Maybe we're both ok with it Ch 1
single dad!mv33 x reader
Summary- Max is new to being a single dad and is struggling, but maybe his miracle just walked through the door as the new PR manager. He can't help but wonder why she is so good with kids, and why she is a PR manager if she apparently doesn't have a degree in these things. Ch2 Ch3
warnings- angst!, a little fluff, cussing, descriptions of misscarege and cheating, slight descriptions of depression, blood. nothing else I can think of, lmk if I missed anything
WC- 3k
Note- This is just chapter 1. Chapter 2 is gonna be out in a few days, followed by chapters 3 and 4. This is proofread, but I can't promise it's perfect, so please kindly let me know if I missed anything
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Being a single father is hard. Being a single father working full-time in the racing world with a 5-year-old daughter is very hard, and Max is just learning this.
For Max, all of this was new. He was still learning and struggling. That is emphasized by the fact that he showed up at the paddock with his daughter in tow and crying because the snack she wanted wasn't in her backpack. Now he's making a mental note to triple-check what she has in her bag. However, there's nothing he can do now. He has strategy meetings, PR events, and a car to drive. But right now, Lilly is having a full meltdown, and half of the paddock is staring at him blankly. He picks her up and takes her to his driver's room, patting her back.
“Shhh shhh shhh, baby, it's ok, take a deep breath,” he whispers, bouncing her on his leg, as she stops crying.
“Listen, Lilly, I can't get you apples right now, but once I'm done with work, I’ll get you one and some chocolate. How does that sound?”
“What about while I wait?” She hiccups,
"You can eat one of these," he says, reaching into the backpack to grab one of the other snacks he brought.”
Lilly pouts but grabs the trail mix with M&Ms anyway. Max takes a deep sigh, "I'm turning on Bluey," he says, getting some toys out for her. "I have an interview for PR, but I'll be back before my next meeting. Sounds good?" She nods, already coloring on the sheets he gave her. He walks out of his driver's room and sees Yuki waiting for him in the hall.
“Yo,” he greets and starts walking with Max. “Did you know we have a new PR manager starting today?”
“What happened to the old one? Did they leave already?”Max looks at him, confused.
“Kinda, they moved to PR for Moto GP.” Yuki states, “It happened like two weeks ago. We’re lucky we found one so quickly, but I've heard gossip that she doesn't have a college degree related to anything to do with PR or communications, so I don't know how good she'll be.” Max laughs, running his hand through his hair.
“Well, let's hope she is at least ok.” He can't help but think how annoying it's going to be if she truly doesn't know what she's doing, but he has to give her a chance before discarding her. He knows that.
–-
Your morning has been the definition of chaos. You didn't wake up later or anything, but your hair curler stopped working halfway through, your car wouldn't start, and you cut your hand open making breakfast. Luckily, you were still on time—10 minutes early, in fact—but you would have liked it to be more. You walk in the paddock, eating a slice of apple, looking for the two drivers. Before you can find them, it seems someone else finds you first.
“Hey! Are you the new PR manager?” You looked at him a little wide-eyed.
“Uhh, yes, that would be me! Do you know where the drivers are?” He laughed, pointing to a corner where you could see a very short man and someone else standing together.
You smile and thank him, walking towards the two, getting ready to introduce yourself. You tap the taller one on the shoulder, and when he turns around, you can definitely see the appeal of all those tweets you saw doing research into the team.
After a short pause to admire him, you see the slightly annoyed look on his face, probably because he thinks some random person just bothered him right before an interview, so you introduce yourself,
“Uhh, hi, I'm y/n. I'm supposed to be starting as your new PR manager today. I promise I'll put all my effort into being the best PR manager for you two.”
You look at them for a second, waiting for a reaction, before the shorter one, who you believe to be Yuki, starts laughing. “It's ok, you don't need to be so anxious around us,” he says, letting out the last of his laughs. He removes his hand from his stomach and holds it out. "I'm Yuki." You shake his hand before turning to the taller one.
“So that would mean your max? ” He nods, holding his hand out, “It does. I hope we can work well together.”
You smile at them both, deciding to talk a little before their interview, then go to find Laurent. Once you find him, he gives you a small tour of the paddock. When you reach the driver's room, you see a little girl playing with blocks in the room labeled Max.
"That's Max's daughter," he says, following your gaze. "She's a very sweet and smart young girl."
“Looks like it.”You smile.
“...Now that I think about it…That's what your degree and work history are in, right? Early childhood development and teaching?” You look at him, shocked for a second before realizing he's your boss. Of course he'd read your whole resume. You laugh,
“Yeah, it is very different than this work, huh?”
