A/N: I'm not abandoning this story, just living life and I'm sorry this took a backburner to that! I was at the Vegas GP when I remembered that this story needed some love. So here's a short update before we really get into the end. I have a sequel going already!
As always, thank you for reading and let me know what you think with a comment or a vote!
Maeve
The trip had been everything I hoped for. Daniel looked refreshed and happy walking into the paddock on Tuesday morning. Everyone said he seemed lighter, the least stressed he had been in months given his recent decisions. That was all I had wanted, just a moment for him to be himself without having work or my current issues get involved. His smile was back to beaming, but I also knew that it had more to do with our little secret than the actual trip.
There had been no hard conversations while we were on our holiday. No talks of what it meant, what we were going to do moving forward, if we were even going to tell anyone. I didn't want to rain on Daniel's literal Austin parade, so it's been filed away for another day. That didn't stop me from thinking about it, adding to my ever growing list of internal conflicts that I somehow had. All I wanted was answers, but part of our agreement was that we'd figure it out together. Meaning we needed to just get through this weekend and the next so we'd have time to sit down and discuss what we had to do.
Another part of my internal conflict was the impending announcement of the signing of the newest Mercedes driver. It seemed that the longer the team went without an announcement, the more prevalent the question of who it was became. Suspicions of an unknown rookie or even a previous champion coming back were rumors that I had heard at this point. All were a fair stretch, despite the amount of available drivers, they had not once suggested someone even reasonable. Then again, they had suggested me once, only to shoot it down because it was all but guaranteed in their mind that I would stay with Red Bull. That was far from the truth though.
It was while Daniel and I were lounging about in his driver's room that the announcement was made on Wednesday. I had known the plan, announced Wednesday to get ahead of it on press day. It was a normal procedure, but it didn't make me any less nervous. So while Daniel sat on the couch with his notes for the weekend, I laid my head in his lap refreshing instagram as if my life depended on it. It kind of did, but this was different. When it finally popped up, I sat up quickly, biting my lip as I read over the message.
Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 Team is excited to announce the signing of Maeve Dragon as their driver for the 2019 season. See what the team and new driver have to say about her signing below!
"During her short time in F1 she has shown a tremendous amount of talent and resilience," Team Principal Toto Wolff praised the young driver,"Maeve holds all the qualities that the team values and more. We look forward to having her driver alongside Lewis in the new year. This could be our strongest driver pair ever."
"Stepping up the way she did showed what kind of person Maeve is," four time world champion Lewis Hamilton said about his new teammate," In the time we've grown to know each other I know she would make an amazing driver and she continues to prove that sentiment right every single day. It will be an incredible fight between us next year."
"When I decided that I wanted to drive in 2019, I knew that it was time to find a seat that could challenge me like I'd never been challenged before," Maeve said about her signing,"There's no disrespect to where I was before, but in order to grow you have to move on. The team offered me a chance to grow that I couldn't refuse. I look forward to joining the Mercedes family."
I didn't realize that Daniel was reading over my shoulder until he literally placed his chin on my shoulder to see the announcement.
"It's finally out there. How are you feeling?" He asked quietly, reaching around me for my phone.
"Exhausted." I admitted as I let him take my phone from me, falling back against him with a sigh.
"You told me you'd go see a doctor if this exhaustion thing kept happening..." Daniel reminded me of the almost promise I had made him a few weeks ago.
"There's no time to right now," I spoke honestly,"Things are gonna be crazy until the end of the year." Daniel only wrapped his arms around me as I laid back against him.
"What about after Mexico? We were gonna fly to the LA house right?"
There were vaguely thought out plans to fly to Daniel's LA home again after the race in Mexico. Max was going to come with us again since he's going to be driving at some point and they want him close to the track. He is still trying to take it easy though and Daniel offered for him to stick with us. We'd have a few days of downtime there, but I still had school work to finish. I might not even have time then. However, Daniel was concerned and I was starting to be.
"OK, I'll see if my old doctor has any appointments available." Daniel let out a massive sigh, one of relief that I didn't know he needed.
"Good, now," He pulled me more against him, pushing himself into more of a laying down position,"We have another half an hour before that meeting. Time for your nap." I giggled at his words like he was putting down a child for bed.
