jessicaloons

[jessicaloons]

Miss Americana and the Heartbreak Prince:

Chapter 11

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Miss Americana

"Maman!" Charles said in a hushed voice but his mother only grinned, her eyes darting between her son and her young assistant.

"What? You did talk about her…" Pascale just shrugged her shoulders "Where is my gorgeous, little Ava?"

Lauren just then noticed the stroller behind Charles.

"You were right, by the way…" he said, looking at her.

"Umm-…?" Lauren was confused.

"I gave her a warm bath later on when she was still a little restless." Charles replied and she remembered their conversation again "She had a little cold back then… but she’s umm-… she’s better now."

"That’s good to know, I’m glad." the girl smiled at him, watching Pascale gently picking up Ava from the stroller, giving her the chance to see the little girl from close up "She’s gorgeous."

"That she is…" Pascale cooed.

"Yeah, she really is…" Charles agreed, although his eyes weren’t on his daughter but on Lauren, who didn’t seem to notice.

"Are you done with everything? Ready to close the salon for the next 3 weeks?" Charles asked his mother and Lauren looked at Pascale with big eyes.

"Oh god. I totally forgot to tell you… I’m so sorry!" the hairdresser gasped.

"Oh… umm okay… well yeah, I mean, I was wondering why I couldn’t set up new appointments for the next weeks although the calendar seemed to be empty, but I thought you blocked them because of our little project." the young girl smiled at her boss who sighed.

"No, it’s not okay… you could’ve planned something beforehand for the next weeks and now I leave you behind and all alone just like that…" Pascale said sincerely.

"It’s really okay Pascale. I probably wouldn’t even have planned something. Just stayed here… also, I scheduled the delivery of the new sinks and some other supplies for tomorrow, so yeah, maybe it’s better when we’re closed!" Lauren tried to reassure her "You go and enjoy your holidays with your family. I take care of the delivery tomorrow and then I watch over the salon… maybe I start with the remodelling…"

"No! We’re closed due to holidays! I cannot let you work while I do nothing… and I can’t let you be here all alone when they deliver all this new stuff tomorrow!" Pascale shook her head.

"You can and you will. Please let me handle this, Pascale. After everything you did for me…" Lauren meant what she said, looking at the other woman hugging her granddaughter close to her chest.

Pascale sighed, looking at her young assistant, the girl that got so close to her heart over the last weeks. She didn’t want to leave her all alone. Especially not in her makeshift bedroom in the storage room. The thought of Lauren all alone in the dark room with only one tiny window made her heart clench and she shook her head.

"Charles, how about you come in tomorrow morning and help Lauren with the delivery? We’re not leaving before noon so there’s enough time for that…" she smiled mischievously at her son "I would feel bad if I’d let poor Lauren handle it alone…"

"That’s really not necessary!" the girl in question protested but was shut down by just one look of the older woman.

"You know how these delivery people are! They will drop the stuff right at the entrance and you have to carry around those heavy packages all by yourself! So no, Charles will help you, right?"

"Of course! Yeah… Maman is right, you shouldn’t carry all of that alone. That’s- umm no, I’m coming. Just tell me when I should be here…" Charles said hastily, looking at Lauren.

"Umm-… the mail said they’ll be here at around 8 am so… yeah at 8?" she replied shyly and Charles nodded.

"I’ll be here then."

"Perfect!" Pascale clapped her hands gently, making Ava giggle.

Lauren was tossing and turning, not able to fall asleep. No matter what she did, when she closed her eyes she saw Charles blueish-green eyes and his dimply smile in front of her. His loving eyes whenever he looked at his daughter. Ava. The most gorgeous baby girl she has ever seen. She had her father’s eyes and dimples. A cute little button nose, chubby cheeks and a bright smile that was giving her father’s a run for its money. Lauren was nervous meeting Charles all alone. No Pascale to bridge the awkward silence. Only the two of them. Alone. She didn’t even know why she was nervous. Just that she was. Which was weird. She never felt that way before and she didn’t know if she liked it or not.

"Get yourself together, Rachel." she mumbled into the dark room, sighing after a moment "Lauren. I’m Lauren."

She checked the time and groaned. 1 am already. She turned on her side. Closing her eyes taking a deep breath, Charles face in front of her immediately. But this time she ignored it. Yes, he was attractive. Yes, there were some weird feelings stirring inside of her. But it didn’t matter. He was Pascale’s son. He had a daughter which probably meant he had a beautiful girlfriend or wife as well. Out of her league. Not that she even thought about anything like that. She already had a long enough list of problems. A crush on an unavailable man who’s also the son of her boss wasn’t going to make it on that list. And still it was Charles face she saw when she fell asleep. Unfortunately it wasn’t his face that made her wake up. Sweaty and heavy breathing. Heart racing. She had a nightmare that her father and even worse Tony had found her. Taking her back home against her will. Threatening her life and everyone who was kind to her if she wouldn’t come back. Lauren felt sick. It wasn’t the first time she had a nightmare like this. The first one or two weeks after she ran away were filled with nightmares. But since she arrived in Europe, brought a whole ocean between her and her old life, the nightmares were gone. Or at least she thought so. Lauren sat up and grabbed her water bottle, gulping it almost down in one go. With one hand she was brushing her hair out of her sweaty face, with the other she was searching for her phone to check the time.

"Fuck!" Lauren let out, scrambling out of the bed. 7:58 am. "Why? Why last night? Out of all nights I had to have a nightmare last night!" she mumbled.

Lauren left the storage room, her heart sinking when she saw Charles waiting through the storefront, talking with what looked like the delivery guy.

"I’m so, so sorry! I didn’t hear my alarm!" Lauren unlocked the door, pulling both sides wide open "I hope you didn’t have to wait too long…"

"Oh no, it’s alright..." Charles began with a big smile "We didn’t even wait for…" his smile faded immediately and worry was etched on his features "Are you okay?"

"Huh?" Lauren turned, looking at him.

"You’re awfully pale…" he replied and she just waved him off.

"Oh-… umm… of course. It was just a little stressful when I realised that I’m too late!" she tried to reassure him and then quickly turned to the delivery guy "But now I’m here and we can start…"

"Sure." he nodded and started to unload 3 big and heavy looking packages, dropping them off at the entrance, followed by a handful of smaller packages "That’s all, I need you to sign here… and here…"

"I didn’t even know that Maman planned on remodelling the salon…" Charles said after he sat down the last of the 3 big packages.

"We talked about it and well one thing lead to another…" Lauren shrugged, opening one of the smaller packages "We made a mood board, looked up some stuff online and then we already ordered it…"

"Wow, my mother usually isn’t the spontaneous type. She takes her time making decisions, thinking everything through. You must have made quite the impression on her."

"I told her that the salon looks amazing, there is nothing that needed to be changed!" Lauren quickly replied "I didn’t tell her that she should do it…"

"No! That’s not-… I didn’t mean it like that. Umm- like you talked her into it! I know her, talking her into something doesn’t work. I just meant that the ideas you had must’ve been amazing, otherwise she wouldn’t be on board that quickly!" Charles looked at her with wide eyes.

"Oh. Well, she knows what she wants. And I was just lucky enough ti find the perfect stuff online…"

"Can I see it?" he asked "The mood-board?"

"Oh? Sure…" she searched through her phone, handing it over to Charles "That was the vision…"

He didn’t reply immediately, looking at the design, the different textures and colours.

"Wow…" Charles let out, looking at her "I understand why my mother agreed. It looks amazing, Lauren."

The way he said her name made the girl shiver, taking her phone back.

"It’s nothing…"

"It is. Really. You have an eye for details."

"My mother and I, we used to watch HGTV all day long. The home renovation shows were our favourite. It was either nurse or interior designer for me…"

"Why did you choose being a nurse then?" Charles asked curiously.

Lauren was silent for a moment. Thinking about the best way to answer his question.

"I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to pry…" he added but she shook her head.

"I wanted to help people. People that got hurt or are sick. So yeah… nurse it was." Lauren replied, swallowing hard.

The truth was, she wanted to become a nurse because she saw what her father and his line of work did to people. A part of her was hoping she could get rid of the guilt she felt over the pain they’ve caused. Another part always had to think back at her mother and the night of their accident. How helpless she felt.

"Lauren?" Charles soft voice made her flinch "Are you okay?"

"Hmm?" she looked at him confused.

"You were a little- umm… absentminded…" he took a step closer, looking in her eyes, noticing the tears gathering.

"Yeah…" she replied, her voice hoarse.

"You sure?" Charles asked when a single tear rolled down the girls cheek and without thinking about it he gently wiped it away with his thumb, cupping her cheek.

"I was just thinking of something…" Lauren breathed out when the door to the salon opened and Pascale walked in, followed by a boy carrying Ava, making Lauren taking a step away from Charles, looking at her boss.

"Are we interrupting something?" the boy, who looked a lot like Charles just younger, asked, wiggling his eyebrows.

"Ferme-la, Arthur!" Charles hissed, making Arthur held up his hand.

"Lauren, this is Arthur, my youngest son… and you know little Ava by now…" Pascale introduced Lauren to Arthur.

"The famous Lauren. I’ve heard so much about you already!" he grinned at her.

"Hopefully good things?" Lauren said nervously.

"Only good things, no not even good, my mother was praising you. Basically everything about you… but saying you’re a really pretty girl was a total understatement…" he winked and Lauren felt herself blush.

"Stop it, Romeo!" Pascale rolled her eyes but had to smirk at the look Charles was giving his younger brother "I brought some breakfast for my little hard workers."

"I’m starving!" Arthur exclaimed.

"I wasn’t talking about you. What did you do besides carrying your niece around? Right. Nothing." Pascale put down a paper bag and two cups on the counter "This is for you two." she smiled at Charles and Lauren.

"That wasn’t necessary!" the girl mumbled.

"Don’t think I didn’t notice how little you eat! You really should’ve accepted my offer and move in with me instead of living in the storage room with no way to cook an-…"

"What? You sleep in the storage room?" Charles made big eyes, looking at Lauren "But-… that room is tiny! And dusty! Is there even a window?"

"It’s fine! There is a window. It’s not dusty. The bed is comfy. It’s just until I got my feet on the ground…" she replied hastily.

"Yeah and you could’ve done that at my place just as good…" Pascale sighed.

"Maman is right! This is just a salon! It’s not safe! Do you know how often there has been break-ins here in the shops?" Charles said, his voice laced with worry "It’s dangerous!"

"This is Monaco… not Nice!" Arthur laughed but stopped as soon as his brother looked at him "But still. Yeah. Dangerous. Living in a shop."

"It’s fine. Really. As soon as my French is better and I can do my qualification and start working as a nurse I’ll look for a flat! Until then, the store is just fine!"

"I don’t kn-…" Charles got interrupted by his phone and he pulled it out of his pocket "Hang on a minute, I gotta take that call…" he groaned groaned, stepping out of the shop.

"Arthur? I need your height!" Pascale voice came out of the storage room and he got up looking around.

"Could you hold her?" he looked at Lauren.

"Of course!" she smiled and took Ava out of Arthur’s hands "Hello, pretty girl." she cooed at her, making the little girl smile "Aren’t you adorable!"

Ava looked at Lauren with her big, bright eyes, cuddling into her chest, making adorable sounds that made Lauren’s heart swell. The little girl was grabbing the strings of her hoodie playing with it, happily chortling.

Outside of the salon Charles ended the call, sighing frustrated when he looked through the storefront, seeing his daughter smiling brightly at Lauren. His heart skipped a beat and his insides began to warm up. Holding Ava looked so natural to Lauren. Like she never did anything else in her life and Charles smiled. He quietly opened the door and walked inside, leaning against the wall, watching his daughter and Lauren. She cooed at Ava, gently caressing her cheek making the little girl snuggle up into her arm, happily giggling. Like in trance Charles watched the scene in front of him, not able to interrupt it.

"Oh wow, look at that, she loves you! Normally she’s super fuzzy with strangers! But with you? Charles, I think you have some competition…" Arthur laughed, walking back in and Lauren looked up, spotting Charles leaning against the wall.

"Yeah… I think so too, she seems to like you a lot…" he replied, looking at her with an intense gaze, making her blush slightly.

"She’s a perfect little girl. It’s easy with her…" Lauren smiled at Ava who yawned a little.

"A tired little girl. Come on sweet girl…" Arthur began, holding out his hands, but Ava turned her head away, snuggling even more into Laurens chest "Hey! You stole my niece from me!"

"I’m sorry." the girl chuckled and looked down at Ava.

"Don’t be… he’s just jealous. Ava has good taste in who she likes, that’s all…" Charles pushed off the wall, walking over to the two girls and his daughter lifted her head, hearing her fathers voice this close.

"But no one beats her dad…" Lauren smiled right as Ava held her hand out for Charles and she carefully handed the little girl over "Understandable…" she whispered underneath her breath.

After a few moments of silence, Pascale came back from the storage room, seeing Charles with Ava in his arms standing close to Lauren while Arthur sat on the counter, scrolling through his phone.

"Alright, I guess we’re done here…" she began "We just have to figure out where Lauren will stay…"

"Here! Like I said. I’ll be fine!" the girl in question protested again.

"No. I should’ve insisted when you moved here in the first place! You’re coming to my place!" Pascale said with a finality in her voice.

"But you won’t even be here for the next weeks! I can’t possibly just move into your apartment without you being there! That’s not right…"

"How about Lauren joins us at our holiday and you can figure out where she stays after? This way she’s not all alone for the next weeks. The house we’ve rented has enough rooms!" Arthur suggested and Lauren looked at him with big eyes.

"What? No-… that’s no… I can’t! This is family! I can’t intru-…" she stammered but stopped when Charles looked at her, a soft smile on his lips.

"You know what Arthur? I think that was the best idea you ever had!" he winked at his younger brother who shrugged his shoulders.

"Then it’s settled. You’re coming with us. No discussion… now come on… let’s pack!" Pascale excitedly clapped her hands together.

Lauren stood in front of the big yacht. Sedici. Sixteen. She turned to Charles, eyes big.

"How rich are you? Renting an entire yacht this size? That must cost a fortune!" she said shocked and he laughed.

"Now imagine how rich someone has to be to own it…" he winked and held out his hand for her to take.

"It’s yours?" she whispered shyly, carefully walking over the gangway.

"Yeah… I bought it last summer…" he nodded.

Lauren was at a loss of words, standing on board of the beautiful yacht. She knew that people in Monaco were richer than usually, it was Monaco after all. But she didn’t expect people to be that rich to have yachts like this. Or at least not normal people. Celebrities? Yeah. Millionaires? Of course. But Pascale had a hair salon. She knew that she wasn’t making a ton of money with it. So she didn’t think she was part of Monaco’s high society, so why would her son be?

"Lauren?" Charles gentle voice coaxed her out of her thoughts and she shook her head "You want me to give you a little tour?"

"Yeah. Sure…" she replied and followed him inside.

The yacht was beautiful. Simple, yet elegant. Everything shiny and sleek. The sofas looked soft and comfy. The beds in the cabins even more so. The upper deck with the steering wheel was her favourite place tho. It had a padded sundeck from where you could overlook the entire yacht.

"We’ll arrive in Ajaccio tonight and tomorrow in the morning we head to Olbia… or rather near Olbia…" Charles explained the route and Lauren looked at him "Don’t worry, I’m a pretty decent captain." he laughed.

"I’ve never been that long on the water…" she mumbled.

"Don’t worry, in the first aid kid we’ve got something against seasickness."

"That’s good to know." Lauren smiled when Arthur climbed up the stairs next to them.

"Everyone on board, we can take off." he said and Charles nodded.

"So, Lauren, will you be my co-captain for the day?" he asked her in a serious tone, too serious, and the girl laughed, a sound that made his heart flutter.

"It would be an honour, captain!" she replied and Charles smiled before he started to explain her the different buttons and displays on the dashboard.

Lauren watched Charles steer the yacht out of the marina onto the open sea with ease, a soft smile on his lips. It didn’t take long and the coastlines of Monaco and France were long gone behind them and after a while there was only the Mediterranean sea on the horizon. Lauren was fascinated with how at ease Charles was, almost as if he wouldn’t do anything else in his life then sailing the oceans. The light breeze in his hair, the dimples on his face, it made him all look even more handsome.

"Alright, we’re on the right course now…" Charles checked the displays and got up from his seat "Let’s go downstairs, meet the rest of the group."

"Yeah… sure…" Lauren nodded and followed him down the stairs.

She was nervous, meeting the rest of the family, Ava’s mother and Charles’ best friend, as he told her would be here as well, but she put on a brave smile and entered the cabin.

"Ahh there you are, we were just getting everything ready for a little lunch!" Pascale smiled at them "I was about to send Arthur up to come and get you…"

"I’m starving!" Charles said, kissing his mother’s cheek "Where’s Ava?"

"Charlotte is changing her diaper." Arthur replied when he walked in, a pretty girl following him "Lauren, this is Carla, my girlfriend. Carla meet Lauren."

"Hi, it’s nice to finally put a face to the name!" Carla smiled at her, pulling her into a light embrace "Pascale talked a lot about you!"

"Yeah, I heard about that…" Lauren replied, smiling at Carla.

"Oh don’t worry, she only said good things about you!"

"There are only good things to say about her!" Pascale added, smiling fondly at her young assistant, making her blush.

The door to the cabins downstairs opened and a breathtaking beautiful young woman walked out, cradling Ava to her chest. Lauren was sure that she must’ve been her mother. Ava didn’t look particularly like her, but just from how beautiful she was, her big smile, she was sure.

"All clean again!" she said in French "Oh, sorry! Hi, you must be Lauren! I’m Charlotte." she switched to English and smiled at her.

"Hi, nice to meet you." Lauren replied.

"Enzo will be out in a minute he had to change, this little one here peed on him…" she chuckled.

"Not funny!" a young man, Enzo probably, said, walking through the door "Hi Lauren! It feels like I already know you from how much Maman was talking about you! I’m Lorenzo, or Enzo, the older brother."

"The oldest. It’s just us…" Arthur whispered.

"Anyways. It’s nice to finally meet you in person!" Lorenzo smiled at Lauren.

"Nice to meet you too." she replied and watched how he gently slung his arm around Charlotte’s waist, pulling her to his side.

The movement felt intimate, lovingly, and Lauren wondered if her assumption, that Charlotte must be Ava’s mother and therefore Charles girlfriend, was right. As if Charlotte sensed her confusion she smiled at her.

"I’m Lorenzo’s girlfriend."

"Oh, okay… I thought that… umm- never mind…" Lauren said hastily when Ava turned her head a little and the moment she spotted Charles and Lauren she began to happily babble.

"Oh, sure, you see your dad and the rest of us is long forgotten…" Charlotte joked and walked over to Charles, but right when she wanted to hand him his daughter the little girl held her hand out to Lauren, chortling "Ohhh look at that…" Charlotte handed Ava over to Lauren and she immediately snuggled into her chest, sighing contently.

"Ouch… looks like you’re not her favourite any-…" Arthur laughed but stopped when Charles looked at him.

"It’s like I said… she has good taste in who she likes…" he smiled, gently brushing over Ava’s cheek "Really good taste."

"Sorry…" Lauren replied and he looked at her confused.

"For what?"

"I don’t know… she umm- she probably wanted to you… not me…" she said quietly and Charles began to laugh.

"Oh stop it, really." he smiled "She likes you, that’s not a bad thing!"

Lauren nodded slowly, feeling relieved and then looked down at Ava, half asleep.

"Oh wow, look! She’s almost asleep! This fast! Lauren, you’re a natural!" Arthur said impressed.

"Who’s a natural?" a dark haired boy walked inside, a plate of veggies and a basket full of bread in his hands "Ohhh the famous Lauren is here! I was wondering when Charles would finally come down and let us all meet you! He wanted you all to himself as it seemed…"

"Very funny, Joris…" Charles rolled his eyes "Lauren, this is my best friend, Joris. He thinks he’s funny… which he’s not…"

"You’re right… I’m not funny, I’m hilarious!" Joris wiggled his eyebrows and smiled at Lauren "It’s nice to meet you, Lauren… these boys went crazy about you, from all the things Pascale has told us about you!"

"Okay, okay, stop now! Leave her alone. That poor girl has to hear from all of you how much I talked about her all the time and feels uncomfortable if you people can’t tell!" Pascale stepped in and Lauren blushed a little "They are right, dear, I told them about you because I wanted you to meet them all. And now that that happened, let’s stop hogging at her like that, will you?"

Everyone mumbled in agreement and Lauren smiled shyly.

"It’s okay…" she said, looking down at Ava who made a little sound, but was still fast asleep.

"Here, you can put her down…" Charles lewd her to the side where a little crib stood and Lauren gently placed the little girl in the middle of it.

"She’s really gorgeous…" she whispered, loving the way Ava’s nose was scrunching up a little.

"She is…" Charles agreed and smiled at the way how Lauren looked at his daughter "Now come on, let’s eat…"

Lauren sat on the deck, stargazing when a shadow to her left caught her eye and she watched Charles making his way onto the deck.

"I guess I’m not the only one who couldn’t sleep then?" he said quietly and she nodded slightly.

"Yeah, I guess I first have to get used to the rocking of the boat while sleeping…"

"Oh. Yeah. That takes a few nights…" Charles chuckled looking at the girl next to him.

Lauren wore shorts and an oversized sweatshirt, her hair a messy bun on top of her head, but to Charles she looked breathtaking and he had to force himself to look away, to not keep on staring at her.

"Can I ask you something?" her voice hesitant.

"Sure."

"It’s really private and you don’t have to answer if you’re uncomfortable."

"Ask me." he knew the question already.

"Umm-… where is Ava’s mum?" Lauren looked at him and he kept his eyes trained on the dark horizon.

Lauren knew that she went too far, Charles was too quiet and right when she wanted to apologise he sighed, tilting his head to look at her.

"She’s not in our life. She never was… she didn’t want to be a mum, didn’t want to keep Ava, so I decided to take care of her alone. As a single dad…" there was some bitterness in his voice "It was a one night stand. A stupid mistake I made and when Ava’s mother came to me for help we wanted to give her up for adoption right after she was born… my life… my job, it’s hectic, stressful. I’m never for long in one place. Always on the road… I had to focus on my career, being a father didn’t fit into my lifestyle. And she didn’t want to be a mother. Not to a child with me at least. She’s from a religious and conservative family, they would’ve disown her if she was pregnant unmarried. Not in a relationship with the child’s father… so yeah, we had a plan…"

"But then you saw Ava and couldn’t do it?"

"No… it was even earlier… I saw her heartbeat on the ultrasound screen and I knew this little thing was mine… and I would do everything for it… flash forward and I have this beautiful little girl…" his voice wavered a little when he held up his phone that showed Ava sleeping in her crib.

"I would say you made the right decision. Ava… she’s wonderful…" Lauren smiled at him.

"Yeah… I know I made the right decision, but it’s hard… being away so often… leaving her behind all the time…"

"Okay, I have to ask this, what do you do for a living?" Lauren looked at him and Charles made big eyes.

"You don’t know?"

"No? How?"

"You’re living in Monaco?"

"And?" she was confused.

"And? Maman? She didn’t say anything?"

"No…"

"Okay… umm- well I’m a Formula 1 driver… for Ferrari…"

"Oh. Wow. That’s cool… I guess?"

"You guess?" Charles snorted and Lauren looked at him sheepishly "I guess you’re not into Formula 1 then?"

"No- not really… some of my family were but I never cared for 20 guys driving in circles…" she shrugged and Charles looked offended.

"Driving in circles? We are not driving in circles!" he gently nudged her shoulder "Ouch. That really hurts!"

"I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to hurt you!" Lauren chuckled, a sound Charles loved to hear.

"Yeah I can hear that! Unbelievable…" he shook his head laughing "Driving in circles… unbelievable… thank god you’re cute, otherwise I would’ve thrown you overboard!"

"Now you’re exaggerating!" Lauren laughed, although she felt her cheeks reddening.

"Absolutely not!" Charles shook his head.

"I’m very sorry for not knowing who you are, what you do and how big of a thing it is. Please accept my sincere apology." Lauren smiled at him.

"Apology accepted… but I’m coming back to this conversation and then-…" he began when Ava’s faint cries were heard from his phone "She saved you. For now…" he laughed and got up "You should also try to get some sleep…" he held out his hand and Lauren sighed, taking it.

"I guess I have to try and get used to the waves…"

"You definitely have to. We spent a lot of time on the water… and as part of the Leclerc clan, you will too." Charles smiled at her and when Lauren climbed into her bed, she couldn’t stop smiling, thinking about Charles words.

She was part of the Leclerc clan?

Lauren stepped off the dinghy onto the dock, looking at the big house in front of her and she gulped. Never before did she see a house, no mansion, like this before. It was huge. Beautiful. The pool alone was bigger than in some hotels she’s been before. The lawn looked so fresh, green and soft, she just wanted to lay down on it.

"What do you say?" Charles asked her and she tilted her head, looking at him with big eyes.

"I have no words…" Lauren replied and he laughed.

"I take it that’s something good?"

"It is… it really is…"

"Wait until you’ve seen the inside!" Carla took her hand and pulled Lauren with her "When Arthur showed me the pictures I was just… I was speechless!" the younger girl was excited and didn’t stop until they stood in the big living room and Lauren looked around.

It looked straight out of an interior design magazine. Everything was in warm shades of cream, beige and white. The huge windows let in the bright sunlight. The sofas looked like they were made out of the softest of fabrics. But what caught her eye was the big book shelf that spanned across the entire wall. It was like a library, from Shakespeare over Emily Brontë to The Lord of the Rings, a wide variety of different books were to find and she couldn’t stop herself from carefully pulling out a book here and there that piqued her interest. She completely forgot about where she was, or how long she was already looking through the books when Charles voice behind her made Lauren flinch and she turned around.

"What do you say?" he repeated his question from outside again.

"Wow…" was all she could say and he smiled.

"Wow indeed…"

"I was already saying to your mum that I need to find a bookstore so I could buy a book or two because… well this vacation was on such short notice that I didn’t have anything to read… but I guess that won’t be necessary anymore…"

"Nope, there are enough books for you to read…" Charles replied "Ready to see your room?"

Lauren only nodded and followed Charles through the house when he lead her to a hallway with 3 doors on each side. He opened the middle one on the right and walked inside, Lauren right on his heels.

"And this is your room…"

"Always when I think it can’t get any better this place surprises me even more…" she let out and walked over to the big French doors that lead onto the terrace with a beautiful view of the pool and the sea.

"My room is next to yours. I let you unpack and get settled… if you need anything, just let me know." Charles smiled and turned around, ready to leave the girl alone.

"Wait!" she went after him and when he turned around again Lauren hugged him "Thank you. Really."

"You don’t have to thank me!" Charles whispered, gently stroking her back.

"Yes I have to. You didn’t have to take me here with you…"

"I told you last night. You’re part of the Leclerc clan now…" he chuckled and Lauren pulled away a little, looking into his eyes.

