Sweet Hope (Sweet Home #4) (16 page)

Levi’s eyes frosted with venom and, putting the headphones on his head, he said, “Just fucking leave him out there, Lex.”

Lexi’s shoulders sagged, and without looking Molly’s way or mine, she left the suite to meet Axel.

I blew a long breath out of my mouth, and Molly shook her head. “It’s a mess,” she said, and taking a sip of my champagne, I nodded in agreement.

“So tell me all about the ins and outs of this gallery you’re designing. It feels like it’s been forever since we’ve had a real chance to catch up.”

“Well…” I started and launched into the goings on of the last few weeks and the ups and downs of constructing the Elpidio show.

Too busy talking to Molly, my back to the entrance of the private suite, I didn’t see Lexi walking in behind us until Molly’s golden-brown eyes looked up over her glasses and she adopted a nervous expression. Twisting in my seat, I saw Lexi in front of me.

“Ally, Molly,” Lexi said, and I stood from the couch, seeing someone enter the suite in my peripheral vision. Suddenly, my cell rang from inside my purse, and I saw it was the museum.

“Sorry, Lex, let me take this,” I said and rushed to the far side of the room out of sight. The call ended up taking ten minutes, a carpenter stressing about the measurements of a plinth he was building.

Walking back into the room, my gaze got lost at the screaming Seahawks crowd on their feet and the cheerleaders running on the field. I headed to where Lexi sat, seeing her pixie face turn to me. Lexi immediately got to her feet, and I saw Molly raise her eyebrows toward a guy sitting behind Lexi. I could hardly see him as he sat in a dark corner, just his bulky arm propping his head up on the arm of the chair visible from where I stood.

“Sorry about that, darlin’,” I said. “I’m on the clock twenty-four-seven at the minute!”

“No problem,” Lexi said and motioned behind her. “Ally, I’d like you to meet Axel, Austin’s older brother.”

Feeling nervous at meeting the guy responsible for so much of my friends’ pain, my hands actually shook. The guy behind Lexi reluctantly got to his feet. His broad back was covered in a long-sleeved black shirt, the arms rolled up to his elbows, and his hair was covered in a oversized black beanie hanging low in the back, covering his neck.

Shit
, I thought. He was huge. Probably bigger than Austin in terms of his muscle size.

Lexi moved to the side, and I took a deep breath as the notorious bad boy of Bama turned to face me, and as my eyes slammed to meet a pair of dark Italian eyes… a pair of
familiar
dark Italian eyes that were etched into my heart…

All the blood drained from my face.

No
…
It’s… it’s not possible
…

Elpi’s tanned bearded face turned ashen as I stared at him, mouth gaping and his always-stern eyes widened in alarm.

We both stood there, frozen to the spot.

Unmoving.

Silent.

Just staring…

Elpidio is… Axel Carillo?

I flitted a glance to the left and caught sight of Lexi’s worried face.

Forcing myself to react, I held out my shaky hand. Elpi, I mean
Axel’s
mouth tightened at the action.

“Hi,” I whispered shakily, flinching as his warm palm met mine and sent the usual bolt of electricity shooting up my spine.

Axel dipped his head in greeting, just as Lexi added, “This is Ally Prince, Axel, Rome Prince’s cousin.”

Axel’s hand tightened in mine at Lexi’s announcement, and I could see the disdain for my cousin written all over his face.

I pulled back my hand and my gaze involuntary ran down Axel’s large body. A body I now knew intimately.

The announcer took to the mic across the field, working the strong crowd into a crazed frenzy. The Seahawks team was coming out.

But I couldn’t move.

“Ally! Quickly, or you’ll miss Rome and Austin coming out of the tunnel,” Molly said, and Lexi rushed to sit beside her, leaving Axel and me locked in a tense gaze.

“Ally!” Molly called again. Finally able to move my feet, I staggered toward where my best friend sat, glancing back to see Axel moving to the farthest seat on the other side of the long paneled glass… the seat that offered him the perfect view of me. And he kept staring. I felt his eyes on me as clearly as I could feel the subtle heat from the vent beside my feet blowing in hot air.

