* back with a new chapter, and i'm so sorry for the wait!! this chapter is so cute though and i am so pleased it's finally here. enjoy! don't forget to vote and comment as you read!!! *
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CAMILLE
I considered my career and everything I'd been through in my personal life throughout my twenty two years on this planet. Never in my life had I felt nerves like this. Max and I sat for a few hours yesterday, just making sure all of this would be perfect and was the right plan to tell Charles our wonderful news. With Lando on FaceTime in Max's front room as we went through everything, I showed the boys everything I'd purchased to put in a small little box to gift to Charles.
I kept the initial pregnancy tests, and others I'd done in the meantime just to see the result again, to know it was real. Altogether, there was around twelve to go in a small, silk pouch, and I could already witness Charles checking over each one and admiring the result. Max helped me, much to his dismay, to find a Ferrari baby grow, which I purchased and got 'Baby' printed on the back of it, with the number seven - the day of Charles' papa's birthday - one which meant so much to him. I knew he would be racing under that number if Kimi didn't use it already. As well as the baby grow and the tests, I'd purchased a small bear with a little white t-shirt pulled over it. The shirt read, 'I love my Daddy', and I just couldn't wait any longer to have him sit at the table with me.
He'd been training this afternoon, and was currently showering, while I prepared dinner for us to enjoy together. I'd bought myself a new recipe book, and was using it for the first time this evening. I decided to try the ricotta, broccoli and new potato frittata, and it smelled absolutely delicious in our kitchen. Charles tried to come through when he arrived home, but I stopped him and navigated him to the bedroom instead, where I instructed him to take a shower. I pulled the usual 'you're sweaty and I don't want to hug you until you're clean' excuse, and he agreed to shower and meet me in the kitchen to prepare dinner. He had absolutely no idea that I'd been preparing and cooking dinner for the past hour now. The table was set for three of us. The surprise was ready.
"You've already started on dinner?" Charles entered the kitchen and I felt my stomach fill with more nervous butterflies as he wrapped his arms around me. I lifted a spoon to my mouth, just to check the temperature and the taste of the meal I'd made, while nodding my head. I feared that he'd already spotted what I'd done. "You're amazing."
"I wanted to surprise you," I shrugged my shoulders. "Did I?"
"Yes, mon amour," Charles pressed a kiss to the nape of my neck. "Thank you."
"Could you grab the water jug from the fridge? I'll take this dish, everything else is ready." I lifted the warm dish which I'd made the frittata in, and ensured that I slipped from the kitchen before Charles, because I wanted to divert his attention from the box on the third seat. I felt sick with nerves, and honestly, I had no idea how I was going to even eat the meal I'd prepared.
I dished out our food, starting with Charles' plate as he took a seat and filled our glasses with the ice cold water from the jug. I loved it when he came home to me, and we got to sit and eat together while talking about our days. I loved being in Charles' company more than anything in the world, and I had a feeling that we were about to become even closer before we finished this meal.
"This is delicious, mon amour," Charles spoke with his mouth full, causing me to glare at him and roll my eyes. "I didn't even know you were making dinner. You're the best."
I blushed at his words. We fell silent and I had to do everything in my power to stop looking in the direction of the third set place, because I wanted Charles to figure it out himself. All I could think about was the little baby inside of me and how delighted Charles would be when he found out. It felt like we'd been trying for this for such a long time, despite being at a good point in our careers, we wanted to have a baby more than anything. I always wanted to be a young mother.
"Hold on a second," Charles placed his fork on the side of his empty plate and glanced at me, wiping his mouth with the napkin at his place. "Is someone supposed to be joining us for dinner? Mon amour, you could've told me, before I finished everything."
"Nobody is joining us for dinner," this is it. My nerves were at an all time high, bubbling away in my stomach as I tried to keep calm. I felt excited but terrified at the same time. "But we are expecting someone."
"What do you mean?" Charles furrowed his eyebrows as he ran his fingers through his hair, but our eyes remained locked. I pointed at the spare seat, hoping Charles would catch sight of the box waiting for him. His eyes cast over it and I felt my stomach drop. "What's that?"
"It's for you," I smiled, watching as Charles cautiously stood up from his chair. "From me."
