The day I went back to the shop to get Reese back, I figured out that my feelings for her were intense. It didn’t take me long to realize that I was completely in love with her. I hadn’t told her yet, though. I wanted it to be special, and I wanted to see where things were going to go. By that point, though, sitting there feeling helpless to help her through the sickness, I knew that I couldn’t imagine my life without her, and I knew that my love for her had grown exponentially in a very short amount of time.
I could see my future with Reese very clearly now, and there was no misconception about what kind of couple we would be. She wanted to see the world, just like I did, and I imagined us hand in hand, exploring the outer reaches of earth, finding new things, experiencing the beauty of life. I had the ability to leave whenever I wanted, and I could easily make her company viable enough to stay in business while we went. She was sick right now, so I wasn’t going to bring it up just yet, but there was no doubt in my mind that she needed to know how much I loved her and where I wanted to take our relationship.
I shook my head, realizing that I needed to stay focused on my work or I would never get this new project off the ground. I opened up the documents online and began reviewing the protocol that the project management had set up. Everything looked perfect, just as I assumed it would since we had been working on this day in and day out for several months.
“Mr. Butler,” my secretary said through the intercom. “Mr. Haynes is here to see you.”
“Send him in,” I said with pleasant surprise in my tone.
“Caleb,” I said happily as he entered my office.
“Blaine,” he replied, walking forward and giving me a hug. “It’s good to see you.”
“You too,” I said, sitting down as he also took a seat.
“I just figured I’d stop by and see how you were doing,” he said, smiling.
“I’m really well,” I replied.
“And Reese?”
“She’s good, though she has a bit of a stomach bug,” I replied.
“I thought that season was over.” He chuckled. “Well, I hope she feels better. I’m assuming things are going good between you, then.”
“Man, it’s fantastic,” I said, smiling.
“I’m happy to hear that,” he replied. “You really do deserve to be happy. I’ve had the two of you on my mind.”
“Thank you, that means a lot,” I said, shaking my head.
“I can already see it.” He chuckled. “The huge wedding you never wanted, only instead of people, there will be about three hundred puppies in attendance.”
“That sounds like a nightmare,” I said, grimacing.
“How are you doing with the whole dog thing?”
“It’s actually going pretty good,” I said, taking in a deep breath. “I made friends with one a couple months back. She’s pretty adorable.”
“That’s good,” he said, laughing. “Nice to know you’re making friends. And what about work? You haven’t mentioned it at all.”
“We’re doing phenomenal,” I replied. “We have the new program coming out for release in just a couple months. It’s the replica of the AI system that I made for my house. Reese made me realize it was stupid to keep it to myself. People would love it. The response has been overwhelming, and we already have a quarter of a million pre-orders.”
“Wow,” he said, shaking his head. “That’s amazing, though it kind of creeps me out. I’m just glad that you found Reese in time.”
“In time for what?”
“In time to save you from starting a relationship with your AI,” he said, laughing. “I was starting to get worried about you.”
“She doesn’t like brunettes,” I said, smiling. “She wasn’t really my type anyway. I like to be able to see the women before I sleep with them.”
“You didn’t think that way when you were wasted back in the day,” he said, laughing.
“True, but we all grow up some time,” I replied. “You, on the other hand, will stay a child forever.”
“Probably,” he said. “Well, listen, I only had a few minutes. I’m on lunch, but I wanted to stop in and get the quick version.”
“Thanks for coming by, man, I miss seeing you,” I said, standing up and shaking his hand. “We need to get together soon.”