Work Text:
1.
The first time Tim hears a song that reminds him of Lucy, they’ve only been dating for a couple months. He’s driving to her apartment after work and he’s flipping through radio stations. He pulls up to a red light when he hits the button on his steering wheel and he hears the words:
What my world spins around
He immediately thinks of Lucy and chuckles to himself. How appropriate. He thinks. She is and always will be what his world spins around. He doesn’t consider himself a country music fan but he decides to keep the station on and listen to the rest of the song.
I don’t even know what it is but now that I found it
I can’t imagine me living without this
Back forty view on our piece of ground
Watching you watch the sun goes down
That’s what my world spins around
You’re what my world spins around
What my word spins around
The song ends too quickly and Tim realizes he only heard the end. He’s at another red light so he quickly turns the radio off and pulls up the music app that Lucy insisted he download on his phone. He does a quick search of the lyrics he remembers and finds the song. He lets it play and smiles to himself as the lyrics remind him of his relationship with Lucy.
He pulls into the parking lot in front of her building a few minutes later and makes his way upstairs. Before he can even pull his key out, the door swings open and he sees his world standing in front of him.
She launches herself into his arms and he carries them back inside. He kicks the door shut with his foot.
“Hey baby” he murmurs as he sets her down and dips down to kiss her.
Lucy melts into him and wraps herself around him. He pulls back and rests his forehead on hers, looking deeply into her beautiful brown eyes. She moves her head to bury in his chest and presses herself to him. He returns her embrace and rests his chin atop her head and runs his hands up and down her back.
“You okay?” Tim asks as he kisses the top of her head and breathes in her scent.
“Just missed you, that's all.” She looks up at him with eyes full of pure love and he can’t help but smile and lean down to kiss her again.
“You saw me a couple of hours ago at work.” He teases.
“Yeah and those few hours in between were brutal.” She retorts, pulling him back in for another hug. “I’m just glad you’re here now.”
“Me too baby. Me too.” he lets her hug him until she lets go and then leads them to the couch where he can see a true crime show is paused on the TV.
“Dinner should be here soon.” Lucy tells him and he nods gratefully.
He’s staring at her affectionately and she catches him staring, a blush threatening her cheeks.
“What?” she asks curiously.
“Can I show you something?” he asks, pulling out his phone.
“Of course babe.” She leans over thinking he’s going to show her a picture or something else but sees that Tim is pulling up the music app she made him download and she smiles to herself that he’s actually using it.
Tim goes into his recently listened and pulls up the song he listened to on the way home.
“So I heard this on the way home and it made me think of you and I wanted you to hear it.”
Lucy looks up at him, fighting back tears at how sweet that statement was. Tim lets the song play and Lucy bops her head along, eventually losing the battle with her tears. She swipes at her eyes as a few fall.
“Oh baby. I didn’t mean to make you cry.” Tim pauses the song and pulls her in close.
“They’re good tears. Don’t worry.” She taps his phone to unpause the song so she can hear the rest of it.
The song finishes and Lucy looks up at Tim from her spot curled into his side.
“I love everything about you and you are what my world spins around Lucy Chen.”
The gravity of his words settle in and Lucy feels him stiffen as she shifts so she can look at him properly.
“Luce. I- I’m sorry- I didn’t- if it was too soon- I-” his rambling is cut off by her lips on his.
They both smile into the kiss and Lucy pulls back first. “I love everything about you too Tim.”
“Yeah?” His blue eyes light up and he can’t stop the smile that spreads across his face.
“Yes. You are what my world spins around too.” She teases and kisses him again.
Lucy settles into Tim’s side once again and they replay the song and just revel in each other’s presence until dinner arrives.
2.
When Lucy hears the song she’s waiting in line at a nearby diner for her and Aaron’s lunch. They were riding together today and she lost a bet so she had to buy. She wasn’t really paying attention at first, lost in her phone and just tapping her foot along to the beat.
She puts her phone away as she gets closer to the front of the line and she hears the end of the chorus.
Lovin’ you is fun
She smiles when she hears the words because her mind immediately goes to Tim. Not that her mind is really ever off Tim.
She tunes in to listen to the rest of the lyrics and continues to smile at what she’s hearing. Soon it’s her turn to pay and she grabs their lunch so she temporarily loses focus on the song and its lyrics.
She climbs back into the shop and hands Aaron his food and immediately pulls out her phone. She looks up the song and saves it so she can listen to the whole thing later. She won’t subject Aaron to it right now. She’ll wait until she’s alone.
“Everything okay?” Aaron’s watching her and gives her an inquisitive look.
“What? Huh? Yeah.” She answers in rapid succession, gently shaking her head and trying to hide her smile.
If loving Tim Bradford is anything, it’s definitely fun.
The rest of their day goes smooth and they head back into the station to finish up paperwork and change out for the day. Lucy sits down at her desk and pops her headphones in, pulling her phone out so she can play that song. She listens and nods along to it while completing the stack of paperwork she has in front of her.
