“Would you like to cancel completely or reschedule?”
I looked across the room at Leah.
“Actually,” I said, “can I move the reservation to the following week for two guests?”
Same house.
Same beach.
Same seven days.
Just Leah and me.
No family arguments.
No subtle insults.
No one expecting me to cover groceries.
No one pretending Leah was somehow less important because we hadn’t signed a marriage certificate yet.
A day later, I sent one screenshot to the group chat.
The revised reservation.
Different date.
Two guests.
My name.
Leah’s name.
The chat went silent.
Four hours later, Paige responded.
“So none of us are going? You canceled an entire family vacation over Leah?”
I didn’t reply.
Then Mom called.
I let it go to voicemail.
Her message was soft.
“Caleb, I wish you had come to me before doing something so final. Can’t we fix this?”
That was when it really clicked.
They weren’t upset that Leah had been hurt.
