Levi struck Axel again and I openly wept as more blood ran from Axel’s lips and nose. Austin, at last, jumped forward, but Axel, on seeing his approach, held out his open hand to stop him. “No!” he shouted, as he bent over spitting out blood.

“Fuck!” Austin hissed and planted his feet on the ground in front of us… he was breaking apart watching his brothers fight.

Levi’s cries were low and loud, and he paced in front of Axel like he couldn’t stand all this emotion, like it was driving him insane. As Axel, bloodied and beaten, approached him again, Levi roared and took another swing, but Axel dodged it this time. Instead, Axel wrapped his arms around Levi’s waist, refusing to let him go.

Levi thrashed around, trying to throw off his brother, but Axel was stronger and kept a tight hold, repeating, “I’m sorry, Lev, I love you,” over and over. Each time Axel said those words, Levi’s face contorted in pain more and more, his sobs becoming louder and louder.

“I love you kid, I fucking love you so much…” As Axel bellowed those words into Levi’s ear, something suddenly changed in Levi. Losing all fight, Levi sagged against Axel who held up his baby brother in his arms.

Levi’s eyes squeezed shut as his cries consumed him. After resisting for as long as he could, Levi suddenly wrapped his arms around Axel. The emotional impact caused Axel to fall to the ground with Levi still in his arms. Axel was crying his heart out too.

Unable to fight back a trapped sob in my throat, I put my hand over my mouth and cried with them. Austin and Lexi did the same.

“Axel,” Levi cried and squeezed his arms tighter against Axel’s neck, “You left me, you fucking left me,” he said brokenly. “You left all of us… we needed you… and you left us... alone…”

“I’m sorry,” Axel wept, “I’m so fucking sorry, kid…”

“And Mamma…” Levi said breaking as he said her name, “Mamma needed you there when she passed. She loved you. You were her eldest, her heart… and you left us all alone… you left her alone as she faded, as she laid there dying wondering where you were… you never got to say goodbye to her… you never got to kiss her goodbye… to pray with us… to kiss her cheek…” Levi wailed. Axel broke down further.

Axel sagged against Levi as he completely fell apart and Levi, feeling this, sat back and cradled Axel in his arms. Their roles suddenly switched. Obviously unable to take it anymore, Austin ran to where his brothers sat on the ground and wrapped his big arms around them both. The three Carillo brothers were purging their pasts and healing through their shuddering tears.

“Oh God, Al…” Lexi whimpered beside me, burying her face in my side.

I looked up at the clear night sky. The stars shone brightly but I closed my eyes. I thanked God that tonight had actually happened. I looked down at the three Carillo boys, shrouded in pain, but finally... together.

Then I heard the sweetest sound of all…

“I… I love you, too, Axe… I forgive you,” Levi said quietly as the brothers’ sobs turned to soft cries, “I’ve missed you so damn much… nothing was ever right with you gone…”

Sniffing, Axel raised his head. Holding the back of Levi’s head, he pressed a kiss on his younger brother’s forehead, then Austin’s. For the first time since I’d met Axel, he looked like he could breathe, as if his ton of burdens had been lifted from his soul.

Axel wrapped his arms around Levi, and Levi looked up with red-rimmed eyes. The adoration I saw in Levi’s stare almost brought me to my knees.

“I killed that King, Lev,” Axel admitted quietly. Levi’s gray eyes widened in shock.

“Wh-What?” he stuttered in a hushed voice.

“Was no way that sin was gonna be on you, so I killed him first. You can sleep soundly, fratellino. Your conscience is clear.”

My heart skipped a beat at the confession. It was always going to be the hardest thing for me to hear Axel say. I knew he’d killed, he’d told me so, but I had to confine it to the past, along with everything else.

“Axel…” Levi cried as he slumped forward. Austin wrapped his arm around Axel’s shoulders. “Why didn’t you tell me? It’s haunted me for so long.”

Pain flashed across Axel’s face. “I… I didn’t know you… didn’t know you felt that way… I was… shit, Lev, I fucked up so bad… I’m sorry... shit…”

Axel squeezed Levi tighter, Levi looking up at Axel like he was a miracle, his savior.

“Lev?” Axel said. “We good now, kid?”

I could see the desperate hope in Axel’s gaze. Sighing, Levi nodded his head. He rose to his knees and pulled Axel tightly to his chest.

Blowing quietly and steadily out of my mouth, I tried to relax. I squeezed Lexi’s tiny hand. She looked up at me, wearing the biggest smile I’d ever seen on her face and whispered, “I don’t care what anyone says about you two being together. You’ve saved Axel…” she pressed a kiss to the back of my hand and continued, “you’ve saved all three of them.”

I fought to swallow down my emotion, but I couldn’t. I was just so happy that Levi had come around, so happy for Axel that he’d got his baby brother back. Austin got to his feet, pulling Levi up too. Looking down, Levi held out his hand to Axel. With a big smile, Axel took it and stood up, ruffling Lev’s hair.