The Only Exception

Part Two - Chapter Six: Settling Back In

Lionel grinned as he watched Poppy rush down the stairs to greet him and Lucia, he knew that the puppy had missed his wife just as much as him.

Lucia couldn’t help but smile at Poppy, she had missed the blue merle border collie while she had been living in Rome for the past five months.

“She’s gotten so big,” Lucia said fussing over the puppy as she moved to sit down on the couch, her bump made it a little difficult for her to stroke Poppy while she was stood up.

Lionel nodded as he watched Lucia, it felt good to have her home again especially since he had worried for months that she would stay in Rome and start a real life there without him.

“The place looks different… did you redecorate?” Lucia asked as she realised that the house looked completely different than when she had last lived there; her blue eyes looked around as she tried to work out if it was just the living room that had been done.

Lionel nodded his head warily that she wouldn’t like it, the house had been very much a bachelor pad when Lucia had first lived there and the footballer had spent the last five months converting it into a home that Lucia would be proud to live in.

“Do you like it?” Lionel asked nervously as he watched his wife, he had asked for help from Shakira when he had started work on the house; he wanted everything to be perfect for them.

Lucia nodded her head as she smiled up at Lionel, she had to admit that she was impressed that he had done this while she had been gone.

Lucia knew that the place had been a bachelor pad when she had moved in, it seemed more like a family home now than anything else.

“I do,” Lucia said brushing some hair from her face, it was really good to be home after months of being in Rome; she hadn’t thought that he would so anything like this.

***

Lucia raised an eyebrow as Lionel stopped her from entering her old bedroom, she didn’t know if she was ready to share with Lionel again.

The couple had only just gotten back together and she wanted to take things slowly especially with a baby on the way, she didn’t want things to take off too quickly.

“I converted the room,” Lionel said awkwardly as he looked at Lucia he was going to have to tell her what he had done to it while she had been away.

The footballer had thought that it would be a good idea at the time to change the room into the nursery for their daughter, he had spent three months now preparing for the impending birth of his first child.

“Converted my bedroom into what?” Lucia asked as she continued to watch him, he understood her need for space and he had already offered her the newly decorated master bedroom since he hadn’t slept in it yet.

Lionel hadn’t wanted to be reminded of what he had lost and had moved into the guest room nearest the stairs so that he didn’t have to head into the room that he had only shortly shared with Lucia.

“Into the nursery,” Lionel murmured as he looked down embarrassed a little at how eager he had been, he hadn’t even know that Lucia was coming back but he had still prepared the room for their baby.

The footballer chewed on his lip as he glanced up at Lucia’s softening expression, the separation had been hard on them and it would take them some time to adjust to what was now happening to them.

“Can I see?” Lucia asked as she looked at the door, she wanted to see what he had done and if there were things that would need changing; he hadn’t known they were going to have a baby girl until recently.

Lionel nodded his head nervously as he moved to open the door for her, he offered her a final look before he allowed the door to swing open and Lucia to step inside.

“Leo,” Lucia whispered as she looked around the room that had been hers when she had moved out of master bedroom.

It had been completely transformed into a spacious nursery for their unborn daughter, the walls were painted baby blue and there was already a crib set up by the wall closest to the door on the right and an orange rug set down over the newly vanished wooden floor.

There was also a brown chair with foot rest in the far corner of the room, a large pine changing table on the farthest side of the room and a day bed with draws at the bottom of the bed on the right of the door, it had bedding waiting to be put on set on top of it.

“I wanted it to be ready for when she arrived,” Lionel mused as he spotted the look of awe on Lucia’s face, he was glad that she liked the work that he had done.

Lionel had been aiming for a coastal inspired nursery since he hadn’t known what they were going to have and he didn’t want to focus on having a completely blue room or a completely pink room.

“You did all of this,” Lucia said as she took in the room and rested a hand on her bump as the baby kicked, she really couldn’t believe that this was what he had done for their baby.

Lionel nodded sheepishly as he watched his wife, his brown eyes lingering on her bump as he wondered if the baby would like it.

“Leo, this is amazing,” Lucia said as she looked at her husband, she really hadn’t been expecting him to do this and she was amazed that he had done so far.

Lionel smiled as he looked at Lucia knowing that she was being honest with him, he hadn’t allowed anyone inside the room and had done everything himself so that it was perfect in his eyes.

***

“Are you sure about this?” Lucia asked as Lionel set down her suitcase, her blue eyes looking at the caramel coloured master room as she realised that he had redecorated the entire house in the five months that she had been gone.

Lionel nodded his head knowing that he was perfectly fine sleeping elsewhere until she was ready for him to come back to their bed again.

“I’m more than sure,” Lionel said as he smiled at Lucia, she would warm to him again and he would win her back completely; Lionel wasn’t going to allow her to slip through his fingers again.

Lucia eyed her husband glad that he didn’t think that this was just going to be forgotten, she had a feeling that Lionel had really changed while she had been gone.

“I’ll leave you to get some rest,” Lionel said as he looked Lucia over knowing it had been a long day and since she was thirty-four weeks pregnant, he didn’t want to risk anything off setting her or their baby.

Lucia nodded her head as she watched Lionel prepare to leave her alone, she could already see defeat filling his form as he left her behind and she couldn’t help but feel guilty that she couldn’t help him.

“Buenas noches Leo,” Lucia called softly before he closed the door, she watched as he paused and glanced back to her; his brown eyes stared at her for a moment, they were filled with an emotion that the blonde didn’t want to think about.

“Dulces sueños Lia,” Lionel replied quietly as he offered her a small smile before he closed the door behind him, he wanted her to come to him when she was ready and he was willing to wait the rest of their lives if that was what it took.