Prologue: https://www.furaffinity.net/view/34519072/
Part 1: https://www.furaffinity.net/view/35266238/
Part 2: https://www.furaffinity.net/view/35277543/
Part 3: https://www.furaffinity.net/view/37098923/
Part 4: https://www.furaffinity.net/view/38907559/
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
The returning walk to the cars was a mixed bag of states. Rudy was near tuckered out, Patty was content, Kathy was having church giggles with Buddy over what happened to Caroline, and the cat-mom had shared a high five with her kitten after she told her the knock-over booth spectacle, and Alex was okay. Disappointed, at his thwarted proposal plot, but okay.
Kathy, though, was also feeling sneaky. Playful, scheming, and giddy. The reason why was that she intended to help her bovine girl-friend end the day with something to happy-cry about.
This caused her to get to her car ahead of everyone else, and quickly unlock the passenger side door to rummage through the glove compartment for her *Chicago* CDs. Buddy still teased her mom over still using compact discs over stuff like ShuffleBoard or other digital playlist apps that the tech-doting kitten preferred, but Kathy justified that one day that stuff could go bye-bye.
“We’ll turn on the hot-plate and make stove-top hot chocolate,” Patty promised her calf, as she unlocked her station wagon vehicle to hoist her little guy into his seat in the back, as he’d gotten down to the cake cone of his ice cream.
“And you can use those square marshmallows with the chocolate fluff in the middle,” Alex added, ruffling his future step-child’s mussy hair.
And then Kathy honked her horn, thrice, and got the momma cow’s and her collie boyfriend’s attentions. The second they whipped their heads toward that blaring call, Kathy lit the ignition, and let the music play.
*You know our love was meant to be
The kind of love that lasts forever
And I want you here with me
From tonight until the end of time
You should know, everywhere I go
Always on my mind, in my heart
In my soul, Baby*
“Take her hand and dance, doggy-boy!” Kathy cheered through her cupped hands around her muzzle.
“Sweep her off her hooves!” Buddy included, hopping in place with her fist pumping on each word she spoke.
Patty and Alex looked each other, and then Rudy gave his mom a push from the back to answer for her what she ought to do with the collie. The momma cow chuckled, and Alex too, and they walked out a short few feet to start doing a slow dance to the song like a couple of teens at their first school dance as their first date.
*You're the meaning in my life
You're the inspiration
You bring feeling to my life
You're the inspiration
Wanna have you near me
I wanna have you hear me sayin'
No one needs you more than I need you*
Their shuffle was nothing elaborate or eye-catching. Patty had her hands over top of Alex’s shoulders, Alex had his paws on Patty’s wide hips, and they stepped back-and-forth in a circle. But the two of them looked into each other’s eyes as if they were the last beings alive. The collie and the heifer were slowly starting to let all the inconveniences of the day slip away like rainwater down a spout, and this made them stand closer together and Patty pulled herself into Alex to rest her head under his soul-patched chin and Alex wrapped his arms across Patty’s back.
*And I know, yes I know that it's plain to see
So in love when we're together
Now I know that I need you here with me
From tonight until the end of time
You should know, everywhere I go
Always on my mind, in my heart
In my soul*
This was the kind of moment that Alex wanted to live every day with Patty. Actually, now that he looked back on today, he saw that it was days like today that he wanted him and Patty to live.
“Patty?” Alex began, causing Patty to take her cheek off the top of his chest to look up at him with a smile on her face and love on her mind.
*You’re the meaning in my life
You’re the inspiration
You bring feeling to my life
You’re the inspiration
Wanna have you near me
I wanna have you hear me sayin’
No one needs you more than I need you*
“Today, and last night, has been crazy.” He told her.
“I find that crazy to believe.” She said back to him, joking.
“It’s also been, really great. Even the parts that had us pulling out our hair.” Alex said. “Getting the wrong rubber ducks, staying up until it was past midnight getting those washers on them, Mrs. Caroline Cooke abandoning us to the booth—”
“Rudy throwing a mean right hook at Tripp and Buddy throwing up all over Caroline?” Patty finished in wager.
“I’d call those highlights, but you and I should strongly discourage such behaviors in the future. We wouldn’t want those two *regurgitating* bad lessons to the other children.” Alex and Patty had themselves a giggle before the collie brought the momma cow back in for an embrace, so that he could hold her tightly and say his next words into her ear.
They weren’t the ones he prepped himself to say leading up to his intended proposal, but like he said to Rudy earlier; plans always change.
*Wanna have you near me
I wanna have you hear me sayin’
No one needs you more than I need you*
“I’d repeat this whole week, even at it’s worst, if it meant that I’d always relive moments like these. And… that’s how I feel about tomorrow, and every day afterward. You, I, and Rudy. Together, in that house of ours. Living through every not-so-great time because we… you and I, we know the good times are worth it. And I want to make that official.” That last word that Alex spoke, caused Patty to reel her head back slowly to look Alex in the eye, her own glistening a little as she prayed from within that he meant what she wanted to believe he meant.
“Patty Earls. I love you. It was magic when you and I laid together for that first time, and it’s been a dream being with you every day since then. I don’t have the ring yet, but it’s on its way. And I already talked to Rudy. I have his blessing to do what I’m about to say next.” Patty’s lip began to tremble and little happy droplets were starting to pool in her eyes as Alex continued to speak.
“Will you marry me?” It didn’t take even one second for Alex to wait for an answer as Patty threw herself toward him and kissed the collie, eliciting a whoop of congratulations from Kathy and a helping of a spinning and joyous screaming from Rudy. The real capper was when Kathy and Buddy whipped out some sparklers the mom-cat had brought with her and the gremlin kitten along with Rudy did their best to imitate flapping pelicans who thought July 4th was five months early.
Alex and Patty didn’t notice yet, as they were still busy pushing their lips together, with the song reaching it’s climax.
*You’re the meaning in my life
You’re the inspiration
You bring feeling to my life
You’re the inspiration
When you love somebody ‘til the end of time
When you love somebody
Always on my mind
No one needs you more than I
When you love somebody ‘til the end of time
When you love somebody
Always on my mind
I need you*
The momma cow and the mop-maned collie finally parted from each other, and Alex brought Patty in for a tighter hug out of the happiness he felt that she’d reciprocated his proposal.
“And, in case you’re still wondering,” Patty whispered to Alex, managing to steady her voice in spite of her ecstatic shudder. “That meant yes.”

End