‘Most Important Thing’: Ashley Gould is out of Matthew Miller’s league, and he isn’t afraid to admit it

Two years before they started dating, Matthew Miller and Ashley Gould connected on a dating app only for Matthew to “ghost” her after they started talking. His reasoning? He thought Ashley was out of his league and maybe thought, at some point in time, she would realize it, too.

Ashley and Matthew were able to rekindle that flame about four years ago, though the fundamental fact remains that she probably is still out of his league. Ashley loves him anyway and is an incredible girlfriend to Matthew – as well as a mother figure to Matthew’s 17-year-old son Noah – and a loving mother to her 11-year-old son Zach.

Matthew loves the fact that he never wants anything else but to be with her.

“The second time, I made sure I didn’t let her go,” Matthew said. “She’s the only person I want to wake up to and fall asleep to each and every day. She is my entire world and I love her with all my heart. She makes me laugh, teaches me to be a better person and makes my life complete.”

Going to sleep and waking up together has been a gift to Matthew on all but one occasion, though the memory of that fateful night still makes Ashley roar with laughter. The way Matthew tells it, they had just moved in together and were going to bed when their wooden bed frame snapped on his side of the bed and sent him head over heels.

Ashley was at first overcome by stress by all of it, but shock quickly turned to laughter. It’s a memory that Matthew surely would have loved to avoid in the first place, but if that image keeps making Ashley happy, he also can’t be mad about it.

“She returned to find me practically upside-down trying to pull myself upright,” Matthew said. “The image she has in her head of practically just my feet and me grabbing to pull myself up is something she still will laugh uncontrollably about to this day.”

Everyday moments are big parts of who Ashley and Matthew are as a couple because of their ability to sincerely find happiness in the little things. But Matthew also holds onto the memory of their trip to the Catskills for a full day of music with Marcus King and Nathaniel Rateliff.

For Matthew, Ashley is exactly the type of woman who can sit on a couch with him and enjoy a movie, or they can have a blast doing something bigger. Her personality flows in both directions, just as it does between kindness and humor and taking the important things in life seriously. At the top of that list is her son Zach, who is lucky to have a mom who gives so much attention, love and support.

“She has a no-nonsense attitude and isn’t afraid to speak her mind, but also is kind and caring and has a huge heart for others,” Matthew said.

Four years of counting, and Matthew is more excited to wake up next to Ashley now than ever before. She’s still out of his league, of course, and neither of them would dispute that. But at the same time, they make a great team and Matthew is grateful for that fact every single day.

“She is the most important thing to me in my life and I have never been so in love,” he said. “Through good and bad, I will always be by her side. She is my pretty lady and I would do anything for her and hope to spend the rest of our lives together. I can’t wait until we both can retire and spend the rest of our days living on our houseboat.”