I'm doubtful you looked that hard for any compliments from him to her.
It's not as if she didn't have moments where she was dismissive of him either.
It's a good thing that's not all she does in the run though. Phoenix is her superhero persona and her power, death and rebirth is part of the larger Phoenix mythology she is a part of.
The X-Men (including Jean) can be bores for big stretches at a time due to the story ruts the franchise gets stuck in. It happened in the 90s and again before Hickman took over. I don't think she was missing out on much by being dead for a while.
A self contained run makes it better.
Nothing is worse than reading a great comic and having it be hijacked by events in another comic or a crossover you're not reading and may not give a crap about. This is why fringe and indy books are often better than what the Big Two put out.