We've been following the romantic adventures of Sarah. When we left her, she was on a second date with Sean. They were eating hot wings at his house and she was listening to him talk.

"He was very open about his ex-wife and her issues. She cheated on him twice, is bipolar and has a drug problem.

"I listen carefully when guys talk about their exes. In fact, I'm probably one of the few women who wants to hear about the exes on a first date because the vocabulary a guy uses is very telling. If he's referring to her as a stupid bitch, it makes me wonder what he'd call me if we were together and broke up. Sean didn't badmouth her, just matter-of-factly said he'd given her second chances until he'd had enough.

"When I stood up and got ready to leave that Tuesday, he asked permission to give me a kiss. Who does that?! I've never known anyone who is almost exactly everything I've always dreamed of having, until now. He not only accepts my daughter and her baby but invites her boyfriend along when we all get together. Every Sunday he cooks for us at his place. He was adopted by his grandparents when his teenage mother couldn't care for him so he doesn't sit in judgment.

"He treated his niece to a plane ticket to visit here in July, and took all of us — his niece, my daughter and her baby and boyfriend and me — to Sea World with all-day food passes. My other kids were either out of the country, working or visiting relatives or they'd have been welcome, too. He's a very kind and generous man, but he lets me take care of him, too.

"I had a crappy start to my day yesterday that I detailed to him in a few texts. He didn't really respond, but when I brought dinner over to his place, he placed a beautiful diamond pendant around my neck! I have never had a guy give me jewelry out of the blue before, and nothing as expensive as that! He had given me a $250 watch for Mother's Day. It's hard to get used to nice gifts since my ex was such a cheapskate but I'm trying, even though I'm not a materialistic person.

"We can see a real future together. He's already asked me what cut of diamond I'd wear and shown me what he'd like to get me, qualifying that with the promise that it would be a year before we took that step. I know it hasn't been that long since we met but this feels so different from any other relationship I've had. He's mature, responsible, settled and financially stable.

"Oh! And I have another rescue dog. Rufus, a senior basset hound, was for sale on Craigslist for getting snappy with a five-year-old who was riding on his back. No kidding! He's safe with me now."

Can you recount your romantic adventures in three parts? Send your tale, along with your questions and problems to [email protected]. And check out my new ebook, "Dear Cheryl: Advice from Tales from the Front."