may 23, 2024.

MONACO WAS HOME, EVEN in the busyness of a monaco race week on the f1 calendar. the track was set up, people were flocking the remaining footpaths, and the temperature was warm enough because of the hot, mediterranean sun that beamed down on everything in sight. it wasn't hot though, but warm enough where max verstappen could show up in a white shirt and black pants, and isabel in an all black outfit that consisted of a skirt, crop top, and jacket — and sparkly silver ankle boots, of course.

isabel was enjoying herself. it was thursday's media day at her home race . . . yeah, she was enjoying the attention, mostly. and with the extra attention, well, isabel liked to unnecessarily flaunt the diamond engagement ring on her finger a little more than she probably should. in the few weeks she had been engaged to max, she hadn't found a single reason not to. she was happy, and the ring was gorgeous — she was going to show it off as much as she could. why waste the opportunity?

isabel and max had gone through countless interviews throughout the day, most of which asking about their engagement since they hadn't spoken about it much to the press in emilia-romagna last week. it had been public that they were engaged, but they were happy to leave people asking about it because neither of them properly announced it. just a photo of a ring. but this week? this week was different.

all the questions were the same, anyway.

'tell us about the engagement!' "it's private," max's reply was blunt every time.

'can we see the ring?' "of course," isabel would answer immediately, holding out her hand so that it was visible. she'd grab max's hand, too, to show the engagement ring on his own finger.

'when's the wedding?' "whenever it happens," isabel would shrug. "we are here to talk about racing, no?"

'where is the wedding? anything you can tell us about it?' it wasn't hard for max to hide a smirk, "it's in venice," he answered. "start of next month." which wasn't true in the slightest, but it would be fun to see people try pinpoint the location to a wedding that wasn't happening in venice or at the start of next month.

'the engagement—' isabel was quick to cut off any more questions about it when it got past two that had nothing to do with her racing. "this is my home race," she would say. "and i have a championship to win. let's talk about that instead, much more interesting."

will and tori had been a little irritated that they couldn't do their jobs properly for the monaco media day because it was hard to separate the two drivers when they were too busy creating chaos in the media pen . . . and interrupting other people's interviews. namely daniel. and charles. and carlos. and emilia. the managers were used to this after years of it, so really, they just went with it at this point.

that had been hours ago now. as soon as isabel had finished filming a challenge video with her 2024 teammate that she was strengthening a racing dynamic with, max and her had left the paddock and headed down to the private yacht club. the sea breeze won the battle against the heat, cooling down everything in its path. in return, isabel shuffled a little closer to max as they walked, her hand clasped firmly in his own.

the breeze ruffled max's hair, and it caught her gaze a few times. she'd gotten him to throw out the hair gel back in 2022, and it had been the best decision ever. his hair moved more now, had more volume. and it was fluffier. isabel leclerc wasn't going to let her then-boyfriend-turned-fiancé look stupid beside her: if she was looking pretty, than so was he.

it was silent along the walk of the port, and continued when they stepped onto the wooden jetty. from here, isabel could just see her yacht peeking out from behind a slightly smaller one, the small, unmistakable, dutch flag that max had put there to annoy her the telltale sign it belonged to her.

but she wasn't thinking about that. not at all. she was thinking about him. how max verstappen was by her side and the yacht was just visible. the place he had proposed to her just a few weeks ago. it was still surreal, but it didn't feel real enough. it probably wouldn't until the wedding actually happened. whenever that was, their mothers and his sister were happily helping to plan that while they were busy.

"it is nice, you know?" max said quietly, peaceful in the silence that was only broken by the water sloshing against the docks. "you're not working . . . and it's just us."

"mhm," isabel hummed, a smile pulling at her lips. it was good. all the hours of work she had put in last year, all the sleep her and daniel had lost to make sure things were perfect, was paying off. the work calls weren't as frequent as they used to be with thanks to the large team of people they had now. and the success was showing: one of her drivers was always in the points, and the other usually fell p11, just outside of it — and one was in his rookie year and the other had minimal f1 race experience. everything had paid off. all the time away from max and her friends when she hadn't been racing last year, all the sacrifices she had made to make things work . . . all of it. "i was thinking."

"hm?" he hummed questioningly.

"max, i don't want to wait."

max stopped walking instantly, and isabel almost fell backwards at how sudden it was. she let go of his hand and turned to face him, taking a few steps closer on the wooden jetty they were currently standing on.

"for . . .?" max reached out to take her hand again, his silver engagement ring glistening brightly in the afternoon sunlight. but he already had a feeling he knew what she was talking about.

"i don't want to wait god knows how long until the wedding, i— i want to get married before the actual wedding," isabel said, voice rushed, hoping it didn't sound too forceful. "i mean . . . ah, pretend i didn't say anything."

his eyebrows furrowed when she went to continue walking, so he tugged her hand so that she was back in front of him. "no," he said, his tone had an edge of finality to it, leaving her little room to argue. "go on, tell me."

isabel rocked on her heels. "i want the proper wedding and all that . . . but i feel like it would mean more if it was more personal first." she averted her gaze from his briefly, finding herself unable to breathe for a moment.  "if we have a small little thing and invite our close friends . . . i don't know. it was stupid."

"it wasn't stupid," max promised, tracing his index finger against the ring he had proposed to her with. "you're so nervous . . . i'm not that scary, am i?" his words turned teasing, and she pulled a face at him in response.

"far from it," she mumbled absentmindedly. "i don't know. i know it's a lot to ask . . . and i want my family there, but it doesn't feel right to have so many people watching. "please say no to me because i do not want to keep thinking about it."

max choked out a laugh, dropping her hands and instead trailing his fingertips from her neck up to her face, where he cupped both sides gently. "isabel," her eyes snapped back to him immediately at her name. "it is not stupid," he said a little more firmly this time. "i was going to ask you the same thing in a few weeks or something. you really think i want everyone there the first time?"

"well, no," her face tinged pink in embarrassment. "i just— it's only been a few weeks and i don't want it to feel like i want to rush this but . . . this is gonna sound even more stupid," she muttered the last part.

"tell me."

"no one else watched our relationship form, you know?" she fell into the oceanic trap that was his eyes. she couldn't look away even if she could force herself to, because glimpsing at the water below them would just remind her of him, much like they always did. the ocean was the same colour of his eyes on a good day. when she stepped out on her balcony every morning and looked out into the sea, even if he wasn't home with her, the colour was still there: that diamond, ocean blue that glimmered with so much life. "why should they get to see us get married first? does that make sense?" isabel felt like she wasn't making sense, almost as if english was starting to fail her when she needed it most.

"of course," max's voice was low and soothing, his thumb rubbing back and forth against her cheek. "we can get married properly first, just a small thing where we sign everything we need to," he put what she was trying to say into better words. "and then everyone else can be invited to the ceremony and all that," he then grinned, "gives us one less thing to sign on the day."

"and you are sure?" she asked.

"definitely," he nodded, "because this was your idea . . . can i pick a date?"

isabel pressed her lips against his for a second before stepping back from him. she took his hand in hers and continued their walk down the jetty.

