( dialogue in italics is them speaking french )

end of 2024.

ALTHOUGH THE SUN WAS out, wintertime hit hard in monaco. the day was as lovely as ever, but the wind passing across the turquoise ocean below their home made it so much colder to go outside. some days, isabel wore ski jackets when she went into town to visit lizzie or to go out to buy groceries. as much as max made fun of her for it, she was not a fan of the cold and never would be for as long as she lived.

the winter weather meant more time staying inside than she liked, either with the heater on full blast or with her husband laying on top of her acting as a source of warmth instead. but that also meant that their cats curled up on top of them, too. at least inside she couldn't complain about being cold.

that was until max had flown out to the factory in the uk, and now she had to rely on sitting under the aircon while it heated the house until the bone-chilling cold dispersed and was replaced by the warmth that she usually got from him instead.

ISABEL was forced to sit there as the ground started shaking beneath her feet. really, it was her own body creating the earthquake as she sat on the bathroom floor, knees tucked up to her chest. every tear that fell made her feel even worse until she was hiccupping and struggling to breathe because it was all too much.

"please come home," she mumbled in a panic over and over again until she began to feel like a broken record. "please come home."

max was supposed to be back from milton keynes six hours ago. the last she had heard from him was that his flight was delayed due to the weather and that he would try be back home as soon as possible. even with the weather, the flight from milton keynes to the border of monaco wasn't a long flight. six hours was too long and she was panicking because of that and panicking for other reasons now, too.

she had no clue how long she was stuck there for. the tears didn't stop falling and the oxygen still wasn't making its way into her lungs, as if there was a barrier lodged into her throat just to spite her. she barely heard the front door unlock and open under the weight of the struggle. max's voice sounded so far away that it didn't sound real. "isa? i'm so sorry, the flight delayed and then there was no service and— isabel? are you here?"

she desperately tried to collect herself before he eventually found her to save the embarrassment but it was no use. the tears wouldn't stop, she felt like she was being backed into a corner by an invisible force with an equally invisible weight pressing down on her chest at hundreds of kilograms more than she could bench.

and the he found her. was this what it had been like that one time in 2022? his heart ached upon the sight of his wife curled up in a ball on the floor, tears staining everything it could reach and tainting their lively home with the anguish that it used to hold long ago. "oh . . . isa . . ." his voice immediately softened as he crouched down beside her. "did something happen? i'm so sorry i'm late—"

"i'm . . . i'm scared," she stuttered out, feeling stupid as soon as she said it. it was the most childish response she'd uttered in a long time but there was nothing else to explain the way she was feeling. she was too numb to comprehend. he moved to sit down on the floor beside her, carefully tucking her into his side with his arm around her shoulders.

max's mind raced. he knew how bad her paranoia was, even if it had gotten a little better now that he had moved in, it was still forever at an all time high. "was someone at the house? did you call charles? or carlos or—"

isabel shook her head. she was terrified for completely irrational reasons, but to her, they were perfectly within reason. "the cats ran away from me and what if you do, too." this is stupid, she told herself, trying to clear the weakness out of her throat. stop talking, why would he leave you? stupid.

"you're stuck with me, isabel," he cut her off immediately, voice firm to confirm her thoughts. "what's brought this up?"

"but you might." isabel was completely and utterly terrified of being alone. for as long as she could remember, it had always been the same. it used to be so bad that she would sneak into arthur's room and sleep beside him when she was technically old enough to be looking after herself and they all lived under the roof of their childhood home. it was constant, unforgiving, numbing.

at the end of the years of torment, she lived alone in silence; she didn't want to bother her family or friends with her grief. and then it was 2022 during her worst ever f1 season and she spent it feeling like she had no one to turn to because of the pr situation that threw her into the deep end blind. and then she never felt it again. not after the summer break. she had max and she had jimmy and sassy and their new kitten they'd rescued named milano after the restaurant they found him near. charles and emilia lived on the other side of monte carlo but they weren't too far, same with the rest of her family. everyone was close enough to not feel it ever again.

she felt stupid and dramatic for even bringing it up. her insecurities were starting to play tricks on her, trying to distort what the reality was, and the reality was of max. what if he leaves? what if he goes again and doesn't come back? what if he disappears and—

and really, she knew deep down that it didn't make sense. he had seen her at her lowest. he had survived hating her and had transformed that into something new on the opposite side of the hatred spectrum. they'd been dating for years, were married now, and yet she still couldn't shake the image of him walking out the door and never coming back because that was her biggest, most irrational fear.

