Redeemed (Dirty Air 4)

“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.