I tried to think, I tried to unscramble my frantic mind as I stared at my unconscious friend. I couldn’t think rationally, couldn't think clearly.

Suddenly, the sound of the car door opening had my head turning to where Axel was walking round the car. Rome’s head lifted up as he spotted the movement. His eyes frosted over.

Before my cousin could speak, Axel threw open the car’s back door, and looked at Rome. “Get in,” he ordered, “I’ll get y’all to the hospital.”

Rome, clearly needing someone to take charge, ran forward and slid very carefully onto the backseat, all the time murmuring to Molly for her to wake up.

I met Axel’s eyes as he opened the passenger side door. My mouth opened but no words came. Quickly rubbing the tears from my face with the pads of his thumbs, his expression softened and he said, “Get in, carina. We’ve gotta go.”

Nodding numbly, I dropped into the passenger seat and turned to see Rome pressing kisses along Molly’s forehead, cheeks and lips. His face contorted in agonized pain. A loud cry escaped his mouth as he rocked back and forth with Molly on his lap, looking every bit as helpless as I felt.

In seconds, Axel was gunning down the driveway, heading to the hospital. “It’s… It’s… gonna b-be o-okay,” I stuttered to Rome in between sobs.

He looked into my eyes. “What… what if she dies? Christ, Ally, what if I lose her and the baby… I can’t… I can’t… I wouldn’t survive… I… ”

Reaching out my hand, I laid it on his and squeezed tightly. “She’s gonna be just fine.” My eyes lowered to take in Molly’s prominent baby bump. I added, “They both are. I promise.”

Feeling a hand stroke soothingly along my thigh, my gaze darted to Axel who was concentrating intently on the road. My heart felt like it would burst. He wasn’t one for showing affection, but that one gesture, that one touch of support made my eyes fill with tears of gratitude for having him in my life.

“Text Austin and Lexi, carina,” Axel whispered. I nodded my head, doing what he asked. My hands were shaking like leaves in a storm as I fumbled with the touch screen. I managed to string a sentence together, telling our friends what had happened. Seconds later, a reply came from Lexi saying they would meet us at the hospital.

As I turned my attention back to Rome, he looked... broken. Memories of the night in College when Molly had lost their first child ran through my mind. He couldn’t do that again. Molly was his universe… she was his more.

As I sat, I intently watched Rome beg his wife to be okay. I knew he hadn’t registered exactly who was driving us to the hospital or why Axel was in my car to begin with. But I knew one thing for sure; when Molly pulled through, because she would pull through, Rome would now know who had captured my heart… and before the night was over, so would all my friends...

Chapter Sixteen

Ally

Rome and Molly were rushed straight through into the OB unit as soon as we arrived. Molly had begun to move slightly—the fidgeting of her fingers and low breathy moans, but it was enough to give me hope that she would be okay. Axel and I had parked up the car and made our way inside, a nurse telling us to go to the waiting room.

As I walked, lost in a daze, Axel guiding me through a maze of sterile hallways, I began to notice nurses and doctors warily eying Axel. He kept his head down, seeming to block it all out, but I noticed. They were judging him. They were seeing the tattoos on his face, his intricately inked arms and hands. Add this to the fact he was heavily muscled and formidable in size, they were obviously viewing him as dangerous.

Each security guard we met turned their head as Axel walked by, eyes assessing. And with each encounter I grew more and more annoyed. My best friend could barely wake up, my cousin was falling to pieces, and the man who had kept his cool and brought us to help, was being judged a threat to people in this hospital.

Feeling my hands clench in frustration, my heart began to race. As we passed two security guards in an empty hallway, they turned on their heels and began to trail us as we made our way to the unit where Molly had been taken. My emotions wrought, I decided I’d had enough.

Spinning round, I met the shocked eyes of the two men, and confidently asked, “Why are you following us?”

They stood stoic trying to stare me down. As Axel placed his hand on my arm to pull me back, their gazes focused on him. It broke me. The way they were staring at this man who was fast becoming my world, who’d had nothing but chaos and tragedy in his young life, well, it shattered my heart.

Wrenching my arm from Axel’s firm grip, I stepped forward only imagining how I must have looked with my hair in disarray and black mascara tracks dried on my cheeks. “Is it because of him?” I asked coolly pointing at Axel whose face expressed no emotion.

“Just doing our jobs, miss,” the larger of the two replied.

I laughed without humor and stepped forward again. “Well before you judge my boyfriend, know that this man has just saved the life of a pregnant woman who couldn’t wake up. He’s a good man. Has more talent in his little finger than you two could ever dream of. And just because he looks the way he does, you think it appropriate to stalk us while we are heading to hear if our friend is going to be okay?” I hissed and seethed as their faces remained impassive.

“La mia luce,” Axel said from behind me, his voice stern and low, “Vieni qua.” My heart raced faster and faster still as I stayed on the spot, glaring. Then Axel threaded his hand through mine, shocking me to all hell.