Once upon a time, in August 2014, we met in high school and became inseparable. Tyler claims it was love at first sight, while I (Kiley) was completely oblivious. To me, he was my best friend, my ride-or-die, the guy who brought me coffee every single morning before school—talk about commitment!

We did everything together in high school: from FFA events to late-night drives where we would talk about life and our future. And then there’s Java, Tyler’s dog. He got her in high school, and of all the girls he brought home, I was the only one she really attached to. In fact, now she gets more excited to see me than she does to see Tyler—sorry, babe! Maybe Java knew something I didn’t at the time!

Tyler was always by my side, and I thought we were just two best friends having a blast. Little did I know, he was secretly head-over-heels for me the entire time. Meanwhile, I was blissfully unaware, thinking we were just rocking our epic friendship.

It wasn’t until after graduation, when we started spending even more time together—fishing, hunting, and continuing to share life—that it finally hit me. Maybe I actually did have feelings for the guy who had been my number one all along. Turns out, Tyler had known from the start. Let’s just say I took the scenic route to figuring it out!

Fast forward to our vacation in New Hampshire, when Tyler completely swept me off my feet by asking me to marry him. Funny enough, the day before we left, I was casually talking to him about what kind of engagement rings I liked—completely unaware that he already had the ring and had been hiding it the entire way out there!

From high school (best friends) to today (best friends and soulmates), our story is filled with laughter, love, and lots of fishing and hunting trips. Now, we can’t wait to keep the adventure going as husband and wife—Java, coffee, and all.

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