If It Gave Us Time

“How was Maddie when you dropped her off with your mother?” Isla asked from her spot in front the bathroom mirror, her fingers gently adjusting a clip in the back of her hair. It had been a little while, after she and Gerard had agreed to start making plans for their wedding, a little under a week had passed, and with their first appointment with Meghan scheduled for that morning, Isla was a little excited.

She had wanted to wait, with Gerard’s proposal having followed Maddie’s birth so quickly, Isla had been quick to insist that they take their time before they started to make plans, but with the news having gotten out a little sooner than either she or Gerard had been anticipating, there was nothing stopping them making a few plans, something Isla was more excited about than she wanted to admit. There was no denying that they’d done things quickly, the dates that she and Gerard had earmarked as possible wedding dates came a few weeks before they’d celebrate their second anniversary, but neither of them felt the need to put the date off for any longer, even if things were moving fast. They were both more than comfortable with the pace at which things seemed to have happened for them.

Gerard, who’d been changing his shirt, turned to look at her. “She was a little grumpy” he mused “But she settled pretty quickly and my mama seemed over the moon to babysit” he added.

“We’ll see if she still feels the same way after a couple of hours” Isla teased, stepping into the bedroom.

Gerard smirked a little at her joke before he turned back to his shirt, buttoning it up as a quiet fell over the two of them.

Isla, who’d moved to slip her feet into the pair of boots that she’d left at the foot of the bed, watched him for a few seconds, allowing the silence to linger before she shook her head, smiling amusedly to herself as he let out a muted sigh. “You do know that I know about you and Meghan, don’t you?” she announced suddenly, breaking the silence.

Gerard, who’d been tucking his shirt in, stilled slightly before he lifted his head slowly, looking over at her. “What?” he breathed.

“You and Meghan” Isla repeated “I know that you two were... a thing” she added with a nonchalant shrug.

Gerard blinked a couple of times before he frowned. “You do?” he asked.

Isla smirked to herself, smoothing out the material of her dress. “As if she would have ever shut up about it” she mused in a tone which was hard to place.

Gerard sighed. “Isla...”

“She asked me if it was OK” Isla interrupted, her voice softening slightly “She came to me after you’d bumped into one another and asked if I minded if you went out on a date. She didn’t want me to be uncomfortable if things went anywhere between the two of you” she added, messing with the frames of her glasses.

Gerard nodded his head slowly, trying to take in her words, before he lifted his hand, scratching his jaw gently. “And you told her to go for it?” he asked tentatively.

Isla breathed out a shaky laugh, nudging her glasses up her nose. “What else was I supposed to say?” she asked “We’d not seen or spoken to each other in years, it would have hardly been reasonable of me to warn her off. She seemed excited that you liked her, and I knew that she was a good person, so I knew she’d probably be good for you. I told her to try and make you happy” she added, trying to sound nonchalant.

It had been a surprise to her, when Meghan had come to her, admitting that Gerard had asked her out, it had knocked Isla for six, but she had quickly composed herself, insisting that as long as Meghan’s intentions towards Gerard were good, then she would be happy for them. There was no denying that it had hurt at the time, despite the years that had passed, the idea that Gerard had bumped into Meghan, and had asked her out, was something which had felt like a blow to Isla’s stomach, but she had known that she couldn’t get in the way of things. Despite everything, she had only ever wanted Gerard to be happy.

Gerard was quiet for a few seconds, allowing her words to settle in, before he shook his head, a soft laugh falling out of his mouth. “Really?” he asked.

Isla frowned. “What?” she retorted.

“You really cared that she made me happy?” Gerard pressed “After the way I...the way things ended between us, you cared about my happiness? I was such a jerk to you, Lala. How could you still care about that?” he asked.

Isla’s expression softened slightly before shrugged. “I cared about you, idiot” she replied “Always have” she added, her cheeks flushing a soft shade of pink.

Gerard smiled softly, marveling at the soft blush on her cheeks, before he reached for her hand, pulling her into a soft hug that Isla was more than happy to melt into. “I love you” he murmured softly.

Isla smiled, resting her head on his chest for a few seconds, before she heard the distant sound of her alarm, something which caused her to pull back. “We need to get going” she announced.

Gerard nodded, pulling his jacket around his shoulders. “You’re sure about Meghan?” he asked.

Isla didn’t hesitate in nodding. “She’s the best planner I know” she noted “And whatever you two were, it’s a long time in the past. Besides, I’ve met her husband, and she definitely traded up” she added with a teasing grin.

Gerard scoffed playfully. “Does that mean you’re settling?” he quipped.

Isla smirked a little before she stepped out of the room something which made Gerard laugh as he followed after her.

~#~
“So, have you two thought about a number of guests yet?” Meghan asked as she looked up from her notes, smiling softly at the couple who sat opposite her.

“We haven’t got a precise number yet” Isla replied, her fingers messing gently with Gerard’s.

“But it’s probably going to be a pretty big thing” Gerard contributed “Isla wants a fuss” he chirped impishly.

Isla scoffed playfully. “Gerard wants a fuss” she retorted, rolling her eyes.

Meghan laughed. “I think we can work with that” she mused “I mean, we’re still six months out, so we’ve got time to hammer out a guest list before we try and find locations. If you could come up with a rough estimate, we can meet again next week to discuss it and I can start scouting out possible locations for the two of you. I’ve already got a couple of ideas that I think will be perfect for Isla” she added.

“Really?” Isla squeaked.

Meghan nodded. “I’ll send the details over in an email” she enthused.

Isla grinned bashfully, something which caused Gerard to squeeze her hand, smiling at her gently. “Are you going to be like this every time we talk about this?” he asked.

Isla just shrugged, something which made Gerard roll his eyes and Meghan smile, looking between the two of them. “I’m glad that this has finally happened” she enthused, motioning between the two of them.

Isla smiled shyly. “Me too” she mused “I mean, he’s still an idiot, but...” she trailed off playfully.

Gerard rolled his eyes, but couldn’t keep from smiling, something which made Meghan shake her head. “You’re adorable” she cooed “And we’re going to plan you the best wedding, you have my word on that. Now, I need to get ready for my next appointment, so if you’d speak to my receptionist, we can set up an appointment for next week and we can get this show on the road” she added.

Isla and Gerard both offered her a grin before they made their way out of her office, their fingers tangled together, a sight which made Meghan grin, glad that things had finally worked out for the two of them.