Feeling mystified by her parent's sudden decision for a family barbecue Chloe pulled up at the kerb outside their home. She had been hoping to be on a plane back to Maranello by now but couldn't get on a flight until this evening. Already the drive was full of cars, she recognised her uncle's private number plate on a bright red BMW 3 Series immediately as well as the familiar sight of her older brother's black Range Rover Evoque complete with its sun shade in the back window and a baby on board sticker in the rear windscreen. Getting out of the car her eyes widened at the amount of cars parked either side of the road, it seemed that the family barbecue might be a bigger occasion than she first thought.
"Here she is!" Chrissie came running out of the front door.
"Hi mum." Chloe gave her a mum a brief hug.
"How are you Chloe?" Chrissie ushered her daughter down the drive.
"The same as when you saw me on Tuesday." Chloe replied, wondering why her mum seemed to be in such a rush.
"Not heard from that driver of yours then? I thought you might have brought him along with you." She said, shutting the front door.
"Mum, that driver does have a name, you can use it." Chloe rolled her eyes. "Like I told you on Tuesday, he's busy with work." She thought back to the photos she'd seen of him online late last night, looking sexy in a dark grey suit. She suddenly stopped in her tracks at the sight of the living room all decked out in balloons and bunting as well as gifts and a pile of cards.
"Happy birthday darling." Chrissie gave her daughter's shoulders an affectionate squeeze.
"Mum, you didn't have to do all this." She turned around and gave her mum a hug. "It's not my birthday until next month."
"Technically it's only ten days away but as you'll be in Canada we thought it'd be nice to celebrate it while you're here." She smiled. "Come on, everyones in the garden." She picked up the pile of cards and handed them to Chloe and together they went through the kitchen and out into the garden where she was swamped by people that she hadn't seen for ages.
"Bet you wasn't expecting all this hey." David stopped setting up the barbecue to give his daughter a hug. "Happy birthday."
"I definitely wasn't expecting the whole family to be here, no. Thanks dad." She smiled.
"Well we wanted to make the most of seeing you before you head back to Sebastian. How is he?" He asked.
"He's good, he's in Italy, probably sitting in the simulator as we speak knowing him." She replied as she looked around, smiling, at all the faces. Unusually she hadn't heard from Seb since last night but then he had a fairly packed schedule at the moment and no doubt Antti had been putting him through his paces this morning before he headed to the simulator.
"We'll have to meet him soon, I need to check that he's good enough for my princess." David took a swig from his bottle of beer.
"Dad I'm nearly thirty-six, not sixteen." She giggled.
"Hey little sis." Chloe's brother, Richard, sauntered over and put his arm around her shoulders. "Good to see you, even it's only for a flying visit."
"Hi Rich, good to see you too." She smiled and her eyes quickly noticed the one year old girl he was holding. "Oh my god! Freya look at you! Can I?" She held her hands out, wanting to hold the little girl.
"Sure." Richard smiled and handed the little girl over.
"Hello Freya, you've grown so much!" She looked at Freya as she held her on her hip. "Rich, she's changed so much, where has that six month old baby gone?!" It hit her just how much she had missed out on by being away for so long. "I wish I could get home more often but it's so hard finding the time." She sighed.
"It's your job Chloe, we all know how much you love it. Don't beat yourself up for not being able to come home. How are you and Seb getting on anyway? Mum said she thinks you two had had a row and that's why you came home." Richard beckoned his wife, Michelle, over as he spoke.
"I had a doctors appointment. We're fine, we're together pretty much all the time but we're doing good, we're happy." She smiled as Michelle approached them.
"So no mini Vettel in there then?" Richard couldn't resist pointing to her stomach.
"No Rich, no mini Vettel." She shook her head.
"I've never known a photo of him to create so much interest, honestly the amount of times I've been asked if your pregnant. Don't be surprised if you get asked at least another fifty times while you're here." He took Michelle's hand.
"Great, I'll look forward to that then." Chloe replied sarcastically. "Maybe I should wear a badge with 'not pregnant' on it."
"Well if you and Seb ever decide to have kids then I know Freya would love a cousin." Michelle grinned "Good to see you by the way and happy birthday for next weekend." She added.
