The Bull Prince | Max Verstappen

Chapter 30

Joanna was deep in thoughts as the alarm clock on her phone went off, telling her that it was time to take a look. The Austrian was about to turn the test around, so she could take a look, as another sound on her phone alerted her that she had a massage. Looking at her phone shorty, Max had sent her a picture of him sitting on the shoulders of one of his friends with a drink in hand and a smile on his lips, but what stuck out was the t-shirt he was wearing. A black shirt with the white text 'daddy'. It's as if he already knew.

Sending Max a thumbs up and a little red heart, Joanna turned the test over only to see what she and apparently also Max already knew. She really was pregnant. Well, fuck. 

Leaving the phone in the living room, Joanna moved into the bathroom to hide the test behind some stacks of towels, before she brushed her teeth and changed into her sleepwear. The Austrian felt numb, no tears threatened to fall but also no laugh of joy was about to break free.

Letting herself fall onto the bed, with her back first, Joanna swallowed slowly. Closing her eyes, she tried her best to stop herself from wondering what her son with Mark would have looked like now. A little bit over two years old, with dark hair and brown eyes. Maybe he would have a sibling by now. But this version of her life will never come true. Opening her eyes again, Joanna tried to push the memory back into the little box where it ultimately belonged. There was no need to dwell on the past.

Resting her hand on her belly again, Joanna knew that the future was scary enough.

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Gently Joanna let her fingers wander over Max's cheek, trailing down to capture his chin between her fingers before pulling him into another lazy kiss. The Dutch did his best to not fall asleep, while they were kissing, but after every kiss, it got harder to reopen his eyes again, which Joanna watched with a fond expression. 

Max had just arrived about two hours ago, but that didn't stop them from celebrating his birthday. The Austrian knew that they both had an exhausting day and that Max had the habit to fall asleep, too comfortable cuddled up in bed, the afterglow of sex still lingering over them, to stay awake for much longer but Joanna was different. Her mind was always awake. Nowadays at least. 

The news she had to tell Max was on the tip of her tongue since he had walked into the apartment, but Joanna simply couldn't bring herself to say it. She wanted him to have a nice birthday and not to stress about the future. At least not yet. 

"Are you falling asleep on me?" Joanna questioned with a soft smile, which caused Max to open his eyes again. He was more asleep than awake, but Joanna understood. The boys had quite a  holiday as it seemed. Daniel had sent her a few photos of Max and the others which should better not end up on the internet. 

"No." He breathed out, leaning back, getting comfortable again as best he could with his sunburn after pulling Joanna to lie on top of him. The Austrian had those stormy grey eyes that you can definitely get lost in, wondering what was hidden behind all these beautiful and well-spoken words.

Her hands rested above his heart, with her chin carefully bedded on one of them. Naturally, Max's hand found its way to the back of Joanna's skull, massaging softly while playing with her hair from time to time. One of the few things which caused Joanna to fall asleep almost instantly.

The Austrian knew that Max was worth all the lying and the secrets. Keeping it a secret from the media and other drivers. She would sneak around to see him for the rest of their lives if this meant they could be together. But things would change a lot from now on. There was no snacking around together while having a child. Joanna wondered if Max was ready to be a father.