I Know I Was for a While

81: I Couldn’t Be Happier That I Was Wrong

“Are you actually going to sit down so that we can get started?” Camila quipped from her spot on the couch, her dark eyes watching Lionel who stood a little away from her, putting up the last banner that she’d given to him. It had been a while, after Sam’s arrival, a couple of months had passed, and with Oscar’s second birthday having arrived, Camila and Lionel were keen to celebrate it, even if there was a small part of them that still found themselves wary about having Noah’s parents around. Neither one of them was prepared to cut down on the celebrations just because of a little awkwardness.

Lionel, who’d been pinning the banner to the wall, rolled his eyes to himself before he turned, shaking his head as he spotted the teasing smile that lit up Camila’s face. “I thought you wanted me to finish with these decorations?” he quipped.

“I do” Camila replied “But I also want to open a few presents with Oscar before people start showing up. I thought you might want to join us, but if you’d rather keep putting up banners...” she trailed off, her voice warm and playful.

Lionel rolled his eyes before he padded towards the couch, plopping down into the seat beside Oscar who was happily watching cartoons, his favorite teddy bear clutched in his hands. Quirking a small smile, Lionel watched the little boy for a couple of seconds before he shifted his stare slightly, catching Camila staring at the two of them. Holding her stare for a moment, he allowed his soft smile to grow into a slightly teasing smirk, before he shook his head, moving to flick off the television.

Oscar, who’d been watching the screen, frowned a little before he turned his head, looking up at Lionel. “Papa” he complained.

Lionel shook his head. “I’ll put it back on in a minute” he mused “But, first, me and your mama want to give you a couple of presents. It’s your birthday, Oscar” he added, sparing a brief glance up towards Camila who’d moved to collect her video camera.

Oscar pouted, not liking that his cartoons had been turned off, before he shuffled towards Lionel, allowing the argentine to lift him up, settling him in his lap before he leant forwards, lifting up one of the neatly wrapped gifts which sat on the coffee table ahead of him. Oscar watched him hold the present out ahead of him before he tilted his head, looking up at Lionel curiously. “Mine?” he asked.

Lionel let out a quiet laugh before he nodded. “Yours” he confirmed.

Oscar grinned before he reached his hands out, pulling at the wrapping paper until it tore.

Lionel helped him, tugging the paper off of the present, before he settled it into Oscar’s hands, something which made the little boy babble excitedly. Grinning, he joined in fussing over the toy that he and Camila had bought for him before the sound of Sam’s cries filled the air, something which caused him to look up, his dark eyes meeting Camila’s. “You want me to go?” he asked.

Camila merely shrugged, her teeth chewing on her lip.

Lionel rolled his eyes playfully before he quickly pushed himself up to his feet, moving to place Oscar into his mother’s arms. “I’ll be right back” he mused before he stepped out of the room, returning a couple of minutes later with Sam grumbling quietly in his arms. Stepping back into the room, he moved to sit down on the couch before he patted the spot next to him. “Come on, Oscar” he encouraged “You’ve still got a lot more presents to open” he added warmly.

Oscar, who’d wiggled out of Camila’s arms, grinned before he moved to clamber up onto the sofa, quickly grabbing a hold of another present.

Camila watched him for a couple of seconds, smiling a little at the sound of Lionel’s fussing, before she gently shook her head, something which caught Lionel’s attention, causing him to tilt his head to the side, wordlessly asking what she was thinking. “Nothing” she mused, trying, and failing, to hide the hint of pink which had spread across her cheeks.

Lionel offered her a slightly dubious look, but didn’t follow up, instead opting to turn his attention back towards Oscar who was enthusiastically chattering about the toy he held in his hands, a sight which made Camila grin, not sure she would ever grow tired of watching her three boys together.

~#~
Lightly ruffling his dark hair, Lionel rested back into his seat, his dark eyes watching who laid in the crib at his side, his eyes blinking tiredly. It had been a long day, with Camila having planned out a birthday party for Oscar, the house seemed to have been busy for hours, and whilst Lionel had enjoyed celebrating Oscar’s birthday, he was grateful for the quiet that his taking Sam upstairs for his nap had provided.

It was still daunting to him, despite the fact that he and Camila had been together for almost two years, the idea of being around Lucille, or Isabel and Victor who’d spent most of the afternoon with his girlfriend and Oscar, was still something which made him nervous, and he was grateful for a few minutes away from them, even if he knew that he’d have to head back downstairs at some point. He was keen to take as much time as he could before he ventured back down.

