Chapter Text
Tim is Tim. He’s tough, he’s a hard ass. He yells but he means well. But he’s sweet, he’s loving and he loves Lucy with everything he has in him. He loves like no other and she is the luckiest person on earth to be loved by Tim Bradford.
He dotes on her every chance he gets and he has from the beginning. From before they were married to now.
She loves all versions of Tim, it makes her heart happy to see him happy. He was unhappy and thrown into darkness for so long.
She loves husband Tim who does everything for her and usually without even asking. When she was pregnant, he would go to the store and get her ice cream on the way home. He would bring her snacks and water.
He would clean up the house, and the yard because that was his pride and joy.
(But she also loved watching him do yard work).
Everything he did, he did for her without question and husband Tim was definitely one for the books.
But then—
Ava was born, and it’s like a switch turned on and he turned into girl dad Tim. He doted on their daughter like no other. He made sure if she was crying, he would scoop her up and rock her back to sleep or give her to Lucy to be fed.
He would always get up in the middle of the night for her 3am feedings. He would take her from Lucy and let her go back to sleep.
He was on a other level.
Girl dad Tim was something else.
He was protective, almost a helicopter dad. They were going out for a walk and Lucy put her in the stroller. She pulled the cover over Ava so the sun wouldn’t get to her.
“Wait,” Tim says. He has a tiny hat that Lucy has never seen before. “She needs a hat.” Lucy raises her eyebrows at him but doesn’t protest. He puts the hat on her and then pulls out tiny sunglasses.
“Where did those come from?” She asks. Tim shrugs and puts them on the baby. Ava is 3 months old and she’s a pretty chill baby for the most part. Apparently a hat and sunglasses did not bother her.
“I picked them up the other day.” Tim says. Lucy blinks at him. “Okay she’s ready.” Lucy pulls the shade over and then Tim goes to open the front door. Lucy maneuvers the stroller out.
“Are you protected enough?” He asks her. Lucy just shrugs, she has her sunglasses on and she’s pretty covered up. She’s not totally comfortable in her body yet, growing and having a baby was no joke.
Tim told her everyday she was beautiful and they had gone on a few dates without Ava but—
“I’m fine Tim.” She says. She glances at her husband, besides being almost overly protective of Ava (and her). Tim had buffed up, she’s not even sure where it came from. She just knows some of his shirts were starting to look a little tight.
(She wasn’t complaining—her husband was already fit.)
“Have you been working out more?” Lucy asks him.
“Yes.” Tim says without missing a beat. He lifts the stroller over the step and then gently places it down so it doesn’t jostle Ava. “I want to stay healthy. For her. For you.”
“That’s sweet and—” She stops and she absolutely loves that he wants to stay fit and healthy for their daughter.
Ava has no idea how lucky she is to have a dad like Tim. She would know as she grew up.
“Ava deserves the best version of me.” Tim says. “And so do you.” Lucy swallows and she always knew Tim would be a good dad. She had no doubt about that, he just was an amazing dad.
“You are an amazing dad.” Lucy says. Tim pauses presses a kiss to her cheek and then takes over pushing the stroller. Lucy took a quick peek at Ava, but the baby was fast asleep.
“I try.” Tim says softly. Lucy smiles as they continue to walk.
He was such a good dad, a good girl dad at that.
***
“Tim has this glow about him.” Angela comments one day. “He didn’t have it before—”
“Ava was born?” Lucy asks her. Angela looks at her and then nods her head. “It’s the girl dad effect. Six months in and I have never seen him like this.”
Tim tosses Ava into the air making the baby giggle loudly. “He is just different.” Angela says. “It’s not a bad thing.”
“He works out more. He eats better and he meal preps. He makes sure Ava is eating good too. The minute we start her on solid foods.”
Tim tosses Ava in the air again and then catches her. He blows on her belly, and she giggles. And then she lays her head down on his chest.
“Oh that baby loves him.” Angela says. Lucy grins to herself because really everyone notices how much of a connection Tim and Ava had. It was pure love from Ava and from Tim.
