6

6

Bethany's POV

The apartment smelled like garlic and rosemary, and rich aroma of the roasted chicken wafting through the air as I set the table. It wasn't often I had time to cook a proper dinner, but tonight felt special.

In fact, I didn't think that 'special' covered it.

The email from Kensington & Co. had come in that afternoon. It was a polite but enthusiastic acknowledgment of my submission and an invitation to meet their team the following week. It wasn't a guarantee, but it was a step forward. A milestone. One I really wanted to celebrate. And who better to celebrate with than Mason?

I arranged two wine glasses on the table, the deep red wine shining from the candles I lit for aesthetics. The mood was perfect, just the kind I wanted. Intimate, warm and romantic.

I glanced at the clock. He should be home soon.

Pulling out my phone, I texted him a quick reminder.

Me: "Don't forget, I'm cooking tonight. Be home by 7, okay?"

A few minutes later, my phone buzzed.

Mason: "Sure. See you then."

I smiled, putting the finishing touches on the table. Tonight would be just perfect. I sighed in content, sitting by the table and waiting for him to be back home.

***

Mason walked through the door at 7:30, looking tired and distracted. I smiled, dropping my phone on the table and walking to him. I greeted him with a kiss, but he barely responded, his phone still in his hand.

"Hey," I said, stepping back to look at him. "Long day?" I asked, seeing all the lines and creases on his face.

"Yeah," he muttered, tossing his keys onto the counter. "Work's been nonstop."

"Well, I made dinner," I said, forcing a smile. "And I've got some news I wanted to share."

He nodded absently, scrolling through his phone as he walked to the dining table. All of a sudden this seemed like the wrong time to tell him that I had gotten a mail from Kensington & Co. He didnt look like he'd be excited by that. He looked like all he needed was rest and not my ranting about

I took a deep breath, reminding myself that he was probably just stressed. Work had been crazy for him lately, and I couldn't expect him to switch gears instantly.

We sat down, and I poured us both a glass of wine.

"So," I began, my excitement bubbling up again, "I heard back from Kensington today."

That got his attention. He looked up from his plate, one eyebrow raised.

"Really?"

"They want to meet with me next week," I said, grinning. "It's not a job offer or anything, but it's a start. They liked my submission."

"That's great," he said, but his tone lacked the enthusiasm I'd been hoping for. He took a sip of his wine and nodded. "Congrats."

I waited for more, for him to ask about the details, to share in my excitement, but he just turned his attention back to his plate.

Right.

"Thanks," I said after a moment, trying to hide my disappointment. I ran my hands through my hair and sighed, focusing on my food in silence. I glanced at him every now and then, hoping I'd be able to catch his eye but he seemed too preoccupied, like his mind was elsewhere.

"So," I said, breaking the quiet, "how's everything coming along with the wedding plans?"

He looked up at last, meeting my eyes as he dropped his phone with a loud thud, his expression unreadable. "Fine, I guess," he replied with a tone as unreadable as his face. All positive vibes remaining in me flew out of me instantly.

"You guess?" I asked, frowning. My eyes narrowed at him as I waited for him to explain what he meant by "he guessed".

"Yeah," he replied with a shrug. "I mean, you're handling most of it, right? Everything's on track?"

"Well, yeah, but I was hoping we could talk more about some of the details together," I said, my voice softening. "Like the guest list or the honeymoon."

He sighed, leaning back in his chair. "Bethany, do we really need to go over all this tonight?" He sounded exasperated and highly not interested.

"I just thought it'd be nice to talk about it," I said, trying to keep my tone light.

"Can we not?" he said, rubbing his temples. "I've had a long day."

My heart dropped and I felt tears rushing to my eyes. I blinked them back, swallowing the lump in my throat.

"Sure," I said quietly, picking up my wine glass. "We can talk about it another time."

***

After dinner, Mason retreated to the couch, his phone glued to his hand as he scrolled through emails or texts—whatever was more important than us.

I cleaned up the table, my earlier excitement now replaced by a dull ache in my chest.

This wasn't how I'd imagined the evening going.

All I wanted was to celebrate, to share my joy with him, to feel like we were a team. Instead, I felt like I was having dinner with a stranger.

Wiping down the counter, I couldn't help but think about the way he'd brushed off the wedding plans. It wasn't the first time, either.

A few weeks ago, I'd asked him about his thoughts on the invitations, and he'd waved it off, saying, "Whatever you pick is fine."

And last month, when I'd shown him a list of potential venues, he'd barely glanced at it before saying, "You're better at this stuff than I am."

At first, I'd chalked it up to him being busy. But now, I wasn't so sure.

Was he… uninterested?

The thought sent a shiver down my spine and I shook it off. If there was anything that I strongly believed in, it was that communication was the key and I had no choice but to talk to him about it before everything got worse.

I walked to the kitchen and rinsjed my hands before drying them then walked back to the living room.

"Hey," I said, sitting down beside him on the couch. "Can we talk?"

He didn't look up from his phone, thouhh fe I could tell that his mood had worsened. "About what?"

"About us. The wedding," I replied, rubbing my sweaty palms on my skirt.

He sighed, setting his phone down. "Bethany, everything's fine. You're stressing over nothing."

"I'm not stressed," I said shaking my head while trying to keep my voice steady. "I just… I feel like you're not as excited about this as I am."

"That's not true," he said quickly, shaking his head and sitting up on the couch.

"Then why do you keep brushing it off?" I questioned, crossing my arms and staring intently at him to see if he was hiding anything from me. If he was lying to me, yet I couldn't tell. Damnit.

"I'm not brushing it off," he said, his tone defensive. "I'm just… busy. Work's been insane, and I don't have the bandwidth to obsess over flower arrangements right now."

"It's not about the flowers," I said, my voice rising. "It's about us. About planning our future together."

He groaned, running a hand through his hair. "Bethany, can we not do this tonight?"

"Fine," I said, standing up. "Forget I said anything."

I walked to the bedroom, shutting the door behind me. I pulled off my clothes and changed into my nighties before getting into bed. I laid in bed, staring up at the ceiling with my mind racing with questions I couldn't provide the answer to.

Why did he seem so distant? Why did he always seem to have one foot out the door?

And why did I keep ignoring the nagging voice in the back of my mind telling me something wasn't right?

I turned onto my side, clutching the blanket tighter around me.

Maybe tomorrow would be better. Maybe this was just a rough patch.

After all, every couple had them. Right?

I inhaled deeply and exhaled shakily, tears sliding down my cheeks as I wondered what exactly was going on between Mason and I.

I was tired of making excuses for him. If this kept going on…

I shook my head and let out another shaky breath, blinking and tears began sliding out of my eyes and down my cheeks. The door to the room opened and closed, then the bed dipped.

Mason got into bed and then wrapped his arms around me, placing his head on my shoulder. "Hey," he said softly, running his hand up and down my shoulder. "I'm sorry, ok? I shouldn't have overreacted the way I did."

I didn't say anything, just closed my eyes and let the hot tears continue to flow and he talked again. "I promise im just as invested in this as you are, ok?"

"You don't act like it," I murmured, wiping my tears.

"It's work stress. You know I have to take care a lot of work ahead of the honeymoon. That's why I'm distracted lately. I'm so sorry," he apologized.

I sighed, feeling a little bit calm and lighter. "It's fine."

"I love you, ok?"

I smiled at that. "I love you too."