She’s so lost in what she’s doing she doesn’t even notice a tall strong presence come to stand next to her until he puts his hand on her back.
She jumps slightly and looks up to see Tim standing there smiling down at her.
“Hey.” she looks up at him and grabs his hand, intertwining their fingers. They’d agreed to keep things professional at work and limit the PDA but neither minded hand-holding especially at the end of the day.
“Hi.” He smiles back and squeezes her hand. “You almost ready to go home?”
“Yeah, I just need to finish this last report and change out. I’ll meet you at your truck?”
“Sounds good baby.” He glances around to make sure there are no prying eyes before dropping a kiss on her temple.
Thirty minutes later, all of Lucy’s reports are turned in and she quickly showers and changes before walking to the parking garage. She sees Tim standing against his truck looking unfairly sexy in his dark pair of jeans and white Henley.
She bounces up to him and he senses her presence so his arms are open and waiting when she reaches him.
“Ready to go?” He kisses her properly now that they’re both off the clock.
“More than ready.” She says while still kissing him.
They finally, yet reluctantly break apart and go to their respective sides of the truck. Tim’s hand is on Lucy’s thigh and she cannot keep her smile at bay. When Tim pulls up to the first red light, he looks over to her, fighting his own smile in response to her infectious one.
“What’s got you so happy over there babe?” He taps her thigh and she grabs his phone.
“I want to show you a song.” His phone is already connected to the audio system in the truck so she pulls up his music app and finds the song quickly.
The lyrics echo back in the truck and Lucy is still smiling.
Love don’t have to be a bunch of drama
A bunch of knock-down, drag-outs crying in the rain
It’s alright to keep it light now mama, don’t you think
We’re having such a good time together, and it’s only just begun
My heart’s never smiled so hard, baby, loving you is fun
As the song finishes, Tim looks over at Lucy who is wearing the biggest smile Tim has ever seen and his eyes are wet with emotion.
“Loving you is fun Tim Bradford!” She leans over and kisses him on the cheek, slipping her hand in his. “I’ve never felt about anyone the way I feel about you and my heart smiles so hard every day I get to love you.”
Tim is speechless and doesn’t really know what to say. He knows how he feels about Lucy is different than how he’s felt about anyone in his entire life.
“Thank you for choosing to love me.” He chokes out.
“It’s the easiest choice I’ve ever had to make.” She smiles yet again.
“I love you so much!” He pulls into the driveway of his house and pulls her across the center console and into his lap. He surges up to kiss her beautiful smile and he pours every emotion he’s feeling and all the love he feels for her into the kiss. He doesn’t know how long they stay like that before breaking apart when the need for air becomes too much to ignore.
“Let’s go inside and I’ll show you how fun loving you can be.” Tim whispers huskily in Lucy’s ear.
She shivers and nods. They make their way inside and spend the rest of the night wrapped in each other’s arms, having lots and lots of fun.
3.
The next time Tim hears a song that makes him think of Lucy is when he’s hanging out with Genny and the boys. They’re at a Dodgers game and Lucy had to work so she wasn’t able to join them.
As they both got ready for their days that morning, Lucy was feeling a little bit insecure. Tim didn’t know why. She always looked gorgeous no matter what and he was so proud that she was his. He did everything in his power to make sure she felt beautiful and loved.
“Are you sure I look okay?” She asked Tim bashfully. She’d changed her outfit at least ten times that morning.
“Baby. You look beautiful. You always look beautiful. You could wear a burlap sack and still be the most beautiful girl in the world.” He walks up behind her and catches her eye in the mirror. He wraps his arms around her and kisses her neck. She smiles and melts into him.
He turns her around and his arms and kisses her properly. Doing his best not to start anything they wouldn’t be able to finish before she had to leave for work.
“I wish you could come with us today.” He says pulling back and breathing heavily.
“I know.” She pouts. “But Caradine is giving me a practice shot with the detectives and I want to make a good impression.
“I know, baby. I’m just going to miss you. And the boys are going to miss you being there too.”
“Take lots of pictures for me and enjoy the time with your sister and nephews.” She kisses him again and untangles them so she can gather the rest of her stuff to get ready to go to work.
They make out again in the kitchen before both heading out for the day.
When Tim gets to his sister's house, he knocks first before entering but when he walks in he’s met by two very eager boys.
Tyler and Josh are practically bouncing off the walls. Adorned in what looks like all the Dodgers gear they own and their baseball mitts in hand, they all but attack Tim at the door.
“Boys!” he hears Genny yell. “Leave your uncle alone or we won’t go.”
“It’s fine Gen! They’re excited. So am I!” He bends down to pick Josh up and ruffles Tyler’s hair.
“Where’s Aunt Lucy?” Josh asks and Tim gives his youngest nephew a sympathetic look.