"Why have you set the table for someone else, Camille?" Charles stood up and inspected the spare space at the table, his eyes casting over the box which was on the chair. I shrugged my shoulders. "What are you up to?"
"Just take the box and open it, will you?" Impatience was the only thing I felt right now, along with the nerves which seemed to be dissipating into excitement.
Charles did as I asked and he sat back down again, pushing his plate away and setting the box in its place. He undid the loose bow and allowed it to fall away, before lifting the lid. The tests were the first thing he would see, I made sure of it, and my palms were sweating at the thought of him finally seeing them was exciting. It felt like we'd been planning this for so long, and now, things were finally falling into place.
"Are you serious?" Charles opened the bag and he inspected every single positive test before looking at me. "Are you joking right now?"
"Why don't you see what else is in there?" I smiled, resting my chin in the palm of my hand while watching him with butterflies in my stomach. Charles placed the bag of tests on the table, shaking his head in disbelief as he pulled out the Ferrari baby grow, before diverting his attention to the bear.
I watched as his fingers traced softly across the lettering on the bear's shirt.
"Are you pregnant?" Charles put the bear back in the box, standing up to walk to me, and I stood up too, allowing him to wrap one arm around my waist and place one on my stomach.
"I'm pregnant." I nodded in confirmation, a wide smile on my face as Charles pressed his lips to my forehead, before dropping them to my lips.
"Oh my God," he muttered into my hair, his hand remaining firmly on my stomach. I was barely showing, suggesting that I wasn't very far along, but we would need to book a test to check everything was okay. "Camille, my love, this is amazing. I'm going to be a dad."
I noticed the tears forming in his eyes. After everything we'd been through, particularly recently, we needed this. We were getting married in the summer, and we had a baby on the way. This whole thing felt like a fairytale.
"I'm so happy," Charles lifted me into his arms and we left the table as it was. He sat me on the sofa and perched himself comfortably beside me. "I love you. I love you and I love our baby."
"I love you," I took hold of Charles' hands. "We love you."
Charles couldn't wipe the smile off of his face as he pulled me closer, allowing me to rest my head in his lap. His hand resting on my stomach, I felt a sense of safety and security that I didn't even think was possible. I loved Charles, and I had been in love with him for what felt like a lifetime. I didn't want to change any of this wonderful life we were living and enjoying together.
"Who knows about this?" His voice was quiet, but I was able to hear him, and I tilted my head so that I could comfortably look at him from my resting spot in his lap.
"Max and Lando, and you," I chewed on my lip, feeling nervous again, because I didn't want Charles to think that I'd kept this from him. I was such an over thinker. "Max was with me when I did the test. I needed his advice because I was actually quite scared when I realised. I told Lando because I wanted him to help Max and I make this perfect. I saw him in the paddock in Austria and I was a bit emotional, so he asked me what was going on and I told him."
"When do you want to tell your parents?" Charles began to brush his fingers through my hair. To be honest, I'd not considered telling my family yet. As delighted as I knew they would be, I just wanted to keep things to ourselves for a while. Not long, but for a little bit.
"I want to enjoy this with you first," I smiled at my beautiful fiancé, so proud of him and so proud of us for the life we were creating for ourselves, together. "A little while yet, a few days."
"Sounds perfect to me," Charles couldn't wipe the smile from his face and my stomach was filling with butterflies. I thought about how he would be as a dad, and I knew he would be the best dad in the world. "I can't believe we're going to be a family. I'm going to be a dad. I don't know how that makes me feel."
"Happy, I hope?" I appreciated that it might be difficult for him to adapt to becoming a father without his own dad there to turn to. I had no idea what it was like to be in Charles' position, and I knew how lucky I was to have both my parents, and know they were healthy and well. Mama would be so delighted to hear our news, like the rest of our families I'm sure, but after the struggles she and my papa faced when they were trying to start a family, she always feared that I might be the same. I wanted to do everything I could to make them proud of me when I finally welcomed my little baby into the world with Charles.
"Ecstatic, mon amour," he caressed my cheek while tracing circles over my stomach. I felt an immense attachment to the baby which was growing inside of me already. "I want to do everything I can for our baby, for you, for the family we will create. I want to make my papa proud and be the best father possible to our little baby."
