"That they turned out to be the fine people they are is something of which you and their father can be proud," Noah said, and he meant it. They really did seem like decent, level-headed adults.
"However, I disagree that they will see me as a father figure. To them, I will merely be the man who married their mother. In Jason's case, he might see me as an interloper, someone who wants to impose his will on everyone. I am not, and I will not. I don't expect them to respect me as a father, because that is not who I am. And I am certain that they would be only too glad to tell you this themselves."