Patrick Swayze’s Widow Lisa Niemi Explains Why She Decided to Get Married Again

The love Lisa Niemi still has for late husband Patrick Swayze is evident in the way she talks about him. But it was that overwhelming love — as well as their 34 years of marriage — that had her questioning whether a second marriage was in her future.

When Lisa's boyfriend, jeweler Albert DePrisco, got down on bended knee last December, she admits to having reservations.

"I have to say, that the love I have for Patrick was never in conflict or competition with my feelings for Albert," she shares. "That is until Albert asked me to marry him!"

The 58-year-old calls accepting his proposal "a leap of faith" after a lot of soul-searching.

"I found myself grappling with my feelings of having been married to Patrick for 34 years," she reveals. "Privately, I flipped, I flopped. Yes, get married, no, don't get married."

Lisa continues, "Albert knew I still loved Patrick and would always love him, and told me, 'and I know you love me, and I love you.' How could I not marry this man?"

The pair, who met through mutual friends following Patrick's death from pancreatic cancer in 2009, tied the knot last Sunday (May 25) in Palm Beach, Fla.

"As I had time to process the change my life was going to take, my doubts became less and less, and I became more and more sure," Lisa says of marrying Albert.

So what does the writer love most about her new husband? "I could say that it's Albert's heart, his generosity, his personal strength, and his sense of fun," she gushes.

And Lisa's happy to finally be at peace about moving forward. "About a month and a half ago, I had a dream about Patrick," she tells People magazine. "It was like he was giving me his blessing and letting me know it was okay."

She adds, "Again, it can be hard sometimes to take those steps forward, but it doesn't change the way we feel about someone. He was letting me know that."