Sorry for the long wait. But here it is. It's a little short, but the next chapter should be longer as I had a bit of writer's block, but am pretty sure I know where I'm going with this now. Thanks for sticking with it! - B.
To say she was shocked was the understatement of the year. Of all the people she had been expecting to be standing on the other side of the door, Carter was never one of them. She had expected another Riggins. Becky Sproles. Even Tyra Collete would have been preferable to Carter. She would not have been surprised to never see him again, and she hadn't really wanted to either. Watching him standing there, looking nervous and unsure just made her blood boil. In the moment she had felt like he'd ruined everything. He'd ruined her whole, perfect little life. Now she knew better, he hadn't ruined anything. He'd provided her with the opportunity to make her life exponentially better because he had provided her the opportunity to reconnect with Tim.
She was over Carter. She knew that the chapter of her life that he had been a part of was finished and she didn't anticipate ever writing a new one. However, that didn't mean she didn't have a million questions to ask him.
Not that the answers mattered anymore. She was moving on. She was staying at TIM'S house for goodness sake, she was wearing Tim's shirt right now, but still, why had he cheated? What had she done to make him stray? Why not just break up with her? How long had it been going on? How long had she been played for a fool? Had he ever loved her? The questions were racing through her head. Because no matter how she looked at, no matter how big of an ass Carter had turned out to be, part of this still, somehow, had to be her fault. Didn't it?
She felt like she needed these answers, because as wonderful as Tim was, after everything that happened, would she ever be able to truly trust someone again? She thought that the answer was probably yes, but what if it wasn't. Tim didn't deserve for her insecurities to mar their relationship, and if Carter straying was somehow her fault, who was to say that Tim wouldn't do the same thing?
Carter just stood, staring at her expectantly almost as if challenging her to say something. Challenging her to send him away. What was he waiting for? After all, he'd knocked on her door.
She was suddenly aware of how underdressed she was. She had thrown on one of Tim's button ups and nothing else. Not that Carter hadn't seen it all before, but he had no right now. It had only been a few weeks, but the dynamic of their relationship had changed, and the way he was looking at her made her feel nothing if not completely uncomfortable. It was hard to believe this was the person who had been her best friend, the person she thought she'd spend the rest of her life with.
She felt embarrassed to be wearing Tim's shirt. Not that she was embarrassed of Tim, but it was proof she'd moved on, and rather quickly. Not that she owed Carter anything, he was the one who had ruined it all, but part of her still wanted to spare his feelings. He may have been a horrible person, but she was not.
She finally spoke. They couldn't just stare at each other all day. "I don't know what Buddy told you-"
Carter seemed nervous. Such a far cry from the sophisticated, confident man he'd always portrayed himself as. "He said I should come and find you. That you were confused, and that if I came down here and spoke with you we might be able to work things out."
Lyla just rolled her eyes. "Oh, he said all that, did he?"
Carter nodded.
"Buddy has got his wires crossed. Because the truth of the matter is, I don't want anything to do with you. There is not a chance in Hell that anything you have to say to me can change my mind about anything that you have done." She had to speak slowly to calm the wavering of her voice. She didn't want to yell, but she wanted to get her point across.
"Not even if I tell you that I love you."
She let out a laugh. Love? What did Carter know about love? "Especially not that. I don't think you ever loved me, Carter. The way you treated me, you don't do that to someone you love."
"You did it to Jason Street."
Lyla was shocked. Was he really going to throw the mistakes she had made as a teenager in her face? "Wow" She paused. She had to get her bearings on this one. "Just….Wow. I was sixteen years old, Carter. I didn't even know what love was. I thought I knew, but - Look, I don't have to explain myself to you, and you can try to justify your actions, but no matter what you say, what you did was wrong. What I did at sixteen was wrong. You think I don't know that?" Lyla didn't want to start crying. She wasn't sad, but she was angry, and when she got angry she cried. She didn't want him to mistake her tears as an opportunity for reconciliation.
Carter could tell he wasn't getting anywhere, so he changed the subject. Making her angry wasn't going to help his cause. "Did you get any of my messages? I've called you about a million times."
She sighed heavily. "No. I haven't heard a single one. My phone has been off since I left Nashville."
