Possibly more than that, however, he loves her because of all the love he has invested in her and his commitment to her. I think that's it, he loves his own commitment to her (and her commitment to him, the way it used to be).
Gotta chime in here. I agree with a little bit of both of you, Ann and Sara.
This commitment thing here is a huge reason, IMO. Don't know about the rest of you, but it's pretty darn hard to throw away a relationship after multiple years of commitment (and I'm just talking about regular relationships that run their course, or even friendships, but in Clark's case, the Sometimes Crappy Things Happen To Good People aka life). Or a long-term investment in anything, really. You don't realize how much of yourself you put into something until it ends, and unfortunately Clark hasn't handled it well at times (probably the understatement of the week), and...I totally lost my train of thought because I leaned back to think and got lost in my complete lack of housekeeping underneath my headboard. OH, but it seems reasonable for him to take a long time to get over it; unfortunately, it's at the expense of Lois, and that's what makes him a dolt in my mind.
Man, I was hoping this Christmas wouldn't blow as much as the last one did...like they might actually care what they get each other...hopes and dreams down the tube to be saved for the AA group!
Great parts,
JD
