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"I know you don't wanna go, but we already agreed you would stay with Maeanna until your mum gets here." Kami just frowned at him, shaking her head sadly. He sighed, running a hand through his braids, of course she had to make this super complicated again. This was the second time he tried to drop her off, and still, she refused. The first time, Maeanna was gonna pick her up from his apartment, and now he had to drop her off at the Jaguar garage and she was refusing again.

"Fine. You can come with me. But don't start complaining when you get bored of all the work stuff, okay?" Kami nods and smiled happily, jumping into his arms. Maeanna sighs, unlocking her phone, "I'll let Kallie know so she doesn't freak out." He nods in appreciation and picks Kami up before carrying her off to the Mercedes motorhome, ignoring all the cameras on him. When he walked to the paddock with her in his arms, it certainly brought some shock to people.

They did debriefs and Kami made it very fun with her side comments. When he had to deal with more important stuff, Bono kept her entertained by teaching her engineering in a fun way. It came to an end when he had to do a press conference. Thankfully, that's when Kallie finally arrived at the paddock. Lewis carried her down to the Jaguar garage where Kallie was waiting. It was definitely the longest she had went without her daughter.

"Mama!" Kami cheered, and Lewis set her down so she could run over.

Kallie kneeled down, wrapping her arms around Kamiyah. "My baby! Oh, I missed you so much!" She grinned, littering little kisses all over her face as Kami giggled. "Did you have fun? You feel better now?" She asked, cupping her cheeks. Kami nods happily, recalling all the fun activities they did over the week. Her favorite was definitely the aquarium after golfing because Lando got jumpscared by a shark.

Kallie picked her up and looked to Lewis who watched the interaction with a fond smile. "Thank you for watching her. I really appreciate it."

"Ah, it's not a problem. We had a blast. But, I should really get back now before my team kills me." Lewis said, glancing over at his very impatient PR manager. Kami reached her arms out for a hug and he smiled, giving her a quick hug. "See you later, princess. Be good for your mum." He pressed a kiss to her cheek and ran off before he was late, Kami waving him off with a toothy smile.

"Let's get inside. It's hot out here." Kallie spoke, walking into the Mercedes motorhome where it was air conditioned. She sat down on the couch and Kami started to tell her everything they did and how much fun she had- leaving out the part about Lewis and Nico making her cry with their arguing. The door was pushed open and Merida and Keziyah walked in, immediately sitting at the other couch.

Kez pulled open a pack of gum and popped several pieces into her mouth, receiving odd looks. She scoffed, "what? Don't judge me. I need to keep my mouth occupied."

"Sure all that talking don't be doin' the job for ya?" Merida retorts, receiving a glare from her best friend. "You be in New York too much," Kez mutters. She shrugged and they looked over at the mother and daughter who were just staring at them with confused expressions. "So, how's it going with Nyck?" Merida asked and immediately did Kami scowl. Kez chuckled to herself, recognizing that look because her daughter would use the same one when she didn't like someone.

Kallie grabbed some headphones and put them on Kami's ears, playing some music to distract her, and it worked. "So, we actually doing pretty good? I mean- he come to London with me and we spend a lot of time together. He's cool...but I'm just not feeling him as more than friends. It's just not clicking for us, and I don't know how to tell him." Kallie spoke, crossing her legs and leaning back into the couch.

"Rumor is, Daniel is gonna replace him soon, so maybe you can let him down easy when he gets kicked to the curb," Kez advised, and it was smart, minus the part where he would be crushed by being replaced. Kallie perked up at her words, "when is he getting replaced?" Kez reached for her phone to check her messages with Jhené. "Uh, Né-né said that they have plans for Danny to replace him at Silverstone. So, three races from now and you can set him free."

Kallie sighed in relief, "that's good- I mean, not for him because losing your seat is depressing but good for me. I can be free again. I don't like leading people on."

"Really? You seem to enjoy leading Lewis on," Merida smirked, and Kallie immediately threw a pillow at her. "Shut up. It's just- it's complicated, okay? I don't know how to feel. It doesn't help that I already have so much pressure on me. I have to win this season. I have to put all my focus on winning. He just doesn't understand that." She rambled, running a hand over her curls.

