I Know I Was for a While

Gently tugging his tie loose, Lionel quietly pushed the bedroom door closed, his ears plied with soft sounds of Camila moving around the bathroom, almost certainly changing out of the wedding dress that she had been complaining about all day. She had looked beautiful, from the moment that she had stepped into the church, Lionel hadn’t been able to stop himself from marveling at her, and whilst he had loved seeing her in her dress, he had little doubt that she would still look as beautiful once she got changed. She always did.

Smiling to himself, he listened for a few seconds before he padded towards the bed, gently shrugging his jacket from his shoulders.

“I was starting to wonder where you’d gotten to”

Lionel smiled to himself but didn’t turn around, instead opting to pull his tie out from beneath his collar before he put it down beside his jacket. “I was just making sure that your mother had everything” he mused “The last thing I need is your mother calling in the middle of our wedding night to tell me that Oscar won’t sleep because we forget to pack his teddy” he added, toeing off his shoes.

Camila, who was watching him from the bathroom doorway, shook her head, smiling softly to herself. “I checked their bags twice before I gave them to her” she mused “I mean, don’t get me wrong, I love those boys, but tonight...I guess I was hoping for a night which could be just about me and my brand new husband” she added, a small awed laugh falling out of her mouth.

Lionel, who’d moved to untuck his shirt, closed his eyes at the sound of her laugh, relishing the soft sound for a few seconds, before he shook his head, letting out a soft laugh of his own. “Can you say that again?” he asked.

Camila smirked a little before she stepped towards him, gently wrapping her arms around his waist. “My brand new husband” she chirped.

Lionel glanced down at her arms for a split second before he turned around, catching her slightly off guard as he pressed a gentle kiss against her lips. Camila stumbled slightly before she pulled away, letting out a soft laugh. “What was that for?” she teased, trying, and failing, to mask the faint blush which had spread over her cheeks.

Lionel leant in and kissed her again before he leant back, smiling at her gently. “It’s our wedding day” he pointed out “Do I need more of a reason than that?” he asked as he gently lifted a hand, pushing a wave of her hair back off of her face.

Camila leant into his hand before she gently shook her head, turning it slightly so that she could press a soft kiss against his palm. “Of course not” she mused quietly.

Lionel watched her with a small smile, allowing a brief silence to pass between them, before Camila pulled back, gently tucking her hair behind her ears. “I...uh...” she stuttered “I...I have something I want to show you. Wait right here” she added before she stepped away from him, ducking back into the bathroom.

Lionel frowned a little before he took a couple of steps forwards, sitting down at the foot of the bed just as Camila stepped back into the bedroom, a small box clutched in her hands. Lionel blinked a couple of times before he stood up again, his eyes a little wide. “Mila” he spluttered “You’re not...are you?” he added.

Camila frowned a little, confused momentarily by the question, before her face lit up. “No” she announced “I’m not. I just...I wanted you to see something” she added as she gently reached her hand forwards, offering the box out towards him.

Lionel offered her an uncertain look before he took the box out of her hand. Gently tugging the ribbon that she had tied around it loose, he carefully pulled the lid off before he reached inside, pulling out the paper which sat there. “You got me papers as a wedding present?” he quipped “I didn’t know you were so romantic, Mila” he teased, offering her a crooked smile.

Camila shifted on the spot, chewing her lip gently. “Look at them” she encouraged quietly.

Lionel lifted his eyebrow slightly, not missing how her voice sounded slightly nervous, before he gently unfolded the papers, scanning the text for a few seconds before his breathing hitched. “Mila...” he trailed off quietly.

Camila smiled at the awe in his voice before she stepped towards him, taking a seat next to him. “He’s your son” she mused “I mean, maybe not biologically, but in every other sense of the word, Oscar’s your boy, and I guess I just thought it was about time we made it official” she added.

Lionel, who’d been carefully tracing the text with his fingertips, merely shook his head, stuck for anything to say.

Camila wrapped an arm around him, squeezing him softly, before she leant over, kissing his cheek gently. Smiling, she rested her head against his for a moment, before she pushed herself back to her feet. “I’m just going to...”

“Thank you” Lionel croaked quietly, cutting her off.

Camila blinked a couple of times, caught off guard by the sound of his voice, before she turned around, a tearful smile on her face. “I think I should probably be saying that to you” she mused “You...you’re the best thing that could have happened to me. I thought it was Noah, I really did. When I found out about Oscar...I guess I just assumed that things would fall into place and it’d be perfect, but it didn’t, and instead, I got the chance to fall in love with you. You are...you’re an amazing friend, you know that? You’re an amazing partner, and father, and I just...I don’t know that I can ever really express how much I adore you, or how grateful I am for everything that you’ve done for me, and for the boys. I just...” she trailed off as Lionel stood up ahead of her, his thumb lightly brushing a few tears off of her cheek.

Shaking her head, she wiped her eyes gently before she lightly hit his chest, smiling up at him tearfully. “You have no idea how much I love you” she breathed.

Lionel dipped forwards, kissing her forehead and nose gently before he met her lips, kissing her slowly. “I hope it’s as much as I love you” he murmured as he pulled away ever so slightly.

Camila smiled goofily, her nose gently nudging against his. “I love hearing you say that” she whispered.

Lionel stole another soft kiss. “Good” he mumbled “Because you, Mrs Camila Messi, have just signed up to hear that for the rest of your life” he added, kissing her again.

Camila couldn’t help but grin into the kiss before she pulled away, her dark eyes mirroring his. “Sounds good to me” she breathed.