Risking it all (Lando Norris)

Chapter 66

Lando

Race days were always electric. There's a pulse to the paddock that you can feel the moment you step into it—the buzz of engines, the hum of mechanics talking shop, and the inevitable, rising tension before lights out. 

But today, it felt different. The energy wasn't just about the race. It wasn't just about the points or the strategy. Today, everything had shifted in a way that went far beyond anything I'd experienced.

I leaned back against the hotel room door, staring at my phone. My heartbeat felt loud in my chest. The Instagram post we'd been talking about for days was staring back at me—drafted, ready to go live. 

It felt surreal that something so simple, one tap on a screen, could send our whole world into a tailspin. I looked over at Lily, who was sitting on the edge of the bed, her hands resting over the bump that had, over the last few weeks, grown noticeably larger.

It was no longer a secret that we could keep, and we both knew it. The jacket trick, the oversized hoodies, Lily keeping out of the camera's focus—it wasn't enough anymore. 

Her belly had rounded out, carrying the undeniable evidence of our future. We had been waiting for the right moment to tell the world, and now, we were out of time.

I walked over and sat beside her, feeling the weight of what was coming. Today was the day the world would know.

"Are you sure you're ready?" I asked, my voice quieter than usual. I could feel the tension radiating from her.

Lily took a deep breath and nodded, though her eyes remained fixed on the screen of her phone. "I think so. It just... feels like once we do this, there's no going back. Everything's going to change."

I took her hand, squeezing it gently. "It will. But we knew this was coming. I'd rather us say it than have the media run wild with rumours. Plus..." I glanced at her belly, smiling slightly. "You can't really hide them anymore, love."

She let out a small laugh, though it was more of a nervous exhale than anything. "Yeah, no kidding. I'm like a walking billboard now." Her hand drifted to her belly, her fingers tracing the curve softly. "I just want to protect them from all of it, you know? From all the attention."

"I know," I murmured, leaning in to kiss her temple. "And we will. But this is our life, and the world's going to find out either way. Better to do it on our terms."

She turned to me then, her eyes searching mine. There was still hesitation there, but there was also trust. Trust in me, trust in us. "Okay," she whispered. "Let's do it."

I nodded, pulling her phone toward us both. We hovered over the post together. It wasn't anything flashy, just a picture of us on the couch at home, Lily's hand resting on her belly, and my arm around her shoulders. Simple, but the caption said it all: 

Our team is growing by two. Twin trouble incoming, early next year. We can't wait to meet them.

With a final look at each other, I tapped the screen. The post went live.

...

Arriving at the paddock later that day, there was an immediate shift. The world now knew what had only been ours for so long, and it was a lot to take in. 

Walking through the paddock hand-in-hand, I could feel the eyes on us. Whispers trailed in our wake, quiet murmurs from team members, fans, and media who had caught wind of the post.

Every glance felt like a question, every gaze a subtle interrogation.

Lily held onto me tightly, her usual calm exterior clearly tested by the sea of stares. I couldn't blame her. It was one thing to talk about revealing the pregnancy; it was another thing entirely to feel the weight of the world's attention all at once.