"i married you because i love you, isabel," he tapped the golden wedding ring on her finger against his own. "and c'mon, could anyone else even try to put up with me this long?"

it got an exhale out of her, the closest to a laugh she could currently manage. "please, isa, what's wrong?" he tried again.

"i—" isabel faltered, english failing her completely. the words jumbled worse than usual, each letter twisting intricately around her tongue until she couldn't speak. was there a way to tell him that could ease him into what she had learnt not that long ago? any hopes of that were crushed when she could finally find words to utter in the bluntest way possible: "it says i'm pregnant. it's— check the sink."

max blinked a few times as he wrapped his head around what she had just said. for a moment, he was sure every single sound drowned out of their already quiet house. the quiet rattle of the aircon in the other room, the soft hush of the waves below their balcony, their breaths echoing the tiled bathroom . . . all quiet. for once since max had moved in, their home was dead still.

and then amusement blended with unbridled joy bubbled up in him, "i don't want to laugh and make it look like i'm laughing at you . . . but c'mon, belle, i'm really trying not to laugh right now."

isabel frowned, "i'm sor—"

"no, no," he quickly shook his head, his arm tightening around her, "i'm not— holy shit, i can't believe that you would think i would leave you for that. this is incredible! we're . . . you're . . . that—"

"yeah," isabel breathed, flattening her hands against her knees so that she wasn't tempted to tear at the skin around her nails, "i overreacted. i just freaked out because you weren't here and then you were here and . . ." she sighed.

max's smile was so wide that it was starting to hurt. "you're carrying our baby, isabel," his eyes lit up in awe and absolute wonder. "can i?" he gestured to her stomach, and isabel had to bite down on the inside of her cheek to stop herself from getting anymore emotional. she nodded, and max very gently placed his hand on her stomach that showed no signs of anything. he knew that he wouldn't feel anything for quite some time yet, but it still felt special.

"which means no more racing for now, maybe for a long time," her smile was a little sad but more so about the fact that she was giving up her career. but something in her shifted and she felt like she was ready to give up racing to start a family. she was twenty-five now, and even though that was still fairly young to be settling down in the eyes of many, it felt right. she had a husband, she had three cats, and a large home that was waiting for new memories to appear within its walls. she'd been racing since she was just a kid so, maybe, just maybe, it was time to give it a break. just for a while.

family was something that isabel had been around her whole life. it made her feel complete to be in the presence of. it hurt that jules and her father wouldn't be there to see her start this family properly, just like it had hurt to not have them there at the wedding, but she had a feeling they were watching her make these decisions wherever they were now.

family wasn't something max had a decent one of. jos had fucked him over enough times to prove it. so isabel wanted to help show him what he was missing. sure, she couldn't replace the childhood trauma and everything he had lost, but she could show it to him from a new perspective. he fit in well with her family, which had helped him get used to the idea of what it was fully. further, they could explore what a non-dysfunctional-but-a-healthily-dysfunctional marriage looked like together, having started that life together when he had proposed in monaco and they had gotten married weeks later the first time. which, sure, it wasn't that long ago, but it didn't feel rushed. and now they were ready to start the next chapter of their life: the chapter of bringing new life into the world and having kids other than their cats.

"and i really don't want to get our hopes up or anything because what if there's a complication early and we're already attached? and—"

"we do this together, okay?" max laced his fingers with hers and cupped her jaw with his other hand. "if we're excited now, so what? this is good news. i assume you want me to call luca about setting up doctor's visits and such?"

"i love you," the emotions were flooding back tenfold. "so fucking much."

"i love you just as much. i always will," he promised her, leaning closer to connect their lips for a few seconds. "but you taste really salty right now." this time she really did laugh, lifting the hand that his was holding to wipe the salty tears off her face and onto the back of her hand. "how does a bath sound, hm?"

"please," isabel nodded, letting max lift her up from the ground without a single complaint. "merci."

x

REALITY SUNK IN AFTER the first visit to the doctor. the pregnancy was one hundred percent real, and not just something on a test from the pharmacy.

isabel was always good at hiding what she was thinking. she kept things stored in a compartment locked with iron chains in the very back of her mind, and if she couldn't think about it then, than no one else could work it out.

however, max could tell by looking at her. to see isabel wrapped in two fluffy blankets sitting out on their balcony, feet tucked under her as she watching the oceanic horizon from the outdoor couch, he could just tell.

"hello?" he tapped the top of her head from beside her, and she almost jumped, having not realised that he had come outside. the sun was hidden behind the clouds, casting a cold chill across the area that left him instantly cold even with a jacket on. "anyone in there?"