I couldn’t believe it.

My heart cried as I looked out of the window… I was completely infatuated with Axel Carillo.

Feeling his gaze burning through my eyelids, I reluctantly looked up, just as Molly and Lexi jumped to their feet. Levi had moved beside Lexi, leaving Axel sitting on the opposite side of the suite on his own.

That alone made my heart squeeze. He appeared every inch the outcast, his own brother blatantly rejecting him… the black sheep of the Carillos, lost and scorned, forced to be on his own.

A hand suddenly lay on my shoulder. Molly was looking at me. “Ally, they’re just about to announce Austin and Rome. Reece is already on the field for the Redskins.”

I focused on the field and pride raced through my veins seeing the banners and jerseys reading “Prince 7.” My cousin had come through so much and deserved all of this. I also saw Reece, strutting on the side of the field, ever the egomaniac. I hadn’t seen him once since college.

I smiled in forced excitement as fireworks and pyrotechnics burst through CenturyLink, music blaring through the speakers. Reaching down, I took Molly’s hand, gripping it tightly. I needed her support. Not through excitement for Rome’s first game of the season, but for keeping me composed at the revelation I’d just experienced.

Elpidio was Axel.

My heart was shattered.

Molly and Lexi both had tears in their eyes, waiting for their husbands to take the field, and when I looked to Lexi’s side, Levi was gripping her hand too. There was nothing but adoration on his handsome face for his brother, Austin, as he awaited the announcement of the newest Seahawk. But a pit swallowed my stomach when I saw his clear disregard for Axel.

I thought of the little boy sculpture, and I fought not to break down and sob at all the realizations rushing through my mind.

It’s Axel and Levi…

The announcer revved up the crowd, as he began his introduction of Austin. I heard Lexi hold her breath as they ran through her husband’s football accolades. Levi lifted Lexi’s hand and pressed it to his chest, a huge smile pulled on his normally shy face as the crowd roared their approval and welcome for their new wide receiver.

Seconds later, to a line of flaming pyrotechnics, Austin Carillo ran onto the field. Lexi silently cried in happiness beside me, but that’s not what nearly brought me to tears too… No, that honor belonged to a tall, lonely figure standing on his own at the farthest side of the room. A lonely figure with his muscled arms folded across his broad chest, the most heartbreaking expression of pride on his face, as he watched his brother hold his helmet up to the crowd. An awed flicker of a smirk pulled on his lips as I watched whispers of tears tumble down his cheeks.

Axel Carillo
cared
… Axel Carillo cared more than anyone thought about his brother… his family… more than I could ever have thought possible from the hellish reputation that travelled with him.

Pain racked my body. I was crushed that Elpidio was really Axel Carillo. How the hell could this be? It felt like the universe was playing a mean trick on me.

As if feeling my hard stare, Axel’s eyes darted to mine, his proud flicker of a smile dropping in embarrassment at being caught, and he quickly wiped at his eyes, looking away from me.

Molly’s hand squeezed mine, and as I met her eyes, she was looking between Axel and me with a strange expression on her face.

Leaning close to my ear, I stiffened as Molly went to say something, when the stadium positively lifted in volume, the announcer barely audible over the fans’ screams. Molly pulled away, her eyes immediately fixed on the players’ tunnel as Rome was announced. To the line of scantily clad cheerleaders waving pompoms and fireworks lighting up the stadium, Rome Prince took the field.

Molly exhaled, and I watched her eyes fix on her husband as he stopped dead in the middle of the frenzy, pure love in her stare as her hand ran over her round stomach. Rome faced our suite, and holding his helmet in his hand, pressed his fingers to his lips in Molly’s direction. Molly sniffed back her sobs and returned the gesture. Rome smiled and tapped his chest over his heart. He ran toward Austin, throwing his hand around Austin's shoulders.

Molly laughed, choking on emotion. “Sorry, guys, it’s my hormones,” she said, wiping her cheeks.

