The summer of 2021 was blistering, the kind of heat that made the pavement outside Chick-fil-A shimmer beneath the sun. Inside, the restaurant was its usual whirlwind of beeping fryers, hurried footsteps, and the endless rush of customers. That’s where Walden and Joey first met.

Walden was 14, Joey was 15. Just two teenagers in red polos and name tags, navigating the chaos of fast food service. From the moment Joey saw her, he thought she was beautiful—her blonde hair, her blue eyes, the way she carried herself. But he was shy, hesitant to strike up a conversation.

That changed in September.

One particularly rough day, Walden had been harassed by a customer in the drive-thru. She barely made it back inside before the tears came, her hands shaking as she tried to hold it together. Before she could compose herself, Joey was there.

“Can I—um—pray for you?” he asked softly.

Surprised, she looked up at him and nodded. Right there, in the middle of the busy restaurant, with the hum of milkshake machines and the chatter of coworkers in the background, Joey bowed his head and prayed over her.

From that moment on, everything was different.

They began spending the thirty minutes before and after their shifts sitting in one of the booths, talking about everything—their families, their dreams, their faith. Those stolen moments became the best part of their days, something they both looked forward to.

Walden wanted to stay in touch outside of work, so she took matters into her own hands—finding Joey’s number on HotSchedules and sending him a message. He knew he wasn’t allowed to text girls, but he replied anyway.

“I’m not allowed to text you,” he admitted once. “But I just really want to talk to you.”

By December, Joey asked her to prom. By April 5, 2022, they were officially together.

After prom, their bond deepened in a way neither of them expected. Spending time outside of work, away from the rush of the restaurant, allowed them to truly see each other. Late-night conversations turned into early-morning texts, inside jokes became part of their daily routine, and somewhere in the midst of it all, they realized their connection was different. It wasn’t just a high school crush or a fleeting romance—it was something real, something that felt like home.

By December 2022, they started talking about something even bigger—the possibility of forever.

After what felt like a forever, Joey got down on one knee and asked Walden to be his wife on November 27th, 2024.

Their love story wasn’t always easy. There were ups and downs, moments that tested them, times when life pulled them in different directions. And of course, there were the people who didn’t understand—those who thought they were too young to know what love really meant.

“You have your whole lives ahead of you,” some would say. “Why rush?”

But Walden and Joey never saw it that way. Their love wasn’t conventional, but it was real. While others their age were still figuring things out, they had found something certain. They weren’t rushing—they were simply following a path that felt right.

Now, they stand on the edge of a new chapter, their hearts full of excitement. They can’t wait to celebrate this special day with the people who have been part of their journey.

Because what started as two teenagers working at a fast-food restaurant turned into something far greater—a love story built on faith, friendship, and an unbreakable bond.

And this is only the beginning.