We had to drive to the property the second we heard thunder. Finishing the house was taking longer than Tim hoped because Billy's time was limited with his twins on the way, I was waist-deep in assignments, and we didn't have many people around to help us out.

Tim and I climbed onto the roof and rushed to cover it as best we could with a few tarps. As soon as lightning streaked across the sky, I made us get down. We took refuge inside the house, the walls covered in drywall. The upstairs wasn't nearly as finished.

I looked out the rectangle hole where Tim planned for a window. The rain fell and thunder rolled over the hills. The trees shook as the wind picked up speed. I sat on the wall with my legs hanging out of the house.

Tim stood behind me, his hands resting on my shoulders. My head fell back against his stomach as he squeezed the muscles around my neck.

"Is it supposed to be sunny tomorrow?" I turned my head to rub the tip of my nose along his arm.

"Maybe." He bent over me to look at my face upside down. "I'll be out here early if it's nice."

I tilted back to press a kiss to his mouth. "I can come help as soon as I finish my drawing for class. That is if you want me to."

Tim kissed me and ran his fingers along my throat. His lips soon replaced them.

"I'm gonna take that as a 'Yes, please help me work on our house, Cat.'"

"Please, Cat," he whispered in my ear as he wrapped his arms around me.

"Of course, Tim." I grabbed his arms. "I can't wait until it's done."

"A house to ourselves."

"Yeah, until you get me pregnant."

He laughed into my shoulder. "Sounds great, Barton."

"You won't get to call me that one of these days."

"Nope." He turned me around to face him and knelt down. Tim put his hands on my waist and kissed my knee. "I'll just have to call you Riggins."

"But that's what I call you."

"So there'll be two of us then."

I cradled his face and stared into his eyes. "Just the two of us," I sang softly before belting out the next line, leaning back and clenching my eyes shut.

Tim made me look at him so he could press a loving kiss on my mouth.

I hummed the melody against his lips to make him laugh. I kissed his cheek. "I'm so damn lucky to have you, Tim Riggins."

A gentle smile lit up his face as I brushed his hair with my fingers. "I'd say I'm luckier."

My cheeks flushed as he stood again and kissed my forehead.

By the time May rolled around, the house was finished.

Tim and I stood out front to stare at it.

It was two levels, but still quaint. The porch wrapped around the perimeter with a sunroom on one side. Windows stretched across the front of the bottom floor while the second level only had two windows in the front. The door was bright red. All the windows had black shutters to match the grey siding. Tim made sure there was a two-door garage on one side of the house that attached to the gravel drive.

I wrapped my arms around Tim. "We have a home."

"We still need carpet and paint, but yeah, we do."

"You did it."

Tim stood in front of me. "We did it, Barton. This wouldn't have happened without you, ya know."

Standing on my toes, I gave Tim a kiss. "You could have done it without me, but I'm glad you didn't."

"You got anything goin' on for the next hour?"

"No, why?"

Tim hoisted me onto his shoulder and brought me inside. I laughed and smacked his butt once he walked into our bedroom.

"We don't even have furniture, Tim!" I shouted.

"But we have a bathtub."

"You're ridiculous."

He put me down just to pin me to the wall with a heated kiss. "Come on, Barton. We have a house to break in."

I pulled his hips closer to mine. "Here's fine." I helped him pull his shirt over his head. My lips hovered a breath away from his. "At least wait until we have plumbing before suggestin' the tub."

Tim worked on my jeans. "I'll keep that in mind."

Our lips met and I hummed as Tim lifted me higher so my legs could go around his waist.

Yeah, I was damn lucky.

Neither of us had much furniture to move in once the house was finished on the inside. Tim only had his dresser and a side table – plus a few smaller items. We still had to get my things out of my parents' house.

They were home when Tim and I pulled up with his and Billy's trucks. Mom was livid when she caught a glimpse of the ring on my finger. Dad kept his hard gaze on Tim while I calmly explained why I was there. Dad was the one who agreed to let me grab my things. Mom decided to argue with him, causing us to move fast to get out of there.

My dad called Tim over once we were loaded up. I chewed on my lips as I watched them talk. I didn't feel any better when Tim came back to the trucks telling me Dad wanted to talk to me, too.

"Dad," I said once I was close. "You wanted to talk?"

"Are you happy?"

"Yes."

"Because of that boy?"

"Always because of him. He takes care of me... he loves me."

Dad sighed and rubbed his face. It was the first time I saw him break his façade. "Then love him better than we've loved you, Catherine."

Tears pricked at my eyes. "You loved me?"

"We always did and still do. We're not good at showing it. It's a wonder where you learned how to love others."

"I didn't want anyone to feel like I did."

"I'm sorry, Catherine." He glanced at Tim who stared at the clouds. "Never let him feel neglect. Never let your kids feel it either. It makes you bitter. Be a good wife."

Nodding, I wiped my eyes. "I can do that. Thank you, Dad."

"If you need help with the wedding or the house, use this." He handed me a credit card. "Your mother doesn't need to know."

I gazed at the man I never really knew and swallowed the lump in my throat. "Please come to the wedding. Mom, too. It's the first of November."

"We'll see." It was better than a flat decline.

I walked back to Tim's truck still wiping my face.

He kissed my lips and then my forehead. "You okay?"

"Yeah. Just surprised."

Tim looked at my dad and opened the truck door for me. "I'll see you at home. Drive safe."

"You, too." I kissed him. "See ya back at our house."

He smiled and shut the door. Tim lifted one hand toward my dad before getting into Billy's truck.

I left that house for the first time with a positive feeling toward my dad. It was strange but good.

Thanks to my dad, Tim and I were able to snag a cheap loveseat from the Salvation Army after we dropped off the furniture we got from my parents' house.

Tim sprawled out on it once we got it inside. I smiled and laid on top of him, my head on his chest. He wrapped his arms around me and kissed my head.

"We live here now," I said. "This is our place."

He turned to look at the bare living room. "It doesn't look like much yet. We've got a few things to still get."

"There's no rush except on the Internet. I need it for homework."

"We'll get it this week."

I stared at Tim. "You made an amazing house, Tim. I'm excited to live with you – just us."

"No more interruptions." He kissed my lips slowly.

"We might wanna consider lockin' the front door more often." Our lips connected again. "Just watch. Billy's gonna walk in here one day without knockin' and find us preoccupied. Oh, God, what if Becky comes over?"

Tim chuckled and ran his fingers across my back. "We'll lock the door."

"Do you think we'll ever get tired of each other?"

"Nope. Never. I like you too much and I know you like me."

"Some might say I love ya."

He hummed as he kissed me again. "I think they'd say the same for me, Barton."

I climbed off Tim, scurrying to the front door and latching it. He chuckled as I crawled back on him and kissed up his torso as I lifted his shirt.

I gazed at him after he tugged it over his head, lying under me with a cheeky grin. "You're welcome to walk around here like this whenever I'm home," I sad as I ran my nose along his pecks and collarbone.

"I'd hate to distract you from your homework."

"I have an assignment coming up about the human body." I pressed my lips to his. "You'd be the perfect model, ya know. I'd get to stare at ya and get my homework done."

"If it'll make you happy." He bunched up hair at the back of my head as I kissed his throat.

"You always make me happy, Tim Riggins."