Chapter 3

Tyra and Tim arrive at the appointed restaurant to meet Matt and Julie. A happy reunion ensues, with everyone talking and laughing. Finally, everyone settles into their chair, but the chattering continues. In catching up, they find out that Matt is now a manager at the art gallery and will be finished with school the following summer. Julie is working part time and going to school full time. Her schedule is crazy. Tyra lets Matt and Julie know she's graduating in two months time, and she can't wait! Tim sits quietly as talk of school and careers float around him. When the attention turns to him, he has a surprise for everyone. He finally lets them know that in the two years since they've all been together, he's completed his Associates Degree in Physical Education and he has been offered an assistant coaching job with none other than the Dillon Panthers. Tyra can't believe her ears. Is this the Tim Riggins that was hell bent on moving to Alaska when he got out of prison? The lonely soul who seemed to be trying to hold onto her out of sheer desperation? Tyra, Matt, and Julie decide Tim's news calls for a toast. Champagne is ordered and Tim's accomplishments, along with everyone else's, are toasted properly. After a fabulous meal, the foursome say their goodbyes. They will meet up at Matt and Julie's apartment the next night for the pre-wedding festivities.

Tim hails them a cab for the return trip to the hotel. Tyra is very quiet while they ride to the hotel. Tim tries to make small talk, but after a few one word answers, he lapses into his own silence. They alight from the cab at the hotel and make their way to their room, still in silence. When the door closes behind them, Tyra launches herself into Tim's arms. She just holds on for a few minutes, before she finally tells him how proud she is of him and how she can't believe he didn't tell her he was going to school. He shyly replies he didn't want her to be disappointed in him if he wasn't successful. She glances lovingly at Tim, and quietly tells him she could never be disappointed in him, she tells him how much she really loves him. She lets him know that real love accepts the person for who they are, warts and all and that all that matters is that he tried. She's very glad he succeeded. Tyra is so happy, she almost feels like she can't trust it, like someone is going to come along and say "you're Tyra Collette, you don't deserve to be this happy" and take it all away. Her college degree will be gone before she even gets it, the job offer in Dillon, gone, her rediscovered love with Tim, gone. She tells Tim her fear of that happening. Tim holds her a little tighter and tells her even if everything else got taken away, he's not going anywhere. Tyra stares into Tim's eyes for a moment and then leans in and kisses him gently. Tim kisses her back, slowly taking the kiss deeper and deeper until they are locked together and you can't tell where one begins and the other ends. They make love, and it's different then it's ever been with them. It's not all speed and urgency, but slow and tender. As they lay wrapped together, Tim tells her this is where they are meant to be, and she agrees. They both acknowledge that every twist and turn in their lives over the past seven years have been necessary to bring them to this place. Tim tells her he has one last surprise for her. He was going to wait, but he can't any longer. He untangles himself from Tyra, who protests being apart from him, even for a few minutes, and goes to his duffel bag. He secretly removes the ring box, the one holding the ring he bought for Tyra when he finished school. Hiding the box, he comes back to the bed. He takes Tyra's face in his hands, leans in, and brushes his lips to hers. Tim says he's not sure how to ask her this, so he's just going to blurt it out. He produces the ring box from behind his back and opens it. "Tyra Collette…will you make me the happiest man alive, and marry me? I want to be with you forever, I love you." Tyra's feels tears well up in her eyes as she stares at this man, offering her his heart in the form of one of the most beautiful emerald rings she had ever seen. Her heart was near to bursting when she said the three letter word Tim longed to hear. "Yes" and she was in his arms once more. Tyra broke the embrace with a quizzical look…she asked Tim why an emerald and not a diamond. Tim replied that everyone proposes with a diamond, and they certainly weren't like everyone else. Besides, Tim says…emeralds are more rare and precious than diamonds, just like you. They fell asleep in each other's arms. Neither of them had slept that well in years.