She had a girl, her best friend had a boy. Their kids got married; now they'll be grandmas together

Best friends Toni Wells and Beth Thomas couldn’t believe their luck when they became pregnant at the same time in 1994.

Beth gave birth first to a son named Luke. Four months later, Toni welcomed daughter Ashley.

“We talked about them getting married from day one,” Beth tells TODAY.com.

As fate would have it, Beth and Toni's wish came true four years ago, when their children tied the knot. And it gets even better: Ashley and Luke are expecting their first child this summer.

That's right: Toni and Beth, whose friendship spans nearly four decades, are going to be co-Grandmas.

Luke and Ashley went from childhood friends to husband and wife. (Courtesy Ashley and Luke Thomas)
Luke and Ashley went from childhood friends to husband and wife. (Courtesy Ashley and Luke Thomas)

It’s a story that’s going viral after Ashley shared a video on TikTok chronicling her and Luke’s sweet love story. The clip features photos and footage of Ashley and Luke going back nearly 30 years. In one image, Toni is seen holding a newborn Luke at the hospital.

Ashley and Luke, now both 29, weren't childhood sweethearts. In fact, Ashley jokes that a romance would have been “incestuous.”

“We viewed each other like siblings," Ashley says. “Our families traveled together and spent holidays together. I considered Luke’s sisters my sisters.”

“She was my built-in best friend,” Luke tells TODAY.com. Luke notes that while his feelings for Ashley were platonic, he always considered her "the prettiest girl at school."

Beth Thomas with her son Luke and future daughter-in-law Ashley. (Courtesy Ashley and Luke Thomas)
Beth Thomas with her son Luke and future daughter-in-law Ashley. (Courtesy Ashley and Luke Thomas)

It wasn’t until Luke and Ashley went their separate ways for college — she stayed in Florida, he headed off to Alabama — that their relationship began to shift. Ashley found herself scouring Luke’s social media for signs of a love interest, and Luke found himself comparing other girls to Ashley.

“That’s when I sort of realized that Ashley was the one I wanted to be with. She was the gold standard,” Luke says.

Ashley and Luke's mothers have been inseparable since the 1980's.  (Courtesy Ashley and Luke Thomas)
Ashley and Luke's mothers have been inseparable since the 1980's. (Courtesy Ashley and Luke Thomas)

In 2016, Luke, then a junior at the University of Auburn, confessed his feelings to Ashley. He was certain they were meant to be together, but she was terrified about what could happen if things didn’t work out.

“We had to consider our families,” Ashley says. But she also had to consider the butterflies in her stomach.

“I was falling for him,” she says.

The realization came as a surprise to Ashley — but not moms Beth and Toni. Beth noticed a spark when Luke was visiting Ashley over a school break.

“The way they greeted each other was just totally different than normal," Beth says. “She actually jumped into his arms.”

"We were meant to be," Ashley says.

The couple tied the knot in 2020. (Shannon Lee Miller Photography)
The couple tied the knot in 2020. (Shannon Lee Miller Photography)

Luke proposed in 2019, and the following year, the Wells and the Thomases officially became family.

“It’s so funny because our sisters used to stage mock weddings. They’d put Luke in a tuxedo and make us kiss,” Ashley says, with a laugh. “They wished it into existence!”

Ashley, who is 19 weeks pregnant with a girl, teases that her mother-in-law manifested a grandchild.

“She was asking like every week, ‘Are you having a baby soon?’” Ashley says.

Now Ashley and Luke will become parents together, another adventure for the two best friends.

Ashley tells TODAY.com, “We’ve walked through every stage of life together.”

This article was originally published on TODAY.com

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