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mignonricciardo · 2 years

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surprise, surprise pt. 2 | cs55

this has been so long in the making but FINALLY here is part 2 to surprise, surprise. there will be a part 3 that is all about dad!carlos and will be coming much sooner than this part (I'm already working on it) :D this is legitimately 12k words omg

summary: now that carlos knows your pregnant, its time to navigate the paddock and a looming public announcement. did I forget to mention the crazy f1 schedule while being 6 months pregnant?

warnings: fluff, more fluff, extra fluff, cursing, allusions to sex, a wee bit cheeky, mentions of hospital

“Well,” Carlos sighs as he flops into the couch cushions, “the team knows. I just got off the call with Mattia and some others.”

“What did they say?” I ask him, leaning against the kitchen island as he rubs his face with his hands.

“A lot of congratulations,” he grins as he tips his head back to look at me. “Silvia already wants to get us a tiny Ferrari shirt.”

I can’t contain the grin that starts to spread on my face at the thought of the tiny tee, “What’d they say about racing and the schedule?”

“I told them about the timeline and that we’ll probably come short of the summer break,” he begins. “We discussed the logistics of missing a race. Mick or Antonio would fill in.”

“You’re not missing a race,” I shoot back at him just as he finishes his statement. “Based on everything I saw in Barcelona, you have a chance this year, love. A real chance.”

He chuckles as he runs his fingers through his hair, “As much as I love you fighting for me in this, the baby is going to make the decision for us, no?”

“Carlos,” I whisper, voice suddenly cracking as tears threaten to spill over my eyes.

He spins around suddenly, taking in my sudden emotions and stands from the couch to approach me. I dab my fingers underneath my eyes trying to stop the tears, and Carlos wraps his arms around me as they fall anyway. He laughs softly as I lean into him, sniffling against his shoulder.

“Pregnancy hormones?” he asks calmly, hands rubbing circles against my back.

I nod against him, fat tears landing on his shirt, “I just don’t want to mess this up for you. Every point matters.”

“Corazón, my family matters more to me than a championship,” he whispers as tears continue to fall. “Besides, we will figure it out when we get there. We have some time.”

“I’m just emotional,” I mumble, squeezing my arms around his waist. “Been thinking a lot.”

“I know,” he leaves a kiss on top of my head. “I’m always here to listen to you. Now, let’s get ready to have dinner with our parents. I don’t want them to see you have been crying.”

He smiles softly as he takes a step back, wiping the tears from beneath my eyes as I sniffle. I’m grateful for his small act, relishing in his touch before pulling myself together. We both walk toward the bedroom in our shared apartment, and Carlos freshens up while I change out of my leggings and t-shirt into a sundress and jacket. Carlos grins as I pull the t-shirt over my head, eyes watching as I tug the sundress over my curves. His fingers glide along the small of my back across to the front of my stomach, lingering over the barely there bump easily concealed beneath the fabric. I catch his grin in the mirror as he looks where his hand lingers. My fingers rest over his, and both of our eyes meet in the mirror with wide smiles. He kisses my cheek before pulling away, rounding up the rest of our stuff before locking the apartment and heading toward his car. We settle into the Alfa Romeo, Carlos shutting the door for me before climbing into the driver side. The drive toward the restaurant is easy with little traffic, and I pick at my nails nervously.

“It’s good you’re getting rid of the Golf,” I grin sheepishly at him. “We have to keep this for the baby.”

“They won’t ride in the new Ferrari?” he glances at me with a laugh.

I shake my head, “Think you can add to the customization and include a car seat?”

He shakes his head this time, laughter shaking his shoulders, “It’s crazy that we’re talking about car seats right now.”

I agree with him, falling silent as I pick at my nails. He notices my silence, reaching across the console to hold my hand with his. Our entwined hands rest in my lap, his knuckles brushing against my hip, and his thumb rubs gently against the back of my hand. Music fills the stretching silence before I speak with my eyes focused on our hands.

“Are you nervous?”

Carlos is quiet for a moment before he admits anything, “A little. I’m nervous to look your dad in the eye now.”

I laugh at his comment, rubbing my fingers across the back of his hand as some of my nerves fizzle with his joke, “You can’t be serious, Carlos. He’s going to want a hug from you. The man adores being a grandpa.”

“Corazón, I can’t hug him now that he knows we had sex,” his voice is serious as he glances at me.

I laugh wildly at his comment and red cheeks, feeling tears in the corner of my eyes, “Babe, I’m 27 and we’ve been together for years. He doesn’t live underneath a rock!”

He laughs gently at my reaction, squeezing my hand again for a sense of comfort, “It’s just a lot we’re about to tell them with the baby and the contract extension. I’m nervous about all of it.”

“I am, too,” I assure him. “We’ve got each other, though. We can do this.”

The restaurant is bustling, and Carlos and I hold on to each other’s hands with an iron grip as the hostess leads us to our table. Nausea grips me as our parents stand to greet us, pulling us both in for hugs all around the table. Carlos reluctantly lets go of my hand in the flurry of embraces, but he pulls my chair out for me before he settles at the table. In the spot next to me, he reaches for my hand beneath the table. Easy conversation passes around the table, and while I try to hide my nerves, the nausea continues rolling in my stomach. My mom notices my demeanor, and she checks in on me to make sure that I’m okay. I nod my head, assuring her I am fine, but she notices the way I pick at the meal in front of me. When a lull in the conversation appears, Carlos grips my hand with a squeeze and glances at me. His raised eyebrows ask if I’m ready, and our parents watch as I nod my head at him.

“Thank you for meeting us today,” Carlos begins, motioning toward my parents. “Especially you two for taking time out of your vacation to come. There’s a couple things we want to tell you.”

“You got the contract?” my dad blurts out with a beaming smile.

My mother scolds him for his intrusion, but Carlos nods with a wide smile.

“I’m locked in with Ferrari through 2024,” Carlos grins as the table erupts in cheers.

All four of our parents congratulate him with his dad clapping him on the shoulder. My mom leans into Mrs. Sainz, and the pair laugh as my mom congratulates Carlos. I press into Carlos’ side, his arm keeping me up as I lean into him. His presence is grounding as the scene of congratulations unfolds before us. He smiles gently as another lull in the conversation appears.

“The contract extension isn’t the only news we wanted to share,” Carlos begins, glancing at me briefly as he squeezes my hand.

Our parents hang on to our silence for a moment, looking at the two of us intently as if we we’re the only table in the restaurant.

“Before you ask, we’ve figured out a plan,” I say, feeling my nerves leave bile crawling up my throat. “We’re not going to risk the news of the extension or the coming season.”

This time Carlos looks directly into my gaze, a gentle smile across his face and warmth in his eyes. His look encourages me, and the squeeze of my hand beneath his pushes me forward. I set the two small boxes down--one in front of each of our moms--and wait for them to open them. My mom gasps first when she sees the pregnancy test nestled in the box, positive reading clear as day. Carlos’ mom bursts into tears, looking at me and her son with a wide smile as she asks if it's true.

“I’m pregnant,” I say, nodding gently before turning to Carlos with a smile. “Just past four months.”

Our mothers each gasp excitedly, clutching each others’ hands as they look at the two of us. Our dads stare with a shocked expression, jaws slack and eyes wide. I grip Carlos’ hand like a lifeline, feeling waves of nausea underneath the stare of our parents. He chuckles nervously as he squeezes my hand, “It’s a surprise, no?”

It’s my mom’s turn to let out a choked shriek as she stands to hug me tightly. Tears from her cheeks land on my shoulder as she embraces me tightly. She turns to Carlos to hug him as his mother follows suit. Our fathers follow, clapping each other on the back before embracing us. I catch my dad hugging Carlos with a broad grin, excited eyes gleaming in the warm light of the restaurant.

“An accident?” my father asks, a sly grin on his face despite the happy tears in his eyes.

“Uhm, yes sir,” Carlos clears his throat nervously. “I have nothing but the best intentions, and I’m never going to leave her side.”

My mom laughs wildly, “Love, quit scaring him! Carlos, honey, we adore you.”

My dad chuckles at Carlos’ stifled reaction, “I don’t doubt your intentions with my daughter, but if you ever hurt her, consider your racing career gone.”

The table erupts with laughter, and the nausea ebbs as everyone begins asking questions about anything and everything. Once we’ve finally exhausted our reservation, hugs and cheers are passed around the group in the parking lot. Carlos opens the door to his Alfa Romeo for me, making sure I’m situated before he shuts it behind me. The ride back to his apartment is easy, and the atmosphere inside the car is much lighter than the previous drive. I sneak glances at him while he drives, one hand on the wheel and the other resting on my leg. A relaxed smile graces his features, and his brown eyes crinkle around the edges. I can’t help but kiss him at a red light, already planning a long night ahead of us, and he smirks knowingly.

The start of the season is a whirlwind, full of all kinds of changes. I start traveling to nearly every race with Carlos, opting to work remotely as much as possible with my growing bump, and he makes excuses as to why I’m at grand prix weekends more frequently. We decide to hold off on an official announcement, only sharing information with our closest family and friends and those who need to know on the team. When my bump really starts to show, my wardrobe shifts to a rotation of shapeless dresses and a combination of cardigans, jean jackets, and unbuttoned linen shirts. The flowing material helps to conceal our ever-approaching secret. I pull a similar outfit on, grinning as I wear one of Carlos’ favorite sundresses, before heading to the Ferrari-crazed paddock in Imola.

“So,” Charlotte grins with her arm looped through mine. “A little birdie tells me something.”

The Ferrari hospitality suite is nearly empty as mechanics, engineers and drivers take to the garage to prepare for the sprint race during their home race weekend. My eyebrows are raised at her comment, nerves settling in my stomach as she glances around before looking at me again.

“Before you get mad at him, I could tell Charles was hiding something. He was acting weird when I asked him about bringing you and Carlos out to the vineyard,” she begins, voice quiet as she speaks. “I practically forced it out of him. Congratulations!”

I laugh at her preface, imagining the look on Charles’ face when his girlfriend all but cornered him into revealing the secret, “Well, since you’ve got it out of him, thank you! You haven’t told anyone else, have you?”

She shakes her head “And betray your trust? Never. Us Ferarri girls have to stick together. Someone has to keep those drivers in check.”

I laugh again at her comment, knowing the truth about the two boys all too well, “I appreciate it, Charlotte. We’re trying to keep it a secret for as long as possible to extend our privacy. I don’t know how much longer it will last.”

“When are you due?” she asks with genuine interest.

“I’m hoping I make it to the very end of July,” I begin, fingers mindlessly resting on my growing bump. “I don’t think we’ll be lucky enough to make it to the summer break, though. Mattia’s doing extra work with Antonio and Mick in case I go early.”

“Your six months already!” she gasps, looking at where my hands rest on my abdomen. “I never would have guessed!”

I laugh at her reaction, “The sundresses and jackets help hide it, but I don’t know much longer I can do that. I think some fans already have some ideas. I’ve been to every race weekend since the season started wearing variations of the same outfit every day in the paddock. It’s a little suspicious, no?”

“Well, whenever you decide to announce it more publicly, I’ve got your back,” Charlotte grins, looping her arm through mine again. “Is your family planning you a baby shower?”

“I’ve asked them not to,” I have to yell over the roars of the crowd in red. “It’s just too hard with the race schedule and having everyone travel.”

Charlotte frowns as she looks at me, “You’re not going to do a baby shower?”

I shake my head, “It’s a lot for everyone to try to plan, and I’m forcing Carlos to focus on racing as much as possible. I already feel guilty for making him potentially miss a race.”

As she is about to answer, my face contorts into a strange expression as I feel movement. My hands press against my abdomen, feeling another swift bump, and Charlotte looks at me with concern in her features. Her eyebrows are furrowed as she asks me what’s wrong. Without an answer, I grab her hand and place it where mine had just been. With another bump, softer than the first, her eyes go wide as a smile spreads on my face.

“Did you feel that?” I ask her. “She’s never done that before. Little things only I could feel, but nothing like this.”

She nods her head wildly, “Oh my god, did you say she?”

I laugh, still holding both of our hands to my ever-protruding stomach, “We don’t know for sure yet, but I think it’s a girl. Carlos thinks it’s a boy. We want to wait a little bit longer, but our moms know. They were adamant so they could start buying stuff.”

The baby kicks gently again, and Charlotte’s mouth is open in awe, “We need to be in the garage when the sprint race ends. You have to tell him right away.”

“As long as there are no photographers around besides team staff,” I smile gently.

As we walk back toward the garage, listening to the buzz of cars through the paddock, Charlotte grins cheekily, “I can’t believe one of her aunts felt her kick before her own dad.”

I laugh loudly at her comment, drawing attention of other guests passing by as they attempt to focus on the cars whizzing by, “Charles will be jealous of you, too. He’s secretly so excited. He accidentally told Carlos that.”