"funny," isabel drawled, glancing up at him for a second before focusing back out on the water. it didn't help when the waves were the same colour as her husband's eyes, so she huffed, shuffling over to the side so max had more room to sit down beside her. he was persistent, and if she didn't move now, she was going to end up spending half the time arguing with him over pointless shit instead of straight up just telling him.

"what's up?"

that was all it took for isabel to unlock the compartment. the compassion in his voice had her mind spinning after the few hours of silence she had to herself while max slept after his vigorous training session. "it finally hit me," she pulled a pillow over her stomach and hugged it to her chest. "i'm not racing next year."

at least she knew she wasn't going to go insane being at home for most of 2025. she had a team to run, and she could take over most of daniel's workload too with the extra time so that he could focus on racing. the rest all went to the business team anyway. and she was comfortable flying to watch max race for the first few months, and after that the european races were possible to get to by car anyway. but still, she hadn't done anything but race since she was a kid. one of the only breaks she had had from racing was when charles was the sibling chosen to fund and arthur and her had been forced to quit.

oh, and she had three cats. that was enough to keep her occupied for months on end while max was away. especially when milano was an energetic kitten and needed to play with toys every second of the day.

"i know," max nodded slowly, dropping down to sit beside her. "neither am i."

isabel's head whipped to his direction so quick that, if her neck wasn't strong enough, it probably would've hurt like a bitch. "huh?" she blinked, looking at him like he was insane. "but you said—"

"i know what i said," max shrugged off. his racing career had been the first thing on her mind since she had read out that she was positive on the pregnancy test. she was fine with him racing as long as he was there when she needed him because she knew that if he was in her place, he would be telling her the same thing. "but i thought about it, and i changed my mind."

just recently, max had been talking to christian and helmut about the 2025 circumstances. because if racing was going to interfere with isabel's due date, he would be taking time off and one of the reserves would have to step up.

but after some thinking one night after she had fallen asleep on his lap, he'd changed his mind with barely a second thought about it. "i'm not gonna be like my dad," he said casually, as if he wasn't dropping some huge bomb down on isabel after she had been mentally planning how she was going to survive while he was constantly away. "i'm going to be there with you for everything. i don't want to miss a second of it. we've never done this before, isa. i'm not leaving you alone with this."

it hurt isabel's heart. he was a multiple-time formula one world champion that had been dedicated to racing ever since he could walk. he'd been breaking records since he stepped into a go-kart, and now, here he was, about to give up all of that for her. she couldn't stop the tears from forming.

"i can't let you do that," isabel shook her head, hugging the pillow tighter to her. "it's not fair." guilt washed over her in waves, threatening to pull her under to drown. as long as she'd known max, even back when they were kids, she'd known that nothing could pull him away from the sport. there were times she'd heard him having coughing fits just minutes out from hopping in the cockpit. he was an unstoppable force who had achieved his dream and was now aiming impossibly higher; she couldn't take him away from that because of a baby they hadn't technically planned on having at the height of their careers, but a baby they were ready to fully accept with open arms and endless love nonetheless.

max moved closer to her, carefully taking the pillow from her grasp and dropping it to the tiled floor of the balcony. with one swift movement, he pulled her sideways onto his lap, one of his hands absentmindedly finding its way to rest on her stomach while the other fixed the blankets around her. "if you don't race, then i don't race," he said simply, bluntly. "it's not enjoyable when you're not there, anyway."

she remembered him saying something similar when she had told him she quit lamborghini years ago. if she was hearing this back before that year, she would've died instantly on the spot. max a few years ago would never say something like what he had said just now. that was the same max verstappen who barely had a life outside of his career; who always pushed himself to be better and better than everyone else around him.

but max now? he was happily throwing his successful career to the side for her. they were married, and now expecting a child all in the same year, and now she was hearing that he was going to take the time off with her. it didn't sound like too much of a big deal, really, but allow isabel to be shocked because even in his time off from racing he was on the sim; she considered him obsessed.

"you can't race without me forever," isabel sighed softly, laying her head against his shoulder.

max's chest vibrated with a silent chuckle, "once i find better competition i'll race again. until then, you better get used to having me around all the time," he teased.

"ugh," she muttered, "that sounds painful."

"isa, we're married."

"that was for tax reasons," she waved off absently.

