"Marry me."
The words he'd been wanting and trying to say to her had fallen from her lips and for a second he couldn't believe what he'd heard, then he felt a rush of euphoric joy and he felt their relationship change in an instant.
"I know it's sudden and that it's not quite six months since we got together but I love you and I know that I want to spend the rest of my life with you." She added as Seb stood there, still looking into her eyes. There was silence between them for what felt like minutes but it was only seconds as he slipped his hands from hers and then pulled her against him. All of a sudden she could see tears in his eyes as he placed a hand at the back of her head and pressed his forehead to hers. A huge smile appeared on his face making sheer happiness and relief flood her body, although she still needed to hear him say it.
"Yes." He pressed a kiss to her lips before speaking again. "Oh liebe, yes I'll marry you! Yes! Yes yes yes yes, yes!" He was almost singing the word as he lifted her from the ground in an enormous bear hug and spun them both around before letting her get back down on to her feet and then planting a huge kiss on her lips. "Oh, there's something I must give to you!" His eyes widened, he was like an excited child on Christmas morning. "Wait there." He stepped back and grinned.
"Don't you think we should head indoors now?" She held her palms upwards, letting the rain hit them to prove her point.
"We can't get any wetter liebe, wait there, I'll be right back!" He ran to the door, got inside and then ran up the stairs to their room. Going straight to his case, he threw it on the bed, unzipped it and then rummaged furiously until he found what he was looking for, hidden in another pair of trainers. He held the small, navy blue velvet box in his hand and looked at it for a second; Chloe's proposal might have been unexpected and maybe a tad unusual but for him, it had been perfect and now he could cement their relationship with a ring and everyone would know that she truly belonged to him. He ran back out of the room and down the stairs, only stopping as his feet slipped on the floor where he'd trailed water in, luckily he managed to retain his balance and stop himself from falling. Laughing at himself, he quickly removed his trainers and then ran back outside to her with bare feet.
"What happened to your trainers?" She giggled as he stopped in front her, he was now standing in a puddle.
"I slipped and nearly fell where I've made the floor wet so i took them off."
"You loon!" She shook her head, still giggling.
"Chloe." He stepped closer to her and heard her gasp as she spotted the small box in his hand. "I was going to give it to you in Norway, but now is the right time." He opened the box and her mouth fell open at the large diamond that she could see glinting in the near darkness. The solitary outside light on the house threw out little light.
"Oh my god!" A sob escaped from her chest. "Holy sh...." Her left hand flew in front of her mouth to stop herself from swearing and she rapidly tried to blink back her tears as Seb removed the ring from the box.
"I'm going to need that hand." He pointed to her face, smiling. Glancing up he realised that the rain had stopped and it was perfectly silent all around them. The property he'd bought for them was remote, set in a large chunk of land and with a long driveway to the road, the perimeter was surrounded by trees and fencing to give them as much privacy as possible, meaning that right now it really was just the two of them out here. He watched as Chloe slowly removed her hand from over her mouth, her breathing was rapid and shaky and fresh tears were rolling down her cheeks, despite that though, she was smiling, she looked ecstatic.
"Sorry, I was trying to not fucking swear...oh!" Her hand flew back in front of her mouth, making him laugh.
"My crazy, sweary, beautiful, amazing, emotional rollercoaster of a fiancee. Please, can I have your left hand?" He chuckled. She nodded and again, she slowly removed her hand, taking deep breaths to try and control herself. Taking her hand with his left hand, he took a shaky breath himself as slipped the ring on to her finger with his right hand. He kept his hand on hers for a moment, the ring seemed to fit perfectly, much to his relief. "Now it's official." He breathed. "Mrs Vettel-to-be."
"Can we go inside so I can see it better?" She held her hand up in front of her.
"I have an idea." He stepped away and opened the car door, seconds later the headlights were on full beam and he walked back over to her. "Now you can see it." He pulled her in front of the car.
"Seb! It's so beautiful!" She gasped as, for the first time, she saw the large round solitaire diamond that sat perfectly on a white gold band. "Holy shit Seb, this must have cost..."
"Don't even think about it." He placed his fingers under her chin and leant in to place a sweet kiss to her lips, she closed her eyes, swept away already by one kiss and they were still closed when he pulled away. "I feel like the luckiest guy on earth." He murmured, making her open her eyes.
"Shit." She hissed. "Those lights!" She screwed her eyes shut and staggered back away from the car's lights, only opening them when she heard Seb laughing.
"Sorry, I'll turn them off!" He walked to the drivers side and reached in to turn them off.
"I've got spots in front of my eyes!" She giggled as he closed the car door and then locked it.
"Let me get you in bed and I'll make you see stars instead of spots." He walked back to her, took hold of her hand and started to lead her back inside.
"Smooth Vettel, smooth." She grinned while admiring the huge sparkler on her left hand as they got inside.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"I hope you're not wanting it back." Chloe opened eyes to find Seb holding her hand, looking at the ring on her finger. His eyes flickered to hers and he grinned at her, looking like a love sick teenager.
"I can't believe you're mine." He kissed her hand as he felt her holding on to his.