We stand in the garage, luckily situated behind other onlookers because I can’t find it within myself to pull my hands away from my stomach. Charlotte stands close next to me, angling herself so that if the cameras cut toward us they only catch a glimpse of my face. I quietly thank her, and she nods as she links her arm through mine. Engineers cheer when the cars arrive back into the garage, and I grin as Carlos and Charles walk back into the garage. Carlos’ hair is wild, standing up in dark tufts as sweat drips from his hairline, and his overalls hang open where he has unzipped them on his chest. I feel as if I’m going to start drooling as I take in his tanned skin complimented by the red of his suit. Charlotte elbows me with a chuckle at my ogling. After congratulations from their engineers and Mattia, the two drivers walk toward us. I throw my arms around his neck, grinning as I mutter a congratulations near his ear. His arms wrap tightly around my waist, and I’m sure a camera somewhere has picked up on our lovefest.

His driver’s room is fairly pristine, and when he enters the door, I’m sitting on the couch grinning like an idiot. His eyebrows are raised when he sees me, and I blurt out just as he’s shutting the door behind him.

“The baby kicked today!” I grin widely. “Even Charlotte felt it.”

He rushes toward me, hands reaching for my stomach before he looks at me with a confused look, “Charlotte?”

“You really thought Charles wouldn’t tell her,” I chastise him, laughing as he smiles.

“He kicked?” Carlos looks at my stomach in awe, hands rubbing across the fabric of my dress.

“She did,” I smile, hands resting over his as he laughs at my comment back.

“He’s practicing braking,” he grins, eyes looking up at me as he leans in for a slow kiss.

“Mm, whatever you say,” I chuckle against his lips, relishing in his touch.

The race on Sunday ends prematurely with Carlos beached in the gravel. My heart sinks, and I can’t help the tears pricking at my eyes. Charlotte never leaves my side as we wait for Carlos to make his way back to the garage, and she once again shields me from prying eyes and cameras. Her hand squeezes mine as I sniffle, and despite the funny looks from other people around us, she never questions my reaction as she knows about the hormones coursing through me. I whisper a quiet thank you, and her hand squeezes mine as she never tears her eyes away from the screen following Charles’ car. When Carlos walks into the garage, his helmet is still on, and the sign that he doesn’t want to talk makes me even more upset. Engineers clap him on the back, and he only pulls his helmet off to speak to Mattia at the pit wall. I watch him closely, feeling sadness roll through me as frustration radiates from him. I hug him tightly when he approaches and kiss his cheek before he heads to his driver’s room to prepare for the media pen.

The race doesn’t end well for Charles, either, and I am there to support Charlotte as we wait for him to make it back to the garage. Back sitting in hospitality, waiting for the boys to return from their debriefs and thanking the team, Charlotte and I scroll on our phones. She nudges me gently with her elbow, holding her phone screen out to me.

“Don’t freak out,” she whispers as I take the phone from her hand.

There are pictures of me and Carlos walking into the paddock, hands held between us as we laugh at something one of us had said. I scroll to the third image, eyes going wide as I see where the wind blew the fabric of my dress taught, revealing my stomach beneath the flowing fabric. My fingers swipe away from the images, reading the caption on the tweet.

Are y’all seeing what im seeing

Omg bri no way you just said that

Im just repeating what kym illman said he knows all about wags

Baby 🌶

You said it not me

Nausea grips me as I read more replies before turning to Charlotte, “Do you think there’s more?”

She takes the phone from me, scrolling through more, “Word must travel fast. There’s more speculation from fans and some other people. There’s people pretty involved in the online communities who have some credibility wondering, too.”

I groan as I toss my head back against the couch, “This has to be a joke.”

I pull my own phone out, scrolling through posts on different platforms to see what people are saying. Word must spread like wildfire, or paranoia grips me deeply, because the longer we sit on the couch, the more I feel like people’s eyes are on me as they pass. Charlotte looks around, too, playing the role of protective sister if someone’s eyes linger for a moment too long or their whispers follow their stares. My phone lights up with a text from Carlos that makes my nausea roll even deeper. The baby kicks in response.

Where are you right now?

Charlotte responds for me as my fingers shake too much as they hover over the keyboard.

Hospitality with Charlotte we’re just waiting for you guys to finish

His response comes almost immediately.

I just got out of an interview where they asked me a weird question and Silvia showed me some stuff after. Are you okay?

“Oh my god,” my voice warbles as my head spins, and panic grips me as it rises up my throat. “Please call him.”

Charlotte quickly hits the button on his name, and he picks up after only two rings. She begins speaking before he even has time to say hello.

“It’s Charlotte. We’re on a couch in hospitality. Can you get here?” she looks at me worriedly as she continues speaking. “We saw stuff on social media, too, and she’s freaking out. I’m scared she’s going to be sick.”

I can hear his voice on the line, and suddenly she is putting my phone back in my hands and guiding it to my ear.

“Corazón?” his voice is calming as he says the name I had grown so accustomed to hearing from his lips.

My breath is shaky and shallow when I answer, “What did they ask you?”

He pauses, and my panicked voice sounds angry as I gasp for air, “Carlos Sainz, don’t you dare hesitate.”

“They asked me if you were expecting,” he whispers, and I hear shuffling on the other end as his pace picks up down the paddock. “I had no idea where that had even come from, and then Silvia showed me the stuff on social media.”

My heart feels like it's beating out of my chest, and I can feel the baby doing what I assume are somersaults, “Are you almost here? I feel like I’m going to be sick.”

“I’m on the way. Just-” I can hear commotion on the other end, and he apologizes to someone for not stopping. “I’m almost there. Take a deep breath.”

“How did you answer?” my chest heaves for air. “The interview. What did you say?”

“I laughed and told them it was news to me,” his voice is quicker than his usual timbre as he moves through the paddock. “It absolutely shocked me, but I hid it.”

“What if they know you’re lying?” my thoughts continue spiraling, and Charlotte’s eyes go wide as she tries to calm me down.

“Don’t worry about it, corazón,” he mutters another apology to someone. “They can say whatever they want about me. It’s you I’m worried about.”

“I can’t make it back to your motorhome,” I start, eyes blurring with tears. “They’ll take pictures and-”

“Breathe, just breathe,” his voice brings me back to reality. “I’m almost there.”

When Carlos finally does come through the hospitality doors, he draws some attention as his head cranes looking for us. He catches sight of me, and his eyes never leave mine as he approaches. Charlotte fills him in quietly, trying to avoid drawing any eyes to us. His arms wrap around me as she speaks to him, strong arms settling beneath mine that hang around his neck. I squeeze his shoulders, finding comfort in the warmth of his skin against mine and the resistance his shoulders have as they press into my forearms. His embrace has a grounding effect, and when he pulls away, he nods his head to something Charlotte had said before helping me to my feet.

“We’ll make it to the motorhome,” he whispers, eyes never leaving my gaze. “Trust me. I’m not going to let anything happen to you.”

I nod slowly, and he thanks Charlotte before holding my hand in his. We weave through the paddock, working our way behind team buildings and gates rather than through the traditional walkway. I feel like my heart is going to burst from my chest, and my lungs burn as Carlos opens the door to his motorhome, ushering me inside quickly. After nearly an hour, the panic finally passes. I’m sprawled on the bed in Carlos’ motorhome, back aching and head throbbing. It feels like my lungs are still searching for air. Charlotte checks in twice, bringing Charles by to let the two drivers commiserate over their poor home race for the Scuderia. Carlos only leaves my side to grab another water for both of us. Our phones lay on the other side of the room, turned to do not disturb after I screamed about the incessant buzzing. The mattress dips beneath me as his weight shifts, and I find comfort in his hand that works at the tension at the base of my neck. The room is quiet, and he waits for me to break the silence.

“I’m sorry,” I whisper quietly, voice barely audible over the motorhome air conditioning.

“There’s no need to be sorry,” he responds, fingers working through my hair. “Are you feeling better?”

I nod my head, eyes fluttering shut as his fingers rub my head and gently sweep through my hair, “Better than I was. It’s a little hard to tell what is from the panic and what is from being pregnant.”

He chuckles gently, lips pressing to my forehead, “I was scared when Charlotte answered. First, I was terrified something happened to you. Then, I was worried it was the baby.”

His free hand rests gently on top of my stomach, and I look up at his face to watch his expression. His eyes are soft around the corners and his gaze gentle as he looks at my swollen abdomen. Brown eyes are wide as he stares, and his eyebrows are relaxed. Pink lips part ever so slightly. It’s a look of love so obvious he may as well have it written across his forehead. One of my hands rests on top of his, and I smile as our fingers overlap.

“Should we just announce it?” my voice is quiet, fingers twiddling with his against my stomach. “Do we get ahead of it?”

“Is that what you want to do?” his voice is quiet, touch reassuring as his other hand melts the tension in my neck.

“Well, we’re getting to a point where I can’t exactly hide it anymore. I think it’s only a matter of time before it's clearly a baby bump no matter what I’m wearing,” I lean my head against his shoulder, relishing in the warmth radiating from his body.

“I can call Checo,” Carlos says, reaching for his phone with outstretched fingers as his hand falls away from stomach. “He’s done this before, and he won’t steer us wrong.”

I laugh at the idea of Carlos calling Checo, searching for his advice on how to handle this, but I am treated when Carlos does call the other driver. He places his hand back on my bump as he chatters away with the other driver, indulging in their native tongue in a rare occurrence off the grid. I listen in on their conversation, catching every word rolling off Carlos’ tongue. He thanks Checo after he tells him about our situation which the Mexican driver surely congratulates him for. Carlos congratulates his fellow driver on the looming arrival of his own child. When he hangs up, Carlos leans back into the pillows against the headboard.

“He said it's completely up to us. The way they did it was his wife announced it,” Carlos’ voice is quiet, dark eyes holding my gaze. “He posted it a few days later once the news set in.”

I nod my head, “I still want some more time of just us to be able to process everything, but I have the pictures from Melbourne. I guess if we’re going to do it, those are the pictures to use. They are pretty cute.”

“Are you sure about this?” his voice is gentle as he leans in to kiss my forehead. “I want this to be your decision, not influenced by everything going on.”

I nod my head, laughing gently as I lean into him, “I’m sure, love. Plus, everyone will be so excited that they can talk about it now. Silvia can finally show off the t-shirt.”

He laughs along with me, capturing my lips this time before pulling away, “You just tell me when you’re ready, and I’m behind you.”

Once the chatter of the home race had slowed, and the speculation around me lost a bit of steam as no additional pictures had come out, Carlos and I have a bit of time at his apartment in Italy. It feels like pregnancy kicks into high gear as I transition from 25 to 26 weeks, and suddenly everything seems to change overnight. After a lengthy phone call with Marie and Carmen, and even some input from my mother over Carmen’s line, I am waiting for Carlos in the kitchen to return from his training session. He drops his bag by the front door, grinning as his eyes meet mine in the well-lit kitchen. I can’t bring myself to look away from him with his damp, dark hair and tan skin. His biceps strain against his t-shirt sleeves, and his chest pulls the fabric taut around him. He chuckles at my ogling, and I struggle to keep myself from launching myself at him and having him take me on the kitchen counter.

“You’re staring,” he chuckles, leaning in to kiss me as his arms wrap around my waist.

I use all of my willpower to eventually break away, “Let me get this out before I literally beg you to throw me on to the bed.”

He laughs wildly at my comment, nodding his head for me to continue. He watches me with a dopey smile across his face, unable to wipe the grin from his lips. I hand him my phone, showing him the drafted Instagram post. He smiles fondly at the picture, a shot of us in Melbourne at a family friend’s ranch. We are wearing simple clothes, unaware of the picture his sister was taking, and laughing as both pairs of our hands rest on my stomach. Without the flowing dresses, the bump was obvious in the tank top I had on. Carlos is tagged in the image, and he laughs as he reads the caption.

Future F1 driver in the making🏎🏁

“You approve?” I laugh, and he nods his head.

Before I can take the phone back from him, he hits post on the draft, letting the information reach whatever corner of the internet it was destined for, and he turns my phone to do not disturb. I scold him for hitting publish without my approval, but my annoyance quickly falls away when I see the look in his eye. He sets the phone on the counter before placing his hands back on my body, sliding from the small of my back past my bum to rest on the back of my thighs.

“Now, where were we?”

Messages of congratulations roll in for nearly a week, picking up when Carlos reposts our picture followed by Ferrari and then F1 official accounts. It seems everyone has a bit of baby fever going around, and we are only fueling the fire. Once it has been announced, it feels like things begin happening at rapid speed. The baby starts practicing her braking at all hours of the night, forcing Carlos to stay up with me when he should be prepping for another race weekend as what should have been temporary nausea turns into a daily occurence. My skin clears up with that signature pregnancy glow, but my back and feet begin aching frequently. Carlos becomes even more protective than he had been before the public announcement, leaving a hand on my back or waist any time we are out or holding my hand in his through the paddock. People in polos from every team up and down the grid pat him on the back or wish me luck with a soft smile as we stroll through the paddock. I secretly relish in his attention, cheeks glowing and heart pounding any time his skin comes into contact with mine.