"I love when you laugh like that." He snuggled against me and sighed in content this time as he held me.
"Good because you have to hear it for the rest of your life, Mr.Ricciardo." He groaned, pulling me even closer as if that was possible.
"God, I thought I'd only get that in my dreams. Mrs. Ricciardo. How incredible is that." He kissed the top of my head to punctuate his sentence.
Another reason we needed to have that discussion about what we were going to do about this in the serious side of things. It could wait until we were in LA though. Right now we had some other things to attend to, mainly a race and some very intrusive press. The press conferences were brutal to just about everyone this time around.
There wasn't a single driver that didn't get asked about my new contract and how they felt about it. Still, some came to congratulate me between interviews. There was no surprise at who didn't come and say congrats. That seat was a hot commodity and everyone really thought they'd put someone more experienced in that seat. Max was a prime example of why the future was rookies though.
By the time I was in the car on Thursday, my exhaustion was tenfold. My press time in the morning was incredibly difficult, dozens and dozens of recorders on a table in front of me as people asked the same questions over and over. As if I wasn't already perpetually physically exhausted, not that they knew that, the reporters and press made me mentally exhausted. Free practice one was still decent, letting me make a few mistakes and still ending up in third.
With the little bit of free time allotted to me between fp1 and fp2, I decided to go and see Toto about the announcement. Mostly just to see if they were happy with everything that had been said since the release and if they wanted any changes. Walking towards the front door for the first time instead of the side entrance felt different, and I knew I would have to get used to it since I'd be here for at least a year.
It was as if Toto knew I was coming too, since he was sitting at the front table with Lewis. They looked deep in conversation when I walked in, but Toto was quick to greet me.
"Ah, welcome. Already too crazy out there for you to hide?" I let out a dramatic sigh as I sat down at the table with both of them.
"Well, I've barely seen any one from my team in the last couple of days if that's what you're asking." I admitted to the pair.
"Are they taking it hard?" Lewis asked, leaning on the table with his forearms.
"I dunno," I digressed,"I do have a meeting with Christian Sunday night. Other than that, I haven't seen enough people to know. Unless it's my press officer who already tried to threaten me into staying. They've just been with me since the beginning, ya know?" Lewis nodded.
"Change can be good, Maeve," Toto said,"We are happy to have you and given the kind of person you are and the background you have, we can see why they're sad to see you go." He gave me a smile I read as understanding.
"Sure, enough sad stuff though. How's everyone else taking the news?" Toto nodded.
"General public is taking it well. There's a lot of excitement in the team and we're excited to have you of course. Was there something specific you were worried about?" Toto seemed concerned that I was asking.
"Really I'm just trying to make small talk. Everyone else is getting on my nerves." I admitted as I slumped in my hair.
"Even Daniel? That's new..." Lewis chuckled at the end of his sentence and I just smiled.
"No, No Daniel is thrilled for me honestly. I did tell him the second I found out." I smiled, memories from my week away floating back.
"I figured you would," Toto smirked himself,"Nothing is safe between you two."
That single sentence reminded me that one of the last people we needed to tell was sitting right across from me. Toto needed to know about Daniel and I, especially given the events of the last week. Looking at my watch, I had a few extra minutes if I wanted to do this now. Preference would be to have Daniel there, but given the tight time frame it may be best to go at it alone.
"Actually, Can I speak to you in your office? I just want to go over some of the upcoming things I'm needed at the factory for." I gave him a smile and he nodded.
There were some pleasantries passed between Lewis, Toto, and I before we all went our separate ways. I should never underestimate Toto though. No sooner than the door closing in his office was he sitting next to me in front of his desk instead of at his desk.
"What's wrong?" He asked.
"Why does something have to be wrong? What if I just wanted to gossip about Lewis without him here?" Toto smirked as he looked down at his hands in his lap.
"It's not my first rodeo as you Americans say..."
"I'm not surprised that you know that saying, but it is still weird to hear." I chuckled, crossing my legs as I looked around his room.
"Really though. What is wrong?" I sighed.
"I haven't been the most honest person about some things..." I bit my lip as I stared at my soon to be team principal.
