Megan and Chris first connected on Hinge over Memorial Day weekend. Megan had just downloaded the app and wasn’t sure what to expect, but something about their conversations felt different. They could talk for hours easily, naturally and before long, their connection moved beyond messages and into real phone calls that stretched late into the evening.

For their first date, they met at the Mint Museum on Randolph Road. Megan arrived in a little black dress, feeling a bit overdressed, while Chris showed up in olive cargo pants and an Olive Garden Grateful Dead shirt. (Huge dead and co fan ) None of that mattered. What stood out to Megan were the little gray hairs at Chris’s temples, which she found completely endearing.

During that first conversation, Chris mentioned he had a son. Megan didn’t hesitate. Having grown up helping with her younger sister, it felt like something she had always been ready for. From that point on, things unfolded with a kind of ease that surprised them both.

A few months later, Chris asked Megan to be his girlfriend during a dreamy evening at Lula Drake, one of her favorite wine bars in Columbia, SC. They shared the most delicious banana bibingka, a warm buttery dessert with caramelized edges that somehow made the whole night feel even sweeter. They laughed, lingered, and soaked in the moment. It was simple and perfect, and by the end of the night, everything felt a little more certain. That evening and a few moments at the little house stands out as some of the most special parts of their story.

Over time, Megan moved to Charlotte after Chris asked her to take that next step with him. She packed up her little house, bringing along her sweet dog Lylah, her fluffy cat Luna, and all the pieces that made her world feel like home. In becoming a bonus mom, Megan discovered a new part of herself, one that felt natural and deeply meaningful. Together, she and Chris have built a life filled with love, laughter, and a little bit of chaos with their three kiddos: Lylah, Luna, and Chris’s incredible son Jack. Their family, while beautifully blended, felt exactly right.

They met at 26 and 28 and since then have grown together through every season, from quiet mornings to spontaneous adventures and all the real everyday moments that make up a life. What began as a simple connection has become something deep, lasting, and full of love. Now they’re excited to unite their families and continue building a life and a family together.