I know we make it hard. Women are just stubborn that way. We’re hard to catch, even harder to please, and (seemingly) impossible to keep. But we do notice you.

We see you holding doors, actually listening, and looking intently into our eyes – not at our chests. We see you with your heartfelt compliments and your genuine charm, even amidst the classic, ritualized bar scene. Your mamas did well. And we notice.

I know it seems like we always pick the bad boys. The ones with the sleek, slithering smiles and their pockets bulging with malintent. They seem to have bottomless wallets, and a swagger and swiftness far too rehearsed. They’re not as genuine, they’re not as noble, and they’re not you. And we know that. But we just can’t help ourselves.

You’re the men we want to end up with. And I know you’re tired of hearing that. But patience is a virtue, and good things come with time. So while we’re not asking you to ride it out and wait for us, we are telling you: don’t worry, your time is coming.

Because truth is: you’re a catch. And a pretty damn great one. You're the men we're looking for. You’re the men we want to do life with, adventure with, and love on. You’re the men we want next to us as we lay down each night and wake up each morning. Because you’re our favorite nightcap, and the best wake up call. You’re the men we want to say I do to and have our children call Daddy. We want to get through the hardest of times with you, and we want to celebrate when those hard times get easier. We want to argue with you and to cry and scream, because fighting with you is better than being complacent with anyone else. And with you, we’re not settling. And we know that.

But we’re skeptical, we’re weary, and we're sometimes broken. We’ve likely been through a lot before we make it to you, and we don’t give you the credit that you undoubtedly deserve. Today's sex and dating culture make us feel disposable. We’ve been hurt and ruined, and our cold shoulder to you is merely our first line of defense. We’re protecting ourselves and our emotions from the effects of those all-too-real bad boys, and we’re not doing it on purpose. It's just habit – instinct. We underestimate your values and we misdiagnose your intentions. Because we know nothing different. And we're sorry.

You’re the men we’re looking for, whether we know it right now or not. We want you. We just might not be ready yet.

But don’t let that discourage you, because we will be. And it’ll be worth it. For both of us.

Author currently seeking "good guys” for whom this article was written.