Country music blared from the living room radio as Kelsie added honey to the bowl of freshly whipped cream.

“How much again?” she called over her shoulder to Francesca.

“Let me taste,” a voice that was definitely not Francesca’s purred in her ear.

Delicious goosebumps rose on Kelsie’s neck, and she smiled. Dipping her finger into the whipped cream, she offered some to Masoud. He wrapped his arms around her from the back and licked the cream from her finger.

“Mm,” he said. “Delicious.”

Kelsie looked over her shoulder at him. “You think so? Not too sweet?”

“You made it, didn’t you?” he asked, spinning her around but keeping her locked safely in his arms.

“What does that have anything to do with it?”

“I love everything you do,” he said, kissing her neck.

Kelsie giggled and pressed her body closer to his. “Oh, whatever.”

“Whatever, what?” Masoud growled.

“Oh, come on!” Francesca cried.

Kelsie and Masoud broke apart to find her standing in the kitchen doorway, a bowl in her hand.

“I go out to the garden for one minute,” Francesca loudly complained, “and I come back to find you two making out again.”

Kelsie laughed. “Sorry not sorry.”

Francesca rolled her eyes. “Course you aren’t. One year of living together and you still can’t keep your hands off each other. Where do I find something like that?”

Kelsie looked up into Masoud’s eyes.

“You’ll find it,” Masoud told Francesca, not taking his eyes off Kelsie. “It’s out there.”

“I need to finish the flag cake,” Kelsie said, grudgingly stepping away from Masoud. He went to tickle her waist, and she slapped his hand away.

“Is a flag cake a Fourth of July staple?” Masoud asked, leaning against the counter and taking a bite of a celery stick.

“Here it is,” Kelsie and Francesca both said. The two women looked at each other and laughed.

“You owe me a drink,” Francesca crowed.

Kelsie winked. “It’s Fourth of July, Bo. We’ll have more than one drink before the day is over.”

Together, the three of them iced the cake and then used blueberries and sliced strawberries to decorate it so it looked like the American flag. Guests were already arriving, and so Masoud hurried outside to start up the grill.

Masoud had insisted on sparing no expense for the barbecue, as it was the first party he and Kelsie were hosting for the town. She’d eagerly agreed, partly because she wanted to show off the renovations to their houses.

After Masoud moved into the farmhouse a year ago, not long after he retracted his plans for the mine, he expanded the fence for his own house so that it encompassed Kelsie’s backyard as well. This way, they had a giant fenced-in yard for the dogs and any patients of Kelsie’s that needed a little outside time.

He’d kept the house, using it as an office, and Kelsie stored some of her veterinary supplies over there as well. The set-up worked perfectly for them.

Every morning that Kelsie rose, she had a smile on her face. She loved her job. She loved her home. She loved her boyfriend. What more did she need to be the happiest woman in the world?

As Masoud worked the grill with some help from a couple neighbors, Kelsie and Francesca set the dishes on the tables under the rented tents.

The guests continued to arrive, and soon there were kids and dogs running all over the place. Leila and Cowboy led the charge, barking happily as they sprinted along the fence with a group of kids and other pups behind them.

“How you doing?” Francesca asked, sidling up to Kelsie with two beer bottles in her hands.

Kelsie took in a deep breath and looked at everything on the table. “I think I’m good. I think we got everything, finally. Man, throwing a party is stressful.”

“Yeah, but we did it.” Francesca handed Kelsie one of the beers, and they clinked them together before taking the first drink.

On the edge of the yard, Masoud and Phil Hatch, the town mechanic, and an old family friend, talked and laughed next to the grill. Masoud caught Kelsie’s eye and winked, and warmth spread from Kelsie’s head to her toes.

“Wow, you have it bad,” Francesca commented. “You are so in love.”

“There’s nothing bad about that,” Kelsie replied saucily.

“True.” Francesca took a drink of beer.

“Don’t worry. It’ll happen to you,” Kelsie said, looping her arm through Francesca’s.

“I know it will. I’m not worried. Until the right guy shows up, I’m working on myself.”

“That’s awesome,” Kelsie said.

“Oh! I forgot to tell you.” Francesca’s eyes went wide and she slapped her forehead. “We got so busy today that I totally forgot this.”

“What? Tell me,” Kelsie demanded.

“This morning, on my way to the grocery store, I drove past Spencer’s and saw a moving truck.”

“You did?”

Over the last year, Kelsie had run into Spencer several times, sometimes alone and sometimes with Masoud. It was just to be expected in a small town. At first, the interactions had been somewhat hostile, but as time went on and it became clearer that Kelsie and Masoud were a long-term deal, Spencer had started ignoring the both of them all together. Whenever they passed on the street, he acted like Masoud and Kelsie weren’t even there, which was just fine by Kelsie.

