#Chapter 73: Overstepping

Thinking I had overstepped Asher’s boundaries by hugging him from behind, I began to release him. But then he caught my hands with his and gently returned them to where they had been, palms flat against his hard, muscled abdomen. We both relaxed into the hug, and I felt the emotional distance between us narrow. “I’m upset with you for accepting the challenge,” I said. Courage came easier like this, without him looking at me. “But you are my dearest friend. Me being mad at you doesn’t change that.” “Does that mean you won’t come watch the challenge?” he asked me, voice unusually soft. “I shouldn’t.” I was angry. If Asher hadn’t accepted Joseph’s challenge then I wouldn’t be about to lose one of them. As mean as Joseph could be, he was my baby’s father. I needed him so my baby could have a real family. But Asher… He was my sworn protector and my best friend. I’d be hollow without him. Asher rubbed his warm hands along my forearms. “Joseph keeps hurting you, and you brush it off