"Well you better believe it, you're well and truly stuck with me now."
"Can I ask you something?" He rested their hands on his chest.
"You know you can ask me anything, whether you get a sensible answer is another matter though, I feel knackered."
"Did your dad tell you about me wanting to propose?" He could already see the answer just by looking at her face.
"Seb, that's not why I proposed last night. It just happened, I'd been so terrified that something bad had happened to you, then when you came back and you said still loved me and that you'd never let me go......that little moment, it just felt right and....."
"It's ok." He moved on to his side to face her. "I know last night had nothing to do with what your dad had said. Last night was spontaneous, it was very unexpected, but it was perfect." He leaned closer and kissed her.
"Thank god." She gave him a relieved smile. "I'd hate for you to think that I'd proposed just because my dad had got a bad case of verbal diarrhoea after too much alcohol."
"So he did tell you then?"
"Yeah....he made some comment about you not putting a ring on my finger, mum told him to shut up and I said how it was probably a bit too early for that to happen but he just carried on and said about how you had spoken to him about it weeks ago."
"I knew it." Seb chuckled.
"Now you can see where I get it from when I've had a drink or three and get a bit gobby."
"I must admit, for a while after that night I kind of convinced myself that maybe you wouldn't want to marry me. You'd been a little subdued, maybe even a little distant. I thought that the stuff that's been in the press might have put you off." He shuffled closer to her and she put an arm around him, letting him settle against her with his head on her chest.
"I was too busy worrying that you were thinking pretty much the same thing." She admitted. "Then yesterday happened and then last night all of a sudden this little moment opened up and I knew that I had to ask you."
"Your dad's going to get a surprise when he finds out it was you who asked me, that's for sure." He let out a contented sigh as she started to idly trail her fingers through his hair.
"Seb!" Antti knocked on the door, making him groan in resignation, he knew he should have been up nearly thirty minutes ago. "Just thought you'd want to know your car has arrived, and so have your parents."
"Ok, I'll be down in a while." He called back.
"What car? We've already got one here." She smiled at the fact that despite Antti knocking on the door, Seb hadn't moved a muscle.
"You know that matte black Ferrari that sits in my garage?"
"Yeah."
"That one."
"You've had that bought here? Why? We've got the Maserati sitting outside. Do you feel you need a choice of wheels for this weekend or something?"
"My parents will be at the circuit all weekend too, and probably Fabian when he gets here. We'll need an extra car to transport everyone." He finally sat up and let his eyes take in her nakedness.
"And you have to have that Ferrari here, how very F1 driver." She sat up also and kissed the top of his arm. "I suppose I'll be the one driving the Maserati?"
"I kind of promised my father that I'd take him to the circuit today."
"So your fiancee doesn't get the first ride in?"
"Not today liebe, but I'll take you for a ride tonight to make up for it." He got up from the bed and she admired his beautiful, sculpted back and peachy behind as he walked to the ensuite.
"It's a good job I love you so much that I'll let you off this time."
"Come and shower with me, and then we'll get ready to tell your future in-laws our news." He stopped and turned around in the doorway. She could feel her smile spreading from ear to ear and she clambered off the bed, no way could she turn down a naked Sebastian Vettel.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Nearly an hour later they made their way downstairs and Chloe was surprised but happy to see Mia come running over to them, followed by Leonie. She watched as Seb scooped her up and hugged her tightly, if his kids were here then that meant one thing. Hannah was here too. As if he could hear her thoughts, Antti came walking over from the lounge.
"I see congratulations are in order." He spotted the ring on Chloe's finger right away, but pushed down his own feelings to congratulate them.
"Thanks, but not in front of the kids." Seb gave him a small smile.
"I wanted to warn you earlier that Hannah was here but you were both....." He stopped and Chloe felt her face heat up. Had Antti heard them in the shower?
"It's fine, it's not a problem." He looked at Chloe, although she was blushing at Antti's words she looked understandably nervous. Hannah was the first person Seb was going to tell about their engagement, after they'd told both sets of parents. "Will you take the girls out into the garden for a short while?" He put Mia down onto her feet.
"Sure." Antti picked up Leonie and then took Mia's hand and Chloe watched them go, seeing him with kids was kinda cute.
"So how are we going to do this?" She turned to Seb, she was sure that Hannah was not going to take their news well. He rubbed the back of his neck as he thought about his answer.
"We'll just have to go for it, there's no other way." He took hold of her hand. "I can't just pull my parents to one side, it'll look odd and she'll be thinking all sorts."
"You're right." She took a deep breath, this was not what they'd planned earlier.
"Come on then." He gave her hand a squeeze and led her through from the hallway and into the open plan lounge and kitchen where Norbert, Heike and Hannah were sat at the table. "Morning everyone." Three pairs of eyes were suddenly looking at them and Chloe found herself holding her breath. She found it nerve wracking as it was, telling his parents that their was son was going to get married, but having his ex here was going to make it feel beyond awkward. She felt him squeezing her hand as he held it tighter, was he nervous too? "We have something to tell you. Hannah, as you're here, you can hear this too."
"She's pregnant, isn't she." Hannah muttered quietly.