"Look sis, I'mma give it to ya straight. You need to talk about your fucking feelings. If you feel like you have to focus on your career, then you tell him that. He would understand better than anyone. He didn't get to where he is by settling down. But something tells me that everything you just said is bullshit. I think, you're just scared. And it's fine to be scared. I'm scared. Merida is scared. Losing someone and learning to love again is the hardest thing you can do. It's hard to let people in."

"But this man isn't just someone you meet on a dating app. You've known each other for more than a decade. He loves your daughter. And he loves you. I know, Kimura fucked you up in the head, but you have to move on and start letting people back into your life. I'm probably not even a good example to be sayin' this, but I've been in so many relationships that I know how this shit works. He is the one for you. Get that through your head or it'll be too late." Kez stood up, brushing herself off as her sister processed her words.

"I gotta go do work. See you after the race, usisi." Kez pressed a kiss to her head and Kami's before stepping out.

"You mind taking Kami with you? I need time to think," Kallie mumbled, rubbing her head tiredly.

Merida nods, and scooped Kami up, taking her headphones off, choosing to ignore how they weren't fully on. They left the motorhome and Merida walked down to the Ferrari garage. Kami rested her head on Merida's shoulder with a tired look. "You wanna see all the cars?" She asked. Kami nods eagerly, and she smiled, bringing her over to see the Ferrari car. It was Charles car, obviously. "This one is a Ferrari, and don't snitch, but it's your Aunt Kezie's favorite team."

"Forza Ferrari," Kami giggled.

"Merida!" She looked up from the car and spotted Carlos. She knew Charles was in the press conference, as was Lewis. "I didn't know you were gonna be here," Carlos said, pulling her into a side hug and giving a fist bump to Kami, the girl putting her focus back on the cool car. "Well, I cleared my schedule for this race, so I kinda had to show up or it'd be all for nothing. How have you been?" She smiled kindly.

"I've been good. How have you been?" He asked, tilting his head.

"I've been alright. Very busy with work." Merida shrugged.

"Are you here to see Charles?" He questioned, jumping that assumption because she wasn't exactly invited to Ferrari garage for this race. "Oh, no, I'm just showing Kami all of the cars. I'm gonna be in the Jaguar garage this time. But I do wish you both the best of luck, even though Kallie is most definitely gonna crush you." Merida teased, and he laughed in amusement.

"Thank you. I'll leave you both to it. Have a good day." Carlos said and they exchanged goodbyes before he returned off to his team.

They moved onto the Mercedes garage and Kami instantly recognized Lewis's car. "You wanna take a picture with it?" She asked, pulling her camera off her neck. Kami nods and Merida set her down in front of it. "Okay, smile!" Kami smiled and Merida snapped some pictures, smiling at how cute they were. Kami turned around, staring at the car in awe as the mechanics all just smiled at her fascination with it. "You wanna try a helmet on?" One of the mechanics asked her, kneeling down to her level.

"Yes!" She cheered excitedly.

He chuckled and someone fetched Lewis's helmet, knowing she would prefer to wear his. Merida chuckled softly, snapping more pictures, loving how nice Lewis's mechanics were to Kamiyah. They brought back his helmet and she stared at it with wide eyes, amazed by the pretty details and her favorite colors on it. He flipped up the visor and helped her put it on, it was pretty heavy so she almost toppled over at first try.

"I'm like Mama now!" Kami giggled, the helmet fully on her small head.

"Yeah, you are." Merida smiled, kneeling down to get a picture of Kami and the mechanics, one of them holding her up so she didn't fall because of the weight from the helmet. "You look so cool. Your mum's gonna love these." Merida spoke, standing back up. "We should get you a smaller one to have," one of the mechanics said, the others nodding in agreement. Kallie looked up with hopeful eyes, "really?!"

"Yeah, of course. Anything for Lewis's little girl." He grinned, helping her take the helmet off as one of the others fetched a kid's one that wouldn't put so much weight on her neck. They came back with the helmet, and it was a mini version of Lewis's, so it was perfect for her. "Whoa," she breathed out, holding the helmet in her hands. She put it on and it was a bit big, but she'd grow into it. She was already obsessed with it. "Thank you! Thank you!" She hugged onto the two who were the nicest to her.

"No problem, champ. You wanna be a driver like Lewis?" He asked, pushing up the visor so she could see better.

