Eric fell immediately for Samantha's Match.com profile and her beautiful smile that showed through her eyes in every picture. When he reached out to connect with Samantha, she was intrigued by his volunteer work teaching developmentally challenged kids how to ski, but what really got her attention was the way Eric described his relationship with Grandpa Virgil in a message he sent to her. How his grandfather taught him to look for details in the way a sport is played instead of just relying on his athleticism; to make mistakes and to learn from those mistakes and what it really means to be a man. One of Samantha's greatest hereos is her Grandma Harriett. Reading how deep Eric's love and respect for his grandfather was made her really want to meet him, could he possibly be real? They had an instant connection and their lives meshed very smoothly. It was almost as if they were supposed to fit together like two puzzle pieces. Since then their love, affection and support of each other has continued to grow. One night, a few years later, Eric took Samantha to dinner and a movie; Beauty and the Beast. After dinner he drove her to the parking lot of the restaurant where they first met. The restaurant had shut down, but he wanted to be there anyway. He got down on one knee and asked her to spend the rest of her life with him where they first met. She found out later that he had asked Andrew, Brooke, Dylan and her parents individually if he could have her hand in marriage (Neil, who had been introducing Eric as his future son in law for two years at this point, jokingly said "NO"). Eric knew Samantha was a package deal and wanted to make sure he could have the full package, not the discount version. We look forward to sharing the beginning of our newest adventure; our lives together.