"we . . . we don't pay tax."

she pulled a face as she looked up at him. her eyes were so lively with cocoa warmth that he couldn't remember a time they had been any different. "then why the fuck do i keep you around?"

max shushed her by covering her mouth with his hand. "do you ever shut the fuck up?"

"not unless you make me," she shrugged off casually, removing his hand. "oh, wait," she eyed him sarcastically, "that's how we ended up with this child in the first place."

he laughed. it was so genuine that it made her face hurt from smiling instead of just the cold. "hopefully it isn't anything like you," he brushed her hair out of her eyes, trailing his cold fingers down the side of her face so carefully that she could barely feel it. "you talk too much."

a look of mock outrage caused her mouth to drop open. "i talk too much?" she voiced her disbelief. "you're kidding."

their laughter faded into soft silence, into comfortability despite the raging cold weather. "come on, we're going inside," he lifted her up easily, and she held the blankets closer to her so that they didn't fall. "don't want you or the baby getting cold."

isabel didn't have the heart to tell him that there wasn't really anything of the baby that existed yet, so she just smiled and snuggled deeper into the blanketed warmth in his arms, quite content with how excited max was about eventually becoming a father.

x

EVERYTHING WAS PERFECT IN their own little bubble. max and isabel only told their families the news and decided to leave it at that to preserve the peace while they still had it. besides that, only their team principals knew so that they could accommodate for the driver lineup changes, and luca knew because he was the one she had gone straight to for medical advice.

his family had flown in for christmas with her family, and, after dinner when everyone was starting to break off into their own conversations, max had caught their attention to tell them all the news. immediately, their mothers, victoria, and lorenzo had gotten up immediately in excitement, all moving over to congratulate max and isabel.

charles and arthur were a completely different story. charles' eyebrows had furrowed as he voiced his shock at first, his mouth dropped open like they had just dropped a bomb on him. arthur, on the other hand, had his jaw on the floor, asking, "i'm going to be an uncle?" as if he didn't believe the words he was hearing. isabel wasn't blind to the tears she saw in her younger brother's eyes as his excitement fizzled into existence.

it had been easy to hide from their friends and the media, though. the only visible difference was that max was a little more touchy now and isabel steered clear from alcohol, but the alcohol avoidance wasn't that noticeable when their friends were already decently drunk.

DANIEL sat down slowly at the dining table in the verstappen-leclerc household. max was already seated across the table from him, his arm along the top of the empty chair next to him.

"this feels like an intervention," daniel commented, eyeing max carefully. his attention was caught by isabel, who had just walked into the room and sat down in the empty chair beside her husband.

"it is," she winked at him, "daniel, the alcoholism—"

"uh huh, sure," daniel cut her off with a chuckle. "what's up?" his gaze turned a little more worried, "do we have sponsorship issues again? i thought—"

"isa's pregnant."

max said it so bluntly that isabel choked on a cough and had to place her hand on her chest. "max," she coughed, whacking the back of her hand against his shoulder. "not necessary."

daniel's mouth dropped open, eyes wide. it was almost cartoonish. "huh?" was the only sound that came out. "you're—"

"yep, uh huh," isabel nodded, not being able to fight that smile that was beginning to spread across her face. "so . . . the fixed lineups are being announced soon because we are not racing, and i'll be able to work on our team while i'm at home."

"and i'm being moved to third driver," max added. it was easy for him to work from home then because of the huge simulators they had downstairs. "so . . ."

"no fucking way, oh my god," daniel got up from his chair and circled the table. isabel stood first and accepted daniel's firm embrace, rocking them both side to side. "you're gonna be an incredible mum, belle."

"and you," daniel turned on max, bringing him into a hug, "you're gonna be better than you think," he said quietly, knowing already that they words that max needed to hear. "but speaking of . . ."

"he doesn't know," max shrugged off once daniel let him go. "he can find out on his own, we're not telling him shit."

"he's not coming near our kids," isabel agreed immediately. "i gave him a chance at the wedding, but he blew it." not that she had wanted jos there at the wedding, but she made the effort because max was his son and he deserved to see his son get married. but the reception had ended in them taking jaye back to the hotel because jos had left with little interest, and that had been the absolute final straw.

daniel held his tongue before the insults could fall. "but . . ." he changed the subject, "i get to be their uncle, right?"

