[ Oh, huh. Maybe he was being a little unfair, in the current context. He considered teasing her more, making it that much harder for her, trying to release his scent and destroying her mind on top of everything else. It might be amusing, and it might make him feel that much better. But at the same time...

He closes his eyes.

And he decides... ]

Putting aside my being happy and how sexy you can be for a moment, I'll say something I'll ask you to be realistic about for now.

[ Namely, ] I'm still not really sure how to handle that oldest son of mine. The curse of being an adult is that things you were excited for are much scarier when they confront you head on. [ A beat ] Though, for fear of offending you like Sully, I'm not sure someone your age can fully understand that.

[ And the fact is, he's not sure who to talk to about that. Sully? Ada? He can't ask Nariko or Charlotte, both of them are far to into his son's court, even if Nariko was the love of his life. Even if he didn't doubt their connection... well, laying here literally impotent gives a man time to stew ]