Some love stories begin with a grand romantic gesture.

Ours began when Sydney almost ran Matt over in his parents’ driveway.

In Sydney’s defense, Matt had stopped suddenly, jumped out of his car much faster than expected, and stepped directly into the path she was trying to drive around. She swerved, he survived, and—despite what Matt may claim to this day—Sydney distinctly remembers him taking off in a full sprint toward the house.

Unfortunately for Matt, that was also the exact house Sydney was headed to for a pet-sitting meet-and-greet with his family and their cats.

So naturally, one of the first things she ever said to her future husband was, “Hi! Sorry I almost ran you over.”

And then… nothing happened.

For several months, they didn’t see each other again. Then Matt was hired at the Campbell County Sheriff’s Office and assigned to Main Control, where Sydney worked.

Better yet, she became his trainer.

As time went on, they became friends. Really good friends. They talked constantly at work, started spending more time together outside of it, and slowly began sharing more of the things they loved with each other.

One of those things was Dungeons & Dragons.

Matt introduced Sydney to the game, and what started as one of his hobbies quickly became something they genuinely loved sharing together. Before long, adventures, characters, ridiculous dice rolls, and storytelling became part of their relationship too.

Meanwhile, the people around them had started teasing them about dating.

They, of course, laughed it off.

Even Matt’s mom, Julie, got in on it, eventually telling Sydney that the two of them should probably just date already.

Still, they insisted they were just friends.

Then, Sydney needed a plus-one to a wedding, and Matt volunteered.

They spent the evening laughing, dancing, and having a wonderful time together. Later, as they walked back to their hotel, the conversation turned to relationships, love, and what they each hoped to find in another person.

Somewhere along that walk, they both had the same realization:

Uh-oh.

They liked each other.

Of course, neither of them actually said that.

Because apparently two nerds can discuss love, relationships, hopes for the future, and nearly every other topic under the sun while still completely failing to acknowledge their own feelings.

After that, they spent even more time together—movies, homemade dinners, long conversations, D&D, and all the little moments that slowly made “just friends” feel a little less accurate.

Then Sydney left for a couple of weeks on vacation.

Even while they were apart, they talked every day, and a few days into the trip, Matt admitted that he missed her and wanted to figure out a way to keep her in his life.

By then, they already had an ongoing joke that everyone seemed to think they would end up married anyway.

So Matt said, “Maybe we should just get married.”

Sydney’s response?

“Or… maybe we could try dating first?”

Matt replied, “Well, I was going to ask you out when you got back, but this works too.”

And that was that.

Three years later, the joke about getting married isn’t a joke anymore.

On May 8, 2027, we get to celebrate the next chapter of a story that began with one very memorable first meeting, grew through friendship and shared adventures, and somehow led us here.

We wouldn’t change a thing.