Chapter Text
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“So why aren’t you inviting Ashley to the wedding?” Angela asked Tim as he poured himself a cup of coffee in the breakroom one afternoon.
Tim took a deep breath and shook his head. “...because we broke up…didn’t I tell you?” He looked uncomfortable, like he wanted to be done with this conversation as quickly as it started.
Angela narrowed her eyes and studied him carefully. She had been so caught up with planning the wedding and surviving her first year as Detective that she hadn’t had a chance to check in with her friend and see how he was doing.
She felt a little guilty about it because she had noticed that Tim seemed a little withdrawn the past few months.
Still, she was glad to hear that Ashley was out of the picture because she knew her friend and she never really understood why he was dating her. She appreciated that there was probably an initial attraction as Ashley was tall, blonde and beautiful but Tim definitely seemed to be someone who needed so much more than just physical attraction in a partner. He needed mental stimulation as well, and although Ashley was intelligent, they just didn’t seem to have much in common.
To Angela, it was clear that their relationship lacked tension- it lacked passion.
“Are you ok?” she asked Tim tentatively.
“Yeah…I mean, I think I always knew it wasn’t going to last. We just wanted different things in life. I’ll be fine” he said as he shrugged his shoulders.
Angela looked at him and considered whether she should bring it up.
Plus, being impetuous by nature as well as six months pregnant, her patience with choosing the right time and the right words was at an all time low.
“What about…” and she stopped herself.
She couldn’t kick him while he was down. She decided that Tim would tell her everything when the time was right. No matter how frustrated she was watching him suffer, she couldn't bring herself to open that can of worms.
“What?” Tim asked.
“Nevermind. Just make sure you bring your gorgeous single self to my wedding…I’m sure there will be plenty of single ladies dying to get a crack at you” she winked at him.
Tim chuckled but as soon as she left the breakroom his smile faded. The idea of dating anyone right now was still too painful. Lucy was still occupying his every thought, every minute of the day.
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Angela and Wesley’s wedding was beautiful.
The venue was chosen at the last minute due to a plumbing problem with her previous reception hall and Patrice, Wesley’s mom, had stepped in to save the day.
The new wedding reception venue was a beautiful courtyard patio, complete with water fountains and plenty of lush greenery. Colorful folk art papel picado strung along the trees highlighted Angela’s heritage and added a fun festive atmosphere to an otherwise formal event. Food and drink filled everyone’s bellies and there was an atmosphere of joy and festivity that was contagious.
The Mid-Wilshire family was mostly present that night and everyone was dressed to kill.
Tim sat alone at a high top table nursing a beer as he watched Lucy and Noah dancing.
Lucy wore a gauzy, flowy dress in a deep shade of emerald and her dark shiny hair tumbled around her shoulders in loose waves. She looked breathtaking and Tim couldn’t stop himself from staring at her. He always knew Lucy was attractive but he couldn’t believe he never noticed before how gorgeous she was. He was mesmerized by her and if it wasn’t for Noah, who seemed to be attached to her side, he would have been content to just sit and stare at her the whole night.
He was on his fifth beer by now…two beers past his limit and the more he observed them, the angrier at himself he got.
Lucy and Noah looked good together and she seemed happy.
All night long he watched as they snuggled closely and smiled at each other.
He observed as Lucy would whisper something in Noah’s ear and then she’d lovingly stroke his arm…and Tim felt like shit.
That could have been him… fuck.
He suddenly heard the stool next to him scrape across the pavers and he turned to see Angela awkwardly trying to climb on top of the seat. After a few ungraceful and unsuccessful attempts, she huffed in frustration and gave up.
“What’s going on with you, Bradford? Why are you sitting over here alone? You’re bringing down my mood” Angela said as she playfully jabbed his arm and when he didn’t look up from the table, she knew something was wrong.
“Hey..” she said in a more gentle tone.
“Is everything ok?”
Tim looked up and his eyes landed on Lucy and Noah moving rhythmically to a slow song on the dance floor. Angela’s eyes followed Tim’s and she realized what he’d been fixated on all night.
“She looks beautiful doesn’t she?” she said.
“Yeah…she does…but that guy, Noah…I just don’t know about him....” he said.
“Why? Did you hear something about him?” she asked.