"Well… then thank you for that…"

Lauren stood in front of the mirror, pulling the flimsy fabric into place. When she bought the bikinis a couple of weeks ago she didn’t think that she would spent a family vacation with her boss and her sons in Sardinia. But now that she looked in the big mirror in the bathroom she wasn’t sure if going out with what she was wearing was appropriate. She groaned frustrated and tried on the dark red bikini, that covered slightly more but still felt too exposed. She could hear some commotion outside at the pool and carefully pushed the curtain to the side, looking outside. She saw Charlotte sitting on a lounger and she wished she could see what she was wearing and if she was worried for nothing.

"Where’s Lauren?" she heard Carla’s voice from somewhere and stepped away from the window "Lauren?" she knocked on the French door.

"Come in…" Lauren replied.

"You’re missing out on all the fun!" she said when she stepped into the bathroom "Everything okay?" she was looking her up and down.

"It’s inappropriate, isn’t it?"

"What do you mean?" Carla asked confused.

"The bikini, I saw how you looked at it…"

"What? Oh god… no…" she laughed "It’s a bikini? What’s inappropriate about it? I was just thinking that I have the same one, but in a different colour."

"Isn’t it like a little too revealing?"

"And what am I wearing? Half of my ass is out!" she turned around showing Lauren the tight fit of her bikini bottoms "It’s a normal bikini. Were you hiding in here because of that?"

"I… Pascale is my boss… that’s her son’s out there… there’s a baby!" Lauren blushed and Carla gently patted her arm.

"It’s cute that you’re this considerate, but don’t worry. It’s all good! And now come on!" she pulled Lauren with her and together they stepped outside.

It was easy to fit into the group of people and it didn’t take long for Lauren to truly believe into Charles words, that she was a part of the Leclerc clan now.

As the sun was slowly starting to set over the horizon, Lauren stretched a little, soaking in the last rays of sunshine when she decided to have a quick shower before dinner. Only Arthur and Carla were still at the pool, the rest was already getting ready for dinner.

"See you later…" she smiled and got up, making her way over to the terrace, walking straight into, what she thought, was her bathroom. She didn’t notice the lack of her toiletries on the vanity, or the dark swim shorts that were hanging over the towel rack. She only wanted to wash the day off of her and pulled off her bikini top, then stepped out of her bottoms. She stepped inside the shower, starting the water stream and closed her eyes, relaxing. Her skin was hot and dry and she knew that she needed to moisturise her whole body after her shower but for now she just enjoyed the spray of the water. After a couple of minutes she grabbed the bottle of body wash that was provided, lathering her whole body up, it smelled masculine, pine wood and bergamot, but the scent was somehow familiar. She washed the last remaining bubbles off her body and grabbed one of the towels from the shelf, wrapping it around her, before she stepped outside of the bathroom, colliding with a warm, muscular body.

"Oh shit… shit… oh my god… I’m so sorry! I- I must’ve taken the wrong door outside… oh god…" Lauren’s face was flushed, her breathing ragged. She clutched the towel tight to her body, hoping that everything was covered "I’m- I’m so sorry!" she repeated.

"It’s okay… really! Umm- I- I didn’t even look, I didn’t see anything! I mean how? You’re wearing a towel! Do you say you’re wearing a towel? Sounds weird, no?" Charles rambled nervously, turning around and feeling all his blood rush down between his legs, just like when he saw Lauren stepping out in her bikini for the first time earlier today. That damn red bikini that made him feel like an aroused pre teen.

"I just grab my bikini and then I’m leaving! I’m so sorry, Charles…" he heard her walking back into the bathroom "I can’t believe it, this is so embarrassing…" she mumbled.

"Please, don’t be embarrassed! It’s okay, nothing happened…" Charles tried to reassure her but she didn’t reply, after a minute of silence he turned around, Lauren was gone "Damn…" he groaned and let himself fall into his bed, taking a deep breath.

It was only the first day and he was already wondering how he should manage to contain himself for the next two and a half weeks.

"This will be funny…" he sighed.

Chapter 11 - it’s summer break ☀️🕶️🏝️ and the family + Lauren need a little time to relax. They deserve it… and what can I say, Charles will have a hard time watching this gorgeous girl fitting into his life so effortlessly wearing nothing but cute bikinis… more next week 🤭

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Last but not least, English is not my first language and although I tried my best: please excuse any mistakes I made!

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[jessicaloons]

Miss Americana and the Heartbreak Prince:

Chapter 10

Masterlist - Previous - Next

The Heartbreak Prince

"Arthur, I don’t have time for this. Who ever Lindsay is, Maman knows what’s she’s doing…" Charles’s groaned, waving at the sea of fans that were waiting for them at the Whitleburry Hall hotel close to the track.

"Lauren. The girls name is Lauren." his little brother retorted, waving at some girls screaming his name.

"Whatever. It’s not something I need to think about as well, okay?" the Ferrari driver smiled at his fans, signing pictures of himself and taking selfie after selfie, when the security guards waved him in he looked at his brother, who waited together with Joris for him "Also, why are you so interested in Larissa?"

"Lauren! Are you even listening?" Arthur sighed frustrated, leaning against the steel wall of the elevator.

"Honestly? No. I don’t. Like I said, I have other things on my mind." the older Leclerc scratched his chin.

"Oh, whatever…"

"Why does this bother you so much?" Joris asked when they left the elevator, looking for their rooms "Since when are you this interested in your mother’s business?"

"I’m not! It’s just-… it was the way she said the name? The way she smiled? I don’t know, I’m just curious…" Arthur sighed and Charles patted his shoulder.

"Listen, whoever Leonore is, Maman will know what she’s doing. So can we now please focus on this weekend? Yeah? I need a good weekend, you as well… so stop thinking about some girl you’ve never even met and start focusing on your job…"

"FUCKING HELL, HER NAME IS LAUREN!" Arthur spat out, pushing his brother’s hand off his shoulder, entering his hotel room "You’re doing this on purpose!" and with that he slammed the door shut.

"That was childish…" Joris rolled his eyes and Charles nodded.

"It was…"

"Not him, you! Oh don’t look at me like that! You were riling him up on purpose!"

"I swear I didn’t. I just don’t have time to remember irrelevant things!" he unlocked the hotel room and put his stuff down "I’m in no position to think about other things then the race weekends ahead and how I can thank my mother to take care of Ava this much. And if Maman hires someone to help her out, I honestly shouldn’t question it. She’s the reason why I can still have my career while being a single father…"

"Maybe you should offer her to pay the-…" Joris began but Charles interrupted him.

"I should pay the salary of Lynette!"

"Oh now you’re messing with me as well!" his best friend threw a pillow at him and Charles caught it laughing.

"I have no idea what you’re talking about… can we focus now on Silverstone?"

"No water. No radio. No car that’s doing what I want. What a shit show…" Charles muttered underneath his breath when he got out of a van at the airport and grabbed his bags, waving at some fans at the fence.

He sighed, the weekend was a disaster with a mediocre qualifying and then a bad race with a 5 second penalty for speeding in the pit lane and a disappointing P7 at the end. He wanted to leave. He had to leave.

"It wasn’t the best of weekends, that’s for sure…" Joris nodded, taking his bags.

"The only good thing about this weekend was that it was the penultimate race before the summer break…"

"Yeah, I think you never needed it this badly…"

"I just want 3 weeks with Ava in the sun, far away from camera’s, fans and all of this." the driver nodded towards some screens that showed the race highlights.

The two men followed the airport hostess to their secluded terminal where another surprise waited for them.

"I know that look…" Charles began, looking at the red head in front of him.

"Charles, there is a problem…" Silvia said slowly, her eyes wary "There’s no easy way to say this, but your jet… it’s not here. You have to take a commercial flight… and the next one available is at 6:25 am."

Charles was too stunned to speak. Her words hit him like a freight train. 6:25 am?

"What?" was all he mustered to say, taking a deep breath.

"The jet is not here. You have to fly commercial."

"Are you serious? What do you mean the jet is not here? And isn’t there an earlier commercial flight? Like tonight maybe?" Charles looked at Silvia with wide eyes.

"The booking wasn’t confirmed… and now the jet is booked for a different flight…"

"I have to be at home tonight, Silvia. My mother is leaving early in the morning and I told her it’ll be just fine! I can’t miss this flight!"

"Well, technically you’re not missing your flight… also, you’re not the only one who has to go back ho-…"

"But no one else has to be at home because their mother can’t watch their daughter forever!" Charles whisper shouted frustrated, his mind racing. Always when he thought a weekend couldn’t end worse, life was showing him just how worse it really could be, now that he stood in the little terminal for private jets, with no way to fly back home "Fuck!" he let out frustrated, typing away on his phone.

"I don’t know what else-…" Silvia began when Charles shook his head, walking away to call Lorenzo.

"Charles?" a voice behind him made Charles flinch, turning around to look at Max "You okay, mate?"

"Of course, an amazing weekend with an amazing end, no?" he pressed out, not in the mood for more unnecessary conversation.

"Umm-… sure. I overheard-… well who didn’t? You weren’t speaking quietly. Anyways, if you have to be in Monaco this urgently, you could fly with us? I have two seats left?" the Red Bull driver offered and Charles cocked an eyebrow.

"Are you sure?"

"I mean, yeah, it’s not the first time we share a jet, it’s been a while but… yeah you know, I don’t know why you have to be in Monaco, but your voice tells me it must be important…" Max replied, tilting his head.

"It really is. I- umm… I promised my mum to be at home tonight. She needs me…" the Monegasque driver said vaguely and Max nodded.

"Alright, then come on, you and Joris can join us."

"She’s amazing. She helps me so much… I can now fully divide my time between the salon and my gorgeous granddaughter… leaving for the convention tomorrow was also only possible because of her!" Pascale raved about her new assistant while feeding Ava "Best decision ever to hire her."

"I didn’t even know you were looking for an assistant and now you constantly talk about her?" Arthur asked, looking up from his tablet.

"Constantly? She’s here now for what? A month? A little more?" Pascale rolled her eyes "Also, I wasn’t looking for an assistant, it was more coincidental, you know? She got a haircut, we talked and et voila I hired her… and she’s doing such an amazing job! She manages the whole salon on her own! I just have to come and cut some hair and then I can leave already because she took care of the rest…"

"As long as she’s a help for you…" Arthur shrugged, right when Charles walked in, hair still damp from his shower.

"Who’s a help for who?" the older Leclerc brother asked, gently kissing his daughters fingers.

"My new assistant-…" his mother began but got interrupted by her youngest son.

"L-a-u-r-e-n… you remember? Maman is raving about her for the past weeks now…"

"You hired a new assistant?" Charles asked, ignoring his brothers eye rolling while sitting down next to her, watching her feed his daughter.

"Yes, it was all really spontaneous. I gave her a haircut, we talked, and then I hired her and believe me Charles, she’s amazing. A hard worker, sweet and charming to all my clients, always polite. She’s a quick learner, amazing with her hands… and don’t let me start on how beautiful she is! She could be a model for sure…"

"Oh yeah? I might have to visit you then in the salon…" Arthur wiggled his eyebrows, earning a slap on his upper arm from his mother "Ouch! What was that for?"

"You have a beautiful girlfriend yourself. Behave!" she replied and then turned slightly to her other son "You on the other hand…"

"Stop. No. Don’t do that, Maman!" Charles rolled his eyes, groaning. He was too exhausted for this. It was the middle of the night, he was tired, frustrated from the weekend and not in the mood for his mother’s attempts to meddle with his love life. He knew her all too well. How she always eyed up his girlfriends, saying him that she wasn’t the one and frankly she was right every single time, but it wasn’t something she had to know.

"Don’t do what?" his mother asked innocently.

"You’re not setting me up with your new assistant-…"

"I wasn’t! I just said that if someone wanted to come over and get to know her it should’ve been you. The single one." Pascale shrugged her shoulders, cooing at her granddaughter.

"Single father…" Charles replied, sighing.

"I don’t think that would be a problem for La-…"

"See! You want to set me up with her. No. Not happening. I have Ava and my career. That’s all I need."

"I didn’t say-…" Pascale began but then shook her head "Whatever, Charles. But just so you know, you would love her. You all would, I for sure am. That’s all I’m saying."

"Yeah, yeah…"

"Alright, now that you’re here, I can go home and have some sleep before I have to get up and leave." Pascale leaned over, laying Ava down in her father’s arms "I’m glad we didn’t have to stick to plan B…"

"I am able to take care of her!" Arthur rolled his eyes.

"Sure you can…" his mother patted his arm "Now come on, you have to drive me home."

"Fine." he got up as well, gently stroking his nieces arm "Good night, little Ava. Charles." he winked at his older brother who smiled lazily, watching his daughter fighting off the inevitable sleep.

As soon as his mother and brother left, Charles got up and laid Ava down in her bassinet, his own tiredness and exhaustion slightly taking over. He pulled the bassinet next to his bed and laid down, watching his daughters every little movement.

"Good night my pretty little princess. Daddy’s here now…" he whispered, before he fell asleep almost immediately.

Charles woke up from Ava’s crying and whimpering. Worse than anything he ever heard before. He was up in an instant, switching on the bedside lamp.

"Hey my little angel, what’s up?" he cooed at her, gently scooping her up, her tears dampen his shirt "Hey, hey, hey. What’s the matter baby girl, hmm?" he patted her back gently, rocking her in his arms "Are you hungry?" he got up and made his way to the kitchen, preparing a bottle, all while Ava cried and whimpered into his chest. He never heard her cry like this before, his heart braking with every new sound from his little girl and when he 10 minutes later sat down with her, trying to feed her he had to learn that it wasn’t the bottle she wanted "Fresh diaper then?" but again, not what was wrong. Charles sat in his bed, rocking Ava who got squirmier with every second, her little sobs making her tiny body shake, which made Charles heart clench "What is it, Ava? Hmm? You’re not hungry, your diaper is clean. What do you need baby girl?" he turned her a little, so he could look into her eyes, tears staining her face. She was pale. But her nose and cheeks were red. Her hair felt like it was a little damp. Charles gently stroked her cheeks and he thought they felt warmer than usual. But was it a fever? Or was it now from crying that much? Charles checked his phone. It was 5:46 am. Ava was awake over half an hour earlier than usual as well "We should try to sleep a little more baby girl… let’s put something on the TV and then try to sleep a little more…" Charles scooted into the middle of his bed, propped up a little against the headboard so that Ava could sleep on his chest, pillows on his left and right in case he fell asleep that Ava was safe. Then he put her down on his thighs and took off his shirt, remembering what the nurse told him the night Ava was born, and put her back on his chest, pulling the blanket over them "Look at that. A nice documentary narrated by David Attenborough… with his soothing voice, we’ll be sleeping in no time…" Charles cooed at Ava, gently rubbing circles on her back. And he was right it didn’t take long for her to fall asleep again. Not her peacefullest one, but she slept. And with her finally settling down, Charles followed shortly after. But not for too long. From the moment Ava woke up an hour later her crying got worse. Her tiny sobs sounded as if she was having a cold and Charles wondered what he should do. When he was having a cold he drank hot tea, took some medication and that was it. But what was he supposed to do with Ava? He grabbed his phone, already dialling his mother’s number when he hung up. His mother was already on her way to the convention and he knew she would turn around immediately. He had to figure it out himself. So he googled. But the results were all too different. Too many different opinions on what to do and he was confused. He was rocking Ava in his arms, pacing back and forth in his apartment, when he called Enzo, asking for help from Charlotte but his older brother told him that she wouldn’t be home for the next couple of hours.

"What’s wrong with her?" Enzo asked, sensing his brother’s distress "I can be at yours in 10 minutes?"

"She’s just not calming down. I tried to feed her, she’s not really eating much. She’s changed, so that shouldn’t be a problem, she can’t be tired because she doesn’t want to sleep. And… she feels a little warmer than normally? She’s a little sweaty… I don’t know what to do? I’m feeling like Maman would know what to do, but I can’t call her. Not when she finally, after years, does something for herself again!"

"Charles, maybe you should go and see a doctor?" Enzo suggested "I can drive you there?"

"I don’t even know who her doctor is…" Charles whispered "I have no idea… Maman took her to the doctor the last times…" he felt like the worst father on earth.

"It’s at the children ward at the hospital. Get ready I’ll pick you up in 10."

"It’s okay, baby girl, we’re going to see a doctor, you’ll be fine. Just fine…" Charles whispered, looking outside the car window, checking where they were "Just a little longer, Ava."

"Almost there." Lorenzo said, looking into the rearview mirror, seeing his brother’s pale face, jaw tightened "5 minutes…"

"You hear that? Almost there, little princess." Charles gently stroked Ava’s cheek, feeling her warm skin "Almost there…"

"I’ll drop you off and then I’ll head to the airport picking Charlotte up… and you let me know what’s up with Ava, okay? And when I have to pick you up…" Lorenzo said.

"Yeah…" Charles mumbled, unbuckling his seatbelt the moment his brother stopped in front of the hospital.

He got out of the car and opened the boot of the car, taking out Ava’s stroller.

"Here you go…" Enzo gently laid his niece down "It’s going to be alright, little Ava." he cooed at her, pulling the blanket over her "Call me, whatever it is, if you need me, don’t want to feel so alone, just call me, okay?" he then said to his brother, hugging him "It’s going to be okay, you hear me?"

"Okay… yeah…" Charles replied "And thanks for driving us… I’m not sure I would’ve been able to drive safely…"

"It’s okay. Now go inside…" Lorenzo patted his back and Charles nodded, pushing Ava’s stroller to the entrance, through the doors to the front desk.

"Hi, umm- I need a doctor, no, my daughter needs a doctor, she’s restless and she feels hot and sweaty and I don’t know what to do, the temperature is rising I think? My mum- she umm, she was here before with Ava, my daughter…" Charles stammered, looking at the nurse who smiled at him.

"Okay, so your daughter’s doctor is here at the children’s ward?" she asked and he nodded "Okay, do you know where the children’s ward is? No, okay… follow the rainbow coloured line on the floor, to your right…" she pointed at the different coloured lines on the floor and Charles nodded.

"Thank you." he replied and walked off, following the line through the hallways until he arrived at a glass door, children’s ward written in colourful letters on it "We did it, baby girl, just a moment… they will help you…" right when he wanted to push the door open it sprang open and an older looking nurse walked out, looking at him.

"Can I help you?" she asked.

"Umm yes-… this is Ava, my daughter, she umm- she needs a doctor, she’s sick I think…" Charles said and the nurse cocked an eyebrow, looking into the stroller.

"Ava? So you are Ava’s father, I was wondering when we would see you here…" she said, nodding towards the front desk inside the children’s ward "Go on in there…"

"Umm- okay." Charles was a little confused by the icy tone of the nurse but he couldn’t think too much about it, walking to the front desk "Hi, my daughter needs a doctor. She’s restless and cries a lot, she didn’t sleep much, doesn’t want to eat and she feels warmer than usual… I think she has a cold…" he explained to the nurse behind the desk and she got up immediately.

"Alright, please follow me…" she brought them into an examination room and helped Charles with getting Ava out of the stroller, taking off her jacket, right when the door opened again "Could you please fill out the paperwork with Mr. …?"

"Leclerc… I’m Charles and this is Ava…" Charles replied and the nurse nodded.

"Alright, can you please help Mr. Leclerc with the paperwork?"

"And Ava?" he asked, his eyes widened.

"Don’t worry, Mr. Leclerc, the doctor will be here shortly, I’ll take care of her, and as soon as you’re done with the papers you’ll be back with your daughter." the nurse smiled and he nodded "It won’t take long, don’t worry. And I’m here, taking care of Ava."

"Mr. Leclerc, would you please follow me?" the other nurse lead him outside and Charles followed her hesitantly "Don’t worry, she’s in really good hands. I just need you to fill out these documents, you can sit down there…" she pointed at some chairs lined up at the wall of the hallway and Charles took the clipboard and sat down, scribbling away.

Charles hands were a little shaky, he never liked hospitals, too many people did he lose in one. But for Ava he had to be strong, push the negative thoughts away and focus on her wellbeing. When he was done with the paperwork he looked up, but the nurse wasn’t sitting behind her desk and he looked to the left, where two women walked up to him.

"Mr. Leclerc? Hi, I’m Cleo Bernoit, this is Marianne Goulard, we’re from the CPS in Monaco…" the blonde woman began.

"CPS?" Charles interrupted, looking confused between the two women.

"Child protective services…"

"What? Are you kidding me? Why?" he was at a loss of words, confused and scared.

"Someone called us after the incident with your daughter… it’s a standard procedure. Mandatory." the red haired woman, Marianne, said "And since we have an office here in the hospital, we just want to check in quickly."

"You see, you’re a single father with a demanding job. We’re just here to make sure that everything is alright." Cleo added and Charles swallowed hard.

"Umm- okay… but it wasn’t really an incident? I just wasn’t sure what to do and couldn’t reach my mum, that’s why I brought her to the emergency room…" he mumbled, his hands gripping his thighs tightly, knuckles turning white "She was restless, cried and felt a little warmer then usually. I couldn’t calm her down. So yeah, I thought taking her here would be the best."

"I see. Does this happen more often?" the blond woman asked.

"That she’s restless and cries and I can’t calm her down? Or what? The slightly higher temperature?" Charles was confused.

"No, that you need to check in with your mother, regarding your daughter’s health." the redhead said.

"What?" he was taken aback "What do you mean?"

"Ava is your daughter. You’re the one responsible for her and-…"

"I know that she’s my daughter and I’m responsible for her. But she’s also my first child, I don’t know everything about babies yet and before I make a mistake I check in with my mother, who successfully raised three kids-…" Charles began, his voice wavering with emotions.

"We know that Mr. Leclerc. It’s just… we’ve been notified that for the last two check-ups, it was your mother who brought Ava in. Not you." the redhead said and Charles eyes widened "And when Ava got her second round of vaccines a month ago, it was also your mother who brought her in again…" she continued.

"Yes. Because I had to work. And while I’m being away working, my mother takes care of her granddaughter. Is there a problem with that?" he said.

"Mr. Leclerc. Ava is your daughter, she’s not even three months old but you are more interested in travelling the world then-…"

Charles had enough. He got up from his seat, his hands balled into fists, breathing heavy.

"I am not more interested in travelling the world than being with my daughter. It is my job. I am a Formula 1 driver. Travelling the world is my job. I am a single father who is more than grateful that his mum takes care of his daughter while he’s away, working. Excuse me, but I want to see my daughter now." his voice was dangerously low, his anger and frustration palpable.

He walked away towards the nurses station, already typing a message out for his mother.

"Hi, can I see my daughter now?" Charles asked the nurse who smiled at him, taking the clipboard from him, looking it over.

"Let me just check if you didn’t forget anything and then we-…" she began.

"No. I want to see her. Now." his voice louder than intended.

"No, of course not, Mr. Leclerc, follow me…" the nurse got up from her seat and gestured for Charles to follow her, down the hall.

"Thank you-… I didn’t want to get loud and be rude. I was just-… I’m just scared and frustrated… I shouldn’t have let it out at you…" he stammered but the nurse just smiled at him.

"It’s okay, it’s your first child, that’s normal." she patted his arm and stopped in front of a door, knocking gently "Dr. Richefort? I have Mr. Leclerc here, little Ava’s dad, can we-"

"Of course, of course, come on in, Mr. Leclerc!" an older man waved Charles inside and he hastily walked in, his eyes immediately on Ava in a little bassinet on the table, the other nurse holding out a teddy bear to her "Everything is alright with your little one. Just a little fever and stuffed nose, nothing out of the ordinary, that happens sometimes."

"She’s okay?" the young father whispered, his eyes rooted on his daughters face "Nothing serious?"

"Nothing serious. Nothing a warm bath in a little steamy bathroom can’t cure. Close all windows and doors, start the shower with hot water and let some steam build in the room, that’s perfect for her nose and lungs. I gave her some syrup to calm her down and reduce the fever, I wrote that one up for you to get as well as something for her stuffed nose." Dr. Richefort said and he was relieved, cupping Ava’s cheek who was smiling lazily, playing with the doctor’s stethoscope now.

"I can take her home?" Charles asked, looking up.

"Of course, I don’t see any reason why not. Just get her medicine and give her something of the syrup before bed and she should be perfectly fine in one or two days. You’re good to go." the doctor nodded to the nurse who grabbed Ava’s onesie from a stool helping Charles getting her ready.

His eyes didn’t leave Ava’s face for one second, his heart racing. As soon as his little one was safely in her stroller and the Doctor handed him the prescription for the pharmacy, the nurse showed him the way outside.

"Can I ask you something?" Charles had to know "Why did you call the CPS?"

"CPS? They were here?" she stopped, looking at him "Why?" she seemed genuinely confused opening the door for Charles and the stroller.

"Yeah… they said it’s mandatory, after all I wasn’t with Ava for her last check-ups and that because my mum was taking care more of her than I am…" he almost whispered and the blonde woman thought for a moment before she sighed, shaking her head.

"Angelique… the head nurse. She’s one of the older nurses here. Very settled in her way of thinking and how families are supposed to look like. Single parents? God no! Worse, a single father? Who works? I bet it was her. She’s the one who does the administrative stuff like that… I’m very sorry that she called them…"

"The older nurse who opened the doors when I arrived?"

"I didn’t see, but yeah, that could be…"

"Am I on their watchlist now?" Charles asked when they entered the foyer of the hospital "Now that they looked into my-no Ava’s file?"

"I wish I could say no… but the truth is, now that you got their attention, they will have an eye on you… I’m sorry. I’ve seen you with your little girl and I think you’re doing a good job…" she said genuinely and Charles mustered a tiny smile.

"Thanks… have a nice day." he walked out of the door, waving the nurse goodbye.

As soon as Charles was outside he put on his shades and a baseball cap, hoping that no one would recognise him. He made a mental note to call his lawyer later on, not sure if she could do anything about the CPS and also the fact that he was here today. Ava was sleeping in her stroller and he decided a nice little walk would do them some good. Some fresh air. He also knew that Ava slept the best in her stroller, the slightly bumpy sidewalks rocking her gently in her stroller, making it perfect for a nice long slumber. Like that he could also stop at the little pharmacy that was far off the usual busy streets of Monaco, getting Ava’s medicine.

Charles decided to make a little stop at the harbour, enjoying the sun, calming down his nerves. His mind was racing. The fact that someone called the CPS on him was bad enough, but to think that because of that, all the hard work to keep Ava safe and a secret were for nothing was worse. He tried his best to be at home with her as much as he could. Took it upon him to travel in between races back home where he usually would just straight fly to the next race. Even if it was only for a couple of hours, he didn’t miss a single chance to see her if possible. Was it ideal? No. He knew that. He felt it. He missed her. Every single minute he was gone, he missed her like crazy. But he couldn’t ask his mother to travel with him around the world so Ava could come with him. His mother had her own life and it wasn’t fair to ask that of her. She probably would agree, she would sacrifice everything for her children and now granddaughter. Charles leaned back, sighing.

