{"id":1781,"date":"2026-01-05T13:49:18","date_gmt":"2026-01-05T13:49:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/vibepress.us\/?p=1781"},"modified":"2026-01-05T13:49:25","modified_gmt":"2026-01-05T13:49:25","slug":"cravings-choices-and-what-love-really-means","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/vibepress.us\/?p=1781","title":{"rendered":"Cravings, Choices, And What Love Really Means"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<div class=\"wp-block-cover aligncenter is-light mycontentblock has-medium-font-size wp-duotone-purple-yellow\" style=\"margin-top:0;margin-bottom:var(--wp--preset--spacing--50);padding-top:0;padding-bottom:0;min-height:123px;aspect-ratio:unset;\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"186\" class=\"wp-block-cover__image-background wp-image-198 size-large\" alt=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/vibepress.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Screenshot-2025-12-04-at-2.47.25-PM-1-1024x186.png\" style=\"object-position:50% 50%\" data-object-fit=\"cover\" data-object-position=\"50% 50%\" srcset=\"https:\/\/vibepress.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Screenshot-2025-12-04-at-2.47.25-PM-1-1024x186.png 1024w, https:\/\/vibepress.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Screenshot-2025-12-04-at-2.47.25-PM-1-300x54.png 300w, https:\/\/vibepress.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Screenshot-2025-12-04-at-2.47.25-PM-1-768x139.png 768w, https:\/\/vibepress.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Screenshot-2025-12-04-at-2.47.25-PM-1-1536x279.png 1536w, https:\/\/vibepress.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Screenshot-2025-12-04-at-2.47.25-PM-1-2048x372.png 2048w, https:\/\/vibepress.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Screenshot-2025-12-04-at-2.47.25-PM-1-1320x239.png 1320w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><span aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-cover__background has-background-dim-0 has-background-dim\"><\/span><div class=\"wp-block-cover__inner-container is-layout-constrained wp-block-cover-is-layout-constrained\">\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center my-cover-title has-ast-global-color-8-color has-ast-global-color-5-background-color has-text-color has-background has-link-color has-medium-font-size wp-elements-c301d03e6484131913be49ed04ecd17e\"><strong>Cravings, Choices, And What Love Really Means<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-ast-global-color-8-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-55e73ba6244e9828549d4259fe129eb5\">I\u2019m 3 months pregnant and every day I\u2019ve been craving steak and potatoes. I make 2 separate meals for my pregnancy cravings. Last night after I served the kids and was getting ready to make my fianc\u00e9\u2019s plate, he looked me dead in the eye and said, \u2018You know, it\u2019d be nice if for once you made a meal for me instead of your stomach.\u2019<\/p>\n\n\n\n<script type=\"text\/javascript\">\n    atOptions = {\n        'key' : '9e49f4ce267f7bab92bbdb38b733742b',\n        'format' : 'iframe',\n        'height' : 90,\n        'width' : 728,\n        'params' : {}\n    };\n<\/script>\n<script type=\"text\/javascript\" src=\"\/\/brillianceremisswhistled.com\/9e49f4ce267f7bab92bbdb38b733742b\/invoke.js\"><\/script>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-ast-global-color-8-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-c1e3f9bb90ea7419f9dca02eb94e9da6\">I stood there holding the spatula, feeling that sting behind my eyes. The steak was still sizzling in the pan. The kids were giggling in the background, unaware.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-ast-global-color-8-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-6f7a4f7d871abf55f5574a773bd19fee\">It wasn\u2019t the first time he\u2019d said something like that. But it was the first time I really heard it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-ast-global-color-8-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-6ac8a143ad5f2aefbc87ab40402ea921\">I don\u2019t expect much. Honestly, I\u2019m not high maintenance. But growing a human inside me? That\u2019s no small task. And if I need steak and potatoes to survive the day without sobbing into a pillow, that should be okay.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-ast-global-color-8-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-03a72cd6e1b231643313c9d20638e274\">I turned back to the stove and said nothing. He huffed and walked out to the living room.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-ast-global-color-8-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-cf055cbe0cd75f5c7cc9ce100df58eac\">I made his plate like always. Chicken and rice. That\u2019s what he likes. Then I made mine \u2014 my blessed steak and buttery potatoes, exactly how I\u2019d been craving them for days.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-ast-global-color-8-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-8bdc76f0d1c9e8be7e01bc1091141523\">I sat down at the table alone while he watched some show on his phone, not even looking up when I called him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-ast-global-color-8-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-7e3036ed451a00f561deaada37371b21\">The kids were already done and watching cartoons in their room. It was just us now.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-ast-global-color-8-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-eb62ab7f0d3a796392df8063ddedfab5\">I looked over at him. \u201cYour plate\u2019s ready.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-ast-global-color-8-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-d48cab45cf0050ea122d6be2312831a9\">\u201cAlready ate,\u201d he said without turning his head.