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Lucy’s eyes flutter open slowly; she stirs for a few moments, reaching over towards the other side of the bed. But instead of Tim’s soft, warm skin, her hand lands on untucked covers.
“Hm,” she groans as she sits up. It wasn’t unusual for him to have slipped out of bed before her. Like a rooster, he was up bright and early. And now that they had two young children, she quite appreciated his early rising.
Though, it’s quiet. Unusually quiet for the Bradford household. So, she peels herself off of the covers and drags her feet along the vinyl wood of her bedroom. She finds the living room and kitchen empty, which sends a feeling of uneasiness down her stomach. At this time, Tim and the girls would be playing with dolls, making breakfast together. Well, Tim would make breakfast, and the girls would pretend to help.
Both of the girls' rooms were abandoned as well. Though, she notices that the toys previously spread across their floors last night have been tucked away into their respectives boxes, and their beds have been perfectly made.
Lucy travels back to her room and checks her phone, which she honestly should have done from the start, because her questions are answered right away.
Tim: Girls and I are at the store.
Tim: Thought we’d let you sleep in for a bit
She checks the time as she quickly responds with a thumbs up.
8:49 a.m.
“Yeah, I’m going back to bed,” she mumbles to herself. She slides back under the coves, taking advantage of the first moment of silence she’s had in a long time.
Though, the peace doesn’t last for long; she hears the lock of the front door unclick just a few minutes later. She pretends to ignore it, and keeps her eyes closed.
“Okay, quietly,” she hears Tim whisper as he slowly opens the door. His words are followed by hush giggles that she immediately attributes to her daughters. She bites back a smile.
“Can we go in now, daddy?” their youngest daughter asks. Lucy can tell she tried to whisper, but failed, because her voice travelled through the entire living room.
“Yes, yes, you can go in,” Tim tells her. And not even five seconds later, the two girls come running into their parents bedroom.
“Happy Mothers Day!” they yell in unison as they jump onto the bed. Andie, the oldest, squeezes her mother so tight that she lets go of the bouquet of flowers in her tiny hand, which ultimately smack Lucy in the face.
“Andie!” their youngest, Ivie, exclaims as she snatches the falling flowers from her sister's hand. “You just hit Mommy in the face!”
“Oh!” Andie immediately jumps back with a wince. “Sorry, Mommy.”
“That’s okay, baby,” Lucy smiles. She brings her hand up to Andie’s worried face and rubs her thumb along her cheek. “Thank you girls, this was very sweet.”
“We have more, Mommy!” Ivie reveals proudly. “Come on!”
“Okay,” Lucy agrees. Ivie grabs onto her mother’s arm and practically pulls her out of bed, dragging her to the kitchen to reveal a display of breakfast foods laid out across the dining room table. There are stacks of pancakes, waffles, potatoes, juices, and more.
“Wow,” Lucy’s eyes grow wide at the sight. “This is a lot of food! How am I going to eat it all?”
“Don’t worry, we’ll help you,” Andie assures her. The girls then run to their usual seats at the table.
Lucy follows, about to take her seat. But before she reaches it, another pair of hands grab onto the handles, pulling it out from under the table.
“You didn’t think I’d let you do heavy labor today, did you?” Tim asks playfully.
The woman purses her lips, hiding her smile. “I can pull out my own chair, babe,” she remarks. Yet, she sits down, anyway.
“I know you can. I just like doting over you,” he winks.
Lucy rolls her eyes, though the smile on her face quite contradicts it. Her and her daughters sit patiently as Tim wanders over to the kitchen, retrievers some silverware, and lays it out in front of them.
“Eat up, my girls,” he instructs. Andie and Ivie go straight for the waffles, using their hands to peel them off of the takeout containers.
“I wanted that one!” Ivie exclaims as her older sister proudly places the top-of-the-stack waffle onto her own plate.
“You snooze, you lose,” she scoffs, stabbing the waffle with her fork.
“Mommy!” Ivie immediately cries out. As any younger sister would, Ivie never hesitated when it came to calling Andie out.
