Redeemed (Dirty Air Series Book 4)

by Lauren Asher

  “My mom is coming to my house right now and she’s asking for you.”

  “What?” I rise from the bed. “You didn’t mention your mom visiting! And what do you mean ‘she’s asking for me’? This was not part of the plan.”

  “Trust me, you’re not the only one who’s surprised. But she wants to meet my girlfriend.”

  “Is that even normal for her to show up unannounced?” What kind of family does this man have?

  “No,” he grumbles. “But I’m guessing Maya’s little story got her all kinds of excited. I’ll get to the bottom of that issue after.”

  “Fuck.”

  “My thoughts exactly.”

  “This is getting out of control. I’m not ready to meet your mom. I barely know anything about you!”

  “You know enough about me to survive meeting my mom. I swear I wouldn’t put you in this situation if I didn’t think you could fake it. Plus, she’s going to want to batter you with questions about yourself, not me.”

  “Oh, God.” So much for Santiago giving me time to open up. This is a total nightmare.

  “But I should warn you. My mom can smell a lie from a mile away. Hell, she knew about Noah and Maya liking each other before I did.”

  I drop my head against the pillows and throw my arm over my eyes. “What do you want me to do? Everything about us is a lie!”

  “Well, not everything.” His voice drops low.

  Goosebumps rise across my skin, reminding me why hanging around him more than necessary is deadly. “How am I supposed to pretend in front of a human polygraph machine?”

  “She’s going to be busy getting to know you, I doubt she’ll ask you much about me. I’m not the reason she came to visit. So, don’t worry. She’ll love you.”

  “Easy for you to say,” I grumble under my breath.

  He chuckles. “Come and fake it for a few hours until I say you have to go to bed early because you have to work tomorrow. It’ll be easy.”

  “Fine. What’s a few hours of questions and your mom?”

  This is the moment Morgan Freeman, the narrator of my life, interrupts me to say how this is a very bad idea.

  Screw you, narrator. Screw you.

  18

  Santiago

  “You told me you wouldn’t tell her anything until I did!” I run both hands through my hair, tugging at the thick strands.

  Maya and I both whisper in the kitchen while Marko plays with his toys in the living room. She came by herself to pick up Marko today while Noah busies himself at Bandini’s headquarters in Milan, prepping for his Monza race.

  Maya throws her hands in the air. “It wasn’t me! Marko mentioned her to Mami when they talked on the phone this morning after she landed in Madrid. What did you expect me to do? Rip the phone out of his hands and hang up?”

  “Is that too much to ask?”

  She smacks my shoulder. “Yes. He’s a little kid. It’s not like he knows what he should or should not say. Plus, once Marko told her the news, she said she was booking a flight and joining me for the next week before Noah’s race. Well, that and how she wanted to meet me here so she could say hi to you.”

  “Hi? More like she wanted to interrogate my girlfriend.” I still can’t believe my mom is coming here in the next hour to visit.

  Maya winces. “Sorry.”

  “How did she orchestrate this plan in less than a few hours?”

  “That’s Mami for you. I’m pretty sure Papi was already driving her back to the airport while she chatted with Marko. She’s quick. I’ll give her that.”

  “Great. Just great,” I groan. This is the repayment I get for taking care of Marko for two weeks. The last thing I need is more obstacles in my way, especially if it’s my mother.

  Maya shrugs. “Try not to worry about it too much. She seems very excited about Chloe. Especially after Marko told Mami all about how Chloe took care of him when he was sick.”

  I can’t exactly get mad at my nephew for not knowing any better. “Whatever. It’s just for one day.”

  Maya’s eyes focus on something behind me. “Well...”

  “I’m afraid to ask, but I don’t have much of a choice. Spit it out.”

  “You didn’t hear it from me, but Mami wants you to attend the Prix with us next weekend.”

