Axel:A Bad Boy Romance(45)

"You can go have a look around later if you like," Marie called over. "We have the whole place to ourselves."         

     



 



"Ooh, a late night, private museum tour, that would be lovely." But that  was no guarantee it would happen. They were waiting. They were sitting  on pins and needles as they waited. It was the Northeastern belt,  tonight. Axel went on any minute. All the work he had put in, all the  training, it all led up to this moment.



Would Marie be his undoing? Would everything that had happened with  Austin negatively affect Axel? She wouldn't be able to live with herself  if that were the case. She didn't want to be his downfall. The  announcers were chattering back and forth about the odds, but Marie  couldn't focus on any one thing they were saying. It was all just  nerves.



"Look, it's Daddy!" Cate screamed pointing at the TV. Marie froze  staring at the screen. It wasn't possible that Austin was there; he was  in jail awaiting trial back in Phoenix.



"What do you mean, Cate?" Marie asked.



"It's Axel," Cate answered. "Don't you see him?"



"Did you just call Axel ‘Daddy'?" Marie asked as she moved closer to her daughter kneeling in front of her.



"Yeah. I want Axel to be my daddy now," she said looking up at Marie.  She was drawing a picture of the four of them; Marie, Axel, Cate, and  Elizabeth and they were all standing in front of the Hawks' mansion.  "See, there's you, and Grandma, and Daddy," Cate said pointing to the  figures on her picture.



"That's very sweet," Marie said giving her daughter a kiss on the cheek.  She looked down at the drawing and everything it meant. A real family, a  man she could trust. A man who loved her and put her first.



The announcer called out the name of Danny Castellano and Axel's  opponent made his way to the ring. He was short, but built like a tank.  His arms were like tree trunks and his nose had been broken several  times. He snarled at the camera as it circled him. He looked big and  scary to Marie. She was worried about Axel; she wasn't sure she was  ready to watch this fight.



The announcer called out Axel's name next and the crowd at the arena  went wild. He was wearing the blue and red robe with his name stitched  along the back. The hood was pulled out but his face appeared under the  harsh light. He entered the ring and removed his robe. He was wearing  only a pair of loose red shorts and tape on his knuckles. She wished he  had armor on. She wished her was safe here, next to her.



The bell rung. Everything happened so quickly. Axel was on his feet  bobbing and weaving as Castellano came at him with everything he had.  The other man was kicking and punching and driving Axel back into a  corner. But as Marie watched she could see what Axel was doing. He was  getting into position; he was waiting for his turn to strike. And then  in came. In the second round he got a firm hit on Castellano's side and  then a roundhouse kick to his stomach and he finished it with an  uppercut that landed Castellano flat on his back.



The crowd screamed. Marie, Cate, and Elizabeth screamed and jumped from  their seats and hugged each other. Marie's heart was pounding. Axel had  won in two rounds. The referee lifted Axel's hand above his head and the  crowd roared and he was declared the winner. Castellano was helped from  the ring as a reporter joined Axel.



Axel faced was bruised and there was a trickle of blood along his jaw  and sweat on his forehead. But his eyes were sparkling and he threw his  arms around the interviewer.



"Axel Connelly, you have just won the Northeastern Belt. This is the  highest you have ever ranked. How do you feel? Anything you want to tell  the crowd?



"I feel great!" Axel responded. "And I want to dedicate this fight to  the people I love. To my girlfriend, Marie, my daughter Cate, and my  mother: I love you guys and I'll be home soon."



THE END