“I didn’t wait 23 years to be in a relationship on Valentine’s Day just to have you assume I’ll be your Valentine,” I declared, my voice dripping with flirtation. “You have to ask!”

As young lovers are wont to do, I teased David mercilessly in the weeks leading up to our first Valentine’s Day. He met my ribbing with smiles and good-natured eye rolls, but stayed surprisingly silent on the matter.

Until one weeknight in front of the Chipotle on 19^th when he grabbed my hand and stepped in front of me, lowering himself to one knee.

“What are you doing?” I almost shrieked, making panicked eye contact through the window with diners who had stopped eating their burritos to take in the scene.

“Kendra Victoria Cavecche, will you… *dramatic pause*… be my Valentine?” His eyes sparkled with mischief.

When it comes to making moments memorable, David is a master. He always has been.  

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A full ten years after I thought I was being proposed to in front of Chipotle, I watched David walk into our kitchen with a note hidden behind his back.

He knelt down and presented it to our four-year-old with a sweet flourish.

“Dear Ellie, I am so excited for us to go on our Daddy-Ellie date today to get ice cream! We are going to have so much fun.”

Little arms wrapped around his neck with a smile that said it all.

Being loved by him remains one of the richest parts of my life. Watching that love extend to our daughters­—well, it’s an emotion I can’t quite put into words.

When it comes to making moments memorable, David is a master. He always has been.

This post is part of a blog hop with Exhale—an online community of women pursuing creativity alongside motherhood, led by the writing team behind Coffee + Crumbs. Click here to view the next post in this series “280 Words”.