"What the hell am I supposed to do?" he mumbled when Ava stirred in her stroller, waking up crying "Hey, baby girl, it’s alright… all good…" he gently picked her up and held her close to his chest, rocking her slowly "It’s all good my little princess…"

But it wasn’t. Ava’s cries were getting louder, making Charles trying desperately to calm her down. He looked up in the sky once, sending a prayer out for anyone to help him.

"It’s the sunglasses, you know?" a gentle voice commented, making Charles flinch, he didn’t notice that someone was sitting on one of the other benches.

"Sorry?" he asked confused.

"Lose the sunglasses, yeah and maybe the cap too…" a pretty girl replied, her eyes shining "She wants to see you, but she can’t…" her beautiful smile almost made Charles heart skip a beat.

"Umm-… just… just take off the sunglasses and the cap? It’s that easy?" he cocked and eyebrow but did as told after he looked around for a moment, making sure that no one else was around.

"I mean, it could be… it’s worth a try, now she can look at her dad, sees that you’re looking at her too… that you’re here for her." the girl explained and Charles nodded slowly, looking down at Ava.

"I’m here, Ava. It’s all good…" he smiled at his daughter, kissing her forehead, when she seemed to calm down a little.

"Or she’s just hungry or needs new nappies…" the girl continued and Charles looked at her.

"So you’re just throwing out some guesses? You’re not some kind of a baby guru?" he chuckled a little and the girl shook her head "What a shame, I could’ve used one…" he mumbled and she looked at him "Sorry… it’s- it’s been a short night. And a way too long day…"

"No need to apologise. I know how you feel…"

"You have one as well?" the young man looked at her with big eyes, sounding surprised "Sorry! I shouldn’t have said it like that… it’s just you look quiet young? I mean not that it’s bad to be a young mother! It’s great, like you know… I think I better just shut up…" he groaned, shaking his head and the girl had to stifle a laugh.

"I mean I am young. But not too young… but no, I don’t have one… I worked with some tho…" she replied.

"You worked with babies?"

"I‘m a paediatric nurse…"

"Padric what?" Charles was confused, tilting his head a little.

"Paediatric nurse… kids… I was trained especially for kids and did some hours on the new born ward…" she explained.

"Oh! Wow! You’re more than qualified to give some advice then…" he looked at her "You’re here on vacation?"

"No… I moved here actually… just a couple of weeks ago, still trying to get used to everything…" the girl replied and he nodded.

"Don’t worry, not all Monegasques are as lost as me and need help from a pretty stranger…" Charles said and then blushed, the moment he realised what he just had said out loud.

"Oh- umm… it’s alright… don’t worry…" the girls cheeks were turning red.

"I- I should go… I have to put her down soon…" Charles carefully laid his daughter in the stroller next to them and put his cap and sunglasses back on "Thanks for umm- for the help…"

"Sure. If she’s still a little grumpy later on, you should try a warm bath…" the pretty girl got up as well "Umm-… bye."

"Yeah-… umm bye…" Charles turned around and pushed the stroller in front of him before he stopped again, turning a little "Oh and welcome to Monaco."

"Thanks." she smiled back at him, making Charles heart definitely skip a beat.

"I’m Charles, by the way. Maybe I’ll see you around some time, Monaco is almost like a little village." he chuckled and she nodded, turning around, walking away "Well now I need to see her again…" he mumbled, cooing at Ava "She didn’t tell me her name."

"Charles?"

"Hmm?" he blinked looking at his mother "What?"

"What happened then?" she asked and he was confused for a moment, the smile of the pretty stranger in the back of his mind "You left the hospital and then? Did you hear from the CPS again?"

"No. Not yet… I mean it’s just 2 days ago, no? I didn’t give them any reason…" Charles sighed.

"You must’ve been scared, after they jumped at you like that?" Pascale patted his arm and he sighed.

"Yeah… it was scary… but yeah I mean, it’s like this. I can’t change it, not now at least, I’m leaving for Spa in an hour…"

"The most important thing is that Ava is healthy. She’s all good, you took care of her just like a good dad would. The rest we’ll figure out." Charles’ mother smiled at him and he nodded slowly "Okay, there is something else? Since I’m back your thoughts seem to drift away every now and then? And you have this smile on your face? What happened? You’re going from worried to happy and dreamy in a heartbeat?"

"Hmm? What?" Charles looked at her, scratching his beard.

"You don’t even listen to me? What happened?" Pascale cocked an eyebrow and he averted his gaze immediately, looking at Ava "You can’t even look me in the eyes?"

"I don’t know what you mean…" he replied, a soft smile on his lips, when he thought back to the girl from the harbour "I’m just happy that Ava is all good… and now I should check that I packed everything…"

"No, I know you… there’s something else… it’s almost like…" Pascale began, when Joris plopped down next to her on the sofa.

"It’s almost like he has a crush on someone. I know that smile, almost a little dumb... and the fact he can’t look us in the eyes when we ask him what’s going on? How he changes the topic? Charles met someone…" he chuckled and his best friend groaned, although he began to blush slightly "And now look at his face! He’s blushing!"

"You really met someone! And that someone must’ve left quite the impression on you… I mean, look at you!" Pascale grinned, although she was a little disappointed that she couldn’t introduce Lauren earlier to her son "Who is she? Where did you meet her?"

"Okay, okay. Calm down. I met her once. After the hospital, I don’t know her name, or anything. She helped me with Ava. She was amazing. But that’s it. I don’t have a crush. Or anything like that, okay?" Charles said but his mother and best friend just exchanged glances and he knew that he shouldn’t have said anything "Can we please leave it be? I have one last race before the summer break. Let me focus on that and then after you can annoy me again?"

"Oh you can bet on it…" Joris laughed and Pascale nodded.

"I can’t wait to hear more of it…" she added.

"Alright, now let me enjoy the last minutes with my little princess before we have to leave."

Lauren swiped the floor clean, when the phone rang and Pascale answered the call, smiling while speaking in a soft voice. The young girl continued with cleaning the mirrors and wiped the console tables underneath, storing away the cleaning utilities as soon as she was done.

"La porte de derrière est ouverte... D’accord."

Lauren thought for a moment, trying to translate what Pascale had said.

"The backdoor is open." Pascale said, looking at the young girl "You tilt your head and poke out your tongue, when you’re trying to translate what was said…"

"Oh…" how embarrassing.

"You’ll finally meet one of my sons, Charles is coming over. " her voice was always filled with love and pride as soon as she mentioned one of her sons, it made Lauren’s heart swell, hearing her talk so fondly and adoringly of her sons.

But at the same time it also stung a little, making her miss her mother even more.

"Charles? He’s the youngest?"

"Middle."

"Oh, okay." Lauren nodded, storing away some bottles, when a breathtakingly handsome young man, stepped out of the hallway, a young man Lauren knew from somewhere.

"Charles, come in, come in. I want you to meet Lauren-…" Pascale switched to English, making her son cock an eyebrow.

"Your new assistant you can’t stop talking about?" he chuckled and Pascale nodded, he then followed his mothers look and as soon as his eyes landed on Lauren his whole face lit up, something his mother noticed, making her grin "It’s you! The girl from the park!"

"You two know ea-… wait? The girl from the park? OH! The girl from the park!" Pascale made big eyes, a big smile spreading on her face.

Charles blushed immediately, but he wasn’t alone, Laurens eyes widened and her cheeks were turning red, he was talking about her?

Chapter 10 - I AM SO SORRY FOR THE LONG WAIT! Life was messy, hectic and really a lot these last weeks and I didn’t want to post something only okayish. It finally happened. Lauren and Charles officially met ♥️ now the real party starts hehehe

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Last but not least, English is not my first language and although I tried my best: please excuse any mistakes I made!

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@glitterquadricorn @lottalove4evelyn @janeh22 @itsjustkhaos @mariclerc @fangirlforever2000

[jessicaloons]

Miss Americana and the Heartbreak Prince:

Chapter 9

Masterlist - Previous - Next

Miss Americana

July 2023:

"… so yeah… I remembered how my mother spoke about you and Monaco… that it’s a wonderful place to start over. Well and here I am." Lauren finished the short and very cut version of why she was sitting now in front of the Monegasque hairdresser, a steaming mug of coffee in her hand.

"Your mother was one of a kind… not just that she was one of the most beautiful women I’ve ever seen, no she also was one of the most friendly ones. I’m so sorry that you lost her so early in your life, ma chérie… life must’ve been hard without her…" Pascale squeezed the young girls hand "I know how hard it can be for children to lose their parent… a couple of years ago I lost my husband… my sons lost their father, Arthur, my youngest he was 17 at the time… it wasn’t easy. But at least they had each other… they had-…"

"You. Yeah… I guess with a father who who’s there for me, it could’ve been bearable. But well… he had to deal with it himself…" Lauren mumbled and the older woman nodded slowly.

"I don’t know entirely what’s up with your father, but what I know is that he doesn’t work for the best kind of people, that it made your and your mothers life not the easiest… so I think that you’re here is for the best. Far away from home and all the problems lurking there…" an empathetic smile on her lips, she got up and walked behind the counter, rummaging through one of the drawers, returning shortly with a little notebook.

"I let you in on a little secret… being a hairdresser in Monaco has its perks, you’ll end up cutting and styling a celebrities hair every once in a while and I always made sure to take a picture with them, then I noted down the date and what I thought about them…" she flipped through the pages, stopping from time to time to chuckle a little, telling Lauren a little anecdote about the famous person who’s hair she took care off "That’s David Coulthard, he was a Formula 1 driver, a pretty good one too, he’s Scottish and has this booming laugh… during the Monaco GP one day when I was in the paddock, I bumped into him. It was hilarious…" she continued looking through the pages until she finally had found what she was looking for "Ahhh… here it is! Susannah Lombardi, Miss USA from Woburn, Massachusetts and her gorgeous little girl Rachel…" she showed the picture of Lauren’s mother and herself as a toddler, sitting in her mothers lap, next to them stood Pascale, smiling "I’ve seen a lot of beautiful women in my life, but your mother… she was truly something else, and you look just like her…"

"Not even close… she had this natural aura around her. Every room she walked into, she instantly brightened it up. Everyone around her was smiling. She had this warmth… she- she was amazing…" Lauren whispered, looking at the picture in Pascale’s notebook "What did you write about her?"

"Let me see…" the hairdresser took the book from Lauren’s trembling hands, putting on her glasses "Susannah wasn’t just the most beautiful, but also the loveliest lady I’ve ever met. She didn’t just look like a queen, she had the grace, the aura, of one as well. A kind and strong woman, a loving mother, who would do everything for her precious little Rachel. But underneath there lies something dark. A sadness in her eyes when talking about her home. I hope she’ll find true happiness one day for her and her daughter. Not many people are that deserving of it." Pascale looked up and pulled Lauren in a tight embrace, seeing the tears streaming down the young girls face "I’m so sorry you lost her, ma cherié. So, so sorry." she gently traced circles on the crying girls back, trying to soothe her.

After a while Lauren wiped her face, slowly sitting up and Pascale let her go, smiling at her.

"Thank you, Madame Leclerc… I understand now why my mother talked about you so fondly." Lauren’s voice hoarse.

"Oh stop…" the older woman chuckled, wiping some stray tears from the girls face "Tell me, how can I help you?"

"I- I just need to improve my French, so I can work as a nurse here in the hospital… if you could help me with that?" Lauren said shyly.

"The best way to learn French is to speak French… and I already have an idea…"

"Are you sure you want to stay here? I have a big apartment and I’m all alone, my sons all moved out…" Pascale said, looking around the little back room she and Lauren had cleaned and tidied up for the last hour "It’s really no problem!"

"Thank you Mrs. Lec-…"

"Pascale!"

"Right… thank you, Pascale, but I really can’t accept the offer! You’re doing already enough to let me stay here!" Lauren smiled and squeezed the older woman’s arm.

"I couldn’t let you stay in a hotel! Wasting all your money! Mais no!"

"And I really, really appreciate it. This is enough until I get fully settled here in Monaco."

"You will have no problem with that, ma chérie. You already speak Italian, now we just need to get your French going a little and you’re good to go."

"Yeah… but French isn’t that easy, believe me, the last couple of days I was trying a lot…." Lauren chuckled "But I’ll get there."

"Can I leave you alone? My son, he umm-… he needs my help…" the hair dresser said, checking her phone.

"Of course! Go. I’ll be alright. I have everything that I need. And thank you again, Mrs. Le-… Pascale."

"Stop thanking me, Ra- Lauren. Looks like we both have to get used to our names…" she smiled and grabbed her purse "I see you tomorrow. If you need anything, just call or text me. Have a good night."

"You too. See you tomorrow."

Lauren sat down, taking in her surroundings. The storage room turned into a nice little place for her to stay. The day bed was cosy, the drawer next to it full with her personal belongings and clothes. It wasn’t much, but it felt safe. Almost homely. After a quick shower in the bathroom and a sandwich Pascale had prepared her earlier, she cuddled into her bed, falling asleep almost immediately.

"Did you sleep well?" Pascale smiled at Lauren, the smell of the fresh coffee she brought her waking up the girls senses.

"To be honest? I think I haven’t slept this good for weeks…" Lauren nodded, taking a big sip of the dark liquid "And this coffee was just what I needed to wake up fully, thank you."

"No worries, dear." the hair dresser replied, looking through her notebook.

"What’s the idea you had in mind, helping me with my French?"

"Well, I could really use a new assistant here in the salon… one of my girls left, she moved to Milan with her fiancé, and now it’s only me and Claire, and it’s getting a little hectic at times. I can’t do both, taking care of the phone, the calendar, all the supply orders, welcoming new clients while I’m already cutting someone else’s hair…"

"Sounds like something I could do!" Lauren nodded making Pascale smile.

"Well, then I’d say let’s set up a contract and welcome to the team!"

Lauren was excited. Working for Pascale was just what she needed to get a footing in Monaco. Getting her French going. Getting used to work and live in the little principality. She couldn’t wait to start her new work. For the next weeks Lauren assisted Pascale with everything she could do, besides actually cutting hair. That was something she didn’t want to do, too afraid to mess something up and the older woman was glad that she didn’t have to say it to her young assistant herself. Lauren ran errands, washed hair, cleaned the salon, handled the appointments and took care of ordering new supplies.

"Looks good, you can send it…" Pascale smiled at her, handing over the clipboard "I have to say, since you are here, everything is way easier. Since Marie left 2 months ago and now with Charles and the ba-… well it was all getting a little too much. But with you here, everything goes smoothly."

"I really enjoy working here, my French already got better… or at least I think so?"

"It definitely is better! Just a few more weeks and you’re fluent!" Pascale replied when she got a notification, checking her phone, frowning.

"Everything okay?" Lauren asked concerned but the hair dresser only sighed and put her phone away.

"Yeah yeah it’s fine… it’s just… I know that the salon is in good hands with you and Claire when I go to the convention tomorrow… but my son… he’s going through something and I know I can’t always be there, he has to learn to handle it alone, but yeah… it’s not easy."

"I think it’s just understandable. You’re an amazing mum who cares for her sons! Nothing wrong with that." Lauren gently patted the older woman’s arm who smiled.

"And still. I have to learn to let go. He’ll be fine. He has to be."

"And I’m sure he’ll be just that. You don’t have to worry about him or your salon. It’s all going to be just fine!"

"You’re right! It will be! How couldn’t it be, with you being here!"

"Oh stop. I’m just helping out a bit." Lauren blushed a little, turning away to fill up the hand towels at the sink.

"Yeah, but that helping out is just what I needed. You’re doing an amazing job."

"It’s like I said, I really enjoy working here. Everyone is so friendly, helping me out with my French, especially all the adorable older ladies." Lauren smiled, thinking about Marianne, who came in twice a week to get her hair done.

"They all love you. Estelle told me that she never met a sweeter girl than you… and I have to say, I agree."

"Oh stop, you’re making me blush… Estelle is lovely, I just hope she doesn’t follow through with her plan, bringing her grandson next time with her…" Lauren scowled a little and Pascale laughed.

"Jean-Luc is a nice young man, but no… you deserve someone special, not a guy whose hobby it is to compare his watches with his friends…" the hair dresser winked at her assistant, in her mind she was already thinking about introducing Lauren to her son Charles.

"Pascale? You sure you’re alright?"

"Oh yes, more than alright…" she chuckled, thinking about how Charles would be completely enamoured by the lovely, young girl in front of her "Were done for today. I showed you everything you need to know for the next two days!"

"Are you sure?"

"I am. I have to go home and pack now. You enjoy the rest of the day!"

"Have fun at the convention! And don’t worry about the salon or your kids. It will be just fine, you’ll see." Lauren hugged the hair dresser who sighed contently, grabbing her bag and keys.

"I’ll see you on Wednesday!" and with that she left the salon.

After a quick check if all doors and windows were closed and locked, Lauren took a quick shower and headed into the city centre, strolling through the quieter than usual streets. As soon as she entered her favourite bistro she knew why, a Formula 1 race was on.

"Ah! Lauren. Come on in!" Matthieu, the owner of the bistro, waved her over "You want to sit with us and watch the race?"

"Oh, umm-… that’s really nice of you, but I want to enjoy the sun… so yeah, just the chicken pesto pa-…"

"…panini with a cup of our homemade lemonade. Coming right up for you…" he laughed and walked behind the counter, starting on the girls order "No Formula 1 fan?"

"No… not really… sorry." Lauren shook her head, smiling.

"It’s okay. You’ll be one in no time, living here in Monaco! I mean, it’s been a while since there was a Monegasque F1 driver! And with Il Predestinato, we have a future world champion racing for our country."

"The predestined one? Okay?" Lauren cocked an eyebrow at the nickname.

"He’ll bring back the title to Maranello. We all believe in Charles Le-…"

"LOGAN!" a young girl shouted and Lauren watched a blue car spin on the screen, almost crashing into the barriers, gravel flying around.

"Sargeant doing Sargeant things…" a man shook his head "After de Vries, he’s next." he sighed and took a sip of his wine.

"De Vries was at the junior Red Bull team… you can’t fuck up there! Sargeant is only driving for Williams… they are more… well they are nicer…" another man replied, when the driver of the blue car climbed out of it and walked away, shaking his head, a man in a red tracksuit and helmet by his side.

Lauren listened to the discussion of the bistro guest about some drivers, not understanding anything.

"Lauren?" Matthieu smiled at her, handing her a bag with the panini and a plastic cup with her lemonade.

"Oh, thanks." she handed Matthieu the money and waved him off when he wanted to give her back the change "See you next time!"

"Until next time!"

"That will be faster than you expect it, your panini is the best!"

And with her dinner in one hand and her drink in the other, Lauren walked back to Pascale’s hair salon, making herself comfortable in her makeshift home, thinking about how her life turned out after leaving Boston and she had to smile. It was risky to put all her eggs in one basket, coming to Monaco looking for Pascale. Someone she never spoke to and didn’t know her. But the good feeling she had in her guts was right. She was in Monaco. She worked for Pascale. No one knew who she was. No one back home knew where she was. She was safe. And she was happy. Life was looking good for her.

After closing the salon for the day, the first day without Pascale, Lauren said goodbye to Claire, Pascale’s other employee, she strolled through Monaco. It was early in the afternoon, the sun bathed the busy streets in a warm light, highlighting the beauty of her new home. With the warm sea breeze in her hairs, it didn’t take long and the she found herself at the harbour, where she observed the traffic on the water. Living in Boston for the past 4 years, she spend a lot of time with Gabriel at the harbour, the little boy loved boats and ships of all kinds. The yachts although were different from the boats she knew from her home. More elegant, more luxurious, way more expensive. Lauren’s feet carried her all the way to the end of the marina to a little park with a set of swings and a few benches. She sat down, leaning back and enjoyed the sun for a while, thinking about how much her life had changed over the past few weeks. Her life in Monaco was so much different then her life in Woburn, she haven’t felt this free and happy for a long time. Closing her eyes, she couldn’t stop the smile spreading across her face. The sunbeams warming her skin, the peace and quiet of the park, the smell of the sea. Would she need one word to describe it, it would be content. A feeling she haven’t felt since her mother died. She leaned back, enjoying the sun when after a while a man with a stroller joined Lauren, sitting down on the bench on her left.

"Shhh… please, my little angel…" the desperate voice of the seemingly young and really handsome man made her turn slightly "Shhh… it’s okay…"

He was desperate, exhausted, Lauren could tell and she asked herself is she should offer her help to the young father, or at least try, hoping her French would be enough. When she spoke up, he turned towards her, and as he did, he reached up to pull off his sunglasses. Lauren’s breath caught in her throat as his eyes met hers, bright, warm, a shade of blueish-green. The smile that followed, shy yet endearing, made her almost stumble over her next words. Not to mention the dimples. Two small indentations that deepened as he smiled, and suddenly the entire world seemed to stop turning around her. Her heart skipped a beat when he laughed after her little advice and Lauren smiled shyly. The young father was thankful for her input, secretly impressed by her knowledge and when it was time for him to leave, it was reluctantly. When he turned away to walk off and then stopped abruptly, turning around introducing himself as Charles and that they might see each other again, after all Monaco was only a little village Lauren nodded, hoping his words would be true. She shook her head and started walking back, her mind still spinning, his voice like a soft melody she couldn’t forget in her head.

By the time she reached the little bistro at the corner ordering her favourite panini, her mind was still occupied by the strangers beautiful eyes.

"Who made you smile like that?" Matthieu, the owner of the bistro, asked her, while typing in her order, making Lauren cock an eyebrow "You come her now for weeks, and I’ve never seen you smile like that!"

She blushed and then smiled, wringing with her words.

"It’s nothing like that. It’s just-… I love Monaco, Matthieu. Seriously. It’s an amazing place to live and I’m just glad that I’m here.." she said and he nodded.

"It sure is. But not that beautiful to cast a smile like that on a young girls face…" he winked and Lauren laughed.

"Touché."

"Ah! She speaks French!"

"Oh stop!" the girl laughed even more, grabbing her food and then left, waving goodbye to the bistro owner, making her way yet again back to Pascale’s hair salon, blueish-green eyes and dimples on her mind.

For days, Lauren couldn’t stop thinking about Charles. The young father, with his easy smile and the dimples that always seemed to appear just as effortlessly. There was something in the way he held his baby girl, his tender gaze and the softness in his voice when he whispered to her. The slight panic when she didn’t stop crying. Every moment was etched into her mind, his shy laugh, the way his eyes crinkled at the corners as he smiled, and the deep, warm blue-green of his eyes that reminded her of the sea. Lauren found herself replaying every single moment of their encounter, every little exchange, every little smile and word that was said, over and over in her head. And although the moment wasn’t longer than a couple of minutes, they somehow felt like a lifetime, something she couldn’t explain. She never meant to think about him all the time, but she couldn't help it. His handsome face, his smile, his eyes, the way he dotted on his daughter, it all stirred something inside of Lauren, something she hadn’t expected to feel. She tried to keep this newfound obsession over a guy she only met once for a couple of minutes to herself, but Pascale started to notice that her young assistant behaved differently. Her eyes seemed brighter now, and her usual smile that was always plastered on her lips was just a little too wide, a little too soft, as if she were keeping a secret. She daydreamed, often lost in her thoughts and Pascale, curious but hesitant, finally decided to figure out what or who made Lauren smile like that.

"What’s going on with you? Something’s different since I’m back? The past week you were smiling even more than before…" she began.

"I’m always smiling, I thought? You told me that!" Lauren shot quickly back.

"I know. And it’s nothing bad, but it’s different. You hum to yourself, lost in your thoughts… wouldn’t I know it better I’d say you’ve met someone, but for that you actually would have to leave the salon and go out…" the hairdresser smiled, looking at her assistant who paused, the edges of her smile tightening as she quickly tried to shift the focus.

"No, it’s just that- umm… you know I’m just settling into my new life here.” she said lightly, her voice betraying nothing of the true cause of her newfound joy. "It’s been a big change, but I’m really happy here."

"Hmm… if that’s it, then I’m happy… but Lauren? I hope you know you can talk to me about everything… I know it’s something you’re not used to, talking about boys with… well with a parent or parent like figure." Pascale patted the girls shoulder, smiling warmly at her and Lauren didn’t know what to say at first.

"Umm-… I did meet someone…" she began slowly "But it was nothing- I think. We didn’t exchange numbers or anything. But there was something about him… it makes me wonder…" she stopped, shaking her head "I don’t know. It’s confusing…" The words felt true, Lauren didn’t know what to think or feel. For now it was just that her mind was occupied by the memory of the young father and the spark of something that felt almost like hope. She didn’t even fully understand it herself, so how should she explain it to Pascale?

"Hey? It’s okay… we don’t need to talk about it now… just know that I’m always here for you, okay? And whoever that young gentleman was, he must be an amazing person, leaving an impression on you… but just so you know… Monaco is almost like a small village. You might see him faster again than you expect." Pascale smiled satisfied, but there was still a glimmer of curiosity in her eyes. She would love to know who the young man was who Lauren met, her own hope of introducing Charles to her drifting away a little.

"Thank you, Pascale. Really." the young girl smiled and then quickly turned back to her work, pushing the thoughts of the father and his little girl to the back of her mind, although she had to think about what Pascale said about Monaco being just like a small village, and she might be seeing Charles faster again than expected. The same thing he already told her.

Chapter 9 - And the unofficial first meeting happened… but don’t worry, you’ll get the full tea in the next chapter ☺️

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Last but not least, English is not my first language and although I tried my best: please excuse any mistakes I made!

Taglist:

@glitterquadricorn @lottalove4evelyn @janeh22 @itsjustkhaos @mariclerc @fangirlforever2000

[jessicaloons]

Miss Americana and the Heartbreak Prince:

Chapter 8

Masterlist - Previous - Next

The Heartbreak Prince

Barcelona 2023:

"I’ll be back soon, my little princess. I’m going to miss you so much." Charles whispered, cradling his daughter gently to his chest "Don’t grow too much, you hear me?" he kissed her forehead, his heart aching when he heard the sounds she made "You’ll call me after the check-up?"

"Charles, it’s just a standard check-up. It’s mandatory. They just check if she develops and grows the way she’s supposed to and look at her, she’s perfect and there is nothing wrong with her." his mother chuckled "But yes, I’ll call you right after."

"Thanks Maman." he kissed his mother’s cheek, then his daughters before carefully handing her over into the arms of his mother "Bye little princess."

"Bye daddy!" Pascale gently held Ava’s hand up and waved "Have a good race weekend, daddy."

Charles hummed a little, leaving his apartment. He wasn’t sure if he would have a good race weekend and when Saturdays qualifying was his worst session of the season so far he left the track frustrated in the evening. Back in his hotel room he felt alone, missing the sweet sounds of Ava she made when sleeping. He took out his phone and scrolled through his pictures. What used to be bright mix of race weekends, trips with his friends, parties and dinner get together’s was now a gallery of Ava. Little clips of her smiling for the first time, grabbing his finger tightly, turning her head. Pictures of her while sleeping, or looking at whoever held her with her big orbs. He missed his little girl. More than he ever thought it was possible. He forgot about the time when he FaceTimed his mother, hoping to see his little one after the day he had.

