“You make everything sound so rational. So good. I mean, the situation is bad, but… This is so different than dealing with this on my own. I can’t believe you’re willing to go through it with me.” She bit her inner lip again, causing a dent to appear as she continued to hold his gaze. “I don’t know why you’d want to. The only thing I can figure is that you’re a better person than I’m capable of understanding.” “I’m not exactly a saint,” he said. “I have a considerable, very selfish interest in keeping you alive. Especially now that you admitted you like having me around.” “I love having you around. I just can’t comprehend why you’d want to deal with the shit storm I brought from Kentucky.” “I like you enough to deal with so much more than this,” he said. “It’s true. And look – I know what it’s like to live with a tyrannical asshole who treats you like his own punching bag. Part of this is personal.” She was silent for just a moment.
