I suspect that this is only half the story. The other half has him being emotionally invested in the relationship, treating her like she's important, and doing all the other things that people in loving, healthy relationships do.

A well oiled relationship can accommodate disruptions and uncertainty, you just have to do the work necessary to make it "well oiled".

If your significant other won't tolerate these sort of things, then you should probably think hard about where your relationship stands.