"Charles? Everything okay?" his mother looked as if she just woke up, that was when Charles realised how late it was.

"I’m sorry, Maman, I forgot how late it was. I just-… I wanted to see Ava." he mumbled and Pascale began to smile.

"Of course, well she’s sleeping but I guess there’s nothing wrong with having a look how she’s doing, no?" she said and the next moment Charles looked at his daughter, happily slumbering, making the most adorable noises, the ones he missed dearly next to him at night, and he felt his eyes stinging a little.

"Thanks Maman, that was what I needed…" he whispered and his mother nodded.

"You’ll do good tomorrow. Don’t worry."

"Yeah. Maybe…" Charles mumbled and sighed "For now, I just miss her…"

"You’ll see her in 2 days, Charles. Go to sleep now. You have a race to win tomorrow."

"Sure. Win. Good one…"

"How is she doing that?" Arthur mumbled and Charles looked up from his book.

"Doing what?" he tilted his head a little, looking at his brother and daughter.

"I was in a really, really bad mood. I hold her for not even a minute and I’m in the best mood ever. Like look at her squishy face! Her chubby cheeks? How can someone be this adorable?" Arthur cooed at the little girl lying on his thighs, stroking her tiny tummy.

"Well first off, I think she absorbs any bad energy around her and turns it into positive energy. And secondly, she’s my daughter look at me, I’m adorable." the older Leclerc laughed and Arthur threw his head back, cackling.

"Yeah sure… you’re not even in the slightest as adorable as Ava, nice try. But I agree… she’s like a filter system for bad mood."

"Don’t you ever again call my daughter a filter system!"

"Mood cleanser?"

"Arthur!"

"Okay, okay! Jeez. Seems like her filter system isn’t working long range…" the younger Leclerc mumbled, still chuckling.

"You’re an idiot, I hope you know that…" Charles sighed sprawling out on the floor "I really don’t want to go to Canada tomorrow…"

"Totally understandable… I cuddle every night with her for you."

"Usually you would come with me… I see that your priorities have changed."

"I can watch you race from here as well, just with the bonus that I can cuddle with my gorgeous niece." Arthur shrugged playing peek-a-boo with Ava, loving the excited sounds she made.

"I wish I could take her with me… but it’s just not possible…" Charles sat up, watching his daughter looking at her uncle with her big blue orbs "At least I know that you guys take good care of her."

"Yeah. Don’t worry. You go to Canada and do your best. We take care of our little angel."

"She’s my angel."

"Our angel."

Montreal 2023:

"Hey Charles, sorry to see you this soon here. You couldn’t quite set a good time with intermediates, were the tyres the problem?"

Charles sighed and took a sip out of his water bottle, shaking his head.

"I think they were partly the problem. I asked for slicks, the track was a mix of wet and dry at that point and I didn’t feel too comfortable on the inters…"

"You were frustrated on the radio, saying after the session that the tyres weren’t ready."

"I’m very frustrated with the qualifying in general. Not everything is about the tyres obviously, some others did exactly the same thing and still went through into Q3 on inters. But I couldn’t set a fast time with them and when we finally changed onto the slicks I had not enough time to prepare them… we are just making our lives so much more difficult like this." the Ferrari driver said, trying to not show how frustrated he truly was.

"What do you think about tomorrow, starting from P11?"

"We need to improve and do a step forward otherwise we’re always going to be disappointed so yeah…we need to improve now…" Charles said with finality in his voice, hoping the reporter would have enough and thankfully he nodded.

"Thank you Charles and good luck for the race tomorrow."

"Thanks." the driver followed Mia to the next interview, going over the same questions, again and again and when he finally made it back to the Ferrari hospitality the mood all around wasn’t the best. Only one car in Q3.

"Carlos has to go to the stewards later…" Andrea said, and Charles cocked an eyebrow "He impeded Pierre…"

"Shit. What position?"

"P8, for-…"

"P8? When he gets a penalty…" Charles looked over at Fred talking to Carlos and Ricky, his race engineer.

"He’ll be in P11 and you’re in P10…" Andrea replied "Let’s wait and see…"

It didn’t take long for the confirmation that he was indeed starting in front of Carlos and the mood in the garage had shifted. Charles never liked being in front of his teammate because he benefitted from a penalty, but he knew better than anyone else that there are races like this, Monaco was the best example for it. He knew that strategy wise he was now in a better position and had to deliver to maximise the teams points this weekend and when he sat down in the race debrief, with 22 points, 12 by him and 10 by Carlos, he felt like they did the best they could do with the situation they were given.

"… alright, that’s it for tonight. Let’s work hard to get you guys on the podium in Spielberg!" Fred dismissed the meeting and Charles got up immediately, ready to leave as fast as possible.

On his way out some of the mechanics asked if he would join them for a couple of beers but he declined, stating he was exhausted when Mario began to laugh.

"Sure, you’re exhausted… you can tell us, Charles, you have a special girl waiting at home for you…" he said, making the driver stop dead in his tracks, looking at him.

"What?" he was shocked, how did he know about Ava?

"You’re in love! Amore… it’s in your eyes.

I can see it." he chuckled and Charles let out a breath he didn’t know he was holding "So go, enjoy your time with your girl."

"Th-thanks…" the driver almost stuttered walking away as fast as possible.

"That was painful to watch…" Andrea appeared out of nowhere, making Charles flinch "You have to learn to hold it together a little…"

"I was just so freaking scared that they knew about A-…" he stopped, looking around and then continued with a quiet voice "I thought he knew about Ava. That’s- that’s like my worst nightmare right now. People finding out about her while I’m still adjusting to this new life…"

"You’re doing great, Charles, really. You should cut yourself some slack…" Andrea clapped his back.

"Yeah maybe, but I’m still not ready to be a single father under the scrutiny of everyone who knows who I am…" Charles sighed unlocking the car "Maybe one day, when I know how to manage everything, but for now, it’s like this… for now I hurry back home after the races to see my beautiful girl."

"Well I’d say then let’s get going. Let’s go home so you can see your little one."

"I can’t wait."

Charles walked through his living room, carefully rocking Ava to sleep, trying his best not to melt away when he looked at her. His mother sitting on the sofa with teary eyes, her heart so full of love for her son and granddaughter that she almost forget why she was here in the first place.

"Maman it’s really okay! I will be fine. I still have Enzo and Arthur…" Charles smiled, gently stroking Ava’s back and Pascale chuckled, her eyes trained on the scene in front of her.

"…if Enzo and Arthur are your last resort…"

"Charlotte… I have Charlotte, okay? We’ll be fine. So please, go!"

"It’s just two days, I promise! I need to go to this convention. I haven’t been to one in a long time and now that Marie left…" Pascale began and Charles nodded.

"We’ll be fine. Until then I have it figured out, okay? It’s in the week of the Hungarian GP?"

"Yeah… it would be on Monday and Tuesday, I’d be back Tuesday evening…"

"So we still got time. It’s all good. Really. I’ll talk to Silvia and Fred that I would fly out Tuesday night. It’ll be fine." he reassured his mother, smiling at her.

"You’re right. You’ll manage. And it still gives me time to manage what to do with the salon these two days, Julie can’t manage the salon and take care of all the appointments…" she agreed after a moment and Charles sat down next to her.

"And you’ll manage that as well…" he said, smiling at his mother "I wish I could take Ava with me from time to time, you know? But even if no one would see me with her, the moment someone sees her with you? Arthur? Or anyone else close to me? People wouldn’t stop asking questions whose daughter she is… and keeping her at a hotel room all the time? That’s not okay…" Charles sighed, smiling when Ava flinched a little, getting scared from her own adorable little sneeze.

"I know, Charles. But you’re doing the right thing I think… don’t get me wrong, I’m proud of you and what you’re doing, and how you act around your fans… you’re so down to earth and always make them smile. But it’s dangerous… they’re getting too close at times and with Ava with you? I would be scared for her safety…"

"No, you’re right. It’s too dangerous. For now this is the only way to ensure her safety, it’s what has to be done." Charles replied, getting up "I want her to be safe and happy. And if that means that she’s here with you while I’m away, then it’s okay…"

"It is, but you still don’t have to like it…" Pascale said quietly, watching her son laying down his precious little girl into the bassinet next to the sofa.

"Oh, believe me, I don’t like it. Not at all. I hate it. I hate it to leave her behind all the time, I hate it to have so little time for her between the races. I hate it all. But then again, coming home seeing her? It’s all worth it at the end of the day… and only 4 races left and it’s summer break. I can’t wait. 3 weeks without interruption." Charles smiled, stepping carefully away to not wake up his little one "3 weeks of not having to watch out for people seeing us. The house is private, high walls and fences. No one knows that we’re renting it. It’s going to be perfect."

"It will do you some good to not constantly look over your shoulder when you’re outside with her… and when you don’t have to wear this atrocious clothes to hide who you are…" Pascale gently patted her sons arm who scowled a little.

"That’s my normal clothes… I like them actually…" he replied and his mother’s eyes widened.

"You wear this jeans that fit you thrice, that weird sweatshirts… you wear that voluntary?" she asked, the shock evident in her voice.

"Umm- yeah, I do actually…"

"Oh. Okay. Umm-. Wow. Okay."

"Ouch… that doesn’t hurt at all… I wear that stuff all the time? In the paddock?"

"I don’t look at pictures of you online? Or in magazines or whatever. I see you these days mostly in sweatpants or shorts. Or with these oversized, weird clothes when you go out for a walk with Ava, always putting on caps and XXL-shades… sorry, I thought that’s some kind of disguise…" Pascale chuckled a little.

"Wow. Thanks Maman…" Charles rolled his eyes, plopping down next to her.

"I mean-… umm-… what do I know about fashion these days, you know? At the end of the day it’s just clothes." she shrugged her shoulders making her son laugh.

"Yeah… clothes you don’t like."

"Clothes I don’t like…"

Austria 2023:

Spielberg was always a track Charles liked a lot. A track he already won and stood on the podium before. Maybe if he worked hard enough, he finally could celebrate a win with his little girl. The first of many more to come hopefully. When he said goodbye on Tuesday evening, he held her close to his chest, kissing the crown of her head.

"I’ll be back soon, mon amour, I love you my baby girl." he whispered, then handed Ava over to his mother "Have a nice weekend together." he kissed his mothers cheek and then grabbed his bag, waving goodbye once last time, meeting up with Joris who waited outside for him.

"Ready?" he asked and Charles nodded, getting in the car, trying to focus on the weekend ahead.

Media day came and go, as always, the same questions, the same people. Fan events here, sponsor events there, Silvia parading him around like a puppy for everyone to fawn over, introducing him to business men and their guests, small talk left and right. Charles hated it. Every single minute of it. But it was part of his job. So he smiled, laughed, listened.

"I have to say Charles, you’re displaying a tremendous amount of strength, the way you pull through although our car this year is anything near the Red Bull." one man in a dark navy suit said, waving over a young girl "Alessia, I want you to meet Charles…" he said and Charles heart skipped a beat.

Alessia. His mouth went dry. His mind and heart started racing each other. No. It couldn’t be. She wouldn’t come here. She knew who he was. She wouldn’t do that. He didn’t listen to what the man in front of him said, he just tried to regain control over his body again, when the girl stopped in front of him and he looked at her face. He let out a sigh of relieve, carding nervously with his hand through his hair, chuckling.

"Charles, this is my daughter Alessia…" the businessman began big Charles interrupted him.

"It was nice to meet you, the both of you, but I need to make a call. Please excuse me." he said and stormed off, out of the room down the hallway to a little terrace, where he sat down, taking a deep breath, closing his eyes.

"Here…" a voice startled Charles and he looked up at Carlos, handing him a glass with a dark drink in it "I thought you could need one, I for sure can…"

"Thanks." Charles nodded and clinked his glass with his team mates.

"Since when are there so many young girls attending these sponsor events? It’s usually just old men and some business women? But now it seems like every guy is bringing their daughters along." Carlos shook his head, taking a sip of his drink.

Charles thought for a moment and had to admit that he was right, the last 2 events he attended were also packed with a lot of girls.

"Maybe the fathers want their daughters to get more involved in what they’re doing? Make them passionate about racing? Wouldn’t be too bad if we get more girls into watching F1 or motorsports in general…" he shrugged, taking a sip from his drink as well, grimacing at the taste "What is that?"

"It’s whiskey… I just grabbed the first two glasses the bartender had prepared, probably some dudes in there waiting for their drinks still…" Carlos laughed "So. What’s going on with you?"

Charles looked at him, cocking an eyebrow but the Spaniard didn’t look away, holding his gaze.

"What do you mean?"

"Oh come on mate, I’m not stupid! Somethings going on…" he insisted and Charles heart was pounding "You, Fred, Silvia, you all act a little weird here and there, like you know something the rest of us doesn’t…"

"I-I don’t know what you mean… there is nothing we don’t- umm we don’t know anything you don’t know! Or I mean-… maybe they do but I don’t know either so they fool us both…" the Monegasque stuttered, making Carlos raise an eyebrow again.

"You’re the worst liar. You need to work on that. Like seriously." the older driver chuckled, taking another sip before he continued, his voice more serious "Is it about our contracts?" he asked, mustering his team mate, but when Charles didn’t react, only looked at him wide eyed and confused, he sighed "Alright, I won’t ponder."

Charles felt bad. He liked Carlos, sure, they weren’t the best of friends, as teammates it was almost impossible, but there was a mutual respect, on and off track and lying to him was something he didn’t like. Especially when Carlos thought it was about such an important topic like their contract extensions.

"I have no idea about our contract situation, I swear. You’re right. There is something going on, but it has nothing to do with you, with the team, not even with racing. It’s a private issue and Fred and Silvia know about it. That’s all. I swear." Charles stated after a while, looking at Carlos.

"Is everything okay?" he wondered, looking relived when the younger driver nodded "Okay… you know- umm… if you need someone to talk, you can talk to me. I mean, we’re teammates after all…"

"Thanks Carlos, I appreciate it." Charles smiled a little and they both fell silent again.

He didn’t know how long they sat there, but when they finally made their way back inside, the event was almost over, Silvia looking more than annoyed.

"You can go now, it’s over. Go back to the hotel, relax, rest, the weekend starts tomorrow and we want you to deliver a good performance… at least on track, if you can’t keep our sponsors happy apart from it…" she said tight lipped and stormed off, leaving the two drivers alone, chuckling.

"Then I’d say let’s go and rest so we can deliver…" Carlos said winking, following the redhead and Charles tagged along.

The weekend started out well for Charles and when he FaceTimed with his mother and daughter after the qualifying he felt confident, although that confidence faded after the sprint shootout and later the sprint race itself.

"P12. Fucking P12. What the fuck." he was pacing back and forth in his hotel room, too agitated to sit down.

"The real race is tomorrow. You’ll start from P2. It’ll be fine." Joris tried to calm his best friend down who just scoffed.

"Did you see how bad I was driving today? What makes you think I’d be better tomorrow?" the driver finally plopped down on the sofa, head in his hands "This season is the worst I’ve ever had… even worse than at Sauber."

"Oh come on. Stop that. I bet my ass that you’ll do just fine tomorrow. You know what? I say, you make it onto the podium." Joris sounded determined, confident and Charles had to chuckle "If I can believe in you, you can too…"

"I’m trying. I really am but-…" he began but his best friend shook his head.

"No but. You’ll finish this race on the podium. Period." he stated and after a moment of silence Charles nodded.

"You’re right. I’ll finish on the podium." he said, knowing that no matter what he would say, Joris would diminish it anyway and when he waved at him from the podium, claiming a P2 he could see the big grin of his best friend, knowing he would get a big I told you so as soon as he would be back in the garage.

"Little stop over at home and then Silverstone my ass…" Charles groaned, hating to leave Ava after not even 24 hours again.

"You sure you have everything? I saw a lot of stuff on your bed?" Pascale asked him and he shrugged.

"It was stupid to unpack. For a day..." he mumbled going back to his bedroom, returning a minute later with a bunch of clothes and toiletries in his arms "So stupid…" he dropped everything haphazardly into his suitcase, closing it "Come here little princess." Charles walked towards his mother who handed her granddaughter to her father and then sat down, watching her son cooing at his little girl "I guess I have to go now…" the young father said after a quiet few minutes where he cradled his bundle of joy close to his heart "I don’t want to… but I have to…" he sighed, kissing Ava’s chubby cheek, smiling at the little yawn she let out "And you baby girl need to go to bed…"

"I’ll take care of that." Arthur jumped up from where he was sitting, happily taking his niece out of his brother’s arms when their mother got up, rolling her eyes.

"Arthur, you have to leave as well… so come on. No stalling…" the older Leclerc brother said, grabbing his phone.

"I’m not stalling… I just think- I don’t know…" Arthur sighed handing his niece over to his mother "I just much rather would stay here than race…" he mumbled, kissing Ava’s head.

"Well, same… but it’s our job, so…" Charles shrugged, slipping on his shoes.

"I know, I know." the youngest Leclerc brother held up his hands and slipped on his shoes as well "Let’s go… goodbye, little princess. Goodbye, Maman." he kissed both of their cheeks and then stepped aside for his brother to do the same.

"I see you on Monday…" Charles whispered to his daughter before he looked up at his mother "Thanks for taking care of her, Maman. See you on Monday. Or wait, is the convention next week?"

"No, it’s after Hungary." Pascale replied, smiling when Ava grabbed onto her necklace, looking at the sparkling charm.

"Okay. And it’s all sorted with the salon? You can go and don’t have to close for the days?"

"Yes, I found a solution." Pascales smile got bigger.

"That’s good." Charles said and waved at his little girl, ready to leave.

"What solution?" Arthur asked, intrigued by his mother’s big smile that wasn’t solely based of his niece happily babbling away in his mother’s arms "Maman? What’s the solution?"

"Lauren. She’s the solution…" his mother whispered, but before Arthur could ask any further questions his brother already, pulled him towards the door.

"Joris is here, let’s go. Bye Maman, bye Ava."

"No, wait, I want to know-…"

"Whatever it is, it can wait, we’re late."

"I just want to know who Lauren is!"

"Lauren?" Charles cocked an eyebrow, stepping into the elevator.

"Yes, Maman said she’s the solution…"

"Who?"

"Lauren!"

"Who the hell is Lauren?"

Chapter 8 - I am back and I am sooo sorry it took me this long to upload this chapter! Long story short, here it is… enjoy it! Next chapter we might get the first meeting… or not… I guess you’ll have to wait and see 🤭

Please leave a comment/ like/ reblog/ message and tell me how you liked it! I'm dying to hear your thoughts!

If you want to be added to the taglist, drop a comment!

Last but not least, English is not my first language and although I tried my best: please excuse any mistakes I made!

Taglist:

@glitterquadricorn @lottalove4evelyn @janeh22 @itsjustkhaos @mariclerc @fangirlforever2000

[jessicaloons]

INVISIBLE STRING: FROM THE VAULT

Part 3: A Christmassy story…

Masterlist

Merry Christmas everyone 🎄🎅🏻♥️

Better late than never! As it is during Christmas, it all gets a little hectic and what I wanted to post last night had to be postponed to today… it’s a little something I started to write a year ago, at Christmas, while watching one of my all time favourite Christmas movies.

And now no more talking, here it is…

Christmas 2027:

"Radiation?" Joris cocked an eyebrow.

"Radiation." I shrugged my shoulders and he chuckled "Don’t ask. It’s- it’s her newest ick…"

"You’re surrounded by radiation the entire day with having your phone with you? So where’s the difference at ni-…"

"That’s exactly the point. Your body is exposed to radiation all day long, so at night, when it resets, there shouldn’t be any radiation!" Lizzie’s voice rang out behind us, making Joris flinch "I’ve read it in various magazines! So it can’t be that wrong!"

I had to chuckle, looking at Joris’ petrified face when Lizzie glared at me, although I could see her eyes getting watery.

"It’s not funny!" her voice strained.

"It’s not, cara mia. You’re right. I’m sorry." I replied.

"I’m not crazy…" she sniffled a little and I felt bad.

"No, you’re not! I know that, okay?" I said immediately and got up from my seat, cupping her cheek and gently stroked the side of her bump "You’re doing everything to protect our babies… so whatever you think is best we’ll do! You’re an amazing mum, okay?"

She only nodded slightly and turned away, her shoulders slumped.

"I lay down for a bit…" she whispered and waddled off, taking a short look into Emmie’s room, before she continued to our bedroom.

"I swear I didn’t want to upset her!" Joris looked at me with big eyes and I sighed, sitting back down.

"Believe me, same. The last 2 or 3 days it’s been tough, she’s more emotional than usually…" I rubbed my temples, leaning back "One moment she’s happy and bubbly, the next moment she cries about how there’s only one apple left and that it might feel alone… and then she’s mad at herself for crying about such ridiculous things which makes her cry even more because she thinks I’m annoyed of her being an emotional mess… which is not true at all. I love it. I swear."

"You’re probably the only guy on earth who loves his pregnant wife’s mood swings." Joris laughed.

"It’s cute… when she’s this bubbly Lizzie, who turns over a jar she can’t open first super frustrated and then grumpy like never seen before and curses it like there’s no tomorrow, just to be sad the next moment that whatever’s in the jar is lost forever…"

"And then you chime in and save the day…" he wiggled with his eyebrows and I held up my hands.

"You know, not all heroes wear capes… but they still get a proper thank you… if you know what I mean…"

"Yeah. No. Gross…"

Right when I wanted to reply I heard the soft steps of Emmie and Arlo approaching and when I turned a little I saw them both walk around the corner.

"Dada? Mummy look sad?" her sweet little voice sounded truly concerned and I opened my arms, hoisting her up into my lap "Why mummy sad?"

"She’s not sad, Emmie. Just a little emotional."

"Emonal?" she repeated and I smiled.

"Emotional…" I said slowly, while she quietly said the word again "That’s when you feel all sorts of emotions… that’s feelings. Sad, happy, tired, funny, moody… and you just don’t know what’s the real feeling. So you get a little overwhelmed with emotions… it’s nothing bad. It happens. Especially when someone carries a baby, or like mummy two, in their belly…"

"Mummy feel for baby one and baby two?" Emmies eyes widened and I had to chuckle.

"Yes, my little princess, that’s exactly what mummy’s feeling. Her feelings and baby one and twos feelings."

"Lot of feelings!"

"Oh yes! A lot of feelings!" I nodded and she sighed, cuddling into my chest "You know what? Why don’t you help me and Joris make some hot chocolate for mummy?"

Emmie’s eyes lit up and she jumped off my lap, already pulling me up on my feet before she grabbed onto Joris hand, doing the same.

"Comes on, Jojo! Hot chotlat for mummy!" she chirped and pulled him with her.

"I’m coming, Emmie-bug." he laughed and picked her up, following me into the kitchen, where he sat her down on the kitchen island.

"Emmie hot chotlat, too!" she looked first at me and then at Joris with her big puppy eyes and I could melt away on the spot.

"Let’s make hot chocolate for us all, okay? And then we can watch a movie before bedtime, how does that sound?"

"No bedtime."

"Emmie, we have to get up early tomorrow! We’re leaving for Christmas!" I reminded her but she shook her head.

"No bedtime." she repeated, crossing her arms in front of her chest.

"No bedtime means no Christmas, and no Christmas means no pops and grams, no granny, no Liam or Elijah… no Arthi!"

"No Arthi?" Emmie whispered and I nodded.

"Also no presents…"

"Emmie like bedtime."

"Yeah?" I asked and she nodded.

"Bedtime comfy. Jojo read story?" she turned and looked at him "Pwease?"

"Of course, Emmie-bug. Every story you want!" he cooed at her and she clapped happily.

"Now chotlat for mummy!"

"Now chocolate for mummy."

"Charles?" Lizzie whispered and I turned a little, trying to make her out in the dark "I’m sorry…"

"What do you mean?" I asked, voice still hoarse from sleeping. I looked around, my eyes trying to adjust to the darkness and saw her perched against the headboard.

"For being over emotional… and unreasonable…" she said and I sat up to switch on the lamp on the night stand.

"Hey, you’re not over emotional or unreasonable!" I replied, rubbing my eyes, facing her.

"I am. The other day I cried because of a pair of socks I had to throw away since one of them had holes…"

"It was a nice pair of socks!"

"Charles…" Lizzie chuckled and I grabbed her hand, kissing her knuckles "I’m serious! I feel like I’m way worse than when I was pregnant with Emmie!"

"Yeah of course! You’re carrying twins, cara mia! Double the trouble!"

"Is that why I could eat all the damn time? I’m always hungry…" she sighed and I laughed, looking at her pouting.

"And what does my pretty girl want right now?"

"Now? Oh… umm… I’m not hungry…" she looked away and I gently grabbed her chin, turning her head.

"Lizzie… I know you… it’s 1 am that’s your time… so, what can I get for you?" I stifled a yawn.

"I’m fine… you’re tired and we’ll be picked up early…" she mumbled but I shook my head.

"Pretty girl…" I scooted closer, cupping her cheek "What do you want? Fruits? Something salty? Ice cream? A burger?"

"Some sour gums and-… it’s weird, because usually I don’t like them… salt and vinegar crisps? Do we have that?"

"On it…" I pecked her lips and shuffled out of the bed, stretching as soon as I stood up "Anything else?"

"Umm… one of these strawberry lemonades maybe?"

"Anything my pretty girl wants." I said, grabbing my sweatpants that got stuck somehow and I pulled harder almost tripping over when I finally freed it.

"Are you okay?" Lizzie looked at me and I nodded.

"It got stuck somehow… I don’t know… get comfy I’ll be right back." I slipped on my pants and left our bedroom, down the hall to the kitchen I stopped at Emmie’s bedroom and took a look inside.

Our little girl tucked in under her blankets, Arlo guarding her, sleeping right in front of her bed. He must’ve felt my presence, lifting his head looking at me. He got up, yawned and then trotted over, tilting his head.

"All good, Arlo. Just me." I whispered, kneeling down "Go watch our little princess." I stroked his fluffy fur, scratched his ears before he stretched “Ohhh big stretch! Good boy." I scratched his ears and got up "Go back to sleep…" he turned around and walked away, plopping down back at his old spot.

I rummaged through the pantry, grabbing everything Lizzie graved and trotted back to our bedroom, where a big smile spread over her face as soon as she saw me walk in.

"I can already taste the lemonade…" she made grabby hands and I laughed, handing her the can of lemonade and the crisps and sour gums.

I climbed in bed next to her, lying down and watching how she happily scrunched up her nose as soon as she ate the first sour gum, closing her eyes savouring the taste.

"Remind me to pack strawberry lemonade, salt and vinegar crisps and sour patch kids…" I yawned.

"I’m so excited for Christmas, our last without the twins… next year we’re already a family of 6…" Lizzie whispered and I cocked an eyebrow.