"monday," max decided. "while we are still in monaco."

". . . you do know i will need to find something to wear," she pulled him along so that he would walk faster. "and do i need to remind you that i am racing and running a team at the same time? and who are we even going to get to marry us—"

"shh," max shushed her. "stop fucking rambling it's giving me a headache." after she laughed, he spoke again. "i can't believe you don't know this . . ." he muttered under his breath. "daniel can legally marry us."

isabel's jaw dropped, "why do you know this and i don't?"

"uh," max said as if it were obvious, "we are better friends than you and him are."

"bullshit."

"i will cancel the wedding."

"i'd like to see you try."

"okay, enough," max stopped walking once they were at the end of the jetty, the afternoon sun slowly turning darker as the time passed as fluidly as the sea around them. "i can let daniel know while you go get something to wear, if you want."

"only if you go shopping with him, too," isabel gave him a pointed look. "please, i have taught you how to dress, do not ruin it."

chuckling, max let go of her hand to wrap his arm around her shoulders instead, his head leaning against hers. "have i told you how much i love you?"

"far too often," she replied, a small smile appearing as she traces the ripples in the ocean with her eyes. "but it wouldn't hurt to hear again."

"now i am not going to say it," he kissed the side of her head before looking back at out the view before them. "quit being a brat."

"'quit being a brat'," she mocked under her breath before rolling her eyes. "i was not."

x

may 27, 2024.

"THE ISABEL LECLERC IS nervous?"

"every day you get less funny, em."

"sorry," emilia shot her an apologetic smile. "just relax, belle, you look perfect."

"it is not just that," isabel waved off, her silver rings — and her engagement ring of course — sparkling under the natural lights. she hadn't torn her gaze away from the mirror once, too busy constantly smoothing out the long, flowy white dress as if it had an imperfection. which it didn't. emilia and her sister, camille, had both helped out with getting the dress to sit perfectly and getting her hair done, so that had eased some nervousness. but that wasn't all. "can you get charlie for me, please?"

"yeah, for sure," emilia gave her one last smile of reassurance. "we'll see you out there, okay? don't feel rushed."

the moment charles stepped inside the room, his eyes softened on his sister. "belle . . . you look amazing."

"yeah, i know," she slowly turned to face him. he was dressed semi-formal in a light blue dress shirt and black dress pants, the top two buttons sitting undone. "but i really need a hug right now."

charles didn't say anything to that, instead closing the gap between them and wrapping his arms around her. "do i need to kill him?"

"no, charlie. i just really need a hug before i start crying," she switched to french, her voice going quiet as she clung to her older brother like a lifeline.

"aw," charles hummed. "talk to me, ma petite fleur."

she couldn't even find it in her to scoff about the nickname. "they're not here, and— it's stupid. i'm just sad."

"you are allowed to be sad," charles said, "it is normal. and just because they're not here physically doesn't mean they're not here at all. they definitely all are, belle."

it sucked to lose people. it doesn't matter how many years pass, it'll begin to feel easier, but on special occasions such as weddings? the hurt appears again from the depths it had been hiding in. it had hurt bad enough that jules and her father hadn't been there to witness her maiden formula 1 win. but this hurt was worse. one of the most important days of her life and two of the most important people in her life weren't there to celebrate it with her. and one of her childhood best friends wasn't there either, another loss that had packed a punch in her 2019 rookie year. another loss that was hurting again now.

"i love you," isabel sighed softly, "if i cry, can you slap me really hard so i stop?"

"i'd be honoured," charles joked, pulling back from his sister. "you look beautiful, isabel. this is a happy day, okay? and they're all watching, just like they will be when the ceremony happens later this year, yes?"

"yes," isabel said in english this time. "grazie, charlie."

"come on, let's get you ready to sign your life away," he joked, looping his arm through hers as he led her towards the door to leave the room she had been getting ready in. as soon as he pushed the door open, isabel's smile grew wide when she saw the person that would be walking her out to max.

MAX was nervous. and it was not helping that daniel was the most unserious person ever.

"daniel, shut up, mate," max sent his friend a glare. daniel was the fanciest dressed out of everyone around him. mainly because he was the one who could legally bind the marriage, and also because heidi had told him he looked too casual without the suit jacket and tie.

in the few chairs sat before them were lando, carlos, pierre, two empty spots for emilia and charles, mick, camille, victoria, noah and his girlfriend, arthur, ollie, heidi, george, alex and their girlfriends. it seemed like a decent sized group, but it was way smaller than the guest list for the wedding that was scheduled for a few months away. not even a third of it.

"sorry," daniel drawled, "i've never done this before either."

"you're doing the watered down version of it," max gave him a look, "you'll survive."

"i will," daniel held up his little palm cards. "i condensed a script i found off an aussie government website. it's legal, and then we just get you to sign the paperwork and we're set."

"this is about to be the most chaotic thing i've ever seen," lando commented from the front row of chairs, directly in front of max. "why didn't any of us bring popcorn?" he asked, looking at carlos beside him.

"okay, shh," emilia shushed lando as she sat down in one of the empty chairs on the front row. "they're pretty much on their way."

max knew he was excited, but the nervousness outweighed it by just a little. he hadn't seen isabel since the grand prix that she won yesterday, and that was where the nerves were stemming from. it felt weird to not talk to her after a race for the first time in two years, but it was what she had wanted. isabel wasn't one for traditions, but not seeing or talking to max until the moment she was going to be up beside him on the grassy vineyard on the border of monaco and france was one tradition she had mentioned to him to make it even more special, to build up a little suspense.

max averted his eyes from where he knew his fiancée was going to appear from until he noticed daniel's facial expression shift.

"holy shit," daniel voiced before he could stop himself. "mate, your almost-wife is lookin' like a disney princess."

that was when max looked. and he regretted not being the first one to see her.

he had never seen isabel in a dress this long and unrestrictive before. she only ever wore dresses that were tight, black and short. this one was the exact opposite. and he loved every part of it, shamelessly letting his eyes rake over her in a matter that was so loving it could cause someone to develop a severe case of loneliness.

"told you," daniel muttered with a big smile when he caught max's gaze solely on her.

by isabel's side was her race engineer of six years, harry.

HARRY mumbled things to isabel the whole way towards where max was. after congratulating her, telling her she looked incredible, and overall acting like a dad, he reverted into saying things he knew would make her laugh.

"okay, push push," he commented, catching her off guard completely and causing her to cover her mouth as a loud laugh escaped her. "quit laughing, leclerc, this is serious."

"copy that," isabel tried to cease her laughter, responding in a way she typically would on the radio. "when's the pit window open?"

"make this your in-lap," harry couldn't stop his smile as he walked arm-in-arm with the girl he had worked with for close to a decade now. "we believe that we don't need to box to overtake as verstappen is already in the pits. we'll follow him in."

maybe it was something the average person would find cringe, but this was all isabel knew. they were commands she had grown up with from the second she entered the formula series. it was a sense of familiarity that felt so homely and warm — even if it was a little insane and unserious. and he was her race engineer after all. 

