If It Gave Us Time

94: Three

Gently smoothing out Maddie’s wayward blonde hair, Gerard adjusted the blanket that was wrapped around her, trying to ward off the slightly cool morning breeze which blew past them. It was early, with the reception having run into the early hours of the morning, it was probably too early for the defender, but when Eva had appeared at his and Isla’s hotel room door with a crying Maddie in her arms, he had had little choice but to stay up with her. She didn’t like being away from her parents, in the months that had passed since she had arrived, Maddie had kicked up a fuss every time she had spent more than a couple of hours with someone that wasn’t Isla or Gerard, and whilst he would have rather spent his first morning as a married man cuddled up with his new wife, he had to admit that he adored being one of only two people who could comfort the little girl. It made the idea that Maddie was his and Isla’s daughter feel ever more real to him.

Ensuring that Maddie was warm enough, he smiled a little, watching as she let out a soft yawn before he felt something land on his shoulders, causing him to turn his head, smiling a little at the blanket which had been placed over him. Lifting a hand, he gently adjusted it before he glanced up from his spot, smiling at Isla who leant against the doorframe. “Hi” he greeted softly.

Isla smiled back at him, her eyes still soft and sleepy. “Hi” she replied.

“Did we wake you?” Gerard asked quietly “She was screeching at the top of her lungs when your mama bought her by” he added, sparing a doting glance towards Maddie who was curled up against him, her blue eyes blinking tiredly.

“How long ago did my mama stop by?” Isla asked.

“Only about ten minutes or so ago” Gerard replied “Apparently, Sprout kept her and your papa awake most of the night” he added.

Isla, who’d been trying to straighten out her slightly messy hair, laughed quietly. “I bet she loved that” she teased.

Gerard shrugged, smoothing out another flyaway piece of Maddie’s hair.

Isla looked at him for a couple of seconds, admiring the soft, giddy smile that he wore on his face before she shuffled towards him, plopping down next to him so that she could settle her head against his shoulder. “You still look like you can’t quite believe we have her, you know” she murmured quietly, not wanting to disturb the sleepy baby.

Gerard, who’d tilted his head so that it rested against Isla’s, laughed quietly. “Sometimes, I can’t” he replied “I mean, I know she’s been here for a while now, I’ve done enough night feeds to know that, but sometimes...I’ve still not got my head around the two of us yet, let alone the three of us” he explained, stumbling slightly over his words.

Isla turned, perching her chin on his shoulder as she looked up at him through her eyelashes. “What’s so hard to get your head around?” she asked.

Gerard leant towards her, pressing a soft kiss against her forehead. “This was over” he mumbled “When I left for Manchester, whatever we were, whatever we could have been, that was over and I guess I still can’t quite wrap my head around how it’s fallen back into place” he explained added.

Isla grinned up at him. “It’s a good thing, no?” she quipped.

“Of course it is” Gerard replied “I just...I’m happy, Isla, that’s what I am trying to get at. You two...I love you two, so much” he fussed.

Isla stared up at him, her blue eyes searching his for a few seconds, before a slow, tender smile spread across her face, something which caused Gerard to shake his head, laughing quietly. “I didn’t use to be this gooey before, you know” he chirped impishly.

Isla scoffed playfully, allowing her head to fall back into place against his shoulder. “You’ve always had a sentimental side” she countered “I mean, you were always the one who sat with me when we were kids and I had had fights with friends or broken up with boys from school. You almost insisted on it” she added.

Gerard lightly bumped his head against hers. “Of course I did” he quipped “I wanted you to see that side of me. I was sort of crazy about you, Lala” he added. They didn’t talk about it much, with their childhood friendship having ended as badly as it did, they tended to steer clear of the topic, but he wanted her to know how he’d felt, even if he had realized it too late. The more he looked back, the more convinced he grew that a part of him had always been lost to her.

Isla closed her eyes, moving to tug the blanket that she had placed around his shoulders around herself. “Yeah?” she prodded impishly.

“Yeah” Gerard confirmed, tugging her a little closer to him.

Isla leant into his embrace, allowing a few long seconds of silence to pass between the two of them before Maddie made a noise. Grumbling, she blinked her eyes open before she let out a cry, something which made Isla smile gently before she reached out, taking the baby into her arms. “I’m going to give Sprout some breakfast” she mused “Do you think you could head over to my mama and papa’s room? I am about ninety percent sure that they’ve probably still got her bag and we’re going to need it soon” she added.

Gerard heaved a playful sigh as he watched the two of them. “Only because it is you asking” he noted.

Isla rolled her eyes, pressing a kiss against the top of Maddie’s head. “Your papa’s silly, isn’t he?” she mumbled, smirking a little as her blue eyes met Gerard’s.

Gerard took a pace towards the two of them, pushing Isla’s hair off of her face as he smiled down at Maddie. “Your mama would never admit it, but it’s the thing she loves most about me” he cooed.

Isla flashed him another little smile before Maddie let out another cry, causing Isla to excuse herself before she stepped inside, cooing to the baby as she went. Gerard held back for a second, just marveling at the two of them, before he followed, his usual warm smile still stuck contentedly to his face.