  I release a stream of curses, switching between English and Spanish. The air in the room thickens as the walls around me inch closer. A swell of something ugly and weak blooms in my chest, feeding off my anxiety. Returning to the one place that I promised myself I would avoid at all costs brings about a new wave of panic. I try to gain control over my breathing, but short breaths escape my lips.

  Shit. I run a shaky hand through my hair.

  Maya’s eyes grow wider. “No one expects you to go! Just tell her you can’t because you’re busy.”

  “Busy doing what? Watching my investments add up and taking a stroll by the lake? Yeah, amazing lie, Maya. I’ll tell her to ask me in another thirty years when my busy schedule frees up from watching the clock tick by.”

  She looks down at her sneakers. “True.”

  I pace across the room. “Why does she want me to go?”

  “Probably because it’s Noah’s last Italian race with Bandini. You know that’s a big deal.”

  “He’s retiring after this season? What changed?” Holy shit, everyone is going to be after his F1 seat. Noah’s been racing with Bandini for over a decade already.

  “He was planning to retire after next year, but things…well… He wants to focus on his family, and that’s hard when we’re moving around all the time. Marko’s getting older, and he’s starting school and all. We want to grow our family somewhere that’s a bit more stable than a private jet or a motorhome.”

  Damn. I guess Noah plans on retiring early because of her and everything that happened. He gains another ounce of respect from me at this latest admission.

  Now I have to go to this race. Monza is a huge deal, and if it’s Noah’s last one, I’d be the biggest dick on the planet if I stayed home. The selfless notion doesn’t sit right with me because it’s the last thing I want to do, right up there with getting a colonoscopy or becoming a vegan.

  “I’m fucked, aren’t I?” I whisper to the ceiling as if it can respond back to me.

  “Well, if you’re set on going, you could always bring your girlfriend along with you to make it more bearable.”

  Now, that’s an idea I can work with. Taking Chloe could ease some of the anxiety I have about showing up at a racetrack again. If I concentrate on her and our fake relationship, then I won’t have time to harp on the past.

  Sorry, little wildflower, but I’m not sure you’ll survive my deadly storm.

  “Chloe, tell me about America.” My mom links her arm with Chloe’s. Maya and I follow behind them, hugging the curve of the lake’s shore.

  “Mami is seriously going to pretend she’s never been to America?” I mumble under my breath.

  Maya elbows my side. “She’s being polite. You remember being that way, don’t you? You know, back when you did more than growl at people?”

  I glare at my sister. Maya laughs and focuses her attention back on Marko.

  “Well, New York is way more crowded than this town,” Chloe offers.

  “Oh, yes. But other parts of Italy are pretty crowded. Have you been to any other cities in Europe yet or has my son been hiding you away from the world?” Mami smiles at her.

  “Oh, no. I was—I didn’t have time yet. I’ve been working and stuff.” Chloe stumbles over her words.

  Yup. I’m screwed. Chloe is way too nervous, and my mom isn’t helping the situation.

  “Wow. I’d expect my son to treat his girlfriend with a bit more care. It’s a shame he hasn’t bothered taking you anywhere else, especially since he has been to tons of places himself. He used to love traveling.”

  “Well this town is pretty great, so there hasn’t been a reason to leave yet.” Chloe smiles over her shoulder, winking
at me. The small gesture distracts me and I trip over a rock.

  She laughs before facing my mom. Mami’s eyes bounce between Chloe and me, her smile expanding at whatever she finds amusing.

  Damn. I take back my last statement. With one smile at my mother, I know Chloe has her wrapped around her pinky. How can she not, when she works the same magic on me?

  “Do you know what else is great?” Mami grins in a way that has the hairs on my arms rising.

  Shit. Mami is going to go for it, with or without my approval. I’d be impressed by her sneakiness if I wasn’t on the losing end of it.

  Chloe’s eyes dart from my mom to me. “What?”

  “How would you feel about going to an F1 race? My son-in-law is driving and it’s his last one.”

  “In Italy! He still has plenty more.” Maya awkwardly laughs and shakes her head.

  I appreciate Maya trying to give me an out, but it’s not necessary.