"even better," max wrapped his arm around isabel's waist, "godfather, actually."

and daniel's jaw dropped impossibly further, isabel was almost sure it had unhinged like a snake's. "no fucking way," and there was his smile, as bright as ever. "oh my god!"

x

INSTAGRAM — ISA.VLECLERC

isa.vleclerc: been gone for a while, whats new :)

comments . . .

danielricciardo: omw to be a godfather !!

user1: holy shit congrats !!!!

user2: these kids are gonna grow up so spoiled

user3: theyre having MULTIPLE kids what.
↳ user4: GIRL IM SO CONFUSED HOW TF
↳ user5: been here since the early days im still confused

user6: im so

landonorris: i like to think i made this happen
↳ isa.vleclerc: lando this is so misleading
↳ user7: ?????????
↳ maxverstappenl1: lando.
↳ landonorris: you lot wouldnt be having kids if it werent for me i taught belle how to kiss
↳ isa.vleclerc: bullshit ???? i taught YOU LMAO
↳ carlossainz55: damn she got you there
↳ charles_leclerc: can confirm belle is right

olliebearman: BELLLEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE

olliebearman: MOTHER IS MOTHERING
↳ isa.vleclerc: ily <3

maxverstappenl1: i fear i have made a mistake
↳ isa.vleclerc: this is entirely your fault
↳ maxverstappenl1: you are equally to blame
↳ isa.vleclerc: i want a divorce

user8: istg new isabel and max lore drops every day and im still as confused as i was on day 1

user9: 2022 was two years ago.

sebastianvettel: CONGRATULATIONS 💛💛💛

user10: TWINS ??? TWO MORE MAX AND ISABELS OH GOD NO

kimimatiasraikkonen: we dont need more of you running around
↳ mintturaikkonen: he means congratulations !! sending our love 💓
↳ isa.vleclerc: playdates soon :)

x

TWITTER —

ISA 💗 | vleclerc

real talk!! ik ive been gone for a while, but in december max and i found out i was pregnant :) turns out i started showing a lot earlier because we're expecting twins, so i couldn't really hide it much longer if i tried. both of us aren't racing, and i don't know how long for. the kids come first always.

ive never truly had a break from racing, and i think this was the sign that its my time to give it a rest for a while. i'll show up for the european races and such, but im going to be spending lots of time with family at home. ily 💗🍀

x

MAX WAS SURE HE had never been ready. he knew he had to be the moment he had to take isabel to the hospital, but the doubts kept flooding even as he had one of his children placed swaddled and placed in his arms.

there was something constantly eerie in the back of his mind, a continuous taunt, a domineering jest. he still blamed himself for the divorce of his parents, and even though he knew that the same was impossible to happen with isabel, it didn't stop the thoughts.

he hadn't thought much of it until they had made it to the hospital because before that, isabel was the stubborn bitch she always had been. because his wife just had to be someone with an extremely high pain tolerance that didn't mention that she was having contractions or anything because 'it just felt uncomfortable, i don't know' until she finally decided to mention something because it felt more constant and started to get more painful.

and then he didn't know what to do in the delivery room besides hold her hand and feel her squeeze it until he swore his bones were going to snap. the only time the thoughts he had swept clear from his mind for almost nine months surfaced full-force when the face of his eldest daughter stared up at him.

it was so easy to forget about. when peace drenched the delivery room with warmth, and when he saw isabel cradling their youngest daughter to her chest with tired eyes and dry tear tracks down her cheeks - all was forgotten.

"i'm so proud of you," he murmured softly, gently kissing isabel's forehead before sitting down in the chair beside her bed. "do you need anything?"

"'m so tired," she mumbled, her eyes glassy and wide as she turned to look at him. "but i don't want them to take them away if i sleep."

"i'll make sure nothing happens, it's okay," he told her. he wasn't sure how she hadn't passed out yet — he was sure he was going to fall over, but here she was, hours later, still awake as if she hadn't just brought twins into the world. "and once they're all checked, and you're better, we can go home."

she sighed sleepily, "home sounds good."

it was a lot easier for her to cope after everything. they hadn't told their families that she had gone into labour, preferring to wait until after everyone was settled at home to mention it. max had only mentioned a rough date to his mother and sister so that they could fly in, and so they would be in monaco at the end of the week. for similar reasons as to why they had gotten married privately, they had gone through this process together because they preferred to manage on their own to lessen the stress. thankfully it had worked, because isabel was glad that she had none of her family stressing over her. she knew what her brothers were like.

x

six months later.

"CHARLIE, I SWEAR TO god . . ."

"but look how cute she is," emilia's smile lit up her whole face. she gently took amélie from her boyfriend, bouncing the baby girl in her arms. amélie's babbles were incoherent as always, yet she had such a serious look on her face. clearly she had already picked up her father's maxplaining before she could even form a proper word.

isabel, despite sighing, didn't feel her smile drop in the slightest. instead, it widened impossibly further when max sat down beside her and slipped his arm around her waist. "relax, isa," he pressed a feathery kiss to her jaw, "we don't have to parent right now."

