Like You Did Before

Gently tracing the tip of his finger over the back of the baby’s hand, Iker quirked a tired smile, relishing the calm quiet that had settled over the room. He had been waiting for it. When he had arrived, Matilda’s room had been crowded, but eventually, Adrienne had departed and tugged Arthur along with her, leaving Iker and Matilda alone with their baby for the first time. He still had questions, and when he had caught Arthur staring at him like he was the one intruding on someone else’s moment, he had almost let them tumble out of his mouth, but he had held back. He didn’t want to remember the day that his son had been born for a fight with Matilda’s friend. He knew that he would have to ask her, but he also knew that it was something that could wait. For a little while, he simply wanted to marvel at how much things had changed in a couple of years.

He could still remember the morning that Lola had arrived. He could remember the call that Matilda had made to him, and the way that she had clung to his hand as she had pushed their little girl into the world, but mostly he could remember how strained things had been between them when the dust had settled. They had barely been speaking, and it had only been a little while before they had both realised that being Lola’s parents whilst their own relationship was as complicated as it was was almost certainly going to be harder than they thought it would be, but it felt completely different in that moment. Their relationship was completely different, and instead of being overwhelmed by the silence in the room, Iker couldn’t have been happier.

Pulling his hand back, he used it to rub at his eyes before he heard the bed creak, causing him to glance over at it.

Matilda’s lips quirked upwards slightly. “You’re still awake” she said.

“You noticed that, huh?” Iker quipped.

Matilda tucked her pillow beneath her head a little further as she nodded. “I thought you would be” she mumbled “You barely closed your eyes all the time you were with me on the morning that Lola was born. It was almost like you thought that, if you even so much as blinked, she would disappear” she added.

“I didn’t know what was going to happen with us” Iker replied, shifting to get a little more comfortable in the chair he sat in “You and me...we were hardly speaking, and I didn’t know how we were going to work as parents to our beautiful little girl. I just wanted to make the most of that time with her. Today is different. I am just taking stock” he added, offering Matilda a little smile.

Matilda smiled back at him. “How are you feeling?” she asked.

“I’m good” Iker replied.

“Only good?” Matilda’s voice was warm and playful, but it did trail off into a yawn at the end.

Iker shuffled his seat closer to the bed, allowing him to gently push the hair back off of her forehead. “I don’t I quite have the words, yet” he said softly “He’s perfect, Mattie, and I...I am so happy that he’s here, and that you’re both OK. Right now, that’s all I can I think about. Well, that, and the moment when we get to introduce Lola to her baby brother. I can’t wait to see them together” he added, his face lit up with a warm smile.

Matilda marvelled at the smile on his face before she lifted a hand, tracing the line of his jaw tenderly. “Have I ever told you that I love this smile?” she asked.

Iker tilted his head. “This smile?” he prodded.

“The one you have on your face when you talk about Lola” Matilda clarified “And about baby, too. It is slightly different from your normal smile, it’s a little softer. I saw it on your face for the first time when you saw Lola for the first time, and I am still in love with it” she added.

Iker dipped his head, kissing her fingertips gently, before he offered her another smile, something which made Matilda grin back at him for a moment before the baby stirred, causing them both to look towards him, waiting until he drifted back off to sleep before they turned back to each other, their smiles unmoved. “I hope he’s a better sleeper than Lola was when she was tiny” Iker quipped.

Matilda shook her head. “She’s still not great at it now” she replied “Can you remember the last time she went to bed without a fuss?” she asked.

Iker shook his head, laughing slightly.

Matilda’s hand gently cupped Iker’s cheek, drawing him close enough so that she could place a gentle kiss on his forehead and the side of his nose before she met his lips briefly. Iker sighed happily, drawing out the contact for a beat longer than Matilda had planned, before he drew back, his stare searching hers. “I love you” he murmured softly “I...I wanted to say that to you on the morning you had Lola. I wanted to tell you that, even if we didn’t figure things out between me and you, that I would always love you for bringing her into the world because she, and now baby, too, are the best things in my life” he added.

Matilda’s eyes filled with tears for a moment before she blinked them away, something which caused Iker to lean forwards, kissing her again. “Sorry” he murmured “I wasn’t trying to make you cry. I just wanted you to know that” he added.

Matilda shook her head. “You can’t say something that sweet and not expect me to tear up a little” she replied “I just had a baby” she added.

Iker let out a laugh that was too loud before he could stop himself, something which caused the baby to wake up with a start, his loud cries filling the room. Pulling away from Matilda, Iker quickly moved to sweep the baby up, but before he could hand him over to Matilda, his eyes caught on the illuminated screen of Matilda’s phone, something which caused him to frown, Arthur’s name catching his attention.