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-ast-global-color-8-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-783bc44907d18253cc64a2e4776d8b9a\">I stared at the untouched food.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-ast-global-color-8-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-3dcd6b1762e79dca26a27a31dd544931\">That night, I laid in bed staring at the ceiling while he snored next to me. My mind just wouldn\u2019t rest.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-ast-global-color-8-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-834523c5b9caf52fca824f5e871232f6\">I thought about the meals. The laundry. The kids. The belly growing with life. I thought about how love wasn\u2019t supposed to feel like resentment. It was supposed to feel like a partnership, like respect.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-ast-global-color-8-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-509a14c91478d0cb5abf16c2254fc86d\">The next morning, I woke up early like always. I packed the kids\u2019 lunches, brushed their hair, kissed their sleepy faces. He barely muttered a good morning as he grabbed his keys and left for work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-ast-global-color-8-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-1a53a1628e57f2065b70fbab06ce2199\">Later that afternoon, I was at the grocery store when I ran into his mom. We made small talk, and she asked how the pregnancy was going.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-ast-global-color-8-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-66ce36329ec32f4f3d0f4c44c96ac75a\">I told her the truth, or part of it. \u201cI\u2019m tired,\u201d I said. \u201cBut I\u2019m managing.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-ast-global-color-8-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-d3e72a3aaf38b98b0dd21387e9ec10d2\">She smiled kindly. \u201cHe\u2019s never been good at showing appreciation,\u201d she said, like it was something I should just accept. \u201cBut he loves you. In his way.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-ast-global-color-8-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-38d26dc0ca2585df1af2c4130e227ba7\">I smiled back, but I felt a pit grow in my stomach. In his way. Was his way enough?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-ast-global-color-8-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-1bd773b2c8f8fb3ceb66a7e24180eb99\">That night, the same pattern. Dinner. Silence. Avoidance. I noticed how often he was on his phone, laughing at things I wasn\u2019t part of. Texting people I didn\u2019t know.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-ast-global-color-8-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-3f92a7d59a434bd8d20cdb03dbfd23c1\">I asked him once, \u201cWho are you talking to?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-ast-global-color-8-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-dcfe481dc9bb2581a2165ea97f12d693\">He shrugged. \u201cJust the guys. You wouldn\u2019t get it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-ast-global-color-8-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-aa9a9f50f09a1df629797147d60036eb\">I didn\u2019t ask again. But I started to notice things I had ignored before. The way he always kept his phone face-down. How he\u2019d take calls in the bathroom. The late nights out with no explanation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-ast-global-color-8-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-88df5b3076689d22c22af8d7c02a04d4\">I didn\u2019t want to be that person \u2014 suspicious, bitter, paranoid. But I also wasn\u2019t blind.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-ast-global-color-8-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-ee6484e9cfb70913ae0cdc078b626152\">So, one day, while he was in the shower, I looked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-ast-global-color-8-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-133f1925cb4e546790d4f980a62c3071\">I didn\u2019t go digging too deep. Just opened his messages. The top one read: \u201cCan\u2019t wait to see you again. Last night was\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-ast-global-color-8-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-3c036276bd7a8372e159bfec8eeffacb\">I stopped reading.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-ast-global-color-8-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-7ecb315d2e490c102c8eb8865879a740\">I sat there, phone trembling in my hand, tears rolling down without even realizing it. Not because I was surprised. But because I was exhausted.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-ast-global-color-8-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-3833584d650866b5b08e99b5a1ab405a\">He came out of the shower, towel wrapped around his waist, phone missing from my hands. I must\u2019ve looked like a ghost.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-ast-global-color-8-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-ccfbe95f7f6d39ed324d159104f9ed1f\">He saw my face. Froze.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-ast-global-color-8-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-2bac6034028ebd97021e578e97a8dd91\">\u201cYou read my phone?\u201d he asked, voice sharp.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-ast-global-color-8-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-785d1cea25b3a67a3724a0e42b00216b\">\u201cYou lied to me,\u201d I whispered.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-ast-global-color-8-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-4169e12dd60c5c6fdbb50bcc066c6fbb\">We fought. Loud, vicious, ugly. The kind of fight that rips the paint off the walls.