We matched on Hinge and started texting casually—nothing out of the ordinary—until out of nowhere Paige sent a message that completely changed everything: “So I’m only on here because of a bet, and today’s the last day. I’m deleting my profile—here’s my number.” Ball fully in my court. I debated it for hours before finally texting her, “So… did you win the bet?” Considering we’re here now planning our wedding, it’s safe to say she did. The bet, courtesy of her friends (thank you, Candace), came from Paige working nonstop and being told she’d never meet anyone if she didn’t put herself out there. The deal was one week on a dating app—and we matched on day seven. I don’t even remember what her response to that text was, only that what followed was the most normal, easy dating-app conversation I’d ever had. We texted for about a week while I was in Jackson for Sophia and Ava’s cheer performance at a football game. Very unlike me, I asked her if she wanted to hang out. And if you know me, you know how wild that is—I cancel most social plans and more dates than I care to admit. Even after asking her, I fully thought I’d bail. Instead, I told her to meet me at the Sawmill—a place she’d never been but felt like home to me. I showed up sweaty, with zero outfit options, wearing Converse, jeans, a Jacksonville Jaguars hoodie, ordered a Coors Light, put rugby on my phone, and waited. When she walked in—hat, sweatshirt, shorts—I immediately thought, wow, I’m really glad I didn’t cancel. She was so pretty. We shut the bar down that night. And then again on the next few dates. It was that easy. We fit together seamlessly. Even with our demanding, chaotic jobs, choosing her felt like the simplest decision I’ve ever made.

Like every good New Jersey story, Holly and Paige’s could have started at a Wawa. Legend has it...it did. Whether we were both physically present at the same Wawa on Fischer Boulevard at the exact same time is… up for debate. But what is true is that from the moment I moved to New Jersey in June of 2023, the universe was clearly plotting something amazing. For quite some time, Holly and I lived less than ten minutes from each other. Same Wawa. Same Target. Same Planet Fitness. Same grocery stores, parks and pizza joints. We’d even been in different parts of the country — and the world — at similar times. It felt like our paths kept circling each other, just waiting for the timing to be right. Luckily for me, when I got stationed in NJ, I chose to live in Toms River because my amazing friends Vanessa and Cole were there. Between the bagels, the chicken caesar wraps, cutlets and the overall Jersey influence, my life was forever changed. Turns out, living here ended up being the best decision I ever made. Then came that one special night at the Sawmill... When I walked in, she was already there. Her phone propped against her beer, casually watching New Zealand women’s rugby absolutely destroy some poor, unsuspecting team. Just an unbothered Jersey girl (slightly intimidating), posted up at the bar, effortlessly cool and somehow stealing the entire show. -I tried to play it cool. -I did not succeed. Within minutes, I knew two things: 1. She was gorgeous 2. I was not leaving early Hours later, we shut that Seaside bar down. No, not because we were fist-bumping, but because we couldn’t stop talking. We covered everything under the sun in the most natural way. It was just so easy. At one point, Holly and our bartender realized they knew a lot of the same people, including her mom. Suddenly, I’m watching this Toms River native have a full-on hometown reunion at the bar like it was a scene straight out of a movie. I just sat there thinking, yeah… of course everyone in New Jersey knows everyone. From that night on, everything felt easy. Between my life in the military taking me all over the world and our busy, demanding careers, choosing Holly never felt complicated. It felt so natural and so right. Now, there are rumors that our story started at a Wawa. I won’t confirm or deny that. What I will say is this: however it began, I’m grateful every day that it did. The universe brought us together exactly when it was supposed to and I wouldn’t change a single thing.