Bill Bownds doesn't have a good answer for why he didn't propose sooner.
After 41 years of dating, this couple has finally tied the knot.
Bill and Linda Bownds married in Katy, Texas, Monday in front of their families.
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"I figured when it was the right time it would happen,” Linda told Inside Edition. “I just didn’t think it would be 41 years."
Their love story began back in 1975 when he first laid eyes on Linda. He was 31, and she was 30.
“She looked beautiful and classy,” he recalled.
They had a connection through Linda’s daughter – Bill was her physical education teacher.
Bill and Linda were crazy about each other and went out nearly every day. Years went by, then decades.
When asked why he didn't propose sooner, the groom said he “doesn’t have a good answer."
Linda certainly wasn't going to propose for him because, “I am a lady.”
Even Bill's 96-year-old mom, Kay, couldn't coax her son to the altar.
On the 41st anniversary of their first date, Bill, now 73, got down on one knee, and popped the question.
Linda recalled: “I said of course. When do you want to do it? Bill said next week. I said Monday because I wanted it ASAP.”
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Linda's two daughters couldn't be happier.
On Sunday, the couple who has been together for more than four decades will celebrate their first Christmas as husband and wife.
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