Our love story is far from perfect. We met on a dating app (Match.com) in 2016. It was a few months after my divorce. In reality, he was the perfect man for not only me, but for Zariah. He came into Zariah's life a few months before she turned 2 years old. However, timing is everything. We dated for two in a half years before going our separate ways. During the time apart we took time to focus on ourselves. Chris never truly went away even though he moved to another city. He would still send messages to check on Zariah and would never miss a birthday or a holiday to wish us well. This went on for three years. On Christmas day 2021, Chris sent a message to wish Zariah and I, well. I mentioned to my mom, that throughout all this time, Chris never forgot about Zariah. On New Years, 2022 Chris again sent a message wishing us a Happy New Year. By that time, I told him that I wish him well, but it had been three years and that I was at the point of my life in which 2022 was going to be the year that I tried dating again, so if nothing were to come of these messages let's find closure and move on. A few days later, Chris texted me and stated, "What if we try again?" We agreed to start talking again to see if we can reconnect on an emotional and mental level given that we would not be able to see each other for 2 months due to work schedules. We agreed to meet for the first time after three years in the Dominican Republic. For those that know us well, know that we love to travel and experience new adventures. Needless to say, after three years we reconnected, and our connection was stronger than ever. I knew in my heart that we were meant to be, but timing is everything. I knew that if it was meant to be, if we let each other go, and we find our way back to one another it would be a forever type of love. Our love story is based on timing, growth, patience, understanding, and commitment.

I have felt a deep connection with Maxine ever since that first time we talked on the phone. We had a deep connection that is hard to put into words through both the good and challenging times, and there has always been an unexplainable force pulling us together even when we were apart. For those that don't know our story, we dated for about two-and-a-half years initially before going our separate ways in 2019. We kept in touch only very occasionally to wish each other's family happy holidays or a happy birthday text for Zariah, but that was the extent of it. Despite being apart, Maxine always had that special place in my heart that was hard to ignore. We reunited three years later in 2022 and it has been an amazing time finally building what was meant to be all along. We both learned a lot about ourselves and life in general during that time, which I think we needed in order to be ready to take this step together. That said, she was always the one. Life has taught me that timing is everything. We were the right people at the wrong time and fortunately fate has brought us together again at the right time to build our lives together. I was pretty certain that I didn't want to get married or have children until I was lucky enough to meet Maxine and Zariah, which changed my entire outlook on life. It's those little moments of joy and smiles together that make life such an amazing journey. I am so thankful to our families and friends that have supported and loved us through this crazy trip called life.

I knew Chris was the one on our first date. He was the first guy who ever considered Zariah. We went on our first date, mind you it was a blind date, to Dave and Busters. We met on Match.com and then decided to meet in person. He was very nervous and would break eye contact. After we ate, we went to go play games, and he said "Lets get some tickets so we can win something for Zariah." Dating as a single mom was hard, especially finding someone that takes any interest in your child. He won her a stuffed animal. A few dates later, Zariah's dad did not pick her up and Chris and I had plans to go to a romantic dinner. I called him to cancel and instead he suggested we switch it up and go to a family-friendly place. He was the first man who ever truly had an interest in Zariah and cared for her genuinely. That is what won me over and made me feel he was my forever love, someone who can play a role in her life even though he didn't have to.