“She had to work today buddy.” Josh’s face falls and Tim jostles him softly. “But she said she’d definitely make the next game. Just the four of us and give your mom a day to herself.
At that Josh smiles and Genny comes around the corner and smiles gratefully at her big brother.
“Alright boys. You need to use the bathroom before we go. Uncle Tim isn’t stopping once we get on the road.”
Josh hops down from Tim’s arms and he and Tyler run to opposite parts of the house.
“I’m sorry Lucy couldn’t make it today.” Genny says sympathetically. He smiles but it doesn’t quite reach his eyes. She knows her big brother and she knows he’s missing his other half.
“Yeah. Me too.” he sighs.
“She’ll be back in your arms tonight.” She smiles and puts a hand on his arm. “But before that we have two very excited boys ready to go watch the Dodgers game.” Just then both of them run back into the room hollering.
Genny and Tim load both boys into the truck and head out to Dodger’s stadium. The game is as packed as Tim thought it would be but they manage to park pretty quickly and get to their seats. The game is fantastic and the Dodgers hold the lead the whole game. During the 7th inning stretch, Tim takes the boys to the bathroom and the concession stands and while they’re waiting in line, he hears soft music coming from the overhead speakers.
Oh, my girl
Yeah, that’s my girl
In my truck
In the songs that I sing with the radio up, my girl
In my heart
In my soul, in the air that I breathe every day, that’s my girl
Yeah, everything my girl
Tim can’t help but think of his girl. He’s exchanged a few texts with her today. Sending pictures of the boys but it’s a big day for her and he doesn’t want to bother her. He knows she’s out there kicking ass and making people feel safe and he couldn’t be more proud. He can’t wait to hear all about it later.
Him and the boys make their way back to their seats and watch the rest of the game. The Dodgers end up winning and everyone is excited as they start the journey home. Both boys are asleep before they make it out of the stadium and Tim can’t help but laugh as he looks over at his sister.
“Thanks for today Tim. The boys and I had a lot of fun.”
“Of course Gen. I love spending time with you guys.”
“Any big plans tonight to celebrate?” Genny asks.
“It’s just a practice day.” He looks over at his sister.” “When she actually becomes a detective I plan to make a huge deal. For tonight, I figured I’d see how she felt and let her tell me what she wants to do.”
Genny eyes her brother knowingly. “You love her so much.”
Tim smiles and nods, not taking his eyes off the road. “I do Gen. I really do. She’s the best person I know.”
Genny can’t help the smile that spreads across her face. “I’m happy for you.”
Tim briefly looks over at his little sister and his smile grows.
After dropping them off and carrying Josh into the house, Tim makes his way home. He strips down and hops in the shower while he waits for Lucy to get home.
He’s sitting on the couch reading a book when she walks through the door looking completely and utterly exhausted. He’s off the couch in an instant and meets her at the door.
“Hey baby.” He pulls her into his chest and holds her there when she melts into him. She lets out a heavy sigh and wraps herself around him as he guides them to the couch. “How was your day?”
She looks up at him and he can tell she’s on the verge of tears but is trying to hold them back.
“This morning went okay. I helped Angela and Nyla solve a case they’ve been working on for a few weeks. It felt good. I was happy. But then after lunch, we got a lead on another case they’d been working on and sent me to bring in the suspect.” She takes a deep breath and lets it out but it’s shaky and the tears are closer. “And I guess I was just overconfident from this morning so I didn’t bother looking at the picture in his dossier. I just ran his name to find the address and went to the first one that showed up.”
Tim listened intently and he could already tell where her story was headed. He rubbed her arms affectionately and never broke eye contact.
“How was I supposed to know there were two Roman Ricci’s within Mid-Wilshire’s jurisdiction?”
“Oh babe.” Tim pulls her in.
“So I arrested the wrong one, and I guess I should have known when he fought me so fiercely on it. Angela and Nyla tried to reassure me it’s okay, mistakes happen but I just feel so stupid Tim. That’s like a rookie mistake.”
Despite her tears threatening to fall, he grins at her. “Well you’re a-”
“Don’t Tim!” She warns and he lets the words fall between them. “Who doesn’t look at the picture first?” And finally the first tear spills over.
“It’s okay baby. It’ll get easier.” He pulls her in again and holds her. He feels more than sees her tears soaking his shirt but he doesn’t care. He just wants to make his girl feel better. That’s when he remembers the song he heard at the game today.
“Hey.” he rubs her arm to get her attention but keeps her close. “Can I show you something? It made me think of you today. Not that I’m never not thinking about you- but- well here. Just let me pull it up.”
Lucy doesn’t move off his chest but watches as he pulls up the music app on his phone while his arms are still around her. She smiles knowing he has another song he wants her to listen to.
As the lyrics play softly, Lucy loses her battle with a few more tears. She’s so thankful for Tim. She loves him so much and he knows just how to make her feel better.
