Hope gently rejects Thomas' proposal on Bold and the Beautiful but he hasn't given up (Jan. 2 recap)

There weren't any surprises from Hope today on The Bold and the Beautiful in terms of her answer to Thomas' unexpected proposal. She told him, "No," which is the response we all expected her to give. Sure, she couched it in a speech about how wonderful she's found their time to be together and how amazing he is as a person, but it was clearly a rejection. Hope did feel bad though that was obvious so perhaps that's why she also stated that she wasn't prepared to make that level of commitment to him or anyone else at least not yet.

Of course, Thomas took that as a lifeline. He understands that Hope is figuring herself out and what she needs and wants along with taking Beth into account. But telling him that the timing isn't right and leaving the door open for the possibility that one day it could be was all he needed to hear. He told Hope that he wasn't going to be taking the ring back because it's for her. So he slipped it on her necklace so that the ring could be close to her heart where it belongs until she can put it on her finger.

I'm not going to lie the gesture was very romantic and Hope basically swooned over that move because it further cemented his commitment to her and what they have. She also didn't dispute his claim that he can feel their love in everything they do together whether it's work related or happening in the bedroom. I for one, however, would also like to feel the love radiating from Hope because this dynamic is incredibly lopsided and everyone knows it.

That was a talking point for Steffy, Ridge, and Brooke today in the main office. While Thope were navigating the shock of Thomas' proposal, the trio were discussing how badly this could go if the couple were to split. In a rare show of solidarity, Brooke and Steffy both agreed that it would be better for Hope to end her relationship with Thomas before it gets anymore serious. They have different priorities, obviously, but Brooke did swear she has her on-and-off again stepson's best interests at heart.

Ridge was the lone person to believe that maybe these two crazy kids could make it for the long haul if given the chance. But he also thought Thomas was aware of where he stood with Hope and that's clearly not the case so perhaps we shouldn't be banking on Ridge's opinion especially when he compared Stephanie's distaste for his "destiny" with Brooke to his love's issues with Thope's romance. The glaring difference being that Bridge have always expressed their love for one another and Hope can't even do that but I digress.

Back at the hospital, Xander once again made his feelings on Thomas known to a very confused Finn. It's his belief that Finn should be wary of his brother-in-law and that if he's capable of hiding a baby's true identity for his own personal gain then, yes, he is capable of murder. I think that's quite the leap but considering the circumstances behind Emma's death, Xander's not wrong to take issue with Ridge's eldest child.

Finn expressed his concern over the interaction to Steffy who seemed to be hedging when her husband revealed that his prospective patient turned out to be Xander. He was surprised to learn that Xander left out an important piece of the story he was telling as in that he also didn't tell the truth about Beth. Steffy didn't want to talk about what happened back then because it was such a difficult and hurtful period in her life but Finn had to tell her that Xander had lodged a serious accusation against her brother. He said Thomas murdered Emma and our soap ended before we could get Steffy's full reaction.

See you tomorrow, Bold fans, for another recap of The Bold and the Beautiful! Stay tuned to Hidden Remote for more Soap Opera news and coverage.