"Glass of champagne for the birthday girl!" Chrissie brought her a glass filled with her favourite bubbly. "You are ok to drink aren't you?" She eyed Chloe's stomach.
"Yes mother, more than ok." Chloe rolled her eyes while smiling, knowing that her mum was just winding her up.
"Aw you and Seb would make beautiful babies." She said wistfully.
"No doubt they've had plenty of practice." Richard chipped in.
"Leave it out mum." Chloe blushed and ignored her brother's remark. "Freya, I'm going to hand you back to mummy now before grandma gets too carried away and starts planning my wedding and future baby names." She handed the little girl back to Michelle. "I'm off to speak to nan." She smiled as she spotted her nan sitting at a table, someone else who she didn't get to see half as much as she'd like to.
~*~
An hour later and Chloe had worked her way around pretty much everyone and was now sat opening up birthday cards with her mum and nan while David had finally got the barbecue underway. It felt great being back at her parent's house with everyone here but she still missed Seb and couldn't help but wish that he was here with her. "You alright mum?" She had noticed her mum checking her watch and her phone.
"Yeah, I'm just waiting for your present to arrive. According to the Amazon app it should be here anytime." Chrissie replied.
"I'm sure it'll get here before I go, don't worry, but if it doesn't then I'll be back in July for Silverstone and I can bring Seb with me too, then you finally meet him." She smiled. "You didn't need to buy me anything anyway, today is more than enough."
"I'll just and go and check out of the window, I'll be right back." Chrissie rose from her seat.
"Mum sit down and stop worrying." Chloe shook at her head at her mum, it was typical of her to fret over something like this, she always wanted things to be perfect and the majority of the time they were. Chrissie and David had worked hard to provide their two children with an idyllic childhood and they'd never wanted for anything. Chloe sat back as she remembered all the past barbecues that she'd enjoyed here and looked up at the old oak tree that had once been home to a tree house. She remembered playing on the swing and slide that used to be in this garden when she was little and the hours she had spent outside with Milo, her beloved pet labrador whom she still missed despite the fact he'd been gone for fifteen years. Her eyes flickered to her dad who was busily working away at the barbecue with her uncle, Robert, standing next to him. Richard was sat on Freya's blanket keeping the one year old amused while Michelle was chatting away to her cousin. Music was playing away in the background, courtesy of the Bose player that David had brought outside and plugged in to an extension cable. She caught the eyes of her nan who simply smiled at her and then winked, what was that for?
"Chloe?" Chrissie came back outside looking rather excited. "Come inside for a moment, your present has arrived, I want you to open it."
"I'm intrigued as to what it is, I haven't seen you this excited over a birthday present since the day you bought Milo home." She smiled as she once again thought of the dog and stood up.
"Well come on then!" Chrissie clapped her hands together and walked ahead.
"Mum, you haven't got me a dog have you?" Thinking about Milo and seeing her mum's excited face made the thought pop into Chloe's head as she followed her indoors and back through the kitchen towards the lounge. "It's not that I'd be ungrateful or anything but I wouldn't have time to....."
"No, I definitely haven't bought you another dog." Chrissie was beaming from ear to ear as they stopped at the lounge door which was currently closed. "Right, are you ready?" She asked, almost unable to contain her excitement.
"Yes, very ready mum." Chloe grinned, finding her mum's beaming smile and excitement suddenly contagious. "I hope whatever it is I can fit it in my case to take to Italy." She added as her mum opened the door and gently pushed her into the lounge.
"Don't worry I'll be coming back with you." A voice that she immediately recognised spoke up and her eyes were met a pair of amazingly blue ones.
"Seb!" She dashed across the room and launched herself at him, making her mum smile at her daughter's reaction. "Oh my god! I can't believe you're here!"
"Hey liebe. I've missed you so much!" He chuckled, catching her as her arms and legs wrapped around him. She pressed her face against his neck and instantly her senses were filled by everything about him, she'd never been so pleased to see him as she was now.
"I'll give you two a few minutes." Chrissie caught Seb's eye and he nodded in reply, adding a muffled 'thank you' against Chloe's shoulder.
