Contents
Copyright
Title Page
Dedication
Description
Trigger Warning
Prelude
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
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Book 2 Description
Authors Notes
Also By Lyra
Always Asher © 2020 by Lyra Winters. All Rights Reserved.
Cover Designer: Lyra Winters
Editor: Diamond Editing and Proofreading Services
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means including information storage and retrieval systems, without permission in writing from the author. The only exception is by a reviewer, who may quote short excerpts in a review.
This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
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Printed in the United States of America
First Printing: April 30, 2020
Always Asher
Book 1 of the Violet Ridge Series
Lyra Winters
For my inspiration: Jacob, Willow, and Harper.
Description
Asher Wells.
My best friend, first crush, first love.
I gave him my virginity one passionate night before he ran off to college, and left me heartbroken.
Seven years later, he snagged a job at Violet Ridge Elementary where I teach fourth-grade. He slammed into my life as if he never left. With his irresistible smirk, captivating eyes, and flirtatious words that leave me breathless.
Now, I’m engaged to a domineering, hotshot lawyer who dominated everything he touched, including me.
After Asher left, it took years to move on. But now that he’s back, all those feelings are flooding back to the surface.
My heart clings to Asher. My body craves him. My brain says otherwise.
Can I resist falling under his charm again? Do I even want to?
Trigger Warning:
While this is a book about second chance romance that unfolds a beautiful story about love and romance, there is mention of child abuse. One of the main characters, Faith, is a fourth-grade elementary teacher. The other main character, Asher, is an elementary gym teacher. Teachers deal with child abuse situations far too often than people realize. This story shines some light on what children, of many ages, go through at home. There is no explicit terminology expressing the abuse but it is discussed within the story multiple times and deal with it legally.
I found myself on the decaying wooden dock as I gazed out at the lake. The sun had dipped below the horizon and the muggy summer breeze skimmed across my skin, rich with the aroma of the earth from the lake’s shore.
Tomorrow, Luca would go off to college and I’d be stuck in this hole-in-the-wall town of Violet Ridge to suffer through my senior year of high school. Alone. Having no siblings, it left me to fend for myself a lot since my father was hardly home. My aunt and uncle practically raised me alongside Luca, my favorite cousin. The lake house held memories that I cherished the most, where I had spent all of my previous summers.
The wood behind me creaked. “Tired of the party, Faith?”
I turned my head and found Asher, with his hands stuffed in his pockets and a boyish grin on his face. A strong wind wafted through, which messed up his honey-brown hair. Bright hazel eyes stared back at me.
Asher was my cousin’s best friend, but more than that, he was mine too. He was reliable, sensible, and caring. I never understood how he and Luca got along. Luca slacked off and threw wild parties, while Asher was on the straight and narrow. He tried—and failed, more often than not—to bring Luca with him.
I loved how Asher was always around. He brought me a sense of comfort I never knew I needed.
“I needed some air.” I turned back to face the lake.
He stood beside me and his shoulder brushed against mine. A chill fluttered through my body as he sat beside me. “I need some, too.”
I played with the ends of my waist-length brown hair. “I’ll miss the parties and the late nights out on the lake.”
He nudged me. “I know how you feel.”
“How do you feel about this party? It’s for you, too.”
He raked his hand through his hair and sighed. “It’s fine, I guess. Luca ditched me and I don’t feel like dealing with everyone else.”
“So, you’re planning on law school.” A small pang went through my heart at the thought of him going down that path.
“Your dad inspired me, actually.”
I snorted. “Oh, really?”
If there was one thing my father was good at, it was his job. It was all he seemed to care about. Family did not come first in his book.
Asher tilted his head. “Well, he always defends the people who need help, and he does it for a hell of a lot less money than some lawyers around here.”
I looked away from him and shrugged. “I guess.”
“What’s wrong?”
I wanted to sink into the water and float away from all of my problems. I thought carefully before I spoke my next words. “I love my dad, but I never see him.” I paused, feeling an ache in my chest. What I wouldn’t give for Dad to realize that work wasn’t everything there was to offer. “Aunt Jess told me he didn’t always work as much as he does now. Since mom died, though, all he ever does is work. I don’t think I can remember a time when he wasn’t a workaholic.”
“Shit, Faith. I’m sorry.” He rubbed the nape of his neck. “I knew he worked a lot, but I didn’t know it was to that extent.”
I took in a deep breath and sighed. “It is what it is.”
A comfortable silence settled over us as the bullfrogs performed their evening tune.
“Do you have anything planned for your senior year?” he asked, and the frogs suddenly became background noise.
“I signed up for some dual credit