Releasing her hand and wiping at her cheeks with my thumb, I said, “Nah, it’s just you two.”

Molly laughed, and we sat down.

Truth was I wanted a love like theirs… a soul-shattering, leave you breathless kind of love…

That thought had my eyes instinctively searching for Elpi under my lashes and we immediately locked gazes. He was still watching me, that intense, see-into-my-soul Italian stare of his was burning into mine.

The whistle sounded on the field, making me jump, forcing me to look away from the man I feared I’d already lost my heart to. I made myself watch the game and tried not to think of all the wrongs he’d done in his past… the mountain of wrongs… the wrongs I wasn't sure I could ever get past…

The Seahawks won. Austin even scored a debut touchdown, but I couldn’t bring myself to look at Elpi’s reaction. In fact, the longer I sat in this chair, the more I couldn’t take the tension pulsing between us.

“Ally?”

Blinking fast, realizing Lexi was calling my name, I glanced to my side. Lexi leaned forward, waving for me to lean forward too.

“You okay?” she whispered, and cautiously watched Axel as he stared out the window at the emptying field.

I nodded, but Lexi said, “He won’t hurt you, you know.”

My forehead pulled down in confusion. “What are you—”

“You’ve been staring at Axel all game, and I know it’s because you’re scared. He
looks
scary, all those scars and tattoos, and those dark eyes that look like they can incinerate people where they stand. But he won’t hurt you. You can be assured of that.”

Shocked that I’d obviously been paying Axel so much attention, I simply nodded and sat back in my seat, praying Rome and Austin would hurry and get up here so we could leave.

I needed time to think. I just needed time to friggin’ deal...

Then Axel got up from his chair and I froze.

My hands grew damp as I watched Axel scan the room, and Molly and Lexi watched him too. Axel’s head was downcast and his fists were clenching and unclenching. He acted nervous about something, and the reason for that nervousness was soon revealed when he walked to Levi.

“You wanna go get a drink or something to eat with me, kid?” he asked, and my pulse raced, seeing the flare of hope spark in his eyes.

But Levi ignored him and kept his head down. Levi’s face was stone as his jaw clenched.

“Lev?” Axel prompted and reached out to touch Levi’s shoulder.

Levi ripped his shoulder away. “I ain’t going nowhere with you.”

The expression of raw hurt that ghosted across Axel’s face was my undoing. It cut to the core and carved a pit of sympathy in my stomach the size of the Grand Canyon. I fought the urge to jump to my feet and hold him in my arms.

“I’ll have a water please, Axe, if you’re going to the bar?” Lexi said, and Axel nodded, seemingly thankful for something to do after being so harshly shunned. He moved to leave the suite, but not before he flickered his eyes to me, desperate hurt glinting in his gaze.

When Axel had left the room, Lexi faced Levi. “Lev, did you have to be like that?” she said, clear disappointment in her tone.

Levi shrugged. “I didn’t want a damn drink.”

Lexi sighed and dropped her head.

Molly shuffled forward to comfort Lexi, when Rome walked into the suite.

Rome, as always, bee-lined for Molly and, wrapping his arms around her, pulled her in for a kiss.

Austin walked in the room shortly after Rome, and immediately his eyes began to search the suite. We all knew he was looking for Axel.

Austin, seeing his wife clapping her hands at him in congratulations, laughed and, taking her face in his hands, brought her in for a kiss. As he broke away, he whispered, “
Ti amo tantissimo
,” in her ear, making her blush, then next took Levi in his arms.

“You were fucking unreal, Aust,” Levi said proudly.

“Thanks, Lev,” Austin replied, and just at that moment, the suite door opened and Axel stepped through carrying a bottle of water for Lexi.

Rome, who had just hugged me, stiffened. But Austin, Austin’s whole face lit up as he crossed the room and threw his arms around Axel’s neck. Axel’s assessing eyes looked up to all of us watching, and he awkwardly pushed Austin back after tapping his back.

“You came, Axe,” Austin said in relief.