"this is so stupid," isabel giggled, and as they got closer, she locked eyes with max. he was in a white dress shirt with a few top buttons undone, enough to see her racing number glisten on his chest. subconsciously, as she walked, she found herself fiddling with the four leaf clover pendant around her own neck.

"after you refused to listen to me on the radio yesterday, i think this is fine," harry nudged her side. "you won your home race, now it's time to bring home your second win before canada," he gestured to max with his eyes. "come on, belle. you ready?"

"i am," she nodded as they made it to the two rows of chairs.

"alright, kid," there was such a fatherly smile on his face as he looked at isabel that it almost made her want to cry again. "box box."

and it was stupid enough to make her smile even brighter. "copy," she kissed harry's cheek before taking the last few steps for herself — the last few steps to max verstappen and daniel ricciardo.

"hi," isabel whispered when she stood in front of max, daniel behind them.

"hi," he whispered back, "you look absolutely beautiful, isa."

"so do you," she said, "and your hair is fluffy! you look so cute."

"i'm not a dog."

"you so are."

"okay!" daniel caught everyone's attention, pausing the whispering conversation between isabel and max. "g'day, family and friends. we have come here today to witness the promises in marriage of max emilian verstappen and isabel jules victoria leclerc," daniel had to take a breath. "that's a mouthful."

"and it's only gonna get worse," carlos commented, earning a snort from lando.

"although," daniel cleared his throat. "i'm, like, ninety-nine percent sure this basically counts as eloping. oh well, anyway, this commitment is between two people who love each other and wish to share each other's lives, welcoming each other's growth with mutual love and respect."

"respect?" isabel muttered, "what respect?" max cracked a smile.

"i'm daniel ricciardo, as you all should know, and i am authorised by law to let you guys be married and shit," he read off his palm cards before flipping it to the back and looking at the new one.

"how is this real and allowed?" ollie whispered to arthur.

arthur just shrugged, "i wish i knew."

"max and isabel," daniel read off his new palm card, "do you declare before me and your witnesses present that you came here voluntarily and without reservation, and that you are free by law to be married to each other today?"

"yes, i do," the couple repeated at the same time.

"cool, cool, cool," daniel nodded, flipping to the next card. "any vows we wanna do today or are those for the ceremony?"

max reached forward to lace his fingers with isabel's. "the ceremony," he answered, "but i have some things to say."

"i don't," isabel's eyes widened a little.

daniel leaned closer to her to whisper, "improv it if you have to. i'm sure it's legally allowed for you to insult him, if it helps."

"thanks, danny ric."

"i don't have much to say," max locked eyes with isabel's, her dark irises melting chocolate into his own. "i just want to say that the past few years have been the best years of my life. although this all happened under shitty circumstances, i wouldn't change it for the world. thank you, isabel, for showing me that there is so much more to the world than i thought." he squeezed her hand, "the rest is for the ceremony."

"stop, i might cry," isabel whispered, her thumbs tracing circles on the sides of his hands. but when she looked closer at max, she could see that his eyes were slightly watery. and her eyes were slowly mirroring that.

"it's okay," max nodded once. "they're happy tears, not sad ones."

"isabel, anything you would like to say?" daniel asked her. god, even his eyes were a little watery.

"um," isabel felt like there was a sudden mental block in her brain. "uh . . ." she cleared her throat. "i really do love you. i think you are the first person outside my family that i've ever truly loved. it's kind of sad, i think, because i remember that i spent my whole life hating you, and that means we lost time together. but really," she squeezed his hands this time, "i don't think we would be here today if that didn't happen, as strange as it sounds. i do love you, and i always will. you taught me the true meaning of unconditional love, and i will always be grateful for it. and now my mascara is going to run."

max chuckled, 'i love you', he mouthed, and she copied his actions in return.

"i'm totally not crying," daniel commented as he flipped over to another two palm cards, handing one each to isabel and max. they dropped one hand each to take the card. "anyway, here is your guideline for how to answer," he told the couple.

this is so unprofessional, isabel thought. i love it. it helped to have the unprofessional version be the real marriage between them because imagine their back and forth banter at the real ceremony by a celebrant that has way more qualifications than daniel.

"do you, max verstappen, take isabel leclerc to be your wife?"

max scanned the card as he read it aloud. "i, max verstappen, take you, isabel leclerc, to be my lawfully wedded wife. i promise to love you, to care for you, and to respect you for all of my life."

isabel couldn't help but bounce on her heels slightly now that it would be her turn to utter the words that were going to play a part in binding them forever.

"and do you, isabel leclerc, take max verstappen to be your husband?"

isabel didn't even need to look at the card in her hand. "i, isabel leclerc, take you, max verstappen, to be my lawfully wedded husband. i promise to love you, to care for you, and to respect you for all of my life."

isabel, from the corner of her eye, watched daniel wipe a stray tear before it could completely fall. she knew the second she looked out at her friends on her other side, she would cry at their reactions. she did notice a few wiping their own eyes, namely two of her brothers and max's sister.

"we are not exchanging rings today, that will be for the ceremony," daniel read. "so today, ladies and gentlemen, family and friends . . . and george russell, max and isabel have declared before us all that they now wish to live and love together in marriage. let us hope this day will form a milestone in your lives. it therefore gives me great pleasure to pronounce you husband and wife."

max couldn't contain his smile as he watched his wife bounce excitedly on her heels, her dress flowing slightly in the breeze. much like an angel.

"congratulations to the two of my best friends," daniel's smile turned as watery as his eyes. "you may now kiss, if you wish to."

"kiss him?" isabel pulled a face, "ew."

max rolled his eyes, "shut up," he tugged on her wrist, effectively causing her to stumble closer to him. once she was close enough, he stabilised her with one hand on her waist and the other cupping her jaw. "i love you, isabel."

"i love you, max," she responded, placing her hands on his chest. and the moment he kissed her, an eruption of loud cheers broke out from their friends.

and when they finally moved on to sign the paperwork with carlos and emilia as their two witnesses, it was finally real. all of it. isabel couldn't help herself, she could hardly keep her hands off max in the sense that, if she let go, he would disappear and she would wake up from her dream state. but it was real.

AS NIGHT FELL, CELEBRATIONS continued. it had been a nice dinner with cake for dessert, which slowly turned into drinks and everyone hanging out.

and, much like isabel and max normally did at parties when everyone was distracted by each other, they slipped away.

"my god," max breathed, his hands low on her hips. "when daniel said you looked like a princess . . . god, he was right."

isabel just smiled, her arms around his neck. "i thought i told you not to call me a princess."

"you tell me a lot of things," max responded, slowly walking her backwards. "doesn't mean i always listen."

she couldn't help but let a tiny gasp slip from her mouth when she felt her back hit the smooth trunk of a tree. "max . . ."

"mhm," he hummed absently, his eyes tracing every feature on her face as if he were going to forget it. "i know i said you look like a princess with this dress on . . . but imagine it off."

isabel giggled, "not outside in a french vineyard when our friends are, like, two hundred metres away."

