It all started with a bit of matchmaking. When Hannah began her freshman year at Texas A&M in 2014, she lived across the hall from Taylor Dillard. Taylor was from a small town called Little River Academy, and her boyfriend, Keith Orcutt, often came to visit from Baylor. From the very beginning, Keith was convinced that Hannah “needed to meet his friend, Riley” — another Little River Academy graduate. The only problem? Riley was at Tarleton State, and life had them on different paths. For years, Keith kept repeating that same line, but it wasn’t until June 2019 — at Keith and Taylor’s own wedding — that Hannah and Riley finally met. Riley asked Hannah to dance, and after a great night of conversation (and a few two-steps to Randy Rodgers Band), they exchanged numbers. The timing still wasn’t easy: Hannah flew to North Carolina the next morning for an internship, and Riley returned to West Texas, where he was coaching in Coleman. They kept in touch that summer and into the fall, meeting up whenever distance allowed — a weekend in College Station, a day at the Texas High School State Championship games. Though their lives were miles apart, their connection kept growing. When Hannah accepted a job at Auburn University that December, Riley was nothing but supportive. They decided to part on good terms, agreeing that if they ever found themselves in the same place at the same time, they’d see where things might lead. Fast forward a few years. In May 2022, Hannah moved back to College Station for a new role with Texas A&M AgriLife Extension. Then, on her birthday in April 2023, she got a text from Keith: “Happy birthday, Gerk. By the way, Riley’s moving to Navasota. Happy birthday!” What she didn’t know at the time was that her name had come up as a “perk” of the new job offer — a little extra motivation for Riley to make the move. By the end of June 2023, Riley was just 25 minutes away. He moved in on a Sunday, and they went on their first date that Tuesday to Mad Taco (RIP to the best taco place in College Station). The rest, as they say, is history — though their friends like to remind them it was a story almost a decade in the making.