Jacklyn and Aaron first crossed paths on Friday, March 8, 2024 — a night neither of them expected to change their lives forever. Jacklyn had just moved back home after a challenging season, still grieving the loss of her father 15 months earlier. That evening, she was heading to dinner with her best friend Caitlyn for a much-needed reunion. Running late (as usual), Jacklyn texted Caitlyn to let her know she was on her way. Caitlyn replied, “No problem! My friend Aaron is here by himself and I invited him to sit with us.” A follow-up text came through: “If it makes you feel any better, he’s one of my besties.” Jacklyn smiled and thought, He must be gay — this is going to be a great girls’ night! But Aaron Owen was not there for a girls’ night — and he most definitely wasn’t gay. Aaron insists it was love at first sight. Jacklyn, on the other hand, wasn’t looking for love at all. In fact, during dinner, she had a brief moment of doubt — when Caitlyn stepped away from the table, she thought, This man has absolutely no interest in me, which was fine with her at the time. But Caitlyn kept noticing something Jacklyn hadn’t. “You should see the way he’s looking at you,” she whispered. “He’s SO in love!” Jacklyn laughed and called her insane. But later that night, everything changed. After hours of talking, laughing, and realizing how natural it all felt, Aaron gently put his arm around Jacklyn — and in that moment, she just knew. He’s the one. The morning after they met, Jacklyn and Caitlyn had a full debrief (naturally). Caitlyn gave her all the details about Aaron. Meanwhile, Aaron had also called Caitlyn and asked, “Okay… where are the land mines?” Caitlyn replied, “There aren’t any. She just wants to be loved. And if you hurt her, I will hurt you.” The very next evening, Jacklyn and Aaron had their first official date — one Jacklyn had spent the whole day preparing for, as she wasn't expecting to meet the possible love of her life. When she arrived, Aaron said, “We’re meeting Yelena and Rebecca,” which briefly made Jacklyn think, Wait… this is our first date, and he’s bringing other women? But it turned out to be a perfect night. Jacklyn already knew Rebecca, and the four of them had a great time. Later, Jacklyn and Aaron stayed up late into the night talking — about food and cooking, music, their families, the things they’d lost, and the things they hoped to find. Something shifted that night. From then on, they were inseparable. Aaron had also come into that night navigating his own difficult chapter — having separated from his previous marriage a year earlier after quietly carrying years of unhappiness. Meeting Jacklyn in that moment felt like the light he didn’t realize he needed — steady, warm, and deeply healing. Since that weekend, they’ve spent only eight nights apart. In September of 2024, Aaron asked Jacklyn to marry him under the Huntington Beach Pier — the very place where Jacklyn and her brothers had spread their father’s ashes. Since Aaron couldn’t ask Jacklyn’s dad for his blessing, he chose to propose in the one place that still felt close to him. It was thoughtful, sacred, and filled with meaning — the perfect beginning to their next chapter. Jacklyn and Aaron’s love is the kind that sneaks up on you when you least expect it — but feels like it was always meant to be. It’s a love they both prayed for and only God knows when the time is right… and when it is, he blesses you with exactly what (and who) you need.