"No, Chloe's not pregnant." He raised a brow, giving her a look of warning. He took a breath before continuing, his mother looked at him expectantly. "Chloe asked me to marry her last night, and I've said yes." His face broke out into a joyous smile. "We're getting married."
"Oh Sebastian!" Heike flew up from her chair and quickly made her way around the table to him. "I am so happy! Congratulations!" She hugged him warmly making him let go of Chloe's hand. Norbert got up from his seat and took her hand, he was smiling and she felt herself relax instantly.
"Chloe, congratulations." He pulled her in for brief hug and placed a kiss on her cheek. "It is so good to see Sebastian so very happy, and I must thank you for that."
"I'm so glad you're happy for us Norbert." Chloe smiled but as she clocked Hannah's disappointed expression her smile faded. Hannah suddenly rose from her seat and walked away and Chloe's eyes darted to Seb as everyone paused to watch the blonde woman walking away.
"I'll go." She spoke before Seb got the chance. "Please excuse me, I'll just go and talk to her." She patted Heike's arm before following Hannah, she could feel Seb watching her as she walked. She soon found Hannah sitting in the hallway, at the bottom of the stairs.
"I'm sorry." She sniffed, blinking back tears.
"You don't need to apologise Hannah."
"It's just a shock, a painful one. You know, I always dreamt that we'd marry, I waited for him to ask. I talked to him about us getting married, I said the girls would love it but he just dismissed it, he said we didn't need to get married and that we were fine as we were. I guess I just wasn't the one, even though I still carried hope that he would come back to me."
"I...I don't know what to say, I'm just sorry that it never happened for you." Chloe really didn't know what to say, Hannah's feelings for Seb were clearly still strong and it made her feel guilty, but also it pulled on her insecurities, despite the ring on her finger.
"You don't have to say anything, you make him happy, far happier than I did. He must have been wanting to propose to you if he's given you that ring." She smiled weakly as she admired Chloe's ring, the diamond kept catching the light.
"Yeah, he was." Chloe sat down next to her. "Hannah, you gave him two beautiful daughters, you made him alot happier than you give yourself credit for."
"Until I screwed it all up." She sighed. "And then I tried to screw it all up for you too."
"Don't waste any more time beating yourself up over that, you deserve to be happy too."
"Why are you so nice to me?"
"What's the point in staying bitter?" Chloe reached a hand out and placed it Hannah's arm.
"You're good for my daughter's, you know?"
"Thank you, that's kind of you to say that."
"Mia is totally in love with you, Leonie too. And I'll never be able to repay you for the night you found Leonie after she'd gone missing. That's when I really decided that you wasn't the bitch I first thought you was." She leant her head on Chloe's shoulder.
"Erm thanks, I think." Chloe chuckled, suddenly it felt as though Hannah was wanting to be a friend. "I'd do anything for those girls."
"I know that now. I know they're safe with you. Chloe, there's something I must warn you about." She sat up suddenly and turned to face her. "Eva and Steef."
"What about them?" Hearing their names had got Chloe's full attention.
"Don't trust them, more specifically, do not trust her. You know what they do, don't you?" Hannah looked at her, her blue eyes wide open, she knew that she had to warn Chloe about Seb's friends.
"They're swingers, yeah, I know." Chloe began to feel uneasy.
"So he's told you then."
"He's told me that you've swapped partners, yeah." She wondered where Hannah was going to go with this conversation.
"I'll just come out with it, I sometimes thought that maybe Eva and Seb...."
"No." Chloe stood up. "No way, I know what you're getting at and no, he wouldn't."
"Maybe not, not now that he's with you." Hannah watched as Chloe started to pace the hallway. "Last year, during summer break, we went to Norway, all four of us." Upon hearing the mention of Norway, Chloe stopped and spun round. "Eva was all over him, but I let it go, it's part of who she is, she's a very flirty, tactile person. Anyway, one night we...you know.."
"Swapped partners?" She was starting feel queasy, she remembered Seb saying that the last time he'd had sex with Eva was summer break, last year. Now she was learning that it had happened at his place in Norway, the very place he was taking her to in less than two weeks time. Why hadn't he told her?
"Yeah, that's when we started to drift apart a little. He would go and see them quite a bit, without me." She could see realisation dawn on Chloe's face. "He's taking you there isn't he? And they're coming too."
"Yeah, we go straight after the Hungarian gp. Hannah, why are you telling me this now, today of all days?"
"Just be careful Chloe, watch her. Things seemed different between her and Seb last year, they were always together whenever we hung out with her and Steef, they were always whispering, she was practically hanging off of him. I'm not saying they definitely did have an affair but..." Hannah stopped as Seb entered the hallway, he looked down at her.
"You ok?" He asked.
"Yeah." She nodded.
"Chloe, are you going to call your parents, we'll have to leave for the circuit soon." He held out a hand to her, she looked at it before accepting it. Her head was spinning, she'd been looking forward to a few days in Norway, but now she wasn't so sure. Was Hannah telling her the truth and really trying be a friend or was she spinning lies and trying to cause a rift between herself and Seb?