Arriving back in Spain for his home race is particularly special as his family is planning to attend the race. He has a sold-out grandstand at the track, and Barcelona is already full of Ferrari logos by the time we arrive. In his sister’s hotel room, I lean my hips against the counter to get closer to the mirror as I apply makeup. Ana laughs as I get frustrated with my now seven-month stomach getting in the way, and I yell at Carlos in the other room--blaming him for my predicament--which he and his brother-in-law respond to with laughs. Once I’ve given up on trying to finish my makeup, I sit on the couch, and Carlos slips my sandals onto my swollen feet for me. He kisses my forehead as he stands, and I whisper a quiet thank you as he helps me to my feet.

“Are you sure this dress is okay?” I ask Ana, smoothing around the material across my stomach. “This place is fancy that Charlotte picked.”

Ana nods her head, smiling as her brother wraps his arms around my waist and rests his chin on my shoulder, “You look great, I promise. Plus, he can’t stop staring at you so I’d say it works.”

We all laugh as Carlos tries to defend himself, but Ana’s husband ushers us out the door to avoid being late. The Barcelona sun is hot on my back as Carlos helps me into the passenger seat of his Ferrari for the weekend, and Ana snickers as she watches me try to maneuver my way into the low seat. Getting out of the car is even worse, and Carlos has to practically pull me from the leather seat onto my feet. The valet watches with amusement. Ana gives Charlotte’s name to the hostess for the reservation, and she smiles warmly as she leads us on a winding path through the crowded restaurant. Carlos’ hand never leaves its protective place on the small of my back. She stops in front of an entry way, and just as I’m about to ask if we’ve taken a wrong turn, she opens the door and tears prick at my eyes.

“Surprise!”

The room is full of our families and some of our closest friends, and they’re all cheering with smiles on their faces. The room is bursting with faces from the grid, and they hold gift bags and wrapped boxes in their hands. Tears start immediately down my cheeks, and Charlotte laughs as she approaches me with her arms outspread.

“I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to make you cry,” she wraps her arms around me.

“Did you do this?” I ask her, attempting to wipe my tears as she pulls away from me.

She nods with a grin, “Ana, Marie and Carmen helped, and so did your mums. It was my idea, but I found a way to contact all of them.”

A fresh round of tears start as I hug her again, “What would I do without you around all the time?”

She sends me on my way to make my rounds, and tears continue sporadically as I hug more and more of my closest friends and family. Carlos works his way through the room, and once we’ve thanked everyone for coming, Charlotte directs us to our seats at the head of the table. The room laughs as I let out another cry when he pulls my chair out for me, and I quickly blame the hormones. He sits closely next to me, our arms brushing as we eat the food that is brought out. Conversation flows around the room easily, and I’m sat in my brother’s chair as he chats to Carlos while I speak to Marie. I laugh as Carlos holds my niece, putting the toddler up on his shoulders so she can look at the decorations more closely.

“He’s going to be such a good dad,” Marie comments, nodding her head at her daughter and Carlos. “He’s a natural already.”

“It’s funny,” I grin. “That’s what started it. Over Christmas in Mallorca, and he was holding her. You totally caught us talking about having sex later that night.” She laughs loudly, hand covering her mouth and eyes watering, “You’re right! I warned you, too! Little did we know.”

I laugh along with her, “Well, it makes sense why I wanted him so badly.”

“It’s crazy, no?” she asks, both of us watching Carlos with my niece. “It was like every part of you knew except your brain.”

“God, everything else sure knew,” I groan. “I can’t keep my hands off of him. It’s only gotten worse.”

“I told you that would happen!” Marie laughs, drawing the attention of our doting partners.

“What would happen?” my brother asks, taking a step toward us.

“Nothing, Steven,” I quickly cut him off. “It’s nothing.”

“It’s something, mi amor,” Carlos uses the nickname that makes my legs turn to jelly, and I know I’m done for as his words replay in my mind.

“Steven, you really don’t want to know,” Marie warns, but my nosy brother shakes his head as he takes Charlotte back from Carlos’ arms.

“Fine,” I huff, looking at the two men with a sickly sweet smile, “your lovely wife was telling me how she couldn’t keep her hands off you while she was pregnant.”

He smirks cockily, “That may or may not be true.”

“Well, I was agreeing with her,” I state, face remaining stoic as I deadpan the information to my brother. “I literally could go all day and night when I’m around him. I need access like 20 hours a day.”

Marie laughs wildly as the two men stare at us, jaws slack and ears turning red. Carlos covers Charlotte’s ears with his hands while Steven shakes his head in shock at what I just said. At one point, Steven looks at Carlos and whispers a heated dude that’s my sister. He just shrugs in response before the two turn their attention toward their significant others.

“There’s little kids around!” Carlos gasps despite the glint in his eyes, and he points at my abdomen. “He doesn’t need to know about sex already.”

“Well, she will learn where she came from at some point,” I shoot back, smiling as our eyes meet in another contest about the baby.

My brother groans at our shameless flirting, and Marie smacks his arm playfully. He smiles down at her, lost in their own little world as Carlos and I make eyes at each other. Marie’s voice breaks our moment as she turns to me.

“Speaking of the baby,” her voice trails off, a mischievous glint in her eye. “You don’t have to say yes, but your mums made something for you as a gender reveal. They know you wanted it to be a surprise, but they thought you’d maybe want to find out and finally put an end to your bickering over it.”

“They haven’t already told you?” Carlos laughs. “I thought they would’ve spoiled it by now.”

Marie shakes her head, leaning into my brother as he hands Charlotte to her, “They struggled to keep it to themselves, but they listened to you. I have no idea what you’re having. I think it’s a girl, but that’s just my gut feeling.”

“I’m with Carlos,” Steven grins. “Us guys have to stick together.”

“Weren’t you just bitching at him for sleeping with your sister?” Marie glares at him.

Carlos and I both laugh as my brother tries to defend himself, “I’ve still got his back!”

“So, are you ready to find out who’s right?” I grin at Carlos.

My brother and sister-in-law watch us closely, elbowing each other at the way Carlos’ hands rest on my hips as I stand. We miss it, but Steven flashes Marie his wedding band with raised eyebrows. She grins as she nods her head wildly behind us, and my brother smiles before turning back to watch us.

Carlos raises his eyebrows, “I’m always right.”

“You’ll regret that one,” Steven mutters, and we all break into laughter as Marie smacks his arm playfully.

After talking to our mums, they announce to the room about the cake they prepared for this. At the head of the table, I stare at the cake in front of us. It’s Carlos’ favorite sponge cake that my mum always gets when we visit them. Thin white icing covers the sides of the cake, and petite pink and blue stars dot the pristine icing. He picks up the knife, placing it in my hand before wrapping his larger hand around mine. He raises his eyebrows as if to ask if I’m ready, and with a gentle nod, we press into the cake.

Pink.

The inside of the cake is pale pink, and before I can even process anything, Carlos is wrapping his arms around my waist and laughing wildly. He picks me up so my feet dangle off the ground for a moment, grinning and leaving kisses on my cheeks as I laugh with him. The room cheers, and hugs are shared between our family and friends. I can hear some gloating about how they were right, and my heart melts as our mums hug each other giddily, laughing with our fathers and one other.

“You were right,” he grins, voice in my ear as he places me back down. “I can’t believe we’re having a girl.”

His hands suddenly come to my face, wiping away tears I can’t stop from coming. He chuckles quietly, pads of his fingers gently gliding across my cheeks. I smile widely despite the gasp for air that comes from me. I notice the shine in his eyes of unshed tears, and it feels like my heart is going to burst from my chest.

“I’m sorry I can’t stop crying,” I laugh through hysterical hiccups. “I’m just so happy.”

He hugs me again, arms pulling me into him. My face presses against his chest, and his gentle laughter vibrates against my cheek. Tears stain his t-shirt, and I catch Marie snapping pictures of the ordeal. Reluctantly, he lets me go so he can finish cutting the cake for our guests, but his body never strays too far from mine. We begin opening the presents slowly, only after we both scolded everyone for buying us gifts, and the pile next to us starts to grow with baby supplies. Marie never stops snapping pictures on her phone. I find myself bursting into tears at a few gifts, exclaiming how cute they are to a room chuckling at my emotional reactions. Lando puts a box in front of us, grinning as Carlos eyes him suspiciously.

“Before you say anything,” the young driver starts with an ornery smile. “This is to remind her of her British roots. Her mum’s British after all. What kind of uncle would I be if I let her forget that?”

Carlos laughs when I pull a British Jack onesie out of the box, followed by a McLaren papaya orange blanket. We each laugh at the gifts, and Carlos pulls Lando in for a hug that he then extends to me.

“No Ferrari?” I laugh with the driver.

“I think orange will look much better on her than red, especially when she’s cheering for her uncle,” Lando nods, dodging a playful punch from Carlos.

Fittingly, Silvia’s gift materializes not long after Lando’s, and Carlos smiles proudly at the red onesie with the prancing horse on the front. Once we’ve gone through the gifts, Carlos’ mother volunteers their car to carry the load, and his father promises he’ll take everything back to Madrid for us. I thank them through teary sniffles, and Carlos chuckles as his parents hug me tightly. People from the grid congratulate Carlos again as they leave, and some of the drivers make passing jokes as Carlos claps them on the back. Once the whirlwind day is over, and we’ve returned to his motorhome, Carlos starts a warm shower for me before following me into the walk-in. I laugh as he does, catching the giant grin on his face as he shuts the sliding glass door. He is nothing but caring, though--fingers working shampoo and conditioner through my hair before sinking into the knots in my shoulders and back.

“We’re lucky, yeah?” I say, eyes meeting his as he rinses conditioner out of my hair.

He nods his head gently, slight smile gracing his lips, “We’re so lucky, and we’re loved. She’ll be loved by so many.”

His words settle deep in my chest, and my heart feels like it might burst through my skin as warmth envelopes me. He looks at me with a slight quirk in his eyebrows at my silence, and I take a deep breath before chuckling weakly.

“Please don’t make me cry again,” I say with a laugh. “I’ve been crying all day and don’t know how much I have left in me.”

He laughs as he kisses my forehead, fingers rubbing up and down my back, “I’m sorry, corazón. I’m just feeling a little sentimental. I just feel so lucky right now.”

My lips meet his gently, a chaste kiss that turns passionate as all of the emotions of the day pour out between us, spilling onto the floor and into the air like the hot water and vapor from the showerhead. We both laugh as we fumble toward the bed, lips parting in joint laughter as my stomach proves tricky to maneuver around. I nearly choke on laughter as Carlos stands at the foot of the bed, hands on his hips as he looks down at me incredulously, scanning the situation and looking for any solution. His skin is still tinged red in spots from the hot shower, and his hair drips down his neck and rolls in between his shoulders. He watches me with furrowed brows as I reach for the u-shaped pillow, adjusting around it to try to answer his dilemma. He laughs at me loudly, and I turn to him with a grin.

“What are you waiting for?”

It’s full of laughter and fumbling as he maneuvers my body, reaching around the large pillow or my bump. By the time we finish, breathless from pleasure and laughter, one of his arms stays settled loosely at my hip and the other twirls pieces of my hair.

“Aren’t you happy I brought the pillow now?” I grin, turning my face to glance at him over my shoulder.

He chuckles as he leaves a chaste kiss against my bare shoulder, “I won’t talk bad about it again, corazón.”

I thought I was big in Canada, waddling through the paddock and hands bracing against my lower back, but Silverstone is an entirely different story. Once I’ve scanned my pass, nearly getting stuck trying to maneuver my way through the turnstile, Carlos forces me to stand and wait with his physio while he jogs off to grab a golf cart from hospitality. Charlotte approaches me with a broad smile, Charles following behind making a cheeky comment about the size of my stomach since he last saw me. She hugs me as best she can, mainly her arms resting on my shoulders.

“How are you feeling about your last race before she’s here?”

Charles looks from his girlfriend to me with a bewildered look, “You’re not coming to the rest of the races?”

“She can’t travel anymore, silly,” Charlotte elbows her clueless boyfriend. “So you’ll have to talk sweet to Carlos in the garage now since she won’t be here.”

“You’re sure you can’t come to any more races for a while?” the Ferrari driver laughs.

I nod my head, hands resting on my stomach, “Going to be busy for a bit, Charles. We’ve been staying with my parents down in Oxford to spend some time together before they go to Madrid with me. Bed rest after this weekend until she’s here. I’m not allowed to travel anymore.”

Carlos whizzes to a stop in front of us, golf cart lurching forward as he presses on the brakes, “The rest of you can pile in the back if you want a ride. The front is reserved for precious cargo.”

