𝕄𝕆𝕋𝕀𝕍𝔼. || Lando Norris

✨Part-65✨

A long flight and a horrible jet lag later, Lando was finally feeling good again. He always thought Montreal was charming and this time around he felt so even more.

He had agreed to meet Claire after the hectic weekend was over, this way he wouldn't have the pressure of racing on his mind the whole time.

It was a pleasant evening, everyone was busy doing their own things. For the first time in a while, he had absolutely nothing to do, all the time in the world to himself. He decided it would be best spent by going for a run out in the streets, something he rarely got to do because of his status.

He changed into his activewear, grabbed his headphones and headed out to the streets. The music, the landscape of the place, it was all so pleasing to him. He got a few friendly nods, no one approached him for pictures and that made him strangely happy.

A few blocks into the run, he noticed a familiar face. She seemed to have recognised him too, he was relieved that Claire's mother wasn't hostile towards him.

"How are you doing today Mrs. Martin?" He asked out of breath.

"I'm doing good dear, how about you?" She asked.

"I'm fine." He smiled.

"When are you and Claire meeting again?"

"Next Monday, we'll both be free then." He explained.

"What about Ophelia? Don't you want to see her?" She asked.

"Yeah I do, I think I'll see her then."

"I'm heading home now, would you like to come see her?"

"But it would be kind of unexpected for Claire right?"

"She's not home, she's gone to her therapy session."

"I don't know..."

"Do you want to see your baby or not?"

"I do!"

"Then you're coming home! Let's go." She took him by the arm.

Lando was surprised but gave in, he was excited to see his little girl but also nervous; What if she didn't recognise him? All those doubts were pushed aside the minute they entered the house and heard her cooing.

"Hello girls!" Grace smiled at the young girl who was holding Ophelia. "Hope she wasn't too much trouble to you."

"Not at all!" She smiled, she looked at Lando for a second with widened eyes and back at grace. She handed Ophelia back to her grandmother and stole a glance at Lando.

Lando awkwardly smiled and gave her a wave, "It's him! It's really him!" She squealed.

"Daisy here is a big Formula One fan." Grace smiled.

"Well, hello Daisy!" He smiled bigger, "Who's your favourite driver or team?"

"Of course it's you!" She squealed even louder. "Can I get a picture if that's okay with you?" She asked.

"Sure!" He smiled posing for a selfie with her, the girl was ecstatic and thanked him for the picture.

A good conversation about what they were expecting this weekend and how it looked for him, Daisy was back on her way home. Grace explained she was their neighbour, she often babysat Ophelia when someone had to run an errand.

"Can I hold her?" He asked reaching his arms out for her. Grace nodded and placed her in his arms, Ophelia studied his face for a minute before giggling.

"My baby! I've missed you so much!" He beamed, holding her closer, placing gentle and cautious kisses on her face. She squealed in joy, she seemed to enjoy receiving the affection.

Grace excused herself to get changed and freshen up for a bit, Lando was more than glad to get down on the ground and play with Ophelia. She had found a new affinity in hugging him with her little arms and babbling.

Lando watched her crawl around the living room, picking up her toys, offering them to him, then snatching them back and getting bored of it, ultimately tossing them away. What entertained her most, was not her toys but Lando'a reactions. In what was just a few minutes, he already felt like there was no way he could live apart from his little girl.

"She looks a lot like you." Grace smiled observing the father and daughter playing their hearts out.

"She does?" He asked looking at grace, while his little girl grabbed hold of his curls in her little fists. "Ouch!" He yelped, Ophelia started laughing.

"She has your eyes." Grace beamed taking a seat next to the duo on the floor, "also I wanted to give this back to you." She handed him a little box, it didn't take him long to realise what it was.

"Did you know?" He asked.

"He never told me, I found it and had to question him about it." She explained, "had I known sooner I would have known you're actually a gentleman."

"Now you're just flattering me!" He laughed.

"Now Lando, keep this ring and do with it what you must." She smiled. "I just have one question, what went wrong?"

"Me. I've been a fool." He sighed, "Literally all our problems wouldn't have existed if I just communicated properly."

"It's not only your fault, communication is a two way thing. I've raised that girl so I know for a fact a more stubborn human being on this planet doesn't exist."

"She's not stubborn, she's headstrong. She knows exactly what she wants and she goes for it." He found himself defending Claire.

"Not when it comes to the matters of her own heart."

"That I realised really soon, but I never realised how much it would make a difference in our lives."

"So what have you made of what I told you the last time?"

"I've made my mind, I'm just thinking about how to put it in action."

"That's good!" She smiled, "now would you like something to eat or drink?"

"No thanks, I was supposed to be running." He laughed. "I'll head out now." He kissed Ophelia's cheeks. "See you soon." He waved at Grace.

He walked back to his hotel, the time he had got to spend with Ophelia had cheered him up. A lot. It was a pick me up he didn't even realise he needed. Now it was time for him to get into the zone for the weekend.

A/n: did I catch you off guard? 😂 enjoyyy the update, I'll be releasing the last few chapters tomorrow. So have fun!