“I believe in your ability to do this job, or I wouldn't have picked you.” He pats your back, continuing your tour before circling back around to the offices where your desk lies in a little room with a great view of the track.
He hands you a company phone pre-loaded with social media, logged into the Red Bull accounts, and important phone numbers. He then leaves to let you get settled into the office and tells you you'll meet with Yuki and Max in an hour and a half.
You look around the small space. There’s a desk that has a fake plant and a Red Bull, and a shitty office chair. It's very generic, but you suppose that's probably how all offices look, at least you brought a few small pictures to make it feel like home. One of you and your siblings, and another of you and the first kindergarten class you taught. You set them both in the corner across from the fake plant you plan on replacing with a real one.
You get a little work done on your laptop before you have to leave for the meeting room. You grab your purse and laptop and head down the hall. You get there a handful of minutes before either of the drivers does and open your laptop, although it's not really needed. The point of this meeting is just to get to know them.
Laurent is the first to enter, followed by Yuki, who smiles and takes a seat, waiting for Max to enter. When he does, he has a small upset girl on his hip, the same one you saw in the driver's room. You vaguely remember hearing that he has a kid, but you wonder why she's not with her other parent right now.
You take a deep breath and get ready to introduce yourself. “Hello, I know we've already met, but my name is y/n, and I am new to the racing world, but as I already said, I will try my best to do well.”
There were a few seconds of silence before, again, Yuki breaks it.
“So this is new to you. What did you do before?”
“It was very different,” you let out a small sigh, trying not to think about it too much because you know it'll make you dejected. Yuki can tell almost immediately that you don't really want to answer, so thankfully, he drops it.
“Well, as you know, I'm Yuki, and that is Max, and the little girl behind him is Lily, his daughter.” She gives you a small wave. Ahh, finally something I know, kids. You kneel down to her level and wave,
“Hi, Lily, I'm y/n. I do what's called PR for your dad.” You smile at her as she slowly slides out from behind his leg.
“What's PR?” she asks, looking at you with a curious gaze,
“Well, I make sure your dad looks good on TV,” she smiles,
“Like Bluey?” You laugh, “Sure, close enough.”
“Do you have kids of your own?” he asks a bit surprised at how well you are with her. It's an innocent question, really, but it triggers something inside of you, taking you back to that day.
–
You're sitting at your desk, eating lunch while your students are at recess, when one of your friends walks in
"Hey y/n! Whatcha eating for lunch?” You smile.
“Well, don't judge me when I tell you a peanut-butter and pickle sandwich with Doritos.”
“No, I get it. Those pregnancy cravings go crazy!” she smiles, “When are you due anyway?”
“About 16 more weeks. I'm so excited for Alexander to be here!”
When your kids come back in from recess, you start your lesson. Your kids are still learning about the sound association. So you're doing an activity where you give them a Smartie every time they can make a correct association. You started to get some really bad cramps and didn't think it was a big deal, you were five months pregnant after all, so you rolled your seat over and sat down, still playing the game. The pain didn't stop for a concerning amount of time. When it finally went away, it was almost the end of the day. You were grading a few papers and finalizing a few details for some future lesson plans when your friend popped her head in the door.
“Hey, how are you feeling? You don't look very good, no offense.” She smiles, coming to sit beside you.
“Oh, I kind of feel bad. I’ve been having the worst cramps, and I REALLY have to pee, but I have to finish this first. Do you mind keeping me company?” you say, trying to get the last of the things done.
“Of course, girl, how much do you have left?” she asks, pulling a chair up to your desk and pulling her phone out.
“Just these last few,” you say, finishing as quickly and getting up. “I have to pee so bad it feels like I already started.” You laugh, grab your things, and head to the teacher's bathroom. When you pull your pants down, you immediately feel the wet in your underwear; it feels thick and cold like you just started your period, and your stomach drops. You feel sick just at the thought. You can't make yourself look down, too afraid of what you'll see. After too long, you take a deep breath and look down. Your heart shatters. It's blood, and a lot of it. Shakily, you pull your pants back up and walk out to your car as fast as you can You're in a daze, everything is blurring together as you get in your car. The drive to the hospital was silent. All you could think about is it's not true, IT’S NOT TRUE.
You walk into the hospital numb, not thinking, not hearing. Everything is fussy. You quietly and matter-of-factly tell the receptionist you think you're having a miscarriage, and she looks at you, shocked, calling a nurse out for you and rushing you back, all in a blur. The nurses are telling you that you have to deliver the baby who is no longer with you. It is the worst pain you've ever felt. He was supposed to come out crying, you were supposed to be exhausted every night when he cried and kept you up, and there wasn't supposed to be this much blood. It all happens quickly, from the nurse asking for your emergency contact to her telling you you could keep bleeding for the next month to your husband showing up and taking you home.