"Yes! Like Mama and Lewis!" Kami giggled, jumping up and down.

Merida grinned, bending down again, "let's get another picture, Miyah!" She nods, posing with the mechanics who were very happy to take pictures with her. "Thank you!" Kami says, running back over to her Auntie. "You're very welcome!" Merida picked her up and Kami giggled, still perfectly content with wearing the helmet. Kami waved then off as they moved to the next garage, which happened to the Red Bull one.

Kamiyah insisted on getting a picture with Checo's car, and Merida couldn't say no. She ran over to the car and stood in front of it, Merida snapping a few pictures with her camera. "I didn't know you loved Checo so much," she mused, picking Kami back up. "Mama friend with Checo," she said. They moved onto the next garage, skipping over the Jaguar one because they already had a ton of pictures with Kallie and Kaylen's cars. As much as Kami liked Max, she wasn't a huge fan of anyone competing with her mum, unless it was Lewis.

Kami hopped back down and ran over to Lando's car. "Awesome," she mumbled in awe, wishing she could touch the car. She turned around and posed in front of it as her aunt snapped some pictures. She ran over to Oscar's car next, even if she wasn't totally familiar with him. She did know that he was nice. "Miyah, look behind you," Merida chuckled, and she turned around, looking up at Oscar Piastri in shock. "Wow."

"You wanna take a picture together?" He asked, kneeling down to her height.

"Yes!" She nods excitedly and he chuckled softly, setting a hand on her shoulder as Merida snapped the picture. "Thanks."

He smiled warmly, "you're very welcome."

Kami giggled and ran back over to Merida, holding onto her hand as she leads them to another garage. This time it was the Aston Martin one. "That one is Fernando, and that one is Lance. Which one do you like?" Merida asked. Kami shook her head, "next one." The model hummed, and they moved onto the next garage. It was the Alpine garage. "Estie Bestie," Kami giggles, repeating the name she heard from her Aunt Kez.

"Alright, let's a picture." Merida snapped another one before they moved on. Kami wasn't super familiar with Pierre. She only knew Esteban because the nickname Kez used had just stuck. The next garage was Williams, and Kami ran over to get a picture with Logan's car, coincidentally he was in the garage and saw this, so he was quick to run over and get a picture. "Hey, I'm Logan. What's your name?" He kneeled down, sticking out his hand to her.

"Kami!" She smiled, wrapping her hand around his finger and shaking it.

"Nice to meet you, Kami. You wanna take a picture?" He smiled softly. Kami nodded, finding his vibes very nice and warm. He set a hand on her shoulder and they posed for the picture, Merida giving an appreciative smile. "I cheer for you!" Kami spoke, giving him a high five. "Thank you so much. I really need it. I hope you enjoy your week here." He said. "Thanks! Bye-bye!" She said cheerily and ran back over to her Auntie.

They came to the AlphaTauri garage and Kami ran to take a picture with Yuki's car. Merida held her hand as they moved onto the Alfa Romeo garage. She took a picture with Zhou's car first before excitedly making her way in front of Valtteri's car. She liked both of the drivers this time. Zhou was very nice, and Valtteri was friends with her mum so he was a favorite of hers. They got some pictures with the two Haas cars next before heading back before the pitlane got too crowded.

She entered the private Jaguar motorhome and set Kami onto the couch. "You sure you don't wanna take the helmet off?" She questioned and Kami nods in confirmation. She set her camera down and Maeanna walked in, sighing in relief when she spotted Kamiyah. "Kallie says thanks for watching her. I have to take her to Jae-hyun now."

Kami sat up and sighed, sliding off the couch to follow Maeanna. "Bye-bye, Mer!" She waved sadly, holding Maeanna's finger. "Bye-bye, Kams," Merida waved. Her phone buzzed and she huffed, reaching into her pocket and pulling it out, receiving a text message from Charles. She sighed, tucking her phone back into her pocket and exiting the motorhome. She walked down to the Ferrari motorhome and stepped inside. Without even processing it, she was being pulled into a room.

Charles pressed her against the wall, connecting their lips. She pulled him closer for a few seconds but finally processing it and pushing him away. "Charles! You can't just do that!" She scowled, breathing heavily. He sighed, his head falling back, "why not? You seemed to like it that night in Miami." She froze, her cheeks growing heated at the memories of that night.

