They almost didn’t show up for the night that changed their lives forever.

She’d never been to the karaoke bar by herself, and he hadn’t planned to join his friends there that evening. But somehow, they each acted against their initial intent and ended up sitting side by side at Arthur’s Lounge in Kansas City — hitting it off so immediately it seemed like the universe had played matchmaker.

“It was a little serendipitous,” she says, adding that the fact she was singing ‘80s hits led him to believe at first that she was older than her actual age of 23.

The thing is, though, that some connections make a 16-year age difference seem inconsequential — and it wasn’t long before Christina Paige Alley and Bobby Joe Payne were inseparable. 



In fact, after their initial meeting on February 9, 2018, they made plans for the very next evening — and then the one after that.

Bobby first asked Paige to join him and his friends for their weekly round of Dungeons and Dragons, which she was up for despite not having any prior experience with the immersive roleplaying game. And although Bobby was a little uneasy inviting her into this part of his life so early on, it paid off in proving to both of them how well their lives and interests might mesh.

The following day, they went on what they came to consider their official first date — which they also came to consider somewhat a disaster. They’d planned to go to dinner and do some window shopping at Zona Rosa, not thinking about the fact that almost everything in the shopping center closes at 5:30 p.m. on Sundays.

Thus, their only refuge from the February cold was Barnes and Noble, where they had coffee before continuing the Plan B version of their date with some show-watching at her house. And in the end, it turned out this “disaster” of a date wasn’t actually a disaster at all — because in not going as planned, it actually showed how much they enjoyed each other’s company regardless of the circumstances.

Paige + Bobby

an instant connection makes way for a marriage

By Erin Wisdom-Watson

"It was a little serendipitous."

From that point on, a relationship was a foregone conclusion. They even went on a family date with Bobby’s daughters the the following weekend, taking them bowling and then back to Paige’s place to watch anime.

It immediately became a part of her routine to go to his house most days after getting out of class. And after several months of being inseparable, they took the significant step of forming a home together when he and his daughters moved in with her in June.

Especially with kids involved, it wasn’t a decision they made lightly. But it also wasn’t a difficult one, with how much they already felt like a family. After another few months — and after realizing “we wouldn’t kill each other if we lived together,” Paige laughs — they started talking about making that family status official.



Having discussed engagement rings in September and October, Paige knew one intended for her might be making an appearance soon. But Bobby still managed to surprise her on Thanksgiving, when they went to a nice dinner and then to the lighting ceremony at the Country Club Plaza before finally making their way back to Zona Rosa — where they’d had their first date and where they then marked another milestone, with Bobby asking Paige to marry him and her happily accepting.



The proposal came in front of Zona Rosa’s Christmas tree, which they had nearly all to themselves. After the crowds at the Plaza lighting, it came as a stark contrast to find Zona Rosa almost entirely empty. But it also made the moment that much more their own.



With the ring he’d special-ordered now safely on Paige’s hand, Bobby no longer had to stress about keeping it hidden from her in their house. But they soon had other big life events to occupy their attention — including buying and moving into a new home in January 2019 and, of course, getting into the nitty gritty of their wedding plans.

They chose September 29, 2019 as the day they’ll say “I do,” selecting it due to its status as a date auspicious for fidelity and romantic feelings. They zeroed in on a venue right away, as well, choosing Enchanted Acres in Harrisonville, Missouri, as the perfect place for the enchanted forest theme they envision.

Even in the midst of dreaming up a day filled with fairy lights, green moss and other beautifully woodsy details, Paige and Bobby also are looking forward to life beyond their wedding — including the honeymoon trip they’re planning to Ireland, a place Paige has always wanted to go.

But just as exciting as this bucket-list adventure are all of the aspects of ordinary life they look forward to sharing as husband and wife.



“I look forward to just the mundane validation of our relationship,” Bobby says. “To being able to introduce her as my wife at church. And when she calls my girls her kids, to it actually being official that they’re her kids.”



They also look forward to one day having another child together — and to simply continuing to have the connection that’s made their relationship work since its start.



Regarding what’s made their love story so seamless, Bobby and Paige credit similar ways of looking at the world and simply feeling at home with each other. In fact, he can pinpoint a moment that came after just a few weeks of dating in which that “at home” feeling was so distinct — as they sat together on a ratty loveseat in his bachelor pad, his arm around her while they watched TV — that he knew with certainty he wanted to be with her for the rest of his life.



Paige has had her own series of moments like this, where she realized she was feeling like she’d found her perfect fit in a way she never had before. And even though life isn’t perfect and presents challenges from time to time, they’re confident that their common ground and their skills in conflict resolution will see them through whatever comes.

“I love her and I’m in love with her,” Bobby says. “Relationships take work, but when you care for each other, trying hard isn’t hard.”

"It was a little serendipitous."