The whole time, all you can think is IT’S NOT FAIR! You always get to see parents walk in and out with their babies. You've always loved your students as if they were your own. You've always opened your heart and home to nieces and nephews, and you were finally going to have your own. You were supposed to be a great mother. It can't be true. This can't be how it happens. You want to be a mother, you want to be a great mother. Why does this have to happen to you?
You go back into class a week and a half later, and the students are worried, your co-workers are pitying you, and your husband has been… Distant at best. Nothing in your life is right, the world doesn't feel real anymore, nothing feels ok, and the little voices make you wish you could have made one of your own. Now, when the pregnant moms walk in, it makes you hate them instead of befriending them like you used to. You hate it all, this school, this town, yourself. The overly worried looks of coworkers make you sick. The blood still in your underwear makes you sob in the bathroom. Every minute feels like years. Everyone knows what happened, even if they pretend they don't. You know, things like this travel fast in towns like this. As the months drag on, you become less of a person, and your husband becomes more distant. He comes home smelling like perfume, but you don't care. Maybe it's your fault for not being able to deliver a crying baby. You know something is wrong, but you can't think about it it's too late to fix.
—
You quickly snap back to reality, avoiding thinking anymore about that haunted town and haunted home. You look up at Max, hearing the question ring in your ears a little, but muster the best smile you can,
“No, sadly.” You stand back up, looking at Yuki and Max.
Max can tell there's something wrong from the barely too long pause and the look in your eyes when you look up at him to answer, but he doesn't want to pry further. That's your business, not his, unless it starts to affect your work.
“Well, if you two have any questions for me, you can get a hold of me through the company phone.” They both nod. Laurent informs you all of a few videos and interviews he wants you to do throughout the weekend.
You start talking to them about ideas on how and when you can do these. When you head back to your office, you start managing a hospitality event happening at the next race, which is something that is completely new and overwhelming to do, but you're determined to do it right.
As lunchtime approaches, you desperately need a break. Grabbing your lunchbox, you take a small walk around that paddock, needing new scenery for your lunch. You pass by the driver's rooms and hear a child sobbing. You immediately know it's Lily and peek your head in the door. She's on the floor crying, and Max isn't even in the room. “Hey,” you say, taking a cautious step in “what's going on?” you ask, getting down to her level.
She stares back at you before letting out another small sob,
“Dad said I could have apples, and then—and then he said no and left me.”
You raise your eyebrow, knowing how kids can be all too well, so you don't fully believe her. “Well, I'm sure he'll be back soon. He wouldn't just leave you,”
“I want my dad.” she sobs. You sigh, moving a little closer and patting her back.
“I know you do, but let's take a deep breath. I may have something for you,” you say, still patting her back while you look at her and taking a deep breath in and out a few times till she calms down a little. When she stops crying, she looks at you.
“You have my dad?” You laugh, “No, but I do have apples.” You reach into your lunch bag and pull out the apple you were going to have, and she lights up.
“I can have that?” You nod.
“Yeah, if you want it,” you say, taking the sticker off. She nods, and you smile. “Do you want it cut into slices?” She nods again. You walk over to the small counter and start slicing it into pieces, taking the core out of each piece before putting it on a napkin and handing it to her. She happily takes a bite, kicking her little feet. She starts telling you a story about all the cats she apparently has at home, starting a small conversation between the two of you, before Max walks back in a little flustered. He looks at you for just a second too long, and you can't help but notice how fucking beautiful he is.
—
When Max walks in without the apples he promised this morning, it's almost an immediate breakdown. He had told her he'd forgotten and would be right back with apples, but she was still crying when he left. He thought she’d be fine for a few minutes, but when he came back, he could no longer hear her crying. He could actually hear her giggling, and when he walks into his driver's room, he stops in the doorway, seeing you slicing an apple for Lilly. He watches you carefully cut the core out before setting them down in front of Lilly, immediately starting a small conversation, and he sees how happy Lilly is and how good you are with her, and his heart jumps a little. Maybe it's because you look beautiful sitting on the floor there with Lilly, smiling at every word she says. Maybe it's because of how happy Lilly is. He doesn't know, but he does know it's not good. He can't develop feelings for the new intern on her first day, even if she is drop-dead gorgeous, even if she is inexplicably good with his kid. He has to take a deep breath before walking in and making his presence known. He locks eyes with you and immediately knows, FUCK, THOSE EYES ARE GOING TO DOOM ME. Maybe he's ok with it.
