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“Hey Luce, are you almost ready? We gotta get moving if we want to get to Ange and Wesley’s on time.” Tim walks into the bedroom to see Lucy slipping shoes onto her feet and he stops for a moment in the doorway to admire her.
She’s dressed casually, jeans that hug her curves and a light green sweater, her hair falls in her usual curls but she still manages to take Tim’s breath away every single time.
She looks up at him, her trademark wide smile adorning her face, “Ready. Just had to throw some shoes on.”
Tim walks over to her and wraps one arm around her waist to pull her close, “You know on second thought maybe we should just skip tonight. We do have a lot of unpacking left to do.”
They had moved in together a week ago, finally taking that next step. They both decided they wanted a fresh start so Lucy signed over the apartment lease to Celina and Tim sold his house and they found the perfect home for them to begin their lives in, together. The next step would be coming soon if the diamond engagement ring hidden away on Tim’s side of the closet was any indication.
Lucy pulls back and swats his chest, “No way mister. Angela will have your head if we cancel on her at the last minute. Plus these monthly dinners are such a nice way to get everyone together and have some fun.”
Tim groans, “We see these people everyday.”
Lucy laughs, “At work Tim. This is a nice way to spend time together outside of work. These people are our friends, our family. Don’t be such a grouch.”
“I am not a grouch. Just think there is something else I would much rather be doing with my time tonight.”
She takes a step closer to him, her entire front pressing against his as she pushes up on her tip toes to place her lips right next to his ear, “If you play your cards right we will still have plenty of time for that after dinner.” She nips his ear before pulling away with a slight smirk and heads out of the bedroom.
Tim wipes the look from his face as he hurries after her, eager to get through this dinner so he can get her home.
*******
They arrive at the Lopez/Evers home thirty minutes later, just a few minutes late and Angela doesn’t even make a comment as she opens the front door and ushers them in.
Tim looks around the living room to find everyone else has already arrived. Nyla, James, Grey and Luna are standing by the fireplace, a drink in their hand and laughing about something. Bailey, Nolan and Celina are on the couch also engaged in conversation and all the kids are on the floor playing with toys and laughing.
Tim and Lucy follow Angela into the kitchen where they find Wesley finishing up dinner.
Wesley looks up as they enter, “Hey guys. Glad you could make it. Hope you like spaghetti because that’s what’s on the menu tonight, easiest meal to make to feed a crowd.”
“Spaghetti sounds perfect. Everything smells so good Wes.” Lucy moves around the counter to help him finish pulling pots off the stove and arrange everything on the kitchen island while Angela and Tim make some drinks.
Just a few minutes later everyone is sitting down to eat, some sitting at the dining table inside, others outside, and some at the table they had set up in the living room as extra seating. These family dinners really were a lot of fun and a great way to connect with everyone outside of work. They had been doing them for the past few months, rotating between houses each month with everyone taking turns to host. The hosts would cook dinner while someone else was assigned to bring desert and they just rotated through. Next month would be Tim and Lucy’s first time hosting at their new house and Lucy had already started making plans for it.
Lucy had plopped herself down next to Celina to catch up with her former roommate leaving Tim to fend for himself. She gave him a wink as he walked off and found a seat at a table with James, Nyla, Grey and Luna.
“Did you get ditched by Chen?” Grey jokes as Tim sets his plate down and settles into his chair.
“Only a week of living together and she’s already sick of you? Man that was fast Bradford.” Nyla jokes as Tim rolls his eyes.
“She’s sitting with Celina, they don’t see each other much now that Lucy has moved out and they are working different shifts so she wanted to catch up.”
Luna changes the subject by asking James about the community center, helping Tim to avoid any further jokes.
They eat their dinner while having comfortable conversation, laughter filling the room from everyone else and from the kids who have their own little table set up as they shove spaghetti into their mouths.
Tim might have put up a fuss about coming tonight but it really is nice to sit and spend time with everyone, to surround himself with people who have his back and who he knows will always support him. He finally found what he had been lacking pretty much his entire life, a family, and none of it would have happened if Lucy hadn’t come into his life and broke down all his walls. She really has changed his life in so many ways and Tim wouldn’t change a single second of it.
After dinner Tim ends up in the kitchen with Angela helping her wash up all the dishes and clean up while everyone else mingles. The rest of the guys are sitting outside chatting about sports while the women are in the living room, Bailey, Nyla and Luna on the couch while Lucy and Celina sit on the floor with the kids.
Once they finish cleaning up Angela hands Tim a drink and ushers him out of the kitchen to go mingle while she runs to the restroom. He walks out into the dining room and leans against the doorframe, letting his eyes survey the scene in front of him.
Lucy is sitting on the floor, baby Emmy is on her lap and Jack is trying to climb on her back. Leah is standing in front of Lucy clapping her hands and laughing as her and Emmy play peekaboo together. Their laughter fills the whole room, Lucy’s smile lighting up the room as she plays with the kids.
