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After Amy, I wasn’t sure I wanted to date again. It was far too much for me to deal with when I had to worry about the horses on top of it. But, my brain kept reminding me, that was Amy, not Raya, who behaved that way. They were entirely different women with different goals in life.

Raya was independent. Amy was not.

I could be in a relationship with Raya, and I knew I would enjoy it. She was complementary to what I wanted in life. She worked toward her own goals, and I was working toward mine. We were two individuals who were able to work together, I was sure of it. And, while there was a part of me that wanted to convince Ham to see her from my point of view, I had a feeling that would be difficult.

He was sure he knew me better than anyone else, and he was right. Except, however, I still knew myself better than he knew me, and I was okay with the things he said that I didn’t agree with.

I could see things working out with Raya. It didn’t matter that I only had one week left working with Romeo. When I was done working for her, I would still come to see how Romeo was doing, and I would come to hang out with her when I had the time. Clearly, with how I was able to make it work with going over to her treatment facility as long as I had, I would be able to get the time to steal away to see her.

The drive didn’t bother me, and that was saying something. In fact, I was dreaming more and more of what life would be like when it was the two of us together, not worrying about the business side of our relationship, but truly together for no other reason than the fact we loved each other.

But, I also knew that would come with time.

Right now, Ham was talking to me how he knew me to be. I would show him that when the right woman came along, I wasn’t the recluse I chose to be otherwise. I was happy to find the right woman and settle down. We might be a recluse together, or she might get me out in public more.

Either way, I knew there was something special I had with Raya, and I wasn’t going to abandon what we had with each other because I wasn’t going to be paid to come out to work with Romeo anymore. I had too much invested into what I hoped to have with her to just walk away from it.

I knew it would be hard, at times, but I also strongly felt that the payoff of us being together made the entire situation worth it.

And I was confident Raya felt the same way.

We were meant to be together, and we would overcome any of the obstacles that got in our way while we made it happen. I had long since learned anything worth having in life was work, and I had worked damn hard in the past for lesser things I wanted.

Raya was the goddess I had always dreamt of having, and nothing would change that.

I would prove Ham wrong. I would prove the world wrong. Love was stronger than the hardship that could keep us apart. It was as simple as that.

Nothing and no one could change my mind.