
DEAR ABBY: I met a great woman, and we have been dating for a year and a half. We talk and message every day, we have our inside jokes, and her parents love me. My mother loves her, and the sex is great. I had never felt more connected to someone, and we have spoken about marriage.
I planned to surprise her with a ring this year, but things changed around my birthday. She spent that weekend away with co-workers (I agreed she should go because she doesn’t normally have time to hang out), but when she came back, things were different.