"There's time to work on a lot of things, Hugh," Theodore reassured him. Sure, for a time, it had felt like his own life was over, after Jamie had died. Theodore had taken a lot of time to convince himself that he had a long life ahead of him still, that it would be filled with new things; that Elaine was still growing up, and she had a long life ahead of her as well. Theodore needed to be there for that, for what and who she became, for when she had a family of her own. Yes, he'd lost Jamie young. But they had so much time. "You still have time to do good things in the world."
"I see," Theodore said. Yes, he would do anything to protect Elaine, but even had he found out from some other source than Hugh himself, it wasn't enough to say he'd cut things off. Maybe his reaction to being confronted, but Hugh had taken that choice out of his hands, and that was nothing either of them had to worry about now. "I'm sure you've surmised that I am very protective of my daughter," he said. "But I also know the world has a less savory side, and I don't hide that fact from her. And yet, there are much worse things out there than a man who is trying to make good on past mistakes. Still, I'd prefer she heard it from me, rather than find out for herself, if that's all right with you?"