Dierks Bentley married his childhood sweetheart, Cassidy Black, in 2005, after years of an on-again-off-again relationship. But according to Bentley, even during their darkest days, he always knew that she'd eventually be "the one."

"We met in eighth grade, back in Arizona. It’s a pretty crazy story of just going back and forth with the right time or the wrong time, or right place, wrong time, all that stuff," Bentley recently told The Boot and other reporters. "Finally, I was playing a show in Las Vegas, and opening for George Strait, and she walked on the bus. I kind of knew that that was the moment."

Once Bentley figured it out, he didn't waste any time in making his commitment to Black official. They were engaged in December of 2005, and the morning after he proposed, the couple headed to Mexico to elope. The two wed on Dec. 14, 2005, two weeks after Bentley earned his second No. 1 single with the romantic ballad "Come a Little Closer."

"I ended that tour in Las Vegas, playing the House of Blues, and we went to Mexico, and three days later, we got married," Bentley recalls. "Probably one of the things I’m most grateful for is some of the success coming later as it has, because it’s really nice to share it with somebody. When it starts, it’s so nice to share a lot of ups, a lot of downs, a lot of in-between moments with her. It’s been a crazy, crazy ride, but certainly, right now, for this to be happening is awesome."

There's no doubt that Bentley's adoring wife will be front and center in Las Vegas on Sunday (April 3), cheering on her husband, who will be making his debut as ACM Awards co-host, along with Luke Bryan. The 2016 ACM Awards will air live from the MGM Grand Garden Arena beginning at 8PM ET on CBS.

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