Mon Amour | 𝑪.𝑳

Part 21

2001:

Three-year-old Lyla Andre-Accardi wiggled in her fathers grip as he held her on his hip. Antonio Accardi couldn't help but laugh as she started shouting and pointing at the cars in the garages.

The dirty-blonde haired child had an obsession with formula one. She loved to watch the races with her father and knew the theme song off by heart - she would walk around the house with her two cars singing her own version of the theme and pretending that her cars were the real things, racing them around the coffee table in the living room.

Antonio wasn't a rare face to see in the paddock. He worked for one of the biggest sponsors in F1 and had been attending races for a long time now, finally deciding to bring his daughter as well.

"Antonio Accardi as I live and breathe!" A voice rings out.

"Michael Schumacher!" Antonio laughs, approaching the world champion.

"And who is this?" Michael smiles at the young girl his friend was holding in his arms.

"Lyla!" Lyla shouts proudly. "Down! Down!"

Michael laughed as she wiggled again, Antonio sighing as he placed his daughter down. The toddler pushed her hair back, spinning around on her feet taking in everything around her. Michael squatted down so that he was same height as the child. Lyla turning around and grinning widely at him - she knew who he was, she had seen him on tv.

"Mick!" Lyla points, tugging at the hem of her fathers shirt. "Papa! Its Mick!"

"It is Michael." Antonio laughs.

"Mick! Mick!" Lyla grins, walking towards the German.

Michael embraced the small girl, a smile pulling at his lips before he glanced up at his friend who nodded to him, answering Michael's silent question about picking her up. The German Ferrari driver stood up, placing Lyla on his hip as she rested her head on his shoulder and looked around again. Michael turned to see Antonio checking his watch, biting his bottom lip slightly which caused Michael to laugh and Antonio to look up at his German friend.

"Meeting?" Michael asks, receiving a nod. "You go, I've got her."

"Your not busy?" Antonio questions.

"I'm not busy for my niece." Michael smiles.

Antonio sighed, looking at his stubborn friend and then to his daughter who seemed extremely content in the German drivers arms.

"Toni," Michael says, giving his friend a warning look. "Go!"

"Go! Papa! Go!" Lyla laughs. "I stay with Uncle Mick!"

"See, we have a bond already!" Michael laughs.

Antonio shook his head at his best friend and daughter. Michael couldn't help but grin as Antonio said his goodbyes to Lyla and told her to be good, the three year old saying she promised before Antonio started walking away. The Italian man looked over his shoulder, smiling at the sight of Lyla and Michael waving at him before the Ferrari driver whisked the toddler onto his shoulders, removing the Ferrari cap from his head and placing it on hers. Lyla laughed loudly, one of those adorable toddler giggles and gripped onto her new uncles hair as Michael started walking in the opposite direction.