  “Oh.” Chloe bites her lip as her eyes find mine. Whatever she sees has her cheeks tinting to a rosy shade. “Uhm, I don’t think I can. We have plans.”

  Mami’s lips purse. “Plans? Like what?”

  “Like fixing a car.” Chloe nods her head.

  I pinch the bridge of my nose. We lost the battle before it even began.

  “And...um…” Chloe stammers.

  “Well, my son can hold off on fixing one of his twenty-five cars. Right?” Mami looks back at me. Her eyes tell me if I say no, I’ll be regretting it for quite some time.

  “Right.” I nod.

  I hope Chloe makes this trip tolerable like Maya suggested because I can only imagine the shit show it’s bound to become. The idea of revisiting my demons has me sweating and my hands trembling. I haven’t seen an F1 racetrack since my accident, let alone been near old fans and coworkers.

  Chloe stops in her tracks and holds her hand out to me. She looks like a dark angel, tempting me with a wicked smile and bright eyes. “I’m sure we can make the most out of the trip.”

  I grab onto her hand, indulging in the energy crackling between us. “Who can resist showing her off to the world?”

  She shakes her head. “Well, maybe skip the ‘prancing me around in public’ part. I don’t do well in the spotlight.”

  “How would you know?” I quirk a brow.

  “I threw up on stage during my part in a middle school play.”

  “It’s normal to be nervous during those kinds of things,” my sister offers.

  “I was a tree. I didn’t even have to speak.” Chloe’s cheeks flood with color.

  I pull Chloe into me, relishing in the feel of her. Might as well enjoy her nearness under the guise of pleasing my family. “Oh, that’s okay. I’m sure you’ll get used to the attention after the first hundred paparazzi questions.”

  “What are you doing?” she whispers under her breath.

  “Having fun for once.” I wink, brushing aside a loose strand of her hair and tucking it behind her ear.

  Mami and Maya whisper to each other, creating a peanut gallery of two behind us.

  Her eyes narrow. “Consider us even after this trip. That is if I survive the heart attack I’m bound to have.”

  I owe her for more than a weekend outing with my family. She revives a part of me I’ve neglected over the years, pushing me to be a better version of myself.

  Chloe Carter has me hooked, and I can’t exactly say I’m sorry about it.

  19

  Chloe

  “Are you serious? You can’t be serious.” Brooke stares wide-eyed into the video chat camera.

  I bob my head up and down. “I’m about to be announced to the world as Santiago’s girlfriend next weekend.”

  The thought alone has my stomach churning like a washing machine. Why did I agree to this? Because he did you a solid, and you owe him one back.

  “OH MY GOD!”

  “I know. I KNOW!”

  Brooke smirks. “You’re going from privately pretending in front of each other’s families to the red carpet real quick, my dear. Now that’s what I call a glow up.”

  “Don’t remind me.”

  “How do you plan on surviving something like that? They don’t exactly have garbage cans lining the velvet ropes for you to throw up in when you get nervous.”

  Glow up and throw up are becoming synonymous in my head right about now.

  My eyes narrow. “That happened one time.”

  “Only because you magically became sick every time we had a school play after! Some people thought you hated Christmas because you never were a part of the production.”

  What kind of monster did my classmates take me for? “I plan on taking a shot before I even get to the event. That should cure any stage fright.”

  Brooke nods. “Moving along to my next question about this train wreck of a plan. How nervous do you think he feels about returning? If you’re scared, I’m sure he’s shitting bricks.”

  It’s all I can think about. How will Santiago handle that kind of pressure? What will it be like for him to return to the one place he swore he would never be a part of again? Will he crumble under the pressure? My list of questions grows as the days tick by.

  “Trust me, I do think about him. I still can’t believe he agreed to do it in the first place. I mean, he’s only going for Noah, but still.”

  “There’s nothing I love more than a good old-fashioned sacrifice.”

  “That came out very wrong, just so you’re aware.”

