hey, beautiful

Tony shouldn’t have been surprised at the eagerness Gina showed when he presented the requested food to her, but nevertheless, his brow lifted and he smiled at the sight of the hungry mother-to-be. What he’d said previously completely escaped his mind when Gina looked up at him in question, so he shook his head and the smile cracked into a full, dimpled grin. “Nothing. You enjoy yourself, love.”

Soon, he’d shed his trousers and climbed back into bed, snuggling himself underneath the cool sheets, close enough to feel Gina against his side as he laid back, arms folded behind his head. He stared at the ceiling drowsily, then soon closed his eyes, feeling sleep drift into his conscious mind. His final words were incomplete, drowned out by his slumber. “If you need anything, just lemme…kn….”

Gina busied herself with alternating between bites of ice cream and spoonfuls of peanut butter. It was truly an odd mix but it seemed to satisfy her hunger--or rather, the baby’s hunger. Once the carton of ice cream was halfway empty, Gina deemed herself as full. She turned to Tony, ready to ask if he can put it away, but he was already asleep. A small smile appeared on her face before she leaned down to kiss his head.

Setting aside both the jar and the carton, she decided that those items can be put away in the morning. The young woman got herself situated properly on the bed, taking care to be cautious with the belly. A few minutes after her head met the pillow, she was fast asleep as well.

Ice cream and peanut butter. So it was a peculiar request for such an hour. But the face that the disgruntled cashier gave him was a tad unnecessary, thought Tony. He exchanged the money for the items, and as a last minute explanation, he quickly said, “She’s pregnant and hungry.” Perhaps there was a better way to say that, but it was the middle of the night, and Tony was exhausted.

The drive home was spent with several moments of rubbing his scratchy, tired eyes, Tony simply focusing on which turns to make to get back to the little mews home he had with Gina waiting upstairs in bed. Once inside, he grabbed a spoon from the kitchen for the quart of ice cream, not knowing what to do with the peanut butter, and brought the whole bag upstairs with him, getting in the door and slowly closing it behind him.

“Here’s the ice cream, and here’s your peanut butter,” he said, picking the items out of the bag and handing it to her along with the spoon. “I didn’t know if you wanted it specially prepared or anything, so I’d be happy to pop back down t’the kitchen an’ get you a bowl if you’d like,” Tony offered, running a hand back through his already bed-messed hair. Despite the accommodating behaviour, Tony looked like he hadn’t slept in ages, the sleep showing in his gaze.

Gina busied herself with reading a book while Tony was out. Sometimes she’d pause, thinking that she had felt the baby stir. There was nothing, much to her disappointment, just the increasing hunger the longer Tony was away. Finally her impatience swallowed her desire to read and she waited, the book forgotten on the beside table.

Joy filled her when she heard footsteps coming up the stairs. If she didn’t feel so exhausted while walking, Gina would have jumped up and grabbed the food from his hands. A wide grin appeared on her face as he handed over the items along with a spoon. ❝ Grazie, ❞ she told him, looking down at the ice cream and pulling off the top. Without another word, she dug in and shoved a spoonful of the cool treat in her mouth. The woman was too busy unscrewing the lid of the jar to hear what he was saying.

The spoon in her mouth prevented her from speaking. When he finished speaking, she looked up with a puzzled expression in her large eyes. ❝ Hm? ❞

thebeatleblog

He knew how much he worth it

#amore

Tony smiled at her, perhaps a surprise since he’d just been woken up, but there was something amusing about her being so hungry at such an hour, and hungry for ice cream of all things. “Well, I’ll try to make th’trip as quick as possible, love,” he assured, smoothing out his shirt. Of course, ice cream wasn’t the only thing. Again, Tony furrowed his brow at the odd request.

“Peanut butter?” he repeated, soon letting it roll off his shoulders so he could nod in acceptance. “I’ll be back soon. You stay in bed while I’m out,” he instructed, always the ever careful expecting father. Tony leaned to her over the bed and left a gentle kiss on her forehead, showing one last smile, then turned and ventured out of the room, collecting his keys from the dresser by the door before he left, his return promised within the next fifteen minutes.