I roll my eyes at his comment, and Charles and Carlos’ physio scoff at his comment. The two make comments about how whipped he is, but they climb into the back of the cart nevertheless. Charles pulls Charlotte with him as Carlos helps me into the seat next to me, grasping my hand tightly as I settle into the seat. He peels off down the asphalt once we’re all settled, taking us toward the Ferrari hospitality. My parents are waiting there for us, grinning widely as they watch Carlos help from my seat. My dad makes the comment that his eyes are wide like a kid in a candy store every time he looks at me, and my mom just grins in response, nodding wildly as we come into the suite and greet them. My dad congratulates Carlos on his first pole position for what feels like the thousandth time, and our chatter ping pongs between the looming race and the baby. Eventually, we make our way to the garage after Carlos left to meet with engineers and his physio. I settle in a chair the team prepared for me on his side of the garage with each of my parents standing behind my shoulder. My nerves never settle--not through the formation lap, the opening lap, the red flag, the restart. They fester deep within me, manifesting as fingers picked raw and inner cheek stuck permanently between my teeth. Carlos runs in second, just a few cars width behind Charles, and my mom’s hand grasps my shoulder tightly. The garage is cheering before I’ve even processed what has unfolded on the screen before me. Carlos passes Charles for the lead, and he’s already created a gap. My mouth falls open, tears threatening my eyes as the laps wind down and his lead continues to grow. Ferrari crew rush toward the barrier, climbing the fencing and waving Spanish flags.

When Carlos climbs from the car, my heart leaps in my chest. He launches himself into the arms of his waiting crew--a sea of red cheering and tapping his helmet. Ferrari flags fly, and his cousin nudges him my way after their embrace. My arms curl around his shoulders, and his hands grasp at my back. It’s an awkward hug with his helmet and my bump getting in the way, but it’s a hug we’ve both been wanting for as long as we can remember. I can’t wipe the smile from my face, and my hands hold each side of his helmet as his eyes meet mine through his open visor.

“You did it!” I cheer, face mimicking his smile and wide eyes.

“It’s for us,” he grins, gloved fingers brushing my cheeks. “It was for my girls.”

“God, I love you,” I ramble, hugging him tightly one more time before sending him down the way to celebrate with other Ferrari staff.

The smiles from our faces never fade, and tears threaten my eyes when the Spanish national anthem plays. He is stood on the top step, wrapped in a Spanish flag taking in everything around him. We all cheer loudly when he raises the trophy, and Silvia nudges me with her elbow gently as she whistles. Trying to leave the paddock takes longer than usual with extra interviews and people congratulating Carlos on our way out. Most people share congratulations for his win and a second round when they take in my protruding stomach. My parents take in the sights of the paddock, basking in the glory of the Ferrari hospitality. I can’t help but overhear people telling them about how great Carlos and I are together, and I dare miss the smiles growing on my parents’ faces at that.

The house is quiet as we enter, but our excited chatter fills the empty halls. My mom cuts a small slice of the cake she always buys for Carlos’ visit, and we all celebrate with a piece of dessert before my parents head to bed. I flop onto the couch, propping my feet up on the adjacent cushion. Carlos settles on the other side of me, my shoulder leaning into frame and slinging his arm around me.

“I feel bad that this is how we’re celebrating your first win,” I take a bite of cake from my fork. “You should be out partying with the team, hot girlfriend hanging off your arm, alcohol flowing. Not sitting in your future-in-laws’ house with a slice of cake.”

“Futue-in-laws?” he grins, wagging his eyebrows.

I elbow him gently, “You know what I mean.”

“I wouldn’t choose another way to celebrate, corazón. You’re here. That’s all I need,” he can’t even fight the smile at his cheesy words, but my heart bursts in my chest at his admission. “I’ve got a hot girlfriend on my arm. Cake instead of alcohol. The team can celebrate without me for tonight. I’d rather be here.”

“How do you always know what to say?” I look back at him with a smile.

He shakes his head gently, leaning in to kiss my lips and hand resting on my jaw. He tastes like sweet vanilla and almond--remnants of the frosting still coating his tongue. He sighs gently as I deepen the kiss, and my fingers crawl across his denim-clad thigh. He breaks away first, a gentle scolding ready on the tip of his tongue.

“We can’t,” he sighs regretfully, stopping my wandering hand with his larger one. “You know I’d love nothing more, but we can’t, corazón.”

“Carlos,” I whine, but he just gives me a look that affirms that he’s right. I huff as I lean back into him, head resting against his side as his hand rubs my arm, “Fine. You’re right. I just want you as much as possible before the next few races since I can’t be there.”

“I know, but we can’t. I think your dad secretly wants to kill me still for getting you pregnant. We don’t need to risk being caught in his house, too,” he grins.

I laugh wildly, covering my hand with my mouth as I snort. Carlos laughs along with me, and we soon settle into a comfortable silence in the dim living room. My hand traces his left hand, following veins and tendons across his tanned skin, and his right drags gently up and down my bicep and shoulder. After a while, I’m the first to break the silence around us.

“I’m going to watch every session in Austria and France on the television. I won’t miss a beat.”

He hums in agreement, leaving a kiss against my hair, “I’m going to call every night. A part of me wishes she was here already, but another part of me wants this to last forever.”

I laugh gently, “I can’t wait to not be pregnant anymore. I can finally paint my own toes or put my shoes on myself.”

Carlos chuckles, “That’s true, but I’ll miss seeing you like this. You’re always beautiful, but you’re glowing, amor.”

I kiss the back of his hand gently, “Who do you think she’ll look like?”

He’s silent for a moment, “I hope she looks like you, but maybe with my tan. She’ll be a heartbreaker.”

I laugh at his comment, imagining a little girl with my eyes and his hair, “Hopefully she knows how to be on time. Not too early, not too late.”

Carlos sighs quietly, but I catch it nonetheless, “It’s not too late for me to tell them I’m going to stay home.”

“Carlos, honey,” I start, craning my neck to look into his eyes, “I promise you that you won’t miss anything. Go to Austria, and then we’ll regroup for France. You’re not missing anything.”

My words sink in, and he nods gently as he pulls me up from the couch, “Let’s get to bed. I’m exhausted after today.”

“Can we at least make out a little more before bed? I promise I’ll be good.”

He laughs wildly as he shakes his head, practically forcing me up the stairs, “You’ll be the death of me.”

“Don’t you want to win a second time today?”

Madrid is hot, and the weather annoys me more as the weeks stretch on. By the time I’m 38 weeks, I can’t even see my toes when I stand, and I’m ready to not be pregnant more than ever before. Each day feels like a ticking time bomb--my mood swings or her arrival. So far, my angry outbursts or tearful breakdowns are the only thing happening. My parents stay with Carlos’ parents as they all await the baby’s arrival, and Steven and Marie travel down to a condo with the girls, playing tourist with their dad while their mom acts as my glorified babysitter.

“I still feel so guilty about going,” Carlos mumbles as he stacks his bags by the door.

“I told you to go--it’s your job,” I remind him, feet propped up on the coffee table and hands resting on my bare stomach. “I’ve still got a few days. It’s enough time for you to compete this weekend in France.”

“This can’t be our life right now,” he starts to walk toward me in the Spanish apartment. “This is our baby we’re talking about.”

“And she’s not ready yet,” I remind him, fingers resting on his hand he sets his on my stomach. “She knows you’ve got something important to do, so she’s going to wait until you’re back.”

“You know I’d drop everything for both of you, no?” his voice is gentle and brown eyes soft as he looks at my face.

I nod slowly, smaller hand squeezing his over top of my skin as tears well in my eyes, “I’ve never doubted it, Carlos.”

He leans in to kiss my lips gently, “You promise you’ll call if anything happens. I don’t care if I’m out on the track. Someone will have my phone at all times.”

“Ana or Marie will call before I even know anything is happening,” I chuckle quietly, relishing in his hands in mine. “They aren’t going to let you miss anything.”

His phone buzzes, indicating its time for him to leave for the airport for his short flight to France, “When I come back, you’ll still be pregnant, yeah?”

I laugh, “I promise. You’ll at least get a couple more looks at me like this.”

He grins wildly, “Good.”

Once he’s out of the apartment, I let out a shaky sigh as another contraction grips me. They’re not real--just false labor with the looming arrival. I collapse back to the couch, fingers reaching for my phone as I call Marie. I make her promise not to kill me before I tell her what’s going on, and she starts to scold me over the phone as she grabs a few things before catching a cab to my apartment. Even when she appears at my door, still spewing about how I should have told Carlos before he left, I begrudgingly let her in. I go back to the kitchen, reaching to put clean glasses back in the cabinets.

“I’m positive it’s just Braxton-Hicks contractions,” I start as Marie rushes in the apartment. “Carlos would kill me if I didn’t tell someone, though.”

“As he should!” she screeches, rushing over to me in the kitchen. “Quit putting things away and sit down! There’s a reason I’m here.”

“But you should be back with your own kids,” I whine as she pulls the glass from my hands.

“Your brother can handle those two for a couple hours,” she snaps back, shooing me toward the couch before finishing my work in the kitchen. “He’s got a huge hotel room that Carlos’ parents helped set up for him.”

I huff as I sit back on the couch, feeling another cramp rack my body. I take a sharp breath through my nose, sighing once it ebbs back into the dull pain in my back. Marie walks toward me, hands on her hips as she stands in front of me.

“Was that another one?”

I nod my head gently, “They’ve been coming and going since before Carlos left, but they’re more frequent now.”

She glares at me, “Have you told him?”

“I don’t want him to worry, Marie,” I huff. “I’m fine. My water hasn’t broken. Everything is fine besides whatever these are. It can wait until the weekend is over.”

She plops on to the couch next to me, “We’re going to start timing them, then. Since you want to be stubborn, I’ll play along.”

“As long as you promise not to call Carlos,” I glare at her.

“I’ll call him on the way to the hospital,” she quips back. “Less than five minutes apart, and he’s getting a phone call while I toss your ass in the car.”

Marie leaves only to say goodnight to her kids before coming back to sleep in the guest bedroom. I barely sleep at all, tossing and turning in the empty bed from Carlos’ absence and the aches and pains of my body. In the morning, I waddle toward the bathroom, hands bracing against my back and dark circles under my eyes. The sight before me alarms me--my water broke. Marie is in the kitchen, washing dishes from the small breakfast she made both of us. She glances at me as I waddle in, hands still against my back and a look of terror on my face.

“What’s wrong?”

I sit on one of the barstools, groaning slightly at the pull in my back, “Slept horribly, but it's the same aches and pains.”

She looks at me as she dries one of the dishes, eyebrows furrowed as she tries to figure out what I haven’t revealed to her. I pick my nails nervously, trying to fight the tears pooling in my eyes and attempting to ignore the sharp pull in my abdomen.

She glares at me from across the table, “What aren’t you telling me?”

Tears pool in my eyes as my voice shakes, “I think my water broke.”

“What?” her eyebrows are raised and eyes wide.

“Marie, I-”

She watches as my face contorts as another contraction grips me, the pain continuing for nearly a minute and a half as she times it on her phone. I lean back into the chair when it passes, brushing hair away from my face. Her gaze is gentle when she looks at my appearance, clearly feeling worse than I let on.

“I have to call Carlos,” she says, knowing I’m already going to fight her on it so he doesn’t miss the race. “Babe, you need to call your doctor, and keep timing those contractions. I’m going to call Carlos. I know you feel guilty, but he would kill both of us if I don’t call.”

“Let me see what the doctor says first,” I whisper, tears still threatening to spill over my lashes. “I don’t want to call him yet if they’re going to have me sit here and wait for things to progress.”

In the middle of the call with the doctor, another contraction grips me. Marie picks at her fingernails as she watches me, and the receptionist on the other end asks me details about the timing of everything. After some back and forth with Marie’s input, they ask me to come in as a precaution. I complain about it to Marie, and once she’s dropped my bag by the door, she calls Steven with a desperate plea to come kick my ass since I won’t listen.

“I’ll call Carlos,” my brother threatens over the phone. “I don’t care if he's got a practice session later, and neither will he. You’re being selfish right now.”

“Steven,” my voice suddenly cracks as emotions overwhelm me. “I don’t want to go yet. I can’t do this without him.”

Marie’s eyes are wide at my sudden switch in demeanor, and she suddenly feels guilty as I cry out, “You’re not going to do this without him. This takes time, babe, but you need to be at the hospital in case anything happens. You can’t sit here waiting for Carlos.”

“I told him I’d still be here when he got back,” the panic and fear consume me as I cry. “I promised him he wouldn’t miss anything.”

“He’s not,” Steven’s voice comes over the speaker. “I’d kill him if he did. You could still have days, but I know we’d all feel better if you at least went to the hospital. Come on, they’re waiting for you there.”

