When Jordan finally decided he wouldn't let the moment pass him by, he reached out and planned a dinner. Our first date was so different than what I had expected. He was quiet, a little stoic, and I left thinking, I will make this man love me. Challenge accepted. And, well... it worked. We became best friends in the truest sense. We shared playlists, inside jokes, and road trips—but we also shared something heavier: we were both losing a parent. His father was battling ALS, and my mom had breast cancer. In that season of heartbreak, we found comfort in each other—two people trying to hold on while life was letting go. We settled into a rhythm: me, Jordan, and Riggins (my wildly adorable Aussie). We traveled, we built a life together, and we balanced each other in ways that felt effortless. I overpack; he keeps us on time. He’s high-anxiety, I’m calm. He’s OCD, I’m... definitely not. When we talked about getting engaged, we chose the ring together—okay, I narrowed it to two, and he picked one. But when my mom’s cancer returned that fall, Jordan quietly changed his entire proposal plan. He waited until we were home with my family after the new year and proposed then—so my mom could be part of it. She was overjoyed. She adored him. And that night, she whispered to me, Be good to him. I will. Always.