It kinda began before they even met—Bobby tripped over a bench... Who trips over benches? Really? Really. But somehow that led him to Gabriella. On their first date, to which she was 30 minutes (fashionably) late, they had some coffee and they talked for hours. Something about the way they clicked—between the laughter and the caffeine—felt strangely inevitable. Gabriella felt like wrecking ball had demolished a wall she didn't know she had. Bobby (felt/thought) ???????
A few weeks later, Bobby officially asked her to be his girlfriend. “Who does that anymore?” she thought… but she said yes. Somewhere not long after, she preserved the first bouquet he gave her—because deep down, she already knew. He said "I love you" first. She cried. Another wrecking ball. Took her XX days to say "I love you" back.
Somewhere along the way, Bobby earned the nickname “Cinnamon” from Gabriella’s tios, who insisted he looked like Canelo Álvarez. Bobby is very proud of this nickname. He says that's how you know a Mexican family loves you. But here's a funny story. A woman at a panadería once thought Bobby was the real Canelo! Honestly, he might have signed a concha.
Over the years, their love moved across Texas, North Carolina, Florida, and New Mexico, following Bobby’s journey through the U.S. Air Force. No matter the base or state, home began to look like road trips, early morning coffee, and unpacked boxes shared between them. (Gabriella is proudly collecting Driver Licenses)
Her water broke at 7:00 AM. She called the midwife, who said all the usual soothing things: take it easy, rest, eat if you can. But when Gabriella had her first contraction at 7:19 AM... It was strong. Like, strong strong. "24 hours of this?" —after all, first babies are supposed to take their sweet time… right? By 10:00 AM, the contractions changed and she asked Bobby to fill the tub. “From what I read, this is the pushing stage... but that doesn't make sense,” she thought. (Spoiler: it was.) At 10:15 AM, she called her midwife again. The midwife listened and said, with gentle confidence, “You still sound early. Time the contractions and call me back in an hour.” But the water in the tub was getting murky, and Gabriella decided she needed fresh water. She drained the tub and asked Bobby to help her up so he could refill it with clean water. And that’s when it happened. As she stood, she felt something between her legs. Her hand reached down. Her eyes widened. It was his head! “And I looked down,” Bobby always says, "and I saw his head!” There was no time to call, no time to wait. Just instinct. Gabriella gave one final push—and, BOOM! at 11:01 AM, baby Leon Alexander was born, And Bobby? He earned an unexpected promotion: honorary midwife.
Gabriella actually had no clue that day, but Bobby proposed, because of course he did—and with a mermaid. A real one! (Or at least a very committed performer.) She said yes, obviously. You don’t say no to a man who changes diapers and plans a mythical sea creature proposal. This whole love story might sound a little wild. It is. But it’s perfect. From benches and black coffee to cinnamon rolls and mermaids. Cheers to a beautiful and magical love story.