"I tried to explain, I apologized, I'm so sorry, Lyla." He turned his gaze to his feet, which he was shifting about nervously. "Let me make this right."
Lyla shook her head furiously. "No."
His eyes shot up to hers. He wasn't expecting that. She'd always been so agreeable, so willing to forgive, such a perfect little specimen of dependent, submissive female. She saw his demeanor change instantly from nervous to angry. "So, you're shacking up with your ex-boyfriend. Already? It's kind of soon, don't you think?"
"At least I waited until we were broken up. And he's not my ex-boyfriend anymore." Lyla was giving up on sparing his feelings. She just wanted him to go.
He turned to look at the horizon before turning back to her. " Seriously? Lyla, come on. Just talk to me. You don't need him, you need me."
Lyla was starting to shake, with anger, annoyance, all of the above. "I am talking to you, even though I want to slam the door in your face."
"We can make this work."
Lyla made to go back inside. "I'm done here, Carter. I'm sorry you wasted your time coming out here, but Buddy is an idiot, and I've moved on." She went to shut the door, but Carter stuck his foot in the way, stopping her.
"You're moving on with that moron, Riggins? The one you told me about? The one you were secretly mooning over for all these years? He's not worth your time, Lyla. Are you looking forward to conjugal visits when he gets thrown in the slammer again?" Carter was beyond angry now. He wasn't used to losing, especially to someone so "beneath" him.
Lyla once again tried to shut the door. "I really think you should go."
"No." He was stronger than her, and his foot was still in the way.
Lyla stepped back outside since she couldn't shut the door and turned so that her back was to the driveway and she was facing the door. "What is it that you want from me?"
He tried to grab her hand and she pulled away. "I want you to give me another chance. I want you to come home with me."
Lyla was growing more and more uncomfortable. Carter had a temper, and there was no telling what he'd do if he were to get angry enough. "That's not happening."
"Lyla, we were happy."
She crossed her arms over her chest and sighed. "Then why'd you do it? If you were so happy, why cheat?"
He ran a hand nervously through his hair. "I don't know. I just got caught up in living the double life, it was exhilarating. It was like a game, and I was the master player."
"You're a child." He was inching closer to her, and she had back up as far as she could. "That's something a child does, doesn't appreciate the toys he has, so has to find new ones, too. You weren't happy, Carter. I don't think you will ever be happy."
"You didn't sleep with me enough-"
Lyla just shook her head. Men could really be pigs. She'd slept with him more often than she'd wanted to. He was a glorified boy. He wasn't looking for a meaningful relationship, he was looking for someone to be in his bed on the regular. "Please, go."
"I'm not leaving without you."
"You don't have a choice."
This time he moved towards her to grab her arm, when Tim appeared, seemingly out of nowhere, back from his morning run. Lyla had never been more happy to see him in her entire life. "Is there a problem here?" he asked. All calm, cool, and collected.
Lyla looked up at him with nothing but gratitude in her eyes. "No problem, Carter here was just leaving."
"The infamous Carter." Tim stuck out his arm to shake his hand. He did owe the guy an awful lot.
Carter just hit Tim's hand out of the way. "I'm not leaving. I'm not done here."
Tim planted himself securely between Carter and Lyla. "Yeah, I think you are. And I really think you should go."
Lyla took this opportunity to jet into the house without so much as a word of farewell to Carter.
Tim stayed standing on his porch while Carter looked him up and down.
Carter was the first to speak. "So, you're the famous Tim Riggins?"
Tim shrugged. "I guess I am."
Carter stepped closer, so that he was toe to toe with Tim. They were about the same height, similar build, though Tim probably had at least twenty pounds of muscle on him. "This isn't over. I'm not used to losing, and I'm not going back to Nashville without her."
Tim remained calm, stoic. "That's not your decision to make. That's Garrity's, and I think you'd be wise to respect whatever one she makes."
Carter laughed. A half crazed kind of laugh. "Oh, I will. You really think when she thinks it through YOU will be the one she chooses? You're not right for her, you never have been. You're beneath her."
Tim wasn't going to let this hot shot city boy intimidate him. He knew what Lyla needed, she needed him just as much as he needed her, but if this guy wanted to think otherwise, think he knew Lyla better than he did, well good luck to him. "We'll see, but I love her enough to let her make the choice and respect whatever one she makes. So if she picks you, I'll let her go, because loving her means wanting her to be happy, even if it's with someone else."
