If It Gave Us Time

Gently settling Maddie down in her crib, Isla sat up slightly, watching quietly as the little girl stirred sleepily. It had been a long day, with her and Gerard skirting around one another, and both sets of parents having arrived to meet Maddie for the first time, Isla’s thoughts had been preoccupied for most of the day, and she was grateful for a few seconds of quiet. Gently pushing her glasses up her nose, she watched as Maddie drifted off to sleep before she leant back slightly, allowing her weight to fall back against the mattress with a small sigh.

“Did I miss saying goodnight to her?”

Isla, who’d squeezed her eyes closed for a few seconds, blinked them open again, staring up at Gerard who stood in the doorway, glancing past her towards Maddie’s crib. Sitting up a little, she shook her head gently before quirked a faint smile, following his stare towards the baby. “I put her down a little early” she murmured “I think she got a bit over excited with all the new people around and she started to get pretty grumpy, so I thought I’d try and get her to sleep. I thought she’d fight me a little more, but she fell asleep pretty quickly” she added.

Gerard nodded, but didn’t say anything, instead opting to quietly step towards the crib. Stopping, he leant over the railing and touched a light kiss to the top of Maddie’s head. “Buenos noches, sweetheart” he murmured softly.

Isla watched him quietly for a few seconds before she cleared her throat, causing him to lift his head, his blue eyes mirroring hers. “You’re back late” she murmured, twisting a piece of her hair around her finger nervously.

Gerard nodded, diverting his stare back down towards Maddie. “I forgot I had a couple of meetings this afternoon” he mumbled “I should have texted to let you know. Were my parents here for long?” he asked.

“An hour and a half, maybe?” Isla replied “They were pretty reluctant to leave, though. They’re pretty smitten with Maddie” she added.

Gerard smiled faintly, his fingertips gently smoothing out the little tufts of blonde hair which sat on the top of Maddie’s head.

Isla hesitated for a moment, trying to think of the right thing to say to him, before she shook her head, gently readjusting her glasses. “I was speechless” she murmured softly “This morning, when you...when you asked me what you asked me, you have no idea how surprised that left me. I didn’t even know you’d given it any thought, so to see you there, actually having asked me...I couldn’t quite process it” she added, letting out a shaky breath.

Gerard didn’t look up, but did nod, showing her that he was listening.

“I’ve thought about it a lot” Isla continued, each word careful and considered “I mean, you...you actually asked me to marry you” she spluttered with an awed laugh.

Gerard’s expression softened a little before he looked up, a faint smile on his face. “Is that such a strange thought?” he asked.

Isla smiled up at him, shrugging her shoulders gently. “A little” she replied “You’ve really been thinking about this for months?” she asked.

“A few months” Gerard confirmed “But I shouldn’t have...I should have talked to you first, no?” he added.

Isla shook her head. “I like that you tried to surprise me” she replied.

“That’s not the look I saw on your face” Gerard retorted, returning his stare to Maddie.

Isla stood up and stepped towards him, her fingers lightly grazing his jaw so that he turned back to look at her. “I know it wasn’t” she replied “But it should have been. You are ridiculously sweet, Piqué, and the...the proposal you made this morning, it was perfect. I just...I couldn’t quite get those words out then. How could I not want to marry you?” she added, smiling up at him goofily.

Gerard’s eyes widened a little. “Huh?” he spluttered.

Isla gently trailed her fingers up his face, guiding them into his hair. “How could I not want to marry you?” she repeated gently “I mean, you’ve been such a welcome presence in my life for a while now, and I don’t think I can quite imagine it without you in it anymore, which I know sounds awfully clichéd, but...” she trailed off as she carefully looked up, her blue eyes mirroring his.

Gerard mirrored her stare, a slow smile spreading across his face, before he lifted his hand, cupping it over hers which had slowly moved down towards his cheek. Turning his head, he pressed a soft kiss against her palm and the inside of her wrist before he shook his head, a small awed laugh falling out of his mouth. “Let me just clear this up” he mused “You’re saying yes?” he posed.

Isla shrugged, chewing on her lip. “I guess so” she quipped.

Gerard closed his eyes, allowing the words to hang between them for a few seconds, before he laughed again. “Really?” he asked.

Isla laughed gently. “Isn’t it the answer you wanted?” she asked playfully.

Gerard just grinned at her, something which caused Isla’s cheeks to flush a light shade of pink before she stepped a little closer to him, pressing the softest of kisses against his lips. Gerard stilled slightly, long enough for Isla to just about pull away, before he closed the gap again, kissing her gently for a few seconds before he pulled away, leaning up so that he could kiss her forehead gently. “You’re sure, aren’t you?” he mumbled into her hair as he kissed the top of her head.

Isla smiled a little at the concern in his voice before she nodded, her arms wrapping around his waist. “I’m sure” she mused “I do, however, want some time. We’ve just had a baby, and I don’t think we ought to tell anyone about this for a while yet, nor do I think we really ought to think about weddings or anything else yet. I want to marry you, I am sure of that, but...”

“That’s enough for me” Gerard interrupted quietly, his arms wrapping around her shoulders.

Isla let out a small relieved sigh, something which caused Gerard smile, dropping another kiss on the top of her head. “You’re going to be my wife” he mumbled into her hair.

Isla rested her head on his shoulder, unable to stifle her grin. “I bet you didn’t think you’d be saying that after you got set up on a blind date with the friend of a friend of the wife of your teammate” she teased.

Gerard scoffed. “When I realized it was you, I had no doubts” he boasted playfully.

Isla laughed. “Obviously” she quipped sarcastically.

Gerard’s playful smile softened a little as he took a pace backwards, his eyes meeting Isla’s. “Really” he murmured “When we had coffee that first time, I knew that I couldn’t just let you walk out of my life again. I knew you were pissed at me, and I knew that I’d hurt you, but I wasn’t prepared to let you go for a second time, no matter how many times you yelled at me or slammed doors in my face. You were stuck with me again from that moment” he added gently.

Isla smiled up at him before she pushed herself up onto her toes, kissing his lips softly. “I kind of wanted you to stick around too” she mumbled as she pulled away from him “I mean, yeah, I was pissed at you, but...”

“You loved me anyway” Gerard finished for her, an impish smile on his lips.

Isla grinned. “Something like that” she replied.