Tightening the Knot by Amanda Hamm

couch and sat down.   “Can I talk to you about something?”
                He seemed to want Meredith to join him, but she didn’t like where this was going.   She hadn’t read the rest of the bulletin.   What were the chances he was going to bring up something else?   Or anything not related to the paper in his hands?
                 Her heart sank as he put the familiar page into her lap.   He pointed quickly and then began his speech.   “I was hoping you’d like to go to this with me.   We don’t have any plans for New Year’s and it might be fun to do something for a change.   Now I know how you feel about marriage counseling and it does say marriage enrichment, but it’s not like therapy or anything.   It’s just an excuse to do some things together.   And we could use those dance lessons you made me take for our wedding.   I mean, if I can remember anything.”
                Meredith sat quietly.   This wasn’t right.   It was the second time today someone had tried to convince her of the merits of this idea.   But the point was for it to be her idea.
                “So what do you think?”
                “Umm…”   What did she think?   She hadn’t considered what it would be like to actually go to this event.   Its promise had been in what it might mean for her to suggest it.   And he had just taken that away from her.   She wanted to stall to collect her thoughts.   “It, uh, it says space is limited.   Do we know if we could go?”
                “I already called, just to get some information, and the woman told me there was just one room left so I went ahead and booked it for us.   We can still cancel so that doesn’t mean we have to go, but I thought it was best to take it, in case I could convince you.”
                Meredith felt cornered.   She also felt suddenly useless.   Making plans had always been a strength for her.   Did she not make a plan for her classroom each day?   And in that setting, she had no trouble adapting when things didn’t work out.   When Aiden put a bead up his nose, she hadn’t panicked for a moment.   Where was that kind of resiliency now?   What did she think?   While she was disappointed in not being able to suggest this, it did seem that agreeing to go could be a smaller, though still positive, step.   And it wasn’t as though she could say no just so she could ask him later.   But it was taking her an awfully long time to answer.   It was going to seem like he was dragging her along.   How helpful would that be?   Hoping to salvage the situation, she finally blurted, “I’m just surprised because I was thinking of suggesting this myself.”
                “Oh?”   He looked… What was that look?   “So you’re okay if we go?”
                “Well, you already signed us up and everything.”   That sounded snottier than she intended.
                “I said we could cancel.”
                “No, it’s fine.”   Fine!?   Fine was the answer of someone looking for a fight.   She didn’t mean that kind of fine.   “I mean good.   It’ll be good.”
                “I’m not trying to make you do this.”   It sounded like an argument, but his expression was more concerned than annoyed.   Meredith looked into his amazing eyes and felt herself in danger of forgetting every fight they had ever had.   She wanted to tell him how much she loved him and how she wanted more than anything to get through this rough patch.   She wanted to say a lot of things and couldn’t figure out why any of it was so difficult.   She sat silently and helplessly as he stood up.   He spoke softly as he left the room.   “The number is right there if you want to cancel.   I’ll just leave it up to you.”
                Greg went upstairs and Meredith heard the shower running a few moments