"Aren't you so noble?" Carter took off towards his car. "I'll be seeing you around, Tim, and you can tell Lyla the same."
Although Tim hadn't shown it, he was more than a little aggravated. To come home and see some strange guy on his porch, trying to put his hands on his girlfriend. Thank God he'd shown up when he had. Carter hadn't looked happy, and was moving in on Lyla. He was going to prove for once in his life that he was the bigger man, but if that guy so much as laid a finger on Lyla, his Lyla, there was no telling what he would do.
When he went in the house, he didn't see her. She wasn't in the living room, the kitchen, the bedroom. He noticed that that bathroom door was closed, and when he tried to the knob, it was locked. He stood outside and pressed his forehead to the door, closing his eyes as he did so. He raised his arms and set them against the frame. "Lyla?" He asked, softly.
"I'm fine," she answered, after a minute.
"Can we talk about it?" his voice was still soft, his eyes still closed.
She opened the door a smidge. He could tell she had been crying. Her eyes were red and puffy. "There's nothing to talk about. I just want some time alone."
He lowered his hands. He took her in. His heart was breaking for her. Life shouldn't be so hard, but it had been. They both had known more heartache, pain, and suffering than anyone their age should have to know and right now, there was nothing he could do about it. He nodded. "You can come out of the bathroom. I have to go help Billy with a few things anyway. Take some time." He turned to leave and heard her creep up behind him. She tugged on his shirt and he turned around.
She threw her arms around him and exploded into tears. Her sobs racked her body and he could feel her shaking in his arms. He smoothed her hair and whispered calming words to her. He didn't believe for a second that she still had feelings for the guy, but he was here to throw yet another wrench into her plans, and at the urging of her father. Plus, it had to be emotional to see someone who you had been so invested in. All he could do was comfort her.
Lyla wasn't quite sure why she was crying. She just wished everyone would disappear and all that would be left were Tim and her. Seeing Carter just made her think, brought up all these feelings of inadequacy and self-loathing. She hadn't done anything wrong, but he made her feel like she had. He made her feel like she wasn't enough, like she'd never been enough. She was crying because she hated him, hated her father, and at this moment hated herself. Because here was Tim, who made her feel like she was more than enough, like she was everything that ever mattered, he'd told her as much six years ago when she'd asked what he wanted and he'd replied, "you," and she was crying because some dirt bag had shown up.
She pulled herself from Tim's arms and wiped at her eyes. "I'm sorry you have to deal with me crying every other day. It shouldn't be like this."
"You're going through a lot, and I'm here to help you deal with all of it. If that means I have to see you cry, as much as it breaks my heart, I'm here for you." He kissed her on the forehead before turning to leave. It was the last thing he wanted to do, but if she needed time, he'd give her time. He wasn't going to do anything to ruin this.
He had contemplated going to Buddy's and giving the guy a piece of his mind, but he was still Lyla's dad, and he hoped that the relationship between the three of them could be repaired, and hopefully soon. It would be easy to get Lyla and her dad together again, but Buddy and himself? The relationship between the two of them had only blossomed when Lyla had left for Nashville, when Buddy thought there was no chance in hell that she'd ever be back with Tim. Who knew what the future would hold for them now. He was very much going to be a part of Lyla's life, and maybe it was just time for Buddy to realize that his little girl was capable of making her own decisions. She was capable of determining her own happiness.
He pulled his truck into the familiar lot at the high school. It was funny that even after all these years, Hermann Field still felt like home. Billy would be here today, running drills with the Panthers. Tim thought it'd be nice to run drills with the kids, get some aggression out. He liked to come and help with the practices whenever he had time. It kept him in shape, and it kept him sane. He had a feeling he would have gotten into a lot more trouble than he did in high school had it not been for football. He'd been able to take out a lot of his anger on the field, and over the years, he'd just gotten less angry. He'd dealt with the hand he'd been given and learned to make the best of the situation at hand. He had learned to be grateful for the things he had rather than angry about the things he did not. And now that Lyla was back, he had a whole lot to be grateful about. So if some city boy hotshot thought he was going to waltz in to town and take her away from him, well, that city boy had another thing coming.
