A few days went by. Tim and I found ourselves sitting with Julie, Matt, and Tyra for lunch. That was when we learned Matt proposed to Julie over the weekend. I hadn't realized they were back together again although I should have known with how often Julie seemed to talk about him. I was a little distracted.

I stared at the ring Matt gave her. "So this was your grandma's engagement ring?"

"Uh, yeah." Matt smiled at Julie. "She really wanted Julie to have it."

"It's beautiful," I said, passing Julie's hand to Tyra. "It's simple, classic. Perfect for you, Jules."

"Thanks, Cat," she grinned. She grabbed Matt's hand with her right and squeezed. My heart warmed when they shyly glanced at each other.

I sat back into the crook of Tim's arm, one of my hands resting lazily on his thigh. "When are you plannin' on havin' the wedding?"

Julie shrugged. "We're not sure. We haven't had time to talk about anything yet. My parents have been difficult. We couldn't tell anyone until they accepted it."

I laughed. "I bet your dad was as pleasant as always."

"Totally."

I chuckled and zeroed in on Tim's hand toying with my hair. I turned my head to meet his gaze, suddenly wanting to bury my face into his neck as affection filled my body. Instead, I grinned and kissed his shoulder. One corner of his mouth turned up.

Julie and Tyra talked about school, letting me chime in a couple of times about my online courses. Tim and Matt reminisced about high school while explaining their plans for the future, Tim sharing his idea for a house. It felt so good to have us all together again.

I noticed Matt's eyes glance at Tim's State ring I started fiddling with while observing the conversations. He met my gaze, causing me to smile. It took long enough for someone to notice it and for someone to put together its meaning with us out of high school. Matt smiled back.

"Look at us," Tyra said. "You two are engaged." She looked at me and Tim. "You two are probably on your way down the same path and I'm halfway through college."

I smiled. "We sure are somethin'."

We all clinked our drinks together. Tim kissed the side of my head before taking a drink and rolling into a conversation with Tyra. Julie's smile broadened as she squeezed Matt's hand again.

Tim woke me up when he came home late from work. I turned over, blinking my eyes open as he got ready to take a shower. A smile came on my face when he leaned over to kiss my mouth. He whispered an apology for waking me up, but I silenced him with another kiss. My hands rubbed his chest and shoulders while sitting up more to give attention to his neck and jawline.

"Ya gotta let me shower, Cat," he said, not pushing me away from his skin. "I smell like the bar."

I hummed and pressed our lips together. "I don't care."

Tim chuckled, taking my face between his hands. "I know ya don't, but I do. I'd rather only smell you."

Nodding, I let Tim go. "Don't bother gettin' dressed, Tim."

"Wasn't plannin' on."

I wiggled my fingers as he left his room with a cheeky grin. The nearest pillow was wrapped up in my arms as I curled into a ball. My eyes closed, but I didn't fall back asleep. I stayed in that position until Tim came back.

As soon as the bed dipped from his weight, I latched onto him, causing him to chuckle. Once again, my hands roamed his torso. His skin was warm and a little damp from his shower. His hair was almost black and let a few water droplets fall on my face. I didn't care at all.

Boldly, I made him lie on his back so I could straddle his waist and leave kisses all over his neck and chest. "I'm so glad you're home," I muttered between every touch of his skin. "I hated goin' to bed without you."

Tim made me kiss his lips. "I love you."

I nodded against his lips as I rubbed up against him. I couldn't resist doing it again when Tim released a shaky breath. It felt exhilarated knowing I did that to him. Taking my time, I explored each way I could leave him a mess under me. All was cut short by a knock on the door.

At that point, I was no longer clothed and Tim was far from composed.

"Who the hell is knockin' this late," he growled, hips shifting.

I kissed him to block out the moan I wanted to let out. "Don't answer. Just act like we're sleepin'."

Tim helped me pull his covers over us, kissing me again. I buried my face into his chest and moved against him a few times. He grabbed my head, pushing it against him as he attempted to fight his body's reaction. I snickered and kissed his skin. We stilled when the bedroom door opened. We should have locked it.

