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The drive down to their house was short, but I used it to preparehi toand selfish ofthe villain, but I’d made my bed Now I just needed to lie in it

I parked at the barn Didn’t walk past their house This was stressful enough without the other Sutton boys getting involved in our talk I closed , the short distance from my car to the barn covered in a est walk of ood at what he did, dependable, hard-working, staying as long as it was needed, and often re after everyone else had left for the day He deserved sohim I stepped inside and he turned i with ht He was just as I had pictured hi what he had to do, his hair roughed slightly fro," he said, with a slow lazy sh caffeine

"Hey," I replied, hating every word before I even said thehtaway, he sensed my mood He was smart, observant like that I had to act fast, "Steel, let me talk first Please? I want to say ht about it Wanted to sayat me, but Steel remained silent because I’d asked Another reason to love hiain, "I can’t continue doing this It’s unfair to you I’ll love him until the day I die I accept that You’re a wonderful irl on his arm who loves you as deeply as you love herbut I’ll never be that girlI’edI need you to understand thatSteel, you have to letet what I wanted to say But I spoke the truth I said the facts, and now I had to give Steel time to respond His eyes held the disappointment and hurt I kneould co it was difficult to witness Knowing he was happy when I first walked in, and that only I was responsible for taking that away froround at his feet I waited soht this? Should I have saidI could have said it better

He suddenly replied, "That’s it, then I tried I gave it ave you for it tie If I was there for you, loved you hard enough, becah That I would be enough But you’re spoiled, hat you can’t have What I offered would have never been good enoughand that h for me I want more, I want a woman who knows her own mind, can find her own damn happiness without a o on, Dixie, leave and don’t come back You want Asher, but he will never want you in return He’s o waste the rest of yours on a pointless, e beforea hard tis to me, no matter how much I deserved them

"Don’t stand there and look all hurt and offended What did you expect fro to make you love me If this is what you want, then that’s what you can have I just ask one final thing of you Leave the diaave you It was meant for a woman who is worth it and deserves to wear it That isn’t you"

I had the ring in my pocket That hat I’d planned to do, anyway But I didn’t i this way I pulled it out just as Steel took a step toward ers twitching with in to one and a cruel, heartlessfor his ring I placed it in his hand, his fingers closing on it quickly as if I would take it back and run He then said, "You can go now"

Thosee four words were filled with so ave out on th fro from the barn and the monsters I had created

Asher Sutton

JOE GREEN MADE wooden lawn furniture It was a popular item in Malroy and the only place you could buy it was Denver’s Today, I’d been going back and forth to Joe’s to get the chairs, tables, and front porch swings that he’d made for the summer season Hannah waited onme where to display the the phone and working the entrance of the business She handled the design of the store, the placement of the items they sold, and stuff like that

I was on my last load when Dallas’s truck pulled in Hannah noticed hi a table around, to put a pot with so to draw custo to seehome if we needed it at the house No reason to come pick it up I wiped the sweat fro it back indown from the bed of the truck just as he was headed est brother?" Hannah asked, squinting against the sun

I replied, "Yeah, give hts, of course, went to Momma I was the worrier in the bunch

"Take your tih I was too focused on Dallas to even care The frown on his face meant this was about an annoyance rather than a problehed with relief "You seen Steel?" he asked

"No, why, should I?"

Dallas shook his head and said, "Naw, just thought one since Dixie ca She drove off and he left shortly after, slaravel went flying all over the place I was headed out to hit the bag soive hi boy and can handle his shit, but fuck if I’onna tell Momma that A world of hurt would rain down onafter Dixie had talked to h I knew Steel was crushed She didn’t love him the way she should He needed to her than Steel I’d handled this thing far longer "I have twofor him," I proo get laid"

"Tell Momma I’ll find him Don’t worry about it He doesn’t need your sarcastic coonna want to see you, either We all know she broke up with hi up on you"