I was halfway through another evening of questionable dating app decisions when I stopped on a face that looked… oddly familiar. Wait a second—didn’t she go to my high school? Yep, definitely her. She was one of those people I would’ve been way too shy to talk to back then. She looked just as cute as I remembered, so I swiped right. Worst case, she ignores me. Best case, I somehow convince her I’ve gotten cooler since 2006. To my surprise, she swiped right too.

Our first date was a cider-and-card-games kind of night. We met in front of a Red Robin to carpool to Portland—she trusted me to drive her there on our very first date, which in hindsight was pretty bold. I rolled with it. We had a great time, full of laughter and easy conversation. At one point she got so into the game that she knocked over her cider and broke a glass, which somehow made the night even better.

I learned a lot about her that evening. She told me about her three kids, which honestly made me a little nervous. I didn’t have kids—just two dogs—and was trying to play it cool, pretending I was the kind of person who didn’t overthink things and just “let the cards fall where they may.” But deep down, I knew I was hoping for something real.

As I got to know Stephanie, I saw how strong, grounded, and devoted she was—not just as a mother, but as a person. I fell for her quickly. I didn’t know what our future might look like or how I’d fit into her already full and beautiful life. But even if it wasn’t the story I once pictured for myself, it was clearly the one being written for me—and the one I was meant to be part of.

Fast forward to today: we’ve built a beautiful life together and even added one more to our family. Our path hasn’t been traditional—we’ve done things a little backwards—but I wouldn’t change a single thing. I can’t wait for the day I finally get to call her my wife… instead of just saying it because it’s easier than explaining our wonderfully complicated, not-quite-married-yet situation.

S&K