Love Like Her (Against All Odds #3) - Claudia Y. Burgoa Page 0,55

more the sight of the groom.

Holly was right. He’s handsome. When I enter, he unfolds his tall figure from the chair. His shirt stretches along his broad shoulders. The thin fabric allows me to see every ridge between his muscles. I can even remember his tattoos.

I’m unprepared for the thundering of my heart inside my chest.

I loathe the uncontrollable need to jump into his arms. Under different circumstances, I would even kiss him. Then I’d say, “Where have you been? I can’t believe that you ghosted me. What did I do to you?”

Now, I understand why he disappeared. He’s getting married.

I despise that the groom is the man who makes my axis spin recklessly. That we spent one of the best nights of my life together when I was eighteen. He made me feel whole every time we were together. For some inexplicable reason, I feel as if he’s taking everything he once gifted me back.

He’s snatching the bits of hope I carried with me. Who knew I had them?

“Olivia,” he greets me, and his thousand megawatt smile brightens the room.

I want to remind him it’s Liv. Not Olivia. That’s what my clients, strangers, and employees call me. Not my friends. I guess we’re just acquaintances.

“Hi, um…” I’m not sure if I should address him as Mr. Brown or Mr. Wilfred. Damn it. If I had read the freaking file, I would’ve known what to expect. Isn’t his last name Brassard? Did he lie to me?

No, he’s Persy Brassard’s brother. Unless that’s a pen name.

His facial expression changes to a more solemn one, and he prompts, “It’s Eros.”

I wave my hand. “I knew that. I just couldn’t remember your last name,” I answer with a snippy tone.

Planting a big smile on my face, I extend my hand toward the bride. “Hi, I’m Olivia Sierra.”

“Misty Wilfred,” his fiancée responds.

The name Misty sounds familiar. Where did I hear that name before?

She’s gorgeous. Tall, slim with glossy blond hair. She could be a run away model. They are an attractive couple. Eros, he is an easy-going guy. So, she must be the high maintenance one of the two. As soon as she learns that there was something between her fiancé and me, she’ll fire us.

Misty arches an eyebrow and asks, “So, you two know each other?”

Chapter Twenty-Nine

Eros

Life isn’t fair.

I learned a long time ago that life is like a poker game. Destiny deals the cards, and it’s up to us to figure out what to do with them. You can bluff and play to win, or fold and live in misery. I choose the former. There are times things work out in my favor. Some others, I keep faking it until I make it. I learned this from my family.

My parents are the definition of optimistic. They say that we learn to prepare lemonade and enjoy what life throws at us or watch the lemons rot. Mom and Dad are big believers in enjoying what we have instead of yearning for what we can’t reach.

It’s incredible how they handle life, love, and loss. Callie’s death was hard for everyone, but especially for them. A parent should never have to bury their child. Even though it was tough, they’re still going. I look up to them. Though at times they drive me crazy—like my sisters—the way they live is incredible.

Mom always insists that I should seize the day. It drives her crazy that I will jump out of an airplane, but I plan every detail and take my time to make any moves when it comes to my future. It’s pretty simple. I had it all once, invested it in a business that didn’t work out, and lost everything. Since then, I have stopped being impulsive when it comes to my professional life.

I guess she doesn’t remember when I left my profitable job in New York, moved to Colorado, and lost all my savings. Those years when I would invest in anything that looked shiny and gainful. Businesses that would end up making me look like a stupid opportunistic man-child. Nyx, my sister, told me that once. She might’ve been slightly right. I signed contracts without reading them thoroughly. I lost time, money, and credibility.

Those mistakes are experiences. Lessons I used to create a new and better life. A future where I can see more than just getting out of debt and paying my mortgage. Now, I can think about having a family.

You know what is also unfair? Relationships. I can’t make them work