He looks at her and moves in carefully to kiss her tears away.
“My girl,” he says determinedly, “Is a badass. And I’m so lucky she’s mine.” He kisses her lips softly. “I’m so thankful for you Lucy you have no idea. I love you so much.”
“You always know just what to say to make me feel better.”
She kisses Tim and he picks her up and carries her to the bedroom. “Let me show you how I feel when I look at my girl.”
4.
The next time Lucy hears a song that reminds her of Tim is just a few weeks after he promised to pay her back in small doses. He was making good on that promise every single day and she was incredibly grateful. He really seemed to be trying and he was making her feel unbelievably loved. She wanted to talk to him about where they stood but she also didn’t want to push. It wasn’t until she overheard a conversation between him and Angela that she knew she was going to have to be the one to initiate any conversation they had.
She was headed into the breakroom to get a cup of coffee before leaving for patrol when she heard their voices.
“I don’t know Angela. What if it’s not enough?” She hears Tim ask. His voice broken. “What if no matter what small doses, she doesn’t want to take me back?”
Lucy's heart breaks at his words because of course she wants him back. It’s taken time but they’ve been healing separately and together. She just didn’t want to push him too soon and cause a setback for him.
“Tim. You know Lucy loves you. That was never a question. Even broken up, everyone can still see how much you two love each other.” Angela stands across from him and puts a hand on his arm.
“I just feel like I’m trying everything I can think of and we’ve made a little bit of progress but not as much as I’d hoped.”
Angela grimaces before speaking again. “You know I’m your best friend so I say this out of love. But you broke her heart Tim. You can’t expect things to go back to the way they were right away.”
Tim nods because he knows she’s right. “Maybe I just need to do more. Maybe small doses aren’t enough. Maybe she needs big gestures.” He looks at Angela hopeful.
“Maybe Tim. But maybe you just need to talk to her. Tell her what you’re thinking.”
“No!” He says adamantly. “She sets the pace and I will not push her.”
Lucy hears them moving and speed walks away to remain undetected. She has to go out on patrol but she plans on talking to Tim tonight. She feels somewhat bad that he doesn’t think he’s doing enough. Along with talking about their relationship, she needs to talk to him about their communication. After all that’s what started this whole thing in the first place.
She’s riding alone today which she usually doesn’t like but today she doesn’t mind. The quiet gives her time to think about what she wants to say to Tim. She has the radio quietly playing on a random station but she taps along to the beat. She’s deep in thought when she tunes into the lyrics of the song that's currently playing.
It’s the little things
Well that’s oddly appropriate.” Lucy thinks to herself. She turns up the radio and listens to the rest of the song, smiling to herself.
It’s when we’re in a crowded room, put your hand on my back
And waiting on me in the morning with my coffee black
Back to the basics ‘cause they’re bigger than they seem, yeah
Give me that typical, simple love, it’s the little things
As the song finishes Lucy pulls into a nearby parking lot to send Tim a text.
To: Tim💙
From: Lucy
[10:17am]
Hey. Can we talk tonight?
Lucy doesn’t expect a response right away. Tim has a pretty rigid ‘no phones for personal use’ rule at work. She knows he’ll see it at lunch. However, she’s surprised when her phone dings with an incoming message.
To: Lucy
From: Tim💙
[10:19am]
Of course. 7:30 your place?
She smiles at his suggestion to go to her apartment. She knows he wants her to be comfortable and that’s just another little thing, a small dose that shows her he cares.
To: Tim💙
From: Lucy
[10:20am]
Um. Can we do your place? Celina is going to be home and I think this talk needs to be had in private.
Lucy watches as the three dots appear, disappear and reappear.
To: Lucy
From: Tim💙
[10:22am]
Yes. See you then.😘
His use of the emoji makes her smile and butterflies suddenly take up residence in her stomach. She shouldn’t be nervous but she is. Now all she has to do is get through the rest of her shift.
And she manages to do just that with no incident. Thank god. She’s hoping the same goes for Tim. They desperately need to have this talk.
Once Lucy changes out she sees Aaron coming out of the men’s locker room.
“Hey did you see Tim in there?” Lucy asks.
“He was getting ready to shower when I was walking out.” Aaron answers looking at her with a furrowed brow. “Why?”
“Just wondering. Have a good night.” Lucy scampers away toward her car. She’s going to beat Tim to his house but that’s okay.
She puts the song from earlier on for her drive to his house and it’s giving her confidence to be able to say what she wants to say to Tim. When she pulls into the driveway she notices that the whole house is dark which means Kojo is either with Genny and the boys or the sitter. She would have let herself in to sneak in some Kojo cuddles but since he’s not there, she just sits on the front porch and waits for Tim to get home. Lucy is feeling anxious about the conversation. Her knee is bouncing up and down and she’s biting her nails. She decides to pull the song up again and listen to it to help herself calm down.
