As Joe was escorting the girl out, Wintergreen was forced to savor that contact with Addie's unguarded mind. It...she honestly would relinquish Slade to him, but the fact she had grown to love Slade again (or refind the buried/guarded emotions) would make that such a bitter pain to her.

It left the former soldier at odds with his own desires in regard to the man he'd watched develop in life's fullness.

"Content, that you are neither a threat to Slade, nor to his family, yes." His brown eyes were shadowed by so much awareness of how this situation set ill on both of them, and on Slade.