The Pick

  “Wait, when did you guys talk about this?”

  “Last night,” Tyson said like it was no big deal.

  “Really? You did a good job pulling everything off with just one day’s notice. I had no idea.”

  “That’s what I was going for. Kylie did most of the hard work though. I just had to make sure I was standing behind you when she handed you the bouquet.”

  “I wondered where you had disappeared to. By the way, where did you have the ring hidden? Because I’m pretty sure it wasn’t in your suit jacket.”

  “Well I knew if I had it on me all night, I would keep checking to make sure it was still there. Which you would have caught on to. Or you would have noticed it was in my pocket. So, David actually had it all night.”

  Ally laughed. “For some reason, I just find it funny and kind of weird that the groom at his own wedding had the engagement ring for a different girl in his pocket while he greeted everything who was there for his wedding.”

  “It worked out really well. Once you headed to the dance floor, David met me over by the drinks and handed me the ring box.”

  “Were you nervous?”

  Now it was Tyson’s turn to laugh. “I wasn’t until after they cut the cake. Then it started to sink in. But I once heard someone say not to worry. Because after she says yes, you will wonder why you were ever nervous in the first place. Which is exactly how I feel now. I don’t know why I was nervous.”

  “Did David tell you that?”

  “No,” Tyson said. “You did.”

  Ally looked at him confused. “I did?”

  “You told David that when he was nervous about proposing to Kylie. I might not have been the most pleasant person to be around that night. But for some reason, that stuck with me.”

  “Well I’m glad that I could be of service, when I didn’t even know that you were going to ask me to marry you. Speaking of getting married, when do you want to seal the deal?” Ally asked.

  “Is eloping still out of the question?” Tyson asked with a teasing smile as Ally nodded her head. “Okay, how about tomorrow?”

  “Tomorrow’s Sunday.”

  “Right,” Tyson said. “I’m thinking sooner than later. If that’s okay with you?”

  Ally nodded her head and smiled that smile that made him fall even more in love with her each time. Tyson wonder how he ever ended up with the most beautiful girl he had ever met.

  “Do you have your phone on you?”

  “Ya,” Tyson said as he pulled it out of his pocket and handed it to Ally.

  “Okay,” Ally said as she navigated his phone. “Well your next 5 Saturdays are booked. Then the one after that might be booked if you go to the Pac-12 Championship game. Then there’s finals week. We aren’t going to know when the bowl game will be. It could be any day in December or the first part of January. Then if by some miracle you guys end up in the National Championship, that will push it back another week. So that basically means we have to wait until the middle of January.”

  “Doesn’t school start again on the 16th?” Tyson asked trying to figure out when they could squeeze their wedding in.

  “I think so. It doesn’t look like we will get much of a honeymoon.”

  “I know you hate missing school, but you can miss a few days for our honeymoon,” Tyson said as he kissed her forehead.

  “I don’t know. I want to focus on us and if I’m worried about what I’m missing in class, then I’m going to be focused on that instead. It’s my last semester,” Ally said a little disappointed.

  “Can I look?” Tyson asked as Ally handed the phone back to him. “Why don’t we get married the Tuesday before school starts? I know it’s not ideal to get married on a weekday, but then we will still have a good four days before we have to be back for school.”

  “Ya, that could work,” Ally replied.

  “January 11th, it is then,” Tyson said.

  “January 11th,” Ally smiled. “It can’t come fast enough.”

  Chapter Fifty-Two

  Kylie looked out the window to see large snowflakes falling. She was grateful that the storm had held off until now. She was also grateful that she was inside the Tower at Rice Eccles Stadium and not in the seats surrounding the football field below her. That morning at the temple had been cold, but snow would have made things miserable.

  Fortunately, the reception would be over before the worst of the storm hit that night. But you only had to take one look at Ally and Tyson to know that they didn’t care that it was freezing outside or that a snow storm was threatening to keep people from coming to their reception. They were the happiest newlyweds Kylie had ever seen.

  In the weeks leading up to their wedding, Kylie had expected to be a lot more involved when Ally had asked her to be her maid of honor. But once Ally realized how many people would be coming to their reception, she knew that she couldn’t do it all herself and had decided to outsource most of the tasks. She worked with the decorator to include a few personalized decorations, but other than that, she had let others do the work for her. But Kylie couldn’t complain. At least she hadn’t had to stay up late making decorations, like she had to for her own wedding.

  Kylie was also surprised that Ally had chosen to have the reception at Rice Eccles. It wasn’t exactly rustic and that was what Ally had always wanted. It was one of the harder decisions that Ally had had to make during the wedding planning process. The decorator had done a good job incorporating rustic aspects, but Kylie knew that Ally had always wanted to have her reception at a venue with rustic charm, like a building with some exposed wood. Not in a big room that was built for conferences.