Tim answered in an aggravated tone, “Well, not exactly…I just think she could do so much better than him”
Angela’s pregnancy hormones had her patience at an all time low so she answered with an exasperated tone, “Really? Well, who is good enough for Chen? It seems you don’t think anyone is..”
The extra beers and months of emotional torment finally caught up with him and he blurted out, “ I am , ok..I’m right for Chen but I blew it…I blew my one shot and I’ll regret it forever”.
He looked down at the crumpled beer bottle labels he’d been peeling off all night.
“I miss her Angela. I miss her so much it’s starting to get hard to concentrate on the job”
Angela patted Tim’s shoulders and said, “Oh, Tim…you need to tell her how you feel. Life is too short to miss out on what could potentially be the love of your life. All the years, I’ve known you, I don’t think I’ve ever seen you this torn up about someone…well, not since Isabel”
Tim nodded and said, “I can’t… look at her. She looks happy and anyway how’s that gonna look…me dating my former Rookie- it will never be appropriate. My timing was just way off and I’ll have to live with the fact that… it’s too late .”
Angela looked up at the star filled night sky in frustration, sighed heavily and said,
“Tim… look at me ? I’m 6 months pregnant! I look like I swallowed a basketball and I’m wearing a wedding dress…in WHITE !”
Tim said, “What’s your point?”
“My point?! My point is fuck the right time ! The right time is whenever YOU decide it is. If you think you will regret not telling Lucy how you feel then you NEED to tell her. If you don't, that regret will eat you up for the rest of your life and the next wedding you might find yourself sitting alone at, will be her’s and Noah’s…Do you really want that?”
Tim looked at his friend. He could always count on Angela to give it to him straight. She was annoying like that but she was always right.
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Lucy was on her way to the ladies room to freshen up her makeup when she heard footsteps behind her. She turned and was slightly startled to see Tim coming up to her. He hadn’t so much as said hello all night although she wasn’t surprised. They hadn’t had a single conversation since she’d returned from her UC Op.
Two women made their way out of the women’s restroom and before she had a chance to go in, Tim had closed the gap between them and he was suddenly behind her, “Lucy…wait” he called out.
As he came into better lighting she could see that his hair was disheveled and he looked like he’d had a few beers too many. Lucy had never seen him looking so out of control.
Tim finally had her undivided attention for the first time in weeks. He paused and looked into her eyes and said, “I never stopped caring about you…and as long as I live, you will be the most wonderful and the most tragic thing that ever happened to me.”
Tears started to well up in his eyes as he continued, “The regret I feel over how I handled this…and how I lost you will stay with me every day of my life. I miss you, Lucy. I miss you and I guess I realized way too late that I fell in love with you too that year.”
He stepped forward and wrapped his hands around her waist and pulled her to him and then he kissed her…he kissed her with a desperation and ferocity that not even he recognized.
When he finally pulled away he said as his voice cracked, “I’m sorry for everything”.
Tim walked away leaving Lucy stunned and in tears.
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Tim angrily wiped at the tears now flowing freely down his face and as he made his way to his car when he heard Lucy calling to him,
“Why do you have to keep doing this to me? I was finally moving past you! I was finally able to think straight…to not think about you every moment of my day…and then you tell me this! Why now when I’m finally smiling again? Is it that you’re that selfish?…can’t stand to see me like someone other than you? Is it an ego thing with you, Bradford? Why are you so infuriating!? You make me angrier than anyone I have ever known, Tim…and now …now I have to break up with Noah because I’m not going to be able to think about anything else but you again…”
As soon as he heard those words, Tim moved to close the distance between them, he slipped his arms around her waist and crashed his lips onto hers. He kissed her with a feverish desperation as if he needed her mouth to breathe and when he parted to catch his breath he moved on to cover her cheeks, her nose, and neck in tender kisses.
“I’m sorry…I’m so sorry, Lucy…I love you. Please come back to me. I’ll spend the rest of my life making it up to you…I swear it”.
Tears began flowing freely down Lucy’s face now and she finally smiled as she looked up at Tim. She gently caressed his cheek with her hand and said softly, “You better…you owe me, Bradford”.
Tim smiled and cupped her face with his large hand and said, “Yeah, I do but this is the happiest I’ve ever been to be wrong in my entire life” and he bent down to catch her lips in a soft and gentle kiss.