New to DB

[mamabird]

it sounds like your H both loves you and resents you for your independence. He loves that you are a lawyer and that feisty aspect of you, but maybe he's not sure those are the qualities he wants in a wife. I know my own H has been making a land grab for control recently and I think he likes that feeling of being THE MAN - earning the money (and controlling it now), making the decisions (whether that's justified or not) and generally just exerting his will more.

So maybe it's not ego stroking per se, but just allowing him to have a little more "control". Is that an issue for the two of you?