If It Gave Us Time

Sleepily scratching the back of his neck, Gerard padded towards the kitchen, his ears filled with the muffled sounds of voices, something which caught him more than a little off guard. He knew that he was a little late to rise, with Barcelona having played a match the night before, he had fully intended to make the most of the day off from training that he’d been given, and he was surprised by the idea that Isla wasn’t alone, not recalling her having mentioned having plans. Ruffling his hair slightly, he spared a quick glance down at himself before he padded into the room, his eyes widening a little at the sight of the two little boys who sat at the kitchen table, excitedly talking to Isla who sat with her back to him.

“Isla?” he prodded.

Isla visibly jumped at the sound of his voice before she turned around, greeting him with a warm smile. “Morning, sleepyhead” she cooed “I wasn’t expecting to see you for a while yet” she added.

Gerard, who’d moved to sit in the seat beside her, shrugged, smirking at her playfully. “Perhaps I couldn’t wait to see you” he quipped.

Isla laughed. “I doubt that’s it” she mused.

Gerard merely offered her another nonchalant shrug before he turned slightly, offering a slightly timid smile to the two boys. “Hola” he greeted softly.

Arthur, the older of the two boys, smiled shyly. “Hola” he replied, waving a little as his little brother tilted his head, eyeing the defender uncertainly.

Isla, who’d been watched them, quirked a faint smile before she lightly cleared her throat, pulling Gerard’s attention back towards her. “It’s Cara and Rodrigo’s anniversary” she mused quietly “And they’ve booked a weekend away. My parents are supposed to be watching these two, but they’ve been out of town for the week and aren’t due back until this evening, so I said I’d keep an eye on them. I know it’s pretty last minute, but Rodrigo’s terrible at forward planning and only sprung it on me this morning. You don’t mind, do you?” she pressed gently.

Gerard smiled a little, not missing the nervous tone of her voice, before he shook his head. “It’s fine” he quipped.

“You’re sure?” Isla poked.

Gerard nodded. “I am” he quipped “And even if I wasn’t, there’s not much you can do about it now. They’re already here” he added.

Isla let out a small laugh, trying to distract him from the slight blush which had appeared on her cheeks, before she leant over, kissing his cheek softly. “Gracias” she mumbled.

Gerard smirked. “Don’t be so surprised” he quipped “We both know that I’m pretty a cool boyfriend” he boasted.

Isla rolled her eyes. “Sure” she played along “Now, do you think you can handle these two by yourself for a few minutes? I need to grab a quick showered and get dressed. I’ll be twenty minutes?” she mused, offering him a slightly uncertain look. She felt bad, she knew that he had had plans for a quiet day off, and she felt bad that Rodrigo’s sudden arrival had disrupted them, and she wanted to ensure that he didn’t mind, not wanting him to feel uncomfortable.

Gerard studied the look on her face before he shook his head, offering her a softer smile. “I’ll be fine” he mused “I mean, I think we can probably come up with something to do whilst you’re gone, can’t we boys?” he added, turning to look at the children.

Arthur grinned at him. “Cartoons!” he announced.

“Jacob?” Isla prodded “Do you want to watch cartoons with Arthur and Gerard?” she asked, smiling a little at the younger boy who still sat close to his brother’s side, his expression more uncertain that his older brother’s.

Jacob stared at her for a second before he nodded his head. “Ok” he murmured quietly.

Isla offered him another small reassuring smile before she shuffled to her feet, stopping only to press a kiss against the top of Gerard’s head. “Thank you for this” she murmured into his hair before she stepped out of the room.

Gerard watched her out of the room before he turned back towards the boys, clapping his hands together with a grin. “Cartoons it is” he quipped.

~#~
Taking a sip from the mug of tea that she held in her hands, Isla quirked a small smile to herself, her eyes watching Gerard who sat a little away from her, messing with the plethora of toys that Jacob and Arthur had set in front of him as the two boys talked to him excitedly. It had surprised her, how quickly both Arthur and Jacob, who tended to be a lot shier than his older brother, had warmed to Gerard had come as a bit of a shock to her, but she couldn’t deny that there was a part of her that had adored seeing it. He was a natural with them and the two boys hadn’t wanted to leave him alone all day.

Smiling gently, she caught Gerard’s eye for a second, something which made him smirk up at her before the sound of the doorbell reached her ears, something which caused her to step out of the room. Padding down the hall, she quickly pulled the door open before she quirked a small smile, greeting her mother and father gently. “Hola” she mused.

“Hola” Eva chirped “We’re sorry we’re late. Our flight was late back” she added.

Isla shook her head as she stepped out of the doorway, allowing her parents to step inside. “It’s fine” she mused.

“How’ve the boys been?” Daniel pressed.

Isla’s face lit up, something that didn’t go unnoticed by Eva who’s face too lit up with a doting smile. “They’ve been fine” she mused “I mean, they were a little quiet when they first got here this morning, but I think they’ve had a pretty great day” she added.

“Even Jacob?” Daniel asked.

Isla nodded before she stepped towards the living room, gesturing inside of it. “See for yourself” she quipped.

Eva and Daniel shared a look before they peeked around the doorframe, their stares settling on Gerard who sat on the floor, happily pushing toy cars around as Arthur and Jacob giggled. Shaking her head, Eva watched them for a moment before she turned to Isla, a familiar doting smile on her lips. “He’s good with them” she mused.

“He is” Isla agreed “And they seem to love him. Even Jacob. He’s hardly stopped talking all day” she added.

Eva smiled. “He’d make a wonderful papa” she prodded.

Isla shrugged, deliberately not meeting her mother’s eyes. “Maybe” she mused.

Eva’s eyes widened a little. “You’re not...are you?” she squeaked.

Isla laughed, shaking her head. “I’m not” she insisted “I just...I don’t know, maybe it’s crossed my mind a little. I mean, don’t get me wrong, I know it’s too early, and I am not about to suggest it, but maybe it’d not be the worst thing to happen eventually” she added, stressing the word ‘eventually’.

Eva just grinned, something which made Isla shake her head. “I’m going to regret admitting that, aren’t I?” she asked.

Daniel shook his head. “I’ll keep her from teasing you too much” he mused “But, it is pretty nice to see you so loved up, baby. I don’t think I’ve seen you this way before” he added softly.

Isla merely shrugged, not quite sure what she could say to that, before the sound of Arthur’s voice reached the group, something which made them turn, watching as the little boy toddled towards his grandparents. “Nana, Grandpa” he chirped.

Eva grinned before she swooped down, greeting her grandson with a flurry of kisses.

Daniel followed after her, moving to greet Jacob, something which left Isla alone for a couple of seconds, her mind whirring at the thought of how serious things between her and Gerard had become in only a few months.