"No, no, that was a mistake. We were just in the moment. This is wrong on so many levels," she said, running a hand down her face. She already felt like a shitty person for even seeing Charles in that way. "How is it wrong? I don't care about your age. We're both grown adults, and you also look younger than me." He pointed out, and she smiled at the compliment for a split second.

"It's not about our age gap, Charles," she mumbled.

He sighed, running a hand through his hair. "Merida...it's been a decade since he left us. We have to move on. I know it seems wrong, but it's not. I care about you. I know you care about me, too. I can see it." She sighed at his words, sliding down the wall until she was sitting on the floor, her hands digging into her curls. "We were going to get married, Charl. You're his godson. That is wrong. I shouldn't even be looking at you like that."

"But you are, and it's not for no reason. This was meant to happen. We were meant to be together." Charles moved to sit down in front of her, taking her hands in his, urging her to look at him and she did. "We don't have to rush into anything. I will give you as much time as you need. But you have to know I won't stop until you're mine. I want to give you everything you deserve, Merida." He reached his hand up and wiped the tear that slid down her cheek.

"Give me until break, and then I'll tell you if I'm ready. But you have to give up if I'm not, Charles. I don't want you to give up your love life waiting on me. Do you promise?" She held onto his hands with a sad but hopeful look.

Charles hesitated before exhaling- nodding his head, "I promise."

"Good. So it's settled. No contact until break starts," Merida said, pulling her hands out of his.

"This is gonna be painful," he mumbled knowingly.

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"Fuck! Fuck! Fuck!" Kallie exclaimed angrily as she threw her gloves onto the couch on her drivers room. She completely fumbled qualifying. It was the first time ever she was kicked out of Q2. It was guaranteed she wasn't winning this race. Monaco was a nearly impossible track to overtake. It was ridiculous. She was gonna start in P18. Max had gotten pole for the first time in Monaco so whilst he was celebrating that, she was having a breakdown. But, this came with the sport. She couldn't always have a good race.

"Where Mama?" Kami asked, looking up at her Aunt Kezie who pushed the little visor up on the helmet that Kami still insisted on wearing from the other day. "Uh, she's just getting cleaned up for interviews," Kez answered, very aware Kallie was having another one of her fits. At least she was doing it privately now. She used to straight up curse out people without a care. "But, Lewis is doing very good so let's be happy for him, okay?" Kez smiled, pointing at Lewis's result on the screen. He was P4 on the grid.

"Yay!" Kami giggled, pushing her visor back down and Kez smiled, pressing a kiss to the helmet.

She stood up, Kami still in her arms. "Let's go pay Lewis a visit, yes?" Kami nods excitedly and they head down the paddock to find him. They found him by the Mercedes motorhome, sitting outside and talking with someone from his team. "Lewis!" Kami shouts. He quickly looked up and grinned, waving them over. Kez walked over and set Kami down so she could run over to him. He scooped her up in his arms with a chuckle, pushing her visor up so he could see her eyes.

"You look like me," he chuckled, patting the mini copy of his helmet.

"I want be you," Kami says, patting his head as he smiled at her. "If you go down that path, I'll be your trainer," he chuckled.

Kez took a seat at the table, crossing her legs, "so, my sister isn't having the best day, if you couldn't tell. My father is gonna take her somewhere, calm her down some, so do you think you could watch her again? I would, but I've got a mountain of paperwork to deal with." She said, running a hand over her long curls. "Oh, that's fine, I don't mind watching her. Is Kallie gonna be okay?" He asked, and even if they weren't on the best terms, he still cared about her and wanted her to be okay mentally and physically.

"She'll be fine. Father will help her. He has his methods." Kez explained, standing up from the chair.

"Oh, you're leaving right now?" Lewis asked, and she nodded, patting Kami's helmet and walking off, her bodyguard staying close by. Lewis looked to Kami, "you gonna have to take that off eventually. How are you not hot under there?" She just blinked at him, and he smiled, pressing a kiss to the helmet. "What do you want to eat after this?" He asked.

"Sarmie!" She giggled.

"Figured that," he snorts and she nods, patting his cheek.

