Noah rubbed the back of his neck; the muscles there were tight as piano wires. He felt as if he'd been talking in circles, as if May were trying to push him into a position and a mold that didn't fit him. He'd been mild and patient, but he was tired and his nerves were starting to fray. May seemed to be giving in to frustration, and the two of them ending up in a yelling match was not his idea of an ideal first meeting. He pressed his lips together for a moment, then made certain his voice was low and smooth when he spoke.
"I didn't mean to make you feel different nor to insult you, May. That was never my intention. If I did, then I'm sorry, and I apologize. I don't mean to be difficult, either. Generally, I am fairly easy-going. But. You need to stop a moment and look at this from my perspective. I've only just met you--I don't know you at all--and you have assumed that I will automatically take on a role that is not mine, that of father and disciplinarian to your adult children. I've not even reconciled myself to the idea that we're forced by law to marry, and suddenly I have this new expectation pushed at me, and with some insistence. I have said, and repeatedly, that I will be glad to provide help and advice, but that I don't wish to be pressured into a position that isn't mine."
He folded his hands on the table. "I've never shirked responsibilities whether personal or professional and have no intention of doing so now. But to suddenly lay all this in my lap and to expect me to blithely fall into line with it is unrealistic. It would have been better to allow me to adjust to this new life and to settle into these changes that affect the both of us before broaching this. That is, however a moot point now."