Remington doubted she really, truly believed what she was saying. She'd been married after all. For him, sex was better, but he knew that wasn't the case with everyone. Ava had experienced love, and he found it hard to believe after having that sort of emotional connection, that she would prefer something purely physical. Maybe he was wrong, but he doubted it. If he were a different sort of man, he might have liked the idea of getting married and having kids, but it wasn't worth the risk. He was better alone.
"He had responsibilities. It was right for him to stay behind." Remington should have. He left his brother and sister defenseless when he joined the Marines. For him, joining was the coward's way.
"I do," he admitted, because there was no shame in it. "Every time I sleep." PTSD had a lot of shitty symptoms, and nightmares came with it.