Redeemed (Dirty Air #4)(35)

Her scowl deepens.

Okay... “Why don’t we take a seat?” I point to an empty table across from Marko. The kid hasn’t bothered looking up since we got here because he’s immersed in whatever movie is playing on his iPad.

I fumble, pulling out a chair for Chloe. “So, my brother-in-law is probably the best Formula 1 racer of the decade. Hell, maybe the whole sport.”

“Okay…” She sits. “And you are?”

I take a seat across from her. “...I was his teammate.” My eyes drop to my lap. “Before my injury.”

Her mouth pops open at the same time as her eyes widen. “You mean to tell me that you’re some famous race car driver, and you kept that a secret from me this entire time?”

I lift my hands up in submission. “To be fair, I didn’t have much of a chance to tell you. Between pretending we were in a relationship—”

“Oh, you mean the lie of a relationship you started?”

I swallow, hoping to ease the dryness in my throat. “Right...between that and everything else, I kept going with it.”

“Don’t give me some half-assed excuse. Own up to what you did because you had plenty of time after to explain who you were.”

Damn. I enjoy her form of bluntness. I’m not one for reading between the lines anyway.

“I’m sorry that I lied. It’s my fault, and I’m not excusing that part. But you have to believe me when I say I didn’t do it from a malicious place. Not at all.”

“Then why do it in the first place? Why not come clean once your sister left? You pretended to be someone you’re not in front of me for two weeks.”

“Because you didn’t look at me like I was that guy. You treat me like the man I am now, rather than the one I once was. And that was something special to me that I wanted to hold on to for a bit longer. My reasoning was purely selfish, but I didn’t mean to hurt you. I came here today to admit the truth to you because I couldn’t stand lying to you anymore about it. Because you value honesty, and I value the way you act around me.” The words pour out of me, raw and earnest.

There it is. The god-honest truth that made me desperate to keep my secret from Chloe.

Her eyes soften, and her grimace turns into a flat line. “And how do I act around you?”

“Like you want to get to know who I am without the fame, fortune, and baggage associated with my name. And that’s something that doesn’t happen to me anymore.”

“That’s because I didn’t know it existed in the first place.”

I shake my head. “No. After spending time with you, I know you wouldn’t have cared about it either way. It was stupid of me to think you’d change by knowing what I did before.”

“I honestly still have no idea who you are.” Her laugh comes out a bit panicked.

“You know more than I’ve shared with anyone since my accident. How many people do you think I’ve let see me with my iWalk?”

“Umm…a handful?”

“None. Besides you and Marko, that is.”

Her brows raise. “Really? Not even your family?”

I shake my head from side to side.

She rears back. “Why?”

“Because I don’t like showing any kind of weakness. Especially to my family.”

Chloe frowns. “It’s not a weakness to need something like that. Iron Man would agree.” She nods her head towards Marko.

My lips twitch, fighting a smile. Seriously, she has this ability to erase the ice in my veins whenever I speak about my injury. “I’m sorry about lying and taking advantage of the situation.”

“I’m sorry too. It’s not like I’m completely innocent either. I went along with it all and lied to your family. And I just lied to my”—she stares off into the distance—“to Matteo.”

“Who is he to you anyway?”

“Someone important.”

“Does he know that?”

“No.” She looks down at her hands. “He doesn’t.”

“Why?” I speak low, without judgment.

Her head lifts. “He’s my dad. But he doesn’t know that I exist in the first place.” She goes off, explaining her ancestry kit experiment and how she ended up in Lake Como.

She wrings her hands together. “After I saw how he reacted around you, I kind of freaked out and said the first thing I thought would keep him interested in seeing me outside of here.” She waves a hand around the coffee shop. “I’ve tried multiple times to get him to go to lunch after my shift and he always has something else to do. I was getting desperate. But I’m sorry for using you like that. I wouldn’t have done it if I had known you’re actually some celebrity.”

No wonder she pretended I was her boyfriend. He practically tripped over his feet to meet me, and she took advantage of the opportunity. I can’t blame her when I basically did the same with my sister.

“It shouldn’t matter who I am. You told him I’m your boyfriend, and I doubt you can go and take that back. Plus, there’s no reason to.”

“Why? I’ll just pretend we broke up.” Her eyes drift away from mine. “Honestly, it’s probably for the best. I don’t want to lie to him either. That makes me a big hypocrite.”