Hearts on Fire (Hearts of Texas, #1)

by Christina Berry

I guffaw. Really, it’s a guffaw, an obnoxious bubble of laughter that bursts out like what he’s said is the most absurd, pompous, alpha-male pile of crap I’ve ever heard. Because it is.

The stars twinkle as they fall from the skies to dance in Chloe’s eyes and other poetic shit like that.

“You know,” she says after a while, “sitting out here makes me want to stay.” Stay with me? Stay the night? Stay forever? I blink over at her, waiting for her to say more.

She’s unmade me. I’m lost to her with just one kiss.

Her goodbye kisses are sweet, but her hello kisses are illuminating.

Well touché the hell out of me.

“I don’t want to ruin his image of me. I like that Drew thinks I’m easy. What’s he going to do when he finds out I’m actually really hard?”

The absolute truth of this. The struggle of a partner or friend or family member even a coworker seeing me as "hard" is one of my biggest anxiety/depression battles

The thing about anxiety is it lies. It’s like the cruelest part of your psyche is given a megaphone to amplify your insecurities. It tells you, over and over, that you’re a failure for not being stronger.

“Bring Chloe, and make it a date. What could be more romantic than ditching dirty stormwater out of a municipal building basement? Right, Drea? That’s like a scene straight out of those novels you read.”

I’d been so focused on my destination: all roads leading to Chloe. But now, a fucking side quest, and this troll won’t let me cross the bridge until I complete it.

“Family isn’t about biology. Family is the people who choose you and the people you choose.”

She gasps, like she’s surprised. I don’t know why she would be; it’s obvious what I’m down here to do.