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-ast-global-color-8-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-3d209aaa61dea666313752890c19b3ba\">He told me I was dramatic. That I didn\u2019t understand. That he was stressed. That the other woman \u201cmeant nothing.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-ast-global-color-8-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-310e5feec11bd63477d03aafd1c635a7\">I stood there, hand on my belly, feeling our unborn child twist inside me, as if reacting to the pain I was holding in.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-ast-global-color-8-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-5882f2d7fbd23a8c14715e0030e38eb8\">When he left that night \u2014 probably to see her \u2014 I sat in the kids\u2019 room and watched them sleep. I knew I couldn\u2019t do this anymore. Not just for me, but for them. They deserved better. I deserved better.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-ast-global-color-8-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-86a7701b6a82b3c39551a85524085235\">I didn\u2019t make a big scene. Didn\u2019t post about it. I quietly called my sister the next day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-ast-global-color-8-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-12203642301450adc05b40b34aecf7df\">\u201cCan I come stay with you for a while?\u201d I asked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-ast-global-color-8-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-e7fc7b394b077559a21d07d11da55fe8\">She didn\u2019t ask questions. Just said, \u201cOf course.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-ast-global-color-8-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-2e2eb02e63c6a0b0c6b2b281f3ad0f5b\">So I packed the essentials. The kids\u2019 favorite toys. My documents. A few maternity clothes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-ast-global-color-8-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-d9785e643ee9b0b33e0589a35447742e\">When he came home to an empty house, he blew up my phone. I didn\u2019t answer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-ast-global-color-8-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-a1a59c52915ef958aca3a60b8917ea11\">A few days later, he showed up at my sister\u2019s house.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-ast-global-color-8-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-1934ff33d79388885316d51cf00c8fad\">\u201cI messed up,\u201d he said at the door. \u201cJust come home. We\u2019ll work it out.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-ast-global-color-8-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-8b9647795176967a00c912c1bea743e3\">I looked at him for a long time. This man I once thought I\u2019d grow old with. The father of my children. The one I made two dinners for every night.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-ast-global-color-8-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-884f9b0bc448e2b308fae6cdb78273bd\">\u201cI\u2019m not coming back,\u201d I said, voice steady.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-ast-global-color-8-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-ba56739f5841b4cec8a5a6fd9a9ea9a8\">His jaw clenched. \u201cYou\u2019re really gonna throw our family away because of one mistake?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-ast-global-color-8-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-188213c0be06a6d756201341e3c431ee\">I laughed, but there was no humor in it. \u201cThis wasn\u2019t one mistake. This was a thousand little choices. You made your bed.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-ast-global-color-8-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-175e7ae04bc0927b99a34a65ce6462be\">He tried a few more times. Flowers. Messages. Promises.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-ast-global-color-8-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-147612188207d7ba9dd8480a65b45280\">But I didn\u2019t waver.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-ast-global-color-8-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-277b241f96069e7036b98013db038074\">At my sister\u2019s place, things weren\u2019t perfect, but they were peaceful. I could breathe.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-ast-global-color-8-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-b0c91fd4f7b199bf8564e670b2a1f7a0\">The kids laughed more. I cooked what I wanted. I slept better.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-ast-global-color-8-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-3838350f2be09f2080faf363b2b2e335\">A few weeks later, I had a check-up appointment. Baby was healthy. Heartbeat strong.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-ast-global-color-8-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-6d2193daf87bf27b0fe336099a8a3768\">As I walked out of the clinic, I bumped into someone \u2014 a guy named Mateo. We had gone to high school together. He was pushing a stroller with his baby girl.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-ast-global-color-8-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-7b3744355ea041d3fbc5fc76fe34433a\">\u201cWow,\u201d he said, smiling. \u201cYou\u2019re glowing.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-ast-global-color-8-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-b4c4c3883bd2662184325e8e3eb9914e\">I laughed. \u201cThat\u2019s sweat, but thanks.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-ast-global-color-8-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-5e7802afec49f95a1cc36e1ec7ff5113\">We sat on a bench outside and caught up. He told me he was a single dad. His daughter\u2019s mom had left when the baby was six months.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-ast-global-color-8-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-2ed555e4d0b4bb954207993e0b023007\">\u201cIt was hard,\u201d he said, bouncing the stroller gently. \u201cBut\u2026 I think it taught me a lot about what kind of man I want to be. Especially for her.