Mark snorted with a laugh, amused at Andrew's analysis. "True, that. Not a fucking day that goes by right now that I don't want a drink, but my kid's life is more important than that. I have no idea where he would be right now if he hadn't met Sash. That kid has been a fucking miracle right when we needed one. They don't make a lot of kids like him these days. When you're a parent, all you want is your kids to be loved and taken care of. I was so fucking worried Justin would get hurt again. That if he tried to date again, it would all crash and burn as badly as it had the last time. If push came to shove, and kids couldn't handle it like they promises him they could. False promises to him can be deadly. Because if he gives you his trust, it's a priceless gift. That's why it's easy to second-guess everything when you try to care for him, because you're so fucking conscious how fragile his emotions are. But he's a forgiving kid. Fuck knows how, though. He should barely be functioning."

He nodded, though he paused and gave Andrew's question some deeper thought. "I think it was that in part. Mostly it was that Gen's resistance made him feel like he didn't belong in the equation. Like, she valued a trashy wedding neither of us actually remember over doing it right with him there. Which I think is a mistake Gen probably can't ever make up for. She didn't consider enough back then the painful impact it would have on him, and didn't pause to understand why it was as important to him as it was. Mostly, he trusted our word and we said we would do it. When he was met with resistance, he's not equipped to reason, he just sees all the bad signs and warning bells. He can't help that, it's because he's a survivor. It immediately loops back on himself and he sees himself as a dirty catalyst of misery."