Married at First Sight: Happily Ever After featured Shawniece Jackson finally kissing Jephte Pierre after five months of absolutely zero physical affection and Bobby Dodd growing upset about the lack of intimacy in his marriage to Danielle Bergman during Tuesday night's episode on Lifetime.
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At the time filming commenced for Happily Ever After, all three couples were expecting their first child together. And since the season debuted, Shawniece and Jephte welcomed their daughter Laura.
Married at First Sight: Happily Ever After, Episode 6
The Married at First Sight: Happily Ever After broadcast began in Week 5 of the process, with each couple participating in an exercise about intimacy under the request of Married at First Sight experts, Dr. Jessica Griffin, Dr. Pepper Schwartz and Dr. Jessica Griffin.
Danielle drew a piece of paper that asked Bobby what he hoped intimacy would look like during her pregnancy, and Bobby replied, "I don't know. I feel like we need to make time for each other."
Bobby told the cameras Danielle had been nauseous in the morning right into the evening, and while he understood she felt sick and probably didn't want to have sex, he hoped there would be more kissing and hand-holding going on at least.
Anthony then met up with his buddy, John, whom he wanted to bounce ideas off. Anthony admitted he felt stress because Ashley wanted to move into a house right after the lease to their apartment ended within a month.
Anthony called it "a shotgun" move and was also worried about the expenses of a new home.
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Meanwhile, Shawniece and Jephte's baby girl was two weeks old at this point, and Shawniece confessed being a wife, mother and dog owner was "exhausting" and she was starting to feel very "overwhelmed."
Their dog, Kiki, for example, took everything out of the trash while baby Laura was crying.
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When Jephte came home from work, Shawniece really needed his help. The couple's division of household responsibilities was clearly a source of conflict for the couple.
"I broke down and cried... You don't even understand how hard it is," Shawniece said.
Jephte said he understood taking care of a baby is a full-time, two-person job. Jephte knew his wife was stressed out.
Bobby then enjoyed a lunch out with his brother-in-law, Taylor. Bobby expressed fears over pregnancy complications for Danielle given she has a such a small frame.
Bobby then opened up to Taylor about the lack of intimacy in their marriage, saying, "It hasn't been easy."
"The only time she's not sick is when I don't see her. She's sick in the morning when we wake up and she's sick when she gets home. So, when she feels good, I am not around her," Bobby told the cameras.
Taylor advised Bobby to remain calm, be present, and be there for Danielle as much as possible. At the time of this conversation, Bobby was five months away from becoming a dad.
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Shawniece was very emotional, so Jephte offered to take some time off from work to help her. Shawniece argued, however, he could help her on nights and weekends -- walking Kiki and such -- rather than taking time off from work.
Shawniece told the cameras Jephte was "a lot more talk than action" and he needed to try more.
"I'm upset. I feel whenever we argue, it brings us back," Jephte noted.
"If you feel it's too much for you because we're arguing -- every relationship has arguing. You know what my fear is? My fear is I'm going to go through this with you, we're going to argue, we're going to have issues, and then you're going to be a better man for somebody else," Shawniece confessed to her husband.
Shawniece worried Jephte wasn't going to get what he needed from her.
"If you expect we're not going to have arguments and issues, then I'm not the one for you," she told Jephte.
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Back in Chicago, Ashley told Anthony that she had fallen in love with one house. Anthony, however, still wasn't completely sold on the property.
The couple then played a fishbowl game sent to them from the Married at First Sight experts. Ashley and Anthony showed big improvements in their communication.
Dr. Jessica then paid a visit to Shawniece and Jephte in their home. Shawniece told the expert she was "losing it" and "lost it on Jephte."
Dr. Jessica tried to explain to Shawniece her emotions were normal but she needed to communicate what she needed from Jephte clearly. Shawniece also said it hurt that Jephte constantly said, "I love you" to the baby -- but not to her.
Jephte then gushed to Dr. Jessica about how he loved being a father so much but parenthood was clearly a struggle for Shawniece. Jephte was also aware Shawniece felt like she was "the odd man out" in the family because he paid so much attention to his little girl.
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Dr. Jessica also suggested the couple have a date night.
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Afterward, Danielle and Bobby attended her very first ultrasound appointment. Danielle was told her morning sickness would probably fade following the first trimester, at about 20 weeks, and she was given a prescription medication to hopefully make her feel better.
The ultrasound technician told the couple that their baby looked great. Bobby said he felt like "the luckiest man alive" looking at his wife and daughter.
Shawniece and Jephte then asked each other questions about intimacy that Dr. Jessica had come up with for the couple. Shawniece revealed she hadn't kissed Jephte for five months.
Shawniece never had the urge to kiss Jephte. It was something she wanted to change, but she wasn't focused on her physical connection with her husband because they got off to such a rough start.
Jephte then explained his "happily ever after" would involve being in a good place with Shawniece and welcoming more children.
Later on, Danielle acknowledged the anti-nausea pill was working and she was excited to get back into the swing of things and her normal routine.
As for Anthony and Ashley, their best offer on the house they liked was accepted.
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Danielle and Bobby were then shown celebrating Danielle's birthday. Bobby took Danielle out for a romantic dinner considering she was feeling better and her appetite had returned.
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Danielle said the night out was the absolute best, and she even conquered her fear of PDA.
But once the pair got home, Danielle felt sick again, and so Bobby was disappointed intimacy was out of the question again. He was starting to wonder if he made her feel sick.
Meanwhile, Shawniece and Jephte enjoyed a date night at a restaurant and had her mother babysit Laura.
Shawniece explained she had to grow to love her husband and want to commit to him long-term but there were days when she just wanted to throw in the towel. Jephte wanted to fight for their marriage as well.
Jephte thought if they could make it through the tough times and have more experiences together, they could fall in love and potentially last forever.
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Jephte gave Shawniece a gold chain that said "Laura" with their birth stones, and then she finally gave him a kiss.
"This is somebody I love and somebody I do want to make it work with," Shawniece noted.
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About The Author: Elizabeth Kwiatkowski