"6?"

"6…"

"Of course… Arlo…"

"I told you he’s our first born." Lizzie’s happy giggling made me smile and I nodded.

"You’re right. He is. And he’s an amazing big brother, guarding his little sister."

"He’s a good boy." she happily munched and I smiled, yawning again "You can sleep… you don’t have to stay awake with me…"

"Yeah?" I mumbled, fighting to keep my eyes open.

"Yeah…" Lizzie replied and leaned down, kissing my cheek "Thank you…"

"You need anything else?" I asked but she shook her head.

"No. We’re all good now. Sleep, pretty boy."

I didn’t know if I replied or not, I fell asleep almost immediately.

Ring. Ring. Ring.

An annoying ringing inside my head. But was it inside my head? I groaned and turned around, Lizzie next to me fast asleep, the ringing that definitely wasn’t just inside my head didn’t seem to bother her.

"Dada… make it stop…" Emmie rubbed her eyes, stumbling to our bed, her hair her a hot mess "Head owie!"

"I know…" I picked her up and sat her next to Lizzie "I’ll go…" I kissed her cheek and scrambled out of bed, looking for the source of the horrific sound. The door bell. And the landline phone. Both ringing at the same time. Just like my phone "What the hell?" I grabbed my phone and picked up "Hello?"

"Ah, Mr. Leclerc! Finally! I wanted to come up myself and look if everything is alright!" Matthieu, our concierge, said and the landline phone and door bell stopped ringing.

"Of course, everything’s alright? Why wouldn’t it be?" I was confused, looking around.

"There are two cars here to pick you up. They’ve been waiting for a while now and we tried to call you then-…"

"What?! But the cars should be here at 8?" I replied.

"Mr. Leclerc, it’s 8:30 am…"

"WHAT? What? How? I- what?" I checked the time at my phone and cursed "Oh shit… umm tell the drivers we’ll need a moment…"

"Can I send them up to get your bags?" Matthieu asked and I nodded.

"Yes. Everything is packed. All the bags are at the elevator…" I hastily walked back into our bedroom, pushing the buttons to open up the blinds.

"Alright. I’ll tell them." he hung up and I gently shook Lizzie.

"Cara mia? Wake up please… we need to get ready…"

"Hmm?" she mumbled, blinking a few times.

"The cars are already here… we need to get ready." I said again and her eyes shot open.

"What? But you set your alarm? What?" she scrambled up looking at Emmie next to her "Did we oversleep?"

"I don’t know. I didn’t hear the alarm. But that doesn’t matter. We need to get ready. Now. Come on." I pulled her gently off the bed and she sighed "I take care of Emmie, okay?"

"Hmm…" Lizzie mumbled and waddled away to the bathroom, yawning "Did you not set the alarm?"

"I did. I don’t know what happened…" I mumbled and picked up Emmie "Come on girlie, let’s get ready."

"Ready for Crimas!" she clapped her hands and I chuckled.

"Christmas. And no. Not quite yet. We have to get there first."

"To Christ-as?" she tried again.

"Almost, Christmas, with an 'm'… Christ- mas."

"Christ-mas." she repeated and I smiled.

"You got it right, Emmie! Good girl!" I sat her down on her bed and grabbed the clothes Lizzie had put out already "Now let’s get dressed and then we’ll have a little snack in the car, how does that sound?"

"Car?" she tilted her head, scrunching her nose.

"Yeah, we have to drive to the airport. And then we get into the jet to fly to Switzerland. To this big chalet in the mountains where all our family is waiting! To celebrate-…"

"Christmas!" she clapped excitedly and I nodded.

"Exactly! But we’re a little late. So we need to hurry up a little!"

"Houwy up! Houwy up!"

"That we have to! So let’s have a look. You look adorable, now we just need to take care of your hair and-…" I began when I saw Lizzie waddling towards the kitchen, still in her pyjamas "Alright… wait a minute…" I sat her down "You pack your sleep plushies into your backpack and play a little with Arlo, okay? I’ll be right back and make your hair." Emmie nodded and I followed Lizzie into the kitchen, finding her rummaging through the fridge "Lizzie?"

"Why is there no food?" she sniffled, turning around "I’m hungry. But there is nothing to eat. What am I supposed to do now?"

"Cara mia, we have breakfast in the jet, okay? It’s all prepared-…"

"But I’m hungry now!" she was grumpy "The babies and I are hungry now!"

"I understand, but we have nothing here, because we’re leaving now… we can stop at a bakery on the way?" I tried it again and she sighed.

"Okay… I go and take a shower…" she walked past me and I followed her.

"Cara mia, you don’t need to shower. We don’t have time. You can shower as soon as we arrive in the chalet…" I said carefully but she shook her head.

"I smell… I’m not arriving smelly for Christmas…"

"Technically it’s not Christmas yet, so… and also you don’t smell… you just had a bath last night and I can still smell your coconut butter on your skin, so please. Just get dressed and let’s go. The cars are waiting. For over half an hour now…"

"Then why didn’t you set the alarm?" she looked at me annoyed.

"I did! I don’t know why it didn’t went off! Stupid alarm clock…" I walked over to my night stand to find the alarm clock to be off, not plugged into the wall "What the… oh no… my sweatpants… fuck…" I mumbled, remembering the struggle I had at night with my pants "With my phone this wouldn’t have happen…" I groaned more to myself when a half naked Lizzie stepped out of the closet.

"What did you say?" she cocked an eyebrow and I held my hands up "Is it my fault now for protecting our babies? Last night you said I was the best mum because of it!" her bottom lip began to wobble and I hastily pulled her into me.

"And I meant it! Okay? It’s all good. Just-… please get ready. I feel bad for the drivers to wait this long because of me… and the jet and everything…" I whispered against the side of her head, kissing her temple.

"Okay. I’m almost done…" she breathed out "You need to get dressed yourself…"

"On it…"

15 minutes later I strapped Emmie into her seat and gave the driver the all clear to drive, although I had a feeling like we forgot something at home. I was nervously fidgeting with my phone next to Lizzie who happily munched on the croissant I got her from the bakery.

"What is it?" she asked after another minute of me nervously tapping my foot.

"I feel like we forgot something…" I mumbled, going over the list inside my head "I just don’t know what…"

"It can’t be important if you don’t remember it."

"I don’t know…" I looked outside the window, the car approaching the little private airport.

We had all of the bags, there was nothing left when we left the penthouse. I checked Emmie’s backpack and she had packed all her night plushies. Arlo laid on the floor in front of me, his bag with his toys and leashes in the back. Lizzie packer her bag with her books and computer last night herself and it rested now next to her on the seat. The bag with her snacks on the floor next to my feet. I couldn’t grasp what was missing but still I felt like it.

"Charles?" Lizzie grabbed my hand, squeezing it "We’ve got everything. It’s fine, you’ll see…"

"Yeah… I hope so…" I mumbled watching the car in front with our baggage stopping on the tarmac "It’s too late now anyways I guess…" I unbuckled Emmie and got out of the car, taking her with me. I helped Lizzie out of the car and she took Emmie from me, walking with Arlo towards the jet while I helped loading our baggage onto the cart, before I walked up the stairs of the jet myself.

"Welcome on board, Mr. Leclerc." the pilot shook my hand and I smiled.

"Thank you, and sorry for the delay… it got a little hectic this morning…"

"All good, Sir. Why don’t you take a seat and we’re preparing for take off."

"Thank you." I took off my jacket, handing it to the flight attendant who stored it away.

"Can I get you anything to drink?" she smiled and I shook my head, sitting down on front off Lizzie, Emmie next to her on the seat, looking outside the window.

I leaned my head back. Closing my eyes. One last time going over the list in my head. One last time going over every piece of baggage we just unloaded from the car. Lizzie’s suitcases, my suitcases, Emmie’s suitcases, the bags full off her and Arlo’s toys, the bags full of presents. The bag with Lizzie’s snacks and last but not least the 2 suitcases and backpack of…

"JORIS!" I shouted, Lizzie and Emmie both looking at me "WE FORGOT JORIS!" I took my phone out, about to call him when he already did the same.

"Jo-…"

"I can’t believe you forgot me at home…"

"I swear-…"

"Like seriously? What is this? Home alone? Your alarm doesn’t go off and you forget me in all the hectic?"

"I’m so sorry! I send the ca-…"

"Just be glad it’s more like Home Alone 2. I woke up by myself and-…" he hung up "And got in the car right in time… I just wanted to wait how long it would take you to figure out that I wasn’t with you…" Joris walked inside the jet, plopping down in the seat next to us.

"I’m so so sorry!" I looked at him sheepishly and Emmie climbed off her seat, walking over to Joris who picked her up, sitting her down in his lap.

"Jojo made Emmie hair look nice." she smiled and I looked at her, then at him.

"What?" I said and looked at Lizzie "I thought you did that?"

"I thought you did?" she replied and Joris laughed.

"Nope, I did, right Emmie bug?" he cooed at her and she smiled "And now that we’re all here… I say let’s go. Christmas is just right around the corner…"

"Christmas with pesents! Pesents for evyone!" Emmie said excited, clapping her hands "Mewwy Christmas evyone!"

🎄🎅🏻♥️🎄🎅🏻♥️🎄🎅🏻♥️🎄🎅🏻♥️🎄🎅🏻♥️🎄

I hope you enjoyed this (not so) little something and I hope you all had amazing Holidays!

Taglist: (If you don’t like to be tagged for this, let me know)

@itsjustkhaos @eugene-emt-roe @sunny44 @silkenthusiasts @glitterquadricorn @aundercover @kakorrhaphiphobia @alittlebitofbooksandmagic @ru-kru @shimmermotorsport @janeh22 @kahhorri @18754389 @chiliwhore @hellowgoodbye @queensassybitchsworld @harrysdimple05 @skynel09 @fangirlforever2000



[jessicaloons]

I AM ALIVE. I AM WELL (kinda).

Hello lovely people,

I’m sorry for not posting any updates or answering your anons asking when I’ll upload the next chapter or if I’m okay.

I can reassure you, I am okay. The last weeks were a little challenging, my health wasn’t at its best, physically and mentally, work was crazy (still is), with Christmas right around the corner a lot of stuff had to be organised and prepared. It was all getting a little too much and writing wasn’t my number 1 priority. The few times I wrote something, I wasn’t really liking the outcome anyways so yeah, that’s that.

But today I’m coming back with a little update of what’s to come the next days…

At Christmas Lizzie and Charles return for a cute little Christmas story 🎄🎅🏻🎁

Next Sunday Lauren and Charles return with Chapter 8 🩷💜

That’s it for now! Thank you all for reading!

Love, Jess ♥️

[jessicaloons]

They are back 🥹♥️ and oh so cute 🥰

And when I'm feeling alone, you remind me of home

Chapter soundtrack : Christmas Tree farm - Taylor Swift

If you wanna read Gold Rush

GR Taglist:

@herondalism @aundercover @musingsbyshreya @karmabyfernando @reengard @mycenterfold @smoooothoperator

I know I haven't been the most present around here. Life has been a good mix of ecctic and chaotic lately. I didn't have a lot of time to write anymore. But if you are waiting for a new chapter of KOMH, I promise you it will happen. I'm working on it. Not as fast as I would like but it will be released. Meanwhile, and because I missed Julia and Ethan, I leave you with a little blurb about them and the little family they created. I hope you will like it.

Julia Leclerc - Verstappen couldn't help but smile as she watched her husband Ethan Verstappen fussing around the Christmas tree. Him, the world champion F1 driver, always striving for perfection, was completely out of his element with the simple task of decorating a Christmas tree. But this was Emily's first Christmas, and for Ethan, everything had to be grand. At this point, it was starting to look like a contest of "who can spend the most money on decorations."

"You're seriously buying everything that sparkles?" Julia laughed as she watched him fix a final crystal ornament onto the tree. "I mean, you know, it's not about the shine. It's about the Christmas spirit."

Ethan, perched precariously on a step ladder, turned to her with a look of mock indignation. "Don’t even start, Julia. It’s Emily's first Christmas! Can you believe that? She deserves the best." He shot her a playful challenge. "And anyway, this is a Christmas tree, not a souvenir shop."

Julia rolled her eyes. "She's one, Ethan. She won't even remember this tree in two months."

Ethan paused, staring at her as if she had just announced she wanted a divorce. "How dare you say such things? Unforgettable! I’m unforgettable. I’m the best dad in the world. She'll remember me, even if it’s just the feeling of me feeding her her bottle."

Julia playfully sipped her hot chocolate, raising an eyebrow. "You? Best dad? That’s a bold claim. I mean, you’ve got no competition. I only have you to judge against."

Ethan placed the star ornament down carefully, then rolled up his sleeves, slowly walking toward Julia. He reached down, taking her mug from her hands and placing it gently on the coffee table. Julia's breath caught in her throat as he tucked a stray lock of hair behind her ear, his touch soft yet deliberate. Without a word, he bent down, pressing a kiss to her cheek, then her jaw, and finally her lips.

Julia sighed contentedly, but before she could fully respond, she reached up, pulling him closer, her fingers gripping the collar of his shirt, urging him to stay. Ethan, always eager for her touch, settled above her, resting comfortably as she leaned back against the cushion. The moment felt perfect, until a faint cry from the other side of the house shattered the atmosphere.

Julia pulled away reluctantly, her heart pounding as the sound of Emily's cries reached them again. "I guess I’m not the only one who needs attention in this house," she muttered, glancing at Ethan.

Ethan, still hovering near her, gave her a teasing smirk. "Let me guess, my presence wasn’t enough to calm the little princess down?"

Julia raised an eyebrow, a playful smile tugging at the corners of her lips. "Well, it looks like you're going to have to put your 'best dad' skills to the test."

Without hesitation, Ethan strode toward the bedroom where Emily’s cries had become more insistent. Julia followed him with her eyes as he went to the nursery.. It wasn’t just the holidays that made everything feel so magical—it was the way their little family had come together, the way Ethan had changed in subtle ways for their daughter. She still couldn’t believe that the arrogant, world-class racer had turned into a doting father, ready to make everything right in the world for Emily.

Ethan leaned over the crib, his voice low and soothing. "Hey, hey, little champion. What’s wrong?"

Emily's eyes were wide and full of tears, but when she saw her dad, she calmed instantly, her tiny hands reaching out toward him. Ethan picked her up with a softness that could rival any other, cradling her in his arms.

Julia smiled as Ethan returned to the living room, Emily cradled gently in his arms. She’d already heard the soft whimpering from the nursery, so it wasn’t exactly a surprise. What was surprising, though, was the look of sheer exhaustion on Ethan’s face.

"She's hungry again," Ethan said with a sigh, clearly not thrilled by the idea of another bottle-feeding session. He flopped down onto the couch next to Julia, the little bundle of joy now wide awake and wriggling in his arms. "Honestly, how do you do this all day long?"

Julia let out a small laugh, adjusting her blanket as she sat up. "Well, I don’t exactly have a choice, do I? Plus, she’s pretty cute when she’s all snuggled up, so it’s worth it."

Ethan made a face as Emily began to wriggle in his arms, stretching her tiny hands toward her mom. "I don’t know how you make it look so easy," he said, carefully handing Emily over to Julia. "I feel like I’m going to break her every time."

Julia took Emily from him, her smile softening as she cradled their daughter. "She’s a lot tougher than she looks," she reassured him. "Trust me, she can handle you."

Ethan raised an eyebrow. "I think I’m still traumatized from the first time I tried to change her diaper. I had no idea those things could be that complicated." He shuddered at the memory.

Julia chuckled, settling Emily in her lap as she prepared the bottle. "You mean the time you nearly broke the changing table?"

Ethan groaned dramatically. "Don’t remind me. I swear, I thought I was going to end up in the ER. She’s like a tiny, squirming ninja. I don’t know how you stay so calm with her."

"Because I’ve had practice," Julia said with a smirk, teasing him as she started to feed Emily. "And maybe it helps that I’m not trying to feed her while balancing on one foot in a wrestling match with a diaper."

Ethan grinned, leaning back on the couch with his arms behind his head, clearly proud of his parenting skills. "Hey, at least I tried. I’m a champion in everything, even in diaper warfare."

Julia rolled her eyes, shaking her head affectionately. "You know, I think you might be a little bit delusional when it comes to your skills as a dad."

Ethan let out a playful sigh, resting his head back against the couch as he watched her feed Emily. "I’m just saying, I’m doing my best. Being a world champion doesn’t exactly prepare you for bottle-feeding duty."

Julia couldn’t help but laugh, shaking her head as she looked at Ethan. "You should try being on the receiving end of one of your bottles next time. I promise you, it’ll be the most challenging race of your life."

Ethan raised an eyebrow, clearly intrigued. "What do you mean? You think I can’t handle it?"

Julia shot him a teasing look. "Well, let’s just say that after a few hours of sleep deprivation and a few dozen bottles later, we’ll see how much of a ‘champion’ you feel like then."

Ethan dramatically placed a hand over his heart. "You wound me, Julia. I’m already losing sleep because of you and your overwhelming Christmas tree obsession. Now you’re telling me I’m not even a good dad?"

Julia snickered, her eyes twinkling with amusement. "No, no, I didn’t say that. I’m just saying, I don’t think being the world champion of F1 makes you a world champion of parenting. That’s a whole other race."

Ethan leaned over, gently kissing her cheek. "Fine. I may not be quite as skilled at baby duties as I am at driving, but I’m doing my best. That has to count for something, right?"

Julia smiled warmly, kissing him back. "It absolutely counts for something. You’re better than you think, Ethan. Trust me, Emily’s already got a pretty amazing dad."

Ethan’s expression softened, and for a brief moment, there was a quiet silence between them as they both watched their daughter drink from the bottle, her little hands grasping the edge of the nipple in an attempt to steady it.

"Maybe you’re right," Ethan said after a beat, his voice a little quieter. "She’s got the best mom and dad she could ask for."

Julia smiled softly, the words settling in her heart like a sweet lullaby. "And she’s going to grow up knowing how loved she is."

Ethan chuckled, leaning in to kiss Julia’s forehead. "She might grow up spoiled, though, thanks to that tree you insisted on decorating."

"Hey," Julia shot back with a grin, "it’s her first Christmas. You’re the one who made us go overboard with the sparkly ornaments. If anything, I’m just supporting you in your quest for a ridiculously grand holiday."

Ethan put on a mock-serious face. "Ah, yes. The best Christmas tree in the world. The only thing that matters this season."

Emily let out a soft coo, and both of them turned their attention back to her as she finished her bottle, her eyes fluttering closed in contentment.

"Guess that’s it for the bottle-feeding championship," Ethan said with a dramatic sigh, wiping his hands on his jeans as he stood up. "I’m pretty sure I lost, but I’m willing to accept my P2 trophy."

Julia couldn’t help but laugh, her heart filled with joy. "You’re a good sport, Ethan. Now let’s just hope she sleeps through the night."

Ethan grinned, his eyes lighting up with mischief. "We’ve been through worse, right? You and me, we’ve survived worse than this."

Julia smiled at Ethan’s lighthearted comment, but deep down, she knew how important this moment was for both of them. They had come a long way from their fake relationship and tumultuous beginnings. Now, as parents, they had their little family, their own traditions, and their own quirks—like Ethan’s questionable attempts at decorating a Christmas tree.

"Yeah, I think we’ve survived worse," Julia said with a teasing grin. "Like the time you tried to assemble the crib and nearly crushed the baby monitor under the weight of your ‘expert engineering skills.’"

Ethan shot her a mock glare, crossing his arms. "Hey, that was a perfectly reasonable assumption. The instructions might as well have been written in ancient Greek."

Julia chuckled, shaking her head. "You could have at least read them before starting the ‘build-a-crib’ challenge. You know, instead of ending up with a half-assembled monstrosity that looked more like modern art than a crib."

"Modern art," Ethan scoffed with a smirk. "That thing had character."

"I’m pretty sure it had a death wish," Julia teased, nudging him playfully with her elbow.

Ethan grinned. "Okay, okay, I admit I might have taken a few... creative liberties. But hey, we made it through. Look at us now. We’ve got a tree, we’ve got Emily, and we’ve got... well, me, still the best dad around."

Julia raised an eyebrow, her playful smile still lingering. "You keep saying that, but I’m not sure Emily would agree after her last ‘wrestling match’ with you and the diaper change."

Ethan sighed, slumping dramatically. "Can’t believe you’re bringing that up again. I swear, changing a diaper should come with a training manual, or at least a referee. That was a fight to the finish. I think I lost more dignity than pride in that one."

"I told you she could be a little ninja," Julia reminded him, her eyes twinkling with amusement as she glanced down at Emily, now peacefully asleep in her arms.

"Yeah, well," Ethan grinned, "at least I didn’t panic and call for backup."

Julia looked at him, raising a teasing eyebrow. "Who would you have called? A pit crew?"

"Exactly," Ethan said with an exaggerated nod. "A pit crew of diaper-changing professionals. I’m telling you, there’s no shame in needing a little assistance from the best in the business."

Julia let out a genuine laugh, brushing a strand of hair behind her ear. "You know, you really are something else."

Ethan leaned in closer, placing a soft kiss on her forehead. "I know. But I’m your something else."

Julia smiled, a warmth spreading through her chest as she looked at the little family they had created. The house was filled with the scent of pine from the overly-decorated tree, soft Christmas music playing in the background, and the soft glow of fairy lights twinkling all around them.

The night was quiet, save for the occasional coo from Emily, who had fallen into a peaceful sleep in Julia’s arms. Ethan, his arm draped around Julia’s shoulder, stared at the tree, his eyes twinkling with a mix of pride and amusement.

"You know, I’m pretty sure we’ve gone overboard," Ethan said softly, his voice almost thoughtful.

Julia raised an eyebrow, her gaze moving to the tree. "You mean you went overboard. I was just here for moral support."

"Okay, okay," he said with a playful grin, "I might have gotten carried away. But look at it! This is the Christmas tree of champions."

Julia couldn’t help but laugh. "The Christmas tree of champions, huh? What’s next? A world championship trophy hanging on the tree next to the star?"

Ethan leaned back, his head against the couch, his face breaking into a grin. "I mean, that wouldn’t be out of the question."

"Sure, because nothing says ‘holiday spirit’ like a trophy on a Christmas tree," Julia said with a wink. "Maybe next year you’ll add a Ferrari flag as the tree skirt."

"Now you’re talking!" Ethan exclaimed, looking excited at the thought. "We could even have a whole racing-themed Christmas. Emily would love it!"

Julia shook her head, still smiling. "You really are a big kid, aren’t you?"

"Hey, I’ve got to make sure our little champion has the best Christmas memories," Ethan said with a wink. "And that includes a tree that can win any decoration competition."

Julia rolled her eyes but couldn’t contain the smile that tugged at her lips. "You’re impossible."

As the evening wore on, the three of them settled into a cozy routine—Emily asleep in Julia’s arms, the quiet hum of Christmas carols in the background, and Ethan’s arm around Julia as they both sat by the fire, gazing at their sparkling masterpiece of a tree.

"She's going to have the best memories," Julia said softly, glancing at Ethan. "Even if she can’t remember any of this Christmas, I’m sure she’ll feel the love we’re giving her now."

Ethan nodded, his voice softer than usual. "Yeah, you're right. I don’t think I ever understood what ‘home’ really meant until now. But this—this is it. This is everything I’ve ever wanted."

Julia looked at him, her heart full as she leaned in to kiss him gently. "You’re doing great, Ethan. You really are."

Ethan smiled, leaning back against the couch, content for the first time in what felt like forever. "Yeah. I guess I am."

And as the Christmas tree lights flickered softly in the corner of the room, the three of them nestled together, everything felt perfect. Perfect in its own messy, chaotic, and beautifully unique way.

"Best Christmas ever," Ethan whispered, his eyes fluttering closed as he rested his head on Julia’s shoulder.

Julia smiled, glancing down at their peaceful daughter, the holiday magic wrapping them in warmth and love. "Best Christmas ever," she echoed, holding Ethan just a little bit tighter.

[jessicaloons]

Miss Americana and the Heartbreak Prince:

Chapter 7

Masterlist - Previous - Next

Miss Americana

June 2023:

Nice was beautiful. And warm. And bright. Romantic little alleyways everywhere. The people a bright mix of residents and tourists. But what surprised Rachel the most was that so many people spoke Italian. She didn’t expect it but it gave her hope that she might get along way better than she thought. She checked into a small hotel close to the promenade, enjoying the southern French sun that streamed through her windows.

Rachel sat on her little balcony, watching the happy buzzing beneath her, the busy street, googling for Madame Leclerc’s hair salon. It took her a while to find it, for some reason a handsome young man, who she thought she saw somewhere before, was the search result most of the times. But when she finally found the hair salon, she wrote down the address, before she googled a hotel in Monaco. The prices went through the roof and she chose the cheapest one she could find. Wasting all her money for hotel rooms wasn’t planned and she hoped she would find a job quickly. It was early afternoon when she felt the tiredness overthrowing her. She checked her phone, counting what time it was in Montreal, realising that she was awake for over 24 hours at this point. She had tried to sleep on the flight, preventing herself from a jet leg, but she was too nervous, too excited, to sleep. The young woman decided to take a quick shower and then head straight to bed. But before, she locked her hotel room door twice, put the door chain on, and then looked around, spotting the metal cup filled with sticks full of sugar and wood sticks to stir some coffee or tea. She emptied out the cup and then carefully put it on the door handle, to be alarmed if anyone would try to come into her room, giving her time to escape out of the balcony. Rachel looked at her work and sighed, feeling way too paranoid as she stubbed her toe against her backpack, next to the bed. It was packed with all her documents, money, phone charger and some clothes, including her sneakers, ready to grab and leave in case she had to flee. Having an escape plan at all times was mandatory, according to Stuart and although Rachel was more than sure that no one had followed her, she agreed with him and wanted to be prepared for everything. She decided to stay for a couple of days in Nice. Making sure that she was really safe. And alone. Thoughts of her old life, her old identity, crossed her mind. She had to think back at how she met Stuart‘s 'friend' Isabella. She was an odd person, mysterious, a little scary maybe. She had brown hair and besides a 'hello' and 'where’s your stuff' she didn’t say much, only starting to change into some of Rachel’s clothes from her open suitcase on the bed, before she closed it. A look through the room and she stepped in front of the mirror, putting a blonde wig on, she had just pulled out of her bag, followed by Rachel’s large shades she had grabbed from the drawer. She handed Rachel a keycard to a different room and told her to go there, then grabbed the suitcase and her handbag and left as fast as she had appeared, leaving behind a confused Rachel, who grabbed her stuff and left the room to enter the new one three doors down the hallway. Just like Isabella said.

