Maura Kaye's Version:
 

Our story started in the most unexpected—and honestly, awkward—way.
 

I was in Hartselle for Rock the South with one of my best friends, Maggie. She asked if I wanted to grab hibachi with her boyfriend, Glavine. As a self-proclaimed hibachi lover, there was obviously only one answer: yes. What I didn't know was that they had been scheming the whole time.
 

When we got to the restaurant, I noticed two other guys sitting with Glavine. Sure enough, it was Mark and his roommate. They intentionally sat us next to each other, and it was probably the most awkward dinner of my life. We ate, made painfully awkward small talk with everyone, and at the end of the night, Mark paid for my dinner. I thought that was a pretty nice touch.
 

After dinner, we all went back to the team apartments to hang out, and they literally had to force Mark to sit next to me. I honestly think he thought I had cooties or something.
 

From there, we kept getting to know each other and eventually started dating. We got close very quickly. Before I knew it, he had become my favorite person. I looked forward to every weekend trip he made to Starkville and every road trip we took to Huntsville. He made me feel like the most special girl in the world.

Then, a few months later, completely out of the blue, he broke up with me. He had decided to go to school in New York City and knew I would never want to move there.
 

Fast forward a few more months... I found out he had been keeping tabs on me through Maggie and Glavine. Every time he heard I was going on a date, he'd somehow find a reason to reach out. I may or may not have had a few choice words for him and told him I never wanted to hear from him again. I also removed him from every possible form of communication and social media. Petty? Maybe, but I had to get this man out of my head (or so I thought).
 

We didn't speak for about a year and a half.

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Then one day in December, I was sitting in my room when I noticed a notification: "Mark added you on Snapchat and followed you on Instagram."
 

My first thought was, "Oh good Lord... I'm not doing this again."

A whole month went by, and I kept ignoring the notifications. Finally, I thought to myself, "You know, Maura Kaye... y'all had a really good time together. It wouldn't hurt to catch up." So I accepted his requests.
 

Within seconds, I got an incoming FaceTime call.

I immediately ran to my room because I knew if my dad saw I was talking to Mark again, he would NOT be happy. I answered, and there was Mark... standing outside in a blizzard in New York, begging for another chance.
 

I basically shut him down—but I told him we could be friends. (Let's be honest... I was testing him.)
 

Somehow, it felt like we had never stopped talking. We spent hours on the phone every single day. By March, I already knew I wanted to give us another chance, but I wanted to see him in person before I admitted it. Meanwhile, he was convinced I wasn't interested at all, which makes me laugh now.
 

We planned a trip for me to visit him in Ponte Vedra in May. I somehow worked up the courage to tell my dad I was going, and he simply had to be okay with it. If you know my dad, you know that conversation was a fun one, but it’s ok now because the two Marks are besties.
 

The first day I got there, I told Mark he had my permission to ask me to be his girlfriend. He planned the sweetest date for the next day, asked me officially, and of course I said yes.
 

Six months later, we both graduated, packed up our lives, and moved to Nashville together.
 

And now... we're engaged.
 

I still can't believe I get to say that.
 

I get to marry my best friend.
 

There was a time when I compared every guy I met to Mark and thought I'd never find anyone who measured up to him. Little did I know that the person I was looking for was someone I'd already found—and that we'd find our way back to each other when the timing was finally right.
 

Mark, thank you for loving me so well and for making me feel like a princess every single day. Thank you for listening to Jack and for having the courage to call me in the middle of a blizzard. I cannot wait to spend forever with you.

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I love you the most.