If you’ve ever believed in fate—or the quiet ways the universe brings two people together—this might be one of those stories.

It was the spring of 2020, in the earliest and most uncertain days of COVID. The world was holding its breath. Streets fell silent. Cities shut down. And Amelia, living in New York at the time, found herself packing bags and flying home to Carlsbad, California, where the comfort of the ocean waited.

What she didn’t know was that, just across the street, a new chapter was quietly beginning.

Just weeks before, Hugh and his family had moved into the house directly opposite hers. He was from New Zealand—charming, soft-spoken, always working on something with his hands.

At first, they were just neighbors. Two people with separate lives, orbiting each other from across the road.

The first time they met, Amelia was in the middle of a pickleball game—a makeshift escape her dad had created for the neighbors. Hugh walked by with his dog, nodded a quiet hello, and kept walking.

But that accent? That smile? Something shifted. Her dad later joked that the moment she saw him, she swooned.

And, if she’s being honest, she did.

As the world stayed still, their lives began to weave together. Amelia became close with Hugh’s sister, Sam, bonding over late-night talks about marketing, branding, and the bigger dreams they both held.

Hugh and his family had just started a beverage company, and Amelia—curious, creative, and full of ideas—jumped in to help, quickly becoming an extended part of the business—and the family.

Each day followed a rhythm. Amelia, working from her laptop on a bench in front of her parents’ house. Hugh, across the street, fixing up his off-road 4Runner in the garage, always leaving the door open on purpose—just in case their eyes might meet.

She looked. He noticed. And slowly, without saying it out loud, something bloomed between them.

Friendship turned into flirtation, and eventually into something more.

Their first real adventure? A camping trip to Big Bear—their idea of the perfect COVID escape.

Hugh called her one afternoon with an idea: let’s go camping.

Just the two of them.

He found a hidden patch of land high in the mountains, far from everything and everyone. There was no cell service. No crowds. Just pine trees, starlight, and two people slowly falling into something neither of them expected.

That trip became a ritual.

Over the years, they returned to that same place again and again—carving out their own little piece of the world where time slowed down.

They painted overlooking the valley. Danced barefoot to 70s classic rock. Watched the sun slip behind the mountains in silence.

It became theirs—the place where everything felt simple, good, and right.

In the years that followed, they moved together from LA to New York, back to San Diego, and now to LA again—crossing cities, seasons, and coasts, always side by side.

And through it all, that quiet place in the mountains remained their anchor. Their spot. Their rock.

One day, Hugh told Amelia they were heading back to Big Bear—just like old times.

She packed for another quiet weekend in the mountains, expecting the usual: hikes, sunsets, and the calm familiarity of their place.

What she didn’t know was that this trip would be different.

When they arrived at their rock at sunset, both of their families were there—waiting, smiling, in on the secret.

As the sun dipped low over their favorite spot—the same one where they’d once danced and dreamed—Hugh got down on one knee and asked her to be his forever.

She said yes, of course.

And now, we get to start the next chapter. Together.

Registry