Isabella flung the front door open, and her face lit up with excitement when she saw the man standing on the welcome mat. Axel looked much more grown-up compared to the picture on his cousin’s phone. His brown hair was short and artfully tousled, and his dark blue eyes held a more mature look. His frame was large and muscled, and there was a powerful aura around him that held a similar power to Gareth’s.
“Bell!” Axel shouted, dropping his black duffel bag and sweeping Isabella into a brotherly hug. “It’s so good to see you!”
“Bell?” Elliot asked, confused. He was standing behind the two cousins.
“Axel’s been calling me that since we were little,” Isabella explained as Butler Jones discreetly picked up Axel’s bag and brought it into the house. “He couldn’t say ‘Isabella’ as a kid, so he shortened it to ‘Bell’ and it just sort of stuck.”
“Thank you, Butler Jones!” Axel called after the man’s retreat. “It’s good to see you!”
