A car crash. A cowboy. And a moody tween. That’s how my happily-ever-after starts.

An adorable cowboy literally carries me to safety after my car flips, and that’s when I feel it. The spark. Until meeting him, I always thought the spark was just figurative. Nope. Real tingles.

He’s friendly and attentive but cautious, and I start to think he isn’t interested. Then I get the scoop. Carson recently adopted his nephew and is learning to be a dad. To a preteen.

That only makes me like Carson more. I make that clear, and we start dating. Taking it slow, we date in...

A car crash. A cowboy. And a moody tween. That’s how my happily-ever-after starts.

An adorable cowboy literally carries me to safety after my car flips, and that’s when I feel it. The spark. Until meeting him, I always thought the spark was just figurative. Nope. Real tingles.

He’s friendly and attentive but cautious, and I start to think he isn’t interested. Then I get the scoop. Carson recently adopted his nephew and is learning to be a dad. To a preteen.

That only makes me like Carson more. I make that clear, and we start dating. Taking it slow, we date in secret for a while. And the little spark turns into more.

When it’s clear this isn’t a passing infatuation for either of us, he introduces me to Fred.

And the kid doesn’t like me.

How do I get him to understand that I don’t want to divide their little family? I just want to become part of it.

Is it even possible to get a tween boy to change his mind? I hope so. My happily-ever-after depends on it.