Ed "Big Ed" Brown and Elizabeth "Liz" Woods thought they'd ironed out their biggest relationship issues — until Liz was offered a promotion at work.
On Sunday night's episode of 90 Day Fiancé: Happily Ever After?, Liz, 29, told Ed, 57, that she was offered the role of partner at the restaurant she manages. However, Ed wasn't endorsing the new job, as it meant more hours for his fiancée.
In the final moments of the episode, Liz shared the news. Ed met her with a "congratulations," though his next thoughts weren't as supportive.
"Would you have to live here to be a partner? Or no," Ed asked.
Liz responded, "I have to be here to run the restaurant."
To Ed, the news was stressful. "You just kind of dropped something on me that's pretty big." To cameras, he said he was "somewhat perplexed" by the conversation.
That's because Ed and Liz had recently discussed moving out of San Diego. "One day she's like 'we're moving,' and the next day, 'oh, no, I got offered a partnership.' It does feel sort of like she's choosing her career over us. I think it's very selfish," he said.
Ed didn't hold back in telling Liz what he expects of her in their relationship. "I don't want you working 80 hours a week. That's what a partner does. It's a very big commitment, and I want a wife."
Earlier in the episode, Liz and Ed debated how they'd handle her return to work in general.
"I know Ed is nervous about me working full time because the long hours were a problem with Ed and I when we first started dating," Liz explained to cameras. "It is important to show him that — me going back to work — there's nothing to worry about."
Ed shared similar concerns to cameras. "I have to admit that Liz going back to work full time does scare me because it has led to our breakups in the past. But yet, I still want her to feel empowered and independent."
Ed admitted he likes when Liz doesn't work nights — something that's not an option given she manages a restaurant. She explained that her job means working some evenings, but Ed's opinion stayed the same. "I don't want 1 a.m. bulls—-, like midnight stuff," he told her.
"I'm not gonna understand that. I don't want you working until 1 a.m. — I'm sorry, I don't. And I'm never gonna be okay with that," he said.
Liz responded: "It's a restaurant. I can't just work days."
Ed admitted his insecurities lie in the restaurant culture. "You told me someone wanted to get a drink. I'd rather you and I have a drink on our sofa, snuggling. I want you to want that."
In last week's episode, Liz decided it was time to return to work for the sake of her family. She learned her daughter, Riley, could come back into her care after the child's father was deployed abroad. With Riley in mind, Liz has a goal of becoming self-sufficient — should her and Ed not work out.
90 Day Fiancé: Happily Ever After? airs Sundays at 8 p.m. ET on TLC and discovery+.