  But she knew that Ally had made the right choice, no matter how hard it was to give up her vision. There had been a steady stream of guests all night, even though there was a storm coming. Tyson and Ally knew a lot of people and when a majority of the football team walked in, Kylie knew that Ally would be forever grateful she had chosen a larger venue.

  “Ladies and Gentlemen, the bride and groom are going to cut the cake. If you want to watch, please make your way over,” the DJ announced as Kylie grabbed David’s hand and pulled him over to the cake. Tyson and Ally had always been the playful type, so she knew it was going to be good. She had to make sure she was in front. She was not going to miss this because she couldn’t see over the football team’s heads.

  Kylie couldn’t hear what Ally and Tyson were saying to each other over the conversations that were going on around her. All she knew is that their smiles were contagious as they cut the cake together. With a piece of cake in hand, the group quieted to see if Ally and Tyson would be nice to each other or not.

  They didn’t disappoint as they each shoved an entire piece of cake into each other’s faces. The guests cheered as Ally and Tyson kissed. But the football team couldn’t contain their excitement as Ally blindsided Tyson with a handful of frosting as they pulled away from the kiss. Tyson quickly swiped some more frosting and wiped it all over Ally’s face. They looked ridiculous with cake and frosting all over their hands and faces, but there was no doubt that they were in love.

  The final events of the night went by quickly as Tyson used a football to throw the garter to his buddies, Ally uneventfully tossed the bouquet, and the football team descended upon the refreshments while Ally shared a tearful dance with her dad. Tyson took Mr. Parker’s place on the dance floor, pulling Ally close when their song began to play. As Kylie looked around the room, everyone had smiles on their faces as they watched them sway back and forth. Most people knew what it had taken for Ally and Tyson to reach this point. Kylie wasn’t one to cry easily but when she saw her mom and Ally’s mom standing next to each other wiping away tears, she felt one of her own slip out.

  Kylie would have never thought back in high school that the two of them would actually get married. There had been some major bumps along the way, but they really were perfect for each other.

  The spectators cheered when Tyson twirled Ally around and
kissed her as he dipped her while the song came to an end. As everyone made their way onto the dance floor to dance the night away with Tyson and Ally, Kylie headed toward Ally and gave her a hug. They had both found their happily ever after and she couldn’t wait to see what the future held for both of them.

  Three Years Later

  Ally stood on the football field waiting for Tyson to exit the tunnel. It was senior Day and today was the last time Tyson would play at Rice Eccles Stadium. She couldn’t believe that this chapter in their lives was coming to an end.

  Being married to Tyson was better than Ally ever imagined it could be. She thought she had loved him before they had gotten married, but it still surprised her how much her love for him grew each day she spent with him. Every day she was grateful that she had chosen to marry him, because she knew without a doubt that she couldn’t live without him.

  Together they had endured tiny apartments, became parents, and supported each other while they worked to reach their dreams. Ally had ended up finding a job working for one of the Hawthorne’s close friends, upon a glowing referral from Justin’s dad. Tyson spent his days at school or doing whatever it took to improve his football skills. And they had welcomed a baby boy into the world a few months before football season started.

  Although their schedules didn’t always coincide, Ally’s favorite part of the day was right before they fell asleep at night. In Tyson’s arms, she knew that no matter what they had to endure, they could make it through as long as she had him by her side. Especially with the uncertainty their future held.

  The next chapter of their lives would begin in a couple months, as Tyson awaited the NFL Draft. The mock drafts had Tyson being selected early in the second round. But there was no guarantee as to which team would pick Tyson. They could be moving across the country or just a couple states away.

  Tyson’s name was announced as he exited the tunnel and the crowd erupted into cheers. Over the last two seasons, Tyson had become a face of the football team. Everyone recognized him. They couldn’t even go to the grocery store without someone wanting to take a picture with Tyson. At first it had bothered Ally, but she remembered that these people were also his fans. They wanted him to succeed just like she did. They were proud of him just like she was. Now, she wished she could tell them all thank you for supporting Tyson and believing in him just like she did.

  Ally was so proud of Tyson and how hard he worked to reach his dream. She hadn’t realized the toll it took on him until they were actually living together. She had never been around to notice how early he woke up each morning to head to the gym. She knew his days were busy, but when he came home exhausted, she felt guilty for the many times she had kept him up late while they were dating. But she felt even more grateful when he got up with Ethan in the middle of the night. She was amazed at how Tyson never seemed to complain, even when he had bruises and minor injuries. She was able to tell when he had had a rough day at practice versus a good day, but he always put her and Ethan first.

