Who Was Zach to Mikayla Nogueira Before She Married Cody?

Mikayla Nogueira says she dated a guy in high school named Zach, and Zach was her first love. It did not work out. She was a year ahead of him and graduated first. When she left for college he was still in high school. Her feelings stayed strong, but their lives were too different. He joined the Air Force, lived in Nebraska and Texas and other places, and for years asked her to give him a chance. She said no. She would not do that long distance, and she did not want to be with someone in the Air Force while she was busy in college.

They remained close friends. She could talk to him about anything, and she sat next to him in class. He still had feelings for her. When she started dating Cody and then married him, Zach went silent. She calls that respectful: he said goodbye because she was married and he would not get in the way. She did not talk to him for many years.