Rachel laid in bed for a while, thinking about all kinds of abstruse ends of her old life. What Isabella had done to her belongings. Maybe they would end up in a burned out car, or thrown out at some landfill where maybe one of the workers would find it. Maybe they would inform her father, and he would assume that his daughter was kidnapped, murdered, gone. She shook her had, biting her lips. She knew that it would break his heart, but it was the only way to escape her fate. But thinking back how lost and devastated he was when the doctors told him that her mother didn’t make it off the table, the pained scream he let out, so bone chilling that Rachel got goosebumps just thinking about it. It made her feel sick to her stomach and she had to urge herself to think about something else. Her new life ahead. A clean cut. Besides Stuart, no one knew she was gone. No one knew she had a new identity. And until tomorrow evening or rather late at night it would stay this way. When Don Romano’s men would come to pick her up from college and wouldn’t find her. Finding out that she graduated a week earlier, that she was gone. Then it would be time for her to stay alert, watch her surroundings. Hope that no one showed up for her. Hope that their plan had worked out and she was free. With the thoughts of a better life ahead, she drifted into a dreamless sleep, finally succumbing to her bodies need for rest.

4 days. 96 hours. 5760 minutes. That was the time it took for her father and the men he worked for to trace Rachel’s steps all the way to Montreal. The hotel she had chosen back there was small, no high quality security cameras, only a grainy tape of a blonde girl checking into the hotel under the name of Rachel Lombardi and then 4 days later checking out of the hotel. That was it, that was the trail of traces she had left, buying a ticket to Montreal with her credit card, checking into the hotel with her credit card, renting a car with her credit card. And that was where the trail ended. Another grainy video of the blonde girl at the car rental, loading her suitcase into the trunk of the car. A car that had disappeared since then.

"Everything is going according to our plan… you disappeared into the Canadian wilderness…" Stuart said and Rachel took a deep breath.

"They stopped looking for me?" she almost whispered.

"Well, there are still two men here, I don’t know what they are doing right now, but the other two men left. They tried to ping your phone, but the last signal it sent was on the highway out of town and since then it’s gone completely off the radar."

"So it worked? I’m gone? They can’t find me…" she felt tears stinging in her eyes.

"I think so, yes. I will check in on what’s going on here for the next couple of days and what these two guys that stayed behind do, but yeah for now, I’d say Rachel Lombardi is gone."

Rachel stayed quiet, thinking about his words before she let out a sigh.

"I would feel better if I’d knew what these two guys were doing…"

"Don’t worry, okay? I’ve got someone looking for them. We figure out what’s going on, but you’re far away, you shouldn’t be too worried okay? It’s fine. You’re fine." Stuart tried to reassure her and after another moment of silence Rachel nodded.

"You’re right. Your plan worked out so far, I have no doubt it won’t work out anymore out of the blue." she replied laying back in her bed, switching off the nightstand lamp "It’s going to be fine."

"Exactly. Stop worrying and start living la dolce vita!"

"I’m trying, I promise."

"That’s the spirit. I’ll give you a call as soon as I found out what’s going on with the two who stayed behind… until then, enjoy the sun, the gelato, the vine."

"I will…"

"Alright. And now good night, relax, stop worrying, okay?" Stuart urged again and Rachel chuckled a little.

"Good night, Stuart…"

The little bookstore right by the sea made Rachel swoon. It looked so cozy and dreamy that she knew she could spend hours if not days in there, but she came with her mind set on a goal.

"Hi- umm… I’m looking for books to learn French better, please?" she stammered in the worst kind of French and the older lady at the counter smiled at her.

"Oh dear, here, let me show you!" she replied in English, her French accent sounding almost melodic. She waddled away, the young girl in tow, and pointed to a section of dictionaries and other language learning books. "Here we have everything for you. Take your time…" she smiled and walked off, scratching a black cat’s head that was resting between two piles of books "I’ll get you a treat Rico." Italian.

"Do you think it’s easier to learn French from Italian or from English?" the young girl asked.

"Oh, you speak Italian? Then I would recommend you the Italian ones."

"Alright…" Rachel grabbed one of the books and sat down in one of the armchairs, Rico getting up from his spot, walking over to the young girl "Hi Rico." she smiled, scratching his head a little.

"That never happened before…" the book shop owner said "He doesn’t like strangers at all!"

"This cuddly one?" Rachel laughed, when Rico literally clung to her legs, circling them.

"Yeah… that must mean he thinks you’re a good person. Trustworthy." the older lady smiled, crouching down a little to give her cat a treat "You know, cats have a sixth sense for that…"

"Yeah, maybe…" the girl swallowed thickly, thinking about how she wasn’t that trustworthy after all, hiding her true identity.

"Have you found a book?"

"Umm- yes. I think I’ll go with this one. It’s for starters…"

"You should also get a book in French… read it, try to use you’re Italian to translate it, and if you don’t know a word or two you can have a look in a dictionary… that way you’ll learn even faster!"

"Sounds like a good plan, thank you!" Rachel smiled, patting the cat’s head.

"What kind of books are you into? Romance? Fantasy? Thriller? Dark romance? We’ve got a whole collection of Mafia romance books, it’s the newest trend I guess…" the elder lady pointed at some books displayed on a table but Rachel shook her head.

"I don’t get how anyone can think that it’s romantic being in the Mafia…" she mumbled.

"It’s always a dark, broody and mysterious guy fighting and protecting his girl… lots of young woman seem to like it… they are also- umm let’s say they are spicy…" the bookshop owner wiggled her eyebrows.

"Yeah no thanks…"

"Are you into Formula 1? We have some romance books in the Formula 1 world? They’re not really authentic when it comes to racing but oh well…"

"Umm- no. Not into Formula 1. Watching a bunch of guys driving in circles for hours is not really my thing…" Rachel rolled her eyes a little.

"Oh dear this isn’t Nascar. Formula 1 tracks are no circles. We’re close to Monaco, everyone here is crazy about Formula 1." the older lady laughed "Why don’t you have a look around for some books you like and I make us a coffee?"

Rachel wasn’t used to people being this nice and open minded to strangers so she just nodded, confused. But she did what the bookshop owner, she introduced herself as Clarisse, suggested and walked around, searching through the different isles, trying to find the perfect book for her.

"So, where are you from?" Clarisse asked half an hour later, when they both sat down in the plush armchairs, both with a mug full of steaming coffee in hand.

"I’m from… umm-…" Rachel had to think for a moment where here new persona was from, not familiar with the new details "Pennsylvania…"

"Pennsylvania?" the bookshop owner cocked an eyebrow, looking at the girl.

"Yeah, I wasn’t sure if you knew Harrisburg…" she faked a smile, taking a large sip from her coffee "On the other hand, Europeans are way better in geography than us Americans… so…"

"Well, I wouldn’t put it that way… but yeah, you might be onto something there." Clarisse laughed "And what brings you here to Nice? A young, pretty girl like you?"

"Umm-… I’m on a trip through Europe. So I couldn’t miss Nice obviously…" Rachel lied and was happy that Rico decided that now was the perfect time for some more head scratches so he jumped into the girls lap, purring.

"If you’re here, you should also make a stop in Monaco. The rich and the famous living there all together in one little spot. And a lot of Formula 1 drivers… young and handsome, some are single… good catches for a little summer romance." the older lady wiggled her eyebrows and Rachel laughed.

"I’m not interested in a summer romance. I want to see the cities, landmarks, get to know the culture, all the beautiful beaches! Oh and of course the food…" Rachel smiled, she always dreamed of a trip through Europe one day to do exactly that, but she never thought she would get the chance to.

"Well, I can’t argue with that. It sounds like an amazing plan." Clarisse nodded, sipping at her coffee "But I’ll warn you, a beautiful girl like you? Foreign? You will have admirers left and right… men from the south of Europe are all little heartbreakers you know, always here for them pretty girls. Take good care of your heart, or you’ll lose it to one of them…"

"I’ll watch out for heartbreakers… I promise." Rachel laughed.

"Good, very good. So? Did you find some books?" the bookshop owner looked at the little stack of books on the table next to the girl.

"Yeah. I went with books my mother used to read to me like Alice in Wonderland, The Hobbit and some classics like Wuthering Heights and Great Expectations… I guess that should be enough for now. A dictionary, a book to learn French and some French books… I hope it works out." Rachel looked at the books she chose and Clarisse smiled.

"Don’t worry, ma fille, it will. And if not, you could still come here again and we try another book that might help you better…" she sat down her coffee cup and Rachel nodded.

"Yeah. I think I’ll do that. I mean, I will be here for some days… it’s a beautiful city after all…" she replied, looking out of the window, the busy street almost hiding the beautiful Mediterranean Sea behind it.

Rachel spent the next 2 days mostly at the beach, reading her books, trying to learn French and although it was easier with her being fluent in Italian, it still was a lot of work and she knew she had to improve a lot to be able to work as a nurse. She sat on her beach towel, watching the sun slowly set over the horizon when her phone rang and Stuart called her. Taking one last deep breath she answered the call.

"Hi…"

"Hey… well umm- Rachel, I’m almost 100 % sure that the coast is clear. Like completely. The two guys who stayed behind, they left the city on the same highway that you took, probably following more of the CCTV footage that showed Isabella… but that trail ended at a truck stop. The car abandoned, at the end of the parking lot, the CCTV footage only showing you going into the diner and leaving it an hour later, but there is no camera at the parking lot, your suitcase is still in the car, your passport as well, only your wallet and phone gone. They took the suitcase with them and left Montreal this morning…" Stuart explained and Rachel let out a breath she didn’t know she was holding in.

"They’re not looking for me anymore?" she asked quietly "They left?"

"They left, yeah…"

"Okay…" Rachel mumbled closing her eyes but kept silent, the one thing on her mind that she kept thinking off the last days.

"What? What’s going on?" Stuart asked, knowing the girl too well.

"Did they- umm… did they report me as missing?" her voice barely above a whisper and the line went silent, before he cleared his throat.

"No, they didn’t. I mean, they can’t just file a police report that you’re missing… we both know they can’t ask the police for help."

"No… you’re right, they can’t… and the Romano’s only have some people at the customs control at the Boston harbour, some lower ranked police officers and detectives in Woburn and Winchester on their payroll… I don’t think that any of them would be of service to find a missing girl in the Canadian wilderness…" Rachel said quietly, leaning back into her pillows "Do you think they keep looking for me themselves? Or-…" will they just accept that she was gone, not caring what happened to her.

"I guess they will keep looking for you, from time to time, maybe find new traces although there aren’t any… but I’m sure they won’t look for you in Europe and most definitely not in Monaco…"

Rachel thought for a moment, closing her eyes and then began to chuckle.

"What?" Stuart asked but the girl laughed even more "Are you okay?"

"Yeah-… sure…" she breathed out, wiping away a stray tear, not knowing what came over her "I was just imagining… what if they declare me dead. I mean, it looks like some crazy trucker might’ve taken me with him to do what not and then just got rid of me… what if my dad wants a funeral? Or something like that? To say goodbye? What if my dad for once remembers how to be a dad and I’m not even there to witness it…"

"Rach, stop watching these true crime documentaries, your mind is already too dark and twis-…" Stuart began.

"No, I’m serious! I mean, what did I think what would happen? They find my stuff in an abandoned car, no trace of me for days… what would you think? They know how easily you can let someone disappear, they do it all the time. It’s just logical that my dad thinks I’m dead and maybe to make himself feel better he wants a funeral or something…"

"But you don’t have to care about that anymore, okay? Rach you’re safe. Gone. There is nothing that could lead them to you. You are free. Finally. You can live the life you always wanted to. Don’t think about what’s happening back home. It’s over okay? You start your new life in Monaco and find the happiness you deserve…" Stuart tried to calm Rachel down and after a moment of silence he heard the girl taking a deep breath.

"Do you think there will be a coffin? Filled with some of my stuff from my old room?" she then asked.

"Rach!"

"Sorry-… it’s just… you know in movies or tv shows they do it all the time and-…"

"Stop, okay? Stop thinking about that. It’s over now. You live your life in Monaco. They will do whatever they want. But it doesn’t matter anymore, okay? You are free." Stuart’s voice firm "Don’t think about your past. Focus on the now, focus on your future."

"I-…" Rachel stopped, not knowing what to say "I think a part of me still needs to process this all… like let it fully sink in…"

"Understandable. It takes time…" his voice wavered a little.

"I can’t even imagine how hard it must’ve been for you… you were younger. And all alone, no one helped you like you helped me…"

Stuart was silent and Rachel thought she might’ve said something wrong when she heard him chuckle bitterly.

"I wasn’t alone. Someone helped me… but that’s in the past. He is in the past. I got out of my old life, just like you did. You’ll live your new life now in Monaco, I’ll go to LA. We’ll be fine, you and I." he replied, sounding confident.

"Will you be safe in LA? They won’t look for you?" Rachel asked, feeling a pang of guilt in her chest.

"For what it’s worth, we never really interacted on campus, no one knows that we’re friends. And if they would find and ask me, that’s the answer I would be giving. We were classmates, we worked on projects together sometimes, but that’s it. You were not really open minded, most of the time you sat alone in the library studying. So yeah, we didn’t know each other that well."

"That sounded really convincing… ouch…"

"Maybe I should try become an actor, once I’m In LA." Stuart thought out loud and Rachel laughed.

"One thing is for sure, I would be your biggest fan from day one…" she said.

"Oh stop…" he chuckled.

"No, I’m serious, you would be the next big thing without a doubt, but to me you will always be the guy that saved my life. Thanks for that."

"Bit dramatic, but okay."

"I’m serious… you saved my life, Stuart."

"I would do it in a heartbeat again and-… oh shit. That was my flight…" he said hurriedly "I really don’t want to end this call now, but that was the last call for my flight…"

"It’s alright. Call or text as soon as you arrive." Rachel said "Take care. Have a safe flight."

"I text you. For the last time, bye Rach."

Rachel Lombardi was gone.

Disappeared. Missing. Gone. Dead.

She didn’t sleep that night. Her mind trying to grasp the fact that her old life really was over. She really was free. She knew that this was happening. This was what they had planned after all. But having the confirmation that her father, the familia, were looking for her and only find that she had disappeared, not a single trace left. She didn’t know how to feel. Relieved? Sad? Happy? Hopeful? Devastated? It was getting too much in her head and she felt dizzy. She got out of bed, opened the balcony doors and sat down in the chair outside, a clear night sky above. Stars shining brightly. The soft ocean waves crashing down onto the shore ahead of her. With the salty sea breeze in her hair, she took a few deep breaths, trying to calm herself down. She could start a whole new life, now that her old one ended. After a couple of minutes, Rachel went back inside, sinking into the pillows, her head clear. She would book a hotel in Monaco in the next days, then buy some more clothes, appropriate for the warm and sunny days ahead, and then she would take the train to Monaco, finding Madame Leclerc.

If Rachel thought Nice was beautiful, she wasn’t prepared for Monaco. The little alleys between the beautiful houses, the happy mix of French, Italian and English spoken on the streets. Luxurious cars chasing after another in the narrow streets, making people look up at their sound. She followed the directions on her phone, leading her right in front of the hair salon her mother told her all about. The girl pocketed her phone and looked through the window, taking a deep breath before she opened the door, hoping that it wasn’t a mistake to come here. The hairdresser swiped the last remaining hair off of the ground when the door bell rang and she looked up. A young girl stood in the door. A pretty girl. For some reason the Monegasque woman thought she knew the girl from somewhere.

"Sorry? Umm hi. I’m looking for someone." the girl asked shyly. Not from around. Her French sounded foreign "I’m looking for… Mm-… Leclerc…"

The older woman rolled her eyes. Of course. Another fangirl of her son. Looking for him in her salon.

"Listen, you girls need to stop. This is my salon. Charles is barely here! Why would he be! So tell your little friends to stop this nonsense, okay?" Pascale said bluntly and Lauren looked at her in confusion.

"Umm? I- I don’t know who Charles is? I’m looking for Madame-… umm-… Pascale Leclerc? She umm- she helped my mum years ago. And they kinda stayed in touch for a while… and Madame Leclerc told my mum if she ever needs anything she can always contact her…" the young girl explained and the hairdresser looked at her for a moment when her eyes widened.

"Susannah Lombardi? Is that your mother?" she asked and Lauren nodded "Rachel? You’re Rachel?"

Rachel nodded, realising that it was a mistake. She wasn’t Rachel. Not anymore.

"Umm… yeah… but no- I mean… I changed my name. I’m Lauren. Lauren Millner."

Chapter 7 - and here it is, the official name change. Bye Rachel, hello Lauren. We are this 🤏 close to the first meeting of Charles and Lauren 🙈 for now, I hope you enjoyed reading this chapter. Also, congrats to Max on his 4th title, well deserved!

Please leave a comment/ like/ reblog/ message and tell me how you liked it! I'm dying to hear your thoughts!

If you want to be added to the taglist, drop a comment!

Last but not least, English is not my first language and although I tried my best: please excuse any mistakes I made!

Taglist:

@glitterquadricorn @lottalove4evelyn @janeh22 @itsjustkhaos @mariclerc @fangirlforever2000

[jessicaloons]

new chapter after Las Vegas❓

I think we deserve one, no? It will be up in the next minutes!

[jessicaloons]

will we get a new chapter today? please? I want Charles and Rachel to meet finally!

I’m editing as we talk(?!) so yup! I’ll upload it any minute!

[jessicaloons]

no new chapter tonight? 😔

Sooooorry! I didn’t see your ask last week 😭 no, last weekend there was no upload because I’m now at a point where the chapters aren’t fully done and I have to fill in the blanks and well it’s not so easy with work, private life and so on 🙈

[jessicaloons]

Damn, you actually make me want to watch it now just to root for all of that to happen 😂😂

predictions for the f1 2025 car launch in london:

someone forgets to send out the dress code. george russell turns up in an immaculately pressed suit, lando norris turns up in black sweatpants.

the british drivers are raised onto the stage like they’re in the eras tour

the non-british drivers have to come in through the crowd entrance and buy their own tickets

christian horner still hasn’t decided who’s filling that second red bull seat. as a result max is accompanied on stage by what seems to be three untrained rookies in a trenchcoat

speaking of max, he doesn’t speak a word the entire night preferring instead to communicate short answers in sign language.

the hosts keep trying to awkwardly fill time à la eurovision song contest

there are at least two fistfights

and one dogfight (leo and roscoe)

pierre and esteban stand next to each other at first before they have to awkwardly be reminded that they’re not teammates anymore

someone makes a thinly veiled reference to the mclaren 2024 rear wing

kimi antonelli gets booed (british crowd) and about half the grid has to be physically restrained from jumping on the audience

toto wolff tries to seduce max yet again.

max audibly laughs at him. this is the only time we hear his voice all night.

oscar piastri gets visibly teary at the sight of drs since it’s the last time it’ll be used in f1

fred vasseur makes an insane prediction on how many races ferrari will win. everyone laughs at him.

he ends up being absolutely right

fernando turns up in another team’s colours

it’s later revealed that one team paid the sound engineers to play thunderous applause when their car was revealed

one livery will merit audible laughter

it will be alpine’s.

[jessicaloons]

Miss Americana and the Heartbreak Prince:

Chapter 6

Masterlist - Previous - Next

The Heartbreak Prince

23 April 2023:

"She’s gorgeous. Look at this beautiful girl." Pascale Leclerc cooed at her granddaughter, eyes full of love.

"She really is. And she’s so small… like a little doll." Charles smiled, watching his mother cradling his daughter to her chest, when his phone rang "That’s Fred. I have to take it."

"It’s okay, don’t worry, I’ll stay here with my beautiful, little girl." his mother said, not looking up from the bundle of joy in her arms.

Charles walked outside, accepting the call.

"Fred…"

"I got your text earlier. Congrats Charles, mother and daughter both okay?" his team principal asked.

"Yeah. Both healthy."

"That’s good. Really good. And the rest- umm… everything arranged?"

"Yeah. It’s been taken care of." Charles sighed.

"Good, good… I really don’t like to do this Charles- but I have to ask. Will

you race in Baku? I would understand if you didn’t want to… but- well it’s Baku. You always been quite good there, so I think… maybe…" Fred stuttered a little, as a father himself, he knew what he asked of his young driver.

"No. I have to… I said I would do everything in my power to be able to do both. Race and be a good father…" Charles replied, although he honestly didn’t want to leave his precious girl behind.

"You don’t have to come with everyone else, be here on the 27th, for media day, that’s fine…" his Team Principal suggested and he nodded slowly.

"Thanks Fred, see you in Baku."

"See you in Baku…"

Charles pocketed his phone, leaning against the wall when the door to the hospital room opened, his mother looking outside.

"You need to feed her, come on in…" she smiled at her son and Charles pushed himself off the wall, following her back in.

The gorgeous baby girl scrambled in the little crib, soft cries leaving her.

"Here, it’s warm. Take her and sit down…" his mother instructed him and he did as told.

After a couple of minutes a comfortable silence fell over the room. Only the newborn’s tiny sounds while eagerly suckling on the bottle were to be heard.

Charles eyes were full of love and adoration for the tiny human being in his arms, to think he would only have 4 days until he had to leave his little girl for the first time hurt him beyond belief. But he knew that he made a promise. He would do everything to give his daughter the best life possible.

"It’s just you and me, mon ange… just you and me, but I promise you, I will do everything to keep you safe, keep you happy." Charles leaned down to gently kiss his little girls forehead "I love you, my beautiful Ava."

"And this will be your room, I mean, when you’re a little older of course. I know, it’s nothing special. It needs colour, decoration, maybe even different furniture… but I wanted to have the nursery ready before you were born… we change that, don’t worry, pretty girl." Charles cradled his daughter to his chest, standing in the middle of the plain, white nursery. It looked sterile. Cold. He knew it. He just didn’t have the time to change it until now "You’ll sleep in my bedroom for now anyways… here, I show you…" he walked outside the nursery, down the hallway, through the door at the end "This is where we sleep, how do you like it?" he looked down at the sleepy baby girl, chuckling "It’s not like you’re going to answer, right? I guess your silence means you love it…"

"I hate it, I want my own bedroom, daddy!" Joris' high pitched voice behind him made Charles roll his eyes "I thought you’re a millionaire, why do we have to share a room?"

"Ha-ha, very funny…" the Ferrari driver turned around, glaring at his best friend "Before she’ll move into her nursery, I need to make it homely first. Worthy of my little princess." his eyes softened as soon as he looked back down into the baby’s face.

"You still got time, don’t worry. For now, you should enjoy the next couple of days with her, before leaving for Baku…"

"I can’t believe that I’m saying that, but I don’t want to race, I want to stay here with her, I don’t want to miss anything she’s learning, or doing for the first time!" the new father sighed.

"I know. But let’s face it, Ava is only 3 days old, she won’t do much besides sleeping and pooping…" Joris shrugged his shoulders.

"Watch it, Trouche, or I’m rethinking my choice of making you her godfather." Charles turned slightly, smiling at his best friend.

"Wha-… are you-… are you serious? M- me? Godfather?" he stumbled over his own words, eyes wide as he stared at the young father with his daughter in front of him.

"I’m serious, yeah… I mean, obviously only if you wa-…"

"Yes! YES! Of course! I just… I didn’t think you would choose me? Lorenzo? Or Arthur… but… wow. WOW!" Joris stepped closer, looking at the little angel in her father’s arms, his goddaughter "My beautiful Ava. I will try to be the best godfather, I promise!"

"And you know what? One of your first duties is to help me change her diaper… I did it the last days with maman’s or a nurses help… but now… I’m scared…"

"I mean, how hard can it be?" Joris chuckled and followed Charles to the changing table, where he gently laid down his little bundle of joy.

"Yeah, shouldn’t be that big of a problem." the new dad shrugged.

It was a problem. A big problem. And when ten minutes later the little girl was all fresh and dressed up, both young men slid down on the floor, leaning against the bed and drawer.

"I will have nightmares of this- this experience…" Joris mumbled and Charles nodded slowly.

"How can this precious, sweet little thing create such an atrocity?" he looked down at his daughter, who dozed off already, letting out the sweetest sounds.

"And now look at her! All cute and adorable!" Joris smiled and his best friend scooted over a little.

"Do you want to hold her?" he asked and looked at him.

"Umm-… sure. But you have to show me, I never held a baby that little!"

"I’ll show you, don’t worry…" Charles replied and showed Joris exactly how to held his little baby girl.

"Oh wow… oh wow… she’s so tiny…" Joris mumbled, looking at his goddaughter "She’s so cute…"

"She is perfect… I know that it won’t be easy, being here for her, taking care of her. My career. Keeping her safe from my crazy life. The media. My fans. I know the next months, maybe years will be pretty tough… but when I look at her? I just know it all will be worth it." Charles almost whispered, his gaze softening.

"I think you’re right… I mean, just look at her…" Joris replied, gently taking Ava’s hand in his much bigger one, inspecting her tiny fingers.

"I know this all was unusual. A drunk one night stand. Hiding her mother away from everyone. Keeping her a secret? But I would do it all over again, just to have her…"

Joris looked up at Charles, smiling at the way how his best friend’s soft gaze lingered on his baby girl. A content smile on his lips. His eyes full of love. He always knew that Charles would be an amazing father one day, the way he treated his little fans a clear indicator, but seeing it happening before his eyes made his own heart double in size.

"She’s your little girl."

"My little girl. My princess." Charles whispered, gently kissing his daughter’s tiny hand "My everything."

Baku 2023:

"Question for Charles, you only arrived today, everything okay? I’ve, and I’m sure I’m not the only one, noticed that you’re a little pale?" a reporter asked at the press conference and Charles picked up the microphone, clearing his throat.

"I’m good, thanks. I had to sort out something back at home, nothing bad, don’t worry, just a family- a private matter. It’s all good and I’m here, ready to race." he said it with a big smile on his face.

A smile he kept for the rest of the press conference. A fake smile. Leaving Ava behind after not even a full week hurt. It didn’t sit right with him. But he promised his team he would race. He promised him being a father now wouldn’t affect his career and he planned on keeping that promise.

"You’re alright mate?" Max asked when they left the press conference and Charles nodded "Everything alright at home?"

"Yeah, sure… it was just-… my mum. She was sick, nothing serious, but there were some things we had to take care off. Her hair salon. Stuff, you know?" the Monegasque was a horrible liar and he knew he had to improve in order to keep his secret under wraps.

"Okay-… well, I’m glad she’s good again?" Max replied.

"Hmm. Yeah. All good…"

"Alright. What do you think? Another pole this year here?"

"I much rather would start in P2 but actually win the race… but honestly? I’m not having much hope." Charles sighed, thinking about the weekend ahead, hoping for a decent outcome at least. And when Sunday came and he sat in the plane back home late at night, the smile on his face wasn’t just from being happy to see his daughter again, but also from a second place in the sprint race and a third place in the main race. His mood was only dampened by the fact that he would have too little time with his baby girl, considering he had to catch his flight on Thursday to Miami, but even if it would only be for 10 minutes, Charles would take the detour. Every single second with his daughter was precious.

"Hey my little princess…" Charles cooed at his little one, inhaling the unique newborn smell, sighing contently when he finally made his way back home "I’m back baby girl and this time I’m staying for longer than just a day!"

