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I thought I would never see Alex, that I wouldn’t witness the birth of the twins or see Sofia again.
But this nightmare was also what disconnected me from them. If anyone understood trauma, it was my brothers and Alex. We had all been through a lot of shit over the years.
Of all of my brothers, I had the least amount of trauma. Luca shielded me from everything and never let me feel the full brunt of his pain. But now that I had seen the most horrific death I had ever witnessed, I felt different.
I would never be the same person.
For years, I was content with going on missions. I was the leader of Alpha Command and enjoyed that role.
But now that we had children, I wanted to be home more for Alex and the kids. I didn’t want to be stuck doing this for the rest of my life.
I woke up screaming for the third night in a row, trapped in that cave. Alex gripped my bicep, calling out to me, even though her voice sounded so far away.
“Marcello.” She shook my arm. “Wake up. You’re safe. You’re home.”
This didn’t feel real.
It felt like a dream.
When I lay on the cave floor, staring at the puddle of blood surrounding Tate’s head, I only thought about Alex.
Her voice.
Her smell.
Her smile.
The way she stared at me when she didn’t think I was looking. So many little details about her that I loved.
I blinked a few times to make sure she was real.
She was still there.
“Marcello,” she whispered. “It’s okay. I’m here. You can talk to me.” Alex put her head on my chest, listening to my heartbeat rapidly. “I understand how this feels. It’s okay for you to need me for once. You don’t always have to be the strong one.”
That was what I represented to Alex.
Strength.
Power.
Control.
I never wanted her to feel unsafe or vulnerable. So I tried to shield her from everything. I loved her so much that I couldn’t even think straight when I was around her. And I would have done anything to protect her and our children.
Alex pressed a kiss to my cheek. “I love you, Marcello.”
“I love you, too, princess.”
She smiled, but it looked forced for my benefit. I could see the tears pricking her eyes. Alex was trying to blink them away. But with her pregnancy hormones, it was harder for her to shield her emotions from me.
She was always so upset.
Lately, it seemed like she was taking on everything in the world and making it personal.
Alex clutched my hand and placed it on her stomach. I couldn’t wait to meet the boys, to see if they would look like Alex or Luca. It didn’t matter whether they were Luca’s or mine because the two of us looked so much alike. Our children would always have some similarities.
The babies kicked my hand.
