There I was, 42 years old and single, thinking a family just wasn’t going to happen for me. Isn’t it funny how, once you stop looking for someone, that’s when the right someone walks into your life?

I had just come home from a trip to Michigan and walked out the back of my condo to say hi to my buddy Bono. He was trying to take a group of people out on his boat—folks he and our friend Crazy Tracy had met at the beach that week—but unfortunately, he was having engine issues. So, I said, “Give me five minutes, and we can take my boat instead.”

And then there she was: a 5’11” dark-haired,

dark-skinned beauty that I’d only seen in my dreams. She was full of life, energy, and a style all her own. I was blown away. It was all I could do to stay cool and not stare. I thought to myself, How amazing would it be if I could be with a woman like her? But I quickly realized she was out of my league. Plus, there was a bit of an age difference, so I immediately put myself in the friend zone.

And that’s part of the beauty of this story—we started as friends who simply enjoyed hanging out. I secretly hoped I could escape the friend zone, but I honestly thought it was unattainable. Our friendship continued for around two months. Little did I know that the beautiful, unattainable angel I adored so much had actually grown quite fond of me.

Then, on Cinco de Mayo, we were out having a great time when one of Alex’s besties, Dakota, came up to me and said, “Are you gonna ask her out or what?” I couldn’t believe it. “You’ve got to be kidding me,” I replied. Dakota said, “She’s liked you for a long time.”

I was scared to death, but I immediately walked outside to ask out my dream girl. As you can imagine, I was terrified, but I didn’t care. I was overwhelmed with excitement that my unattainable dream girl might actually be mine. Let me tell you, dreams do come

Alex was so easy to be around. She invited me everywhere and included me in everything. It was amazing how much we had in common and how much fun we had together. We started spending every day with each other. It was a feeling I’d never experienced before. Life had always seemed to be passing me by so quickly, but suddenly, I felt an incredible sense of contentment. I’d finally found the person I was meant to be with, and for the first time, life slowed down.

Soon after we started dating, I was introduced to Alex’s travel bug. It began with a 16-day trip to Ireland with Dakota—a trip she had planned long before we met. This was our first time apart since we started dating, and I was uneasy about being without her for 16 days. But Alex FaceTimed me every morning and every night during her trip. It gave me such peace to know that, even while on the trip of a lifetime with her best friend, she still made time to show me that I was important to her. It was all the little things she did to let me know I was on her mind.

Thank God she returned from Ireland, and we spent the next two weeks together, practically inseparable. Anything she planned always included me—even when it was “all girls and Marc” at my expense. (Hahaha!) To be honest, I loved every minute of it. It didn’t matter what we were doing; everything was the most fun because I was with her, and my heart was already hers.

Soon, the next challenge came: a nine-day wedding in Colombia with another one of her besties, Sophia. By this point, I was head over heels in love, praying I wouldn’t lose this amazing woman. Once again, Alex FaceTimed me every day and night, giving me the play-by-play of her entire trip. She had a way of making me feel like I was always her #1 priority. When she came back, our love felt even stronger.

After a few months, she invited me to Hawaii with a group of friends. The Big Island was such a special place for us. During a hike to Pololū Valley, I felt such a spiritual connection. I wanted to drop to one knee right there and ask her to be my wife. But we were still early in our relationship, and I’m a firm believer that couples need to go through challenges together to ensure they’ll stand by each other’s side and fight for one another.

Over the next year, our relationship continued to grow. The good times seemed endless, and our love deepened with every moment we shared. After nearly a year of dating, Alex’s lease was coming to an end, so we decided to take the next step. She moved into my Naples condo.

As you can imagine, Alex is very neat and organized, and I’m a messy, filthy commercial fisherman, so there was definitely a learning curve for both of us. We thought we’d stay in the condo forever, but as our relationship grew, so did our need to grow our businesses. We sold the condo and entered the rental world again.

Life threw us some curveballs. One rental was sold out from under us, and then Hurricane Ian destroyed the next one, leaving us homeless with most of our belongings ruined. The stress was overwhelming, and the inflated housing market made us wonder if Southwest Florida living might no longer be possible.

But Team Alex and Dilly stayed strong. We’re both stubborn, and neither of us has any quit in us. Instead of fighting against each other, we fought for each other. We rented a nice condo for too much money and kept working together toward a common goal: us. Sure, we argued and disagreed, but we never wavered on “us.”

Eventually, life took an unexpected turn. Out of nowhere, we found the perfect gulf-access home. Even with the crazy market, this house was reasonably priced and had everything we wanted. The Fish Wish became ours, and after three years, we finally had a home again.

I thought this was the last piece of our puzzle, but little did I know Alex believed we’d never get married—that we’d just always be together. In my mind, though, we’d been married since the day she moved in. I just wanted to make sure I could be the man she deserved.

Now, after seven amazing years with this incredible woman, I know I can handle anything life throws at me with her by my side. Successful relationships aren’t defined by the good times but by the unity that comes from fighting through the tough times together. And let me tell you, I have one hell of a wingwoman.

I don’t know what the future holds—whether we’ll have kids, expand our little fur family, or face more challenges. Truly, it doesn’t matter. As long as Alex is by my side, I already have everything I’ve ever wanted: my dream girl, my partner, my life, my wife.

Thank you all for being part of our lives. Now, let’s celebrate—time to party, y’all!

Love,

Dilly

PARKING

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