Tilting his head back slightly, he watched Sam stir a little before he closed his eyes, something which made Lionel smile softly before the sound of the bedroom door opening reached his ears, causing him to turn, his forehead creasing slightly as he spotted Lucille in the doorway. “Is everything Ok?” he asked.

Lucille smiled. “Everything’s fine” she confirmed “I was just coming from the bathroom and I thought I’d pop in. If you want me to go...” she trailed off.

Lionel cleared his throat awkwardly before he shook his head, fixing the most confident smile he could muster onto his face. “I don’t mind you sticking around” he noted.

Lucille offered him a playfully dubious look, but didn’t say anything, instead opting to allow a couple of beats of silence to pass between the two of them.

Lionel shifted slightly in his seat, unsettled by the quiet, before he let out another light cough. “Where are Mila and Oscar?” he asked.

“Downstairs” Lucille replied “The last time I saw them, Mila was making small talk with some of your friends and Oscar was running around with Victor. He’s a bundle of energy today” she fussed warmly.

Lionel let out a laugh. “Mila promised him a piece of cake” he noted “He’s particularly excited because it’s a chocolate cake. She baked it for him herself” he explained.

Lucile smiled knowingly, allowing a few more moments of silence to pass between them, before she shook her head, pushing her hair off of her face.

Lionel tilted his head, smiling gently. “Mila does that” he noted.

“Hm?” Lucille hummed.

“She pushes her hair out of her face like you do” Lionel clarified “It’s a nervous thing” he added.

Lucille quirked another small smile before she gently shook her head, once more pushing her hair off of her face. “I just...I was so worried about you” she babbled quietly “Before you and Camila got together, that is. I remember how broken up she was when things with...when she and him broke up, and I remember worrying that if she developed feelings for you, then it probably wouldn’t last, but look at you now. You’re the best thing that could have happened” she fussed.

Lionel frowned. “You were worried about that?” he asked.

Lucille nodded. “I worried about it a lot” she confirmed “I mean, I worried for Camila, I worried for the baby, and I worried for you, thinking you could get hurt, but I am so relieved, so thrilled to have been wrong about it. I don’t know if I can put into words how glad I am that you came along, and I am certain that I can’t explain how much Camila loves you, but I just...I wanted to say that I am glad to have been wrong about the two of you. You’re an amazing couple, an amazing little family, and I, for one, am counting down the days until you two make it up the aisle and I get to welcome you into my family officially. My husband...he’d have adored you, and I just want you to know that. Gracias, Leo, for making my little girl so happy” she added, her voice caught between warm and soft.

She knew that it didn’t need to be said, since Camila and Lionel had officially started to date, she had been nothing but welcoming towards the argentine, but she wanted him to know that she was glad that he’d come along, even if she had worried that he could become a rebound for Camila after the way things had ended with Noah. His being there for Camila, his support and ultimately, his love for her, had been a large part of how Camila had coped so well throughout her first pregnancy and of how happy she had been for the past couple of years.

Lionel quirked a timid smile. “You think he would have done?” he asked gently.

Lucille nodded without a second of hesitation. “I know he would have done” she mused.

Lionel grinned at her bashfully, something which made Lucille smile softly before she stepped towards him, pressing a soft kiss against his cheek. “Keep doing what you’re doing, Messi” she mused gently.

Lionel glanced down at his feet, trying, and failing, to hide the blush on his cheeks, before the sound of a knock at the door reached his ears, causing him to whip his head, his gaze landing on Camila who stood in the doorway, her eyebrow arched as her dark eyes sparkled playfully. “Am I interrupting?” she teased.

Lionel spluttered out a small laugh, something which made Camila and Lucille laugh lightly. “Any chance of you coming back downstairs?” Camila asked “I mean, I think Victor would appreciate someone taking over from him in playing tag with Oscar and who better than you?” she added, her voice light and cheerful.

Lionel nodded and quickly climbed out of his chair. “I’ll head back down now” he mused before he stepped past her, out of the room.

Camila watched him step past before she turned to her mother, cocking her head slightly to the side. “Everything Ok with you two?” she asked.

Lucille nodded. “Everything’s fine” she mused “I was just letting him know what I thought of him” she added.

“And?” Camila prodded curiously.

Lucille grinned before she stepped towards Camila, pressing a soft kiss against her cheek. “And” she mused “You know how wonderful he is and I just wanted him to know that I know it too, even if I did have a few worries to begin with. He proved them wrong and I am glad he did. I doubt I could ask for a lovelier son-in-law” she fussed before she stepped away, leaving Camila grinning shyly to herself.