“So he’s moving?” she asked.

“It’s already done,” Francesca said. “I talked to the movers, and they said they were taking the last of Spencer’s stuff over to Hillson. So then I asked around the store, and it turns out he’s moved there because there’s more work.”

“Wow.” Kelsie shook her head. “He’s finally gone.”

“Good riddance.”

They finished up their beers and ran in and out of the house, refilling the coolers and the salsa bowls as everyone chatted and laughed. From what Kelsie could tell, the party had been a success.

As the sun set, and the guys in charge of the fireworks headed out into the field to shoot them off, Masoud wrapped his arm around Kelsie’s shoulders.

“What do you think?” he asked. “Is this going to become a tradition?”

“Which part?” Kelsie teased.

“The party... and you and me together.”

Kelsie smiled up at her boyfriend. “How about all of that?”

“That was the answer I hoped for,” Masoud said, lowering his face for a kiss.

“Guess what?” Kelsie asked.

“Mmm...” Masoud scrunched his face up. “I don’t know. What?”

“Spencer moved to another town, according to Francesca.”

Masoud’s eyebrows rose. “You don’t say.”

“Talk about a happy ending.”

“Actually...” Masoud took a step away from Kelsie. “It’s not over yet.”

“Huh?”

Masoud nodded at someone over her shoulder, and Kelsie turned around to see Phil hurrying around the corner of the farmhouse.

“Masoud? What’s going on?”

“Come with me.”

Taking Kelsie’s hand, Masoud led her in the direction of the side yard.

“We’ll miss the fireworks,” she protested.

“This will only take a moment,” Masoud argued.

“What’s so important about it, though?” Kelsie looked over her shoulder as he tugged her along. As it turned out, they weren’t going far.

Beside the farmhouse, in the space between their two houses, Leila and Cowboy sat.

“Good,” Phil told them. “Stay.”

“What’s going on?” Kelsie asked.

A second later, she noticed the signs hanging from the dogs’ necks. Cowboy’s said ‘marry me?’ and Leila’s said ‘Will you’.

Kelsie’s jaw dropped. “Wait. Hold on. What’s going on?”

“They’re switched around,” Masoud said. “Leila, here. Sit over here.”

Masoud ran over to the dogs and attempted to get them in the right order while Kelsie laughed.

“I know what the message is, Masoud,” Kelsie said.

Finally giving up his coaxing of the dogs, Masoud stood.

“Sorry.” He rubbed the back of his neck. “I wanted it to be perfect.”

Kelsie stepped close to him. The light was fading, but that did nothing to diminish the deep appreciation in Masoud’s eyes.

“I love you, Kelsie,” he said.

“I love you,” she whispered back, her heart hammering in her chest. “You really want to marry me?”

Masoud laughed. “Why would I not?”

“This just seems too good to be true,” she whispered in awe. “You. Me. All of this.”

She swept her hand around her, gesturing at the houses and the wide, open land. A little over a year before, Masoud had come with plans to take it all away. Back then, Kelsie had thought he was nothing more than a cute new neighbor. She’d had no clue he would change her life forever.

“It’s our life,” Masoud said. “And I want to make it official. I want to spend the rest of my life with you.”

Pulling a small box from his pocket, Masoud got down on one knee and opened the box. Even in twilight, the diamond ring sparkled.

“Kelsie Mack, will you marry me?” Masoud asked.

“Do it!” someone shouted, and Kelsie looked over to see Francesca standing near the house.

She wasn’t alone, either. Nearly the whole party had gathered to watch the proposal. Kelsie had been so focused on Masoud that she hadn’t noticed everyone else congregating.

“I think the town is behind me on this,” Masoud said with a smile.

“Yeah, well they like you,” Kelsie answered.

“You still haven’t answered my question. Will you marry me?”

“Yes,” Kelsie said, tears filling her eyes. “Of course I’ll marry you!”

A grin spreading across his face, Masoud took Kelsie’s hand and slipped the ring onto it. It fit perfectly, and Kelsie held it up to inspect it closer. As she did so, the first firework of the night exploded in the sky. Everyone cheered, and Masoud pulled Kelsie in for a kiss.

Wrapping her arms around his neck, she pushed onto the tips of her toes to kiss him deeper. Boom after boom sounded as the fireworks kept coming. The townspeople cheered, and Kelsie pulled back from the kiss to look at Masoud.

“Wow,” she breathed. “Just...wow.”

Masoud stroked her cheek. “Are you happy?”

Slipping her arm around his waist, Kelsie laid her head against his shoulder. Together, they turned to watch the fireworks.

“I don’t think I could ever be happier,” she answered.