The strange inquiries didn’t sound at all discouraging for Gina. To her, it was perfectly normal to be awake at such ungodly hours for food. Pregnancy did strange things to a woman’s mind. She wasn’t particularly sure how or why peanut butter had been associated with ice cream. It was one of those unexplained things that sounded right to a mind ruled by a growing child. ❝ I’m too tired to get out of bed, ❞ she replied, tilting her head up a fraction to receive the kiss. Her gaze followed him as he exited the room. Once he was gone, it dropped down to her stomach. The size of her middle had grown in the past months, causing slight inconveniences while walking and putting on her shoes. If she stood for too long an ache would crawl all over her lower. These days she decided to stay seated. ❝ You will come out all chubby if you keep wanting all this food, ❞ she told the bump, laughing quietly.

The sudden flash of the light turning on startled Tony’s poor eyes and he flinched in the slightest, clenching his eyes shut for a second before letting them adjust. “Ice cream?” Tony repeated groggily, now rubbing over his eyelids and yawning again. “Okay… I’ll go now then…” Slowly, he put his two feet on the ground and stooped to find his trousers, stepping into them and hitching them up so he could tuck in his black t-shirt.

“How’re you doing?” he asked as he buckled up his belt, glancing towards her. Even if it was the middle of the night, she still looked pretty as could be, her round belly the most noticeable thing. One day that would be his baby, cooing in his arms.

It was completely unconventional to have ice cream at two in the morning but Gina didn’t care and neither did the baby. She sat up straighter and watched as Tony pulled himself out of bed, still feeling groggy from being woken up so suddenly.

❝ I am okay, ❞ she replied, gather the blankets up to cover her legs. ❝ I am just very hungry. ❞ A hand absently reached up to rest on the middle of her bump. It was getting bigger and bigger which each passing week, a sign that their child was growing. Before he could take one step away from the bed, Gina grabbed Tony’s sleeve.

❝ Can you also get peanut butter? ❞

Lost in a dream about a concert, it took Gina a good second before she could stir Tony from his slumber, but never longer than that. He’d been sleeping on edge ever since Gina got pregnant. “Hungry?” he murmured, his somnolent blue eyes just barely open. Sitting up slowly but surely, he rubbed the back of his hand over his forehead and yawned. God, he was tired. “Y’want me t’get you somethin’?”

A growing baby in her womb had caused strange changes in Gina's behaviors. Her eating patterns no longer adhered to normal standards. She would eat at random hours of the night, refusing to have breakfast or lunch until three in the morning. ❝ Yes... ❞ she replied, nodding as she turned to flip the lamp on, ❝ for rocky road ice cream. ❞

#tonywhoneverchanged #love meeeeee

tonywhoneverchanged

❝ Caro... ❞ she whispered, leaning over his sleeping figure. Her hand reached out to shake his shoulder gently. It was well past midnight but something about rocky road ice cream sounded fantastic. ❝ I’m hungry... ❞

cecily-strong

cecilystrong: This filter sounds so French @nasimpedrad @beyonce_clinton

#gina

cecily-strong

cecilystrong: We DS'ed at the ET @nasimpedrad @beyonce_clinton

#gina #awww

It was certainly a surprise to Tony, no doubt, to see that Giovanna’s father was not at all of small stature and slender build like his daughter. In fact, he was the exact opposite, with a massive physique that could only be the product of hard manual labour. Tony bit back his surprise from showing on his face - though the guitarist was tall, he was hardly as intimidating as Mr. Moretti.

Easy to allow the aged man to greet his son, Tony trusted him sincerely, for he was, in fact, Gina’s father. Tony watched on closely, observing how shy Paul was upon meeting his grandfather; he honestly couldn’t blame him, for even Tony was feeling much more than just timidity at encountering the Italian family. Hoping the man approved of his son, Tony stood proudly as soon as Mr. Moretti’s eyes fell upon him, perhaps in an attempt to fabricate his size as being sturdy. He accepted the handshake, looking a tad absent in the face as he heard the man’s jumble of Italian, not understanding a single word of it. Eyes swiftly ticking towards Gina, she translated and Tony gave a succinct nod, smiling politely at the elderly man. Thankfully, he caught himself before he could say “Nice to meet you,” again and make himself look like an outright fool.