"I'm so sorry Chloe." He squeezed her tightly. "I've not been able to stop thinking about Tuesday since it happened." He felt her legs fall back to the floor and she leaned back a little to look at him with tears in her eyes.
"Me neither, I'm sorry too. Let's forget it ever happened. You have no idea how good it is to see you!" She held his face in her hands. "I've missed you so bloody much! I'm so glad you're here! I love you Seb, you know I'll never want anyone else." Unable to hold off a second longer, he placed his hand tenderly at the back of neck and pulled her in close, he leant his forehead against hers for a moment. Her green eyes held his and the room fell quiet, all he could hear was the sound of her breathing and the faint sound of music and chatter coming from the back garden. He slid his other hand up the side of her body until he reached her face where he stopped and caressed her skin. Chloe was the first to move and brush her lips over his and he responded by closing the remaining tiny gap between their mouths to kiss her. He kept it soft and slow at first, savouring the feeling of her lips against his and the taste of her as his tongue lightly brushed over hers. The little moan that escaped from her mouth made him smile against her lips and he began to kiss her more fervently while he slid his hands down her body slowly until he reached her behind where he started to gather up the skirt of her dress in an effort to find a piece of bare skin he could reacquaint himself with. Chloe reached behind her and gently removed his hands despite her body and her heart willing for him to continue. "Later Seb." She whispered against his lips.
"You like your Amazon gift then?" He asked as he pulled away a little bit.
"I love it." She placed her hands on his shoulders. "How did you manage to get here?"
"With the help of your mum and Britta." He smiled. "I called your mum yesterday to say I wanted to surprise you and Britta organised a plane and a car to get me over here. I got the details from your emergency contact info. I didn't want to stay away from you a minute longer than I had to." He stroked his hand over her hair. "I've missed you like crazy, don't run from me like that again, I can't be without you. I love you so, so much schätzchen." He went to kiss her again but stopped as he heard the lounge door open and saw Chrissie poke her head around to look at them.
"Hows the lovebirds?" She smiled.
"We're good." Seb grinned and pressed a brief kiss to Chloe's head before releasing her from his embrace and taking hold of her hand.
"It's good to finally meet you Sebastian after talking on the phone yesterday." Chrissie looked behind her as David came wandering through from the kitchen, keen to meet his daughter's boyfriend, and one his favourite F1 drivers. He joined his wife in the doorway and took in the sight of Chloe holding on tightly to Seb's hand.
"Hello Sebastian." He stepped forward offering Seb his hand. "I'm David, Chloe's dad, it's great to meet you." It dawned on her that her dad had known that Seb was going to be here too as he didn't look at all surprised to see the four times world champion in his house.
"Hi David, good to meet you." Seb shook his hand while Chloe cringed, she hated doing the whole 'meet the parents' thing. "So you're the person I have to thank for bringing this beautiful girl into my life. If it wasn't for you instilling your passion for formula one into her then she wouldn't be working in the sport and we'd have never met." He'd remembered Chloe telling him how her dad loved F1 and that his enthusiasm for it had rubbed off on her at quite a young age.
"Yeah, I guess all those hours we spent watching grands prix have counted for something." David smiled. "She always said that when she left school she was going to get into formula one and she's certainly succeeded."
"And I'm very glad that she has." Seb gave her hand a squeeze and her face lit up as she looked at him.
"The foods ready, make yourself at home and come and help yourself. Everyone's in the garden." David gestured with his head for them to follow him and Chrissie back out into the garden. As they stepped out into the sunshine Seb was met by a few stunned expressions and was soon approached by Richard and Chloe's uncle, Robert who was quite the petrol head. As they started to help themselves to burgers and a generous amount of pasta and salad she knew it wouldn't be long before her uncle had Seb discussing cars, he was already being questioned on what his thoughts were on Ferrari's lack of pace. Unfortunately for Seb, Robert was a Mercedes fan.
"Uncle Rob, I really don't think Seb wants to talk about that right now." Chloe gave him a warning look as she picked up cutlery for herself and Seb.
"Its fine Chloe, really." Seb smiled as he piled his plate with pasta and salad, he'd stuck to his diet and was having chicken instead of a burger. He followed her over to a table where her nan, Catherine, was sat with Chrissie beside her who quickly introduced the older woman to him.
