Heather was discouraged one night when she returned home from being out with the girls. The 28-year-old from St. Louis was wondering “when I would find a guy who would respect me and be someone I would want to start a family with.”
It wasn’t that Heather wasn’t able to find dates. She was part of a secular dating site that she and several friends had profiles on, and that had produced several dates, but nothing serious. She had a free profile on CatholicMatch, but wasn’t feeling intrigued by anyone.
Then Corey reached out. Twenty four years old and from Troy, an hour’s drive from St. Louis, he sent her a message. Heather checked his profile and had seen the man she was at least interested enough in to take a one-month membership and read the message.
Family was prominent in Corey’s profile—there were pictures of his siblings, and in general Heather got the impression of someone who was very happy. A year and a half ago, on May 19, 2010, they got together for a drink and they clicked immediately.
It was Corey’s gentlemanly and chivalrous nature that made Heather trust him, and his intelligence and ambition commanded her respect. Even though the four-year age gap made her a little timid, it was very evident from the way he carried himself that his maturity transcended his years and this would not be a hindrance in their developing relationship.
Since that first date, they have been a “couple.” They’ve either met halfway between their respective homes or one has made the drive to the other. For Heather, a threshold moment came at Christmas. They hadn’t yet told each other the magic words “I love you,” and consequently Heather spent the holiday without him.
“I should have," she recalled candidly, “…I missed him tremendously and decided I never wanted to be apart after that.”
She no longer has to be. Heather and Corey are engaged to be married in November 2012.
