# Chapter 19: Sweetheart? Not on My Watch
Hello everyone, it's me again! How are you all doing? Today I will continue to walk with you and review Chapter 19 of *Just for the Plot*, and let me tell you—this one is loaded with tension, wine-fueled confessions, and a Bennett who is *done* playing the background.
Let’s set the scene. Bennett is beyond irritated. The moment he hears Bower is out on another date with "Cougar"—and worse, that Cougar called her *sweetheart*—something inside him snaps. Not just jealousy. It’s a deep, possessive fire he refuses to ignore anymore. He’s done holding back. He’s done being patient. And he’s ready to make his move.
So when Bower asks him to come to a fancy rooftop dinner party as her fake boyfriend for her boss, Adalade, Bennett doesn’t hesitate. Not because he loves fancy parties, but because he sees an opportunity. Tonight, he’s going to use every second to remind Bower exactly what she’s been missing.
The venue is stunning: brick walls lined with potted plants, string lights, a long rustic table with candles and moss centerpieces, olive-green velvet linens, and eclectic wooden chairs. It’s all gorgeous, but Bennett doesn’t care about the decor. The only thing he’s focused on is the woman beside him.
Adalade greets them warmly, looking elegant with her white bun and rosy pink lips. She immediately approves of Bennett, and he charms her effortlessly—thankful she moved to San Francisco, bringing Bower closer to him. Bower gets flustered when Adalade suggests Bennett could be more than friends, but that’s exactly what Bennett wants. He wraps his arm around Bower and silently thinks: *Yes, keep talking.*
Unfortunately, the real reason for the dinner—Draco, the man Bower was supposedly there to meet—cancelled at the last minute. Bower apologizes, feeling guilty that Bennett wasted his night off, but Bennett doesn’t see it that way. To him, any night with Bower is never wasted. Fancy wine, good food, and her company? That’s not a hardship. That’s a gift.
They move to the bar, and Bennett orders two glasses of wine. The conversation turns warm and playful. Bower notices that everyone wants a picture with Adalade, and Bennett jokes it’s his stunning good looks they’re after, not his baseball talent. Bower rolls her eyes, but she’s smiling. The drinks keep coming—glass after glass—and their banter grows bolder, more intimate, more honest.
Bennett brings up Cougar. He can’t help himself. He tells Bower that "Cougar" doesn’t pass the *orgasm test*—there’s no way she can moan that name in the heat of the moment. She laughs, surprised he remembers that silly little test she told him about. But Bennett is just getting started.
He tells her what she really needs. Not a man who takes her on convenient morning dates, but someone who’s infatuated. Someone who puts in the effort. Someone who likes the things she likes and shows up for her when she needs it most—and least. Someone who can take care of her, not because she *needs* it, but because she *deserves* it.
Bower’s expression softens for a moment, and then she shakes it off, insisting no man like that exists.
Then comes the moment that flips everything upside down. Bower asks Bennett about *his* perfect match. He tells her he already knows what he wants. When she teases him about his mysterious crush, and asks when he’s going to make a move, he looks her straight in the eye and says: *“I am.”*
Her eyes widen. She’s shocked. Excited. She wants details. But before she can grill him further, dinner is announced, and Bennett leads her to the table, feeling more alive than he has in weeks.
Sitting at the end of the long table, Bennett drapes his arm over her chair, pulling her close. The dinner is a culinary adventure—starting with steak tartare, which Bennett jokingly compares to something "slimy." Bower, being Bower, turns it into a scandalous innuendo about going down on a woman, and Bennett happily runs with it. He tells her he loves eating women out—calls it his *favorite dessert*—and Bower nearly chokes on her wine, her face turning bright red.
The two of them are lost in their own bubble, and honestly, it’s adorable. They’re the only two people at the table who matter, even while surrounded by a lively crowd.
Later, they devour a heavenly pasta dish prepared with a giant cheese wheel, and Bennett jokes that Bower’s proposal to the food is too late—he already proposed, and it was accepted. He’s the husband now, and he’ll be damned if anyone else gets to tongue *his* wife’s cheese.
Bower laughs so hard the whole table turns. When Adalade asks what’s so funny, Bower doesn’t hold back. She tells everyone: Bennett wants to tongue the cheese wheel.
*Oh. My. God.*
Bennett freezes, ready to apologize for being crude, but the table completely loses it. Adalade declares she’ll be first in line for the tonguing. Anita, the host, reminds everyone she paid for it, so she has first rights. An older gentleman jokes it’s basically prostitution. Anita cheers to that. The whole evening turns into raucous, unforgettable fun.
Bennett can’t remember the last time he had this much fun. The group is witty, unapologetic, and full of life, and he’s drinking it all in.
Then Anita asks how long they’ve been together.
Bennett doesn’t miss a beat. He pulls Bower onto his lap, wraps his arm around her waist, and tells the table they’ve known each other for years—and that he‘s been pining for her for so long that he can’t believe she finally gave him a chance.
The words feel truer than any line he’s ever spoken.
Adalade mentions how Bower used to talk about Bennett all the time—how enamored she seemed. Bennett turns that into a joke, asking for it in writing so he can remind Bower why she loves him. But underneath the humor is pure vulnerability. He wants Bower to see herself through his eyes.
Anita predicts wedding bells. Bennett says, without hesitation, *if he knew she’d say yes, he would have proposed already.*
Bower’s head snaps toward him, and Bennett just smiles up at her gorgeous face. Because it’s true. He wants everything with her. He wants to text her before bed, call her when he wakes up, FaceTime her just to see her messy hair and warm sleepy eyes. He wants to spoil her, make her laugh, give her pet names that actually mean something. He wants to be her endgame, not some jackass named Cougar.
The night winds down, and Adalade gushes over Bower, grateful she came. Bower shivers, and Bennett gives her his jacket, draping it over her bare shoulders. She looks up at him with soft, grateful eyes, and he knows—he’s so close to getting through to her.
When Adalade kisses both their cheeks and leaves, Bennett walks Bower to the elevator, then to the waiting car. The atmosphere is warm, tipsy, and electric.
In the car, Bennett jokes about dating Adalade. Bower immediately shuts that down, crossing her arms like an indignant little gremlin. The banter is ridiculous and hilarious—Bennett threatens to make Bower run errands for him as Adalade’s assistant, and Bower threatens to move to Almond Bay, win over Bennett’s sister, and have her never speak to him again. Bennett calls it a low blow. Bower just smirks and tells him to keep his *willy* and cheese-loving tongue away from her boss.
And as the car rolls through San Francisco, Bennett looks at her, still smiling, still buzzing, and knows: he isn’t backing down.
He’s coming for her.
For real this time.
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### Reader’s Impressions & Star Rating
Oh, this chapter was SO good. The tension between Bennett and Bower is absolutely electric, and Bennett is finally done hiding his feelings. The fake-couple dynamic at the dinner party was hilarious, heartwarming, and dangerously flirty. The cheese wheel scene made me laugh out loud, and Bennett’s line about proposing? I literally gasped. My heart is racing, and I am beyond rooting for him. This chapter balanced humor, vulnerability, and burning sexual tension perfectly.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Rating: 4.9 / 5 Stars
### Next Chapter Prediction
I predict Bennett is going to stop dropping hints and start being blatantly obvious. After tonight, Bower can’t ignore the fact that every joke, every touch, and every look from Bennett means something deeper. I think he’s going to confront her about Cougar, or maybe even flat-out confess his feelings—and Bower is going to have to decide if she’s ready to stop pretending they’re just friends.
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