"mhm," he hummed once again, closing the gap between them a little more. "you are right, i would hate anyone else to see you like that."

isabel sighed, closing her eyes in bliss when she felt his lips attach softly to her neck, the back of her head meeting the tree trunk. "max—"

"i know, isa, i know," his lips were gracing her skin so softly that it barely felt like it was there. she knew what he was doing: trying to rile her up enough so that she would get frustrated and do something about it. and to him, that meant leaving their own celebration to go spend the rest of the night together, just them. as much as he loved his friends, he would go home with her in a heartbeat, especially tonight. "you bruise easily, i know," he mumbled against her skin. "i'll be so gentle."

gentle is not what she wanted, but she wasn't going to give in to him.

"plus," he added, lifting his head up to be level with her, "someone won yesterday, and i think that needs to be celebrated, too."

"hm, what about extra celebrations because my drivers scored in the points?" she felt herself melting further, and max noticed too. he smirked at the fact that it was this easy to get isabel to drop the dominant attitude and melt entirely into a puddle for him.

"so that's . . ." max counted up, "one for your win, two for your drivers in the points, and another one for our wedding. sounds like a busy night to me."

"and one more for your podium," isabel added. "can you keep up?" she teased.

max's eyes darkened, and she enjoyed how easy it was to get him worked up. "we're here for another hour, and then you're all mine, got it?"

"yes, my darling husband," isabel winked at him before pushing his chest so that he took a few steps back. "come on, i need a drink."

x

PRIVATE INSTAGRAM — ISAVICTORIA

isavictoria: my business partner just half-married me to a fucking loser. what has my life become

comments . . .

millygold: it was so pretty and you looked incredible! congratulations <3
↳ isavictoria: 💗💗

maxemilian: i could say the same 🤢
↳ isavictoria: i want a divorce
↳ maxemilian: no joint custody sorry ❤️
↳ isavictoria: dickhead

lordperceval: happy for you both! you're growing up too fast :)
↳ isavictoria: ily but come onnnn im 24. not a child.
↳ arthurrr: you are our sister so you kind of are
↳ isavictoria: dont we still get kids discounts for you when we go out arthurrr
↳ olliebear: true he ordered off the kids menu
↳ arthurrr: wtf

landonorizz: i needed popcorn im sad i didnt have any
↳ isavictoria: if i heard you eating that i wouldve slapped you
↳ landonorizz: would make great content

landonorizz: but it was amazing! so happy for you guys :)

smooothoperator: how did you get married before me
↳ isavictoria: werent you with logan pauls ex or is that still a thing
↳ isavictoria: i thought we were best friends you dont tell me anything </3
↳ smooothoperator: istg belle

pearthefrenchguy: ALL GROWN UP!!! LOVE YOU
↳ isavictoria: I LOVE YOU

mickschumacher: thank you for inviting me! im so happy for you and you deserve all the happiness belle 💗💗
↳ isavictoria: love you mick 💗

sebastianvettel: im sorry i couldnt make it but we'll be there for the ceremony! the kids are going to call later ❤️ congratulations to you both
↳ isavictoria: ❤️❤️❤️

dannyric: i was so honoured to be the one to do this for you, so thank you :) here's to a happy marriage for you both!
↳ maxemilian: our wedding is next right
↳ dannyric: in vegas baby

noahnichols: thank you for the invite :) was a magical night, so happy for you both <3
↳ isavictoria: im glad you could make it 💗love you noah <3

olliebear: you totally didnt make me cry or anything noooo
↳ olliebear: but it was amazing! you looked amazing, the place was definitely worth the drive, and there was free food of course :) ily belle 💗
↳ isavictoria: ily too ollie 💗💗
↳ arthurrr: SO THATS WHY YOU HAVE A KEY TO HER HOUSE olliebear YOU GO FOR HER COOKING WTF
↳ olliebear: .....idk what youre talking about mate

x

august 4, 2024.

THE WEATHER WAS PERFECT.

isabel couldn't help but stare out the tall windows that went from floor to ceiling as emilia helped fix up her dress. the sun was shining brightly, which was all she could really hope for — even if the ceremony in the pouring rain would be fun. she felt more at ease this time, knowing that she already was technically married to max had helped soothe her anxiety about the whole ordeal. she hadn't been comfortable to have such an intimate moment be in front of so many people, but now it was all just for show, really. the most intimate part was over, and now it was just for others to see such a beautiful wedding play out.

the planning was perfect, too. a wedding by lake geneva in switzerland, a location that victoria verstappen had helped pick out and one that isabel and max immediately fell in love with. and when isabel had asked emilia to be her maid of honour . . . emilia had been happy to help morph things into what she knew would be perfect, with the help of lando, who was chosen to be max's best man.

but the wedding was far from traditional.

on each side of max and isabel would be the five people each that they picked out to be there with them. max had groomsmen that consisted of lando ( his best man ), daniel, carlos, tommy and jay. isabel had emilia as her maid of honour, followed by noah, pierre, kate and ollie standing on her side with her. it was untraditional, technicallly, but it had been expected.

oh, and blue jaye verstappen had begged to be their flower girl, and even though max and isabel had agreed that they didn't really want someone to be a flower girl at their wedding . . . who were they to deny jaye of wearing a pretty dress and throwing flower petals?

"perfect," emilia mumbled as she straightened the sleeves on isabel's dress. "absolutely perfect."

isabel's smile widened a little. "merci, emi," she said, her eyes flickering back to the mirror. "i feel like it is going to be awkward to have so many people staring at me. maybe i should have gone with the veil option," she joked lightheartedly.

"you will look beautiful either way, belle," emilia assured her. "just stare straight at max . . . just ignore lando and daniel trying to make you laugh walking down the aisle. i think they have a bet running."

"dickheads," isabel scoffed with a chuckle. "i—" a knock interrupted her.

emilia rolled her eyes, "i'll get it," she stepped away from isabel and made her way to the door.

and immediately slammed it shut the second it was half-open.

"nope," emilia said.

"what is it with you girls and slamming doors in my face?" max's voice was just barely audible from behind the door.

isabel couldn't stop her smile from forming at the sound of his voice. "em, it's alright. give us a second?"

"if he sees you, i'm quitting on the spot," emilia warned.

isabel just giggled in response, and emilia left through a separate door on the other side of the room. once she was gone, isabel walked over to the door, being careful to not trip on the long, lace train of her dress. "max," she rolled her eyes as she stood next to the door. "couldn't keep away from me, could you?"

"truthfully, it has been too long," max admitted. "but i have something for you."

"and it cannot wait until after the ceremony?"

"not really."

sighing, isabel unclipped the lock on the door. "you are lucky i love you," she muttered. "shut your eyes, then."

"already done," max said, turning the handle on the door. "just promise me you will not cry."

"oh god," isabel said, averting her gaze so she wasn't looking anywhere near him, "tell me it is not divorce papers."

"am i that heartless?"

