How My Best Friend Became My Fiancé | Chapter 6-10 | +PROPOSAL VIDEO

To the people who have been anticipating this post, I apologize for the huge cliffhanger in the last chapter. I had to give you something to look forward to. 😉

If you clicked on this post just because you saw the word PROPOSAL, I encourage you to go back and read the last 5 chapters of my love story. It’s worth your while!

Chapter 6: My Dad’s Dually

Connor and I were devastated. We had been awaiting the day we would get to meet for so long, but now that day was obliterated by poor funding.

Questions filled my mind. Would we ever get to meet? If so, how long would we have to wait? Would our parents still be okay with us meeting? My questions were answered sooner than I expected.

October 11, 2017, 10:40 AM.
“Ok, so, after the contra dance shut down, we found another one that hosts contra dances in the same place! And this one does it every first and third Saturday! It’s a couple dollars more expensive per person but still. Your invited. When I figure out which one were going to, I’ll let you know.”

Excitement arose once again. November 4th was the day Connor and I would finally get the chance to meet each other. We planned to eat supper at Five Guys and then head to the Contra Dance. This was the day!

My family of 6, including my pregnant mom, piled into my dad’s Dually and set off on the road.

Buckled into the front middle seat, I anticipated everything that was to come. I couldn’t believe this was actually happening! Twelve hours of highway with 6 bladders was hectic, but we were determined.

“You know they probably won’t show up, right?” Connor’s parents gently informed their son. They had good reasoning. Who in their right mind would travel 12 hours to meet a family of strangers? My dad—the ex police officer/current truck driver. That’s who.

My stomach was a huge ball of nerves by the time we pulled into the parking lot of Five Guys. My mom hopped out and told me to follow suit. I sat there a minute longer, glued to my seat with nervousness. Is it too late to go back home?

I pushed my legs towards the entrance of the small restaurant. There was my best friend in the flesh. He stood there looking as awkward as I felt.

No… Nope… Agghhh. My stomach twisted, my hands curled, my breath hitched, and my vocal cords fought for control. Say something! I internally screamed at myself.

“Hey,” I squeaked out. That’s all? Really, Autumn? Why do you have to be so shy?

Chapter 7: The Night That Defined Us

Sat across from each other at a long table, Connor and I tried to avoid eye contact. We exchanged roughly ten words in an hour or two.

On the way to the Contra Dance, my mom reminded me that her and Daddy put too much effort into this trip for me not to talk. Once we arrived at the dance, the conversation between Connor and I still moved at the rate of molasses, but I tried harder. 😅

When we spoke, nothing groundbreaking came out of our mouths. He asked me how the trip went three times, and I explained it four. We talked about how cool cows are twice and how amazing it was to be together.

We may not have conversed much, but we certainly danced the night away. What else were we supposed to do when our vocal cords betrayed us?

Despite what others would view as the most awkward first visit ever, November 4th was the best day of our lives. After all was said and done, we texted nonstop about the visit. We also apologized a thousand times about our lack of people skills.

I discovered something monumental that November day. This Connor dude was my best friend, and I hoped he would be in my life forever. God willing, of course.

Chapter 8: Something Bigger Than Us

To this day, my parents haven’t been able to figure out why they allowed Connor and I to email. Let alone, why they would travel halfway across the country for a dance and some fries. They may not understand, but Connor and I have a good guess.

When we first started talking at 12 and 13, we were both in dark seasons of our lives. We desperately needed God’s light, and through each other, we found it.

Before I met Connor, I knew God was in control of everything, but I never fully believed He had His hands in my life. I didn’t know how much He was working in me.

Every time I cried out to Him in utter brokenness, I had no clue He was listening. I didn’t know He still loved me; Satan’s lies were too engrained in my mind.

Now, I look back at all that has taken place in my life, and none of it seems possible. There is no way my relationship with Connor could have happened like it did… Unless a divine hand guided it.

January 9th, 2018, Connor asked me to become his girlfriend. We were officially a couple, but it took a long time for us to start acting like one. We were still simply best friends that used the phrase I love you.

As the years went by, my understanding of love grew, as did my relationship with Connor. We became inseparable! Well, excluding the fact that we lived 12 hours apart.

With time, my list of what I needed in a man, which I created before I knew Connor existed, gained check marks.

• He will be a Godly man and encourage me to follow the Lord even through the toughest times. ✅
• He will smile and be a joyful, light hearted, entertaining person. ✅
• He will listen to my opinions, understand, and take them in. ✅

There was a sense of peace that filled me with each tick mark, but there was also a great sense of uncertainty. Why would God give me what I wanted, but put him so far away from me?

The older I got, the more uncertain I felt. Anxiety filled me. One afternoon, as I wrestled with all the uncertainty and doubt, I heard a whisper in my head. Do you remember?

Chapter 9: A Prayer from the Past

In my mind’s eye, I was brought back to a forgotten moment. There I was in my bed. Darkness surrounded me. My eyes were glued towards the heavens and my voice was thick.

“God, save me. No matter what I do, I feel far away from you. I need help! Send somebody to help me—a friend. Even if they only stay for a season. Lord, send somebody that will point me towards You.”

I was scared that Connor and I were never meant to cross paths, but God reassured me that He was behind it all. “I have a plan; trust me.”

In that moment, I knew that God was for us. I didn’t know how long it would stay that way though. For all I knew, God could guide Connor and I away from each other the very next day. However, I had to trust God enough to hold onto the peace He was trying to offer.

So, I gritted my teeth and held on tight. Where was God taking Connor and me?

Chapter 10: Into the Unknown

“I don’t know if it will work out, but I want to come visit for your birthday,” Connor explained with wary hopefulness.

Despite knowing each other for nearly 6 years, Connor and I had never been able to spend one of our birthdays together. It had never worked out. It was always bad timing.

2023 changed that.

Little did I know, Connor wasn’t just planning to spend my birthday with me, he was planning to give me the surprise of a lifetime! For you to have the fullest experience of this story, I think Connor must narrate the rest…. 😉

I wanted to share this video sooner with you (especially since Connor posted it two weeks ago), but I had to give you a little more backstory before sharing it. I felt like it would make the video more exciting!

You may be wondering, where will Connor and I go from here? I have no clue! Right now, we are focusing on the tasks at hand. For him, he is putting a roof on our house. For me, I’m finishing school, savoring the time I have with my family, and learning to trust God with each day.

My relationship with Connor has been full of unknowns. Would it be a relationship otherwise? When I said YES to marrying the goofy Missourian boy named Connor, I also said yes to an adventure full of mysteries.

I would love to see into the future if it were possible, but wouldn’t that ruin the adventure God has planned for us? A good adventure isn’t created by knowing what’s on the path ahead; it’s created by the unexpected.

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Thank you so much for reading! I hope my crazy love story can be an inspiration in some way or another. There are so many tiny details I wish I could tell you, but then this series would be 90,000 words long.

If you would like to see future posts written by me, sign up for my monthly newsletter! I would love to welcome you into my little world.

Did you enjoy this series? Would you like to hear more about my relationship with Connor? Did my unsettling response to Connor’s important question make you laugh?