The gown is itchy on my skin, and Marie flips the small television monitor to FP1 in France. She makes the call to everyone but Carlos just to let them know I’m in the hospital, and what the doctors had said. Her eyes were wide when they said I was near the end of early labor, and she scolded me for trying to hide the severity of my contractions. When the doctors told me I had about 24 hours, my jaw nearly dropped as tears welled in my eyes. I barely watch the session, instead focusing on breathing through contractions spaced out just enough to keep from raising any alarms and feeling guilty for pulling Carlos away from the race. Marie hands me my phone after Carlos enters the garage, leaving FP1 with a few minutes to spare. It rings for a few moments before Carlos’ trainer Rupert answers. He hears the tears in my voice and immediately starts searching for the Spanish driver.

“Are you okay?” his voice sounds frantic as he is still coming down from driving the car.

“I’m okay, but promise me you won’t freak out,” my voice shakes as I start.

He manages to hold it in, but he’s freaking out. His heart drops into the pit of his stomach, and his mouth goes dry as he waits for me to speak. The adrenaline from the practice session wears off in an instant, and he’s instead left with shaking fingers and a nervous cold sweat.

“Talk to me, corazón,” his voice is calm, but he looks anything but to the people around him.

“So, before you left, I was having some pain. I’m sorry I didn’t tell you, but I didn’t think it was real contractions. They were getting worse, and Marie stayed with me last night. Steven and Marie made me come to the hospital this morning, but only she is allowed to stay with me right now,” my voice is panicked as I speak to him. “Carlos, she’s coming.”

“What?” he struggles to remain calm, and it's evident as I hear shuffling and movement assuming he’s rushing through the garage. “Can I make it? Is she okay? Are you okay?”

Tears starts to pour down my face as I hear his voice, “I’m scared, Carlos. I can’t do this without you.”

“You’re not going to,” he answers without hesitation. “I’m leaving now. I don’t care about the race, corazón, not right now. Just breathe. Talk to me.”

Carlos rushes through the garage and toward his driver’s room. Rupert is not far behind him, helping him to throw stuff into bags and organize the jet back to Madrid. With the phone on speaker as he hurriedly changes out of his fireproofs, Carlos listens as his heart nearly beats out of his chest.

“They think I have about 24 hours before it’s time,” I start, sniffling as Marie steps out into the hallway to give me some privacy. “I’m sorry. I didn’t know what to do. I don’t want you to miss this race and affect your season, but I also can’t do this without you next to me. I’m scared, Carlos. What if I’m not a good mum?”

He shushes me quietly, voice gentle despite his rushing on the other end, “You’ll be a great mum, mi amor. You already are before she’s even here. You’re strong, okay?”

I wipe my eyes, sniffling as I nod my head, “I love you.”

“I love you, too,” he says gently, already grabbing his things and rushing back into the garage. “I’ll be there soon, corazón. I need to tell the team, and then I’m catching the jet. I should be there in five hours at the most.”

The hours stretch with poking and prodding from nurses every time they make their rounds, updating the chart according to contractions and if anything has changed. Marie dials my parents for me, and my mom puts the phone on speaker so that the Sainzs could hear me as well. Our parents were staying together, filling their days with golfing and relaxing in Madrid, but their carefree time quickly ends when I reveal that the baby would be coming soon. They meet up with Steven and my nieces, waiting patiently for any word from me about the baby or Carlos’ arrival. I drift into a fragile sleep here and there, eyes closing just enough to doze before something--usually a contraction--pulls me back into the exhausted state. Marie is my best friend through it all, breathing with me through sharp contractions, managing communications from our family and friends, and calming my anger whenever I’m poked yet again by nurses. She even shows me the statement from Ferrari about Carlos having to miss the race and the rest of the sessions. While they cite personal reasons, its clear to everyone why he is missing the races, and I nearly cry as Marie reads messages and comments of support and well wishes from fans and the F1 community.

When Carlos appears in the doorway, his nervous demeanor melts away as he sees me sleeping lightly on the hospital bed, gown stretched tight across my stomach and mouth tipped open with soft snores. Marie dozes in the chair next to my bed, her head propped up on a sweatshirt and phone resting in her hand. The sky is nearly dark now, and he steps into the dim room quietly, snapping a picture of me and my sister-in-law before gently waking Marie. She grins when she sees him, hugging him before wishing him luck. She looks at me on the bed one more time, voice a barely audible whisper directed at Carlos as she leaves.

“She’ll be so happy to see you when she wakes up,” her smile is barely visible in the dim hospital room. “You’re her everything.”

He nods, whispering back with a soft smile, “They’re mine, too.”

He sits where Marie was sitting, just watching me sleep lightly with a gentle smile on his face. He nods to the nurse when she enters, and he holds back laughter as I start to complain about the interruption as she checks my IV. With eyes still closed, I mumble some half-hearted comment about a pregnant lady wanting sleep, but when I hear the familiar choked laughter, my eyes fly open. Carlos is sitting next to me, dark bags under his eyes and the remnants of worry lines on his forehead, but an easy smile rests on his lips. I greet him excitedly, trying my best to sit up as the nurse pokes and prods at me. He stands as he holds my hand, kissing my forehead gently before stepping out of the nurses way. She shares some information with us, indicating it won’t be long before my contractions get worse and it’ll be time. Carlos fills me in on events of the paddock, recounting his dramatic exit from practice, and he breathes with me or lets me squeeze his hand with a death grip as more intense contractions take root. In the early morning hours, a doctor comes in with an easy smile.

“Are you ready, corazón?” Carlos whispers quietly, still holding my hand and eyes boring into mine.

Where panic previously gripped me, sending a cold sweat across my body and trembling to my limbs, a sense of calm and preparedness take root with Carlos by my side. I nod my head gently, leaning into him when he kisses my forehead. He shoots a text to our families before turning to me with an impenetrable smile.

“I’m here the whole way,” he reassures me as he holds my hand. “Let’s bring our surprise home."

TAG LIST

@lostinketterdam

#carlos sainz jr #Carlos sainz #carlos sainz imagine #carlos sainz fanfic #formula one imagine #formula 1 imagine #formula one x reader #carlos sainz smut #carlos sainz fluff #formula one fluff #formula 1 fluff #taglist

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eddiemunsonw · 1 year

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Paint me red.

PART 2

part 1 - part 2 - part 3 - part 4

Steve Harrington x Fem!Reader

Summary: You're one of Vickie's best friends. Her girlfriend, Robin, is in need of a distraction for her best friend, Steve Harrington, who you vaguely remember from school. Which is where you come in.

CW / Disclaimer: A bunch of cute stuff, just a nice feel good fic about our dear boy Steve.

Author’s note: It was time to write about Steve Harrington, so here it is. Four parts, can find them both on here and on my ao3: eddiemunsons. Enjoy!

Words: (of current chapter) 3261 / (complete fic) 13059

Vickie stood on your doorstep a bit after dinner on Saturday, complimenting you on your outfit immediately. You honestly didn’t think the plain white tee and jeans combo was anything to write home about, but appreciated her kind words. Vickie herself had gone for a blue and purple patterned flower dress along with a baby pink turtleneck. She looked absolutely adorable and straight out of a fairytale.

“I like your boots, by the way. They look a bit like mine don’t you think?” Vickie mentioned as she drove off. While you tried to remember if she was right, you just nodded. Knowing Vickie, it was true.

“Yeah, I think they do. So… are you any good at mini golf?”

“A little. Used to do it a lot as a kid so I know my way around it but some obstacles are very tricky.” She glanced at you from the corner of her eye. “What about you, ready for today?”

“Uh… yeah? It’s just mini golf, right?”

“Mhm, mhm, yes,” Vickie quipped. “That and saying hi to Steve.”

“You make it sound like it’s such a big deal,” you remarked, giving her a raised brow. Vickie shrugged and took a moment to reply as she had to avoid a man on a bike who seemed to have no sense of direction.

“Asshole. Uhm, no it’s not a big deal, I guess. I just feel kind of weird for even asking it, you know? Just wanted to check in with you if you didn’t feel uncomfortable or anything. It’s kind of an odd request to make.”

“Don’t worry about it and anyway, wasn’t it Robin’s idea?”

Vickie nodded. She sighed to herself, her shoulders sagging from relief. It was obvious that she had been overthinking everything, which was something she tended to do a lot. You knew she just needed some extra reassurance sometimes.

“I’ll just say hi, shrug out some hole in ones and earn myself a lasting memory on his retina or something,” you smirked, even though it couldn’t be further from the truth. Apart from the saying hi part.

“Robin would kiss you if you did that. Platonically,” Vickie said, holding up a quick finger and you snorted.

“Right.”

The place was bustling with people. You were quick to notice Robin behind the counter near the mini golf course and you both made your way there. When you reached the counter, you realized you had subconsciously been looking for Steve who seemed to be nowhere in sight. Vickie greeted her with a hug as soon as the customers in front of you had gone.

“Hi,” Robin said to you, a reserved smile on her face.

“Hi!” you greeted her back, your eyes briefly falling on her fidgeting hands. While Robin and Vickie fall into easy conversation, you look around the place. You hadn’t been there before, though you’d always been curious what it would be like. The whole place seemed to be in a sort of purple-bluish hue. The barriers separating the course from the path were decorated in bright neon pink, yellow and green. The paths were a mix of blue and purple as well, muted but kind of sparkly. The seating was more of a lavender shade, at least in this light. Suddenly, your eyes fell on a similar shade of lavender T-shirt that disappeared into a pair of black jeans followed by white sneakers. Glancing upwards again, you spotted his name tag, which got closer and closer until he was close enough for you to be able to read his name off of it. You turned your head again to listen to Robin who was talking about a weird customer from that afternoon. While smiling politely to convey that you were listening, your glance drifted to the nearest couple playing mini golf. It wasn’t until you felt a little nudge against your upper arm that you lifted your head to look up at him, as the angle made it obvious it was Steve doing it. He looked down at you and gave you the subtlest wave with his hand.

“Hey, I’m—”

“Steve,” you finished for him, giving him an easy smile. “I’m—”

“Y/N,” Steve interrupted you with a soft smile. “Nice to see you again. It’s been a while.” For a moment, you could only stare up at him with a blank expression. The last thing you expected was for him to remember you. The most words you had ever exchanged was when he asked for a pen one day. How in the world did he remember you? You weren’t exactly known for your popularity, hair or the amount of women you had given a good time in your high school years.

“Uhm, yeah, sure has,” you said awkwardly, feeling your mouth subdue into a thin lipped smile. Steve combed his fingers through his hair once and nodded.

“Yeah. I should uh— get back to the— over there.” He was gone even quicker than he had arrived. You watched him walk back towards the course and quickly turned to the girls.

“Well that was…”

“Painful,” Robin finished Vickie’s words, a dead panned expression on her face. You scrunched up your nose and sighed.

“What else did you expect?” you asked. Robin shrugged, though a tiny smile was tugging at her lips as she glanced over at Steve. You followed her gaze curiously, only to find Steve staring at you and quickly averting his eyes as he stumbled over an obstacle in the course.

“Nothing. Although, on the other hand, exactly that,” Robin said as she gestured towards Steve dismissively. “He’s got a weak spot for sex on legs.”

“I am anything but sex on legs,” you retorted with a frown.

“You have boobies. That’s all he needs,” Robin sighed. “Don’t tell him I said that.”

“Your secret’s safe with me,” you shrugged. Vickie giggled and nudged Robin’s arm and pointed at the wall behind her.

“Could you give us your finest putters? I want to impress someone.”

Robin smiled and shook her head.

“You picked the wrong girl if you think you can impress me with sports, Vic,” she remarked dryly although her expression was quite fond when she handed her a putter and a ball before handing you a putter as well.

“Who says it was about sports?” Vickie teased, leaving her with a wink. “Just have to make sure I look my best.”

“Oh— r-right,” Robin stammered, a flush creeping on her cheeks at the winking. “Have fun!” Vickie blew her a kiss and then hooked her arm through yours to guide you to the first hole. The first five were manageable. You got them in two or three tries at the most. The sixth was already trickier, but it started to feel impossible around number ten, where you basically had to make the ball fly into a net for it to land in the hole. Even after all ten tries, neither you or Vickie had managed to get it in, so you just went to the next. A few obstacles later Robin came over to see how you were doing (and to flirt with her girlfriend), which was the perfect opportunity for you to take a quick bathroom break.

“Where’s the bathroom?” you asked them, already looking around.

“Oh, it’s a bit of a maze here, but Steve’s going as well so if you just follow him, you’ll find it,” Robin said as she pointed her finger towards a retreating lavender shirt. You nodded, handed your putter to Vickie and quickly paced your steps to catch up. The DGMG was bigger than you expected it to be from the outside. You passed an arcade, a bowling hall and a paintball arena by the time Steve finally opened a door to the— What?

Light nearly blinded you after walking in the dark hallway and you watched the door close before you reached it, as you had kept some distance between the two of you to not seem weird. However, when you followed him, you realized the blinding light hadn’t just been a couple of intense tl lights but in fact, the sun going down in the distance. Steve was fiddling to wiggle something out of his inner pocket and didn’t hear the door open and close again. Feeling a little stupid, you couldn’t help but state the obvious.