Tim pulls in the driveway twenty minutes later and Lucy jumps up to go greet him at his truck.
“Hi.” She surges up and fuses their lips together surprising Tim but also herself. They fall into one another and neither one wants to break the kiss first. Finally Tim finds strength and pulls back resting his forehead against Lucy’s.
“Hi yourself.” He smiles and pushes some loose strands of hair behind her ear. The gesture causing goosebumps to rise on Lucy’s skin. God she’s so in love with this man. “You know you could have let yourself in Luce. You’re always welcome here.” Tim takes a chance and weaves their fingers together and leads her to his front door.
Lucy doesn’t say anything, her nerves returning. Tim leads them inside, flicking on some lights and disarming his security system.
“Are you okay?” He asks as they toe off their shoes and drop their bags by the front door.
All Lucy can do is nod in response. She looks around. She hasn’t been here in weeks and it feels different somehow.
“So you said you wanted to talk?” Tim asks, nervously shoving his hands into his pockets.
“Uh yeah. I- I did. Um-” Lucy can’t seem to find her words. She didn’t think she’d be this nervous.
“Do you want to sit?” Tim grabs her hand and pulls her toward the couch.
She makes herself comfortable on one side of the couch while Tim sits a respectable distance away on the other side. She doesn’t like the space between them so she moves to close it. She’s sitting cross-legged with her knees touching his thigh. Her eyes are fixated in her lap and she’s playing with her fingers. She’d thought about what she wanted to say all day but now that the time had come to actually speak she couldn’t find her voice. God why was she like this? It’s just Tim. You can tell him anything. Then she hatches an idea.
“Can I show you something?”
“Of course Luce. Anything.”
She reaches for her phone and opens her recently played songs. She sits the phone on her knee and lets the lyrics ring out. “I heard this on the radio today and- and well- and well it reminded me of you.”
Tim listens to the whole song and meets Lucy’s eyes when it's over and she slips the phone back into her pocket.
“It’s catchy Luce. But I don’t-”
She cuts him off. “It’s the little things Tim.”
He searches her gaze, still thoroughly confused.
“Okay. I have a confession to make.” She grabs his hand and starts playing with his fingers.
Tim revels in her touch but doesn’t say anything. It’s been too long since he’s had this and he doesn’t want it to end. He stares at Lucy silently encouraging her to continue.
Lucy takes a deep breath. “I heard you.”
Tim’s face scrunches up and he blows out a breath. Lucy is not making a bit of sense. “You heard me?” He echoes her words in the form of a question.
“Yeah. Today with Angela. I heard you in the breakroom.”
Tim shifts slightly uncomfortable, now putting the pieces together and understanding. “Oh. Luce. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean-”
“No wait.” Lucy stops him by putting a finger to his lips. “Sorry. It’s just-”
He kisses her finger and Lucy can’t help but smile. “It’s okay. Go ahead.”
Lucy takes a deep breath before she continues. “I’m sorry for eavesdropping. But I’m glad I did because I need to tell you something. Two somethings actually.
“Okay?” Tim once again furrows his brow searching her face.
“First thing. Communication.” Lucy blows the word out and Tim raises his eyebrows and nods like he knows where she’s going with this. “It’s what got us into this mess in the first place and we need to do better. Both of us. We have to promise to always be honest with each other and talk about things. Good, bad, easy, hard. Like things could have- we could have-” Lucy stops because she knows she’s starting to ramble. She takes a deep breath. “The second thing and the reason I wanted to show you that song was because I wanted you to know how much I appreciate the little things Tim. You told me you were going to pay me back in small doses and you’ve done that and then some. And I appreciate every single thing you’ve done. I don’t need grand gestures or for you to move mountains. I never needed that. It’s the simple things that you do day in and day out that show me that you’re trying and that you still care. I didn’t say anything before- or I guess I mean I didn’t want to say anything before because I didn’t want to push you. I know you’ve been working on yourself as much as we’ve been working on us and I didn’t want to overstep or push you and cause a setback in your healing journey. Because while I want this-” she gestures between the two of them. “You matter too. Your mental health. And I didn’t want to be another added stress.”
Lucy takes a big deep breath. Brown meets blue and she can see Tim’s wheels turning. She waits patiently for a few moments before she can’t take it anymore.
“Say something.” The words barely a whisper. “Please.”
He lets out a deep breath and blinks rapidly. “Ok. A lot to unpack here.” He says trying to bring a lightness to the conversation. “I’m an idiot.”
Lucy makes a soft noise of indignation and looks at him with confusion etched in her features.
“No I am. Angela was right. I should have just talked to you.” Tim meets her eyes and a soft smile takes over.
“And I should have talked to you. Or at least been more vocal about how appreciative I am of everything you’ve done.”
“Communication.” The word comes out of both of their mouths at the same time and they both laugh.
Lucy goes to speak again but Tim beats her to it. “Thank you.”