Tony stepped to help the man load the car, but he was gestured away and Tony politely understood, leading himself away to situate himself in the passenger’s seat of the car. He glanced over his shoulder at Gina and Paul, who had already settled in the back, giving Gina an exaggerated wide-eyed look, as if he was breaking into stress under the nick of time he had before her father returned.

He soon reclined comfortably in the seat, keeping his hands in his lap and hardly shifted positions, simply wanting to appear composed and calm, even though his insides were still in a twist about making his first impression carry out seamlessly. Thank god for Gina with her translating, or Tony was sure he would’ve already involuntarily slandered the man in 14 different ways. The conversation meandered from talking about their residence in Henley, to the other musicians living in Oxfordshire, and to various subjects of family and how many cousins Paul had with this family.

By the time they had reached the Moretti home, Tony felt comfortable enough to ease up in his seat beside Gina’s father and actually bother to look the man in the eyes when they spoke at times, conveying his respect through his reserved manner.

During the car ride, Giovanna served as the crucial translator for both men. Her father hardly spoke English and Tony knew next to nothing in Italian. The conversation was basic as her father tried to gather up as much information as he could. The young woman couldn't exactly tell how her father felt about Tony. He seemed to take a liking to her significant other. At least, that's what she hoped. It would be terribly awkward if Bernardo had disliked the father of her child. From the relaxed posture and the good-hearted tone, Gina could safely say that Tony was in the clear with her rather intimidating father.

They past through a town or two, nothing truly worth looking at in her opinion. On the other hand, Paul appeared to be downright amazed by the new sights. He was eager to point out the seaside and the houses nestled beside it. The boy would be beside himself once he discovered that the house in which they're staying was settled in front of the beach. His grandfather found amusement in the wonder in Paul's expression as he tried to sit up straighter. The little boy still had some growing to do.

❝ Are we stayin' by the water? ❞ Paul asked his mother, tearing his eyes away from the breathtaking view. ❝ I wanna stay by the water. ❞ Then, he turned to the man in the driver's side, asking in Italian if they would be by the water. The answer was, of course, a yes, which lifted Paul's spirits even more. Now he was thinking about swimming and playing in the sand.

Before that could happen, though, there were still many family members to meet. Gina had to remind him of that as the car pulled up to her childhood home. It wasn't elegant like the other houses. This one had simple architecture and felt open, as most seaside homes did. Spacious rooms with a generous amount of windows and a deck leading out to the sandy shores of the Mediterranean.

Paul was the first to get out of the car, amazed by the closeness of the water. Already he was asking if he could go swimming soon. Gina promised that he could after dinner. The child's rambunctiousness slowed when another figure approached. A woman had emerged from the house, wearing a flour-stained apron and wiping her hands on a towel.

❝ Mamma! ❞ Gina called, waving enthusiastically. The stern look on the elderly woman's face softened at the sight of her daughter and grandson. It took on that firm edge once it landed on Tony, however.

Tony gladly accepted Gina’s soft kiss, leaning his head to it in the slightest, as it provided him with an appreciated amount of comfort. Unfortunately, that was all whisked away as soon as Gina livened up at the sight of a particular car as it slowed in front of them, prompting her to grasp her family’s hands and exclaim in Italian, only one word being understood by Tony, and that was “padre”.

Of course, he withdrew into a rather anxious state, wondering how to present himself and how his first impression would go. How would her father react to him? Of course he’d probably only seen pictures of him and seen him occasionally on the television with his band, but Gina’s father had never encountered his daughter’s boyfriend face-to-face, and that would only be the moment of real judgement. It didn’t help that Gina and he had become sudden parents within only one year of knowing each other. That was certainly Tony’s fault.

But looking down at his son, Tony had little regret in that single mistake. Paul, brightening as his mother had, lunged forward to accompany his mother in meeting his grandfather, quite excited to be part of all this family bustle. He clutched his bear tighter and looked about, his head tilted up to look at the faces of the adults towering above him. Tony, still hesitant, lingered behind, a defaulted smile on his lips, one hand in his pocket, the other on his suitcase. When Gina’s father looked his way, he gave a respectful nod, and only then did he approach the scene, feeling a bit of an outsider, but determined to make an exceptional first impression.

“Hullo, Mr. Moretti. It’s good to finally meet you, sir.”