“This is not the bathroom.”

“Jesus Christ!”

Startled, Steve turned around to face you, the cigarette he had just stuck between his lips threatening to fall. His quick reflexes prevented that. Once your eyes had adjusted to the bright light coming from the low sun, you realized you were in the private parking lot for the employees, from the looks of it. Steve rested against a low wall that followed the length of the building behind you apart from a gap where employees could walk through to get to their cars.

“Sorry— Robin said I’d find the bathroom if I followed you because… you were going to the bathroom?” you said awkwardly. Steve pressed his lips together, looking caught.

“Which… you weren’t. Okay. Uh, I’ll just walk back to where I came from,” you added awkwardly when he didn’t say a word.

“Do you want one?” he asked, holding his pack out to you. You shook your head with a polite smile. The last time you tried smoking had been at a party a couple years ago and you weren’t about to start a whole coughing fit in front of him.

“I’m good, thank you.”

Steve nodded and lit his own cigarette, making sure he didn’t blow the smoke in your face as he exhaled. You crossed your arms as you let your eyes adjust to the light while you watched him.

“Rob doesn’t know I still smoke. I told her I’d quit. So I uh… didn’t tell her when I didn’t. Can we…?” he pleaded, not even finishing the sentence.

“It’s our little secret,” you offered and he smiled gratefully.

“She thinks it’s disgusting, which it is, to be fair… But that clearly didn’t stop me,” he adds with a shrug.

“I’m not a huge fan of it either,” you admitted. “I don’t care either way though, people should do whatever. Sometimes it looks hot.” The statement was followed by a shrug of your shoulders and when Steve’s eyebrows raised up to his hairline long before his smirk appeared, you realized what you said.

“I mean—”

“Only sometimes?” Steve interrupted you with a curious smirk. You watched as he wrapped his lips around his cigarette again, inhaling, holding, exhaling, all while looking at you and awaiting your answer.

“Well, yeah. It looks weirdly attractive sometimes,” you admit reluctantly, “don’t know how they do it.”

“Hmm. So…? How do I do?” he asked, his head slightly tilted to the left.

“Are you asking me if you’re an attractive smoker?” you asked, raising your brow. You wondered briefly how words tumbled out of your mouth so easily in front of him. You felt relaxed around him, somehow.

“That’s… exactly what I’m asking, yes.” A dry chuckle escaped him and he shook his head, as if he couldn’t really believe himself. “Forget about it, I was joking.”

“Hmm.” You smiled at him and uncrossed your arms while you moved a few steps to the left so that you could stop squinting against the sun. It was mostly behind the trees by now but some persistent sun beams managed to shine through.

“How’s mini golf going?”

“I suck. No idea about the score though. Ever since ten it went downhill. Though that one was harder than the three after that for sure.”

“Ten is a mean one. I could show you how it’s done sometime, if you like. Once you get it, you’ll never miss again.”

“Last time I heard you’re not allowed to pick up the ball and put it in the hole,” you remarked jokingly, causing him to grin at you.

“I am hurt you think I’d cheat,” he feigned. “No, there's a way. An actual, honest to god, putter smashing the ball kinda way.”

“Alright then. I think you should show me sometime. Before that, though. Could you maybe show me to the bathroom? Whenever you’re done with paving the road towards your lungs, that is.”

Steve smirked and gave you a nod. “Yeah, gotta pass by there anyway to freshen up. Add some deodorant to mask all this.”

“You’re really going out of your way, huh? Don’t you think she’ll smell it regardless?” you asked, one eyebrow raised. Steve shrugged and took a last drag of his cigarette before dropping it and crushing it under his shoe.

“She’s never mentioned it. Let’s go back in.” He pushed himself off the wall and held the door open for you with a gentlemanly gesture before following you inside. You had no clue how you got from outside to the bathroom as it was, in fact, a maze, but Steve promised he’d wait and lead you back. You were just relieved you only needed to pee. His face lit up when you emerged again and he definitely smelled like some strong deodorant to the point that it caught in your throat a little. Smelled nice, but deadly.

“I think the only reason why she might not have smelt it is because she doesn’t dare to approach you any closer than this in fear of suffocation,” you remarked as you took a slow, deep breath. Steve knit his brows together in a frown only for a moment before he grinned. You wondered why words tumbled out of your mouth so easily with him. Normally you wouldn’t dare say anything that could be taken the wrong way with a relatively ‘new’ person. You still considered him new since you had never really talked.

“That… is possible,” he laughed. “If it works, it works, I guess. Can you smell anything, though? Might as well find out once and for all.” He stared at you expectantly and you inhaled through your nose, really making a show of it. A giggle escaped his lips but it died in his throat quickly when you stepped closer and inhaled again, your chest nearly bumping into his. You took a small step back so you could look up at him.

“Exhale?” you murmured, wondering where the sudden confidence came from. Steve’s lips parted in surprise but he did as you said and exhaled, eyes fixated on yours.

“Hmm… gum is advised,” you opted casually and you revealed a pack of gum from your pocket. “Can definitely smell some smoke.”

Hesitantly, Steve held open his hand and popped the gum into his mouth after you dropped one into his hand.

“Thanks. For the gum, and your surprising honesty,” he mumbled, a soft smile on his lips. His smile was reciprocated by one of your own as you stepped back and took a piece of gum as well.

“My pleasure. Honesty goes a long way.”

Before you could get back to Robin and Vickie, Steve was interrupted by a customer and he smiled at you apologetically as he walked away. The girls were already in sight and you could admire his pretty backside while he walked away so in that sense it didn’t matter, but you still wished you could have talked for a little longer.

He was nice, apparently.

“There you are! I thought the bathrooms had changed into a black hole or something, sucking you away from us,” Vickie pouted, though you didn’t miss her quick glance towards Steve’s retreating figure. “What took you so long?”

Robin eyed you curiously as well and you just shrugged.

“Oh, we just got distracted talking. He waited for me so I could find my way back,” you explained. Robin narrowed her eyes at you suspiciously and Vickie quickly chimed in.

“What did you guys talk about?” she asked in her usual, chipper voice.

“Oh, uhh… everything and nothing, I guess?” you replied while you clawed at your brain trying to remember what you actually did talk about apart from smoking.

“Golf!” you suddenly exclaimed loudly, happy to remember it. “We talked about mini golf. About the one with the net.”

“Steve’s good at that one,” Robin nodded and then glanced over to the counter. “I have to get back, work,” she mumbled before she spared a sweet smile for Vickie which she then granted you as well. “Have fun.”

Together with Vickie you finished the other obstacles and in the end, Vickie won with three points. In all fairness, both of you sucked at it and it wasn’t exactly a score to be proud of for either of you. You’d had fun though, and that was what mattered. Both Robin and Steve were at the counter, cleaning off the balls and putter handles.

“... away for a while,” you heard Robin say as you approached. Robin glanced at you for a moment before focusing on the putter in her hand again. Steve hadn’t heard you approach as he was very stubbornly rubbing the ball in his hand.

“Yeah, I picked up trash on the way to throw it outside and that’s when we ran into each other, so we just chatted.”

“Oh, you met outside?” Robin asked, a smile playing on her lips as she looked up at you again. You had a feeling she was trying to catch you both on something so you quickly cleared your throat and put both you and Vickie’s putter onto the counter, along with the ball.

“Hi, here to return these.”

Steve looked up immediately, lips parted in surprise. Vickie suppressed a giggle as Robin gave her a look. His expression relaxed into a smile and he took the putters from the counter.

“Thanks. Hope you had fun?” Steve asked, glancing at both you and Vickie. The redhead nodded brightly and nudged you with her elbow.

“Maybe we can convince her to join us for paintball sometime? We’ve talked about needing a fourth person before, so…”

“And your kids are way too aggressive,” Robin said with a quick glance to Steve.

“Your kids?” you asked curiously.

“Long story,” Steve shrugged. “Just a bunch of kids a couple years younger than us that I unironically seem to babysit without the actual babysitting part. Although—”

“That does not make sense to anyone Steve,” Robin sighed. “Point is, they’re too passionate about winning. Last time we did that I had bruises everywhere.”

“Are you up for it?” Vickie asked you as she used her pleading puppy eyes. “It’ll be so much fun! Me and Rob against you and Steve—”

“Hold on, we already decided on teams now?” Steve asked quickly, glancing from you, to Robin and lastly to Vickie. You put your hands on your waist.

“What, you don’t want me on your team?” you teased. Steve rolled his eyes, huffing out a quick laugh as he shook his head.

“That’s not it, I was just surprised, alright. Anyw—”

“Alright, that’s settled then!” Vickie interjected, too excited to hold back. “How about next weekend?”

“We both have shifts all weekend. Thursday evening could work, though?” Robin proposed, looking at Steve for confirmation. He shrugged.

“You know my schedule better than I do, so I guess I’m available, sure,” he smirked.

“Thursday evening it is,” you nodded, smiling softly as your eyes met with his.

After you said your goodbyes, Vickie and you left the DGMG and she only managed to not mention it until the second you were back in her car.

“So! You and Steve…”

Next part

#steve harrington #steve harrington x reader #steve harrington x you #steve harrington x fem!reader #stranger things fanfics

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juicypassionfruit · 2 years

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Golf Course Shenanigans

Summary: Ryan is a regular at the golf course Y/n works at

Warnings: creepy older man, swearing, pretty fluffy

Working at the golf course was great for the most part. The job was simple: drive the cart around and ask if anyone wanted anything to drink. Easy enough. When some of the older men had a few drinks in them, they'd shamelessly flirt. Of course what else was Y/n supposed to do especially when she knew they'd tip so well. Using this to her advantage she flashed a smile and laughed at the stupid jokes they made.

When old men weren't taking over the course, there were high schools that played their matches. Alcohol wasn't the only thing she served so she'd always make sure to ask if the coaches and students wanted anything to drink. Very rarely would anyone her age come to play a few holes. The only people who did were some guys Y/n knew from high school. Normally running into someone wasn't too bad and not as awkward as she thought. With these four, it was beyond awkward. She never knew exactly what to say to them or how to act. To make things worse most of the time they were fucking around and messing up the grass, which of course she'd have to stay later to fix.

Bam was the ring leader, always bringing the other three with him wherever he went. Ryan was his right-hand man. Y/n knew Ryan from a few classes they shared. They sat near each other sometimes making small talk a few times about a project they had been partnered up to do. Raab and Dico were there for the chaos. To create and to watch. She didn't know anything else about them just the fact that they were always with Bam when she'd see them. They were sweet but only when they wanted to be. Most of the time they were dicks even to each other.

The morning weather was cold, making the day go by as slow as ever. As she drove the cart to the next hole two men waved her down, before teeing off. Y/n pulled up as close as she could and smiled at them. "Morning gentlemen. What can I get ya?"

"Is it too early for a corona?" One man laughed elbowing his friend who laughed and replied, "Only if it's on your tab." There were plenty of funny things they could've said but they had to go with the corniest one. She fake laughed and got out of the cart, making sure her skirt wasn't too high up. At the back of the cart were the coolers filled with drinks. She opened them and listed what was there. "I don't see any coronas. I can go grab a few for you if you'd like 'n keep them cool for you." The man was really nice and shook his head letting her know that the beer that was already there was perfect.

After helping them, she stayed put till they went off to the next hole. A group was behind them so she knew to stay just in case they wanted anything. As the group approached she heard loud laughter and yelling. When she looked over her shoulder she saw Bam and the others, recklessly driving and bumping into each other. "Who would give any of them carts?" She mumbled to herself turning the cart on to pull away, unfortunately, she was too late. Bam parked his cart in front of her and Ryan was behind her.

"Morning sunshine" Bam grinned and she sighed. "What do you want?" Her arms folded over her chest and she leaned back into the seat in defeat.

"Is this how you treat your customers?" He put his hand over his heart, faking offense. Ryan got up and stood right next to her, "I mean we all saw how you acted when you were helping out those two guys."

"So what. They tip me pretty good and all I have to do is smile and laugh." Y/n shrugged with a smirk on her face, realizing her job was as easy as it gets.

"Maybe we'll tip! I mean how would you know if you don't act like that with us?" There was no arguing his point because it was true. With no place to go, she got out of the cart and listed the drinks she had in the coolers, making sure to smile. "See that wasn't so hard was it?" Bam chimed in.

"Are you even old enough to drink, Bam?" He rolled his eyes mumbling an 'almost'. Ryan laughed. She didn't know what exactly he was laughing at though. Her or Bam's reaction. Not thinking about it too much she assumed it was because of Bam.

After getting them a few drinks and sneaking Bam a beer, they finally started the hole. "Well, I gotta go. See you guys whenever." Before she drove off Ryan told her to stop. "Don't think I didn't forget your tip." He grinned putting something in her hand. When she looked at what it was she couldn't help but laugh. A single dollar bill. What a dick. "Thanks, asshole." She smiled and drove off. Of course, Ryan planned to tip her more later but he thought it'd be funny to give her the dollar first. If she couldn't take the joke he wouldn't think to do it because it could be misinterpreted, but she knew him well enough to know that it was a harmless joke.

