unexpected love [c.l.]

chapter thirteen

The first rays of meaning sunlight filtered through the yacht's cabin, casting a gentle glow over Charles and Evie as they lay wrapped in each other's arms. The quiet lull of the water rocked the boat softly, a peaceful cocoon that neither of them wanted to leave. But the blissful silence shattered as Charles' phone started to buzz repeatedly on the bedside table.

With a groan, he reached for it, seeing Lando's name flashing across the screen. He answered, rubbing his eyes as he tried to focus.

"Charles, mate, I'm sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but..." Lando's voice was urgent, the usual playfulness absent. "The paparazzi were watching you two yesterday. They've got photos of you together on the yacht - and somehow, they know about Evie being pregnant. It's all over the internet."

The fog of sleep vanished in an instant. Charles bolted upright, his eyes wide. "Are you serious?"

Lando sighed. "I'm staring at the headlines. They're saying you two were hiding the relationship, that you've been keeping the pregnancy a secret. They're going nuts over it."

Charles's grip tightened on the phone, and he cast a worried glance at Evie, who was now fully awake, concern etched across her face. "Alright, thanks for letting me know, mate. I'll call you soon."

He hung up, the tension in his jaw evident as he turned to Evie. "Some paparazzi managed to get photos of us yesterday. And... they know about the baby. The media's already running stories about us."

Evie's eyes widened, and her hand flew to her mouth. "Oh no... This wasn't how I wanted the world to find out," she whispered, her voice trembling. "I just wanted to keep it private for a bit longer."

Charles wrapped his arms around her, pulling her close and kissing her forehead. "I know, mon coeur. This is unfair to you. But we'll figure it out. Let's get home, gather everyone, and work out what to do next. You don't have to go through this alone."

Evie took a shaky breath, trying to draw strength from his embrace. "Okay. Let's go."

The drive home felt heavy, a silent cloud of tension hanging between them as Evie's mind raced through the possible fallout. It was supposed to be a happy day and now this happened. She wasn't ready for the sudden exposure of her pregnancy and her relationship. Strangers had already been dissecting her life for years but this time it was different. She clenched her hands, trying to steady herself, but her heart pounded with anxiety.

As they pulled up to the house, they saw Pascale, Lorenzo, Charlotte, and Lando were already waiting inside. The sight of their friends and family brought her a moment of relief - knowing that she didn't have to face this on her own. The moment they stepped through the door, Pascale came over and wrapped her arms around Evie in a warm, reassuring hug.

"Oh, Evie, I'm so sorry you have to go through this like this," Pascale said, stroking her hair gently. "But remember, you've got all of us here. You're not alone."

Evie clung to her, her throat tight. "Thank you, Pascale. I just... I wanted us to say something at our own time."

Lorenza clapped Charles on the shoulder, a firm but comforting gesture. "We're all here, man. Whatever you need to figure out, we've got your back."

Charles nodded, glancing at Evie. "We appreciate it, all of you."

Lando, catching sight of Evie's worried expression, made his way over to her side. "Hey, sunshine," he said softly, nudging her shoulder. "Wanna take a quick break from all of this? Just step outside with me?"

Evie looked at him, the one who'd been by her side through every up and down, and gave him a small nod. "Yeah. That sounds good."

As the two of them walked to the door, they passed Charles and Evie quickly gave him a small reassuring kiss. They were going to be okay, it was them against the world and they were going to be okay.

As Lando and Evie stepped onto the patio, away from the noise inside. Lando leaned against the railing, glancing at her with a mix of concern, his usual laid-back smile missing.

"You okay?" he asked gently.

Evie let out a sigh, staring out at the view. "I don't know, Land. I knew the media would go crazy when they found out about my relationship with Charles and the pregnancy. But I always thought we would be able to tell them on our own terms... not like this... it's overwhelming seeing all the opinions and the comments."

Lando nodded, his expression serious. "Yeah, I get that. It's one thing for them to find out from the two of you and it's another for them to find out like this. It's rough." He nudged her shoulder gently. "But remember, you're not alone. You've got Charles, the girls, all of us... and I'm here anytime you need to vent, rant, or throw something at a wall.

"I only did that once." Evie chuckled softly, a genuine smile breaking through. "I don't know what I'd do without you, Lan. You have always been there to be my voice of reason."

"Damn right I do," he replied with a grin. "Who else would remind you to just breathe when you're about to explode?"

She laughed, shaking her head. "But seriously, thank you."

"Always," he replied, pulling her into a warm hug. "Now, come on. Let's go back in there and figure all of this out."

As they regrouped in the living room, everyone was exchanging ideas about how to handle the situation. Evie sat next to Charles, who wrapped his arm around her shoulder. Charles was calm and resolute, guiding the conversation and setting real expectations on how the media would react.

"We don't need to say anything right away," he suggested, looking around. "For now, we take some time to figure everything out, just us. And I'll talk to the media team to see what they think."

Pascale placed a gentle hand on Evie's shoulder, her gaze full of maternal warmth. "You've built a beautiful thing, chérie. No headline can change that. You have every right to protect your family."

Evie managed a small, grateful smile, her heart feeling lighter as she saw everyone that was in their corner.

Just as they were winding down, the doorbell rang. Charles and Evie exchanged looks, both confused since they weren't expecting anyone else. Lorenzo stood up to answer the door and when he opened it, he paused.

Evie stood up to see who was at the door, her heart skipping a beat as she saw her dad.

"Evie," he greeted, his voice low.

"Dad?" her voice came out barely above a whisper, caught off-guard.

He glanced around the room full of people, his eyes stopping on Charles, whose arm protectively tightened around Evie. There was a long silence as he took it all in, his gaze returning to his daughter.

"I saw the news," Jos said slowly, meeting her eyes. "And.. I thought I should come see for myself." He looked her up and down, stopping for a moment at her belly. "So... Can we talk, Evie?" his eyes turned to Charles, "Alone?"

Evie swallowed, turning to look at Charles and giving his hand a reassuring squeeze before turning her attention back to her father. "Alright," she said quietly. "Let's talk."