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At 38, I was finally engaged \u2014 something I had dreamed of for years but had almost given up on. I used to joke, \u201cIf I\u2019m still single at 40, I\u2019ll just adopt three dogs and live happily ever after.\u201d My friends would laugh, but they knew there was truth behind the humor.<\/p>\n
Then came Eli.<\/p>\n
Eli, with that crooked smile and those soulful eyes. Eli, who made me believe that love hadn\u2019t forgotten me \u2014 it had simply arrived late.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou know why I love you?\u201d he asked on the night he proposed, as we stood on his apartment balcony, city lights twinkling beneath us.<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause you never stopped hoping. Even when everything felt bleak, you still held on.\u201d<\/p>\n
I laughed, the ring catching the light. \u201cHonestly, I thought I\u2019d be the crazy dog lady by now.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo,\u201d he said, squeezing my hand. \u201cYou were just brave enough to stay open.\u201d<\/p>\n
Maybe I was. Or maybe I was just lucky. Either way, I had found my person.<\/p>\n
The first people I told were my three best friends: Nina, Claire, and Brooke. We\u2019d been inseparable since college \u2014 through heartbreaks, career shifts, marriages, motherhood, and loss. I believed nothing could shake our bond.<\/p>\n
I called them on a group video chat, nerves fluttering as I held up my hand.<\/p>\n
\u201cOh my God!\u201d Claire screamed, practically bouncing.<\/p>\n
\u201cBring that ring closer!\u201d Nina demanded, leaning into the screen.<\/p>\n
Brooke wiped away tears. \u201cOur Liv is getting married. It\u2019s finally happening.\u201d<\/p>\n
They hadn\u2019t met Eli yet \u2014 life had gotten busy \u2014 but they knew all about him. About how we met reaching for the same tattered copy of To Kill a Mockingbird at a used bookstore. About how our first date was in a cozy restaurant where the chef greeted Eli by name.<\/p>\n