Sometimes when Tim came to the high school it felt like he'd never left. Maybe part of him felt like he was reliving his glory days, but most of the time, it just made him feel old, and miss his old friends, Six, Seven, the Taylors. High school had been a good time. Tyra, the rally girls, football, state, Lyla. He'd made mistakes, sure, but who hadn't, but he'd also had the time of his life. Maybe he'd peaked in high school, it sure hadn't been uphill since.
Walking up to the field he saw Billy, trying to look official in his blue hat, with his whistle in his mouth, who waved him over. "What's up, Baby Bro?"
Tim just moaned and yanked the whistle out of Billy's mouth. "It's not even eleven and a whole lot."
Billy didn't take his eyes off the field or the players. "Everything okay?"
Tim kicked at the turf. "Yes" he paused. "No," he paused again. "I hope so."
Billy just eyed him carefully but didn't say anything. He knew Tim would continue regardless.
"Lyla's ex-fiancee showed up at my house this morning."
Billy's eyes about popped out of his head. "That guy's got some balls, huh?"
"Hey, two-seven, you gotta run if you're gonna run the ball," Tim yelled at the Panther's current fullback before returning to the conversation at hand. "I guess. He seems like kind of a hothead. Says he's not leaving Dillon without her."
"What does Lyla say?" Billy asked, before sticking the whistle back in his mouth and blowing.
"She's not going anywhere." Tim said as he picked up a stray ball and tossed it around in his hands.
"Then what's the problem?"
Tim threw the ball down at his feet and fired a few punches at the blue dummy standing next to him. "This guy is the problem. What's he going to do? I'm scared for her, Billy. He seems like he's got a temper. He probably would have laid a hand on her had I not shown up when I did. And he seems serious about trying to get her back. I can't compete with that. He's got a fancy car, a hotshot job, tons of money, what do I have?"
Billy placed a comforting hand on his brother's shoulder which caused Tim to stand still for a second. Billy could feel his shoulders slump as he did so. "You have what he wants, Tim. And you have the only thing that really matters to you. You have Lyla."
"Yeah, but she's not just some piece of meat. She's not a possession. I don't own her. I love her, Billy. I love her enough to let her go with this guy if that's what she wants."
"Tim, she came down here to Dillon to get away from the guy. She doesn't want him. She doesn't want his money, or his fancy cars, you know as well as I do that those things were never important to her. If they were she would have never dated you in high school. You've never had those things."
"Ha ha," Tim replied dryly. "I know you're right, but I'm still scared, Billy."
"It's natural, Tim. You've loved Lyla more intensely than you've ever loved anyone, but you've also been hurt by her more intensely than you've ever been hurt by anyone. Of course you're scared."
"I can't lose her again, Billy. Not when I just got her back. Not when we finally have a real shot."
"Bro, you just keep doing what you're doing. You just keep supporting her, and being there for her-"
"I think I'm gonna ask her to marry me."
Billy did a double take. "Excuse me?"
"I've never been more sure of anything. I want to spend the rest of my life with her. I want a family with her."
"You aren't just doing this to make sure you don't lose, are you? I mean, she was JUST engaged. I don't know if she's ready for this, Tim. I mean to go from fiancée to fiancée in less than a month. Besides she just came back, what, four days ago? Be real, Tim!" Billy had pulled his focus away from the team and settled fully on his brother. This was important.
"I am being real. I'm serious."
"Listen to me, bro. I think that you and Lyla are meant to be. I may not have thought it before, but I see the way you are with each other, and I believe it. But if you propose to her, you are going to freak her out, just take it slow. One day at a time. Look, after all these years the two of you have found your way back to each other, that's got to mean something, right?"
"Yeah, maybe you're right, Billy,"
"Of course I'm right. I'm always right. It's no coincidence that she came to town when she did. When Buddy just happened to be out of town, and you just happened to be closing down the bar that night, it's fate, Tim. Pure and simple." Billy was smiling now. He had to make Tim see. Tim had to see that he could be more of the man that this hotshot lawyer was.
Tim rolled his eyes. Billly was seldom right. Copper wire, chop shop, listening to Billy usually ended up bad, but maybe he was right. He shouldn't rush things just because he was afraid of what she might do, because in his heart, he knew she'd be his forever, or at least that's what he hoped.