He thought back to last week when he made a quick stop over in between Baku and Miami, hating to leave her after only a day already.

"She was a perfect little angel." Pascale smiled, packing her granddaughters bag "Are you sure you want to drive home? You could stay here?"

"No, I really should go home. I have to get used to taking care of her alone…" Charles replied.

"Okay, here, I’ve got her a car seat." Pascale sat down the Maxi-Cosi and helped her son buckling in the little baby girl "If you need anything, call me, okay?"

"Will do. Thanks Maman, for taking care of her." Charles kissed his mother’s cheek, who gently squeezed his arm.

"I told you, we’re all helping you. It’s going to be fine. And now off you go. It looks like it’s about to rain soon…"

And Pascale was right, the moment Charles left the underground parking garage in his car the first drops fell and by the time he reached his own home it was already raining cats and dogs. But it was good like this. Not many people out in the streets. No one walking up to his car to take a picture. When he took Ava out of the carrier and laid her down in her crib he dialled his brother’s number.

"Hey Charles, how’s Ava?" Lorenzo asked and Charles rolled his eyes a little.

"What about me?" he pouted, gently stroking Ava’s cheek.

"You’re right, sorry! How are you? How is Ava?" his older brother chuckled.

"We are both doing fine. But I realised something today…"

"Yeah? And that’s what?"

"I need a new car. A bigger one. A safer one. With tinted windows. I can’t risk someone recognising me and then coming closer, taking pictures and spotting Ava. Chasing us…" Charles quietly left his bedroom, leaving the door a crack wide open.

"Okay, yeah that shouldn’t be a problem."

"Good… and now I have a week with my little one before I have to leave her yet again…" the young father sighed.

"Although I don’t know how you must feel, but let me tell you this. Formula 1 is your job, it’s been your life the past few years and you’re on a good way of finally making one of your biggest dreams come true… don’t be too hard on yourself. You’re doing your job, so it’s okay. And it’s not like you leave Ava all alone! You leave her with Maman who adores her!" Lorenzo said and Charles nodded slightly.

"You’re right… I know that… it just… it sucks a little…"

"Enjoy your week off with her for now, okay? The rest we’ll figure out! In the meantime I’ll check some cars out for you!"

"Thanks Enzo…"

"No worries little bro…"

Charles sat in his bed, Ava comfortably snuggled into his chest, watching the news about the weather in Italy.

"Looks terrifying, no?" Arthur said quietly, walking inside "I’m not even sure if we’re racing…"

"Yeah… and look at all the damage. Those poor people…" Charles sighed.

"Isn’t umm-… Alessia and her family aren’t they living in the Emilia Romagna region?" Arthur said hesitantly and by the way his brother’s head snapped up, looking at him he held up his hands "Sorry… I shouldn’t have said that…"

"You’re right. You shouldn’t have. I don’t know where they are. I don’t care where they are. I hope they’re safe, like everyone affected, but that’s it. I don’t know these people. I don’t want to know these people."

"I have food for you, from Maman…" Arthur tried to change the topic and Charles was more than happy about it.

"I’m starving…" he replied and his little brother nodded.

"I’ll go and fix a plate for you and then you can eat and I snuggle with my little bumblebee…" he left the bedroom and Charles looked down at Ava again.

She slowly opened her eyes, yawning and squirming a little.

"Hi my little princess…" Charles whispered, leaning down, kissing his daughter’s cheek "Did you have a nice nap, baby girl?"

He had to chuckle. He used to shake his head at people who exaggerate using a baby voice when tending to their babies. But now he was just like that, cooing at his little girl with a high pitched voice, waiting for a reply that wouldn’t come.

"Here you go… and now I want my little bumblebee…" Arthur sat down a plate on his older brothers night stand, looking at his niece, smiling when Charles gently laid her down in his arms "She’s so fu-…"

"Arthur!"

"- freaking cute! So incredibly, incredibly cute!" he cooed at the little girl in his arms.

"That she is…" Charles replied "I don’t want to leave on Monday… but it’s Imola, there is a ton of events Silvia couldn’t pull me out off, so I have to go…"

"I don’t want to leave either, staying here would mean no fu- messed up race weekend…" Arthur mumbled and Charles looked up from his plate.

"Don’t be too hard on yourself, Arthur…" he began but Arthur shook his head.

"4 race weekends, 8 races and only one P3… no win, no pole position, mostly finished out of the points, crashes here and there… I guess I’m just not good enough…" he sighed.

"Hey! Stop that! It’s only the beginning of the season, you need time to get used to an F2 car!" Charles sat down his plate, looking at his little brother "You wouldn’t have made it into F2 if you weren’t good enough!"

"Everyone is saying I only made it because of you…"

"What? Who’s saying that?" Charles was confused.

"Everyone. It’s everywhere, experts, journalists, they all say it. Or write it." Arthur replied, smiling at Ava holding onto his finger with a tight grip.

The older Leclerc brother grabbed his phone, opening Google typing in his brother’s name and to his shock, his little brother was right. He clicked on the first YouTube video, not wanting to believe that people would say things like that.

"… now let’s talk about his team mate, Arthur Leclerc…" the blonde woman said, looking at her two male co-hosts.

"Leclerc didn’t have the best start of the season and some people start wondering if he deserves a seat in F2 and of course how much his brother had to do with him having a seat." the dark haired reporter said, while the blonde haired guy next to him nodded.

"Don’t get me wrong. Racing is in the Leclerc brother’s blood. But I guess you can say, when back in the day their parents had to decide which brother could continue and which had to stop, they made the right choice."

Furiously he exited the app, locking his phone.

"Are you watching that?" he looked at his little brother who only shrugged his shoulders "If they can’t talk shit, they’re not satisfied."

"But they’re right, no? I’m not having a good season. I am not good enough…" Arthur mumbled "So yeah… I guess it really made sense that mum and dad put all their money on you instead of me…"

"It had nothing to do with who was better, Arthur! I was older, already further into my racing career. That was it. Nothing else." Charles said and Arthur sighed.

"If you say so." he shrugged.

Charles got off from his bed and sat down on the stool in front of his brother.

"This all, racing, it’s already tough enough without all that bullshit coming from so called experts and you know it! It had nothing to do with me, that you got your seat, Arthur! You had an amazing season in F3. You won the Formula Regional Asian Championship. That’s what got you your seat. You have proven that you’re good enough. Got it?" he said, looking at his younger brother intently who just nodded after a while, his eyes still trained on his niece "And now come on. I want to go for a little walk with her, and now that Enzo brought my new car, we can drive a little out of town to somewhere quiet. Let’s worry about racing and that all tomorrow again, okay?"

"Okay… but just so you know, I’ll sit next to her in the car, I just love looking at her…" Arthur smiled a little and Charles chuckled.

"Same, Arthur, same."

"It’s cancelled. You can go home." Mia said and Charles cocked an eyebrow.

"Really?" he asked.

"Yeah… I know you just arrived early this morning… but it’s official. You won’t race. You can go home." she smiled at him and it didn’t take Charles longer than 5 minutes to pack his bag and leave.

"Hey! You’re leaving?" Carlos.

Charles stopped dead in his tracks and turned around slowly "I thought we had this dinner with some sponsors later on? Discuss what we can do to help? Or at least that’s what Silvia said?"

He was right. Silvia told him about it, but also said that if the race got cancelled she would make Carlos attend alone.

"Yeah-… umm. I know… it’s just- there is a family emergency back home. I have to go." Charles lied and his team mate looked at him empathically.

"Oh shit, mate. I hope nothing too serious?"

"No. It’s, it’s not too bad, but I have to check in and make sure it stays that way."

"Alright. Do that. And take care, the streets are flooded at some parts and the re-routing isn’t working at all times…" the Spaniard clapped his back and Charles smiled at him.

"Will do, thanks. And sorry for leaving you alone with Silvia and the wolves…" he felt bad.

"Don’t worry, cabrón."

Charles slipped into his car, starting the engine, his mind already at home with his little one. He drove off the Ferrari premises and quickly made his way to the motorway, thankfully without any serious delays or issues. When he finally arrived back home in Monaco and parked his car he leaned back in his seat. Closing his eyes for a minute. He flinched when his phone beeped and he saw a text from his manager, Nicolas, coming through. A new brand collaboration. He sighed, closing the message and getting out of the car. Another gig would mean more time away from his daughter. Something he didn’t like.

Charles quietly closed the door behind him, slipping of his shoes, when he heard the soft voice of his mother, cooing at her. He stood in the doorway of his bedroom, watching his mother sitting in the rocking chair, his beautiful baby girl in her arms and his heart almost bursted.

"Look, little Ava, your papa is here…" Pascale cooed to the little girl and got up, walking over to her son.

"Hi my little princess…" he smiled at her and then kissed his mother’s cheek "Let me take a quick shower and then I’ll take her and you can go."

"Take all the time that you need." she replied, sitting back down in the chair "We are just fine…"

"I can see that." Charles chuckled and grabbed some fresh clothes, making his way into the bathroom, where he took a quick shower before joining his mother and daughter again.

"You look tired, Charles…" Pascale looked worriedly at her son, dark circles under his eyes.

"Driving late last night to Maranello, just an hour or two of sleep in the morning and then driving straight back home around noon? Yeah… I’m tired. But it’s okay. I would do everything for her…" Charles yawned, rubbing his eyes.

"Why don’t you eat something and I make Ava bed ready? Change her, feed her, take her to bed and then you can go to bed as well and take over from then on?" his mother gently rubbed his arm "There are some leftovers in the fridge."

"Sounds like a plan. A good plan…" he mumbled, walking out of the room to warm up the leftovers, eating in silence before returning to his bedroom where Ava was already sleeping in her crib.

"Look at this little angel." Pascal whispered.

"She is perfect." Charles replied quietly, disappearing in his bathroom, getting bed ready himself "You should stay here Maman, it’s late."

"I’ll be fine, don’t worry. You sleep now!" she kissed his cheek "Good night, Charles."

"Good night, Maman… and thank you."

"Not for that…"

The next days Charles spent in pure bliss with his little girl. He felt like he learnt every other moment something new about her, saw a new expression in her face, a new movement of her head.

"Look! It’s like she understands what I’m saying!" he exclaimed "You’re so clever, Ava! So, so clever!"

"She doesn’t understand you. She just recognises your voice!" Lorenzo chuckled but his younger brother didn’t listen "So- umm have you thought about what to do during the Monaco GP?"

"What do you mean?" Charles looked up from his daughter, cocking an eyebrow.

"Charles, you cross the street on any normal day and at least a dozen of people swarm you here. But this week? It’s going to be crazy! Your fans will even follow Maman around, as soon as they spot her somewhere, imagine how they would stalk her if they saw her with a stroller… and she can’t stay inside the entire week with Ava! Also, everyone knows that she’s always in the paddock in Monaco. If she’s not here this year, people will start talking, and when they talk, they will look even more for her…"

"Fu-… damn. I haven’t even thought about that… but you’re right. Oh god what am I supposed to do? I don’t want people to assume that something is wrong with Maman, first Baku and the mysterious family matter why I arrived late, then the dinner in Imola that I didn’t attend because of a family emergency… if she’s not here this weekend… some people would start looking for her..." Charles leaned back, ruffling his hair.

"So umm we- no Charlotte had an idea… when I talked to her about it. We weren’t really spotted together by anyone, so she’s kinda unknown, no one would connect her in any way to you… she could take care of Ava? Go for a walk here and there with her? Watch her at least enough for Maman to be at qualifying and the race?"

"And she would be okay with that? Didn’t you ask her to join you this weekend?"

"She wouldn’t offer it if it wasn’t okay, I’ll ask her to join me next weekend then." Lorenzo replied and Charles nodded.

"If it’s okay for her? She would definitely help me out big time."

"I’ll text her then…" he said and typed away in his phone, a reply coming through almost immediately "'I can’t wait to spend some time with the precious little princess'"

"She’s an angel, tell her that. Thank you! Like seriously. Next weekend in Barcelona, you book the nicest, most luxurious hotel for you two, take her to dinner to the best restaurant. My treat."

"Stop that. She loves to help out. Also, she loves Ava, I think we’re doing her a bigger favour…" Lorenzo laughed but Charles shook his head.

"Doesn’t matter. My treat next weekend."

"She’ll be delighted."

"It’s like this." Charles mumbled, shaking his head while leaving the garage with Andrea.

"You can still get up on top…" he replied but Charles scoffed "It’s not impossible! Just wait… and even if not, then you drive home and cuddle your little girl."

"Yeah. Holding her is better than lifting any trophy out there." the driver smiled.

"See? That’s the spirit." his athletic trainer bumped his shoulder.

"Yeah, I’m trying to…"

"Now come on. Let’s get home, eat something and relax, tomorrow is a new day."

And although Charles gave his best, he wasn’t able to make up any positions. He climbed out of his car, frustrated and congratulated Max on his win.

"Well done mate, congrats."

"Thanks man." Max clapped his back and smiled "Maybe next year you’ll beat the curse."

"There is no curse. Just me or my team not delivering." Charles mumbled and walked off.

He knew how everyone talked about his Monaco curse, but looking at it, it was always just a mistake by himself or, like last year, his team. After his weighing he made his way back to the Ferrari garage and prepared for the media pen.

"Hey Charles. Another year, another disappointing result for you. What went wrong?"

"I didn’t qualify good enough. In Monaco your starting position is crucial for the race outcome. And with the penalty, starting in P6, in the middle of the DRS train in Monaco? Yeah you will most likely finish in P6, like I did." Charles sighed.

"You complained about the stiffness of the car, do you think that will be an issue next week in Barcelona as well?"

"I don’t know. We will see I guess. If the car is like this next week… we have to wait and see…"

"It’s your home GP so now you go home, have a little time with your family and then off to Barcelona?"

"Yeah. Weekend debrief with the team now and then back home where my da-…" Charles stopped abruptly, eyes wide, thinking about what to say "Where my dance partners in crime wait for me." he scolded himself.

"Dance partners in crime?" the reporter cocked an eyebrow.

"Yeah after a race like today I need to dance it out, you know?"

"Okay… umm- then have fun and see you next weekend."

Charles could kick himself. He had to be more careful from now on.

"You covered that up quite well…" Mia whispered, seeing how tense Charles was "Sure it was a little… well it was different. Nothing people are used to from you but it’s okay…"

"Dance partners in crime? Dance it out?" he sighed.

"Yeah, I mean, after this weekend? Who wouldn’t want to dance it out." she squeezed his shoulder "Now come on, let’s make this quick and then you can go home, to your dance partner in crime."

"Very funny." Charles groaned and when he finally slipped of his shoes back at home, he couldn’t wait to see his daughter, knowing that she would make him forget the whole weekend with just one little smile.

"She was just a perfect little angel." Charlotte smiled at him when he walked into his living room "She watched her daddy race and then she fell asleep, just like a good little girl."

"There wasn’t much to watch today, no?" Charles mumbled, picking his daughter up from the sofa "But it’s okay… I’m here now…"

"You’ll come back stronger next week."

"I guess we’ll see."

Chapter 6 - Ladies and Gentlemen, baby Ava has arrived and she’s already wrapping EVERYONE around her tiny little fingers. Writing Charles as a dad is one of my favourite things and I can’t wait for you all to read more about him and his little girl.

Please leave a comment/ like/ reblog/ message and tell me how you liked it! I'm dying to hear your thoughts!

If you want to be added to the taglist, drop a comment!

Last but not least, English is not my first language and although I tried my best: please excuse any mistakes I made!

Taglist:

@glitterquadricorn @lottalove4evelyn @janeh22 @itsjustkhaos @mariclerc @fangirlforever2000 @queensassybitchsworld

[jessicaloons]

Miss Americana and the Heartbreak Prince:

Chapter 5

Masterlist - Previous - Next

Miss Americana

June 2023:

Rachel stood in front of the antique store, double checking the address before she took a deep breath, pushing the door open. It was dusty, the air smelled musty and the store was only dimly lit. She looked around for a counter and when her eyes made it out in the far right corner, she walked up to it, right when an older man stepped in front of her, making her flinch.

"Jeez! You scared the shit out of me!" Rachel squeaked, taking a step back, looking at the man.

"I’m sorry, dear, I didn’t mean to. Now, how can I help you? What brings you into Harry’s Attic today?" the man’s soft voice was soothing Rachel’s still pounding heart "I see. I give you a minute to gather yourself, again I’m really sorry… my wife always said that I should wear a bell around my neck, to announce where I’m coming from." he chuckled and Rachel laughed.

"A bell would’ve saved me from an almost heart attack." she said.

"Yeah… clever woman that was, my Winnie…" he smiled a little but then clapped his hands together "So? What can I do for you?"

"Oh- umm… I’m looking for Carl. Max Anderson sent me." Rachel repeated the words she got from Stuart.

"And what can I do for a friend of Max Anderson?" the old man, probably Carl, asked, looking around.

"I- umm… I need a new-…" Rachel paused, making sure as well that they were alone before she continued "I need a new identity, with everything that comes with it. New birth certificate, new drivers license, new passport, new social security number, new bank accounts. Oh and my college degree… I need that as well with my new identity."

"The whole package then… I see."

"Yeah… umm-the whole package." Rachel confirmed, nodding.

"Alright, I can do that. I need time until tomorrow to prepare everything…"

"Okay…" that was fast.

"Here, this is my price for everything." Carl shoved his business card over. Rachel looked at it, nodding, Stuart already told her how much it would cost roughly "Fill out these documents…" he shoved a clipboard her way and walked into the backroom.

Rachel looked at it and saw that it was basic things like her age, hair and eye colour, her height. But also about her school, when she graduated from what Highschool, what degree from what university. Rachel filled in the last question when Carl returned.

"I need pictures for your new documents…you want a make over? Change your hair colour as well?" he asked.

Rachel looked at herself in the mirror behind Carl, her long blonde hair cascading down her shoulders, down to her lower back. She dyed her hair since she was 13, hearing from one too many judges that with blonde hair she would’ve won way more pageants by now.

"Yeah. I think I’ll do that…" the, for now blonde girl, said, changing her hair colour on the documents she just filled out.

"Alright… I need your necklace…" he said, looking through the documents, checking that Rachel answered every question.

"My necklace? Why?" she stuttered, it belonged to her mother and she never took it off.

"If someone followed you, they would want to know why you were here, give me the necklace and you’ll get a receipt that you want to sell it to me, for now I’m only estimating its value… and if someone were to ask I would give them this exact answer…"

"Why do you assume someone could follow me?"

"Darling, you asked me for a whole new identity. A whole new life. Now why would you need that, if someone wasn’t looking for you? I don’t judge. I just do whatever you ask me to, but I also have to protect my business… protect me…" Carl began when the doorbell rang and a man walked in, looking at the girl and the man at the counter "Alright, now give me some time to research and estimate the value of it and then come back tomorrow to discuss the price I could give you for it. And then we’ll see, okay? Maybe sleep on it before you make your final decision if you want to sell it or not…" he said in a professional tone "I’m right with you, Sir." he nodded towards the man who looked through the shelves "So, what’s it going to be?"

"Yeah… here- umm… I come back tomorrow then." Rachel took off her necklace, handing it over.

"Sign here please, with your name…" he emphasised the word name, tapping the line on the last page of the documents on the counter and the girl understood, Stuart told her that she could choose her own name if she wanted to.

She had thought about it for a while and always circled back to her mother’s middle name. Having her mother with her, would be giving her strength, wouldn’t make her feel so alone. She took the pen Carl offered and wrote the name. She didn’t care what surname he would pick, only her first name was important .

"Alright, here is your receipt, I’ll see you tomorrow then." he handed the girl the receipt who mustered a smile.

"Thank you, Sir."

Rachel left the store as fast as she could, pocketing the receipt. She didn’t question how Carl would get her new documents and papers ready in this short amount of time, if Stuart said she could trust him, than she would do it, but she felt weird. Almost empty inside, knowing that her time as Rachel Lombardi was limited.

On the way back to her hotel, Rachel stopped at a drugstore, buying some hair dye and scissors, as well as something to eat. She didn’t want to leave her hotel room too often, still hoping and praying that no one was following her. Back at her hotel she dialled Stuart’s number with the landline phone, sighing happily when he picked up after the third ring.

"How’s Montreal?"

"Busy. Didn’t expect it to be this busy to be honest, but that’s good." Rachel replied, sitting down on her bed "I met Carl today…"

"Yeah? He can handle everything?" Stuart asked quietly.

"Yeah- umm he’s a little creepy, mixed with quirky, cute old man? Hard to explain…"

"Sounds like him. So everything is good then?"

"Yeah. I’m going to dye my hair, cut it… change my appearance…"

"Good idea."

"Yeah. Back to the roots…" Rachel chuckled bitterly, shaking her head "So what’s next? After I have my new identity? What’s happening to Rachel?"

A part of her still didn’t want to know what was happening, but then again, it was her life.

"A- umm let’s say friend of mine, we’ll call her… Isabella- Isabella will come to the hotel, and take care of it…"

"How?" curiosity got the better of her.

"You don’t want to and need to know."

"But it’s- it’s not something illegal?"

"Rach… you think getting a whole new identity is legal?" Stuart chuckled and was met with silence "Exactly. Don’t worry that pretty head of yours. It’s all being handled. And as soon as you have your new passport you can book a flight and get the hell out of here… have you decided on a destination yet?"

"No… I honestly don’t know. Somewhere where they speak my language would be a good start-…"

"So maybe England? Italy? You speak Italian fluently?" Stuart suggested.

"I don’t know… maybe. I’ll think about it." Rachel nodded slightly.

"Alright. Well for now just try to relax, it’ll be okay."

"Yeah. Thanks Stu. I feel like thanking you isn’t even enough…"

"It is Rach, okay? You think now where you’re heading off to. Have a good sleep and all will be good, you’ll see. Good night Rachel."

"Good night Stu."

Rachel read her mother’s letter, cradling it to her chest. The letter, her necklace and one photo album was everything she had left of her. She looked at the neat handwriting of her mother, one sentence catching her eye.

It’s enough for a fresh start, if you know what I mean.

She repeated the sentence over and over again in her head. Her mother wanted to tell her something with it. A fresh start. It was scratching something in the back of her mind, but she couldn’t puzzle it together, frustrated she switched on the tv, hoping to get her mind off it. The news came on, talking about how Montreal will be busier than usually in the next week, because of the upcoming Formula 1 Grand Prix, she rolled her eyes, not interested in a bunch of men racing in circles, when one of the news anchors mentioned the Monaco Grand Prix and it all made sense all of a sudden. A fresh start. In Monaco. Rachel’s mother told her years ago that if she ever had to choose a new home for them, it would be Monaco. After attending the Miss World pageant in 2003 there, befriending a local hairdresser, her mother loved the little principality. She always told Rachel that if she would ever need help and her mother wasn’t there anymore, she should contact Madame Leclerc. Rachel never understood why her mother would say something like that, she was too young to understand the dangers of the life she was living. She didn’t understand why she ever would contact a stranger if her mother wasn’t there anymore. Where would her mother be, if not with her? But with every year Rachel got older she understood. And now she would listen to her mother, who never guided her wrong. She might not just be safe in Monaco, she might also be able to start a new life. Start over from scratch. With a newfound motivation, the young girl got off her bed, grabbing her laptop, checking for flights and accommodations. She was ready for her new adventure, that would start in Monaco. Out of all places in the world where she could hide, at a place like Monaco, she thought her father and the Romanos wouldn’t look for her. How could someone like her afford a life in Monaco, home of the rich and the famous.

Rachel looked at her reflection in the mirror, her long, chocolate brown locks cascading down her shoulders. It was almost her natural colour, or what used to be her natural colour years ago, but now it looked foreign. Like the person who looked at her in the mirror was a stranger. She picked up the scissors and cut off a good amount of hair, watching in satisfaction as they were falling on the floor. It wasn’t really a haircut, nothing stylish, just shorter. It had to be enough for now. Putting on a white blouse, Rachel checked the time, realising that she had to be at the antique store in 15 minutes. She put her hair into a neat, high ponytail, slipped into her sneakers and grabbed her bag. On the way downstairs she fished her sunglasses out of her bag and put them on, leaving the little hotel in a hurry.

"Hello young Miss, what can I do for you?" Carl asked 15 minutes later when Rachel walked through the door of the antique store.

"My necklace…" she pressed out, a little out of breath and Carl cocked his eyebrow.

Rachel took off her sunglasses, putting the receipt down and then saw the penny drop as the man’s expression changed.

"Ahh! Of course, of course! Please come into my back office, I show you what I could find out about your necklace!" Carl waved her behind the counter and she followed him through a short hallway into a little room, the walls were full with ceiling high shelves, full with boxes, stacks of papers, figurines, books and what not "Have a seat." he pointed to a chair at the desk and Rachel sat down "Where do I have it…" Carl mumbled, opening a file cabinet, pulling out a manila folder "Here." he pulled out the chair opposite from Rachel and put the folder down, opening it "Birth certificate, social security number, high school and college diploma, bachelors degree. Also a new bank account, all your money transferred onto it, well not all your money. My payment excluded obviously..."

"How did you do that? Transferring money leaves a trail… someone could find the new account under the new name and…" Rachel interrupted but Carl chuckled, shaking his head slightly.

"My dear, I’ve been doing this for longer than you’re on this earth, I know how to not leave a trail…" he said reassuringly but seeing the worry on the girls face he sighed "I transferred you’re money in tiny little chunks onto offshore accounts all across the world. Then I transferred from other accounts, accounts that have no connection to your money, the amount of money that was left, after my payment, back onto your new account. You see? You’re safe. Who ever will follow your money will only be able to find hundreds of transactions to a bunch of different accounts and that’s it. I know how to do my job, dear." Carl winked, patting Rachael’s hand who slowly nodded.

"Sorry… I- I just needed to be sure that-…" she began but got interrupted.

"That you’re safe and no one can find you or follow you, I know. And please believe me when I say that you are… alright?" he looked at her questioningly and when she nodded again he clapped his hands "Alright… then let’s proceed, I’d say. I need to take a picture for the ID, drivers license and passport and you’re good to go, Miss Lauren Millner, born May, 26th 2001 in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. Parents Walter and Caroline Millner, deceased. No siblings or other living relatives. Graduated from Harrisburg High School with a high school diploma and later graduated from the University of Pittsburgh’s School of Nursing, with a bachelors degree in nursing. Specialised in paediatrics."

Rachel scooted closer to the table, looking at the documents in front of her, hesitantly picking up the birth certificate, inspecting it. Next the high school diploma.

"It looks so-… it looks so real?" she whispered, putting the two documents down, reaching for the passport, for now without a picture but still so realistic, that Rachel thought she had a real one in her hands.

"Well, that’s because they are real. Don’t ask questions, accept it. Now come on. Let’s take your picture and then I can finish up the rest."

