Teen Best Friends Convince Single Parents to Go on Date. Months Later, They Walk Mom Down the Aisle (Exclusive)

Brittany and Jason give the teen boys credit for bringing them together

Most parents cringe at the idea of their teens getting involved in their love life. For one couple, it was the best thing that could have happened to them

Brittany, on TikTok as @_ms.britt, was a widowed mom of two when her son Tucker met his best friend Corbin, she tells PEOPLE.

"My kids' father passed away in 2015, so he hasn't been present in their life since they were 5 and 7 years old," she explains. She gave dating a try, "but nobody really stuck around for my kids."

Meanwhile, Jason was also raising two kids after separating from their mother.

"So my kids were kind of missing that father-figure role and his kids were missing that mother-figure."

When it comes to Brittany's son Tucker and Jason's son Corbin, "they look alike and act alike."

"Everything is identical with those two. They were always with me or they were always with him, so our conversations were always about the boys. We dropped the boys off to each other and picked them up. And one day, they're like, 'Hey, you want to go talk to Mr. Jason?' "

Brittany, who was a busy mom, replied, "Not unless he really needs me," which ironically, Jason did as well.

Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

Related: Flight Attendant Asks Passengers to Write Marriage Advice on Napkins. Then, She Surprises Bride on Board (Exclusive)

While both knew that their kids were kidding about setting them up at first, they also knew that the more time went by, the more serious they became.

"His son would say, 'My dad's a good guy. He would spoil you,' " she laughs. "I don't know if it was just them craving that attention — the male and female influence, respectively — or if they really saw something in us, that we would be good together ... or a mixture of both."

The two boys even got their respective older siblings in on it.

"We have four kids between us," Brittany explains. "So the boys started it and then they got his oldest involved. We went to the fair in our town, and he and I walked around the fair for probably 30 to 45 minutes. He was trying to convince me to date his dad."

"He said, 'You should listen to the boys and give it a chance.' And then my oldest started doing the same! She was like, 'Mama, the way he looks at you, it's just so sweet. He's in love with you and you don't even know it. You don't even see it.' They were all invested in this."

Jason's house experienced a flood that fall, at which point his son decided to take up residence at Brittany's with Corbin while repairs were done.

"When the house was almost done being put back together, I went over there to look because I'm in real estate and I'm interested in that stuff. The boys started telling me, 'Oh this is my room and this is Tucker's room.' And I'm like, 'Tucker doesn't need a room at this house.' "

The two persisted, slowly spending more time and bringing more of Tucker's things to Jason's. "It started as a joke and ended up being our new reality."

As far as things between Brittany and Jason, they began spending more time together doing things with the boys.

"We started talking or seeing each other almost every day. Both of us were bored because single life was terrible, and it just evolved into talking, even when it wasn't about the boys," Brittany says. "It was our dating life stories and helping each other solve life problems. So we were closer than we realized we were."

Jason made the first move, asking Brittany out for margaritas and tacos. "And from there, we were pretty much inseparable," she shares.

Of course, the blossoming couple had major reservations about doing anything that could damage their kids' bond.

"There were lots of conversations about what would happen. I didn't want to let another male influence into their life and them feel abandoned if it doesn't work," she notes of her kids.

At first, they thought about trying to keep their dates a secret from the boys. They didn't even make it to their first outing without "getting busted."

"It's kind of hard to hide that you're going on dates when it's with someone in the person they're hanging out with's household," Jason tells PEOPLE.

Brittany agrees, explaining, "Whenever I would go on dates, he would have the boys or if he went on a date, I would have the boys. They were both at my house and we were trying to figure out how we were going to do this."

"Because Jason and I had been texting back and forth all day trying to figure it out, the boys saw when they came home from school to my house. So they took my phone and were like, 'Oh Jason Walker, that's who you're talking to.' They busted us before we even got to dinner."

The boys were elated at their success, making blending families just a little easier.

"I think the pieces were already there," Brittany says. "There were a couple of little kinks in the beginning just because Corbin was used to it being just him and Dad, and my kids were used to it being just me and them. With extras in there, now decisions require more approval. There are family dinners, birthdays, Christmas and things like that. It just changed the dynamic a little, but it wasn't bad."

After about three months of dating, the couple knew they were ready for the next step — marriage.

"We'd known each other for over a year. We know where each other stands on everything. We parent the same. Everything about us is practically identical. So we just did it. We didn't tell anybody other than immediate family."

The boys were "goofy the whole day" of the wedding.

"It was like they knew they got their way," Brittany laughs. "They were goofy. They planned for one to jump into the other's arms to be carried out. I let them walk me down the aisle because it's the two of them that did this. So even though it was our day, the spotlight was kind of on those two goofballs because they knew they did that and they were so, so excited."

The kids are all enjoying things now, valuing their own space as much as their time together.

"The boys also have separate lives now. They're still best friends, but they've each made friends outside each other, so they can give each other breaks now and then. But then they just miss each other and come right back."

The couple have come a long way in just a year and half's time, which still catches them both by surprise.

"I think both of us just wonder, 'Is this even real?' Sometimes, I catch him looking at me and I'm like, 'What are you looking at?' And he's like, 'I don't know, it's just weird to know that somebody loves me like you do.' And I feel the same way. We're both realizing this is how it's supposed to be."

For more People news, make sure to sign up for our newsletter!

Read the original article on People.