"well, when you hop into your little red bull—"

"okay, don't answer that," max passed her the bag in his hand. "i'll see you out there, belle." he shut the door, and his footsteps got quieter as he walked away.

confusion danced across her face as she slowly walked back towards the mirror on the other side of the room. carefully, she set the black fabric bag down on it, and opened it.

her mouth covered her jaw the second she saw it.

"don't cry," she told herself, dropping her hand and carefully pulling the white material out of the bag. "don't do it."

it was a gorgeous white veil, but that wasn't the part that was making her emotional.

it was what was on it.

there was dark blue stitching across the top where the fabric was thicker.

'papa ♡ jb17 ♡ ah19 ♡'

"he didn't," she murmured, lightly tracing her finger across the stitching. when she went to take it out of the bag fully, she noticed a little note sitting on top.

'told you they'd still be at the wedding :)' it read, and isabel couldn't help but laugh as she stared at it. "mon dieu," she whispered. "emilia!" she called out, knowing her friend was nearby. barely two seconds later, emilia stumbled into the room, her wine-coloured, satin dress hanging delicately off her.

"he didn't see did h— oh my god," emilia's jaw dropped, the door shutting behind her. her eyes fell on the veil in isabel's hands, and further, the stitching on it. "it's beautiful," she commented gently.

"can you help me with it?" isabel asked, meeting her eye.

"of course," the other girl nodded and carefully took the veil into her own hands. "you're lucky your mum made you wear this," emilia said, talking about the little diamond tiara that sat elegantly on top of isabel's hair. "otherwise i'd be gluing the veil to your face."

"how kind of you," isabel rolled her eyes. her mum had asked her to wear the tiara because it was something max's mother had asked if she wanted to wear for the wedding, and isabel really couldn't argue with that. it had been sophie's, after all. and her own mother had been very into the idea of her wearing it, so she couldn't argue with that either.

WHEN THERE WAS ANOTHER knock, isabel knew that everything was ready for her to leave and head down to the ceremony. "ah," she checked herself over once more in the mirror before looking at emilia. "thank you so much."

emilia just shrugged, "it's kinda my role," she grinned, "no need to thank me. just go out there and say yes to your husband again so we can go party!"

isabel laughed, "you are only here for the party, aren't you?"

"oh, yeah," emilia said, sarcasm lacing her words, "totally. free food, too."

"everyone keeps saying they are here for the food," isabel rolled her eyes.

emilia walked isabel out of the room and down the hallway until they met up with the person that would walk isabel down to max. "just don't trip," emilia shot her friend a wink before disappearing to go settle into her spot with the rest of the bridal party.

"belle . . ." lorenzo trailed off, his hands coming up to rest on his sister's shoulders, a soft smile pulling at his lips. "you look . . ."

"incredible? amazing? showstopping? like a work of art?" isabel filled in the blanks, and lorenzo chuckled.

"so grown up," lorenzo settled for saying, his accent sounding a lot more french now that he was speaking the language. he kissed both of her cheeks before pulling back, "i can't believe this is happening. i am so, so, so proud of you, ma petite fleur."

isabel smiled, but that didn't stop her from grumbling at the nickname. "you need to stop it with that." she fixed the back of her dress as she moved to stand beside her brother. "thank you for doing this for me."

"well, i am glad you wanted me to," lorenzo carefully picked up her veil and moved it so that it was covering her face. he then looped his arm through hers. "maman could have."

"i know," isabel shrugged, and they began their walk down to the lake. she could just see large masses of people in rows of chairs in the distance. "but i wanted you to. i think papa would have wanted you to, as well."

lorenzo just nodded, not finding the words to answer with. instead, he said, "how are there this many people? do you even know all of them?"

"you would be surprised," isabel answered. "the friends i have in my team and my past teams, all the way back to f3, really. and then there's our family, max's family and friends, a lot of people from daniel and i's team . . . yeah. i was surprised i knew that many people, too."

he laughed. "it turned out well. it is very pretty down there. and, uh, guess what."

isabel glanced over at him. "hm?"

"maman brought papa's helmet," lorenzo's smile made her smile harder than before. "because what is a family photo without his helmet?"

"i completely forgot to ask her to bring that," isabel sighed in content. "this is perfect."

"all for you, isabel, all for you," lorenzo said, and isabel leaned her head against his shoulder as they got closer. "nervous?"

"no," she answered honestly. "i feel better that we had a small little gathering first."

lorenzo chuckled, "you mean you basically eloped."

"okay, sure, whatever," isabel rolled her eyes. "it's legal at least."

now that they were close enough, she could hear soft piano music, a tune she wasn't familiar with. and she could see max. all the guests trickled out of sight when she saw him in a black suit. and the parties on either sides of him looked amazing, either dressed in black or the same wine colour that emilia was wearing. they had been giving the option, and they had not disappointed.

when pascale leclerc was the first to stand, the everyone else did. isabel felt awkward. "this is so weird," isabel whispered to her older brother. "like, really weird."

"it's a wedding," lorenzo shrugged. "what else did you expect?"

"yeah," isabel scoffed under her breath as they finally were a few metres from the aisle. that had been jaye's cue to skip down the aisle in her white, flowery dress, happily tossing assorted flower petals from her little basket as she went. max watched his baby sister with a soft smile, and when jaye got to the very end of the aisle, she quickly rushed over to hug her brother before going to sit next to victoria in the front row. isabel couldn't help but smile at the interaction. "thanks for being supportive."

"you're welcome."

"i was being sarcastic," isabel lowered her voice further now that they had actually reached the guests and were taking their first steps down the aisle.

"shut up, you're embarrassing," he mumbled back, hoping no one heard them. "just . . . just let me hand you over to the front before i throw you in the damn lake." she had to cough to cover her laugh.

"i love you, lorenzo," isabel told him. "thank you."

it was getting closer. "i love you more, belle." and when they finally reached the end of the aisle, he pressed a kiss to the top of her head. "please don't insult max in front of everyone."

MAX couldn't keep his eyes off isabel, not for a second. not with the way her dress was tightly hugging her, and the rest fanned out widely around the floor around her. not when, just through the veil, he could see the little heart tattoo on her chest, the four-leaf clover hanging from around her neck, and hanging underneath it was his racing number. much like how he was wearing hers underneath his suit. he couldn't see her face too well from the veil that covered it, and he was itching to be able to see her fully.

when she was finally in front of him, in front of the man that was going to read out all the bullshit, as max had put it yesterday, he couldn't help himself. carefully, max lifted the veil from the bottom, slowly continuing to lift it until it was over her head and hanging down her back. it's when he noticed the tiara that belonged to his mother sitting atop her dark hair, and a smile began to form.

"ciao," she whispered, her eyes dancing across max's face.