"How so? And it best not be about signing the contract." I laughed as I shook my head.
"No, no I'm here if you'll have me. I just...."
How do you tell someone that you're in love with your competitor? Daniel was my friend first, but things were complicated now. He was going to a different team and I had to tell someone that could be responsible for the demise of my career what was going on behind the scenes. We agreed that it was for the best though, that Toto needed to know.
"Maeve," Toto grabbed my attention again,"If it's about you and Daniel dating, I already knew and It has no effect on your place here in this team."
I kept my face neutral, ignoring the shock running through my body like an electric current. No one had outright said they knew. It made me wonder how he knew it all together. Toto was a wise man, that was evident in his life choices and how he ran his team. So I decided to be honest. Clearing my throat with a little forced cough and sitting up straighter, I made sure to say my next words with every ounce of honesty that Toto deserved if he was going to assume. He needed the full story if he was going to really be supportive.
"Daniel and I are married."
The words felt foreign from my lips, as had the words husband and Mrs. Ricciardo the last few days, but they were just as important. To his credit, Toto allowed himself to be visibly shocked, if only for a moment. The brief flash in his eyes and the way his mouth opened and closed being evidence that he hadn't expected that revelation today.
"That's new information." Was all he followed up with.
"Well, we're technically on our honeymoon right now. Yeah, very new information. Actually, you're the first one to know."
Toto pursed his lips, his eyes drifting over his desk. I wasn't sure what to expect from him, but he was doing his best to find the right words here. Part of me didn't think the right words existed.
"My statement still stands." He spoke as he met my eyes again.
"Even if he's at Renault next-"
"What you do with your personal life clearly doesn't have an affect on your work. It is none of my concern and I certainly won't punish you for it. I know how hard these types of relationships can be."
Susie, Toto's wife, was also in motorsport. If anyone understood it was Toto. This was new territory even for him though.
"What about the FIA? The press?" Toto raised an eyebrow at that.
"Well the FIA have no place in the matter and I won't be disclosing it to them, nor the press," He moved a bit closer to me,"I already told you, I want what's best for my drivers Maeve. I don't tell Lewis how to live his life and I won't tell you either."
The whole conversation couldn't have been more than 5 minutes. It felt like we were talking about everyday events, nonchalant and passive. Toto made sure to convey that his comments still stood even with this new development. I shared my worries, which he immediately shot down. The whole thing wasn't nearly as big of a deal as I had originally thought. Part of me was prepared to lose my drive, but I wasn't even being told to be careful.
"That's it?" I asked in my surprise.
"Did you want there to be more?" Toto responded with a small smirk.
"Well you don't have any questions and it seems like you aren't remotely surprised," I explained,"I was expecting to go down in a blaze of glory honestly." I chuckled dryly, letting myself be honest with the man seated next to me.
"You know," Toto spoke a moment later as he stood," You remind me a lot of Susie. I think the two of you would get along well. While I can't say I see myself in Daniel of all people, I see what you have even if no one else does..." Toto walked around his desk and sat down in his office chair slowly.
"Susie was actually the one that had suspicions first. I asked around and heard all the BS about you two only being friends. Then there was the race in Canada and Daniel's outburst." Toto referenced the very weekend that Daniel and I got together.
I was in disbelief, thinking nothing had changed. Daniel had always been the first to jump to my defense. As extreme as that situation was it still wasn't that surprising after we had all calmed down, just the aftermath was surprising instead.
"That's actually the weekend we started dating..." I smiled fondly at the memory.
"Ah, so you had a shotgun wedding in Vegas?"
I sat with Toto far longer than I actually had time for, giving him a brief rundown of how Daniel and I started dating. He in turn told me about his story as well, how he and Susie made it work. It was refreshing to hear someone be so blase about things. For the first time I could openly talk about my relationship with someone and it felt incredible. To have to cut it short to get in the csr for FP1 was hard, but Toto understood having his own requirements. I left with a promise to bring Daniel to dinner soon and a great outlook on the next year.
When I walked back into my driver's room, there was a smile on my face and my husband was on my massage table.
"What has you all smiley?" He joked. All I could do was cross the room and wrap my arms around him as I buried my face in his chest.
"I told Toto."