"That's-" the phone demanded his attention again and Alan held up a frustrated finger that said 'wait' to Melpomene, so that he could stand up, put the phone on silent, and toss it over towards the couch. Luckily it hit the cushions and lost itself among them instead of bouncing off onto something hard.
When he sat down again he was able to give Melpomene his full attention. "I understand why you wouldn't want to tell you sisters. I understand, at least from the way you've told it, the feelings you all have for him. But I'm certainly not about to send you out into the cold world to face that alone. No matter what we are to each other anymore, I'm not a monster."