Back in 2017, while still in high school, Ford and Dawson were introduced by a mutual friend, Tiana Chi. They never met in person, but somehow found their way into each other’s lives—quietly following each other on social media, watching each other from a distance. He was chasing big dreams of D1 football in Kentucky, and she was still finding her own path. Life carried them in different directions, yet they stayed connected, growing and changing in their own ways. All the while, he remained the one that lingered in the back of her mind. Then came the fall of 2021. Ford had moved back to Georgia, and Dawson was ready to take a break from the dating world. She gave it one last try, trusting that if someone was meant for her, the Lord would bring him to her. Not long after being back in town, Ford liked one of her photos on Hinge (a dating app) and she couldn’t help but smile, thinking "Look who it is." One message from him, "Hey, it's been a while", turned into a day together on Lake Burton, and then a first official date that night at a local bar in Smyrna. From that moment on, everything fell into place, and the rest became history.