Eyes on the prize- Sebastian Vettel

23. Ireland pt.2

Joey and Seb left Liam's house after breakfast to travel to the countryside where Kiran lived and where they would stay for the rest of their week in Ireland. Joey couldn't believe Seb had blown off his work commitments to be with her and meet her friends and family properly, as Joey's dad had taken some time off too and was already waiting for them at his dad's.

When Joey parked her rental car on the drive, Seb was suddenly hit by nerves. He hadn't met a girlfriend's family in quite a while. All he could think about was how protective Matt was over her and he could only imagine her dad would be even more.

'Daideo, daidí... tá muid sa bhaile!' She cried out, opening the door. 'Hey, Dara' she cooed to her grandad's black cat who had come to say hi, as he always did. 'You remember Dara don't you?' She chuckled at Seb looking down to him, almost in horror.

'He remembers my fear from last time' Seb mumbled.

'Dara is just wondering if you finally have any treats for him in that big bag of yours, right Dara?' She leaned over to pet the purring animal.

'Joey!' Kiran finally joined them in the entrance of the house. 'And you must be Sebastian'

Seb was slightly taken back by the man's remark, but he knew about his condition so he went along with him and shook his hand.

'You said it, he is very polite' Kiran eventually laughed. Seb looked around, confused. 'Joey asked me to play a prank on you, she said something about you surprising her? Please, come in. You remember where everything is, right?' Seb nodded, still in shock that both Kiran and Joey would joke about Kiran's serious condition. 'Good, 'Cause I don't most of the time. Maybe you can help me out! Connor, they're here! Where are ya?'

'Is dad just fixing stuff as always?' Joey asked.

'Yeah, something about my roof not looking right. You know him'

'I wonder who he got the stubbornness from' Joey teased her grandad. 

Connor walked back into the house from the back garden, wearing a big smile. He squeezed Joey into a tight hug before turning his attention to the German standing beside her.

'Sebastian, Connor. Connor, Sebastian' Joey introduced them.

'Nice to meet you, sir' Sebastian outstretched his hand towards him.

'I don't think anyone ever called me sir. I like you already' Connor shook his hand with a big smile. 'Nice to meet you too, Joey told me so much about you.' He watched his daughter blush visibly.

'Oh, has she?' Seb said, looking rather smug.

'Yeah, and she told me you two have been spending quite some time together. That ends now, there will be no bed sharing under my roof. You two are not married and I definitely don't want my first grandchild to be born out of wedlock'

Sebastian was now standing in a stunned silence. Joey didn't seem like the kind of person coming from a strict Catholic family, but he guessed that he would have to follow the house rules if he wanted to keep her in his life. Now, their intense love making night made more sense, he thought, as he followed Joey and Connor up the stairs.

'So. This will be your room, Seb.' He opened the door to a single room. 'Towels there. You can use this bathroom here' he continued. Seb looked around, was Joey sure her family actually wanted him around? He hadn't even seen that room the first time he visited. It looked more like a storage room with a bed than anything else. He, however, did not say anything, nodding along to what Connor was telling him.

'OK, I can't keep this up Jo.' Connor eventually said. 'Look at him, he's wishing he never came. Sebastian, this is all my daughter, with some help from her grandfather. I only played along because I never get to see her much anymore. Please, follow me. Your real room is this way.'