It all began on an ordinary night while I was bartending at Jim’s Tavern. Then Brian walked in—and I swear time stood still. It felt like a spotlight turned on, angels sang, and my only thought was, “This is the most attractive man I’ve ever seen in my life.” Especially at Jim’s… not exactly where you expect a moment like that.

We kept catching each other’s eyes, but I was far too shy to say anything. I was convinced he was completely out of my league. On top of that, I had just come out of a rough relationship and had firmly sworn off dating.

Enter my very persistent friend, who was bartending with me that night. She casually asked, “Do you want to go out for breakfast with Brian after our shift?” I agreed—with one very clear disclaimer: Brian was not getting anything more than breakfast!

She made sure I sat right next to him, and Brian kindly paid for my meal. I barely said a word the entire time, but I did manage to say thank you before leaving. Somewhere between the coffee and the awkward silence, we exchanged numbers. When I got home, I sent him a text to thank him again.

That week, I was away at an EMS conference, but we talked constantly—so much so that I skipped every party just to spend time on the phone with him. By the time I returned home, our first official date was already planned.

And that… was just the beginning. 💕