"hi," max greeted back, not being able to think about anything else but her. "you—" he couldn't even find the words. "you look—"

"hot," isabel answered for him, "i know," she let out a soft giggle and hoped that their family in the front row weren't listening. "so do you."

lando leaned closer to them to whisper, "wifey material, hey, mate?" daniel and him tried not to laugh, and carlos dragged lando back away from the couple. but it was obvious now that both parties were trying not to laugh, even isabel.

max just shrugged, "he's not wrong."

the marriage officiant went over things that daniel had mostly gone over a few months ago. except a lot more professionally. when he said something that daniel had butchered, everyone that had went to the wedding in may all shot daniel looks, and he just continued to stand there, unbothered, but trying not to laugh.

max had isabel's hands in his the whole time. occasionally, he would brush his thumb against the certain roman numerals on her wrist that she had gotten tattooed in december last year, the opposite wrist from where she had jules' number on the other. both of them were hardly listening to the man behind them, mostly because they were already technically married. instead, they were too busy caught up in each other, silent conversations passing between the two of them as if they were in their own little world.

until it was time for vows and the exchanging of rings that lando had handed them.

max went first, the microphone in one hand, and a piece of paper in the other. "i know i can't start by saying 'from the moment we met, my life changed for the better' or anything like that, because that's not really what happened at all." isabel smiled a little, especially since she knew max had struggled to get anything down on paper in the months leading up to this. "two years ago is when i really met you properly, when i really got to know the type of person you are."

"it was your guest room in monaco," max continued, "that i noticed this image of you that i had in my head ever since i was a kid was all wrong. we weren't even friends at this stage, and you had helped me when i was at my lowest. you had been having a bad week too," isabel almost laughed at the indirect mention of lamborghini, "but you had helped me when i had done nothing to deserve it."

max folded up the piece of paper and tucked it into his pocket, no longer needing it. not that he really did to begin with, he had read it so many times that he was sure he had it memorised for life. "i've never actually told you this, but the exact moment i fell in love with you was when you came over to my place for the first time. the moment i saw jimmy and sassy fall in love with you . . . i did too. but i didn't realise it then, not until you showed up in the carpark in monza."

isabel glanced down at the front row and saw charles rolling his eyes at the mention of her going to monza when she had been strictly told to stay in monaco after her crash.

"isabel, the moments we've spent together are ones i know i will never forget, and i look forward to a lifetime of more. you became my home, one that i found myself unable to live without, one where i could be anywhere in the world and it would feel like home if you were there, too. so, i promise to love, cherish, respect and honour you. i promise to support you through everything you do. i promise to stand by your side always . . . everywhere but on the track," laughter echoed around the space. "i promise to show you endless happiness in the life we build together, and to fill that happiness with love, laughter . . . and teasing, can't forget that one."

swiftly, he managed to take isabel's left hand in his own so that she was holding it up. once he let go, he began to slide the golden, patterned ring onto her ring finger, "with this ring, i pledge my love and commitment to you. may it be a symbol of the promises i have made today, and a constant reminder of the love that binds us together." isabel had a feeling he used google for that line because it didn't sound like him at all.

"i love you isabel, and i would not change it for the world."

isabel didn't tear her eyes from his gaze until he finished talking and the ring was a perfect fit around her finger. it was a ring she remembered staring at as a kid when it used to belong to her grandmother, especially when she was told that she would be the next to wear it and that whoever she married would wear the one her grandfather wore. it was currently the ring she had sitting in her hand with the piece of paper she had written on.

the one part she hadn't been looking forward to was reading what she had written down in front of so many people. but with one glance at the first two rows on either side of the aisle . . . they were all the really close family and friends, the ones she had spent years with. that helped ease her sudden nerves, and it did even more when alex and lily gave her a synchronised, subtle thumbs up.

this is so awkward, she thought for probably the hundredth time that afternoon. okay, she told herself, taking the microphone from max. his hand brushed against hers in the process, and he set her a reassuring wink, one that made her smile. "sometimes i wonder what life would be like if i had not moved up karting categories earlier than i should have," she kept her voice steady. "i remember it well, i was eleven, and you were thirteen. i thought at the time that you didn't like me because i was younger than your age group and had managed to push my way in. it wasn't until i was thirteen and you were off breaking so many records across the world at fifteen, that i realised why you didn't like me."

it had been 2013 when he was fifteen, and she remembered hearing about all the records he was breaking from charles. he had won multiple european and world championships back-to-back, and he had beat charles to winning the world kz championship in france, where he became the youngest driver to ever win it. isabel had been conflicted, not sure if she was shocked or impressed, but she knew it was a goal she had wanted to achieve. she had sadly never gotten close to it, but the need to be better than max verstappen had kept her pushing, all the way up to formula one.

"it was because i was a threat talent-wise," isabel noticed max's eyes soften a little more, because he knew it was true, too. she couldn't help it, she turned her head a little to look out at the people before them, and one face in particular jumped out.

in the very back row, because he wasn't allowed anywhere near the front, was jos verstappen.

he wasn't allowed near her family, and not even his own at their wedding, mostly because isabel didn't like him, but also because he had paid someone off in sochi years ago to sabotage her. the only reason he was here was because he was still max's father . . . and it was funny to have christian horner and his family closer to the front.

yeah, that was another thing: isabel had a spice girl at her wedding. ginger fucking spice. she still wasn't over that one, and was definitely more excited to see her there than the red bull team principal.

"but it wasn't until i was twenty-three that i realised that that wasn't the only reason for it. you had been conditioned into believing that i was the threat for over a decade of your life," isabel looked straight at max, and he could just tell that she had taken the gamble on whether or not his father would actually show up to the ceremony — that's what she was referencing at the start of her vows. "and then it all made sense, and i only worked that out because i got to know you, the real you."

really, isabel was enjoying throwing around subtle attacks at jos. "the toxic competition turned into something healthy on track, and off the track, you were my partner, and you still are. what i am trying to say is . . . i wish i took a chance to get to know you properly years ago. maybe not as kids, but when we started racing each other in formula one. i would have been able to meet the kind, caring, loving, and soft-hearted max verstappen long before the 2022 season."

isabel dropped the piece of paper and let it fall to the floor since she didn't have pockets. once it hit the floor, she slid it towards her with her foot from under her dress so that it didn't fly away. "but i didn't, and maybe it was for the better, because i know that if i had not gotten to know you under the situation that i did, i would not have fallen in love with you."

"i vow to love you, to care for you, to always be there for you until the end of time. i promise to listen, to comfort, to protect, and to support you with everything you do," she reached for his hand. "i promise to do my part to make every single day the best it possible can be for the rest of our lives."

the ring started to feel heavy in her hand as she went to slip the ring onto his finger. the golden band hit the sunlight, drawing max's eyes to it almost instantly. "so, with this ring, i vow to love you a way a partner should, with my whole heart. this ring has been a symbol of many of the same promises in generations before me, so may it also be a symbol of ours. every time you notice this ring on your finger, allow it to be a constant reminder of how in love with you i am," she met his diamond eyes once more, her accent heavy and making her next words in dutch sound vastly different than how it should, but max loved every second of it, "i love you more than i can possibly ever express."

the officiant behind them went on to speak as max and isabel handed the microphones back to lando and emilia. "i declare you husband and wife!"

