Exposed

Chapter Nine

"They've cleared out the snow in the streets. It's okay to drive," I announce while pouring coffee. Veronica and my mom are sitting at the island, quiet. They know how angry I am.

"I'm going to apologize to Matteo," Mom says.

"Don't do it if you don't mean it."

"I do."

"No, you don't."

She clucks her tongue. "Cut me some slack, Em. I know you love him, but you're smart enough to know why it's so hard for me to accept him, accept that he's good for you."

"Because you're my mother?"

"Yes."

I lean into the counter. "And all those years ago, when all I wanted was Danny and he could have cared less about me, you never once told me I deserved better than that."

She diverts her gaze quick enough to appear shamed by the fact. I'm surprisingly calm, looking between them with patience, just wanting them to understand what Matteo is to me.

"Matteo and I may have had a really rocky past, but we're willing to give this a second chance. We're willing to work on this. He has no family. He doesn't celebrate holidays. I just... wish he had gotten a better experience this time."

"Where is he?" Mom asks.

I almost don't want to tell her. I press my lips together. "You know I love you, but I'm having a hard time believing you're going to be kind to him."

"I will tell him that I do hope to see him at our next holiday and that I'd like to actually get to know him next time we see each other. I will also tell him that I am your parent and I'm only trying to see you with someone who deserves you."

It's not like I can say no. "He should be off the call in the room."

As she leaves the kitchen, I glance dubiously at Veronica. Her smirk is wide.

"You took a chance there. You're lucky she feels so bad."

"She deserved it. So does Dad... and you know what? You didn't help out too much either."

"Hey, I stayed in the background. I'm not about to come between Mom and her master plans. I did my part by telling Danny to stay away."

"We still haven't talked about why you didn't tell me about talking to Matteo over these months," I say, raising the coffee to my lips.

She grimaces, shrugging. "I truly didn't think he was coming back. But, he seemed so desperate to know you were okay in the beginning and I felt like a bitch telling him to fuck off. So, I told him that you were okay. And after that, it just became a thing. It was only every couple of months. I hadn't sent anything in months until I heard you got the promotion and thought he'd like to know."

"If you didn't care if he came back, I don't see why you went through the trouble to help him?"

"Maybe it was because I knew that knowing you were okay, he was able to move on. To let you finally be happy. I didn't know he was waiting for the right time to come here."

"He mentioned pictures," I mutter and she rolls her eyes, exasperatedly.

"Yeah, a few. Shoot me."

"I think you want us to be together. I think you've been bluffing since he got back."

"Well, I know he loves you, Em. I know more than mom does and I want you to be able to have that. But at the same time, I know what he can do to you, to your well being. I have a love/hate relationship with him and he knows it."