Now it’s Lucy’s turn to be confused. “Thank you?” She turns it into a question.
“Yes. Thank you. Thank you for- for being you and thank you for putting me first even if I-” he shakes his head and trails off but Lucy knows what he wanted to say.
“Tim I-”
“No Luce I know. I know you didn’t want to push but neither did I. I didn’t want to force you into anything in case you didn’t-” He stops and takes a deep breath before forcing the next words out. “In case you didn’t want this anymore.”
“Tim, I want this more than anything.”
“Yeah?” He wears his cute schoolboy grin and his eyes fall to Lucy’s lips.
“Yeah!” Lucy leans in to kiss him and it feels like coming home. For both of them.
5.
The next time Tim hears a song that reminds him of Lucy he’s at the bar with Angela talking about his proposal to Lucy. He didn’t need her help but she’d, as always, inserted herself without asking. He really didn’t mind because he could use all the help he could get to make this perfect for Lucy but he would never tell his best friend that.
“So what's your plan?” Angela asks him as she takes a sip of her beer.
Tim hums in acknowledgement but he doesn’t answer right away. Truth be told he had about ten different ideas but he wasn’t sure which one he should go with. He knew Lucy didn’t need big and fancy grand gestures but he loved her whole heartedly and wanted it to be as special as it could be for her.
“I don’t know Ange. I have a few ideas but I want it to be perfect and every time I think about it I start spiraling.” He answers, playing with the label of his beer bottle.
“Okay well, that’s why I’m here.” She says matter of factly. “Lay ‘em on me.”
Tim levels her with a glare but there’s no heat behind it because again, he can use all the help he can get. He begins explaining his ideas to Angela and she nods along, offering her two cents every so often.
“Okay, at the risk of sounding unhelpful. I like all of them. And no matter what you pick Lucy will love it and she’s going to say yes.”
“That is entirely unhelpful. Thank you.” Tim takes a long sip of his beer staring down his best friend.
Just then the song in the bar changes and Tim doesn’t really know what makes him tune in but he’s glad he does. Because as the lyrics begin to bellow out of the distant speakers he can’t help the smile that spreads across his face as he thinks of Lucy. He knows Angela is giving him a weird look right now but he doesn’t care. He just listens to the song and smiles.
My wildest dreams I’d never guessed
I’d be the one holding the prettiest girl in the world
Can’t believe I’m holding the prettiest girl in the world
The prettiest girl in the world
“You’re smiling like an idiot Bradford.” Angela finally says when the song ends.
“Yeah well-” he shrugs but doesn’t finish his sentence. “Listen Ange. Thanks for your… help?” It comes out more of a question because he’s no closer to knowing how to propose to Lucy than he was yesterday. “I’ll figure it out.”
“Don’t worry Tim. I meant what I said before. No matter what you do, she’s going to say yes.” Angela puts a comforting hand on his arm.
He smiles at her and places a twenty on the bar. More than enough to cover their one beer each and a tip. He heads out the door of the bar to his truck.
When Tim arrives home, he’s secretly glad Lucy isn’t home from work yet. He goes into their bedroom closet and takes a box down from the top shelf. He pulls out the small black velvet box and stares at the ring hoping that he can either choose one of the ideas he already has or the perfect plan will come to him, simply by just staring at Lucy’s engagement ring. Alas, that does not happen and when he hears the garage door. signaling that Lucy is home, he quickly puts the ring back where he was hiding it and on the top shelf that he knows Lucy can’t reach.
They had plans for a date night tonight. The plan was for her to come home, they’d get ready and go to dinner. But when she walks through the door she looks utterly exhausted. He can tell she’s tense just by her body language. Her shoulders are sunk and her head is down. Her beautiful face wears a frown instead of her usual smile that lights up his entire world. She sulks into the house and almost runs into him, not looking where she was going.
“Hi baby.” He grabs her shoulders and pulls her into him immediately clocking the expression on her face.
She buries her face in his chest and takes a deep breath. She wraps her arms around him and just stays like that for a few minutes.
“How was your day Luce?” It was rare that they had days off that didn’t line up, but she only had to work for a few hours, covering for a fellow officer to whom she owed a favor.
She took another deep breath before pulling back and looking up at him. Her eyes were full of sadness and it made his heart clench.
“Tim.” She blinks a few times before closing her eyes and dropping her head. He runs his hand down her face and tucks two fingers under her chin, lifting it so she has to meet his gaze.
“Lucy.” he parrots smiling softly at her.
“What are we doing?” she asks shyly.
He reels back slightly, searching her expression. “What?” He’s trying not to panic.
“Us.” She says like it’s supposed to answer his question. “Why are you with someone like me? I’m plain- I’m not pre-” Her words are cut off because Tim surges down and presses his lips to hers.
“I’m going to stop you right there.” He says, lips still on hers. He gives her a few more gentle kisses before pulling back and cupping her face in his hands. “Because you aren’t going to talk about the woman I love like that.” He shakes his head and brings her in for another kiss.