“Hey,” Tim immediately chimes in. “What did we talk about in the car?”
“No fighting,” the girls repeat in unison, both slumping down into their seats.
“Right,” he nods. “We have a lot of great food in front of us, so let’s enjoy it without arguing, okay?”
“Okay,” Ivie agrees, though the sullen look on her face reflects her strong dislike towards losing an argument. She rarely did, especially with Tim. As the baby of the family, he had a bit of a soft spot for her, though he'd never admit to it.
“What time did you all wake up for this?” Lucy asks in astonishment as she shoves a tater tot in her mouth.
“Not too early,” Tim shrugs. “It’s good?”
“So good,” she confirms, though her words are muffled by potatoes. “Thank you.”
“I’m glad,” he chuckles.
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“That was the best shower I’ve ever taken, I swear,” Lucy groans as she throws herself onto the sofa, right between Tim and Andie.
“I bet it was, because you were in there for like a half hour,” Tim notes. He pulls Ivie into his side, leaving more room for Lucy.
“Hey, it’s Mother’s Day!” Andie chimes in. “She can shower for however long she wants.”
“You’re forever Mommy’s little lawyer, aren’t you?” Tim shakes his head. Andie was the first to jump on Tim every time he made a joke or pass at Lucy. Lucy knows that he means no harm, but she lets Andie go on out of pure enjoyment.
“At least one of them has to be my lawyer,” Lucy says. “Ives is stuck to your hip.”
“She is not!” Tim defends in that high-pitched voice he uses when Lucy accuses him of something. But the fact that Ivie is currently cuddled up into him, fast asleep.
“Okay, okay,” Tim concedes as he reaches his free arm behind Lucy, wrapping it around her shoulders. “You’ve caught me.”
Lucy giggles. “Well, what’s our plan for the rest of the day?”
Tim taps his finger along his chin, as if he is thinking. Lucy knows it’s all for show; Tim is way too Type A to let the day go by unplanned. He would stress about getting the girls ready at a decent time, and they’d spend an hour driving around the city while they argue over places to eat. That was the price Tim paid to live with 3 females. And it was worth every penny.
“Well, I was thinking we could go shopping. You could pick out something nice to wear for dinner tonight,” he suggests smugly.
“Shopping? Dinner?” Lucy grins. “My favorite type of words.”
Tim begins to gently run his hand up and down Ivie’s side, and when she doesn’t budge, he turns to full-on tickling.
“Daddy!” she giggles after a few seconds, squirming on the sofa as Tim’s nails lightly glaze her stomach.
“Now you’re up,” he says with a smile. “Go put your shoes on,” he turns to Andie, “both of you. We’re going to the mall.”
“Yes sir!” they respond before jumping off of the couch.
“Go let Kojo into the backyard!” he yells after them, and they shout back in understanding.
“I suppose I should get my shoes on too?” Lucy asks, though she places her hand on Tim’s thigh.
“Eh, it can wait a couple of minutes. Kojo will slow the girls down.”
“Couple of minutes is all I need,” Lucy assures her husband. She kicks her feet up on top of the armrest and lays her head on Tim’s lap. He slides his fingers into her freshly straight hair, undoing the ten minutes she spent brushing through her knots. She doesn’t mind.
“You having a good day?” Tim asks in a soft, puppy-dog voice, as if he was worried about Lucy’s answer.
“Of course I am,” she confirms, looking up at him. She holds a firm gaze on him, never having grown bored of studying his face. Something new would appear each time: a wrinkle, or dimple she’s never noticed before. There was always something to be excited about.
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“God, we haven’t been to the mall in… how long?” Lucy asks as they walk into their local shopping center. As they expected, it’s completely and utterly packed with frantic husbands and sons trying to buy last-minute presents before Mother’s Day dinner. The jewelry stores all had lines out the door.
“Too long,” Tim groans. It was well-known that shopping malls were essentially the bane of his existence. To him, they were a cesspool of germs and the breeding grounds for consumerism. He’s more of an online shopper.
