Redeemed (Dirty Air #4)(41)

He has me hoping that he proves me wrong. And that in itself is the most concerning thing about him.





“Chloe. I need you to come to my house right now and save me. My mom is on her way,” Santiago whispers into the phone.

That’s not exactly what I expect to hear come out of Santiago’s mouth the moment I answered his phone call.

“Huh?” I rub the sleep from my eyes after my afternoon nap. Work today completely wiped me out because Matteo finally asked me to help him with some rush orders after a swarm of tourists showed up at his shop.

“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.