“Hell, it’s too much for me, and she’s my mother! What she fucking said to you, in front of your parents…” His voice broke on the last word, breaking her heart right along with it.

“Alex, we’ve been there, remember? My grandmother had it, too. Nothing your mother said or did tonight bothered us.”

“It bothered me. It fucking infuriated me. That she’d say that to you. And don’t tell me it’s the disease. I know that. But she’s my mother, and she basically called the woman I love a whore in front of her parents. Is that the life you want?”

“If it includes you, then yes, it is.”

He shook his head. “I care about you too much to do that to you.”

“So you’re doing this instead? You get me to fall in love with you and then you walk away the first time it gets hard?”

“That’s not what I’m doing.”

“Isn’t it? When I lost Toby, that was the worst thing I’ve ever been through, but at least I know he didn’t leave me because he wanted to.”

“And you think I do? You’re the only thing keeping me sane. But I have to be fair to you, and this…” He gestured toward the house, where his mother presumably slept. “This isn’t fair.”

Jenny’s composure began to waver at the finality she heard in his voice. “Please don’t decide that for me,” she said softly, leaning her forehead against his. “Please.”

“I need some time to think. What happened tonight… It was like a slap in the face and a wake-up call all at once, a reminder of where my obligations are and where they’ll be for the foreseeable future.”

“Have I ever given you any indication that I don’t understand where your obligations are?”

“No, you’ve been awesome and amazing and incredible about it.”

“I guess I fail to see the issue, but I’m not going to force myself on you.” She stood and immediately mourned the loss of his heat and his touch. “You know where I am if you figure out that it doesn’t have to be one or the other. It can be both, and we can make it work, but only if it’s what you want, too. I won’t bother you again.”

“Jenny.”

If only she couldn’t hear his anguish in the way he said her name.

“I’m sorry,” Alex said. “I hate myself for doing this to you, but it’s for the best. You’ll see that.”

Because there was simply no way to convey to him that she’d never see how this was for the best, she left him on the porch and went to her car, feeling like a robot.