A big whatever to 98% of the posters on this thread. If you love her, you love her (I don’t think you can after seeing her once, but what do I know).
The fact that she is 16 doesn’t mean you cannot love each other, it just means you cannot fuck each other. For the next 2 years or so.
When I was in high school, having a bf/gf for two years without sex was normal. Call me old-fashioned if you want.
Make sure her parents know what’s going on, treat her the way a 16-year old should be treated. Go to kiddie dates and wait for time to solve your legal situation.
If that is too much to ask, then it wasn’t “meant to be”. Your friends will make fun of you, her friends will find you exciting for a week and creepy from then on, her family might have objections, your family might too. It won’t be a stroll in the park. If you can make it work, good for you. Otherwise, lesson learned.
Just make sure you remember that her acting mature doesn’t mean she is. She is still a little girl that needs and deserves to be treated as such. I you are game to be a girl’s playdoll for two years, go for it.
ETA: And yeah, before you commit to this path, take a good close look at yourself and discern if there isn’t something wrong with you or your romantic history. Be honest.