“You’re going to live in Europe? Like permanently?”
She beams. “It depends where I get hired, but it’ll be somewhere on this side of the world, that’s for sure. I can’t let my best friend move to Europe without me. We’re like a pair of kidneys.”
“Better off together than ever apart.” I smile.
Santiago walks up to my side and throws his arm over my shoulder. “We have a guest room set up for you upstairs. I can imagine you want to relax and take a shower after that long flight.”
I look up at the man who repaired my cracked heart with superglue and sheer willpower. “Are you sure that you want to sign yourself up for another roommate?”
“For a little while, at least until she gets on her feet and lands herself a job. Not to mention when she suggested staying at the same place you did, I told her I couldn’t allow that. I wouldn’t wish that on my worst enemy… Well, maybe Noah, but only because it would be a humbling experience for our Royal Highness.”
I struggle to hold back my laugh.
“Speaking of Noah Slade… Does he have any friends? Any single friends, that is.” Brooke waggles her brows.
Santiago shakes his head. “Unfortunately, all of us are taken.”
“Do you hear that?” Brooke leans in and whispers.
“What?” I raise a brow at her.
“I thought I heard all the women in the world sobbing, but maybe I’m just going crazy.”
Santiago and I both laugh. He looks at her with a bit of wonder. “I see why Chloe loves you.”
Brooke preens like a damn show-off. “Oh, do tell. I love compliments.”
“You’ve got the same kind of magic she has.”
I blush.
“Is it possible for me to vicariously fall in love with you too? Asking for a friend?” Brooke speaks with her most serious face even though I can tell she wants to burst into a fit of laughter.
I laugh up to the ceiling. My chest fills with a new kind of warmth at the idea of having my best friend living on the same continent as me.
I didn’t even need to make a wish for it to come true. All I needed was Santiago—a man set on proving the magic isn’t the wish itself, but the people who make the dream come true.
51
Santiago
Seven Months Later
“The kids are ready for you.” Chloe walks into my Bandini suite.
I smile up at her as I zip up my race suit. “They’re all out there?”
She nods and offers me her hand. “Ready to watch their favorite guy race in his first Grand Prix.”
I finish strapping on my iWalk before standing up from the couch. Together Chloe and I exit the Bandini motorhome where I get ready and relax before races.
We walk down the main road toward the series of stages where racers and sponsors meet fans.
Chloe swings our hands between us. “Are you ready for your first season back?”
“Yes.”
People stop and stare. Some openly gape at my iWalk while others avoid direct eye contact with me. It should make me uncomfortable, but one look at Chloe’s grinning face has me ignoring them.
Who cares about the rest of the world when mine revolves around this girl?
She leads me toward the stage. “Are you nervous?”
“Surprisingly no.”
“How do you feel about the car?”
“Are you sure you want the answer to that? You might get jealous.”
Her shoulders shake as she laughs to herself. “Me? Jealous of a car?”
“I loved her before you,” I tease.
She sticks her tongue out at me. “She might be your first love, but she won’t be your last.”
“Someone is cocky.”
“I’ve earned my place.” She winks.
A rush of laughter erupts out of me.
We stop at the entrance to the stage. I tug her into my body and place a kiss on her head. Wanting to soak in the moment, I take a few deep breaths.
Chloe fiddles with the zipper on my suit. “Just a fair warning. I might have done something extra special for today.”
“I’m almost afraid to ask you.”
“Why don’t I show you instead?” Chloe’s devious smile sets me on alert.
Hand in hand, we walk up the steps of the stage. Hundreds of kids scream at the top of their lungs as I enter the massive stage. They’re not wearing the Bandini gear I sent them as part of the charity welcome package.
No.
Every child, from little babies to teens with smug grins, wear variations of Iron Man clothing. Some wave their prosthetic arms in the air, holding up posters with my name. While everyone looks different, from their ethnicities to their ages, they all have one thing in common.