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“Bradford!” Tim looks up from his desk and sees the last person he ever thought he would see. And quite honestly he never wanted to see again. And he’s not quite sure why Lucy’s ex boyfriend (although Tim uses that term loosely) is standing in front of his. It takes him back to the time where this man was standing in front of him showing possible houses he was going to buy with Lucy.
Chris Sanford.
“Sanford.” Tim says drily. “What are you doing here?” Chris doesn’t reply just steps closer to the desk.
“I heard you and Lucy were moving in together.” Chris says his voice hard and cold. Tim stared at him, and he doesn’t even have to ask how he knows that. He knows Wesley and Wesley is married to Angela who likes to pry into his love life. And while Tim is grateful this time—he’s not sure he wants Wesley talking about this.
“She is moving in with me yes.” Tim says and he can’t help but smile. It had only been a few days since she said yes and it was a whirl wind of a few days. Grey called and asked to talk to him and well—
Now he was sitting in the Watch Commander’s office.
“Why?” Chris asks making a face. “What makes you so special?” Tim rolls his eyes and sits back in the chair and crosses his arms.
“Well I have a house.” He says keeping his voice neutral. “And I want her to move in. And she wants to move in.”
“She’s going to change her mind.” Chris says. “She doesn’t know what she wants.”
“Right.” Tim says and he really doesn’t want to get into this with Lucy’s ex. “Because you know her so well right?” He remembers how uncomfortable Lucy was when Chris kept showing her houses. It was one after another and he did it at the most inconvenient of times. And he didn’t even notice that Lucy hadn’t even said yes.
He knows Chris is clueless and oblivious he just didn’t know how much until that day. He really didn’t know Lucy at all.
“I did.” Chris says. “I know she’s not in this for the long run. So good luck.” Tim opens his mouth to reply but Chris is walking off without another word.
Tim sits back in his chair, and looks at the paperwork in front of him and then his phone. He reaches over to grab his phone and presses on Lucy’s name. She answers on the first ring and she sounds happy.
“Hi babe.” She says. “What’s going on?” Tim blows out a breath. He shouldn’t let Chris Sanford get to him but—
“You want to move in right?” He asks. “You won’t change your mind right? Because—”
“No.” Lucy says. “I’m not going to change my mind Tim. I want this. I have half my stuff here anyway.”
“You are at home?” He asks and he gets giddy just thinking of Lucy at his house.
Their house.
He can’t believe even after a few days that this is real. He has the woman he loves back, and she is back in his bed. His heart. His home. And she was slowly moving in and unpacking. She did need more boxes, and he would get more boxes if needed. He just wants her at home. With him.
“Yes.” She says. “I still have a few more things at the apartment. I might go there and grab them—”
“Do it tomorrow.” Tim says and unless it was stuff she needed—he wanted her there when he got home. “I’ll be home soon.”
“Okay.” Lucy says and he can tell she’s smiling. “I’ll see you soon. I love you.” Tim sits up straight and his interaction with Sanford is forgotten. Because it doesn’t matter. Their relationship ended a long time ago.
And his and Lucy’s was about to start—again. It was clean slate, and considering they were in love and happy that was just a bonus.
Tim takes a deep breath, and he knows everything will be okay with Lucy by his side.
“I love you too.”
***
Lucy doesn’t hear the knock on the door first. She’s in the bedroom and throwing some things into a box when she hears a knock on her door.
“Lucy.” She turns around to see Miles standing in the doorway. “There’s some guy at the door.” Lucy frowns a little, the only guy that should be at the door is Tim and he was downstairs making room in his truck.
“Not Tim?” She asks. Miles shakes his head, and he looks a little amused.
“Definitely not Tim.” He says. Lucy sighs and walks past Miles and out of the room. She walks over to the door and takes a step back when she sees Chris Sanford at the door glaring at her.
“Chris?” She says. “What—”
“What does Bradford have that I don’t?” He snaps. “Why are you all ready to move in with him but not me?”
“How do you—” She stops and shakes her head. She remembers when Chris proposed the idea of them buying a house together. It wasn’t what she wanted, she couldn’t even tell him she loved him.
But the truth was—she didn’t love him. Not even a little. She loves Tim and she has for awhile despite everything they had been through.
“I hear things.” He says. “It’s a bad idea to move in with him. He’s toxic. He doesn’t want what’s best for you. He’s going to break your heart again.” Lucy freezes and stares at Chris in astonishment.
She has no idea how Chris knows all this and quite honestly she doesn’t care. She just wants to get him out.
“You don’t know Tim.” Lucy says drily. “You don’t know me. You never did. You don’t know how hard we both worked to get where we are.”
“You—why him? How can you just say yes so easily?” Chris asks and he actually looks angry but Lucy knows the answer to this question. It would always be Tim.
“I didn’t want to move in with you Chris.” She says shortly. “Get over it. It’s been a long time. Move on.”
“Bradford—”
“Tim is amazing. He has worked hard and it has taken us awhile to get where we are. But I love him and I have no doubt that we will make this work.” She says. “I don’t know what your problem is but you have no right to tell me this is a mistake.”
“You—”
“Goodbye Chris.” She says and shuts the door in his face. He turns around to see Miles looking up at the ceiling.
“Who was that?” Miles asks. “He seemed pleasant.”
“He’s nobody.” Lucy says. “Come on. I need to get this box down to Tim.” Miles nods and goes back to her bedroom to grab the box. Lucy follows him out and down the stairs. Tim is standing by his truck and his face lights up when he sees Lucy.
“Is that it?” He asks. Lucy nods and Tim meets them halfway to take the box from Miles.
“Thanks Penn.” He says. Miles nods and looks between them before he’s walking off.
Lucy smiles at Tim but she knows she probably looks uneasy. “Hey.” Tim says pulling her in.
“Hi.”
Tim frowns at her, and searches her face. “What’s wrong?” He asks.
Lucy sighs deeply, she just wants to forget her encounter with Chris but—Tim deserves to know. “Full transparency.” She says. Tim raises his eyebrows at her. “Chris came by. I’m surprised you didn’t see him—”
“Sanford?” Tim asks and he doesn’t look surprised. Lucy nods. “Of course. What did he say?”
“He said me moving in with you was a mistake and you would break my heart again. He asked me why I said yes.”
Tim rolls his eyes up to the ceiling. “Okay full transparency from me.” He says and he feels a little guilty for not telling her. He just completely forgot by the time he got home. “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you but—Chris stopped by the station. He said you would change your mind. He said you didn’t know what you wanted.”
“That’s what that phone call was.” She mutters and then looks up at him. “He’s an idiot.”
“I agree with that.” Tim says. “But I have always thought that.” Lucy laughs a little and stands on her toes to kiss him. She rests her forehead against his, and she feels at complete peace.
“He’s wrong. I know what I want and I am not going to change my mind.” She says. “I said yes for a reason.”
“I know.” Tim says softly. “He was wrong. I’m not—going to leave. I’m not going to mess this up. I know it’s not perfect and we—but I love you. I want you in every way possible.”
“I know that Tim.” Lucy reassures him. “I want to move in with you and I want to make this work and what my idiot ex boyfriend thinks doesn’t matter.”
“Good.” Tim says softly. “I’m glad. I love you Lucy.”
Lucy smiles and wraps her arms around her neck. “I know. I love you too.” She says. “And I can’t wait to move in with you.” Tim leans in to kiss and there’s really nothing better than this right here. She loves him, and they are about to begin the next chapter of their lives. They were in a committed relationship. For good.
And she has a feeling it will be good… really really good.