"true," she mumbled, leaning into his side. in their lounge room that was brought to life by colourful toys among other things for their daughters, charles and emilia sat side on the opposite couch. every now and then the couple came over to visit and see if max and isabel needed any help with anything. it was sweet of them, and isabel also was very aware that they had fallen in love with amélie and aurélie.

fallen in love with to the point where emilia had flopped on top of the outdoor couch two months ago groaning about how it was giving her serious baby fever. mad had found it humorous because watching emilia complain was hilarious, but also because he knew she was definitely not ready for the extreme lack of sleep that came with having a child, let alone two. that, and they all knew charles was at a point in his career where he wasn't ready to make any next steps in their relationship yet. emilia didn't mind because she wasn't necessarily ready either, but the thought always lingered in its place.

the occasional help from family and friends had been life changing, though. like right now, how emilia and charles were over to look after the twins so that max and isabel could go have dinner on their yacht for the first time in almost a year. and they certainly were not paying someone to come watch their kids because they solely wanted to be the ones raising them, but if they had friends that were willing to come adore them for a few hours so that they could relax for even just a little, it was welcome.

still, amélie babbling delightfully when her uncle charlie lifted her up and down like some kind of carnival ride was not what isabel wanted to see her brother doing. paranoia was still anchored to her core with rusty chains that she couldn't shake.

aurélie was quieter, sitting on the floor with jimmy and sassy sleeping soundly beside her. she was more entertained by the fluffy cats ( milano was off in another room because he was a lot more hyperactive and had surprisingly learnt he couldn't be like that around the babies ) and that was fine with isabel. at least for now it meant a little more quietness until both of them could actually speak.

"you two should go before it gets dark," emilia waved her hand at the couple across from her. "we're completely fine here."

"they're little angels," charles gently picked up aurélie from the floor, setting her on his lap. she made a mumbled sound and wrapped her tiny hand around his finger. "see? go on, go pretend you're not parents for a few hours."

nodding, isabel stood. "okay," still, she didn't like leaving her babies, no matter who they were with. she wouldn't call it separation anxiety, much just regular anxiety about the mere thought of something going wrong. "they've been fed, amélie gets a bit fidgety at around five so i usually sit with her on the balcony for a bit and it—"

"isa," max had stood up and turned her so that she was only facing him, halting her voice. "they know. relax, it's alright." even though he shared her anxiety, he at least knew that charles and emilia weren't useless. lando was the one they wouldn't let look after the twins on his own . . . yet. he still had a lot to learn.

"mhm, alright," she said softly, taking a step away from him to move around the coffee table to the rest of her family. she pressed a kiss to charles' cheek before doing the same to aurélie and amélie. "call us if there's a problem," she reached over to pick up her purse from the table, "love you all."

"bye," emilia waved enthusiastically, blowing isabel a kiss that she pretended to catch. "have fun, kids!"

only once they were outside and listening to the waves buckle so close by did max and isabel stop, both glowing like teenagers experiencing their first love. "we did good, huh?" he hummed, tracing her cheek with his thumb, hand cupping her jaw.

"until they start speaking and i have three of you maxplaining, yeah," isabel giggled, leaning into max to gently kiss him. "i love you," she murmured in his mother tongue. her strong accent tangled terribly around the words, but he loved it endlessly.

"you talk more than i do," max rolled his eyes, a smile tugging at the corner of his mouth. "but i love you, too." he returned her kiss in full before slipping his hand down in hers to pull her away from their home and down to the water.

x

INSTAGRAM — ISA.VLECLERC

isa.vleclerc: meet aurélie julia + amélie katrijn 🤍

comments . . .

isa.vleclerc: oh yeah and ollie my third kid.

click to see more comments . . .

x

the parallels to the monaco chapter in the beginning my belovedddd <3

anyway hi i missed you all ! lifes been so crazy. i cant believe i started writing this in year 12,, finished it just before i graduated,, made it into uni AND THEN dropped out of uni to work,, and now ive enrolled in tafe! a lots happened in a bit over a year so i hope you're all well and doing great :)

theyre officially done. im not okay. sobbing in the corner rn (im so attached ffs) BUT dw i still write iconic shit so if youre interested go check it out :)

i wanna know what your favourite moment, line, chapter, whatever is from this :) i'm so curious omg