"Which was?"
He grimaced, then blew a breath out, and said, "She was too dependent."
Lissianna waited patiently for him to explain.
"I told you I met her by rescuing her from an abusive boyfriend, but after that 1 was constantly rescuing her.
Not from anything major like that again, but she was always coming to me with little problems and expecting me to solve them. She wanted someone to take care of her. She even admitted she wasn't at university to get an education but to find a husband. She wanted to be a housewife and raise babies. I started having nightmares about drowning and..."
Greg shook his head. "I suppose that sounds odd, since I just said I wanted to help people like my psychology professor had helped me."
"Maybe a little. It is what you do, after all, help people with their problems."
"Ah, but that's the key, I help them with their problems. They do all the hard work, I just guide them and help them work things out. Meredith wanted to be taken care of. She wanted the problems solved for her. It's like the difference between shipping a boatload of bottled water to a drought-stricken area, and sending them some water, plus the equipment and know-how to dig wells and irrigate and so on. If you send them water, they'll just need more later, send them some water and the know-how and equipment, and they have the water to get them through until they can put the equipment and know-how to use it to lake care of their own needs.
"My patients are looking for the equipment and know-how to be independent... like you want to be. Meredith just wanted the water... over and over again. She reveled in her dependency. She flat out said she needed me. She wouldn't even admit to having an opinion about small things like which restaurant to go to when we went out. Every decision was mine."
Greg shook his head. "Some men would like that, but it wasn't what I wanted in a wife. For me, marriage should be about partnership. How can you love someone you have to take care of like a child all the time? A wife is supposed to be a partner, and yes partners help each other when they need it, but they are supposed to be together because they want to in my book, not because one needs the other. With Meredith, I would always have had to be stronger and carry the burden. I wanted--"
"An equal," Lissianna finished for him.
"Yes." Greg met her gaze in the mirror, then shook his head and marveled. "This is all truly strange. I keep forgetting what you are."
Lissianna stilled. "Does it matter?"
"Yes and no," he admitted. "It doesn't seem to affect the way I see you, or I wouldn't keep forgetting it's what you are. On the other hand, it's like meeting a rock star or something. I mean, how many guys can say they know real live vampires?"
"The question is, how many live to repeat it."
Lissianna and Greg turned sharply at that dry remark to find Mirabeau--dressed and ready to go--in the doorway.
"Here you are!" Jeanne Louise appeared behind her and beamed a smile at them. "We brought clothes. Mirabeau and Elspeth helped. Come on out and have a look."
"We weren't sure what you'd want to wear, Greg," Elspeth said, straightening from setting a stack of clothes on the bed beside two others. "So we brought a whole selection."
Lissianna led Greg to the bed to look at the clothes. They had brought quite a selection. Greg had his choice of jeans and T-shirts, suits, or dress pants and sweaters. There was also a bundle of undershirts, boxers, and jockey shorts. He looked over the collection, then chose a pair of jeans and a T-shirt and turned away.
"Thank you, ladies," he said as he disappeared back into the bathroom to dress.
Elspeth glanced at Jeanne Louise and shrugged. "I guess we both lose the bet."
"What bet?" Thomas asked, entering the room.
"Boxers or briefs," Jeanne Louise answered. "I was betting boxers. Elspeth thought briefs. Instead he went commando."
"Perhaps he just didn't want to use someone else's underwear," Lissianna suggested, but her mind was now fixed on the fact that Greg was going commando.
"It's cold out," Elspeth commented. "I hope he doesn't get a chill."
They fell silent as the bathroom door opened and Greg stepped out. "The jeans are a bit tight, but should do."
Lissianna's gaze slid over the jeans and T-shirt he'd selected from the pile on the bed. The clothes fit him like a glove, and the man looked as sexy as hell.
"You look tine," Elspeth assured him.
"Good, then we can go. I'm absolutely starved."
"Hmm. I'm feeling a little peckish, myself," Mirabeau murmured, and Lissianna stopped ogling Greg to turn on her friend with shock. Mirabeau only grinned and moved toward the door, murmuring, "My, my. Someone's protective of the little mortal, aren't they?"