PROMISE

Screwy

"Fuck this!" Bradley threw the screwdriver at a pile of random crib pieces. Gaga walked by the door rocking Jackson, helping the half asleep baby hold his bottle. "Babe, this is impossible. They can sleep with us tonight."

"Let me see that." Gaga reads the directions and using one hand places the base together. Bradley takes the directions from her bewildered and leans in for a kiss. Gaga moves at the last second and Bradley continues to build. "Why don't you finish one and they can sleep together. I want them to sleep in an actual crib, they've been traveling so much. Bradley nodded in agreement. Gaga rubbed his back and left the room. He watched her leave, smiling at her patience. He truly never thought he'd ever be this controlled or content. 

Once the twins were happily tucked in their new crib, Bradley and Gaga fell into her bed, exhausted. "Do you have time tomorrow to finish the other crib and dresser?" She asked between lazy kisses. 

Bradley sighed into their kiss. "Yea, I'll take care of it tomorrow." Bradley drew faint circles on her bare skin, under her silk pajamas "Can I ask you something?"

"Anything." She answered with closed eyes. 

"Why didn't you let me kiss you earlier? And yes, I heard how needy that sounded, so forget I even asked." He rambled embarrassed.

Gaga's eyes spring open at how cute he was being. She pecked his lips. "I just don't want to confuse them. That's all. Is that ok?"

He couldn't help feeling that her feelings for him might be temporary. "That makes sense." He lied. Bradley laid back and pulled her into his chest. He has never felt this way about anyone in his life. It almost scared him but excited him at the same time. This was where he finally felt he belonged.

"Fuck this!" Bradley worked the next morning on the dresser Gaga had bought for the twins. He stubbed his toe on his way to answer the door when the bell rang for the second time. Bradley roughly pulled open the door to reveal a shorter man who looked him up and down. "Can I help you?"

"Is Stefani here?" The stranger asked annoyed.

"And who might I ask is looking for her?"

"Christian-just let me in." The man tried to walk past Bradley.

"Not gonna happen."

"And who the hell are you to tell me no?"

"I'm her fucking boyfriend that's who." The man laughs and starts to call someone on his phone when Gaga shows up with Jackson in tow and a whimpering Ava in her arms. She immediately recognizes the man and hands Ava to Bradley who tried to puff out his chest while Ava and him stare down the man. 

"Watch Jackson, I'll be right back" She returns with a box and hands it over to the man. "I think that's everything and the last of it."

The man almost waited for Bradley to leave but he wouldn't budge. "Thanks." He waited a little longer, until  Bradley wrapped his free arm around her waist. The man laughed again. "Cute boyfriend. That was fast." With that he left and Bradley kicked the door shut. 

"Who was that?"

"Boyfriend, Bradley, really? Since when do we have a label?" She grabbed Ava back and walked towards the living room, with Jackson waddling behind her. 

"Um, since I made you my girlfriend last week? Who the hell was that?" 

"Language. Ava why are you crying? She's been so moody today."  Bradley was shocked over her statement over their label but was more baffled over her passive responses. 

"What was in the box? Who was that guy? He was about to enter the house, Stef?" 

"My ex... fiancé. And that was a box of some of the things he left here." 

"You were engaged? "

"I was." Gaga avoided eye contact and smelled Ava's diaper. "Why is she so miserable?"  Bradley had so many questions but Gaga was avoiding it all together. The more Bradley thought about it, the more he began to think of their own fresh relationship. Was he even her boyfriend? Technically he never properly asked her out, took her on a date, announced it to the world. Would he ever be the kind of guy to get engaged let alone be married? This was an entirely different set of questions than wanting to be exclusively with her. He wanted to ask her more but it wasn't his place. "Baby, are you going to be able to finish their dresser? I want to put their things away before they nap." Bradley broke from his spiraling train of thought to see her looking up at him from the couch. 

"Yea... sorry." He kissed the top of her head and continued to work on the dresser and as he screwed piece after piece his mind kept creating more and more questions about what actually goes into a relationship, what was the point, what was his role? He pondered over this thought most of the day. Gaga and Bradley both had work todo and they switch on and off caring for the children. When Gaga got home, she massaged her neck making her way into her bedroom. The twins were already asleep and she was kind of sad she missed bedtime. She heard Bradley in the bathroom and started to fold the laundry basket of clothes he left on the bed. She saw his phone next to the basket and couldn't help seeing a series of texts from M come through. 

M: That sounds amazing!

M: I'll come over then!

The bathroom door swung open, startling her from her thoughts. "Hey." Bradley walks towards her, placing a brief kiss on her lips. 

"Hey..." Gaga kept folding and was startled from her thoughts again when his phone went off. She quickly looked down before he was able to pick it up and quickly saw the name Tara pop up. Bradley grabbed the phone and took the call in the hallway. Gaga tried to listen but all she could hear was him laughing quietly and mumbling. 

Bradley entered the room, recovering from a smile. "Stef, I think I'm going to head home tonight, if that's ok."

"What? Why?" She didn't mean to sound possessive but the reality was she felt very insecure over the last 5 minutes. 

"I need clothes and some things. I'll pack tonight and should be able to get here early tomorrow. Ok?" Before she could answer, he kissed her quickly again and grabbed his jacket and left her in utter confusion. Had she pushed him away with her comment on labels? Was he angry over Christian? Should she have explained more about that part of her life? Gaga finished folding the clothes and spiraled down a path of what he could be doing and with whom well into the night, until she fell asleep with a permanent look of worry.