"Sebastian, if you want a beer or anything there's a fridge in the garage over there that's full of drinks. Just help yourself." Chrissie gave him a smile and pointed to where the backdoor of the garage was open.
"Thanks." He nodded as he ate.
"It's ok, I'll go." Chloe stood up again. "Beer?" She looked at him.
"No, I'm driving, Pepsi or something will do. Thanks liebe." He smiled up at her.
"I'd better stick to soft drinks too, are you booked on my flight later?" She asked.
"You can drink if you want to, we're not flying until tomorrow morning. I've got the jet until tomorrow night." He responded casually.
"Private jet?" Chrissie asked, her attention caught by the mention of a jet.
"Mmm." He nodded with his mouth full.
"Wow, what a way to travel huh?" Her eyes sparkled as she looked at Chloe, who was sure she could see pound signs flashing in them.
"Seb, you didn't have to go to all that expense, I'm sure you could have got on my flight or we could have rebooked." She put her hand on his shoulder.
"Don't worry about the cost, just let me take care of you." His insides flipped with excitement; this plane was a little different, it had a small cabin at the back with a bed in it and he planned to make full use of it with her.
"You're amazing." She bent down and placed a kiss on his head, making a grin appear on his face. "I'll go and get you a drink." He watched her behind in her dress as she wandered off.
"You're alot better looking than the last one she bought home, what was his name Chrissie?" Catherine piped up, Seb's brows rose in amusement.
"Mum, Sebastian doesn't want to hear about things like that." Chrissie scolded her mother.
"Harry, that's his name. You're alot more handsome than he is." Catherine's eyes flashed with mischief as she looked at Seb.
"Erm....thanks. That's always good to know." He replied with a little laugh.
"She looks a hell of alot happier with you than she did him. He was much too vain, one of those flighty dancing types she met at the dance centre. They were never going to last, you two look much better suited." Catherine continued despite her daughter not wanting her to.
"I'm glad you think so." He briefly glanced around, although he didn't know anyone he still felt comfortable here and it made him think of his own family back in Germany. He couldn't wait to take Chloe there to meet everyone. Her eyes caught his as she came back with a can of Pepsi and what looked like a pink gin and tonic.
"Here you go." She put the can down in front of him.
"Your nan was just saying how I'm better looking than Harry." He grinned at her.
"Oh christ. Nan, please don't go telling Seb about my ex." She shook her head but couldn't help but feel amused by her nan's mischievous expression.
"A flighty dancing type huh?" He nudged into her with his shoulder, teasing her.
"Sorry, I expect the last thing you want to be talking about is my ex." She decided this drink was suddenly much needed.
"It's fine, relax. I know you're mine." He leant closer to her. "Tonight I'll be showing you that I'm very much yours." He whispered and pressed his lips to her hair, while she pressed her thighs together under the table enjoying feeling the effects that his words had very quickly had on her.
"Is that gin in there?" Catherine suddenly asked, pointing to the glass.
"Yes nan, pink gin." Chloe nodded.
"Not pregnant then?" Her nan's question was no surprise and she rolled her eyes in reply, thinking that maybe a flashing neon sign would be better than a badge. Seb looked at her as he continued eating, watching her as she tucked her hair behind her ear before picking up her fork. She looked happy and very much at home here amongst her family, her eyes looked bright and her skin had a glow to it, enhanced by what he'd said to her a minute ago. She had no makeup on today and her hair looked as though she'd washed it and not used a hair dryer, it wasn't as straight as it usually was, it had a natural wave to it but still shined in the afternoon sun. If anything he liked it better that way and he felt that she looked more beautiful than ever. Seeing her earlier when he'd surprised her in the lounge, she'd taken his breath away. He'd only been apart from her for a short time but he'd missed her terribly and seeing her now, he realised that he loved her more and more every day. To have such feelings for her in a relatively short space of time had knocked him for six. Feeling a pair of eyes on him, he looked across the table to see Chrissie smiling at him, he smiled back and then glanced at David before returning his attention to his food. He'd made his mind up, there was one thing he'd definitely have to do before they left later on.