Whoever thought it was a good idea to peek in so late at night didn't say anything. They seemed to stare for a few seconds and then shut the door back. We waited a few minutes before moving again.

I sat up. "Who was it?"

Tim reached out to grab my hips. "It looked like Billy. He must've heard me in the shower or somethin'. Maybe checkin' to see if I'm still here."

I nodded, running my fingers along his stomach. "I'm gonna lock the door so that doesn't happen again, okay?"

"Yes, please."

Quietly, I went over to the door and turned the lock. I waited for a second to hear if Billy was still awake. Once I was satisfied we wouldn't be interrupted again, I scampered back to Tim. I climbed onto him. Tim flipped me onto my back, telling me we weren't going to play around much longer. I kissed him hard to say I was content with it.

It took us a little while before we finally fell asleep.

The day before Christmas Eve, Tim and I took Skeeter to the property to let him run around and play. We set up chairs on the hill and watched the clouds roll through. Skeeter barked as he ran around us.

"I think we're gonna need another dog," I said, taking the can of beer Tim handed me. "Skeeter could use a friend."

Tim pulled the tab on his can and took a sip. "We can arrange that."

I bounced my leg while I studied the view. "This'll look real nice through a window." I tapped my fingernails against my unopened drink.

"Living room or bedroom?"

"Both." I could see Tim rearranging the house in his mind. A small smile grew on his face before he nodded.

A few birds chirped as they flew by and put Skeeter in a frenzy. I turned my head to watch our little dog chase them. His bark echoed across the hills as he disappeared into a couple of trees. I watched his little head come over the hill as he tried jumping up the tree. I giggled and rested my head against the back of the chair.

Tim found an amazing piece of land, not just for himself, but for Skeeter. I could imagine everything Tim wanted on that property even if I didn't know his vision exactly.

The sound of something tinging against my beer can made me look at it. I stared at the unopened can for a moment and brought my eyes to Tim. A full smile was on his lips as he watched me.

I secured the can between my legs to pick up the small ring sitting on top. There was a single, small white diamond set in a sterling silver band. It was simple and the prettiest piece of jewelry I ever laid my eyes on.

My beer can fell on the ground as I got up and nearly broke Tim's chair when I tackled him to the grass. His beer rolled down the hill, but he was preoccupied with my lips all over his face. I could feel him smiling when I captured his lips in a long kiss. I said a soft yes between each kiss that followed.

Tim had me sit up so he could take the ring from my hand and put it on my finger. My eyes wouldn't leave it as it settled perfectly on my ring finger. I laughed and took his mouth again. He fell back on the grass again, his hands in my hair.

Eventually, our kisses slowed to a stop, allowing me to cuddle up to his side. He grabbed my newly jeweled hand and twisted the ring a few times.

"Did Matt and Julie inspire you?" I asked, kissing his cheek.

"No. I talked to Tyra about it back when I was being an idiot. She helped me pick it out that day before I came back home. Billy helped pay for it."

"Billy did that for ya?"

"He asked me what he needed to do to apologize that night. I told him I was gonna marry you and he offered to help. He's also gonna help with the house."

I squeezed his hand and closed my eyes to listen to Tim's soothing heartbeat. My head rose and fell with every calm breath he took. It felt amazing to be in that single moment.

"Wanna fool around in your truck?" I finally asked, gazing at my ring.

Tim laughed and moved to hover over me. "Why the truck? Here's just fine."

I put our lips together. "Okay."

He smiled before kissing the palm of my left hand. My lips were next. I grinned into the kiss and tangled my fingers in his hair. Tim deepened the kiss in turn.

Skeeter didn't come back to us until we called him as we walked back to Tim's truck. He leaped up to lick our joined hands before climbing into the seat. Tim kissed me once before helping me into the truck, shutting the door for me. Skeeter curled up next to me, letting out a big sigh. He was out before we got off the property.

Tim and I met gazes and smiled while we left the property behind for the day. Our property where we would build our house to start our family together.