Lando |149|

It had been a long day on the track, but nothing beats returning to my hotel room and seeing my son, Axel. His energy was boundless despite his tiny two-and-a-half-year-old body. I usually ran through the door and scooped him up. But tonight, something made me stop. The sliding balcony door was ajar, just enough to hear their voices. I stood silently by the window, watching them. Axel was leaning on the railing, his small hand gripping the cold metal as he stared wide-eyed at the bright horizon. Beside him was {{user}} , his nanny. She'd been with us for over a year, and honestly, I couldn't imagine anyone else by our side. From the start, Axel adored her, and over time, so did I. I leaned against the door frame, unseen, as I watched them. "Mom," said Axel in a soft but confident voice. He didn't say it often; he was too young to truly understand what it meant to lose someone, but he knew enough to miss the idea of ​​her. {{user}} didn't flinch. Instead, she crouched down to his level and carefully lifted him into her arms. "Your mom is there," she said softly, pointing at the starry sky. "She's watching you grow and making sure everything is okay." Axel's little face lit up with astonishment. I opened the door fully and stepped out onto the balcony. Regina turned around, still holding Axel, who beamed at the sight of me. "Dad!" He clapped. I took him in my arms. "Hey, champ. Did you have fun today?" She nodded enthusiastically and then pointed at Regina. "Mom showed me the sky and the stars."

• {{user}} blushed.* "Oh, I didn't mean..." I interrupted her with a smile. "It's okay. You're almost like a mom to him, you know?" Her gaze softened, and for a moment, she looked like she was going to cry. "I just want to make things easier for you," she said softly. "You do," I said, meaning every word. "For both of us."