Epilogue
Ava
Top of the Podium magazine
Two weeks later, December – London
‘You almost ready?’ I call to Zaid, who’s still rambling around the walk-in closet of our London home. ‘Adnan will be here any minute now.’
We’re supposed to be heading for Zaid’s charity’s annual gala, and this event is slated to be the biggest yet, with a celebrity-packed guest list and an auction that’s sure to bring in millions of pounds.
But if my fiancé takes any longer to get ready, we won’t even get to laugh at people bidding to win a date with Axel.
How I got him to agree to participate is still a mystery, but my heart goes out to whoever wins – it’s going to be the worst date of their life.
Zaid steps out a moment later, still adjusting his cuff-links.
He’s in a tux tonight, and no matter how many times I’ve seen him all dressed up in the months since the pre-season party that reunited us, I can’t help but think about how unexpectedly perfect that night was.
Without it, we wouldn’t be here – with our daughter asleep on the bed next to me, a wedding on the horizon, and a future together that’s so bright I can practically feel its warmth. That one night changed everything.
‘Sorry,’ he says. ‘Reggie called and I needed to take it.’
I can’t begrudge him a chat with his manager, especially with how much attention he’s been getting ever since the retirement announcement.
With his schedule no longer dictated by racing, every company, charity, and organization that ever hoped to work with him is coming out of the woodwork.
Even I’ve been getting job offers and sponsorship opportunities left and right.
But the main role I’m interested in right now is being a mom. Besides, we’re looking for less attention these days, and right now I’m happiest when I’m home with Noor, Zaid, and the cats.
I’ll probably want to find a way back into the thick of motorsport at some point, because I’ve resigned myself to the fact that there’s no keeping me away.
It’s in my blood, and I still have family wrapped up in the traveling circus of F1 anyway.
I’m sure if I asked nicely, Dad or Axel would be willing to invite me back into the fold.
Not like I can cause any more drama than I already have.
There’s plenty of time to consider what the future of my career looks like, and for the time being, I’m still focused on helping Zaid wrap up a major part of his.
Tonight’s event is the first time he’s been out in public since the FIA Prize-Giving gala when he announced his retirement.
No doubt everyone in attendance is going to be cornering him with a million questions, and he’ll need someone to rescue him when it gets to be too much – a job I’ll happily perform time and time again.
With his cuff-links done up and his phone tucked away, Zaid’s attention has shifted to me, and the weight of his gaze is potent.
‘This dress,’ he murmurs, eyes dragging down my body as I rise from where I’ve been sitting on our bed, watching a sleeping Noor. ‘You’re divine. How did I convince a goddess to be my wife?’
‘I’m not your wife yet,’ I remind him as he takes my hand and makes me do a spin for him. ‘And eight world championships might have had something to do with it.’
He smirks and tugs me to him, my chest bumping his. ‘You agreed before I even won the eighth. I could have saved myself some work.’
‘I had a feeling you were going to get it,’ I say as I slide my arms around his neck, tilting my head back so I can gaze up at him. If anything, he’s more handsome these days than he was while racing. Fatherhood and retirement suit him better than I could have ever imagined.
‘That’s right,’ he murmurs, dipping so that he can brush his lips across the corner of my mouth. ‘You’ve always believed in me.’
He kisses me before I can tell him that he made it easy, that cheering for him has always been second nature for me.
I can barely even think it with the way his mouth moves over mine, my entire brain going blissfully blank as I melt into him.
I’m breathless when he pulls back again, and it takes a moment before I can will my eyes to open, still under his spell.
‘What do you say we pull a Stella and Thomas and just go get married in Vegas?’ I suggest a little dazedly, only half joking at this point.
Zaid’s wide smile is the most beautiful sight. ‘Whatever you want, princess,’ he says. ‘As long as I get to be with you.’
He kisses me again and I’m tempted to ask if we can be a little late for the gala, but the sound of Noor starting to fuss drags me back into the present.
‘I’ll get her,’ Zaid insists, gently squeezing my waist before stepping to the side and then bending to scoop our six-week-old daughter from the bed. ‘That’s right, ya hayati. Baba’s got you.’
He keeps murmuring as he sways with her, promising that Mama and Baba will be back soon, that her grandmother will be here with her the whole time, that he loves her more than anything in this world.
I don’t think there’s ever been a better sight than the man I love wearing a tuxedo and smiling at our daughter before glancing at me as if to silently ask, Isn’t our life perfect?
And he’s right. We’ve built a life I only could have dreamed of a year ago.
It’s all nothing short of a fairy tale.