Scotty McCreery's Wife Fell for Him in Kindergarten — They Are Expecting Their 1st Baby Decades Later

Scotty McCreery's wife, Gabi Dugal, fell hard for the singer while they were both kindergarteners. However, they did not start dating until high school. Their love remained strong, and decades after the first hint of their love became apparent, they are ready to become first-time parents to their baby boy.

"I Love You This Big" singer Scotty McCreery and his wife, Gabi Dugal, have been together for years and just recently celebrated their 4th anniversary.

The singer tagged a post made on July 16 by the entertainment website Country Fancast, thanking them for commemorating their big day. Fans also joined the bandwagon and congratulated the couple on their big day.

MCCREERY WAS GABI'S CHILDHOOD CRUSH

The country music star and his now-wife met back in kindergarten in Garner, North Carolina. The young entertainer dazzled little Dugal so much that she doodled the words "Mrs. Gabi McCreery" with hearts all over it in her diary.

Growing up in the same community made it easy for them to be close, and their relationship progressed during their senior year at Garner High School, where they started dating.

McCreery retold how he first asked Dugal out. He was shooting the video for "The Trouble With Girls" when the director made him walk down the hallway with his best friend, Kyle Wiggins. Finding it weird that he was walking with a guy while singing about girls, he suggested Dugal take Wiggins' place instead.

They started talking from there, and McCreery assumed they were dating. However, Dugal was not on the same page as him as she thought they were "just talking." They met at the school parking lot the following day and made things official.

They followed that up by going to prom together, where they slow danced to Brad Paisley's "Then." But even as their relationship progressed, they found themselves thrown worlds apart when they attended rival colleges for their higher education.

While McCreery chose to attend NC State University, Dugal went to the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, eventually graduating in 2016 with a degree in nursing.

McCreery posted photos of the two together during Dugal's graduation, with Dugal in her graduation gown. Accompanying the images was a heartfelt caption congratulating Dugal for the hard work she had put in for four years.

THEIR RELATIONSHIP BECOMES PUBLIC

While they've never been shy about their romance, McCreery and Dugal's relationship became more serious once the singer's fans learned they were dating. The "This Is It" singer disclosed:

"My fans instantly embraced Gabi once they learned we were dating and have always been loving towards her."

"When she graduated college last year, many of them brought me gifts for her at my shows and book signings. I will always appreciate their kindness to her." He added.

Even though the two did not start dating until high school — despite their story beginning when they were only children — Dugal has been a constant in McCreery's music career.

She has supported his career by appearing in several of his music videos, including "Five More Minutes," "Feeling It," and "The Trouble With Girls."

McCreery has been known for releasing heartwarming hits, many of which people resonate with. However, one song in his "Seasons Change" album remained a closely guarded secret.

About two weeks before he proposed to his long-time girlfriend, the singer wrote "This Is It," which paints the picture of the breathtaking North Carolina Mountains as he leads his girlfriend on a hike and finally goes on one knee.

In September 2017, true to the words on the song, the singer and his girlfriend went hiking on Grandfather Mountain, where he proposed to Dugal. Luckily, she said yes. McCreery shared of the moment:

"I've been planning this moment for so long that it feels surreal for it to have finally happened. Gabi is the perfect girl and my true love, and I cannot wait to begin building our life together as husband and wife."

Finally, after dating for six years, the couple tied the knot at the Twickenham House & Hall in the North Carolina mountains in a ceremony attended by more than 200 guests.

The couple settled in fast after their wedding. McCreery even referred to his wedding day as the best day of his life. Having dated Dugal since 2012, they had finally culminated their relationship and could now proudly refer to each other as husband and wife.

WHO IS GABI, AND WHAT ARE HER THOUGHTS ON HER MARRIAGE

Unlike her husband, an entertainer, Dugal is a pediatric nurse in the Pediatric Cardiac ICU unit at Duke Hospital. In 2016, after accepting her job offer at the hospital, she disclosed how happy she was to be living out her two passions — being a nurse and helping kids.

Dugal shared insights on her marriage, saying that their love for each other and their faith have been essential to their union's success.

Asked what he thought about married life, the "Hello Darlin'" singer shared that it has been fantastic and they were having a lot of fun.

THE COUPLE LOOKS FORWARD TO BEING PARENTS

Following their wedding in June 2018, the couple added to their little family when they brought home a puppy named Moose, who they said was great training for kids.

Getting a dog raised speculation on whether the two were planning on having children, and as McCreery would confess, he was already receiving pressure from relatives to start making babies. He said the pressure began only hours after their wedding, adding:

"Of course, it's all good-natured and stuff, [but] we are in no rush. We will make sure that we can keep the dog going first."

Recently, and decades after meeting, the two announced they were expecting their first baby — a boy. In their exclusive interview with People, the couple shared that while they always knew they wanted kids, they wanted to spend the first years of their marriage traveling and on the road, seeing things, and experiencing life.

And now, four years after walking down the aisle, they are ready to start their family. "We've gotten to live a lot of life and do some cool things, so seems like now's a good time to settle down a little and expand the family." He told People.

Dugal found out she was pregnant earlier in the year and wanted to surprise her husband. She planned on telling him the news after picking him up from the airport, right before they attended a hockey game. However, the plan did not go as expected.

McCreery's flight got delayed, and Dugal decided she wanted to lay low as McCreery enjoyed some beers at the hockey game. She eventually told her husband she was pregnant the following morning.

The "That Old King James" singer and his wife are excited to be new parents and cannot wait to welcome their baby later in the year. McCreery looks forward to the moments he will share with his son, while Dugal can't wait to use her nursing knowledge on their son.