"again," max and isabel muttered at the same time.

so, yet again, isabel felt awkward when they were told they could kiss if they wished to, and max just chuckled. "relax," he pulled her closer to him, his hands delicate on the lace around her waist. "you know you want to kiss me, isabel."

you're right, isabel thought, but instead she said, "no, cooties."

max rolled his eyes. whether her answer was influenced by sebastian's daughters or daniel, he had no idea. either way, he didn't have to think of it much longer when isabel made the first move to kiss him, her rings pressing against his cheeks as she cupped his face.

everything else drowned out until it was over, and only once he let her be the first to pull away, did he ask the question that had been on his mind since he first saw her walking with lorenzo. "i need to know," he said, "what shoes are you wearing?"

isabel smiled sheepishly as she began to gather the bottom of her dress in her hands until her shoes were visible. max had really expected no different: underneath the dress were white platform boots. "i was tempted to wear sneakers or something since you can't see my feet anyway, but em said she'd kill me if i did.

"you are a mess," max shook his head with a quiet laugh, "come on," he slipped his hand into hers. "if we get to the reception first, we get the drinks first."

isabel laughed as she followed him, "i think we get them first, anyway. it is our day."

"you try telling daniel that."

x

THE SEATING ARRANGEMENTS — WELL, technically there were none. at the very main table sat max, isabel and their families . . . except for jos. yeah, they had no clue where if he had even made it to the reception. everyone else found their own tables, and some moved chairs around so that they could fit more.

isabel had gotten changed into a short dress that resembled the one she had worn for the ceremony, much to max's dismay. he would definitely be asking her to put the wedding dress back on later, but this time just for his eyes. he had removed his jacket and tie, and she had unbuttoned the top two buttons, just how she liked it.

after time had been spent eating, isabel and max got up to make their rounds around to everyone. it started off with people they had known a long time ago: people from their careers before formula one, and those that they weren't incredibly close to. isabel had been excited to see the people she invited that had once worked for lamborghini before moving on.

she had also invited aston martin of course, mostly the media and marketing teams because her and fernando had spent a lot of time with them. similar how max had invited those he knew well from red bull.

and . . . "zavier!" isabel threw herself at her old head mechanic, throwing her arms around his shoulders as max went off to see christian and his family. zavier caught her with a laugh. he was doing well now, having moved on from lamborghini and now working in the mercedes garage. he was a member of the pit crew, too, and slowly working his way back up to head mechanic at the team.

"jesus," he stumbled back a little at the sheer force. "i saw you not that long ago, belle."

"so?" isabel rolled her eyes as she stepped back from him. "you're forever my favourite mechanic."

"i better be," zavier muttered. "who else saved your life from alicia's bullshit?"

"ew," isabel grimaced at the mention of the old team principal's name. "but! thank you for coming!"

"i wouldn't miss it for the world, you know that," zavier looked around for a moment. "luca was with me a minute ago, if you were also looking for him."

isabel shook her head with a sarcastic scoff, "luca? what would i ever want with him? damn fun police." but they both knew it was anything but the truth: she wouldn't have gotten as far as she did without him.

as she continued to move on after small conversations, it wasn't long until she was surrounded by children.

"aunty isa, aunty isa!" and even if it was overwhelming to hear at least five children chant that as they stood in front of her, isabel's smile grew wide at the sight.

"ciao, ciao, hi," isabel giggled, ruffing up the blonde hair of the eldest of the two sets of kids, emilie vettel. her sister, mathilda was holding the hand of their little brother. the other set of blondes that belonged to kimi and minttu were standing with them. the only one missing was the youngest, grace, who isabel could just see being held by kimi over with sebastian, hanna and minttu. "you all look so cute!"

"you look really pretty, isa," robin commented with a shy smile. his sister, rianna, nodded in agreement, "so pretty!"

"not as pretty — and handsome — as you guys," isabel noticed max walking towards them, a smile on his face.

his arm slid around her waist once he was close enough. mathilda giggled as max fluffed up her hair, a squeal following.

"isa," rianna poked isabel's waist. "does this mean maxie is our uncle now?"

max fell speechless, looking to his wife for help. isabel just giggled, "do you want him to be?"

"well, if you are our aunt," emilie cut in factually in a very sebastian-like fashion. "then he is our uncle."

glancing at max, she noticed there was a certain look on his face, one that she couldn't entirely read, but it was so soft. "if you want me to be," he decided to say, and emilie smiled brightly in response.

giggling and talking animatedly, the group of kids bounced away when their mothers called them over to go eat. it gave kimi and sebastian the opportunity to break away to go talk to isabel and max.

"aw," isabel said to max as she leaned her head against his, "look at you becoming another uncle."

"i have never been one to kids that are not in my family," he chuckled, but it had been something he was expecting to happen eventually. he was with isabel often when she went to go see kimi and sebastian's families here in switzerland.

sebastian and kimi stopped in front of them before isabel could say anything else. "kimi!" she excitedly wrapped her arms around him tightly, glad that she could hug him now that he wasn't holding grace.

"of course you hug him first," sebastian grumbled, instead going to hug and congratulate max first.

"thank you for coming," she told kimi with a bright smile.

"i would not have missed it," kimi promised her. "and rianna would not stop talking about the invitation, so . . . could not really miss it if i wanted to." but isabel knew he meant that he would have shown up either way.

"either way, i do appreciate it," she felt kimi squeeze her slightly before pulling away. kimi shook max's hand while isabel went to throw her arms around sebastian. "and you, thank you."

"you know," sebastian hugged her back for a moment before pulling back. "i remember when you were this little seventeen year old in my garage."

isabel's face scrunched up, "do not remind me."

sebastian chuckled lightly, "you were so fascinated by all of the buttons on my steering wheel because kimi told you to get out of his garage," at sebastian's words, kimi just shrugged, clearly unbothered. "i did not think i would be here at your wedding."

"i think i knew," isabel told him honestly. even if she was only their reserve driver back then, she still had known sebastian before that. "you knew jules. i would have invited you even if we were not this close."

he just smiled warmly. "congratulations again, belle," his eyes flickered over to max, "max. "you both deserve it."

"congratulations," kimi offered a smile.

after brief interactions with most guests there, especially with the current formula 1 grid that had shown up, isabel and max were on their way to join the table with their friends so that they could talk to them as the early dinner had shifted into dancing and drinks.

isabel squeezed max's hand when she noticed someone sitting towards the back, "do we have to?" she whined childishly, trying not to roll her eyes.

"jaye is there," max looked a little hesitant, too. "and she looks bored. come on."

max pulled her around the tables until they made it to the table the furthest away from everyone. "jaye," max smiled at his little sister, who immediately grinned. "why don't you come dance with the other kids? you will like them, i promise."

jaye's smile turned a little shy, but she still nodded. "okay!" and she ran over to where sebastian, kimi, and harry's kids were all jumping around together.

when jaye was gone, max asked, "why do you look miserable?"

when doesn't he? isabel thought.