“Hey, you brought me here,” Lucy reminds him, and he merely shrugs.
Miraculously, the Bradfords are able to make it to the Macy’s without Ivie and Andie being distracted by the array of toy stores along the way.
Lucy tries on an absurd number of dresses, each one presenting a new quirk: too long, too tight, too revealing, etc.
“Should we try a different store?” Tim proposes, trying to conceal his absolute boredom. His daughters, on the other hand, are having the time of their lives watching their mom put on a fashion show.
“Ivie and I want to pick out a dress,” Andie jumps in firmly.
“I don’t know about th-” Lucy begins.
“Pleaseeee,” Ivie runs up to her mom and clutches the silk fabric over her leg.
And when she looks down at Ivie, she sees the same watercolor eyes she married staring up at her. Eyes that she couldn’t ever resist from Tim, and she sure as hell can’t resist from Ivie. “Okay, fine. But just one!”
The words barely escaped her lips before the girls are running away, into the sea of racks and shelves.
“You know…” Tim says, “I like this dress. Does well with your curves.”
“It’s nice,” Lucy agrees. “But the straps are too long. I’d be pulling it up all night.” She tugs at the thin straps to show him.
“You don’t need to pull them up,” he winks.
Lucy opens her mouth, but instead of speaking, she swats him on the shoulder. “Tim!”
“What?” he pretends to flinch. “I can’t compliment my wife?”
“Is that what you think you’re doing?” she raises an eyebrow. Lucy then places her arm up against the side of the dressing-room door and leans her torso against it.
“Stop it,” Tim tells her, his cheeks turning slightly pink.
“Stop what?” she teases. She fiddles with the hair tie holding her locks in a loose ponytail, releasing them.
Before she could string Tim along any further, she girls return with proud smiles, and of course, a dress in their hands.
“Try it on, Mommy!” Andie insists, practically shoving the dress into her mothers arms.
“Okay, okay,” she giggles before closing the door again.
Before taking it off of the hanger, Lucy holds the dress up to her. It’s a beautiful dusty pink, long dress with short sleeves. The straps are thicker than the last, and they criss-cross just below her neck.
She’s impressed with her young daughters; the dress fits snug as a bug: not too tight, not too lose. She eagerly swings the door open to show everyone the selection.
“Wow,” Andie gleams as Lucy twirls around.
“It’s so pretty!” Ivie sequels alongside her older sister.
Tim abstains from a compliment, and instead, just stares. He watches the soft fabric swish at Lucy’s ankles, just enough to reveal the small tattoo sitting above the bone.
“What do you think, Tim?” she asks, placing her finger up to her bottom lip as she awaits a response.
“I, uh…” he stammers. Over a decade and she still left him at a loss for words.
“I’m gonna take that as ‘you like it,’” she decides.
The girls cheer in triumph as Lucy changes back into her jeans and t-shirt, Tim telling them to quiet down each time a new person glares at them in passing. They’re so excited that they miss Lucy exiting the changing room. She takes advantage of this and holds her index finger in front of her lips for Tim, and he blinks his eyes in understanding.
Lucy carefully bends down and slides her hands underneath Ivie’s arms and lifts her up into the air, spinning her around.
“Stranger danger!” Ivie screams, in fear that she’s being kidnapped.
“Stranger danger?” Lucy gruffs. She flips Ivie around, so that they are face to face. “I’m no stranger!”
“Mommy,” Ivie’s face immediately softens into a smile. “You scared me!”
“Gotta keep your head on swivel, kiddo,” Lucy tells her as she sets her back down on the ground.
“I don’t know what that means,” the little girl pouts.
“It’s okay,” Lucy laughs. “One day you will.”
“Come on, Luce!” Tim calls out from a few paces away, Andie grabbing onto his hand. “We’re gonna be late for dinner.”
“Coming!” she exclaims. She picks Ivie back up, this time without sending a wave of fear down her tiny body, and places her on her hip before making their way to the register.