"You will be the best dad, I know it. Baby knows it, too." Carefully, Charles placed his hand over mine, which was resting over my non-existent, but already growing bump. I just wanted this to go smoothly. I couldn't let myself get worked up and fear the worst. Everything was finally changing for me, and I wanted this to be perfect. Already, imagining walking down the aisle on my wedding day with Max and Papa on my side made me feel nervous, but thinking about a baby relying on me to stay alive was another type of pressure. But I was ready to face it, despite being young. I was ready, with maternal instincts being a natural part of me ever since I was born.
Engrossed in the peaceful environment we'd created by falling silent while embracing my stomach, I jumped when Charles' phone began to vibrate in his hoodie pocket. He apologised quietly for startling me, and pulled his phone out from the pocket, sighing when he saw the caller ID. I frowned, lifting my head to let him stand up from the sofa, clearly getting the impression that he was frustrated.
"It's Mattia," that only made me anxious because previous phone calls from Charles' boss were always regarding Stefan. I didn't want to hear anything about him, because it would only ruin mine and Charles' shared happiness. "I need to take it, I'm sorry."
"It's fine. Answer it." I stood up too, diverting my attention to the plates and cutlery which were still on the table, needing to be loaded into the dishwasher. While Charles was occupied on the call, I used the time wisely to clear the table and take everything to the kitchen. I smiled as I saw the open box, with Charles' new small gifts placed carefully in it. I couldn't wait to tell Max about his reaction, since he was so desperate to find out, unable to stop texting me with excitement. He was going to be Uncle Max, and he was so excited about that, but I feared that he would try and persuade our baby to support Red Bull, which would not happen in a million years under Charles' watch, and rightly so.
I could hear Charles' voice coming from the front room, as I left the door separating us slightly ajar. I was too focused on cleaning the crockery and cutlery before loading it into the dishwasher to eavesdrop on his conversation, especially when I knew he would tell me about it when he was done. I feared that Stefan was the topic of discussion, but I hoped otherwise.
I closed the dishwasher and let out an anxious sigh, while placing my hands on the bench top in front of me, beginning to feel a little nauseous. Shit.
Calmly, I rushed from the kitchen, passing Charles in the front room, and made my way to the main bathroom. Just in time too, kneeling down and emptying the contents of my stomach into the toilet. I groaned under my breath, hoping that I'd not interrupted Charles' phone call with Mattia by being too loud. It was hard to focus on anything else when I was holding my head over the toilet bowl and clutching my stomach. I wasn't in pain, and now that I knew the cause of my nausea and sickness, it seemed more worth it. Now that I was pregnant, I would do anything for my little baby, and I was prepared to take everything on for them. I couldn't wait to feel that unconditional love between me and my baby.
"Camille?" Charles pushed on the bathroom door as I was rinsing my mouth to remove the lingering taste in my mouth. He looked at me with a sad smile on his face as his eyes caught mine in the mirror, placing his hand on the bottom of my back and providing a careful, circular rub to make me feel better. "Are you okay?"
"I am," I smiled, reaching for one of my hair ties that I kept in here, pulling my hair up into a ponytail to keep it away from my burning face. Charles passed a fresh glass of water to me and I took it thankfully, having only a small sip in case I felt nauseous again. "Are you? What did Mattia want?"
"About that," he sighed, taking my hand and leading me through to our bedroom. I sat on the chair in the corner by the window, while Charles pushed the same window open to allow some fresh air to circulate around the room. I was warm, and needed to change into some cooler clothes as soon as I found the energy to do so. "I need to fly to Maranello tomorrow for a meeting. An emergency meeting. He didn't tell me the reason or anything, just that it's very important that I be there. I'm so sorry, I don't want to ruin our happiness right now."
"Don't worry about it. It's your job, this stuff happens," I reached for Charles' sweet face as he sat on his knees in front of the chair. "I'll spend the day with Max. Will you be back in the evening?"
"Yes, my flight leaves tomorrow morning at nine, then leaves Maranello at around four or five, depending on how long I'm needed for," he sighed. I could see the dread in his eyes, and that was probably due to a mixture of things. "I'm so sorry. It's such bad timing, but it's nothing to worry about, nothing about Stefan. I think it's probably got something to do with sponsors since he's not with Mission Winnow anymore, but you know I'll let you know."
