PROLOGUE Kam left Texas and moved to Olathe, Kansas in 2019 to help grand open a new center for Carmax. He moved every year after that, trying to find the best place to call home, and landed far north in Parkville, Missouri. On January 1, 2022, Rachel left Jacksonville, Florida to move to Kansas City. Yes, you read that right. Rachel, who despises the cold, moved to the Midwest in the dead of winter. Why, you ask? Well, there was a new boy who entered her life: Emmett Toms, her nephew. CHAPTER 1: The First Date Rachel and Kam matched on Hinge, which was a big deal, especially with Rachel’s aversion to online dating. Despite that fact, Rachel and Kam had a first date lined up. The morning of, however, Kam had forgotten he already had plans with a friend who had just moved back to town and had to cancel on Rachel. In most instances, this could have been the end of things, but Rachel was actually relieved. They did eventually meet for their first date on July 2, 2022, at a local board game bar, Pawn and Pint. Kam arrived first and asked the greeter to poke fun at Rachel when she arrived by asking, “You’re tall; do you play basketball?” (an inside joke between Rachel and Kam.) This helped break the ice, and Rachel gave Kam a sarcastic glare that said, “Really?!” (If you know Rachel, you know the glare.) They had a great time on their date chatting and playing several games for hours, all the way up until the bar closed. CHAPTER 2: The Test It wasn’t long after the first date that Kam got to meet Rachel’s sister, Danielle, to ensure he passed “the test.” Of course, Danielle approved, and getting along with Rachel’s nephew, Emmett, was a huge bonus. This was followed closely by meeting Rachel’s parents and her meeting Kam’s family, initially through FaceTime as they had not yet made a trip from Texas to Kansas City. Almost as important, the two of them introduced one another to their close friend groups. Not surprisingly, everyone could see the love that Rachel and Kam shared, and because of that, friendly relationships flourished. Whether it was pool days, volleyball nights, or board games inside, they all had a good time together. CHAPTER 3: The Proposal After 11 months together and several, “When are you going to do it?” questions asked, Kam popped the question in their spot on their apartment rooftop. He chose June 20th, 2023, the Eve of Summer, so they could start off her favorite season as an engaged couple. Rachel’s initial response was “No!” but this was more in response to the shock of it all, as it was on a seemingly random Tuesday. Rachel did say “Yes!”, of course. But that wasn’t all. Kam had also orchestrated a secret gathering of mutual friends back at the place where it all started, Pawn and Pint. Right before walking in, Rachel got suspicious and said, “There better not be any other further plans,” shortly followed by, “I knew it” as everyone cheered upon their arrival. Celebrating with friends and loved ones was a great way to end the perfect day.