Ava loves her, and Lucy knows she is just a baby but she knows. Ava usually preferred Lucy when she was sick. Or late at night, and Tim just wasn’t cutting it.
But she was a daddy’s girl and Lucy was perfectly okay with that.
She wouldn’t have it any other way.
***
When Ava turns one, Tim is a mess. Tim is the one who goes into her room and picks her up. He carries her over to the chair and reads her a book. Ava is half asleep but she cuddles up against Tim. Lucy finds them this way, a little bit later. Ava is asleep her head on Tim’s chest.
“Hey.” Lucy whispers. Tim looks up, and he still has that glow. He still as that glow of a dad who would do anything for his daughter.
“Hi.”
“You good?” Lucy asks stepping into the room. She has her own emotions about her baby turning one. The year had gone so fast, and now she has a one year old. She can’t believe it.
“I can’t believe she’s one.” Tim whispers rubbing Ava’s back. The baby stirs a little, and opens her eyes. She looks around and her eyes land on Lucy.
“Mama.” She says reaching out for her. Lucy takes the baby from Tim. She can’t believe how fast this year went by, it seemed like she was just holding Ava in her arms for the first time.
She glances at Tim and he’s just looking down at the book he was reading Ava.
Tim didn’t always like to sit still, and do things like read a book.
Until Ava.
He would sit down and read her books and make funny voices for ages if he had to. Ava loved listening and being read to. Lucy couldn’t help but think she was exactly like Tim in that way.
“Dada.” Ava reaches out for Tim and he’s stands up and takes her from Lucy. The baby settles her head down on his shoulder.
“I’ll get her ready.” Tim says and Lucy nods. She studies him for a minute. He needed to do this for himself.
“Okay.” Lucy says. She comes over and gives them both a kiss. “I’ll make some breakfast.” Tim nods and Lucy leaves the room.
She hears Tim talking to Ava, his voice soft and Ava giggles. The girl dad effect was still in play even a year later and she has a feeling it would be there to stay for the rest of his life.
She has a feeling Tim is okay with that.
Perfectly okay.
***
“You are a good dad.” Lucy says later that day. “A amazing dad.”
“Yeah?” Tim asks turning to look at her.
“You are an absolute amazing girl dad though.” Lucy says and she wants to get her point across. “Ava adores you. You were meant to have a girl first. It’s the girl dad effect.”
“What?” Tim asks looking confused. Lucy sighs and moves towards him.
“You just have this glow about you. You are protective and soft even more than before. You do things that you probably never would do if it weren’t for Ava.” Lucy says. “It’s a compliment Tim.”
“Yeah I got that.” Tim says. “But I don’t—I just love her. I would do anything for her.”
“You started working out more and eating healthier after she was born. I don’t know—” Lucy stops and she realizes without a doubt she had fallen more in love with Tim. She didn’t think that was possible.
“What?”
“I love every version of you.” She says and continues before he can protest. “But dad you? It’s just something unique and I love it. I have fallen more in love with you.” Tim’s face softens almost immediately.
“I never thought I would ever get the chance to be a dad.” He says. “When I became a dad I didn’t know what to expect. But Ava—seeing you as a mom?” He swallows. It really was on par for them to get emotional on their baby’s first birthday.
“Yeah?”
“I have fallen more in love with you too. And if we have more kids—I can’t even imagine.” Tim says. Lucy smiles at the thought of having more babies. Maybe a another girl and a boy. She can only imagine Tim with a boy. It would be a whole different ball game but she was here for it.
“Yeah?” She asks. “You want more?”
“Maybe a few more.” Tim says. Lucy grins at him and then pulls him down for a kiss. She definitely loves the girl ad effect on Tim. It was amazing.
She couldn’t wait for it to happen maybe again.
“Dada.” Ava comes toddling over and Tim scoops her up. She giggles when she sees Lucy, her eyes lighting up.
Lucy leans in to press a kiss to her cheek and Tim does the same.
And in that moment, it was absolutely perfect.
The girl dad effect and all.