When he pulls back, he can still tell she doesn’t fully believe him, which is breaking his heart into a million pieces. He’s not sure what brought on her sudden doubt but he’s determined to get to the bottom of it because he needs Lucy to know how much she means to him. How she is his everything and he loves her with his whole heart. More than he’s loved anyone or anything before.
She worries her bottom lip and he kisses her forehead this time, letting his lips linger there for a few moments.
“Come on. Come here.” He wraps himself around her back and leads her to the couch. He sits down first, pulling her into him and she rests her head on his chest. “What’s going on baby? Where is all this coming from?”
“I don’t know. I just-” he can hear the quiver in her voice and he doesn’t know what to do. How can he make her understand just how important she is to him?
“Talk to me Luce.” He probes gently. “Please.”
“It’s just- I saw my mom today.” Tim stiffens at her confession, knowing the tense relationship she has with her mother. And that’s putting it mildly. Lucy’s mom has belittled her her entire life and made her believe that she is nothing but a disappointment. He’s not sure how anyone, let alone her own mother could see Lucy as anything but sunshine personified. She’s the best person he knows and he counts his lucky stars everyday that she chooses him.
“She came to the station.” Lucy continues when Tim doesn’t say anything. “She came to see- or talk me into I really don’t know-” she sighs and he knows it’s so she can collect her thoughts. “She wanted to see if I had come to my senses.” She puts the words in air quotes. “She wanted to know if I’d given up on this dream of being a police officer and if I was ready to choose a real career and let her and my father pick out a husband for me.” Tim stiffens once again at the last of her words and Lucy places her hand on his heart because she knows it calms him down.
“Don’t worry babe. I told her, I was perfectly happy with the life I’d chosen for myself. Both my career and my boyfriend.” She runs her hand down to his stomach and then back up again resting on his heart.
“I’m sorry Luce.” Tim pulls her tighter against him, placing a soft kiss on the top of her head. “But why-” he trails off wanting to ask her why she was suddenly doubting their relationship but knew she’d talk when she was ready.
“After I vehemently defended my decisions, she said some pretty nasty things. Nothing I haven’t heard from her before. About my looks and my body and how no man wasn’t going to want me looking the way I looked. And she said that I just wasn’t good enough and that you’d eventually see it and leave me too.”
Tim’s glad that Lucy can’t see his face at this very moment. It takes him a minute to school his expression but it’s taking every ounce of willpower he has not to shoot up off the couch and drive to give Vanessa Chen a piece of his mind. He can’t imagine how a mother could be so cruel to her own daughter and his heart breaks for the woman in his arms. The woman who he loves so fiercely and would do absolutely anything for.
“I just don’t know why I let it get to me so much. My head knows she’s wrong and cruel but my heart can’t catch up. And as if that wasn’t bad enough, I ran into Ashley on the way out of the station.”
Tim tenses up at the mention of his ex-girlfriend. Although he doesn’t know why she would keep Lucy on edge. “I saw her and she was just so beautiful, Tim. Tall, skinny, blonde. And I don’t know seeing her just kind of reinforced everything my mom said. I don’t look like Ashley or Isabel. I’m not pretty like them and I just love you so much and I don’t want to lose you.” She snuggles into his side further and his heart breaks at her words.
“Hey.” Tim lets out a breath suddenly remembering the song he’d heard earlier that day when he was with Angela. He gently maneuvers himself so he can pull his phone out of his pocket. “I want to show you something.”
Lucy is intrigued as she watches him open the music app on his phone. When he pulls the song up and lets it play he watches Lucy listen fondly to the words, a few tears slipping out. He watches her with so much love and he knows that this is the moment. He doesn’t want to wait. He just wants his whole world to know she’s his whole world and will be for the rest of his life.
“Hey.” Tim says again, tapping his fingers against Lucy’s thigh. “I’ll be right back." He moves her gently to the side while he gets up. Leaving her with his phone as the rest of the song plays. He hurries into their closet to retrieve the small black velvet box. He stands in the doorway and takes a deep breath before returning to the living room to Lucy.
She restarted the song and she’s tapping her foot along to the beat. Her beautiful brown eyes are still damp with emotion and he’s hoping that he can at least change those tears into happy tears. He walks up to stand in front of her but doesn’t sit back down.
She looks up at him and gives him a small soft smile which he happily returns. “What are you doing?” She asks, grabbing his hand trying to pull him back down next to her. But he resists. Feet staying planted for a moment. “Tim?” His name a question on her lips. He doesn’t give her any time to think before he’s dropping down to one knee and opening up the box. He takes a deep breath and lets the words flow freely out of him.
“Lucy Chen. I have wracked my brain with how I wanted to do this for months because I wanted it to be perfect. But sitting here with you tonight, I know that this- this was the moment. Lucy I have loved you a lot longer than I admitted to you and even admitted to myself. You are the absolute best thing that has ever happened to me. You are the prettiest, most beautiful woman I have ever laid eyes on and you make my heart race every time I look at you.”