Before she ran out of any more drinks, Y/n drove back to the clubhouse to refill the coolers. There she talked to her co-workers. Making fun of the men and complaining about Bam. As she drove back the first group called her over. It wasn't unusual for people to want another beer or even switch to water so she pulled over and asked if they needed anything.

"Y'know, you were giving those boys a little more attention than us. I'm starting to get jealous." Unfamiliar with this kind of altercation, she tried to play it off like she had no favorites. Although Y/n would choose those goofballs over sleazy old men any day. "I just refilled the coolers if you guys want any other drinks?" Her nice smile wasn't whisking away the problem as she had hoped. "What I want is for you to do your job and serve us. Just us."

"Well my job is to drive around offering everyone drinks so I cant-"

"We pay your bills not them or anyone else. What do I have to do, buy you for some decent service?" He laughed at his own 'joke'. Y/n was enraged, rightfully so. If she wasn't at work she'd say a thing or two to this loser, but she stayed professional. "You can go up to the clubhouse if you want anything else to drink. The cart isn't open for either of you anymore."

The man started yelling and throwing his clubs around. Y/n stood her ground and folded her arms, watching the man in complete shock at this man's childish behavior. At the corner of her eye, she saw Ryan and Bam driving towards them with Raab and Dico. And for some strange reason, she felt relieved. Yeah, they were dicks but never disrespectful to her. The four of them walked up to her making sure she was okay. The men quickly left after they showed up.

"Assholes." Ryan rolled his eyes, "What'd you do to piss him off?" Y/n explained the odd experience still trying to make some sense out of it herself. "Long story short he saw me with you guys and got jealous." The guys started making fun of him and laughing uncontrollably. It made her feel better that they were around to laugh at the situation. Bam got back in his cart and Dico slid into the seat next to him. Raab jumped on the back and started yelling for Bam to drive. As they drove off Ryan sighed, "You sure you're alright?"

"Yeah. It was uncomfortable but I'm glad you were there. All of you." She clarified. He laughed. This time she knew for sure it was because of her. It felt nice knowing someone else who's funny finds her funny.

"Do you like bowling?" He asked her and she looked up at him in confusion. His question was random and had no correlation to anything that was said. "I guess." She shrugged. "We're bowling tonight. Well, Bam is. We plan to throw bowling balls at him. You should come."

When she didn't immediately say yes. He shrugged, "Or I can take you out? And no, Bam won't be there." She smiled and lightly shoved him, "I wasn't going to ask that, but whatever you wanna do. I'll be there"

"Good now I can finally get your number so we won't have to come here so much."

Ryan chose bowling. It was easy-going and fun. First dates are supposed to be one on ones where you get to know the other person by talking, but that always intimidated her. She liked the idea of just having fun, with no pressure.

"Watch." He whispered in her ear as he snuck up behind Bam with a ball in his hand. He rolled it into his ankle making Bam fall over with a groan. They erupted in laughter. Bam stood back up and started chasing poor Raab and Dico with it.

"There's an arcade we can play some games if you want?" Ryan suggested and she nodded. They walked over to where the games were, immediately drawn to the air hockey table. Without any words, they both got on either side of the table. Ry put a few quarters in and the puck came out on Y/n's side. She grabbed it and placed it on the table that was now shooting air from it. "Ready?" He nodded his head, confident in his playing ability. The game went back and forth, only missing a few shots each. They were equally matched. "Sorry sweetheart. I'm not gonna let you win."

She laughed loudly, "I don't need your help to win" The paddle in her hand hit the puck into his goal, winning the game. He cursed loudly with a smile stuck on his face. "Yeah yeah. What about basketball?"

"Do you wanna lose to that too?" She joked making him roll his eyes, but they still made their way over to the two machines with hoops in them. Y/n wasn't particularly the best at the game but if she was confident enough she could beat him. They put some quarters in the slot and watched the basketballs roll to their hands. "Oh come on, Dunn!" Bam and the others came up from behind them to watch. As the time ran out Ryan was in the lead and actually had a winning shot. Y/n scored a few more times before the game ended. "A fuckin tie?! You both suck" Ryan pushed Bam to shut him up.

As they walked back to the bowling alley, Y/n spotted a photo booth. Ry saw it as soon as they walked over there, but he didn't want to say anything unless she did. When he noticed her looking at it he lightly nudged her and tilted his head towards it, asking if she wanted to go in. They quietly left the others and went into the booth.

He put in a five and watched as the timer counted down from five. He wrapped his arm around her pulling her closer to him. They both smiled at the camera and waited for the flash. In the next photo, Y/n placed her hand on one cheek while she kissed the other. At the last second, Ryan turned his head, kissing her lips gently. The timer stopped right before she pulled away in shock. Instinctively she leaned in to kiss him. This time his hand was placed under her jaw with his thumb on her cheek. It was picture-perfect until the guys found them and interrupted. "Fuck off!" Ryan tried to push them out but failed.

When they all got out, they checked the pictures. Y/n was pleased and even liked the ones with Bam Raab and Dico. Her smile was satisfied enough for Ryan not to kick their asses for ruining the moment.

On the way home, Ryan promised they wouldn't be there for their second date. "I want to give you a real kiss after our date and I don't need those idiots fucking it up." She just smiled and laughed.

#ryan dunn #dico #ryan dunn x reader #jackass #jackass fanfic #bam margera #raab himself

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indiegamesofcolor · 2 years

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[I.D.: A gifset containing four gifs of the low-poly game WHAT THE GOLF?

Gif 1 shows a man playing golf. He swings golf club back, but instead of hitting the ball, he is launched forward and hits the tee box with a confetti-filled impact.

Gif 2 shows three scenes. In one scene, the player flips a house to move it across a golf course. The next scene shows a yellow monster truck driving thorugh a different golf course as several wrecking balls swing around it. The last scene shows a 2D platformer style stage where a man rides a bike and flips in the air across hilly terrain.

Gif 3 shows two scenes. In one scene, a golf ball is fired towards a green tube while a building fills the sky with smog in the background. In the other scene, the golfball is launched on a regular golf course, striking a car and the car rolls towards the teebox and causes several barrels to explode as it falls off a cliff.

Gif 4 shows three scenes. In one scene, the gameplay is similar to the Guitar Hero games and shows the golf ball trying to hit buttons on a lined path while a character rides a horse in the background to beams of light. The other scene shows a regular golf course, except the tee box moves aside when the golf ball rolls towards it and hits a bush instead. The last scene shows a car being catapulted over another golf course while doing many flips in the air.

end I.D.]

WHAT THE GOLF? is an absurd golf game for people who hate golf! Build levels or complete daily courses as you complete puzzles and challenges full of surprises. With 500 creative levels, try Sporty Sports, It’s Snowtime, A Hole New World, or other incomprehensible levels that make use of toasters, hot dogs, office chairs, and more!

For Mac, Windows, Linux, iOS, Apple Arcade, and Nintendo Switch.

Developed by Triband, a studio based in Copenhagen, Denmark that worked with Kayode Shonibare-Lewis, a half Nigerian and half Welsh developer currently teaching game design in Sweden. He has also given a talk called “Racial Bias, Reverse Heredity and the Parents of Custom Avatars” about the presence of racial biases within customizeable avatars in games.

#comedy #physics #golf #simulation #indie games #video games #satire #parody #adventure #black devs #windows games #Mac games #linux games #mobile games #switch games #nigerian devs #sports

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gameboy-berry · 7 months

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Been thinking about Toontown and the Cogs then I realized that of the asshole type object show hosts, pre-Rainy Day(?) Gold Ingot would definitely qualify as one the most. Gold Ingots are often seen in cartoons and associated with banks and wealthy people. He fits the Bossbot bill to a tee... Not to mention golf moves are consistent with the stronger Bossbot ones... And Gold Ingot was shown to have golfing as one of his hobbies in Take Two. I feel the pre-BFB technology hosts would probably fit more in with the private servers that have custom content rather than the original itself....TTO was made back when the technology most of these guys are based on weren't even a thing.

#berrybytes #.txt #his cog name? golden rule for sure #gold ingot ppt2

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skyler10fic · 1 year

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To Have and to Hold: Ch. 2 Venue Adventures

Carol and Daisy have three available locations in mind for their wedding. Join them as they find the one that is just right for them!

Read on Ao3

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The first thing to decide on was the location, which would determine the exact weekend around “early June” as their timeframe. Unfortunately, they discovered, four months was cutting it close for most venues. Three spots on their list, however, still had openings, so Carol and Daisy rearranged their schedules to visit them as soon as possible on the last Saturday in February. At least it was a sunny, comparatively warm one for the season.

First up was a barn-style venue at a country club. The manager picked them up from the front office in a golf cart and drove them around the property for what seemed like ages. Despite the warmth of the sun when they were standing still, the biting wind made the ride seem longer.

“We’re so glad y’all could come out here!” the manager shouted over the noise of the motor and wind in a thick Tennesee accent. “It’s been busy busy busy. We are filling up with events left and right.”

They finally arrived at the end of the winding trail to a little walking path. Golfers in sweaters taking advantage of the rare sunny winter day waved as they walked passed, and gorgeous huge trees lined the green.

“This is nice,” Daisy said optimistically. “I like the landscaping and everyone seems friendly.”

“Oh yes,” the manager confirmed. “We all watch out for each other too.” She waved at some golfers who waited until they had passed to tee off. “It’s just around here now.”

She led them around a curve in the path and through some trees to reveal a rustic-chic barn and open lawn area.

“This is where we put the buffet area,” she said gesturing to a concrete slab with poles to support hanging lanterns. “And this is great for a photo booth!”

Carol wandered away a bit, drawn by the sound of a nearby creek.

“Oh no!” the manager shouted. “Honey, come back on this side of the fencing.” She frantically waved to the whitewashed wood, unfortunately missing a few sections, that lined the wedding area as a golf ball whizzed past Carol’s head.

Carol’s heart raced as she quickly and carefully made her way back to the manager and to Daisy’s side.

“I don’t think this is going to work,” Daisy concluded. “What if one of our guests got hit by a ball?”

The manager pasted on a customer service smile. “We do have a teensy waver for them to sign, but we can always add some decorations or signage to help keep them in the reception area. Before you make any decisions, let’s see the inside!”

Carol and Daisy exchanged silent looks behind her back as she led them into the barn. They would be hypocritical to be disappointed, as it was exactly what it said on the tin. Artistically arranged horseshoes, branding iron marks, and taxidermied cattle heads decorated the painted gray walls, with knotted, uneven reclaimed wood flooring and a white wagon wheel table at the entrance “for the guest book!” as the manager explained in delight.

“The website was less…” Carol faltered. “Western?”

The manager tsked and waved dismissively. “Oh we haven’t updated that yet to reflect the redesign, but themed weddings are so popular these days, and did you know we’re the only Western aesthetic venue in the region?! Of course, you can always tone it down if cowgirl isn’t your style. The longhorns are removable, for an extra fee for labor, and we have some nice floral paintings or some ironwork light fixtures with electric candles, whatever your taste. The space is very adaptable.”

The tension hung in the air as they tried to find a way to politely refuse. Daisy walked around the barn to give it full consideration. They only had three choices, so if the others turned out to be worse, she wanted to make sure they could make this one work.

Unfortunately, she was distracted in this thought process by wall decor with “Live, Laugh, Love” underscored by hunting rifles under each word, and she tripped over a knot in the wood, knocking over a three-foot-tall metal silhouette of a cowboy and cowgirl in a romantic embrace.

“Sorry! Sorry.” She tried to right the artwork and noticed she’d chipped the paint on the cowboy’s hat where it hit the ground. She grimaced and whirled back around to rush to Carol’s side. “You know, we’d really better be going.”

Carol took the hint and looked at her watch. “Oh, yes, we have another appointment, and with the ride back, we better go now to not be late. This looks, it’s very… aesthetic, as you said!”

Daisy pressed her lips into a smile and nodded and hummed in agreement. The manager surrendered in disappointment and led them back to the golf cart.

“Oh, watch out!” She stopped them just in time as a golf ball flew overhead. “Clive’s been losing his sight, poor man, but we can’t tell him not to come. His father was one of the founders of the club! So we just have to be extra careful on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays.”

Carol and Daisy sent each other another silent message with raised eyebrows. A Saturday wedding was their goal, assuming it would allow more guests to make it.

Back at their car after a long walk and golf cart ride, Daisy and Carol closed their doors and exhaled.

“So.” Daisy put the key in the ignition and started the car. “Safety seemed like a concern.”

“Right. And, as hot as cowgirls are, maybe not our ideal wedding aesthetic,” Carol emphasized and they both let out a giggle they’d been holding in.

