We’re getting married! Be there … or else!

Our story together started when my cousin came over and asked me if I thought this girl was cute. Obviously, I said yes. After that, she invited us both over to her house. I picked Aleiyah up from school, and we didn’t speak to each other for most of the time we spent together that first day. Most of our conversations were over text—we were both nervous. After that day, I asked her to come to my house to hang out. We instantly clicked, and every day after that was easy. That was the day I fell in love and met the love of my life.

Jeffery and I started texting when he slid up on my story and told me he'd bring me a Blizzard, lol. He was very serious too. When we hung out in person for the first time, I was too nervous to talk to him, and so was he. We just didn’t talk. I wasn’t used to the guy being nervous because usually, the guy would talk first or ask me questions. But not Jeffery. No, he sat on the other side of the room and said NOTHING, and that’s how I knew I liked him. He wasn’t cocky, and he didn’t make me feel uncomfortable in any way. We just sat in silence. It was definitely awkward, but there was a connection on another level. He gave me a ride home, and we continued to text, which is where we talked the most, haha. He said he didn’t want to rush things and wanted to hang out more before asking me to be his girlfriend. I agreed because we had just met, but I knew how I felt. We had planned to hang out that weekend, and I kid you not, like the day of or the next day, he told me he couldn’t wait and wanted me to be his girlfriend. Of course, I said yes. Now here we are, getting married and having Thea and I couldn’t be happier. ( and yes he buys me blizzards any time I asked for the day we started dating until now)

At multiple points in our relationship, I was ready to pop the question. There’s one moment in particular that stands out to me: when I was recovering from my broken foot. Aleiyah was there for me throughout my entire recovery. At one point, while Aleiyah was in the bathroom, I told my mom that I was thinking about asking her to marry me. My mom, being the intellectual person she is, highly advised against it. I didn’t have a ring, I couldn’t even walk, and we had only been together a little over a year. But the love I felt for her was real, and it never faded.

You cannot plan anything without me knowing—well, that's what I thought. We were on vacation for my 20th birthday. We had been going to Myrtle Beach for quite some time, and I saw it as the best way to celebrate my birthday. On the last day, I knew we were going to be at the beach to swim one last time and take pictures. We brought two other people with us, and all three of them kept asking me to dress nicely. I refused because I thought we were swimming and just taking a few pictures. I said there was no point because I was going to get wet. They tried to get me to go back to the condo and change, and I kept thinking, 'What is wrong with these people?' because I couldn’t understand why I needed to change for these pictures. I stayed in my swimsuit, and Jeffery went back to the condo to grab a project (apparently the ring as well) we were going to do at the beach. Afterward, we all took pictures. I was told there was something in the water, so of course, I looked, and when I turned around, there he was—the love of my life, down on one knee. It felt like it was just us; it didn’t feel real. I had a thousand emotions going on because the moment I had waited for my whole life was happening. The boy I met four years ago fell in love with me and said, "I’m gonna marry her."

I was late, which is unusual for me, so I decided to take a test just to be on the safe side. It was 6 AM, and I did it before I had to leave for work, which I had to leave by 7:30. I was so sure it was going to be negative, but when I flipped it over and saw it was positive, I was in complete shock. I stared at the test for a while—it didn’t feel real. Then, I IMMEDIATELY called Vicky to tell her because I couldn’t believe it, and she couldn’t either. I rushed to the store to get something to tell Jeffery before he woke up. I wanted to wait, but we had been hoping for this moment, and I just couldn’t wait. I brought him upstairs with a little onesie, bear socks, and the test. He was definitely shocked, and I’m pretty sure all his emotions hit him at once. After the shock wore off, he was so excited. Now, all he can talk about is our little baby. She is going to be so spoiled and so loved. We are so happy she gets to be a part of our big day :))