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-ast-global-color-8-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-f1c38b9af0ba3c5de23499688369888a\">There was something about the way he spoke \u2014 gentle, honest. No ego.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-ast-global-color-8-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-dfe494f2667b974ee4a9b0d1da44d308\">We exchanged numbers. Started texting here and there. Nothing serious.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-ast-global-color-8-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-08a316d2a57932aabfe2529cd1667be8\">But over the next few months, he became my safe space. He never pushed, never flirted inappropriately. Just\u2026 showed up. Checked in. Asked how my cravings were going.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-ast-global-color-8-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-d9dd42edd7b76e89c60d8a821c4f9af0\">He even brought over steak and potatoes once, just because he remembered I mentioned it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-ast-global-color-8-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-5fb116eded040e55864333fec52aa982\">I didn\u2019t fall in love right away. I was still healing. Still learning how to trust myself again.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-ast-global-color-8-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-669561ceab94341ecea2996c86b18f98\">But I noticed how the kids lit up when he visited. How they felt safe around him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-ast-global-color-8-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-9976325209f36f62dda6a98db9aff458\">The night I went into labor, it was Mateo who drove me to the hospital. My sister stayed with the kids. My ex? He didn\u2019t even know I was in labor until the next day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-ast-global-color-8-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-a02b4cd961c6bc41bc94c18663a7addf\">Mateo held my hand through the contractions. He paced the hallway with me. He cried when my baby girl was born \u2014 cried, like she was his.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-ast-global-color-8-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-dd93edbac29f93df851146caf1b8840f\">Afterward, he didn\u2019t say anything dramatic. Just looked at me with eyes that meant everything.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-ast-global-color-8-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-0bba4264650d6ac429a54404cecb7974\">\u201cIf you ever want someone to help,\u201d he said softly, \u201cI\u2019m here. No pressure. Just\u2026 here.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-ast-global-color-8-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-ac311a87eea7c493383b83338ec765ee\">And he was.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-ast-global-color-8-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-7295a7fabf6b7b33f1938be9c20723d2\">He came over during colic nights. Brought coffee when I was running on fumes. Read bedtime stories to all three kids like he\u2019d always been part of the family.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-ast-global-color-8-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-37fa71e2dae3ae40650d686a240860c5\">It wasn\u2019t perfect. I still had moments of fear. Of pulling back. Of wondering if I could really trust again.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-ast-global-color-8-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-1bcd12859ec2b89077ddbe94506daf9a\">But Mateo never pushed. He just showed up. Again and again.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-ast-global-color-8-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-110d7bb669d50314488e6ed226ed398b\">Eventually, my ex tried to come back \u2014 of course he did. Said he\u2019d changed. Said he was ready to be a real dad.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-ast-global-color-8-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-a022e86893295202a62afce5db0c2c01\">But the kids didn\u2019t light up when they saw him. They stiffened.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-ast-global-color-8-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-9c61883634a5b70423ac4c82c6018123\">And my daughter? She didn\u2019t know him at all.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-ast-global-color-8-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-474f80da9402f2299c105283f590fc15\">I watched him from across the park where we\u2019d agreed to meet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-ast-global-color-8-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-57822fb524e57e55b949e47700cc7ebd\">He handed the kids toys like he was Santa. Tried too hard. Laughed too loud.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-ast-global-color-8-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-b42425f339dd18b2cb4d2d01ded880d0\">Then Mateo showed up, carrying snacks and a tiny pink hat for the baby.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-ast-global-color-8-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-b3886e6fb0dab5eb914348e365e206ba\">The kids ran to him like a magnet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-ast-global-color-8-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-f0d4fb81260ea3e6dddf6be9e3de6d8a\">And I realized something, right then and there.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-ast-global-color-8-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-0644c1784d5b56fadf8f383db58c011e\">Fatherhood \u2014 and love \u2014 isn\u2019t about DNA. It\u2019s about presence. It\u2019s about doing the boring stuff, the hard stuff, the thankless stuff, with your whole heart.