Redeemed (Dirty Air 4)

My stomach muscles clench. “Of course. I honestly couldn’t have done it without Santiago though. He cooked half of this.” Okay, he cooked all of it, but whatever.

“Well, you sure landed yourself a good man. If they can cook, keep them.”

“And if they can clean, marry them.”

Matteo laughs. “I see you’ve picked up on a few things besides my coffee skills during our time together.”

I struggle to smile. The tightness in my chest grows as I consider Matteo leaving me behind.

Matteo fumbles with his pocket. “And speaking of our time together...I think you deserve this after all you’ve done for the shop. I’ve never seen it look better.” He slides an envelope over the wooden dining table.

A mist covers my eyes as I assess the sealed envelope. Oh, God. Am I really going to cry because he is giving me money?

No, you’re going to cry because this is the first time a parent wants to take care of you rather than steal from you.

I blink away the tears in a rush, not wanting to scare Matteo. “I can’t accept that.”

“Of course you can. You barely made any money during the time you worked for me. And I’ve never had an employee work as hard as you. Not even my own son, and he owns part of the place.”

Despite the shitstorm of emotions brewing inside of me, I can’t neglect the sense of pride filling me up. Sibling rivalry at its finest. “I should be thanking you. Not many people would take a chance on teaching a random person their business secrets.”

Matteo smiles. “It was my pleasure, truly. Even if you can only make smiley foam faces in your cappuccinos.” He wipes his face and places his napkin on the table.

Is he leaving already? I eye the clock. Shit. It’s been an hour already.

My heart pounds in my chest, the speed picking up as Matteo rises from his chair.

This is it. The moment I’ve been waiting for. The very one I put off for months because I had no idea how to tell Matteo about myself.

“Matteo, wait.” My voice croaks.

The chair scrapes as he halts his movement and looks over at me.

“I have something I’ve been meaning to tell you. It might sound shocking, but it’s important.”

Okay, that was so not what I practiced saying in front of the mirror this morning.

“Yes, bambina?” Color drains from his cheeks.

Fuck. I’m already messing up. Rule number one of telling someone a shocking secret: Don’t warn them beforehand. “There’s no easy way to say this…”

“There won’t be if you say nothing.” A faint smile crosses his lips.

My wobbly return of a smile lands somewhere between a scowl and a look of constipation. “I took a genetic test, and I found out you’re my father.”

Now’s the moment Morgan Freeman drops the mic and exits my subconscious.

38

Chloe

The chair tumbles behind Matteo as he jumps backward. “What?”

Nothing could have prepared me for the absolute look of horror on his face. It tears my insides apart like a paper shredder.

I expected anything else. Shock, sadness, surprise. Anything but horror and outrage.

“There is a mistake. A big, big mistake.” He steps backward and trips over his chair.