They laughed, they cried, and when the night wound down, a peace had been found.

When the doctor entered to tell us visiting hours were over, Austin and Levi reluctantly rose to their feet, but before I could join them, Axel gripped my hand. “Don’t go,” he asked sleepily, and my heart melted.

I looked to the doctor and threw him my sweetest smile. “Can I stay the night? He needs me.”

The doctor sighed and I begged, “Please? I… I almost lost him…”

Seeing sympathy in his expression, he said, “Just you.” Austin and Levi both kissed him on the forehead and promised to see him tomorrow.

As they reached the door, I asked, “Will you please tell Molly and Rome I’ll see them tomorrow?”

Austin nodded and smiled at me. I staggered back at the power of that smile and, casting a last glance to his brother on his bed, he said only so I could hear, “Look after him, Al. Never thought I’d see the day, but that brother of mine fucking loves you to death. He may not show his feelings much, but he can’t hide how much he adores you.”

Reaching up to my tiptoes, I pressed a kiss on Austin’s cheek and whispered, “Siempre.”

Austin laughed. I kissed Levi too before shutting the door. Everyone but the two of us had left the room.

As I moved to the bed, Axel was staring at my shoes and met my eyes with a smirk. “I love those fucking shoes,” he said sleepily. I moved to the bed and, just as I was about to sit down on the nearby chair, Axel firmly shook his head and weakly patted the bed.

He began shuffling to the side to make room for me and I jumped forward at seeing the pain etched on his face. “Axel!” I hissed, as he winced in agony and held his stomach wound. Beads of sweat formed on his forehead as he relaxed back into the mattress… a space for me now at his left hand side.

“Lay down,” he said through gritted teeth and I shook my head.

“No! Look at the pain you’re in.”

“Ally, I was shot and could’ve died. Please, just lay the fuck down… I need you.”

I stood there debating what to do, but when I glimpsed vulnerability in his gaze, I gave in and carefully lay down beside him.

As I rested my head on his pillow, I reached down and threaded my hand through his. Axel squeezed my hand real tight, and when I looked up, I could see worry lines creasing his forehead.

“Hey,” I asked. “What’s wrong?”

Axel stayed quiet and I was sure I wasn’t gonna get an answer from him. But on a ragged breath, he looked up and pulled my hand to lie under his cheek. “Last night, for the first time ever, I was fucking scared.”

My heart sank as I saw how much that cost him to divulge. “Baby…” I whispered and, with my other hand, I stroked down his cheek. “It’s understandable. You were shot.”

Axel leaned into my touch and kissed my palm. “I wasn’t scared of getting shot, Ally, I was fucking terrified I would never get to see you again.”

My breath seized. I leaned in to kiss at his pale bruised lips. “Axel,” I cried, “I was so scared too. Austin and Levi told me they had thrown you out and you’d ran away. I felt like my soul had been ripped out. I couldn’t believe you would leave me like that… without even saying goodbye.”

“I was gonna leave,” he said sadly. His hand tightened around mine. “And I was gonna take you with me.”

“Axel—”

“But then Remo followed me.” Axel breathed through his nose as though he was reliving the entire thing in his head. “He’d been following me for days… I knew I wouldn’t be walking away from him alive. He was there for revenge, and all I could think of was that Austin and Levi would never see me again after leaving on a misunderstanding… and that you… that I’d never see this fucking beautiful face ever again… that I would never get to live the life I couldn’t believe I’d finally been gifted.”

Tears ran down his stubbled cheek into his beard. “Shh…” I soothed, “You’re alive. You survived and Remo’s dead… all the threats to you and your brothers are gone... once and for all.”

Axel inhaled deeply as though he couldn’t comprehend that fact. Shuffling even closer to him on the bed, being careful of his injuries, I added, “And you have me… all of me… forever, if that’s what you want.”

Axel’s eyes widened and releasing a long sigh, he nodded his head. “Fuck, Ally, that’s all I want. You’re everything to me. You’re my forever.”