

Ariella giggled shyly at his words, still a little in awe of the idea that they were so serious about one another, before she nodded her head. “Marry me first” she mused.

Gerard lifted an eyebrow. “What?” he asked.

“Marry me first” Ariella repeated “And then we can talk about maybe, eventually, giving Toby a baby brother or sister” she clarified with a small smile before she pushed herself to her feet. Pressing a couple of swift kisses against his lips, she offered him another beaming smile before she padded out of the room, musing about wanting to take a swim whilst their son napped. Gerard grinned after her for a moment before he followed quickly, amazed by how well things had been going between them since he had proposed.