It was supposed to be a perfect weekend. Just the two of us, the open countryside, and this quiet little moment before the baby came. He said he wanted to show me where he grew up—where he “became the man” I fell in love with.

I loved that idea.

So when he pulled me close in the pasture and kissed my cheek while the cows wandered behind us, I thought, This is it. This is everything.

But something about that smile of his… it didn’t quite reach his eyes.

He told me that the family farm had always been a place of peace for him, a sanctuary where he could forget about the world and just be himself. His voice was calm, but there was a subtle edge to it—like he was holding something back. I didn’t want to read too much into it. After all, I was there for the moment, for the joy of starting our new chapter together, with the baby on the way and everything feeling like it was falling into place.

But as we pulled into the long, gravel driveway, I couldn’t shake the feeling that something was off. The house looked different than I had imagined it. It was bigger than I thought, almost too grand for a simple farm, and there were more people around than I expected—extended family, friends, and even some strangers milling about, laughing, and drinking. It didn’t feel like the intimate weekend I had envisioned.

“Don’t worry, it’s just a small family get-together,” he reassured me when he noticed the hesitation on my face. “Everyone’s excited to meet you and the baby. It’ll be good for you to get to know them.”