Fuck him, he had to love her, considering she'd taken off and made him run mad and somehow she'd ended up making him feel badly for it.
"Oh sweetheart," he sighed, reaching of to pull her to him. She could fight him and hit him if she wanted. He'd apparently been doing a poor job as a husband trying to keep them and everyone alive. Even he had his limits to all the things he could manage at once. And he'd taken Mae's presence for granted, trusting she would always be there.
"I'm sorry," and he was, for making her think that he was washing his hands of her. "You should know I can't live without you, love. You're my addiction and I'm useless without you. Utterly and completely useless."
Maeve was all too aptly named. She was intoxicating and he'd been addicted to her for far too long to break the habit now. Didn't want to.
"I love you,silly little girl," he said, pressing a kiss to her hair. "No matter what, no matter how much hell you put me through. You have to remember that."