Her new, smaller suitcase on the bed, filled with some new clothes. Her personal keepsakes, like her photo album, a big folder with her new documents and a notebook next to it. Ready to be packed into the small backpack. Rachel’s entire life in front of her. 22 years fitted in one small suitcase and a backpack. Even less than when she left Boston. A numbness spread through her body, something she couldn’t quite pinpoint, but she didn’t have the time to figure it out, when the phone rang and she hastily picked it up, the receptionist telling her that her taxi was waiting.

"I’m coming down." she hung up, finished packing and closed her suitcase and backpack.

One last look through the room to make sure she didn’t forget anything and Rachel put on her jacket, a thin scarf and new sunglasses, before leaving the room. Her whole insides were churning all the way to the airport and when she got out of the car and walked inside, she realised what it was that was making her feel this way. This was it. Her old life ended here. Her new one began. She took a deep breath, making her way through the crowd, irritated by the amount of young girls, screaming hysterically for the attention of some celebrity. The profile of the young man looked like he was a model, or maybe a singer? A member of the newest boy band maybe? She shook her head, not caring one bit and stopped in front of the check-in queue. When it was her turn she handed over her new passport with slightly shaky hands, something the lady at the desk noticed immediately.

"You alright Miss?" she asked and Rachel nodded "First time flying?"

"Kind of, at least for that long." Rachel replied nervously.

"And then all alone to Europe? You’re visiting someone?"

"Yeah… and old family friend…"

"Lovely. Have a safe trip then dear!"

"I will."

"First things first, you’ll need to buy a new phone when you arrive and then send me a text immediately. I need to know that you’re safe." Stuart urged "Don’t roll your eyes at me…"

"I didn’t-… how did you know?" Rachel replied, hearing her friend chuckle through the receiver of the pay phone at the airport.

"I know you now long enough. So… Monaco. I mean. It’s crazy to think that someone on the run, nonetheless a post grad nurse, would settle down in Monaco of all places. To survive there you have to be loaded… so yeah. Good idea! But then again, how will you survive Rach? I know your mom left you some money and you saved a fortune from your scholarship and working for Pete. But I know how expensive Carl was… you can’t have that much left…"

"Don’t you worry, Stu. It’s still enough, believe me. I can stay in Monaco for a while without worrying too much. And with Madame Leclercs help I hopefully get a job real soon and-…" Rachel began when she heard Stuart sigh a little "What?"

"Aren’t you a little-… umm aren’t you a little too optimistic? Rach your mum met this person once and wrote some letters over the years… but that’s it? Who says that she still works in that hair salon? I mean- did you check?" he asked but was met with silence "So you didn’t? Do you even know the name of the salon? Where it is? No? Nothing? Rach that’s risky-…"

"It will be fine. I have a good feeling about this, trust me, okay?" Rachel said reassuringly when her flight was announced to be ready for boarding "Oh, that’s me…"

"Alright. Then go. And remember, new phone, send me a text!" Stuart chided "And stop rolling your eyes, they might get stuck!"

"You and I both know that that’s just a lie we tell kids to not do it anymore…" the girl laughed "But I will get a new phone as soon as I’m in Nice. I’ll shoot you a text and then I go radio silent for a while. I’ll hide out in Nice, making sure that really no one followed me before I make my way to Monaco…"

"Sounds like a plan. Take care, Rach."

"I will…" she replied quietly, ending the call.

Rachel looked up at the screens above, in search for her gate. Finally spotting her flight to Nice. With every step she took closer to her gate, she felt the pit in her stomach grow. This was it. She left everything behind. No more fear of being dragged into a lifestyle she never wanted to be a part of. The moment she would board the plane her old life would end. The life of Rachel Lombardi would end. Once and for all.

Chapter 5 - no idea if getting a new identity is that easy? But I guess when you know someone who knows someone 🤷🏻‍♀️ anyways, we’re getting closer and closer to our two characters to meet 🤭 also: what a crazy race weekend 🙈 congrats Max! Amazing race! Also congrats Alpine! Damn!

Please leave a comment/ like/ reblog/ message and tell me how you liked it! I'm dying to hear your thoughts!

If you want to be added to the taglist, drop a comment!

Last but not least, English is not my first language and although I tried my best: please excuse any mistakes I made!

Taglist:

@glitterquadricorn @lottalove4evelyn @janeh22 @itsjustkhaos @mariclerc @fangirlforever2000

[jessicaloons]

T H I S 🙌

2022 Silverstone - Max: Damaged Car = Loss of Pace, Charles: Left out on Old Hards after safety car, finish P4

2023 Singapore - Max: Rocky's weakness Qualified P15, Finished P5, Charles: Team orders to open a gap for Carlos, finished P4 after George ends in wall

2024 Australia - Max: Brake Failure DNF, Charles: Team Orders protect for Carlos, finished P2

2024 Mexico - Max: rb20, 20 seconds in penalty, finish P6, Charles: LICO most of race after Carlos complained he was to close, literally told he's driving too fast, finish P3

Carlos literally can not win a race if Max doesn't have mechanical issues/penalties and Charles does not get team orders or Ferrari distasterclass for getting a 1-2. It's just fucking embarrassing.

[jessicaloons]

Miss Americana and the Heartbreak Prince

Chapter 4

Masterlist - Previous - Next

The Heartbreak Prince

November 2022:

"So it’s possible?" Charles asked his lawyer who nodded.

"It’s a lot of paperwork, but that’s what you pay me for, right?" she laughed and Charles looked at the ultrasound in his hand "I can start to set up all the documents as soon as possible or you want to take some time to think about it? Let it all go through your head once more? Or twice? More? You still have time… the baby won’t be born until April next year, so we can wait with the final decision…"

"No. Prepare everything… can you maybe talk to her? If she has a lawyer, and if not, maybe recommend one? I don’t want her to feel… I don’t want her to feel like it’s me against her and she is defenseless. If she has a lawyer of her own by her side, she’s not alone…"

"Of course Charles. I’ll talk to her, explain everything to her and then we figure things out. One step at the time."

"Thank you…" Charles smiled and got up, guiding his lawyer to the door "Let me know if you need anything from me."

"Will do, I’ll stay in touch. Have a nice day, Charles. And good luck for your race." she left his apartment and he sighed, leaning against the door.

His mind was racing, he had to leave for the airport in not even 2 hours, but he knew he first had to talk to someone. He couldn’t keep it a secret, the guilt would eat away at him. Back in his bedroom he threw everything haphazardly into his suitcase, calling Joris.

"Hey Joris, pick me up at my mums place…" Charles slipped on his shoes, checking that he had everything important in his backpack.

"Okay? Everything alright?"

"Yeah… I just-… I’m keeping the baby and have to tell my mum now…" Charles blurted out and the line went silent "Jo?" he asked after a minute of silence "Are you still there?"

"Yeah-… I just… umm-… I have to wrap my head around what you just said? You and Alessia are keeping the baby?" Joris asked cautiously.

"No. I am. She wants nothing to do with the baby… or me. She made that clear…" the Ferrari driver sighed, slipping into his sneakers.

"And what prompted this change of heart?"

"I saw it, Jo. And its heartbeat… in that moment I realised I would never forgive myself if I would give away my child. My firstborn. I can’t do it… that’s a piece of me. And I’m going to take care of it…" he left his apartment, waiting for the elevator.

"Okay. So Alessia will have the baby and then leave it with you and she’ll disappear? Not be a part in its life like you planned to? And you keep it? Take care of it, while travelling the whole world, racing in F1?"

"That’s exactly what’s happening, I mean… if Maman won’t kill me if I tell her now…" Charles put his suitcase in his car and got in, starting the engine.

"Good luck with that… maybe you’ll die today so thinking about the future won’t be necessary…" his best friend chuckled and under different circumstances Charles would’ve laughed too, but he knew that there was some truth in Joris’ words and when he stood in front of his childhood home 10 minutes later, ringing the doorbell with shaky hands, he wished he could’ve been anywhere else in the world but here.

"Charles! I didn’t think I’d see you before you leave. What a lovely surprise." his mother kissed his cheeks, pulling him inside "Arthur and Lorenzo are here as well…"

"They are?" Charles swallowed hard.

Maybe it was easier to say it only once, then 3 times to each one individually he thought, when he stepped into the living room where his brothers already sat.

"I thought we meet at the airport?" Lorenzo, his older brother asked, looking slightly confused.

"Umm- yeah, I just- I had to talk to mum first… and I guess now that you’re here, I’ll tell you as well…" Charles voice wavered and his brothers shared some glances before they looked at him.

"Is everything alright?" Arthur, his youngest brother asked right as their mother came back with some coffee and biscuits on a tray, putting it on the coffee table, already on her way back to the kitchen.

"Maman? Can you umm-… can you sit down, please? I need to talk to you… all of you." Charles voice was raspy and he cleared his throat, looking at his mother "Please. There is something… there is something you all need to know."

His mother looked worried, and as soon as she sat down between his brothers he pulled out the ultrasound picture, taking a deep breath. He felt his anxiety reaching its peek. The guilt settling in, in what a mess he had catapulted not only himself, but also everyone who was close to him. But he made his decision and now he had to own up to it. He took a deep breath, calming himself down.

"A couple of weeks ago I made a mistake. I did something stupid, reckless. But after crashing out at Paul Ricard I just wanted to forget. I drank a lot. And ended up in a girls bed… Charlotte and I weren’t dating anymore, we broke up almost a month earlier, we just kept it private, I asked her too, because I wanted to focus on driving and not on the gossip accounts speculating about my private life… that girl- she’s pregnant. With my child. And we had a deal, that she would get the baby and then we give it up for adoption to find it a good home… But I saw it. I saw my child. I heard its heartbeat and I can’t do it anymore. I can’t give it away. So I decided to keep it. Alessia, the mother, she wants nothing to do with it. Us. She doesn’t want a child. And that’s okay. But I have to do this. This is my child. My responsibility." he didn’t make any breaks, let it all out in one go and then put down the ultrasound picture in front of his family, all 3 looking at it wide eyed "This is a part of me…"

Silence. Complete silence. He couldn’t even hear them breathe. Charles looked at his brothers, the shock evident in their faces, then at his mother, an unreadable expression on her face. She picked up the picture, looking at it closely.

"Maman?" Charles almost whispered as his mother looked up from the picture in her hand "I’m so sorry! I swear it was an accident but I have to do this. I can’t just abandon my child… please understand me. Please… please don’t be mad at me…"

"You’re going to be a father?" was all she said and Charles nodded slowly, watching her getting off the sofa, slowly approaching him.

"Don’t be mad at me…" Charles breathed out again, feeling the tears stinging in his eyes, he held his breath when his mother stopped in front of him, looking him in the eyes.

When she raised her hand he almost expected her to slap him, closing his eyes, preparing for the impact. But the slap never came, instead he flinched slightly when she cupped his cheek, wiping away the tears that had escaped.

"I raised you right…" she whispered and Charles opened his eyes looking at her "Taking responsibility. You’re a good man…" she kissed his cheek, pulling him into a tight hug, her own heart almost shattering, hearing her son’s relieved sob "Seems like I’m becoming a grandmother then…"

"Yeah… you are…" Charles replied, feeling the tension and pressure falling off his shoulders. Relief flooding him.

"It’s going to be okay. We’re all here for you. We are all on your side." his mother whispered and Charles knew that with his mother’s love and support, he could do this right.

He could become the father his child deserved. A father like he had.

December 2022:

Annoyed. Indifferent. Disinterested. That would be the words Charles would use to describe the girl in front of him. The past weeks he tried to reason with her. Tried to talk her into co-parenthood. He wasn’t trying to force her, he just wanted to give her all the options. But as soon as he mentioned that he talked to his lawyer she asked for one herself. She made it clear that she didn’t want to have their child. Time and time again. Until Charles didn’t ask anymore. He accepted it. But what he didn’t have to accept was that the young girl sat at home. Alone. At all times. Only going out for short walks. Only texting with her best friend and brother. Talking to her parents from time to time. She needed to get out. Be around other people. And so he made a decision. It was a couple of days before Christmas when the driver sat in his second apartment in Monaco. The mother of his child on the sofa, he in the arm chair next to it.

"Thanks, but no thanks." Alessia rolled her eyes, not even looking at him.

"But why? It would do you some good, getting out of here, being surrounded by people, have a little Christmas dinner?"

"No. I don’t want to be surrounded by people. What do you even mean? We had a deal. No one knows about this. Who did you tell about it?"

"My mother and brothers, that’s who I meant. Joris could come as well. It will be f-…"

"I don’t want to play family, don’t you get it? I don’t want to meet your family, who all probably have the same stupid puppy eyes, looking at me, trying to make me rethink my choice… I don’t need that. As soon as I pressed this baby out it’s yours. Yours alone. I still don’t get why you would do that, it’s stupid. All alone. A demanding career. Having a child is just stupid for you, but that’s your decision. Your problem. I won’t be here to see the outcome of it all. I won’t see what happens to that child." her voice was cold.

Annoyed. Indifferent. Disinterested. Always the same.

"I just don’t want you to be all alone… it’s Christmas for fucks sake!" Charles groaned and for the first time in weeks there was a tiny hint of a smile on the girls face.

"Listen Charles. I really appreciate it. I do. All the little snack bags you leave on the doormat, all the delicious food you send over. You treat me right. You do, really. And now this. It’s really thoughtful. But I don’t want to meet your family. I want to be alone. Here. It’s my first Christmas without my parents. Let me have it the way I want it. Okay?" her voice was softer and Charles slowly nodded.

"But can I at least bring you some of the food? My mum is an amazing cook and you’ll love it. And you need to eat for two… so…"

"I would love to have some Christmas food…" Alessia smiled.

"Alright. I get you some plates fetched then…" Charles got up and made his way to the door, and when he passed the sofa the brunette grabbed his hand, squeezing it gently.

"Thank you. And-… merry Christmas…" she whispered and Charles took her hand in his, smiling at her.

"Merry Christmas to you too…"

Bahrain 2023:

Charles was nervously fidgeting with the many bracelets on his wrist, more than usually and his media assistant, Mia, put her hand on his.

"Okay, what’s going on?" she looked at him intently "The last weeks you’ve been more nervous than ever? Even at the end of last season you were super fidgety… what’s going on?"

He ran his hand through his hair, looking everywhere but the blonde woman in from of him. He had prepared a speech, thought long about how to explain what was going on, but he wasn’t sure if he had the courage to say it, so he shook his head, swallowing hard.

"Charles! I know you for more than 6 years now! I know that something’s going on, so come on. What did you do?"

"Why do you think that I did something?" he sounded offended and Mia chuckled a little.

"Because you look guilty. As if you have to confess something… so, confess…"

"Can you- umm is it possible to have Fred and Silvia here as well?" Charles almost whispered, saying it once would be hard enough, he didn’t want to repeat it a second time.

"Yeah? Sure… I text Silvia…. but now I’m really getting nervous…" Mia took out her phone, typing away, her eyes darting between her screen and the driver in front of her. After a few minutes of texting back and forth she nodded slowly, looking at Charles "They wait for us at Fred’s office…"

"Now?" Charles eyes widened.

"Of course now? Come on…" Mia got up and Charles followed her.

With every step they got closer to Fred’s office the young drivers anxiety got worse. Right in front of the door he stopped, taking a long, deep breath. Then he looked at the blonde and nodded. Mia knocked on the door and after a moment she opened it, Fred and Silvia looking at them, confusion written all over their faces.

"Charles. Mia. Come on in." the team principal got up, pointing to the sofa in the corner "So, Charles, Mia said you wanted to talk to us. To us all." he continued as soon as the driver and his media assistant both sat on the sofa, Silvia and himself on the armchairs in front.

"Yeah… umm-… there is something I have to tell you. It’s- it’s complicated. Something happened and I had to make a decision… and… well that decision, that umm-… it wasn’t easy, you know? Then again, it kinda was? I had to do it I guess?" Charles rambled, the speech he had so thoroughly planned out gone the moment he had opened his mouth.

"He really did it? He really approached you?" Fred mumbled, making the driver look at him confused "I mean- I do understand you, last year was crucial and Mattia missed out on establishing you as the clear number one when it was needed, when you were leading so clearly. But I hoped you would give me a chance, you know? Show you that I have a clear vision of your future in the team…"

"What?" Charles had no idea what he was talking about, he looked at Silvia, her usual scowl and pointed look gone, replaced by genuine sadness, then he looked at Mia, eyes wide.

"Christian approached you and I’m sure whatever he offered was more than generous, after all, he wants you in his team next to Max for years now… I’m really sorry that you lost all trust in our team after last season, but I understand. You want to be world champion and after being let down far too many times, you had to do what feels right for you… you signed for Red Bull next season." Fred’s voice was laced with pain, guilt. The sadness in his face visible, but when Charles looked at him and started laughing, it turned into confusion with a hint of anger "I don’t know what’s so funny about that…"

"I’m sorry. Really… just… give me a moment…" he wiped away a tear, taking a few deep breaths to compose himself, a grin still on his lips when he cleared his throat "I didn’t sign with Red Bull. And no one officially approached me. Was I asked, more in a joking way, yeah, but nothing serious…"

"You- you didn’t sign with Red Bull?" Fred repeated and Charles nodded "Oh- well… umm okay… good. Really good… then, well, say what you wanted to say."

"Yeah…" Charles sighed and closed his eyes for a brief moment, then he took a deep breath "I’m going to be a father… in around two months… it wasn’t planned. I’m not in a relationship with the mother and as soon as the child is born, I’ll have the sole custody and the mother is out of the picture. Forever."

Silence.

Big eyes.

Confusion.

"That wasn’t what I expected…" Silvia the first to break the silence.

"Now you wish I would’ve signed for Red Bull…" Charles halfheartedly joked, making Silvia’s eyes shot up at him "That wouldn’t be as much of a PR-nightmare for-…"

"Is it really your child? Did you make a paternity test?" she asked.

"We did… it’s mine. That night was a mistake, but the outcome is not. It’s my child."

"This conversation will never leave this room…" Silvia shook her head "You would be swarmed by the media. The Heartbreak Prince a single dad? Which of his short term lovers did he knock up? No. You and your child would never have any kind of peace for a long time. That’s not how a child should grow up! No one else in the team must know it as well. They are all too talkative. Someone would spill the beans accidentally. This is our secret. Understood?"

"Silvia, I think that’s Charles decision-…" Mia began but he shook his head.

"No. She’s right. It’s the best for us. The best for my child…"

"Okay. Umm- then… congratulations, I guess?" Fred got up, pulling Charles out of his seat, hugging him.

"Thanks." he mumbled and when his team principal let go of him, the two women did the same.

"You don’t want to know why I’ll be raising my child alone? Why the mother-…"

"No. You have your reasons. That’s all we need to know." Fred replied and Charles nodded slowly "So in 2 months? Around… Baku?"

"Will you take a break? Or what’s your plan?" Mia asked.

"I continue, like before. My mum and brothers will help me. I will spend as much time as possible at home during the races, so please, don’t make me attend too many sponsor events. Just the really important and necessary ones." Charles looked at Silvia who nodded.

"That can be arranged, Carlos can take over. And for the rest… we’ll figure it out. One step at the time." she said writing something down in her notebook, Mia and Fred nodding in agreement.

"We find a way to make this work."

"Thanks, I really appreciate it." Charles meant what he said.

He felt relieved that his team was taking the news so well and were keen to help him with his new task at hand. Maybe he could make it. Have it all. His career and his child. Become a world champion and a father.

22 April 2023:

A new life began at 3:27 in the morning at the Princess Grace Hospital in Monaco. As Charles saw his daughter for the very first time he knew, he would do everything to protect her, no matter what.

"We’ll take her, clean her up and check her through. You can stay with your girlfriend." the nurse told him and he pressed out a smile.

Girlfriend. No, she wasn’t his girlfriend. She was the mother of his daughter. Not more. Not less. The mother who wished to leave the hospital as soon as possible. Leave her daughter behind and never look back although Charles had tried everything to make her change her mind. He took one last deep breath before he knocked on the door.

"Come in." after he heard the faint voice he opened the door and walked inside.

"She’s healthy. They’re cleaning her up and checking her through and then bringing her back down…" Charles said, looking at the exhausted girl "It’s not too late, Alessia. You can still-…"

"No. I told you I don’t want to see it. I don’t want to hold it. I don’t want it, Charles." Alessia groaned and he nodded "Are the lawyers here?"

"They’re outside."

"Bring them in. I want this to be over. Once and for all." she said and Charles nodded again, walking outside.

"You can come in." he said to the awaiting lawyers who followed him back into the room.

"Let’s get this over with." the new mother said looking expectantly at her lawyer.

"Right, as discussed, Miss Bonetti will hand over the sole custody of the child to Mr. Leclerc. He will be recorded as father on the birth certificate. The child will have Mr. Leclerc’s last name." the lawyer said, looking at his client who nodded.

"Further, as Miss Bonetti stated she wants nothing to do with the child, we’ve prepared a NDA for your client to sign." Charles lawyer said, looking at the girl and her lawyer "My client will sign one as well, agreeing to never contact or mention Miss Bonetti. No one will know that the child is hers."

"What’s a NDA?" Alessia asked.

"A nondisclosure agreement. With signing it, you’re not allowed to talk about this whole situation with anyone. You can’t mention that you had a child." her lawyer explained.

"We’ve gone a step further with our demands."

"A step further? This wasn’t discussed beforehand!"

"Your client asked for a compensation. Mr. Leclerc paid for all medical bills, accommodation over the past 7 months, living expenses, maternity clothing, everything. Your client still demands a compensation for her inconvenience of being pregnant. Therefore my client agreed to pay the compensation, but on our terms."

"What terms?" the girl asked and looked at the Ferrari driver.

"You said you don’t want her. You want nothing to do with her. You want to be out of here and never look back. You want me to keep quiet about you being her mother. I gave you many chances to change your mind, you declined. You want to walk out of her life. Fine. But then you walk out forever. I want you to agree that you also never contact me, us, mention me or her and most importantly never tell anybody about our night together. It never happened. You don’t want this. Then it never happened. You were never pregnant. You and I. We don’t know each other. Not in the past. Not now. Never in the future. Today will be the last time we ever see each other." Charles said, his voice wavering.

"This means, if you ever change your mind, you can’t reach out. You sign away your right to see your daughter ever again." her lawyer said looking at her "You might want to think about that again, you’re exhausted? Maybe too vulnerable to make this decision just yet."

The young mother sat up and leaned forward, taking the NDA together with the declaration of custody out of her lawyers hands and took the pen from the side table.

"Where do I sign?" she asked.

"Here. And here. And here. And on the last page." her lawyer showed her the dotted lines in the documents, all pre signed by Charles, who took the NDA from the girls lawyer looking at it.

"The notary will be here any minute. He will certify the documents and from then on, this all never happened."

Charles got up and looked outside, when it knocked, expecting the notary. But there stood the nurse from earlier, holding his little bundle of joy.

"How’s Mummy? She wants to hold her little sunshine?" she asked as Charles stepped out onto the hallway, closing the door behind him.

"No, she’s… she’s not her mother." he took the little girl in his arms, cradling her to his chest "I mean-… umm she is but… no. She has only me."

"Oh. Okay. Well, we umm… we’ll talk then to her, she needs to be fed in the next hour…" the nurse said and Charles looked at her.

"I have formula? She- she won’t breastfeed her."

"I talk to the moth-… I talk to Miss Alessia. She can pump the-… I’ll talk to her. Here. You can rest with your little one in here." she opened up the door across the hallway, switching the light on.

Charles followed her inside, sitting down in the armchair.

"One last thing. Newborn babys love skin to skin contact. She’s a little squirming around, that’ll help."

"Take my shirt off?" Charles asked and the nurse nodded, taking the little girl out of his arms and he did as told, before the nurse opened up the blanket, wrapped around the newborn.

"Here. Hold her like before, just on your bare skin. Lean back. And let her hear your heartbeat. I’ll be back with some milk. And something to eat and drink for the new dad, you look exhausted. My name is Claudia, if you need anything, push the button." Claudia smiled and left the room.

He closed his eyes for a moment, his emotions threatened to overwhelm him. He was a father now. A 25 year old single father, whose job it was to race around the world.

"Charles? It’s done. All documents are signed, the notary certified it all. They will bring Alessia to a different ward, she’ll stay here for 2 more days, so she can pump some more milk, then she’ll be discharged." his lawyer said, walking inside the quiet room.

"She will be gone? Forever? She has no right to ever contact me? Us? She’s only mine?" he asked.

"Yes. She signed away all her rights."

"How’s that even possible? She gave birth to her? She’s her child? How can she sign away everything?"

"I explained it to you. It works like at an adoption… she is her birth mother. Not more. Not less. By signing the NDA it’s like she never existed in your life. And vice versa."

"It’s just me and her?" Charles whispered, looking down at his most prized possession.

"It’s just you and her…" his lawyer nodded "In the coming days I’ll also take care of the hospital staff. It was only Claudia, the nurse, one of the doctors and the lady from administration, who filled out the birth certificate, who know that you’re involved in this. I’ll make them sign a NDA as well. No one will know about this unless you want to."

"Thank you, really. You thought of everything…" Charles mumbled, eyes trained on his daughter’s beautiful face.

"Yeah well, that’s my job… do you want me to call your mum? I’m sure she can’t wait to meet her granddaughter."

"Yeah… that would be good. Thanks." he still didn’t look up from his little angels face.

"Alright. The nurse will be back soon with a bottle for her." his lawyer was about to leave when Charles finally looked up at her.

"Is it enough? What I offered her? Will she be okay?" he almost felt guilty asking this question, like he paid the mother of his child to leave their life.

"You were more than generous, Charles. The amount of money you paid her is more than enough. She’ll be just fine." she smiled as she left.

He sighed and leaned back. In the quiet room, his precious daughter sleeping on his chest, he thought about his life almost a year ago, when he and his girlfriend of one year Charlotte broke up. It wasn’t like he didn’t love her. It was more like he didn’t love her enough, the way she deserved to be loved. She was a great girl. A good friend. But it wasn’t enough. He wanted an all consuming love. A love that made his heart beat faster, whenever he saw that special person. A love that made him crave for more and more. A love that would make him go crazy, in a good way. A love he knew would be his to hold dear and cherish for the rest of his days. That wasn’t Charlotte. And before her it wasn’t Marie. And before her it wasn’t Juliette. And before her it wasn’t Giada. The media didn’t call him the Heartbreak Prince for nothing. The Formula 1 driver who went through relationships like others went through their underwear. A messed up race and a drunk one night stand later, Charles knew they were right. But he also knew one thing for sure. This cycle was ending now. He had a daughter now. She would be his all consuming love. She would be the one he would hold dear and cherish for the rest of his days.

No more Heartbreak Prince.

Chapter 4 - Welcome on this planet, baby girl! Charles strikes me as the cutest girl dad 👉👈 I just had to make him one again 🙈

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[jessicaloons]

I’m reading invisible string and it’s so funny to me that you wrote that Charles won Baku and Oscar won Austin and then in reality they switched the races 😆

Hahahaha I had to check because I didn’t remember but yep. You’re right 😂