For many girls, we grow up reading and watching fairytales and fantasize about our lives being just like them. Often times though, we end up like Rebel Wilson’s character in Isn’t It Romantic (side note: if you have not watched this movie you are seriously missing out. I, and I’m sure my bff Callie would agree, suggest dropping everything right now to go watch.) and find ourselves disillusioned by the thought of it all as we realize that our lives don’t quite fit the mold of these happily-ever-after type stories. We begin to roll our eyes at the losers with unrealistic expectations and insist that they all grow up. Our hair isn’t always perfect, we don’t completely dazzle everyone in the room, and Prince Charming isn’t always the first cutie we meet when we leave our parents’ house…sometimes he’s not even the tenth or twelfth. Total bummer, but it is what it is.
What I’m starting to think though is maybe we are the losers. Maybe our expectations are unrealistic. Maybe growing up doesn’t mean giving up on the fairytale.
I met Corey on a dating app after getting fed up with the types of relationships I was finding myself in. I had had just two serious relationships in my life, one was with a guy who was abusive to me in various ways and was with a guy who didn’t want any of the things that I did and I honestly to this day don’t understand how we lasted as long as we did. I had gone on dates here and there, but nothing was fitting quite right. I matched with Corey and just decided to give him a shot. I’d be lying if I said his big, manly arms didn’t have something to do with it either.
The two of us quickly had to lay all our cards on the table as we both had pasts we desperately wanted to avoid and, as most know, he had a kid. The getting-to-know-you stage of our relationship didn’t happen through long strolls in an evergreen park or by candlelit dinners. It was actually more like a game of twenty questions. We laid the facts out there, assessed, and decided to move forward from there.
A few months in, we were in the face of COVID-19, and found ourselves trapped in a house together, raising a baby. This was basically our supplement for romantic dates and the slow progression of “firsts”.
Before we even reached the one-year mark, we were pregnant with Baby #2. Although he was planned and the most beautiful blessing, this was not how I had originally planned it. I didn’t recall reading this in any of my books growing up.
But it was just three weeks ago that I found myself having an almost out-of-body experience as I sat in front of the most gorgeous balloon-lined backdrop at the baby shower Callie had thrown for us. All my family and most of my closest friends were all there helping to celebrate mine and Corey’s little baby-to-be. I smiled and cried as we opened gifts, feeling like I had been blessed more than I ever deserved, and praying that the tracks from my extensions weren’t visible as my hair was already a mess.
We had just finished opening a gift and just as I was putting it aside, Corey stood up.
“Thank you, everyone, for coming,” he began, “It was really, really special to us that all of you were able to make it. I keep hearing over and over again that Kris is going to be such a great mom, such a great mom, but—”
At this point, he got a little choked up. People cheered, a friend made a joke about allergies, and I started to cry because that’s what I do.
He cleared his throat and continued, “She’s been an amazing mother for the past two years already. So, this is nothing new to her at all. As you see, we’re getting ready to leave for Michigan; we’re very excited to start this next chapter in our lives. There’s just one thing missing—”
As he said these words, my tears were freely flowing. I still couldn’t wrap my brain around the idea that this wonderful man before me could think so highly of me. Further, I couldn’t believe this life is mine. None of this was ever anything I imagined. My mind became a total blur, as did the room, but things began to focus as I blinked up to see Corey now taking a knee in front of me.
My heart was beating out of my chest. This was not real. My eyes met Corey’s.
“Will you marry Jax and I?”
This was not the way it ever happened in the books and movies. This was not the way I played this scene over and over again in my head. Never did I picture myself eight and half months pregnant, in a room filled with people and my son’s toy cars, looking into the eyes of a bearded man covered in tattoos. My hair wasn’t perfect, I didn’t completely dazzle everyone in the room, and Prince Charming wasn’t the first cutie I met when I left my parents’ house. This was not the way it ever happened in the books in movies.
Do not be mistaken though. These were the most perfect words ever spoken. This was the most beautiful room I had ever been in. This was the happiest ever after anyone could have ever agreed to.
In a million years, no one could ever write a more perfect fairytale than the one I’m living. It is unique and chaotic and absolutely enchanting. Best of all, it’s real. To think I almost gave up on the possibility too! We should not let ourselves be disillusioned by the idea of a fairytale. There is such thing as a happily ever after.
Oh, and by the way, I said yes.
