Life has been unconventional in the Hilliard home. You won’t find the wife-to-be cooking, or cleaning, laughing or conversing with her future husband. The sun rises and the moon falls, marking time that West Hilliard waits for his love. You won’t find Kelli Daton because she’s not there and hasn’t been for some time.

I had the opportunity to chat with West Hilliard, fiancé of Kelli Daton. According to West, Kelli hasn’t been home and though he’s fearful of her not coming back, he’s been hoping for the best. Here’s what he had to say:

I’ve known Kelli for a long time. That easy going spirit and that gentle approach to confrontation? I know better than that. I know the inside. How her mind works. How it’s always thinking, wondering. She’ll deal when she’s tired and not tell you. She has that working spirit, ya know? That overworking heart that just…I don’t know. Maybe loved me more than she needed to. I love her too though. A lot. She left everything here, so it feels like she’ll be back. I hope she’ll be back. Then…some days I just don’t know. It’s my fault. My arrogance. I know her, but not if she’ll come back. I felt I knew her well enough that I could figure it out, make it right and fix everything about everything. The ring, the house, ya know? It’s what she wanted. Me too, but I just thought…For the life of me…I cannot figure out how to fix this. This hurt that I’ve caused her. I can’t tell if she’s healing or harboring pain that I don’t know the depths of. When she left, I knew it was bad. We’re still engaged, so there’s hope, I guess. I respect her time. She knows that. I’m the one who got her started with gardening. Did she tell you that?

Yeah, I miss her. I love her.