The Road Back Home—Part 2
After Paul and I reconnected during the pandemic, things moved quickly. Some thought too quickly.
From our first date in Atlanta to getting married in a quiet backyard ceremony, it all felt like a whirlwind. But when God puts two people together, you can’t always plan it out the way others expect.
In this part of my story, I want to share those early days with Paul—how we fell in love, the challenges we faced, and the tensions that nearly tore us apart. It wasn’t the smoothest beginning, but through it all, our faith was the only constant that carried us forward.
From First Date to Marriage
Our first date was in Atlanta while Paul was filming a Clint Eastwood movie. We met at this restaurant called Bula, and I showed up fully dressed to impress after a four-hour drive. Paul, on the other hand, looked like he just walked out of a comic book store—wearing a Macho Man Randy Savage t-shirt and baggy board shorts. I laughed because, even though he didn’t put much effort into his appearance, he had this sweet, gentle spirit that immediately drew me in.
We talked for hours about everything—our families, our siblings, our faith. He was so kind, so honest, and so generous. It didn’t take long for me to feel like I could trust him with my heart. Even when we went to see The Lion King live-action movie, I could tell there was something real and lasting between us.
But of course, life happens. Paul had to fly to London to film Cruella, and I went down to South Georgia for a project of my own. Then, the pandemic hit. Suddenly, we were both on lockdown, and everything seemed uncertain. But in the strangest way, the pandemic slowed things down for us. It gave us time to really connect—talking for hours, texting, and getting to know each other without all the distractions.
Paul made me laugh like no one else could, and it wasn’t long before we realized this wasn’t just a fling. It felt too easy, too natural. We knew we wanted to spend our lives together. After what felt like years of waiting for the right person, I finally felt like I had found my person in Paul.
An Unexpected Proposal and Whirlwind Wedding
When Paul and I decided to take the next step and meet each other’s families, I couldn’t have anticipated what would happen next. While visiting my hometown in Georgia, Paul proposed to me in my childhood bedroom. It was simple, sweet, and perfect. In that moment, I knew my life was about to change forever.
It didn’t take us long to plan our wedding. We were like, "Why wait? We know we want to be together, so let’s just do it!" In July 2020, we got married on the front lawn of the house Paul was renting in West Hollywood. It wasn’t flashy or fancy—just a handful of close friends and family on Zoom—but it was exactly what we needed.
Two weeks after we said, "I do," we found out we were pregnant. Everything was falling into place, or so I thought.
Struggles in the Early Days of Marriage
What I didn’t expect was the tension that started to build almost immediately after we got back from our honeymoon. It wasn’t just Paul and me anymore; it was Paul, me, and the struggle to balance family dynamics. There was this constant tension between me and some of Paul’s family members. Things escalated quickly, and instead of facing the issues together, we started to drift apart.
Paul was feeling torn—pulled between me and his family. And to make matters worse, he was overmedicating. He was drinking wine, tequila, taking edibles, and hiding it all from me. I didn’t know it at the time, but he was spiraling, and I could feel our connection slipping away.
The Bible talks about leaving and cleaving when you get married, but Paul hadn’t fully "left" his family. He had this unhealthy loyalty to them that was causing a rift in our marriage. I was carrying our first child, and here we were, just two months into our marriage, already facing the possibility of falling apart.
The Moment Everything Changed
One day, Paul got a call from his brother, and I could see it in his eyes—he was leaving. I asked him to stay, to talk things through, but instead of working through the problem, Paul left. Just like that, he walked out. I was heartbroken, confused, and pregnant. It felt like my whole world was crashing down around me.
I remember sitting in my car outside the post office, completely overwhelmed with emotion. I started yelling at the enemy—screaming, "You cannot have my family. You don’t get to have my family!" I was desperate, clinging to the only thing I knew was true: God had brought us together, and I wasn’t going to let the enemy tear us apart.
Watch Part 2 of our I Am Second Story
IN PART 3
In those early days of marriage, it felt like we were being tested at every turn. The tension between Paul and me, his family’s involvement, and the secrecy of his overmedication all added up to a breaking point. But even in the darkest moments, I knew God was still writing our story.
In part 3, I’ll share what happened after Paul walked out, how we began to pick up the pieces, and the role our faith played in bringing us back together.