A mutual friend brought Jaleel and Alexis together in the summer of 2017. What began as friendship quickly became something deeper, even though they both tried to ignore their feelings. Alexis was starting her senior year of high school, and Jaleel was in his sophomore year of college, but that didn’t stop her from saying, “One day, I’m going to marry that man.” By the summer of 2018, their friendship had evolved into love, and Jaleel asked Alexis to be his girlfriend. Over the years, their love continued to grow, and so did their family. They welcomed Latavius in 2020 and Aurora in 2023, and Alexis built a beautiful bond with Jaleel’s daughter, Jovienne, completing their family. On Alexis’s birthday, at their favorite picnic spot in Havre de Grace, Jaleel got down on one knee and asked her to marry him. They may have done things a little differently, but their love has always been their constant—growing through every season, every change, and every choice; a story built on being loved, seen, and chosen.