Prelude to The Wedding – two years later….

Tyra sat on the plane on the way to Chicago in a contemplative state. She was on her way to Matt and Julie's for the big bachelorette night before leaving for Dillon for the wedding the following weekend. She was just a little bit nervous about seeing Tim again. Two years had passed since she had professed her love for him…something she had been feeling almost as long as she could remember and they had seen each other a few times since that day. Mostly at holidays or for Mindy and Billy's kids' birthdays, but Tim had made the trip to UT a few times. She was always so happy to see him, and absolutely miserable when he left. Tyra had never loved anyone the way she loved Tim Riggins. He could make her the happiest girl alive some times and other times she wanted to murder him, but underneath it all, love resided in her heart for this man, a man who went to prison for his brother and his nephew. Tim had become a good man, almost in spite of himself.

As the ride continued, Tyra continued to recall the past two years and her relationship with Tim. Thinking back to the time she was with him in Dillon following his release from prison, a secret little smile crosses her lips. She was convinced at the time that she had made a giant mistake sleeping with Tim again, but he had been vulnerable and lonely, and well, she loved him…always had and always would. Time had changed that opinion and she realizes now that that night happened because their hearts wanted it to. She'd told Tim that he was just lonely when he made it clear he wanted to be with her because she thought if she pushed him away she could bottle up all those feelings she had for Tim, the ones that made it so hard to walk away. She HAD to walk away. She had to chase her dreams. She was just about finished with college now, and the future was still a little murky. She wanted to be with Tim, but she still felt she needed to pursue her dreams…she was just trying to figure out a way to "merge" their dreams together. She had received an offer from East Dillon high school to be a social studies teacher there, and was considering taking it, with her eyes focused on the future and her political aspirations. She could certainly spring board a successful teaching career into a run for mayor or Dillon one day, and wouldn't Tim be an adorable "First" husband? Wait, did she just think of Tim Riggins in terms of marriage? Really? Tyra shakes her head to clear that thought, but it holds steady in her mind. If Matt and Julie can make it work, why can't she and Tim do the same?