Axe tapped his hand on Austin’s face. “You know it, kid,” Axel replied. “
Sei stato grande, fratello
.”

“Grazie,
Axe,
grazie,”
Austin replied.

Slinging an arm around Axel’s shoulder, Austin led him back toward us. “We having drinks here first, then catching dinner?” he asked, looking to Rome.

Rome’s eyes narrowed and focused on Axel. Axel’s eyes were glaring at my cousin just as fiercely.

“Axe,” Rome greeted coldly.

“Rome,” Axel greeted back.

Austin tensed as he looked between his brother and best friend, but Rome broke the tension when he turned to Austin and said, “Dinner sounds good,” and sat down, pulling Molly to sit on his lap. Lexi moved next to Austin where he immediately sloped his arm around her neck.

Axel stayed next to Austin, drinking a beer, and listened to his brother’s rundown of the game. Levi watched on, unwilling to join them, but by the look on his face, clearly wanting to.

“I hate that fuck,” Rome said from beside me, too low for Axel to hear and my heart fell at his words.

“Rome,” Molly censured.

“What? After everything he’s done, Austin just welcomes him back? No questions asked?”

A sudden anger built within me as I listened to my cousin being so unforgiving toward Axel, and just as I was about to jump to Axel’s defense, someone walked into the suite.

“Well, look at this, it’s like a friggin’ UA reunion!”

My attention followed the voice and, there at the door, was Reece. I couldn’t help but smile as he stood there, beer in hand looking as preppy as always with his clean cut blond hair and thousand-dollar smile. He’d filled out some since college, but was still just as handsome.

Reece entered and slapped hands with Austin, Levi and Rome, hugged Molly, then turned his huge smile to me.

“Ally,” he said playfully. “You haven’t changed bit,” he added as he wrapped me in his arms. As I looked over Reece’s shoulder, loosely hugging him back, Axel was glaring at us, and in that glare I saw the real Axel Carillo. I saw the infamous ex-leader of the Heighters, the guy who took no shit. And this version of him, I actually feared.

Pulling me back by my arms, Reece leaned forward, and taking me by surprise, jokingly planted a kiss on my lips.

Pushing on his chest, I broke from the kiss. “Reece! Get the hell off!”

Reece winked at me. “Shit. You’re still my dream girl, Al. Still just as hot as ever.” I shook my head at him in reprimand, but couldn’t help but laugh. At twenty-three, he was still a hopeless flirt. I kind of missed having him around.

“Reece, get the fuck off my cousin, you horny little shit,” Rome said, amused.

Reece laughed, holding out his hands. “I’m off. I just couldn’t help myself.” He turned to me and his eyebrows danced. I laughed again. He’d always made me laugh. The guy was as laidback as they came.

Reece slung his arms around my neck and turned us to face all the old gang. “So, are we going out tonight? I fly back out to D.C., tomorrow and want to see what the Seattle nightlife’s like.”

“We can grab dinner, but I’m taking Molls home after,” Rome said.

“Same for us,” I heard Austin say.

Reece sighed dramatically. “Y’all are getting real boring as you get old. I never get to see y’all and you’re already bailing on me.” He squeezed me tighter. “Just you and me then Al,” he joked and kissed my cheek again. “I’m sure we can figure out something entertaining to do.”

I went to open my mouth to cry off the entire night, dinner included, when I heard Austin call, “Axe? Where you going?”

When I looked round I saw Axel heading out of the door, his pack of smokes clutched tightly in his hand.

“What happened?” Lexi asked Austin.

He shook his head in confusion. “No damn idea.”

My heart pounded as the group all moved to sit around a table and the server brought us drinks. But I couldn’t take my mind of Elpi… Axel… whatever the fuck he wanted to call himself. I knew he’d left because of Reece.

The air in the suite became suffocating. Needing to take a break and deal with the revelations of tonight, I excused myself and fled in the direction of the bathroom. As I walked out of the suite and down the long empty hallway, I rounded the corner to the bathroom, where Axel was heading my way.

