Sweet Hope (Sweet Home #4)(10)

“Lexi,” I greeted, but my voice was rough.

Her green eyes never left mine as Austin squeezed her tighter.

“Axel,” she answered in a shaky voice.

I couldn’t stand it.

Taking a step forward, I watched her whole body tense, so I stopped and held up my hands. “Look, Lexi, I wanna say sorry for the way I treated you. It was real bad. I was a f*cking dick.” I lowered my head, feeling Austin’s tension from where I stood. “I ain’t that guy no more.”

Looking back up, Lexi stared at me in silence for the longest time. Then she eventually blew a long breath through her mouth, casting a glance to Austin.

“Pix?” Austin questioned. Lexi reached up and, with her thumb, wiped the wetness still left on Austin’s cheeks. I saw tears fill her eyes too.

Sagging her shoulders in defeat, she turned to me and dipped her chin. “It’s in the past, Axel. None of us were in a good place back then. We were all doing what we thought we had to do to survive. It needs to stay in the past.”

It felt like a huge weight had been lifted off my shoulders.

“Pix,” Austin whispered, and I could hear the level of gratitude in his voice. Gratitude for letting his ex-con of a brother walk into their home, f*ck, storm back into their lives.

Austin wrapped his wife in his arms, and I couldn’t take my eyes off them. I’d never really seen how much my brother loved Lexi, or even gave a shit about how much she obviously adored him back. When you’re dragged up in hell, I suppose you don’t think about what the other side could be like.

But my brother had it. He had it all. He’d taken himself from the cesspool of our trailer park and was living the f*cking American Dream.

“Austin? Lexi? You seen my cleats? I need to get to training.”

The deep voice sounded from upstairs, and my stomach sank. My heart seemed to skip a beat like I had a damn heart murmur or some shit, because I knew exactly who that voice belonged to.

“Lex? You seen my cleats?”

Footsteps pounded up ahead on the first floor, and Austin and Lexi darted their eyes to each other, then me, the same worried expression on their faces. Just then, a pair of legs began running down the stairs, slowly revealing the tall, built frame of my little brother, Levi.

My lips parted as I realized he was all grown up, his dark-blond hair ruffled like he’d just got outta bed. He was wearing a pair of navy sweats and a sports tank, University of Washington Huskies Football written across the chest. His eyes were downcast as he searched the stairs for his cleats, but he started when he looked up, a shy smile pulling on his mouth.

In an instant, his gray eyes widened, his smile turned into a grimace, hands clenched into fists, and his chest began to heave.

Levi pounded down the stairs and Lexi met him at the bottom step, reaching out to grab his arm. “Levi—”

“What the f*ck is he doing here?” Levi said coldly through gritted teeth and wrenched his arm free.

Austin stepped forward and gripped Levi’s arm. “Lev—”

“What the f*ck’s he doing here?”

A huge unwanted feeling burrowed out of my chest. Levi was f*cking burning with rage.

“Levi, calm the hell down!” Austin demanded, but Levi shook his head in disbelief.

“Calm down? Calm the f*ck down? Are you shittin’ me?”

“He’s our brother, Lev! What the f*ck’s wrong with you?” Austin shouted, standing in front of Levi. But Levi couldn’t calm down.

Levi pushed Austin aside and stepped forward, his eyes lit with fire, and boomed out, “What the f*ck’re you doing here? Why aren’t you still rotting in that cell where you belong?”

Lexi rushed forward and took Levi’s arms in her hands. “Levi, please…”

But Levi’s eyes were still set on me. The teen who’d come down those stairs looking for his cleats a minute ago, now looked every inch a true Carillo, every inch the ex-Heighter gang member, every inch the hard little shit I’d forced him to be.

Seeing the hatred he had for me now, when those light-gray eyes used to look at me with nothing but respect and love, destroyed me.

“Levi, look at me,” Lexi pushed again, but I took a deep breath and stepped forward, once again clashing gazes with my youngest brother.

“Lexi, it’s okay,” I said. Her head whipped round in my direction. I could see the panic and upset in her expression, but I flicked a glance to Austin and nodded my head. He returned the gesture.

Reaching forward, Austin took Lexi’s hand and pulled her to him, whispering something in her ear.

Sucking in a deep breath, I turned to Levi. “Lev, I know you’re pissed—”

“Pissed?” he snapped and moved closer still, his knuckles white from how tight his fists were clenched. “Pissed ain’t even close to what I’m feeling about you being here, in our home.” I watched him take a long breath. “You were meant to be away for another five years. You were never meant to come here.”

“He was always meant to come here, Lev. Once he got out, this was always gonna be Axel's home… with us,” Austin said from behind Levi, and Levi glanced back.

Austin reached out and put his hand on Levi’s shoulder. “He’s our brother, Levi. We’re here for him no matter what. We’re Carillos.”