Gary and Libby - Take Two

Chapter Fifty One

"Hey, hey, hey-Oi.!" Gary catches my wrist between slender fingers as I round the corner into the living room. "Whats wrong?"

I sniff, willing myself desperately to pull myself together. "Nothing."

"Im not stupid," I sense the frown forming between Garys brows as he speaks. "You had a face like a smacked arse in there. How can I help you if you wont tell me what the matter is?"

"There's nothing the matter." Chewing mindlessly on my thumb nail, I reluctantly allow Gary to take a step closer, the gentle yet earnestly discontent hum emerging from his lips as his right eyebrow flickers above the left, prompting me to confined in him.

I succumb, sagging against the door frame, head back against the wood as i move my gaze to the ceiling and fix it there, above my head, hoping that maybe the tears brimming at my lids will roll back into my skull. When Gary shifts a little to stand in front of me, i open my mouth. "He likes you so much."

For a moment, Gary doesn't say anything, but his mouth twists at the corners and his brow drops heavily, causing every line etching his perfect face to deepen. After a beat I realise that he doesn't understand what im talking about, however, I choose to offer not further explanation until he requests it.

Undoubtedly, he does; "What?"

I sniff again, this time my gaze rests just above Garys shoulder, fixed on the plain cream curtains hanging above the widow against the far wall.. "Ethan. He likes you so much more than me."

"Libby.." My name is pushed from between Garys lips before ive even finished the sentence and quickly I find myself folded into his arms and crushed against his chest. "Shut up." Hes laughing at me, quietly and gently, but laughing none the less. I bite back my own smile, wriggling my arms free of the sliver of space between our bodies and wrapping them around Garys waist. "What on earth are you talking about?" Gary moves one hand to caress the length of my back, his nose nuzzling gently at my ear. I shrug.

"Everything comes so naturally to you." I close my eyes, enjoying the tranquillity of being locked in Garys arms. "Its not fair."

When Gary kisses my hair, i know the smile has gone and i dont have to think too hard to picture the soft triangle of his procerus as he frowns. After a beat, he speaks. "Youre tired Babe," Garys pulls his face away only fractionally, enabling him to tuck a stand of hair behind my ear before his lips meet my temple again.

Without opening my eyes, i pout. "I dont want him to hate me Gary."

"Libby..."

"I just dont know how to be fun, hes always smiling when youre around, and quiet when you read him a sto-"

"Oi." Gary silences me with a chaste kiss on the lips. "Stop that."

"Buts its true!" Exasperated, i throw my arms up into the air, taking a step backwards until im backed against the wall. Gary regards me intently with two glistening eyes, his expression contemplative as he runs a thumb back and forth against his lower lip.

"Sit down there." He points to the settee with his chin, and his tone is clipped, suddenly assertive. "And wait for me."

Like a sulking school girl, i do as he ask, pulling the cream blanket off the arm of the chair and dragging it over my lap as i curl up into a ball and wait as Gary stalks out of the room. For a moment, i sit and listen. Theres an impatient cry of a toddler, and the stern reprimanding of a father as Ethan wails further, evidently tormented by the prospect of an afternoon nap.

"Dont kick me Ethan." Garys voice resonates that of a man with everything under control and through the sound of our sons dispair, i can hear him reeling off a list of reasons why its not nice to kick people and the repercussions to follow. Within a minute, the only sound to be heard is Garys footsteps over head as he treads across the landing. Settling further into the plush comfort of the settee, i begin to drift.

When Gary stands in the threshold of the living room, clearing his throat, im forced back into the present. I smile wearily as he meanders over, clicking on the gas fire before turning to join me on the settee. Trying to gauge his mood, i pull back the blanket, clearing a space closer to me. "Are you angry at me?" I cant help but ask the question when Gary doesnt speak. Steadily, i watch the rise and fall of his chest as he draws in a long breath. "No. Im worried about you." I open my mouth to respond, but im silenced when Gary shuffles closer, wrapping an arm over my shoulder, forcing me to lie back against him. "Why you so down eh?" His lips find my temple as he hand over my shoulders combs my hair against my breast. I shrug. Then sigh. And then finally find the energy to answer.

"Hormonal."

"Promise me that is all it is." Garys lips are warm against my ear, but his tone deadly serious. "Please."

I swallow, "Promise."

For a few moments, we sit in a comfortable silence, before Garys breath cloaks my ear once more.

"Do you remember when we found out you were pregnant with Ethan?"

I smile, although my shoulders tense at the memory. "I remember you finding the bastard packaging for the test."

Gary chuckles and it tickles my neck. "Me too.. I was shitting myself."

"You were shitting yourself?" I shift slightly, turning face him, "You shouldve seen the look on your face, i wanted to run a mile. I thought you were gonna kill me."

Gary laughs again, reaching to pull my legs over his lap. "I felt like it- for a moment."

"We did okay though didnt we?" My voice drops to a tentative, pensive whisper, prompting Gary to slouch next to me, pulling my head against his shoulder and we slot together as if we had been made for that very purpose.

"Of course we did okay. We did amazin', look at him! And we'll do okay again." Garys left hand reaches over to my stomach, reaching under my t-shirt to splay a hand over the bump that you cant yet see unless youre looking at it. "I promise."

I hum, soothed my our proximity and the warmth of Garys fingers tracing gentle patterns against my flesh. Pulling my t-shirt back further, i smile to myself when i realise that hes tracing out a treble clef on the swell of my stomach. "You feeling better now?"

Gary drops a butterfly kiss against the top of my head as he answers. "Much, now. Thank you, although we'll find out when the paracetamol wears off. How about you?"

I pull a hand up to the side of Garys face, stroking the backs of my knuckles against his five O'clock shadow. "Im okay. I like your beard like this."

"Yeah?" Gary quips up an eyebrow, and i move my index finger to trace it.

"Yeah," Stroking mindlessly down the length of his nose, i agree. "I get to see more of your fa- Ow!" I gasp, then giggle as Gary playfully nips my finger with his teeth as i reach his mouth, we both laugh, Garys reverberating through his chest, as it always does, the corners of his eyes crinkling as he flashes his faultless set of teeth. I take a moment to admire the man besides me, his fingers still trace patterns against my stomach as his right hand curls around my back, pulling me closer in the aftermath of our laughter,until my face is pressed against his neck so firmly i have to pull away to breathe.

"Gary." I gaze up through my lashes, though i can only see his chin until he tilts his head to meet my gaze.

"M-mh?"

"Kiss me."