"why did you invite me?"

isabel fought hard against herself so that she didn't scoff. instead, she took a breath and let go of max's hand, folding her hands in front of her. "you did not have to show up," she said calmly. "as much as i don't like you or respect you, you still have a right to be here, and max wanted you here."

truthfully, isabel was happy to have nothing to do with jos verstappen. but she had asked max when they were sorting out who to invite if he wanted his father there, and even though he looked conflicted, isabel knew max still wanted jos to show up. she had swallowed back her own thoughts about it and had sent out the invitation.

really, she couldn't understand how she was more mature than a man that was about thirty years older than her.

"if you really do not want to be here anymore, you can leave. we will get jaye back to you when this is over," as much as max thought he would feel better about saying this, it still struck a cord and hurt deep within his chest. this man was still his father. and even though his family was broken into pieces, he still wanted him here. but all max really cared about was that he was at the ceremony, and now that they were amidst the reception, he didn't care as much as before.

"isa," max turned to her, "can you give us a minute?"

"gladly," isabel kissed his cheek before disappearing over to where her family was — which included her father's racing helmet, that was sitting in the centre of the table in front of her mother and arthur.

max turned back to jos. "after everything you have done, i still wanted you here. and after everything you have done to my wife, too. i still wanted you here," max didn't allow a single drop of emotion to enter his words or his face. "why can't you just push aside how much you don't like isabel for one day. one day. at least pretend you approve, because it is embarrassing to watch her family look at you like this."

when jos said nothing, max sighed. "thanks for showing up," he said, "but i would not mind if you were to leave now. jaye is staying, i'll bring her back to your hotel if you do leave." he didn't let his father get a single word in, just turned and left to go see his team principal.

AFTER IT WAS ALL over and max and isabel had driven ten or so minutes to get to their second home in nyon, max was trying his hardest to get isabel back into the long white dress she had worn to the ceremony.

they had dropped jaye off at jos' hotel room before leaving and promising the girl they would see her in a few weeks in zandvoort for the start of the second half of the season.

"max," isabel laughed, "i am not letting you ruin it."

"i am not going to ruin it," max huffed, sitting on the edge of their bed. "i just wanna see you in it without everyone else around. please."

"aw," isabel moved to stand between his legs, tilting his chin up to look at her, "are you pleading with me?" he went to move his head away, but she held him still with a firmer grip. "aren't you cute."

max rolled his eyes, "stop being a bitch."

"me? never," she smiled at him. "i will put the dress back on another day, yes?" she bargained, taking a few steps back from him. "because right now i want to shower and you are coming with me."

who was he to argue with that? "sounds good," he reached out to take her hand before they both disappeared into the connected bathroom.

they had a few more weeks together to relax, travel, and do whatever until the season started back up again. and so the perfect time away right now was staying in their other home here in switzerland, where they were away from their life in monaco for just a little, and could enjoy the peace and quiet in a different setting. now that it was public information that they had gotten married, because they had kept it quiet back in may, heading back to monaco would be hell. 

but their place in switzerland was even more quiet and unknown, the perfect place for their kind of 'honeymoon', in which all they had planned was nothing. just time off to relax and enjoy each other's company before they got busy again with their schedules. 

x

INSTAGRAM — ISA.VLECLERC

isa.vleclerc: fucked around and got married. oops. but i love you always ❤️

comments . . .

user1: lake geneva wedding ?? gorgeous! happy for you both !!!

user2: can we get a storytime of how this even happened??
↳ user3: well when two people love each other-
↳ isa.vleclerc:  check twitter lmao
↳ user4: WERE FINALLY GETTING A EXPLANATION WTFFFF WE WERE WAITING FOR THIS LIKE TWO YEARS AGO
↳ user4: update: i just read it and wtf-
↳ user2: I CANT BELIEVE THIS ALL HAPPENED BECAUSE YOU TWO WERE GONNA GET FIRED
↳ user6: i am speechless. so this is why it was weirdly so sudden you were dating in 2022 and we never saw anything happen. i have no words.
↳ user9: the dutch gp that year makes more sense now

user2: OMG USERNAME CHANGE!!
↳ user7: max too!!

user5: the rings are simpler than i expected
↳ user6: ikr kinda disappointed
↳ lorenzotl: its a family heirloom that goes to the first daughter of each generation!
↳ isa.vleclerc: dont diss my rings bro user5 user6😭😵
↳ user7: i would literally cry and never show my face again if belle called me out idk how you two are still alive

landonorris: I LOVE YOU BOTH BEST FRIENDS :) loved the wedding ty for the food ❤️
↳ isa.vleclerc: ily loser
↳ maxverstappenl1: ❤️

user8: fuck rich people bro this is such a pretty wedding ugh

maxverstappenl1: i love you or whatever
↳ user9: never change max. never change
↳ isa.vleclerc: its okay bc i love our kids more <3
↳ user10: they have kids ??
↳ user11: three cats user10

h.harry: welcome to married life belle!!! love ya kiddo ❤️
↳ isa.vleclerc: love you more ❤️

charles_leclerc: wedding of the year!
↳ isa.vleclerc: ...youve only been to one wedding this year and it was mine
↳ emiliagold79: dont act like you didnt cry charles. i watched you SOB

arthur_leclerc: ❤️❤️❤️
↳ maxverstappenl1: 💙

danielricciardo: my skin is clear. my crops are flourishing. this is what i needed
↳ isa.vleclerc: so when can i create wedding livery for our team
↳ danielricciardo: i already sent the email about it to the crew :)
↳ isa.vleclerc: this is why you're my work husband
↳ user16: how does max feel about this
↳ maxverstappenl1: belle and i share daniel user16
↳ isa.vleclerc: maxiel is real.

georgerussell63: cant believe youre the first of us to get married belle!!!! love you !
↳ isa.vleclerc: i really just am the superior 2019 rookie honestly
↳ georgerussell63: lando won the award 🤷‍♂️
↳ isa.vleclerc: and alex had the best presentation out of all of us whats your point. at least i didnt cry when i got my first point
↳ alex_albon: damn
↳ landonorris: brutal

user12: i want this wedding

alec_escarra: enjoy it!

emiliagold79: was honoured to be the maid of honour! you deserve all the happiness in the world <3

sebastianvettel: was a beautiful wedding! everyone loved it, even those who sadly couldn't be there ❤️ the kids thought you were gorgeous!
↳ isa.vleclerc: i love you seb
↳ user13: isabel getting all the compliments while max is just there
↳ user14: max is the wag after all user13

lance_stroll: 💚💚💚

kimiraikkonen: 💙

user15: theyre so cute my heart hurts 😭 i want what they have
↳ user16: what ??? the 10+ years of pure hatred are you mentally okay
↳ user15: no im not thanks for asking

x

TWITTER —

isabel | isavleclerc

the daddy issues are so real that i had so many options as to who was gonna walk me down that damn aisle. (ofc it was gonna be lorenzo but there was a LIST)

x

also ive never been to a wedding before so like,, it works in a way bc who wouldve expected belle and max to have a normal wedding anyway.

also teardropsonmybass is responsible for the veil idea and its so cute,, so <333 thank you <3

this is 12.5k words youre welcome.