  Brooke cackles. “All right. Walk me through your plan for the weekend. And if it doesn’t include touching his dick, I’m unfriending you and selling all your shit on Facebook Marketplace.”

  “You wouldn’t dare.”

  “Try me.” She smirks.

  “Chloe, I hope you don’t mind me asking this question, but I can’t hold off anymore.” Matteo closes the drawer to the cash register.

  I pause my swiping of the glass window. “Yes?” Somehow my voice remains calm despite my escalating heart rate.

  What could he possibly want to ask me? Is it too much to hope he recognizes me finally after working around each other for this long? We have the same hair color and both agree the eighties was the best decade ever. It’s not exactly twinning, but it’s close enough.

  “Why are you working here if you’re dating Santiago? Not that I’m not grateful for your help, but...”

  Disappointment taints my excitement. Rather than stew in my negativity, I say the first thing that comes to mind. “I’m interested in opening a coffee shop myself, so I thought the best way to learn was from someone who has one.”

  Nice. A+ response. I swear, I’ll stop lying once I reveal my identity to Matteo. Until then, I plan on weaving a web of lies with my hypocritical fingers because I can’t bear facing the truth.

  I hate myself a bit more each day I work here. It’s draining to pretend I’m not dying to learn everything personal about him and give our relationship a real chance.

  He purses his lips. “Ahh. I didn’t know you were interested in that.”

  Yeah, neither did I. “I’ve spent time visiting different shops and learning about them.” Okay, that’s true. I tend to visit a Starbucks from time to time when I run out of coffee for the week.

  “What have you learned so far from me?”

  “That you love your shot of espresso with a dash of milk and you sing ABBA’s ‘Take A Chance on Me’ when you’re thinking about something.” I mentally face-palm myself at how stalkerish I sound.

  “You pay attention.”

  That’s one way to reframe my psychotic behavior.

  I smile. “Yes. Plus, I’ve been watching you make different drinks and learning for myself.”

  He pats the counter with a smile. “If you’re interested in learning more, you can start working behind the counter with me.”

  “Really?” The question leaves my lips with a squeak.

  “Sure. Come in tomorrow an hour earlier and I’ll teach you some of the basics
.”

  “Yes! I’d love that! Sure!” I cringe at my desperation.

  “If only my son was as excited as you are to learn about the family business.” Matteo chuckles to himself.

  My chest tightens. It’s such a casual statement, but it has me grinning to myself. I don’t want to be petty about my supposed little brother. It’s not his fault he wants to go to a university and live his best life in Milan. The selfish part of me wants something Matteo can be proud of me about, and this seems like my way in. If it means learning all about coffee and posing as someone I’m not, so be it.

  “How is your son?” I offer to ease some of my guilt.

  “He’s good. I’ve been actually meaning to ask you something about dinner tomorrow.”

  “Do you have to reschedule?” Please don’t reschedule.

  “No.” He shakes his head furiously. “The opposite. I don’t want to intrude, but the moment I told my son about meeting Santiago Alatorre and being invited to dinner with him, he was excited. He begged me to come along. See, we heard the rumors of him living next door. We even saw some reporters occasionally, but we never had the chance to meet your boyfriend ourselves. So, I wanted to ask if my son could come with me to meet Santiago, but I understand if you both don’t want to.”

  The panic building up inside of me is replaced by a sense of disappointment. He wants to bring his son to dinner with us? All because of Santiago? What the hell am I supposed to say to that? Sorry, no, your offspring shouldn’t come along because I want to get to know you all by myself. I can’t exactly say no when Matteo clearly wants to be a cool dad to his kid.

  Instead of yelling an obscenity, I nod my head. “Sure. We’d love to meet him.”

  Santiago’s going to hate the plan even more than me. A little brother crashing our dinner party wasn’t part of the agreement, especially someone who seems like a huge fan. Instead of getting upset, I shelve the feelings. It’s probably normal for a son to beg their parent to join us. If I were in their shoes, I would do anything to meet my idol.