"Well..." Kerri thinks a moment. "I don't think there's any way for her to view it, at first, as anything other than a solution to a problem. That you're only doing it to rescue her from a threat. That you don't really want to do it. And, in fact, that's the case for the moment, so don't try to lie about that, because she'll see through it in a heartbeat, and there goes the trust. But...there's more to it. You like her, you respect her, and you think she deserves better than she's been getting, that she deserves something stable even after the threat goes away." She trails off, then looks back at him. "I'm just brainstorming. I think...perhaps the word 'father' is too loaded? Maybe ask her if she'd be willing to join us as a member of your family?" she suggests.