“Thanks, man!”
“Hey, Annalise! So good to see you.” He walks over and gives her a one-armed hug.
“It’s good to see you too, Santiago! How’s the little guy doing?”
“Oh, he’s getting so big. He just turned four a couple of months ago.” He pulls out his phone and pulls up a picture of Isaiah at an indoor kiddie park, sporting a birthday hat and cake smudged on his face.
“He's so cute! He's literally your twin.” Annalise beams down at the photo. "Have you found a stepmom for him yet?" she adds jokingly.
Santiago chuckles. “Nah, it’s just been me and him. I’m not really interested in—” Something catches his attention and he looks as though he’s been placed under a spell. “Whoa. Who is that?”
I follow his gaze and see Serena dancing on the table, swaying her hips to the beat. “That’s Annalise’s friend, Serena.”
“She’s gorgeous.” He smiles, blush spreading across his face.
It’s been a while since I’ve seen him look at anyone like that. Isaiah has been Santiago’s number-one priority, and he’s always said he wants to put all his focus on his son.
“You should try and shoot your shot.” I grin, patting him on the back.
“I think I will.”
“I thought you said you weren’t interested in dating anyone,” I say, cocking a brow at him.
“I wasn’t… until now.”
“Are you not gonna tell him?” Annalise whispers.
I shake my head. “Where’s the fun in that? And who knows—maybe they’ll hit it off and Serena will leave her shitty boyfriend.”
Annalise lets out a giggle. “Maddox Masashi Kamado, you are a big hopeless romantic, you know that?”
I place a kiss on her temple. “That’s because I have you, the girl of my dreams.”
A huge grin appears on her face and her cheeks turn an adorable shade of pink.
After the club closes, we move the party to Elijah’s penthouse. Serena and Santiago have spent the last hour getting cozy and talking to one another while Annalise and I observe from a loveseat on the balcony.
“Aw, are we witnessing a love story unfold?” Annalise places her hand on her chest as she watches them through the glass door.
“I think he’s fallen in love already. Look how smitten he is,” I say, wrapping my arm around her shoulders.
“Santiago is a good guy. He would give Serena what she deserves.”
“Yeah, he would. After what Gabriela put him through, I hope he can open up his heart and allow himself to love again.”
Elijah slides open the balcony door and sticks his head out. “Get in here, ya lovebirds. I set up the karaoke machine.”
“We’ll be there in a minute. I gotta warm up my vocals,” I say.
He shuts the door and I refocus my attention on Annalise. “Are you ready for me to serenade you, Rosie?”
“I’m not looking forward to having my ears bleed,” she teases.
My phone buzzes with a new text alert. I glance at the screen—it’s a video message from an unknown number.
Weird. It must be spam.
I hesitate to click on it, worried that it might be a virus, but curiosity gets the better of me.
