Back home from their dreamy Paris getaway, Ryan Trahan and Haley Pham traded croissants and cobblestone streets for something way more chaotic—RC cars and backyard mayhem. The sun was out, Texas-style, and Ryan had the energy of a 10-year-old at a birthday party, crouched low next to his brand-new turbocharged remote control car like it was a Formula 1 vehicle.

“Okay, but this one is faster than the last one,” Ryan said, eyes locked on the tiny car already zipping in loops across the driveway.

Haley stood a few feet away, her own RC car in hand, pink and decorated with glitter stickers and book quotes she scribbled on the top. “You just say that every time yours wins. Yours cheats.”

“It literally can’t cheat. It’s a robot,” Ryan replied, grinning like a kid. “You, however, conveniently ‘disconnect’ your controller every time I take the lead.”

Haley narrowed her eyes in mock suspicion. “Maybe my car’s just shy. She needs a warm-up lap.”

The two of them raced through their backyard, the cars leaping off makeshift ramps made from cardboard boxes, zooming under lawn chairs, and spinning donuts in the flowerbeds (which Ryan was totally going to deny responsibility for). At one point, Haley’s car flipped upside down mid-race and Ryan dramatically sprinted across the lawn to rescue it like it was a fallen soldier.

“See?” Haley laughed, recording him on her phone. “This is what marriage is all about. My hero.”