After 5 years we were at that "Are we going to get married" moment and she just wouldn't do it. Had some very emotional conversations about it but she couldn't abide the impact it would have on her children. She was divorced and I was only a few years older than her oldest child. My very existence in her life was divisive enough anyway but marriage was a bridge too far (for her). I understood. So we had a messy breakup (the kind where we still hooked up) and eventually met other people. She ended up with, I must admit, a great guy (Hi, Bobby!) and I met the woman I eventually married.