Page 32 of Asher

I nodded, “Yeah. Just thinking.”

She nodded, but I caught her looking at me with a questioning brow.

I sighed, “Okay, I like someone. But it can never happen.”

And she replied with a simple phrase my mama has told me before, too many times to count... “Never say never.”

Chapter 6

Asher – Past – Age 39

You know, way back when Barbie first came out.

It was the epitome of the perfect woman.

Blonde hair. Blue eyes. Hourglass figure?

See, when Stella was younger, she loved Barbie dolls.

Loved creating tales with them.

And more times than I could count, I found myself playing with her in her bedroom.

A man isn’t a man at all if he isn’t willing to do that with his daughter.

And a man isn’t a man at all if he isn’t willing to play Barbie dolls with his daughter’s best friend in the whole wide world.

Chloe was that to Stella.

Through and fucking through.

I couldn’t have ordered a better friend for my girl.

And now that she was nineteen... I didn’t feel like such a piece of shit for the very few random thoughts I had about her over the years.

I meant what I said in those lyrics I sang to her during the prom night we threw for the girls.

I will wait for her.

I was at war.

Working my ass off by being there for her whenever she needed.

Wanting her to see that everything she could ever want, I had it.

Strong shoulders to carry her burdens.

Strong arms when she couldn’t walk anymore.

A strong heart that loves his club and his daughter, but a heart that has areas that have been locked since I took my first breath.

Those areas... Chloe carved her name into them without even trying.

And as I sit here, my eyes closed, the memory of Chloe on her prom night in that deep red dress, hugging her body just right, showing off her curves.

That deep v that showed hints of her cleavage.

The length of material that hid her body... her nickname blew into my mind like the most forceful of winds.

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