I Went to Surprise My Husband at Work – But His Colleague Asked Me with Tears in His Eyes, ‘He Hasn’t Told You Anything, Has He?’

For once, Ben didn’t try to steer the outcome.

“Okay, Chels.”

He nodded.

“Good. Because my life is part of this discussion.”

***

By noon, I called him.

“I want the full offer: hours, call schedule, relocation timeline, everything that affects Olive and me.”

“Chelsea, I was trying to make this easier.”

“That’s the problem, Ben. You keep deciding what’s easier before you ask us.”

I called him.

***

Later, I walked into his home office for a charger and heard a voice from his laptop.

“We’re still happy to honor the schedule you negotiated.”

I stopped.

When the call ended, I stayed in the doorway.

“What schedule?”

I walked into his home office.

He rubbed his forehead.

“Fewer overnights. Two later starts.”

“And you negotiated all that before telling me?”

“I was trying to build something better.”

“For who?”

“For us.”

I shook my head.

“I was trying to build something better.”