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Cassie pushed irl! Just when I thought you couldn’t get any hotter, you go and fucking hit it outta the park You , I shook my head and tried to accept her words for what they were: a co down, I rubbedface "You look aain! What’s this now, nued on a ‘eh’, and pointed at JD, "Yep, number three Blame it on this one, he can’t keep his da hot bitch"

Laughing at her usual boisterous antics, I looked round Cass to see JD stood beside Austin and Levi, all drinking beers, watching a basketball ga around Cass, I"How’re you, darlin’?" I asked and stepped back

"Not too bad, Al, how’re you? Heard you’re curating some fancy ass exhibition here in Seattle"

I rolled uess, Austin told you that?"

Next to ht? Fancy ass, Iat how they viewed the art world, I threwhis sandy hair "Don’t you laugh, Lev, you’re hed, then his face bealanced down to my outfit "You look real pretty, Ally," he said quietly, and ood kid But then my heart quickly deflated as I wished I could ood man too A man who had done more for his brothers than they knew A man who loved them so much, but didn’t kno to express it, because he’d never been sho

Faking a sed him hard and replied, "And you’re not too shabby yourself, Lev Tell e er, you’d have been on ave irls as yet" Austin atching Lev as his younger brother closed in on hiaze

"Hey Ally!" Hearing Lexi enter the room, I turned and walked to kiss her on the cheek Within lass of Moscato in hand and was crushed beside Cassie on the couch, Molly and Lexi sitting in chairs in front of us

Glian to race when I caught sight of Axel, hiding in the shadoatchinghe could see ht his lip hook into a sht God, he was beautiful As always, he was dressed all in black, his long hair falling like a curtain over his face, but those dark eyes I loved some feel like the o to him I wanted my friends to welcome him into the rooed to me I wanted them to watch me openly walk up to him and kiss hied to one another, no matter how difficult it was for them to understand

But I knew it couldn’t be My friends, his brothers, wouldn’t understand So instead, I had to limpses into the shadohere the man who held my heart hid from the world the world that had shunned hie thirty, he didn’t understand

"Axel?"

My everycalled froe s back to the shadows, I saw Axel trying to duck his head and get away, but it was too late, Austin had already seen him

"Axe!" Austin called, "Come have a beer with us… with me" He belatedly corrected himself, clearly embarrassed at his slip

Rome’s eyes narrowed as he stood beside Lev and JD Levi cast his eyes down on seeing his big brother and Roer burned in e of mood Thankfully, Austin stood before Axel, a hopeful look on his face "I didn’t think you’d colad you did, fratello"

My heart sank when I heard how happy Austin was that Axel had shown face Because I knew Axel would never have come down here to sit with us He shunned any contact with people or crowds Yet here he was, skulking in the safety of the dark just so he could watch me