“Okay, so we’re agreed. Not our scene.” Daisy backed out of the parking spot and drove on to the main road. “Though I will take note of the hot cowgirl comment for other activities.”

She glanced briefly over to Carol, who bit her lip as her imagination filled in the blanks.

“Yes, please. But next up is…” Carol announced as she programmed the address into her phone’s GPS app, “The Church of Love, a remodeled cathedral-style venue that doubles as a popular neighborhood bar, with live music, food, and drinks, drinks, drinks.” She paused, amused. “It says it three times like that. Drinks drinks drinks. There’s more information about the types of alcohol they offer than the space itself or the pricing or what’s included.”

Daisy sighed. “Yeah, I’m hoping they have more details in person. I mean, obviously, they are a bar, so that’s their business, but it would be good to know what ballpark we’re talking here budget-wise.”

Carol shrugged. “Probably standard to not have it on their website. Most places didn’t either. But like, do they work with caterers, do they provide a sound system…”

“It didn’t have many pictures either. Most of them were of the stained glass windows so I didn’t get a good sense of the space.”

They drove up to the steepled building with neon signs out front and beer ad banners flapping in the wind. It was only 2 p.m., so the parking lot was empty, save one car at the far end. They got out and knocked on the huge wooden doors, trying to avoid the judgmental gaze of the gargoyles and other creatures above and around them.

“Hey!” called a man with spiky white hair wearing a Hawaiian shirt in 40-degree weather. “That’s just for show. Entrance is over here.” He pointed to a normal-sized metal door on the side of the church and walked inside, so they followed. The entryway and lobby were dark, but the man flipped on lights and unlocked doors as he went, clearly in charge of the facility.

“Hi, hey,” Daisy greeted as they caught up with him. “We have an appointment to talk about having a wedding here? Are you Jack?”

“Jackie,” the man corrected, “Jack was my dad. And he’d be rolling over in his grave if he knew what I’d done to his church and hosting marriages between…” Jackie looked back at them, stopped himself, and had a wheezing coughing fit. “Sorry, nothing contagious, just believe ‘em when they say smoking’s bad for ya, kids.” He coughed again and Carol and Daisy tried not to visibly recoil.

He opened a final door and swept his arm around. “Here it is!” The first thing they noticed was the pride he took in it. The second as they stepped into the former sanctuary was the giant stained glass rose windows above with rows and rows of narrow panes of stained glass just below, throwing light all around them.

“Whoa,” Daisy smiled. “Okay, that’s cool.”

“Oh!” Carol lowered her gaze to see an equally huge bar counter under one of the windows. Neon lights lined the shelves full of tequila and vodka and beers of every variety and more. “Right here in the space.”

“Convenient, right?” Jackie waggled his eyebrows. “Wait ‘til you see this.” He pressed a remote and a disco ball descended from one of the archways. Then another. And another.

Daisy scrunched her nose in the way she did when she was trying not to be rude. “So, we were thinking the reception and the ceremony would be in different rooms. Is there anything like that?”

Jackie raised his hands in peace, “Okay, okay, I see where you’re coming from. We have these partitions built in for this.” He walked to one of the walls at the narrow midsection of the sanctuary and folded out hinged room dividers, and the other on the other side. “Back when this was a fancy church, they’d’ve had the choir up here, see, and the people in the back in what’s now the reception space.”

“Party in the back, got it,” Daisy confirmed. She followed Carol to the front where the altar still stood.

Jackie’s phone rang and he walked away for a moment.

Standing before the altar, Daisy followed Carol’s gaze up to the massive crucifix, complete with with Christ’s dying body carved in marble. Carol shivered. Daisy soothed her back. “You okay?”

Carol huffed out a half-laugh and turned to face the sanctuary. “Yeah, I’m fine. It’s weird, though. I can’t decide if it’s too holy or not enough.”

Daisy noticed below the stained glass but above the party scene, another row of gargoyles and angels stared down at them. “On paper, it sounds so cool. But in reality, it just doesn’t feel right, does it?”

They noted the way Jackie’s voice carried as he ranted to someone on the phone, echoing throughout the sanctuary even though he was far on the other side.

Carol shrugged and gestured loosely to the marble bar counter with over a dozen marble stools and a whole wall of bottles. “It does seem like a cool bar concept. But maybe not for our wedding?”

“Nah.” Daisy waved to Jackie, who waved back. She wasn’t entirely sure if he understood that they were leaving, but it didn’t matter anyway. “On to lucky number three!”

The third venue had said to call first, so Carol talked to the receptionist who told them to come and reassured them that they would love the space, but that the venue’s manager was out dealing with an urgent situation and would meet them there as soon as she was available.

“Sounds like we have some time,” Carol said to Daisy after hanging up. “Wanna get coffee first?”

“God, yes.” Daisy pulled into a Starbucks and they went in for a rest stop and refreshments in their long afternoon.

Carol nibbled her thumbnail as they waited for their drinks. “What if this next one is another bust? What’s after that?”

Daisy blew out her lips. “We go back to the drawing board, I guess. Maybe some of the ones that said they were full have cancellations or a waiting list? Wedding venues must have cancellations all the time, right, with people changing their dates or whatever?”

The barista called Carol’s name and she stepped up to take her drink, thank them, and wait for Daisy’s. Then she had an idea. “We could get creative, maybe somewhere we’re not thinking of? Somewhere not on the usual lists.”

The barista called out a drink for Tracey. Carol made sure they didn’t accidentally mean Daisy, but no, a Tracey stepped up to get an iced coffee.

“Sorry, that’s mine,” Tracey said as Carol moved out of the way.

“Iced coffee in February,” Daisy remarked, “that’s something I would do.”

Tracey gave a little smile in response, then asked, “Hey, were you talking about wedding venues? I didn’t mean to overhear, just my wife and I got married last spring at a great place.”

With that sentence, Tracey had their attention. “We’d love any recommendations at this point,” Daisy confessed. “We’re aiming for June, and most places are booked already.”

Tracey searched in her phone for the information for the venue and showed them her screen. “Here, try this one. Gorgeous landscaping, right on this pond, there’s a wedding chapel and then an outdoor space and a reception hall with a kitchen. It’s owned by the city parks department, but as long as you bring in all your own people—photography, catering, deejay, whatever—and clean up when you’re done, it’s a good place to look into. We loved it.”

“Thank you!” Carol typed the name of the venue and the city parks website came up with a page for the park it was in.

“Good luck, and congratulations!” Tracey called as she left. Daisy's drink came just in time.

Carol saw Daisy was holding in a smile.

“What is it?” Carol asked as they walked out of the coffee shop and back to the car.

“Look at the next address on the list.”

“What?”

“Just do it!” Daisy urged with a laugh, getting out the keys as they reached the car.

“Wait. No.” Carol looked up over the car at her.

“Yup.” Daisy grinned and got in. When they were ready to go, she waited for Carol’s phone to bring up directions to the park. “Sounds like this is the one. Let’s go.”

“How did I not realize that I was calling the parks department earlier?” Carol asked herself. “She just answered with her name, I guess, and I assumed it was a business.”

Daisy stopped at a light and took a drink of her coffee. “I just showed you photos of this one, not the site, because honestly the web page sucked. City websites always suck, and I didn’t want you to hate it because of that or think it was run down or cheap or something just because it was a parks department venue.”

“Fair,” Carol replied, scrolling through the scant information on the park web page. It was poorly adapted for the mobile browser, so she had to scroll horizontally as well as vertically.

They arrived at the park just as a car with the parks department logo pulled in.

A woman in a maroon peacoat with a clipboard got out and rushed over to them at a speed her pumps would allow. “So sorry! I was running late because there was a raccoon at the playground…”

“Oh, that’s okay.” Daisy cringed that they had stopped for coffee after saying they were coming right over. “No rush. We just arrived.”

“Ah! Perfect timing then. I’m Anne.” She shook both of their hands and led the way up a wooden ramp to the wedding chapel. “Let’s see here.”

She pulled out a truly impressive ring of keys of every shape and variety and unlocked the door. An entryway with restrooms and a bulletin board of parks department activities opened up into a lobby area with a table, a few chairs, and carpet to prevent echoing. There was a simple wood stand for a guest book and a few windows for natural lighting.

“It was renovated a few years ago, so while it looks new, it has a long history,” Anne explained.

She opened the chapel doors to reveal a modern but simple chapel. One round stained glass window above the altar showed a rose surrounded by a rainbow of colors. Large plain glass panes in the front gave them a stunning view of the pond, surrounded by willows, oaks, and evergreens.

Anne apologized again, “It’s not the best view now but by June, I promise everything will be in bloom.” She pointed out which plants grew on which sides of the pond and the center where a fountain would be sparkling come spring but was off for the winter.

They turned to the inside. A wood podium stood at the front with various cables and plugs for the sound system. There was nothing particularly religious about the room, nor any other clear “aesthetic” or “theme.” Daisy did notice built-in hooks for floral arrangements or other decorations, and Carol pointed out the seating was movable pews, if they needed more or fewer.

“Yes,” Anne confirmed. “This is our standard spacing, but we have two more rows if needed or we can space them out a bit more to make the room look less empty for fewer guests. Or add a chair or two from the lobby.”

For every question and concern, Anne seemed to have an answer. She then walked them over to the outdoor and indoor reception area options, showed them the typical places buffet tables and gift tables and cake tables could go in each, the spots for speakers whether they decided to hire musicians or a deejay or a simple sound system, and a basic but functional kitchen.

Daisy’s heart raced. This was it. She looked to Carol, who took her hand and squeezed.

“Well,” Anne turned to them, checking off the last item on her clipboard. “That’s all I have, any more questions for me?”

“Just to confirm,” Daisy asked, trying not to get her hopes up too high yet, “you said this is available in June?”

Anne checked her clipboard as they waited with bated breath. “Mmhm. I have down that you want Saturday, June 4, is that correct? We put a temporary hold on that date for you, but I’m afraid if you don’t put down a deposit today, we’ll have to open it up again and we can’t guarantee it will stay open.”

Misinterpreting Carol and Daisy’s excited shared look as apprehension, she stepped back, “I’ll give you two a moment to talk it over. I’ll be out here.” She stepped outside and walked around the side of the building to remove some litter from a dormant flowerbed.

Carol’s smile bloomed as she saw Daisy’s. “Yes,” they both said at once. Daisy squealed. “I can’t believe it. We’re getting married. Here.”

“C’mon. Let’s test it out.” Carol led her back to the chapel. They hurried to the front and looked out at the pond, beginning to change color as the sun neared the horizon, just out of view. They stood facing each other, holding each other’s hands just as they would in the ceremony.

“I do,” Daisy teased.

“I do too,” Carol replied and winked. They kissed just as Anne found them. She waited politely until they noticed her.

“We’ll take it,” Carol confirmed.

“Please,” Daisy added.

She was tempted to add more pleases, but it was unnecessary as Anne replied, “Perfect! Let’s get the boring part over with, shall we?” She raised her clipboard to indicate she meant the paperwork.

She led them out into the lobby where there was a table to sit at, turned on a light as it was starting to get dark, pulled out the forms, and clarified the amount for the deposit.

As Daisy ran to the car for her checkbook, Anne confessed to Carol, “I’m glad it is a good fit for you two. Some people think it’s too plain or too small, but I’ve always loved this place.”

“It’s perfect for us,” Carol said, reading over the paperwork and signing where indicated.

“My parents were married here,” Anne said quietly, then put back on her cheerier parks department tone. “Of course, it’s been through two renovations since then. Wi-Fi, new appliances in the kitchen, and ADA accessible now.”

Carol finished her part of the paperwork as Daisy arrived back inside and sat down with them. She wrote the check and filled out her part of the paperwork as Carol asked Anne more about the park’s history, which Anne was all too happy to provide.

When they were done, they stood out front as Anne locked up, remarking on how it had gotten cold while they were inside. Carol and Daisy got out their gloves from their coat pockets, wrapped their scarves tighter, and took in the surrounding park.

“Call me if you have any questions,” Anne called out to them and waved goodbye. They waved and then turned back to the pond to watch the last of the sunset fade into twilight and the stars begin to appear. Daisy slipped her arm around Carol’s waist, and Carol laid her head against Daisy’s.

“June can’t come fast enough,” Carol sighed happily.

“I know what you mean, but, uh, we have a lot to do before then, missy.” Daisy pulled her away and back to the car as they started shivering in the February air. “Invitations, guest list, cake, food, drinks, a wedding website, registry, music, decorations, what we’re going to wear, what color we want so we know what to ask the wedding party to wear, honeymoon destination…”

“Okay, okay,” Carol laughed as Daisy started up the car. “I just meant, I’m excited to marry you right in there.” She pointed to the chapel.

“In our adorable wedding chapel! Aw, look at it.” They exhaled happily together, which made them laugh at their own cheesiness, and then Daisy drove them home where they could at least check off the biggest item on their list.

Who would come and what they would see and do and eat while at their wedding, well, that could wait for another day.