Asher Read Online Free PDF Page A

know. His heart would be broken, but mine had been shattered beyond repair. He would survive this.
                  The nagging thought that Dixie had so easily fallen in love with someone else was driving me crazy. Just because I couldn’t find someone to fill the void in my life didn’t mean she wouldn’t be able to move on. I did want her to be happy. Knowing this was going to hurt her only made it worse.
                  Heavy footsteps alerted me that I had company. I was expecting Steel. I knew when I walked out of Jack’s that he’d follow me home. Part of me wanted him to, but not for the reason he was thinking.  Yes, I had gotten jealous when he’d called Dixie ‘baby’.  But that wasn’t why I walked out. The reasons why was so fucked up that it had been hammering in my head and I knew I had to tell him. I couldn’t just sit back and watch this. He had to know.
                  Lifting my gaze from the floor, I met Steel’s concerned yet determined expression. He was up here to fight for her. To keep her. To make sure I didn’t ruin this. I had to tell him. Maybe it wouldn’t have to leave this room. Maybe there was a way to hold this pain inside so that at least Dixie would be spared.
                  “I love her,” my younger brother said breaking the silence.
                  “She’s easy to love,” I replied.
                  Steel’s lips formed a tight line. He didn’t want to feel as if he had to compete with me. “You crushed her and then left her. She’s mine now, Asher. She’s mine. I will fight for her if you make me.”
                  I stood up and watched as Steel tensed up. Did he really think I would lay a hand on him? I’d protected him and beat the shit out of more than one bully over the years for him. He was my brother. I wanted him to be happy. If letting him have Dixie were the only problem we had here, then I would have walked away and let him have her. Damn it all to hell… that was not the problem.
    Walking over to the far corner of the attic, I moved a loose board from the floor and bent down to pull out an old shoe box. My world had been shattered upon the discovery of this box three years ago. Every good memory and moment I had had in my life at that point was centered around Dixie. The contents of this old box had taken those away from me, leaving me an empty man.
                  I dusted it off. It hadn’t been touched since the day I had found it while moving around some furniture so that the bed wouldn’t hit the squeaky board directly over the living room. I had been making plans to sneak Dixie up here that weekend.
                  Sinking back down on my bed, I held the box with care. It was a source of agony just to touch it knowing what was inside. There was no doubt or question whether what it held was true. Looking up at Steel, I knew I wasn’t just going to end any hope he had of a future with Dixie, but that every memory he had of our father would also be altered. Just as mine had been.
                  “I never deserted her. I never stopped loving her,” I said and then lifted the lid off the box. “I found this three years ago, Steel. I never wanted to have to share this with anyone but I never planned on one of my brothers falling in love with my girl,” I shook my head. “She’s not my girl. She can’t be my girl.” Reaching into the box, I took out the letters that had been folded and unfolded so many times the edges were worn out. “She can’t be your girl either,” I said, then held the papers out to my brother.
                  Steel was watching me with a fear in his eyes as if he had understood the horror before he even looked into the box. “What is this?” he asked in a voice that was shaky and unsure.
                  “It’s the reason why I left her. It’s the reason why I can’t