Meanwhile, Kallie was in the media pen doing the mandatory interviews. They had just asked her a question about how she felt with her qualifying result. "Uh, I feel very frustrated with myself. I feel very frustrated with the team, and definitely the car. We tried some new upgrade and adjustments, but it hasn't paid off like we expected. I'm no longer expecting a Monaco win, but I'm sure we can fix whatever issues we have for the next race."

She moved onto the next person, very urgent to finish up and get out of there before her dad cornered her. "It's your first time ever being kicked out of Q2 as a competitor. Were you expecting that at all going into the Monaco track?" He asked. "No, but shit happens. I can't expect a perfect result every time. It was certainly a shock to be kicked, but it happen and we move from it. Maybe we get better result in actual race but if not, that's just how it is." Kallie answered, shrugging her shoulder, honestly sick of being reminded.

Moving onto the next one, she almost rolled her eyes at the sympathetic look. "Not a great result today in qualifying. Are you confident you can recover from this?"

"Yes. It is something that can be fixed. My confidence cannot fade unless I let it. Monaco just isn't our friend at the moment. I'm sure our problems will be solved by Spain." Kallie spoke, finally getting the nod from Maeanna. They finished up and she walked out, running down to her private trailer. She walked in, only to be faced with her father. "Fuck," she muttered, tossing her bottle on the floor.

"Watch your mouth," he scolds.

"I'm a grown woman! I can say a bad word!" She scowled, her frustration clearly taking over.

"I know you did not just raise your voice at me," he spoke and she gulped nervously, now beginning to regret her words and attitude. "Sorry, father." He sighed, standing up and brushing himself off. He wore the usual button up with the Jaguar logo, and some long black dress pants, with very expensive shoes his eldest daughter bought him. He always looked expensive and rich, like all of the Kumalo's.

"Get dressed. I'm taking you somewhere," he said, walking to the door as she plopped down on the couch next to her suitcase.

"I have a daughter, ya know? You can't just drag me to the mountains when you like." She retorts, receiving another sharp look that made her gulp. "Kami is in good hands. She's with Lewis. Get dressed, no heels." He stepped out and shut the door as she rolled her eyes, mouthing his words in mock. "Of course she's with Lewis. Why am I not surprised?" She muttered.

She quickly got dressed, choosing some low rise jeans and a button up crop top with the Jaguar logo on it. She stepped out, already aware her team would make sure her stuff got back to her house. "Give me your keys," he held his hand out because the last time she had a bad result, they went to the garage and she hopped in her own car and took off. She huffed, setting her keys in his hand with an eye roll. He took them and stuffed them in his pocket.

"Can't I say goodbye to my child?" She questioned, following him down the paddock.

"When you calm down, you can. I don't want you speaking when you're angry." He said, walking to the car and unlocking it. "I'm not angry," she muttered through gritted teeth. He turned around and flicked her in the forehead, "don't touch me!" She hit his shoulder. "See? Angry." He muttered, opening the car door and gesturing her to get in. She groaned, climbing into the car and he shut the door.

He climbed in the driver's side and turned on calming music. She slumped in her seat, still finding this very unnecessary. He drove for a while until they got to Jardin Japonais otherwise known as Princess Grace Japanese Garden. "This isn't the mountains," she rebutted boredly. "We're trying something new. Come on." He climbed out and she followed, glancing around at the beautiful scenery.

They got to Zen garden and sat down, crossing their legs under them. "I'm not doing this. It's stupid," she shook her head, growing more angry. "The only thing stupid is your anger. Now, you'll meditate with me until there's no a single angry bone in your body, understood, nabi? It's either that or I'll call your mum and tell her all about your misbehavior." She let out a defeated sigh and nodded her head, "yes, father."

"Good. Now, bow your head."

"I still think this is stupid," she mumbled, still doing as told.

"You won't think it's stupid when you have to do this with your daughter in the future." He said knowingly. He and Kaikara already seen the traits in Kamiyah. They knew she'd have the same trouble when she got older, which was why he was so persistent on helping Kallie understand the importance of meditation.

"She won't be like me," Kallie denied.

"Yes, she will."