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-ast-global-color-8-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-f550591692a0e2ad3716d55b6a20bc94\">It\u2019s about remembering steak and potatoes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-ast-global-color-8-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-c8f66e99936746fa9e5323bd835c08d4\">It\u2019s been two years now.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-ast-global-color-8-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-a07c70128b1ce1c7909d91ea84c2fb80\">Mateo and I got married last spring, barefoot in my sister\u2019s backyard. The baby was the flower girl, chewing on petals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-ast-global-color-8-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-58796692214133a1d91ec08cafcaf89a\">My oldest stood beside Mateo during the vows, holding his hand. Not because we asked him to. But because he wanted to.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-ast-global-color-8-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-8a3b9ede115d317503d1ba33d85c53f8\">And sometimes, when I make dinner now, Mateo will sneak into the kitchen, wrap his arms around me, and say, \u201cHey, what does the queen want tonight?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-ast-global-color-8-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-759dd30e813b82502c01f837c61bc4c3\">I smile and say, \u201cSteak and potatoes.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-ast-global-color-8-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-7ecb1a82e34c5ba4412be361475b5475\">We laugh. And then he helps me make two plates.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-ast-global-color-8-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-fbc3f45a40b25363b80000ca4a7336b6\">Not because I asked. But because he wants to.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-ast-global-color-8-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-a8879445175d8e7b81cc173b13eb5e19\">Because love, real love, is service. It\u2019s the little things. The showing up. The not keeping score.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-ast-global-color-8-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-6b118d341791daadd794bc0df4bfd681\">If you\u2019re reading this and you feel like you\u2019re making two dinners for someone who wouldn\u2019t even make you toast, maybe it\u2019s time to ask yourself: is this love or just habit?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-ast-global-color-8-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-ba4a4ce40fc04de46e029ea54aba1852\">Don\u2019t settle for someone who makes you feel like a burden for having needs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-ast-global-color-8-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-ab0bd0cbda6e4b38f21782e0bd75439a\">You deserve steak and potatoes. And someone who sees feeding your cravings as an honor \u2014 not an inconvenience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-ast-global-color-8-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-1b3f0eef3b723b9cb73e6ac60fcead16\">If this story touched you in any way, I hope you\u2019ll like it, share it, or send it to someone who might need to hear that they\u2019re worthy of better.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-ast-global-color-8-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-8faf62e82a76329316ed54a27c97f61d\">Because we all are.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-ast-global-color-8-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-cb55a20d1ff6eabfb6f913b1bacc4010\">And sometimes\u2026 better is just around the corner, with a stroller, a smile, and a pink hat.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>I\u2019m 3 months pregnant and every day I\u2019ve been craving steak and potatoes. I make 2 separate meals for my pregnancy cravings. Last night after I served the kids and was getting ready to make my fianc\u00e9\u2019s plate, he looked me dead in the eye and said, \u2018You know, it\u2019d be nice if for once &#8230; <a title=\"Cravings, Choices, And What Love Really Means\" class=\"read-more\" href=\"https:\/\/vibepress.us\/?p=1781\" aria-label=\"Read more about Cravings, Choices, And What Love Really Means\">Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":1782,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[17],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1781","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-stories"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/vibepress.us\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1781","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/vibepress.us\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/vibepress.us\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vibepress.us\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vibepress.us\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1781"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/vibepress.us\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1781\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1783,"href":"https:\/\/vibepress.us\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1781\/revisions\/1783"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vibepress.us\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/1782"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/vibepress.us\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1781"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vibepress.us\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1781"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vibepress.us\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1781"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}