Suddenly Tim’s mind fills with a vision of their future, a little girl with Lucy’s eyes, a little boy who looks like him, quiet slow Sunday mornings where they enjoy breakfast as a family and spend the day playing with the kids and just being together. He imagines everything he never had as a child, his kids feeling loved, safe and protected. He knows, without a shadow of a doubt that he wants all of that, and he wants it with Lucy.
He’s broken from his thoughts by a hand on his shoulder and he hears Angelas voice, “You didn’t make it very far, what are you staring at?”
She looks out in to the living room and knows immediately what Tim is staring at, she shoots him a knowing smirk, “Visions of the future there Bradford?”
He rolls his eyes at her but the softness in his eyes gives him away, “Yeah actually, I’m imagining the future with the love of my life. She’s it for me Ange. I want it all with her.”
Angela smiles, “So does that mean you are finally going to give her that engagement ring that you and I spent hours looking for because you couldn’t find the perfect one?”
Tim nods, “Yeah. I’ve been waiting because we’ve been so busy with the move but I’m sick of waiting. I’m going to do it soon.”
She leans her head against his shoulder, “I’m happy for you Tim. I really am. You and Lucy are perfect for each other. She makes you less grumpy.”
Tim laughs, “I can’t even deny that. She really does.”
They stand there for a minute watching the scene in the living room before Lucy looks up and locks eyes with Tim, she gives him a smile and then beckons him over with her hand. Tim goes and joins them on the floor, Jack immediately jumping into his lap and as Tim begins to tickle him he knows that this is exactly what he wants the rest of his life to look like.
*******
A few hours later they are walking back into their house, Kojo coming to greet them as Tim disarms the security system. He lets Kojo out so he can do his business then comes back to sit down on the couch next to Lucy. She immediately curls into his side and he wraps an arm around her.
“I’m glad we have tomorrow off. I love those kids but even a few hours with them are exhausting.” Lucy says as she yawns.
“Yeah. Jack is at the age where he just wants someone to play with him all the time. I don’t know how Angela and Wesley aren’t falling asleep all the time.”
She traces a circle on his thigh with her finger, “Do you ever think about it? Having kids?”
Tim lets out a breath before he smiles, “Well, you were talking about grandkids on the first date, if we want grandkids then we have to have the kids first.”
“I know we’ve joked about it but I just didn’t know if that was what you really wanted. I know you had all these plans before that didn’t work out. Didn’t know if you had given up on that dream.”
Tim pulls away from her and then moves to pull her into his lap, her legs straddling his hips as he places his hands on her waist, “Lucy, of course I want to have kids with you. Those plans didn’t work out before because I wasn’t with the right person. Now that I am I know without any doubt that I want a family with you. I was watching you with the kids tonight and all I could think about was you on the floor with our kids, playing with them, laughing with them, loving them. It’s everything I want Lucy.”
Her eyes fill with tears as he speaks and she brings her hands up to play with the hair at the nape of his neck, “Then why haven’t you given me that ring you have hidden in the closet?”
Tim’s mouth drops open as he shakes his head, “I should have known there was no hiding anything from you. I’ve just been waiting for the perfect moment.”
Lucy shrugs, “Now seems pretty perfect.” She smiles at him and Tim knows she’s right.
He slides her off his lap, placing her on the couch and then rushes off to the bedroom to pull the ring out of his box of trophies and awards.
When he comes back Lucy is still sitting on the couch, her legs crossed, her hair falling around her face and he makes his way towards her.
Once he is in front of her he kneels on one knee and takes her hand in his, “Lucy Chen, you are the love of my life. You are the one I want to be with forever, raise babies with and grow old with. I can’t imagine doing life without you. Will you marry me?”
He opens the ring box as Lucy’s eyes fill with tears and she sees the simple oval cut diamond sitting in the middle of a band with smaller diamonds, its the perfect ring.
“Yes, I will marry you Tim. I love you so much.”
She surges forward and presses her lips to his throwing her arms around his neck and pulling him as close as she can.
They pull back and he slides the ring onto her finger, “You’re stuck with me now babe.”
She laughs, tears still rolling down her face, “Sounds like a pretty good place to be stuck.”
He joins her on the couch and attaches his lips to hers, his tongue sliding across her bottom lip and she opens to allow him access. Just as Tim’s hand starts to trail up her thigh inching closer to her core they hear a loud bark from the backyard. They both jump apart and laugh.
“I’ll go let him in. You head to the bedroom and when I get there we can finish what we started. Gotta practice if we want those kids.”
Lucy laughs as he walks to the back door and she scurries off to the bedroom. A few minutes later he joins her, closing the door behind him and he climbs on top of her and they spend the night showing each other just how much they love each other.
Celebrating their engagement.
Their love.
Their future.