A Week Before Our Wedding, My Fiancé Sat Me Down to Talk About My Kids – What He Said Made My Jaw Drop

Lemon donuts on a plate | Source: Midjourney

We were sitting at the little Mexican place we adored. It had flickering fairy lights and a mango margarita that could melt the week off your shoulders. We had just booked the last vendor, the folding chairs, fairy lights and tables for the backyard, and I was still riding the buzz of finalizing things.

Our wedding was going to be simple. It was going to be heartfelt and intimate. From the moment Jake proposed, I knew that I wanted the kids to be a part of the day.

The exterior of a restaurant | Source: Midjourney
The exterior of a restaurant | Source: Midjourney

I’d just finished telling Jake about the hand-printed signs my daughter, Clara, wanted to make when I noticed his expression had gone blank. He wasn’t angry or anxious. He was just… still. Like he was watching me from behind a one-way mirror.

He was only halfway through his tacos but he pushed his plate aside, wiped his hands slowly on a napkin, and took a long sip of his beer. Something about the way he exhaled afterward made my stomach turn cold.

It wasn’t the kind of sigh you let out after a long day or a heavy meal. It was practiced. Like he had been rehearsing what came next.

A plate of tacos | Source: Midjourney
A plate of tacos | Source: Midjourney

“Penelope,” he said, his voice flat and unreadable. “I need to be honest about something here.”

I set my fork down and gave him my full attention, suddenly aware of how fast my heart was beating.

“Okay… What’s going on?”

Jake cleared his throat and looked away for a second before speaking.

A woman sitting in a restaurant | Source: Midjourney
A woman sitting in a restaurant | Source: Midjourney

“Your kids… I’m sorry, but they kind of bother me.”

The words hung in the air like a slow leak. For a second, I thought I’d misheard him. Bother? What did that even mean? My ears felt hot and I stared at him, waiting for him to laugh or take it back.

He didn’t. He didn’t even reach out to grab my hand and let me know that what he was about to say came with love. It didn’t, of course.

A nonchalant man wearing a navy shirt | Source: Midjourney
A nonchalant man wearing a navy shirt | Source: Midjourney

“I mean, Nell… I’ve been paying rent for them and they’re not even my kids,” he continued speaking casually, like we were discussing sharing groceries or internet bills. “I think it’s time you start covering their share. It’s only right.”

Their share. It’s only right.

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