Back in their hotel room after David’s bachelor festivities, Poppy pulls away from Alex and asks the question that has been tormenting her since David mentioned a ring: whether Alex had planned to propose to Sarah. Poppy is not angry that Alex loved someone else; Poppy is terrified that her bond with Alex kept him from the marriage and family he wanted. When Poppy asks why Sarah ended things and whether their relationship was damaged because of Poppy, Alex finally admits that it was.

Alex explains that Sarah broke up with him before the Sanibel trip and that, whenever he was with Poppy, everyone else receded in importance. When Sarah and Alex later reunited, Alex pushed Sarah to join the Tuscany trip because he wanted Sarah and Poppy to get along, rather than give Poppy up. After Poppy’s pregnancy scare in Tuscany, Alex was so shaken that he scheduled a vasectomy without even consulting Sarah. Soon after, Alex saw an engagement ring and realized both the ring and the vasectomy were really reactions to his overwhelming feelings for Poppy, not signs of a healthy future with Sarah. Because Alex understood that this was unfair to Sarah, he ended that relationship.

Alex then admits the deeper truth: he has loved Poppy in a way that feels uncontrollable and frightening, and his habit of pulling away has come from panic over how badly losing Poppy could hurt him. Poppy answers by telling Alex that she loves him the same way and that Alex is the only person who has ever made Poppy feel truly acceptable. Both confess that they feel broken and scared of being fully known, but both choose to be brave anyway. They kiss, and when Poppy asks Alex to hold her hand only when he wants to, Alex makes clear that, for now, he wants to keep touching her.

At the rehearsal dinner, Poppy and Alex arrive newly united and playful, with Alex admitting that he remembers everything about Poppy despite past claims otherwise. Their closeness is interrupted when Alex’s father, Ed Nilsen, greets them and begins openly grieving Betty. Watching Alex instantly suppress his own feelings around Ed, Poppy bluntly reminds Ed that David is getting married and needs him. The awkward exchange reveals the family dynamic Alex has long lived under. Afterward, Alex takes Poppy’s intervention as both supportive and revelatory, and he says that after the trip he intends to pursue therapy so he can understand why he cannot express happiness around his family.