"Of course, schatje," hesitantly, I pressed a kiss to Charles' sweet lips. I could feel the heightened sense of disappointment he was feeling right now, but this was inevitable with the fast-paced nature of his job, literally. "Let's just get into bed and watch a film, you, me, and our baby."
"Our baby," a tear slipped down Charles' cheek. "I can't believe it. We're having a baby."
--
"He was just so delighted, Max, really," I'd not moved from the sofa in Max's front room since Charles dropped me here early this morning. "It was so wonderful. I'm so excited."
"You two will make amazing parents," Max smiled as he clutched tightly onto my hand. "And I will be the best uncle your baby could ever wish for."
"I know you will. Our baby will be so spoilt." I couldn't help but giggle as Max repositioned himself so that he was able to hug me tightly. I was lucky to call him my best friend and I never wanted that to change. I was unbelievably protective of him, but he reciprocated those exact feelings and in turn, actions.
"Did Charles tell you why he was needed so urgently in Maranello?" Max pulled the blanket further over our bodies. I rested my cheek on his chest. I was so comfortable here, and remembering to respond to Max, I simply shook my head. "Ah, he doesn't know why? Happens all the time."
"Nothing to worry about, apparently, so I assume it's not directly about Stefan. He had his suspicions and thought it could be about sponsors, since there's all these changes with Mission Winnow, but I don't know," I didn't really want to think about it because it stressed me out, for whatever reason. I just wanted to enjoy being with Max. We had so much to talk about, from me being pregnant to the upcoming race at Silverstone - one I couldn't wait for. "I guess we'll find out when he's back. His flight lands at four thirty."
"Don't worry about it." Max pressed a reassuring kiss to my forehead, and I was thankful to always have him around. He always knew how to make things better, how to make me feel better, and I couldn't be more grateful for that. Never in a million years would Max be replaced.
"I never want to lose you," after a period of comfortable silence, I relayed everything on my mind to my best friend. I felt his body tense, and he sat up again, shuffling himself away from beneath the thick blanket and to the other end of the sofa. He looked at me with a sadness in his eyes that I couldn't really decipher. "What?"
"I never want to lose you, either, but I promise that you won't ever lose me," Max wore a sympathetic look on his face. He knew that we were all going to feel some sort of fear when he got in the car, since we were the ones closest to him. "Seriously."
"I worry every time you get in the car, Max. I worry something will go wrong, I'm the same with Charles," I admitted, shrugging my shoulders as my hands fell to my stomach. It was an instinctive action, I didn't even think about it as I did it. Now that I knew there was a little baby in there, no matter how small, I felt an overwhelming need to protect them. "I trust the teams. I trust that the car is safe. I trust you, I know you won't do anything stupid. It's just hard not to worry. The fear is really indescribable, sometimes. Sorry. I'm so sorry for thinking like this."
"Hey, don't apologise. It's understandable," Max brushed his hand over my shin on top of the thick blanket which covered me so comfortably. "I get it, but it's okay, because I'm safe. Always safe. I know it's hard to face."
"You think I'd be used to it." I chuckled under my breath. I'd grown up surrounded by motorsport, surrounded by my best friend who risked his life each time he climbed into a racing car. He was so brave for doing it, but I was just as brave for coping with it.
"Nobody expects you to get used to it, Cami. It's tough to deal with sometimes, that's the nature of the sport," Max shrugged his shoulders, but I could see the smile poking through his lips. "But I'll always come back to you. I'll always cross the line and be there with you."
I nodded, "I know."
Oh, how I was wrong.
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i wonder what's about to go down...
i didn't get many responses to the question i posed in the most recent chapter as i would've liked. i really need as many questions for camille as possible. here's a reminder of what i asked for:
if you could ask camille anything about her job, the love, camille brand, her relationship with charles, her upcoming wedding and the fact that she is pregnant, what would you ask her? please leave those questions here !!! it's super important that i have some input, otherwise a future chapter will be impacted ... i'd rather those questions came from you!
thanks guys !!! <3
also - if you're a football fan and haven't already, please go check out my new story - 'ocean eyes' !!