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"I was gone for five minutes..." Lewis's eyes flickered down to his apartment floor covered in what he came to the assumption was shaving cream. He followed the path of small footprints with a pair of paw prints next to them. He followed them up the stairs, the railing also covered in the shaving cream. Pushing open the bathroom door, he was faced with Roscoe sitting on the floor covered in shaving cream and a tutu, with Kami sitting next to him in a purple princess dress.

"He's a bunny!" Kami giggled, jumping around in circles.

"Wow. That's cool." Lewis mumbled, rubbing his jaw as he eyed the scene. "Who are you supposed to be?" He questioned, his eye twitching when he seen the shaving cream all in her hair. He could not let Kallie find out about that. She'd definitely kill him. "Princess Sofia and Clover, duh!" Kami pointed out as if it was obvious. He nods, picking up the empty can of shaving cream and tossing it into the trash can.

"You look like you're having lots of fun, so why don't I just clean this mess up and after I'm finished, you can take a bath." He said, not wanting to be too harsh on her, even though he wasn't pleased with the mess at all. But he didn't want to be mean and ruin her fun. "Okay, Baba." Kami shrugs, twirling around as Roscoe barked, seemingly cheering her on.

Lewis sighed, walking back downstairs to clean up from there and make his way back. "You asked for this. You don't get to complain now." He said to himself as he began to wipe down the floor by hand because a mop was not gonna cut it. "At least it wasn't hair removal, then I'd really be dead, " he mumbled. It took an hour to get back up the stairs and into the disaster that was the bathroom. Kami was sitting on the stool next to the tub as the water ran with Roscoe sitting inside.

"What are you doing?" He asked, wiping down the doorframe.

"Clean up Rossi," Kami answered, pouring water onto the dog who actually welcomed it. "That's very helpful of you. Keep doing that. I'm gonna finish up in here." Lewis said, very glad she was smart enough to know she had to clean up after herself, even if she was only starting with Roscoe because he shook off the shaving cream and made a bigger mess for her dad to clean up. "Do you play with shaving cream often?" He queried, scrubbing down the counter.

"Mama no have it," Kami giggles, reaching for the soap to wash the shaving cream off the bulldog.

"I see why now, I'm never buying it again," he murmured, picking up the tutu and tossing into the wash bin. He wiped down the floor next which took a while because Roscoe made the mess bigger. Then he assisted in bathing the bulldog, showing Kami how to do it properly because she had been very confused about the soaps. She thought body lotion was dog shampoo. They dried the dog off and he quickly ran off to his bed.

Lewis cleaned up the tub before running the water again. "Alright, you're next." Kami sighed, turning around so he could unzip the princess dress. He set her in the tub and was very quick to wash the shaving cream out of her hair. "Are you and Mama fighting?" She asked, playing with the toy duck as he washed the soap from her hair. "Uhh, I wouldn't say we're fighting. I'd just say that we're going through a bit of a rough patch. It's nothing we can't fix."

"Mama lose because of me?" She asked with sad eyes, feeling like her mum's bad results were because of her acting out. "What? No, definitely not. Don't ever think that. Your mum has just got a lot going on. The car is what made her lose, okay? It was not you." Lewis assured, pressing a kiss to her head. Kami smiled, patting his cheek with her soapy hand. "You win like Mama?"

"I try to. Tell you what. I promise you that I will win at least one race this season, okay?" He said, and she smiled widely, her eyes shining with hope. "Pinky promise?" She proposed and he chuckled, holding out his pinky and she giggled as she put her whole hand around it.

Finishing up the bath, he tucked her into bed and put on Sofia the First to keep her entertained whilst he took a shower. She sat on the bed with tired eyes, Roscoe curled up by her legs as she waited for her dad to return. He finally did and plopped down on the bed next to her, she smiled and curled up next to him. Halfway into another episode, she was fast asleep, small snores leaving her and loud snores leaving Roscoe. Safe to say he wouldn't be getting much sleep tonight.

He switched off the TV and slid out of the bed, careful not to wake her as he lowered her head onto the pillow- her head previously on his shoulder. He walked downstairs and entered the kitchen, warming up a kettle. Then, suddenly, the door was being knocked on. Blinking away the confusion, he walked over to the door and pulled it open. Kallie smiled softly, "Hi."

"Hey. Uh, are you here to pick her up?" He questioned, the thought making him a bit sad but he brushed it off.

