He said nothing when she snapped back at him, her words far more true than she could have begun to know. No. He'd not had the capibility back then - that she knew that was more of a testament to how close they had been than anything else. It twisted his gut even more as he stared at her, wishing he could just pour it all out.

Nothing made sense at the moment; nothing but that he had utterly and completely failed the woman whom he was looking at. Failed her and failed him all because he'd let himself be led astray by another.

"In a perfect world, you'd be my wife," he said at length, unsure of even why he was saying the words. "It's all I ever wanted, Char. To marry you and raise our children."