“Nope. If you want to pout, that’s your call. But I plan to enjoy my honeymoon—with or without you.”
She left with a dramatic slam of the door.
Walking into the dining room, she grabbed a magazine and slid into a chair at the table. Before she could read more than the article title, a steward arrived with two goblets of ice water and a basket of bread.
“I’ll be dining alone but could you please take a basket of crab legs to the cabin for Dr. Jensen?” she asked sweetly. “And then the chef’s special for me?”
She was halfway through her beet and goat cheese salad when Bryce appeared, scowling, holding the basket.
“Very funny,” he said, plunking it down beside her.
“It seemed fitting,” Beth said, not looking up. “Crabs devour their own when they molt.”
Bryce frowned. “Wait what is molting… is that like… mating?”
Beth stared at him.
“No. Molting means they’re growing—a lifestyle change. They shed their shell so a new one can grow in.”
“So… I’m the molting crab?” he asked, confused but trying to keep up.
Beth popped a beet into her mouth. “I already called you a fat crab. I think the metaphor holds.”
Bryce sat across from her, trying to connect the dots. “Okay, so this is a metaphor? The molting? Because of what you said earlier in the cabin—about newplans? About our marriage?”
Beth burst out laughing, tears forming from how hard she was trying to catch her breath.
Bryce’s stern glare softened. “You’re messing with me, aren’t you?”
Beth held up the Sea Life Monthly in her hand. “I was just mad and grabbed the first magazine I saw.”
She pointed at the article title: Crabs: It Should Be No Surprise That This Species Devours Its Own.
Bryce snorted. “Yeah, I can’t imagine why that reminded you of me.”
Beth shook her head, giggling again. “It felt good to laugh. I’ve missed that.”
His voice grew quiet. “I just wanted this trip to be perfect for you. I wanted to give you a honeymoon worth remembering. I rented this ridiculous boat to be alone with you. To build something deeper—physically, emotionally, and spiritually.”
Beth reached across the table, placing her hand over his. “It doesn’t have to be perfect to be meaningful. We just have to keep surrendering it to God.”
Her hands unconsciously settled on her stomach, and Bryce noticed.
He laid his hands gently over hers.
“Are you happy, Lizzy?” he asked.
“I am.”
A shadow crossed his expression. “When you say things about regrets, or how things didn’t go as planned. I keep wondering… do you regret marrying me?”
Beth’s eyes filled, she leaned in slightly, her voice dropping, steady and sure.
“I don’t regret marrying you. I regret how we got married. But not who I married. Bryce,I think I got hung up on things not going as I had planned but I know God’s plans are always better. I’ve always been a little bit in love with you. And now I don’t have to fight that anymore. I get to love you with God’s blessing. He gave me my biggest crush as my husband. How could I ever regret that?”
Bryce leaned forward, cradling her face, his kiss deep and sure.
“I love you, Lizzy. With everything in me.”
