Love Like Her (Against All Odds #3) - Claudia Y. Burgoa Page 0,81

cleaning the mess.” Liv kisses the top of their heads.

“Let’s get started then.”

Persy kisses Keal’s cheek and says, “next time ask for paper, buddy.”

He nods. She heads toward the living room. Since the boys are busy cleaning the wall, I grab Liv by the waist and pull her to me. “You’re bossy, lady.”

“Tonight I can give you a big prize for helping the boys.”

“Well, now we’re speaking my language.” I kiss her hard. “Do you know how much I love you?”

“I love you just as much.” She holds my face with both hands. “Thank you for making me so happy.”

“Thank you for coming into my life and giving me so much.” I kiss her again, grateful that there’s only one life and we’re in it together.

Excerpt

I hope you enjoyed Love Like Her, keep reading for an extended excerpt of Persy and Ford’s Story, Wrong Text, Right Love. Also the first chapter of Didn’t Expect You; Nyx and Nate’s story.

Wrong Text, Right Love

Saturday, April 4th

“I thought you were like the Beast, but you’re Peter Pan without the green leggings,” Martha yells, shoving my pants against my torso.

Ok, the Peter Pan reference I get it, but who the fuck is the Beast?

“Maybe I’m wrong and you’re Rapunzel, waiting for some innocent woman to rescue you from your Ivory tower,” she continues her rant, and I think I get it now. She’s trying to compare me to Disney princes—and even princesses. “Enough is enough. I’m done loving you. I tried and I tried, but you never gave anything back.”

Whoa, we’re throwing the L word?

Her next-door neighbor has the door open and is watching the show. I know what this looks like, and I’m pretty sure she’s thinking: The guy being thrown out of the house wearing boxer briefs with ‘I just fucked’ hair means he cheated. Not only that, she caught him.

Or, there’s a second possibility. He doesn’t want to take the next step.

Nosy neighbor nods and scrunches her nose, as she confirms her suspicions. This asshole has been stringing this poor woman along for years.

I could set things straight and put her mind at ease. There’s another side to the story. Martha and I met a few months ago at the grocery store. She was pretty and funny. We exchanged numbers, and after a few texts, we tried to give this friendship a go.

“We agreed this was just for fun,” I remind Martha.

“We had more than fun,” she claims.

For fuck’s sake, why did she believe this could be more? It is always the same. I’ve yet to find a woman who says, “I’m having feelings, and I think we should stop seeing each other.” Throwing words like, “we should move in together,” in the middle of fucking is not the way to move forward.

Honestly, I just can’t seem to do things right. If I don’t tell them up front that we are only fuck buddies, I get shit when they want more. If I do, they ignore me—because they think they can be my exception.

A friend of mine says that my issue is due to the way they see me. A lonely, introverted bachelor. Women think they have just the right pussy to save me from my sad life—and change me for the better. First rule about choosing a partner, don’t expect people to change for you. You are only attracted to them and your hormones are wanting more of him—or her.

That doesn’t mean you are in love. It means you are passionate about them. You are physically attracted, but if you want the person to adapt to your needs and you won’t accept them as they are, that’s definitely not love.

Love is extremely complicated and should be handled with care. I choose not to deal with it.

Albert Einstein once said, “You can’t blame gravity for falling in love.”

I have nothing against relationships. In fact, I had a couple of those during my teens. Love is messy. Relationships are complicated. The logistics to hold onto an emotional partnership is too complex and dreary.

It requires more than dinner, sex, flowers, and chocolates. Both parties have to agree to more than just monogamy. They have to surrender to one another and walk blindly into a place where they only exist with each other. I can’t imagine the effort that is required to maintain something like that, and to what end?

Look, it’s not like I’ve been shying away from love. I tried being part of a couple. At fifteen, I dated Wendy Robins. She lived