Kallie shook her head, tugging her cardigan closer to her. "No. I just wanted to see her. I feel horrible about her seeing me like that."

"Oh, okay. Yeah, I get it. She's sleeping right now, but you can go up and wish her goodnight if you want." Lewis said, pulling open the door wider and she stepped inside at the gesture. "Is she in your room?" She questioned, glancing up the stairs. "Yes. I uh- I ordered a bed for her own room but it hasn't gotten here yet and she hates the guest room because she claims there's monsters in the closet." He said, and she chuckled in amusement.

"Okay, well, I'm gonna go up and see her," Kallie mumbled, walking towards the stairs.

"I'll be in the kitchen if you need me," Lewis said and she nods, walking up the staircase. He made his way back to the kitchen and poured himself some tea, considering on making Kallie a cup until he remembered her preference for coffee. She soon returned, her mood far more uplifted by the light in her eyes. "Thank you for watching her, not just today, but whole week before. You didn't have to but you did and I appreciate it."

"It's not a problem. I love every second I have with her. She brings a lot of happiness to my life." Lewis smiled, holding the mug of tea as he leaned against the kitchen counter.

"Yeah, she has that ability to make everyone around her smile," Kallie says with a fond smile.

Lewis's eyes never leave hers as he spoke, "she gets it from her mother."

"I-I should go," she chuckled anxiously, twirling the rings on her fingers. "Or, you could stay," he pitched. She shook her head in objection, taking a step away to distance herself. "I can't. I have someone wait on me. But thanks for offering." His head tilted slightly, resisting the urge to roll his eyes but he did have a bored look on. "Ah, I almost forgot about him. How is the little boyfriend? Still lacking under the sheets?" He teased.

"He's not my- forget it. I need to go." She turned around but he reached for her hand and turned her around, his cup of tea long forgotten about. "Ya know, you still haven't apologized for what you said to me," he said, still holding onto her hand, the coldness of her rings warming up at his touch. "I wasn't aware that I needed to. In fact, I assume you would have. You had no right to bring up Kimura, or tell me how I should parent my child." She turned around to leave, pulling her hand out of his.

"Kez told me what happened in 2013." Lewis spoke, stopping her in her tracks, and she was quick with her reply, "I don't know what you're talking about."

He sighed, running a hand down his face, remembering the promise he made to Kez. He had to follow through with it. "You tried to kill yourself in your hotel room before a race. Kimura had broken up with you and you were a mess. Kez found you. She saved your life. That's why you won't get into a relationship. That's why you won't let anyone in. It's why you left me in that hotel room in 2014. You fell for me, and you ran because you were scared of falling in love again."

Her eyes pooled with tears and she turned around, "she had no right to tell you that."

"Maybe, maybe not, it doesn't take away the truthfulness. You need help, Kallie. You need therapy. You need to talk about your feelings. We both seen the way you acted today. And you never recovered from Kimura. You've got so much pent up emotion, and it's not good for you. It's not good for Kamiyah. If you really care about your daughter, you will get a therapist." He said knowingly, setting his hands on her arms.

She shook her head, blinking away her tears. "Stop. Stop. Stop acting like you know what's best for me and my daughter. We were doing just fine without you."

"Were you? Do you wanna know what your daughter tells me? She tells me all about how you would get drunk and cry yourself to sleep because you were lonely. If that's not a wake up call, I don't know what is." She scoffed, pushing him away in anger. "Fuck you! I'm not doing this with you! I'm taking my daughter!" She turned away and walked out of the kitchen. He rushed after her, grabbing her arm, "you are not taking my daughter anywhere like that!"

"Don't touch me!" She pulled her arm away, looking at him with a sharp glare.

"Mama? Baba?" They both looked up to see Kami standing at the top of the stairs with a frown on her face, his phone lying at her feet because she had called her grandfather when she heard yelling. Remembering when he told her to call him if she heard her mum angry. "Hey, sweetie. I'm sorry. Did we wake you?" Lewis rushed over, scooping her up in his arms before Kallie could make a move to grab her.

She nods, laying her head on his shoulder, "Mama mad?"

"You're gonna come home with me, okay? Go get your stuff, babygirl." Kallie said, standing at the end of the stairs.

Kami shook her head in refusal, "no."