The two of us stopped dead.

Our gazes clashed.

He looked livid.

Our chests were panting hard, and as I forced myself to shift to the left, Axel gripped my arm and dragged me into the bathroom, locking the door behind us.

I backed away toward the farthest wall as his dark gaze turned on me; he looked liked the devil himself, his chest puffed up and lips pulled tight.

“Who’s that fucker that was all over you?” he demanded, inching forward. I backed up against the cold tiled wall. “Who was that little blond prick? You fucking him? Why the fuck were his lips on yours?”

“Who is
he
?” I whispered incredulously, anger lacing my voice at his attitude. “Who is
he
?” I shrilled louder. “He’s an old friend! Someone I haven’t seen in years!”

Axel’s lips ran over his teeth, visibly shaking. I stepped forward as he stared me down, his eyes blazing with anger. “Who the fuck are
you
,
Elpidio
?”

“Don’t,” he warned, icily.

“Don’t?” I snapped, “
Don’t?
You’re Axel Carillo! Axel
fucking
Carillo! Jesus!” I ran my hand over my forehead when Axel didn’t say a word. “You’re the reason my friend almost lost his scholarship with the Tide. You ran away and left him to deal with everything on his own. You left him to deal drugs just to make money for your family! You threatened to ‘shut up’ my best friend who was battling Anorexia! And you hate my cousin, like you’d kill each other if you got the chance, hate each other! And…”

I choked on the sob which was working its way up my throat.

“And what?” he asked through gritted teeth. “Don’t fucking stop now when you’re laying all this shit at my feet.”

I met his expressionless eyes and said, “And you’ve been in prison! Shit, Elpi! What we’ve shared these past weeks… what we shared last night… and you’re fucking Axel Carillo! You were meant to be
Elpidio
! You were the only guy that I’ve ever felt that fucking bolt of lightening in my heart with, and you turn out to be…
him! You!
”

Axel reared back as if I’d slapped him and my breathing stuttered at the amount of pain etched on his face. “And you’re Ally Prince,” he said tightly, but I could hear the hurt radiating in his voice. I’d hurt him. Really hurt him.

“I’ve heard of you,
Ally
. I know your fucking cousin, remember. I know what family you come from. Your rich-assed oil family.” I opened my mouth to speak, to tell him he knew shit about me, when he said, “
You
were meant to be
Aliyana Lucia
… the woman that I tried to push away, but you kept coming back anyway, fucking
melting
me. You were meant to be Aliyana, the only woman, no, the only
person
who knows what I’ve been doing with my life for the last few years while inside, trying to keep my head down and not fucking suffocate under my guilt. You were meant to be the woman who claimed to
feel
my work. And you were meant to be the woman that told me that I was worth my weight in gold even though I told you I had a fucked up past. I’d warned you! I’d told you I was less than scum.”

My heart sank as he spoke those words, because I did say that. I
was
that person. But all this time, we were both pretending to be someone else. I wasn’t sure at this point if any of what we shared was real. I was so damn hurt… so shocked… so confused that I’d lost my heart to a criminal. A man I’d been led to believe was a ruthless, soulless prick.

Our heavy breathing filled up the bathroom. And, after a stabbing expression flitted across Axel’s face, he turned on his heel and stormed toward the door, turning the lock.

Suddenly panicking that he was leaving, my heart overrode my head and I called out, “Elpi!”

He stopped dead in his tracks, glanced back, and with pure pain in his eyes, said, “Turns out I was right, Aliyana. No fucker can forgive my past, no matter how hard I try to move on. Ain’t no redemption for me. You lied when you said I could be forgiven, Aliyana. You lied to my fucking face. Worst part is, I believed you. I believed you might be my light in this whole fucking mess.” Eyebrows pulled down, his facial expression became severe. “That’s what fucking hurts most.”

He opened the door and left, before I could even summon the words to beg him to wait, to talk this out.

Sliding slowly down the wall I slumped into a messy heap. I couldn’t holdback the heavy flow of tears.