Lucy lets out a choked sob, furiously swiping away at the tears that are now streaming down her face. Tim continues.
“I don’t know what I did to deserve you or your love but I want you- no I need you to know that I spend every single day grateful that you choose me. I love you so much and I will spend the rest of my life making sure you never forget that. I will spend the rest of my life making sure you know just how much you mean to me. And I will spend the rest of my life proving to you that every person who ever makes you doubt yourself is wrong. Because, you Lucy, are the best person I know. So will you make me the happiest man in the world and marry me?
Tim’s eyes are blurry with emotion now too and he swipes at the forming tears so that he can continue to stare at the prettiest girl in the world.
Lucy is a blubbering mess and she just can’t believe how lucky she is to get to have this wonderful man in her life. She stares at him and the beautiful ring in his hand. Her nod starts out slow but soon gets faster. “Yes. Yes Tim, I will marry you.”
She lunges forward, almost knocking them both to the ground but he catches them. She surges down to kiss his beautiful smile and he kisses her back, holding on to her hips, the open ring box still in his hand.
“Let’s get this on your finger where it belongs.” Tim says, pulling back from the kiss. Lucy lets him because to be honest she can’t wait to put it on. Tim kisses Lucy a few more times before carrying her back to the bedroom to properly celebrate.
He drops her onto the bed and hovers over her. “I mean it, Luce. You are the prettiest girl in the world and I love you so much.”
“I’m sorry Tim.” He reels back in shock for a moment. “I’m sorry I let my insecurities get the best of me. You’ve never-” she pauses, choosing not to bring up the brief intermission in their relationship because even then she never doubted how he felt about her. He was just going through a lot. “You’ve never given me a single reason to doubt us or myself and I was just having a vulnerable moment.”
Tim wears a look of pure love and affection at her confession and his heart squeezes. “I love you baby and I’ll spend the rest of my life showing you how much.”
“I love you too.” Lucy closes the gap between them and they spend the rest of the night celebrating the promise of forever.
+1.
The next time Lucy and Tim find a song that reminds them of one another is the evening before their wedding. Everything was ready to go for tomorrow and both Tim and Lucy were buzzing with excitement. They had to go their separate ways in an hour, as was tradition. They couldn’t stay together the night before the wedding and couldn’t see each other the day of the wedding until Lucy was walking down the aisle.
“Hey.” Tim whispers into the crook of Lucy’s neck as he wraps himself around her, his chest flush with her back.
Lucy smiles as she continues to clean up the kitchen. “Hey yourself.”
“Are you ready for tomorrow?” He asks almost shyly.
Lucy puts down the rag she was holding and turns in his arms. She smiles up at him and places a gentle kiss on his lips. “I have never been more ready for anything in my life. I cannot wait to become Mrs. Lucy Bradford.”
Tim smiles at her words, his entire face lighting up at the mention of her first name with his last name. “I like the sound of that. Mrs. Lucy Bradford.” He leans down to kiss her but pulls back before it gets too heated.
They stand there for a few minutes just staring at each other and enjoying the calmness of the moment. They know starting in an hour things were going to be hectic until the moment Lucy begins her walk down the aisle. Tim would be leaving to spend the night at Angela’s with her and Wesley and the kids and Tamara would be coming to spend the night with Lucy in their home.
“I know we have to go our separate ways soon.” Tim says as he rests his forehead against Lucy’s. “But dance with me first.” He pulls away briefly to put one of the stations on his music app.
The music begins to play and Lucy makes a noise of surprise and her eyes are incredibly soft as she gazes at the man she’s lucky enough to get to call her husband in less than twenty-four hours.
“Is that a yes?” He asks playfully, moving one hand to find residence on her hip, while the other wraps around hers.
“Any time. Any place.” Lucy steps in, resting her head on Tim’s chest, one hand in his resting between them, the other around his neck, gently playing with the hairs on his neck.
They sway in their kitchen as the end of the song plays out, fading into the next one. Lucy and Tim continue to sway until the chorus of this song begins and Tim is pulling back looking at Lucy like she’s the most precious thing in the world. And well to him, she is.
God gave me a girl
Girl gave me a kiss
Kiss gave me a feelin’ that I still get
Every time I look in her eyes
I don’t deserve her and I don’t know why
She gave me her hand
I gave her a ring
Then as soon as I could
I gave her my last name
Now I’m gonna give her forever
I knew what I wanted by He knew better
God gave me a girl
Tim smiled down at Lucy before closing the small distance between them. He kissed her slowly and gently and he wasn’t a religious man but he did thank whoever was up there, every single day for bringing this beautiful girl into his life and choosing him.
“Forever sounds pretty good.” Lucy whispers against his lips.
“Yeah. It does.”