“Well, I don’t like that at all.”

“Of course you don’t,” Logan said. “You’re a fixer who wants to fix everything for everyone. But that’s exactly what she’s worried about. That you’re out there married to her just because you want to fix her problems.”

“I love her so much I feel sick. That’s why I married her. It’s not martyrdom or sacrifice or anything like it.”

“Sure. But she doesn’t believe that. And you’re going to have to accept the fact that you’re not going to be able to make her. She’s going to have to figure it out herself. She’s going to have to trust you.”

“And if she never does?”

“I think she will. She trusted you enough back when she was a teenager.”

“Well, it was me or her old man. I suppose I seemed like the safer bet.”

“Sure. Maybe. Though if you think about it, she had no reason to believe that you would be any less dangerous. She didn’t know you. And she was taking her chances on her father finding out that she was meeting with you and getting angry with her. This place was enough for her to take that risk. You were enough. You’re just going to have to trust that she thinks so again. And the best thing you can do is find a way to show her that you’re living a life that you chose.”

“But I’m not,” he said. “I’m living one without her. And it’s terrible. It’s damned terrible.”

“Sure. Except you’re still here. You’re still right where you were when your parents died. You didn’t choose that. And you chose to stick this out, to take care of us. But now you’re still here.”

“And what would you like me to do?”

“Move on.”

He could only stare at Logan, because he couldn’t even begin to fathom moving on.

“Sorry, but it’s the one thing you’ve never really done. Not from her necessarily, but from the past. Figure out what you want. Choose the life that you want. Figure out what kind of life you want to live. And show her that you’re not just here out of habit. That you’re not with her out of habit, or a sense of obligation.”

“Can’t I just chase her down and kidnap her and lock her in my bedroom until she sees sense?”

He was only a little bit joking.

Honestly, it sounded more sensible to him. More certain than this relaxed stuff that Logan was suggesting. He wanted to go after her. He wanted to fix it. And he couldn’t understand why that bothered her so much. So what if he felt a sense of obligation? That was...

Didn’t she understand that that was love to him?

“No,” Logan said. “You can’t. Because you need to let her figure some things out on her own. She’s strong, but she’s been in your pocket all this time. She healed with you, around you. So stand apart for a minute. See where it gets you.”