Ah the question they always asked. He had many times acted out the feelings he should have when this question came up. With Jessica he had seen a great opportunity for a lucrative future so he committed to her. Made it work.

“I do,” he confirmed since while he didn’t feel love the same way she did, he felt something. He enjoyed her. He enjoyed their time together and wanted her to stick around. He had put plenty on the line for her because he wanted this relationship to work. He would be pretty angry if he was rejected by her, maybe even slightly hurt if he dared admit it. So throw all of those things into a pot and mix them up and what you’ve got could be described as love. He couldn’t feel it like she did, but he did know the gestures and actions to perform to express it. It was primarily for his own benefit to have her, but if she needed to hear that word from him, he would give it to her.

“I love you, Joan.”