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“This is a nice restaurant,” Lucy gasps as she skims over the menu, most of the items she can barely pronounce. “What will the girls eat?”
“I called ahead, they can whip up some chicken tenders for them,” Tim tells her. Lucy looks up and smiles at him. He really did think of everything.
She turns to the girls, and finds them giggling to each other, and speaking in hushed voices.
“What’s this all about,” she inquires, leaning her chin on her popped up hand.
Both Andie and Ivie immediately turn to Tim, so Lucy does too.
“Wh- what?’ she stammers, sensing that she’s missed a chapter of the program.
“Well,” Tim begins. “The dress is nice, but… I think you forgot something?”
“Mhm,” she nods, intrigued. She watches as Tim pulls a small box out of his suit.
“Happy Mother’s Day,” he says softly as he hands it to her. “From the girls, of course,” he adds.
“Right, from the girls,” she chuckles.
She gazes down at it; a tiny velvet box with a gold ribbon tying each edge together. So elegant that it hurts her to untie it. She carefully sets it aside and opens the box, revealing a diamond tennis bracelet. Each stone sat in the same rectangle shape, adjoining to create a bracelet that was exactly the size of her wrist. She is unsurprised when she slips it over her hand, and it sits perfectly against her skin.
“Guys…” she starts. “This is beautiful! ”
“And now your outfit is complete,” Andie points out happily. She giggles as she circles her lips around her straw, taking in a sip of a Shirley Temple.
“Sure is,” Lucy taps her little nose.
“Seriously,” she turns her head to the side, to Tim. “This is like… I don’t need something this nice.”
“Of course you don’t need it,” Tim agrees. “But you deserve it.”
“This was really sweet,” she smiles. “Thank you.”
“Don’t thank me, thank the girls,” he instructs playfully.
“Right, thank you Ivie, and Andie,” Lucy corrects herself. “This is a beautiful gift.”
“You’re welcome,” they both sing.
Lucy flaunts her new piece of jewelry for the rest of the night, taking pictures and shaking it in the air. By the time they make it back to the car, all four Bradfords are slumped.
“Too much cake,” Ivie groans from the backseat, slapping her hand against her stomach.
“Tell me about it,” Tim concurs.
“That dinner took all of my energy out of me,” Lucy laughs, leaning her head back against the leather of Tim’s passenger seat.
“Me too,” her husband agrees. “Maybe Andie should drive us ho-” he begins to joke, but a quick glance into the rearview mirror reveals that both girls have fallen fast asleep in their carseats.
“I think we tired them out,” he chuckles in a hushed whisper.
“Oh, being a kid is so exhausting,” Lucy rolls her eyes playfully.
“It is when such an amazing mom to follow,” Tim points out as he changes the gear into reverse.
“It doesn’t always feel like that,” Lucy admits quietly.
“What do you mean?” Tim asks.
“I don’t know… I work a lot. I know it’s a common thing for cops, for kids to be raised by babysitters, or nanny’s. But I can’t help the fact that I feel guilty for not being home enough,” she explains.
“Come on, Luce,” Tim places his left hand on the wheel, and grabs onto one of Lucy’s with the other. “You’re a great mother. Missing a couple of dinners because Sergeant’s Duties kept you in the office a little longer doesn’t change that.”
“I know that, in my head,” she sighs. “But I just-”
“Just what?” Tim interrupts. “The girls are perfectly happy. They’re off at school most of the day, anyway. And you’re there to make them breakfast every morning and read a book before bed every night. You’re human, baby. We can’t ask too much of you, right?”
“Right,” she laughs dryly. She turns back to the girls, still fast asleep. Ivie’s legs are balled up into her chest, and her thumb rests in her mouth. A terrible habit, he parents knew, and they were trying everything to kick it to the curb. Andie, on the other hand, rested her head against the window. It was only recently that she grew tall enough to do that.
“They’re pretty damn cute, aren’t they?” she whispers.
“Incredibly.”