his girls (Charles Leclerc)

twenty four

"Were you expecting this at all?" Arthur asked him laughing heartily as he referenced to the red banners all over the house, the Ferrari cake and the huge surprise family gathering that Juliette had set up.

"Absolutely not," Charles laughed "This is better than the win itself, I was shocked. Still am."

Lorenzo smiled at him, joining the conversation also "She called us on the last lap and she was in tears, she was really proud of you."

Arthur nodded in agreement, watching Juliette across the room talking to Jean, she'd invited Pierre's family too, even Paul. "You have something so good in front of you, she's a keeper don't listen to whatever it is mum has to say."

Charles raised an eyebrow at them showcasing his confusion, "What does mum to have to say?"

Lorenzo tapped him on the arm, "You don't have to act like you don't know, she told us."

"About?" Charles quizzed.

Arthur rolled his eyes at his brother, grabbing his arm as he spoke "Oh come on, we were all here when mum pulled you out of the dinner to talk to you, she told us what she said on the way home in the car."

Charles watched her, her caramel blonde hair with her charming brown eyes, the delicate hands holding Camila's, the prettiest soul he'd ever seen. She looks like art, she is comfort, she is falling to sleep with a smile.

Charles spoke without moving his eyes from her, "I think she's just needs to adapt, at the end of the day I'm not leaving and she can't make me do so."

As he continued to speak Esme wandered over, "Who's adapting to what?" She asked innocently, unsure of what she'd heard the tail end of.

Lorenzo quickly turned the conversation around, "Oh just Arthur's new girlfriend, how are you we heard about the break up?"

"You know, Juliette's been really helping me through it so I'm doing well, I'm learning to love the sound of my feet walking away from things that aren't meant for me." She smiled as she sipped from her drink, the red cup really highlighting the detail of which Juliette went to for this surprise party for Charles.

"Thats very positive." Arthur told her smiling, Esme snorted laughing a little "Oh no trust me I cried for like twenty four hours straight, genuinely I think I was dehydrated by the time I was done, anyway, we're eating now." And with that she was away.

Everyone sat around the table, chatting away about whatever was going on currently, but all Charles wanted was Juliette, he wondered if she felt the invisible thread attaching them together too. He'd been home from Bahrain for two hours and in that time he'd spoken to essentially everyone but Juliette, she was busy running around after everyone else trying to make the surprise party perfect.

But it wouldn't be prefect until he could speak to her.

Charles started "Juliette-

"So, Charles, congratulations on the win, first Grand Prix of the season and the most points to start, that's great." Paul commented, smiling at him from across the table, someone seemingly had forgotten about being punched in the face the last time they'd had a meal together.

Charles smiled back, not out of choice more because he felt he had an obligation to be nice as he was Pierre's brother "Oh yeah thanks, it was a close one but got there in the end."

"Must be nice to be home though, with your girlfriend, so are you living here now also?" Charles was waiting for Paul to make some dig but it never followed.

"No, I still have my apartment." Charles told him, which was true. He only stayed over at the girls' a few nights a week, neither Juliette or Charles wanted to overwhelm Camila.

Paul took his opportunity "Oh so not serious then? I mean you've always been a bit of a player, I remember when you were in Las Vegas two years ago and it was just girl after girl after girl."

Charles tried his best to ignore the comments being made, especially as this was all being said in front of his own mother, "No I'm very serious about Juliette, I can only hope to make her as happy as she makes me."

Paul's brows raised, the amount of times that happened they should have been up permanently "So you... love each other?"

Charles smiled, "Some could say."

"Don't you think you're moving a little fast?" Pascale, Charles' mother asked him, it wasn't a secret that she loved Juliette and Camila but she was unsure about the dynamic of their relationship.

"No," Charles firmly said "Because at the end of the day she's the person I want to come home to. The person I want to tell how my day went. She's the person I want to share my happiness, sadness, frustration and success with."

Pierre's mum Pascale cooed at that, Charles' family and Pierre's had always been close, Jean and Herve were friends and by nature their kids became friends also, both the families went on holiday together and spent childhood together, "You dedicated the win to Camila didn't you?" Arthur asked Charles.

"Yeah," Camila smiled at him as she heard her name, he loved her "How could I not?"

"We loved watching it didn't we Camila? She was pointing at the screen every two minutes, pressing her face into it constantly." Juliette laughed, smiling at her daughter who was sat on her lap rather than in her own chair.

"Supporting Ferrari now?" Paul quipped, his elbows on the table as he leaned forward to speak.

Camila responded sweetly "Daddy drove for alpine!" The mispronunciation of alpine causing Jean and Phillipe and Lorenzo to chuckle.

Cyril smiled at her, "Yes he did."

"But dad drives for Ferrie." She confidently smiled, her hands on her hips as she stood up on Juliette's lap, announcing to the whole table Charles was her dad.

Ferrie.

The table was quiet, the only person not knowing about the whole name situation was Paul "Dad." He said again, "Dad?"

"Uh huh, my dad drives in red." Camila continued without realising that what she said was clearly uncomfortable for Paul.

"That's right." Jean and Pascale confirmed.

Paul raised his hands in the air standing from his seat "No, I'm sorry no. Camila sweetheart you're dad isn't alive, Charles is far from your dad, I mean the audacity of you Juliette, allowing her to call him that in a house he basically bought for you is ridiculous."

"We aren't doing this again Paul. Seriously." Nicolas told him, everyone tired of his constant attempts to bring down Juliette.

He held his head, got up and walked out of the dining room, everyone awkwardly sat in silence waiting for the front door to slam at his exit but the noise never came, instead the noise of crashing.

"Camila stay in here with Esme, okay?" Juliette asked her little girl who simply nodded and wandered to Esmes seat as Juliette got up from the table, Phillipe and Charles not far behind.

Juliette wandered out into the hallway looking for Paul who clearly hadn't left, his footsteps could be heard up a floor, "What is he doing?" Phillipe asked the both of them, but nobody had the answer to that, not yet.