  Ally loved football, but watching what Tyson went through each day to be the best football player he could be, made her realize that she wouldn’t be able to endure what he did nor did she want to. Yet she did her best to support Tyson, because that’s what he wanted to end up doing every day of his life. They had talked about Tyson’s chances of going pro ever since they had started dating in high school. Now it was finally here. The chance to play in the NFL. Ally was excited for the possibilities that lay ahead for Tyson and their little family, but she couldn’t deny the fear of uncertainty she felt at times.

  Her eyes met Tyson’s as he walked toward her and his family with their 6-month-old baby boy in his arms. Ally couldn’t help but smile. Those two boys were her life. As long as she had them, everything was going to be okay.

  She hadn’t even realized that she had been crying until Tyson said, “I thought we said no crying today.”

  As he leaned in to kiss her she noticed the emotions in his eyes. Not only were emotions running high because they were playing BYU, but she knew what this game meant to him. Although it wasn’t the last game he would play as a Ute, since they would be going to a bowl game, it was the last time he would play in this stadium filled with Utah fans who had cheered him on to be the best he could become.

  “Right,” Ally replied. He had told her beforehand that he didn’t know if he was going to be able to hold back the tears if he saw Ally crying. So she quickly wiped the tears away while Tyson hugged his parents, Ally’s parents, Kylie, David, and gave a high five to his two-year-old nephew.

  “Alright, little guy. It’s time for you to go hang out with momma now,” Tyson said as he handed their son over to her. He pulled Ally in for another kiss.

  She whispered, “Go get ‘em Brooks.” Tyson smiled and jogged over to mid-field to join the other captains of the team for the coin toss.

  The game was too close for comfort as the fourth quarter started. Tyson and the defense had played well, holding BYU to only 10 points the entire game. But there wasn’t much more they could do, when Utah’s offense had only put 13 points on the board.

  All Utah really needed to do was put together a good drive down the field and take time off the clock. Most importantly, they couldn’t settle for the field goal. They needed to score a touchdown, to put them up by two scores instead of one.

  Everything seemed to go according to plan. They were successful at running the ball and there was only 3 minutes left in the game. But they came to screeching stop, as their quarterback got sacked, then they got a called for offensive pass interference, followed by a false start. They just couldn’t overcome the 38 yards they had to go to get a first down.

  This left the outcome of the game on the defense’s shoulders. They gave them a good fight, but BYU kept getting first downs and soon they were entering the red zone. Ally didn’t have a good feeling about the outcome of this game.

  It was third down and BYU only had one yard to go before they got a fresh set of downs. If they got the first down, Ally didn’t know if the defense could stop them from scoring a touchdown. She could tell by the way the defense slowly got to the line of scrimmage that they were getting tired. They had been on the field a lot today, no thanks to their offense. They had already made a lot of great stops, but could they do it again? Ally wasn’t sure.

  The crowd was screaming at the top of their lungs. It was really all they could do to help and encourage the defense. Ally turned to Kylie and yelled, “It’s going to be a run.”

  “Probably. It would be too risky to pass,” Kylie yelled back.

  As the quarterback hiked the ball, most of the defense committed to the run. But Tyson must have seen something different. Ally noticed him drop back and start heading toward the complete opposite side of the field. Instead of handing the ball to the running back, the quarterback settled into the pocket for a pass. That’s when Ally saw the open receiver running down the sideline as the quarterback threw the ball in his direction.

  The crowd held their breath, along with Ally, as Tyson cut the route in front of the receiver and went up for the ball. The crowd erupted as Tyson landed back on his feet, the ball in his hands. He didn’t make it far without being tackled, but it was enough to guarantee the win.

  Ally and Kylie hugged while high fives were shared around them. As Tyson handed the football to the referee, he turned to where his family was and pointed toward them. While the crowd cheered, thinking that he was pointing at them, Ally knew it meant much more than that. It was Tyson saying that the pick was for her.

  Ally’s dad turned toward Tyson’s dad and said, “I bet that will help his chances of getting picked earlier in the draft.”

  Tears sprung to her eyes as Tyson’s teammates celebrated with him. This is what he loved. He had picked her to join him on this journey through life. No matter where their future took them, she would be forever grateful that she had chosen him. She didn’t care if he got picked first or last in the draft, because in the
end, Tyson was her number one pick.

  About the Author

  Ashley Hardy Myers is an avid reader of LDS fictions novels. She has always dreamt of writing a book of her own and can now cross it off of her bucket list. She holds a bachelor’s degree in business education and loves spending time with her husband and family. Football is her favorite season of the year and spends every gameday cheering on the University of Utah. Go Utes!