"Excuse me?" Kallie blinked in shock.

"Tatomkhulu say it bad when you angry," Kami expressed, tears in her eyes. She ran her hand over her face, shaking her head, "I don't care what he said. I'm your mother. You come with me." Kami sniffles, hiding her head into his neck, clinging onto him. "She said no, Kallie. Forcing her won't make things any better." Lewis said. She shot him a glare, "I don't care. Kamiyah, get your stuff now!"

The door was suddenly pushed open, both Kez and Jae-hyun walking inside. Kez immediately grabbed her arm, "let's go, now." She scoffed, fighting against her hold as Jae-hyun walked up the stairs to check on his crying granddaughter. "This is ridiculous! You can't do this! I'm her mum! He's not her father!" Kallie argued, shoving her sister but the woman was unfazed. "Yes, he is, and once you get that through your head, all will be okay. But right now, I'm taking your ass to a therapist because I am not letting you get in that car tomorrow in this condition."

"I'm not going anywhere with you! I don't need a stupid shrink!" Kallie scowled.

"I hate that you're making me do this, usisi." Kez sighed, grabbing her sister and holding her tightly like a hug. Jae-hyun stuck the needle in her arm, injecting the sedative. "Not again," Kallie whined, and in a few seconds, she fell unconscious- going limp in her sister's arms. Keziyah picked her up with ease and gave her father a nod before she carried her out.

"You've had to do that before?" Lewis questioned, rubbing Kami's back to soothe her.

"Unfortunately, yes. A few times after Kimura broke up with her. We'll set her straight, get her in therapy. Our reserve driver will take her place tomorrow. But, it's best that she doesn't see Kami. Will you be fine to watch her until Spain? I can take her if it's too much." Jae-hyun said. Lewis shook his head, feeling Kami going limp as she fell into a slumber, but he hated that she cried herself to sleep. "No, that's okay. I've got her. She needs me. Where are you taking Kallie, if you don't mind me asking?"

"Keziyah will take her to South Korea tomorrow. We have a therapist there that can help her." Jae-hyun explained, like he had it all figured out, and he definitely did.

"You seem to have this all figured out," Lewis voiced.

"Myself, Keziyah, and my wife have had this planned for a while now. It's why Kez invited Kimura to Miami. We wanted her to go to therapy by choice, but clearly we overestimated her." He shrugged. Lewis furrowed his brows, everything beginning to add up. "Wait- so Kez told me all that yesterday so I'd say it to Kallie and finally make her snap?"

Jae-hyun pursed his lips, nodding slowly, "yes, you could say that. Don't worry though, it's for the better. Just focus on keeping your little girl happy until she gets to see her mum again." Lewis smiled and nodded softly, appreciating how everyone saw him as her father. The only one left was Kalliope. Her approval mattered the most to him. "I will. Thank you for helping her. I honestly wouldn't have even known it was that serious. I'm glad she has you."

"And I'm glad my daughter and granddaughter have you. You should take Kami to meet your family, it'll keep her distracted." Jae-hyun advised. "That's a good idea. I'll do that. Thank you." Lewis smiled at the idea, noting it down to call his family and arrange something.

"Of course. Have a goodnight. Call me if you need anything at all, or just want a check up on Kalliope. I'll be happy to update you." Jae-hyun spoke, walking to the door. Lewis walked down the stairs, gently so he didn't wake the sleeping girl in his arms. "That sounds good, thanks. Goodnight to you too." Jae smiled and bowed his head before leaving the apartment.

Lewis locked the door and let out a heavy sigh. "This is what I get for ignoring all the red flags. Funnily enough, it makes me want her even more. Isn't that weird?" He mumbled, walking up the stairs to lay the girl down. "Great. Now I'm taking to myself." He laid down in bed and pulled the covers over himself, Kami still clinging onto him.

"On the positive. You'll get to meet my family," he smiled, pressing a kiss to her head.

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a/n: oh how i love angst 😩 ive been planning this since the beginning and i hope it came out as good as i think it did 🥲🙏

the difference between kallie in this book compared to the other one is so insane 😭 kallie is so soft and sweet in the other book! both of them went through a terrible breakup and handled it in very different ways 💔

kinda melting at kez being so strong that she can pick up her sister with ease- okay I'll stop now 🤭

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