Maddox smiled. He wasn't detoured about talking about Arthur. Arthur had been her husband, her partner in her life, for a long time. She had more history with that one man - including seven children - than she did anyone else. To ignore that or Arthur himself would be ignoring a great part of her life and if he wanted to be with her, he was man enough and old enough to admit what part he'd played. In fact, Molly wouldn't be the woman she was today without him having been in her life for so many years. Molly was one of the sweetest, most intelligent, and caring woman that he'd ever known and he accepted her for her past, future, and present. Like she seemed to accept him for his, including his unfavorable present.
"How could I not?" he asked, looking at her with a small smile. "Arthur was your husband for many years. More than I can keep track of. Even with what happened, it doesn't take way what he is to you and how you will never stop loving him. I'm not looking to replace him or remove him from your memory because he would never be. Ignoring him would make him a ghost between us, someone I am half-fighting with for you. Accepting him and what you two had is a way of accepting who you are."