Her father, to put it simply, was an intimidating-looking man. Bernardo was tall with broad shoulders and a fit build shaped by years working at the docks. He looked to be in his forties when in reality he was well into his sixties. Of course that domineering demeanor did not discourage his daughter. Giovanna could easily see past that exterior. She knew her father was not as scary as he appeared.

The moment Paul approached the man, Bernardo immediately took notice of him. There were four other grandchildren but he saw them often. He knew those four like the back of his hand. This one, though, was an entirely new being to get to know. He spotted all the little features in Paul that resembled Giovanna. He could also pinpoint where Tony's genes came in. The nose was definitely the father's but those large brown eyes were all Gina's. The aged man bent down on one knee to get a better look at his grandson.

"Ciao, piccolo," he said, a deep voice booming over the bustle of the airport activities. There was a kind smile on his face as he held out a hand for Paul. The boy, though curious at this new person, was a little wary and shyly clutched onto his mother's skirt, a small smile peeking at his face. At this reaction, the man chuckled lowly, giving an endearing comment about the child's bashfulness as he straightened up, gaze landing on Tony.

Having never set foot out of Italy, Gina's father was not the least bit acquainted with the English language. His wife and kids had a substantial grasp on it. His children had picked it up from the songs they heard while his wife had done some travelling when she was young. There was bound to be confusion when it came to communication between him and Tony. Bernardo wasn't about to pretend he understood what Tony had said. He glanced at his daughter, looking for an explanation. Realizing that this would be an ongoing dilemma, Gina was quick to translate. Once he grasped the greeting, the old man grinned at younger one. "Lieto di incontrare anche voi."

"He says it's nice to meet you, too," Gina told Tony once they shook hands. There wasn't much time to linger out by the curb. No sooner than he let go of Tony's hand, her father was ushering them into the car and insisting he can put the luggage in the back by himself. Mother and child were in the back and both fathers were up front.

"Do not worry, mi amore. They will like you and Paul." - Gina

Italy. A place of romance, the birthplace of art and culture. It just so happened that it also was home to Tony’s girlfriend and her family. From the small, local airport, the three had drawn their suitcases along with them, Paul toddling alongside with his own small backpack, fighting to keep up with his parents until they slowed by the side of the pick-up drive, where Tony and his family was scheduled to be taken home by a member of Gina’s family.

Though Gina was usually right in her judgement, Tony could not help but worry, as if he was auditioning to play a role in her family play. In a way, he was - but the pressures increased with every realisation that wormed its way into Tony’s thoughts. He had to be impressionable for his girlfriend’s family, especially since he was the father of her child, and he had only met her older brother before. But to avoid sounding too distressed, Tony simply looked down at his son, who clutched a book in one hand and his stuffed bear in the other. “I don’t doubt that they’ll like Paul… Ev’ryone likes Paul. Isn’t that right, you li’le rascal.”

Paul peered up at his dad openly, as if he hadn’t heard them talking, and scrunched his brow down over his dark eyes. “Will Scout be okay wit’ Allan?” he asked, hugging his arm tighter round the middle of his bear. “Of course, she’ll love the attention from his kids,” Tony assured him, a smile breaking through his expression, which had up to now been slightly tense.

It had been a while since she had seen her family. Letters and phone calls never really could replace the physical presence of her parents and siblings. After much planning it was finally decided that she, along with her boyfriend and son, would visit for a few days. She was beyond excited, having missed her own country. Prior to their travels, Gina had been telling both Tony and Paul everything about Italy. Paul seemed enthused by the trip and appeared more thrilled at the mention of food.

Once she and her family landed, Gina felt the cliche sensation of being truly home. It was hard not to think that way. She had grown up here. Even after a few years of not setting foot in Italy, she still had a strong bond with the land, determined to pass it down to her own son as well. She glanced down at Paul then up at Tony. The boy appeared more concerned about the well-being of his precious dog at the moment while Tony looked to be a bit nervous. The man’s anxiety was understandable. He had never met her family, aside from the one time her brother was visiting.

Her hand rested on his arm. “It will be okay,” Gina assured him, standing on her toes to kiss his cheek quickly. “They will like Paul and you, I promise.” Before she could add anymore, a familiar car pulled up beside the curb. She made an excited noise then grabbed both Paul’s and Tony’s hands. “Questo è il padre!”