Knew the Wife as friends between 1997 and 2001. Both got out of multi-year relationships in '01 and had been single for about 6 months, spending more and more time together made us realise we quite fancied each other. We had quite a few mutual friends and kept it on the quiet for the first few months to see how we'd make it work - bloody difficult to keep under wraps. Told friends, some were a bit weirded out, as her ex found out and contacted some of our friends claiming that I cut his lunch. Kinda hypocritical since their relationship had been over for about 8 months and he'd actually moved in with another woman for 4 months.
Had to set a few friends straight on the facts, they came to know the truth of it.
Got engaged 2 years later in 2003, signed the paperwork in 2005.
