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Angela and Wesley are out of the door before Tim has the chance to say ‘have fun’.
Patrice is throwing a party and Jack is way too young to join them. So Tim has to step in and perform his godfather duties which means babysitting. It’s not half bad. Jack is a very easy baby, at four months he enjoys his meals, his naps and the nice bouncy chair Tim got him after excessive research performed by Lucy.
His former rookie Lucy. His current aide Lucy. The woman that seems to know him better than Tim knows himself. He’s not willing to think too hard about it. If he does he’ll have to start addressing his feelings and Tim Bradford does not do feelings. Not after his divorce.
“What do you think?” He asks Jack, bouncing him gently in his arms. “Should we watch a game or those dancing fruits your mother insists are good for you?” Jack coos and Tim browses through their available options. The baby is going to be asleep within the hour anyway. He finds an old recorded game and presses play just as the doorbell rings.
He’s half tempted to ignore it but then it rings again. Whoever is on the other side will clearly not leave. He opens the door to find none other than Lucy Chen. “Angela said you’d be on baby duty tonight.” She pushes past him and Tim ignores the back flip his heart does.
“And you came, why?” He asks half offended that she’d think he can’t do this alone. He’s perfectly capable of looking after his own godson for a few hours!
“You always look good with a baby in your arms,” she says offhandedly and reaches for Jack. The traitor goes to her without a fuss.
“I-“ Tim doesn’t know how to reply to this and he doesn’t have to because Lucy has moved deeper into the house.
He’s not getting out of here alive tonight.
Lucy doesn’t mind babysitting for her friends.
It’s good practice for when she’s ready to become a mother. Plus, there’s nothing like being around children to remind her there’s still hope in the world. Now if during those times Tim ends up being involved and she gets to enjoy the view? No one needs to know. Lucy is not very keen on admitting her feelings have changed for him. He’s the closest friend she’s had, the one person that knows her the best. Adding sex to their relationship isn’t worth the risk. So she admires, and sometimes dreams from afar.
Nyla needed a break from everything badly and when she mentioned it, Lucy offered to have Leah for a few hours. She’s such a good baby it’s always a joy to have her around. So Nyla dropped the baby in the morning and headed to her spa day with Angela. Lucy has prepared a full schedule of activities the toddler will absolutely love.
“Hat. Hat. Where’s your hat?” She murmurs to herself as she’s getting Leah ready for a walk. “We really need your hat and sunscreen.” She is halfway through rammaging through the packed baby bag when her doorbell rings. “Coming!” She yells, baby at her hip and when she opens the door her heart stops a second. Tim is before her, dressed in jeans and that stupid henley he likes to wear with the buttons undone. Down girl! She thinks to herself. Kojo is sitting beside him patiently. “What are you doing here?” Her tone is accusatory for no apparent reason.
Lucy’s traitorous mind decides to conjure a scenario where the baby in her arms doesn’t belong to her friend. Instead for a few seconds she’s transported to a reality where Leah is hers and Tim’s and this is a family outing. Her heart does a weird twist and her stomach fills with butterflies at the idea.
“So this is how it’s gonna be?” He shoots back. “You’re allowed to crash my babysitting duties but I can’t crash yours?” This leads to her falling in a familiar territory of bickering. He takes Leah from her just as Lucy finds the hat. She puts it on Leah’s head and throws the baby bag on her shoulder. Grabbing her keys she takes Kojo’s leash from him and they make their way to his car.
Lucy watches as Leah’s head falls against Tim’s shoulder and she wishes she could do the same.
The sun is high up on the sky while they make their way back home.
This is the first time in all the years she’s known Tim that he refuses to go over sixty. Their daughter is sleeping peacefully on her carseat. Six pounds and two apples tall, has stolen both their hearts since she arrived three days ago. To say their world has been flipped upside down and an understatement if you ask her. Amelia was a surprise sure but a very welcomed one even though she came at an inconvenient moment. Lucy loved her from the first moment she heard the heartbeat, Tim from the second she told him. They both swore that come hell or high water their children would not go through what they did growing up.
Therapy helped them both to see what led to the break up. Since then they’ve been rather good at keeping track of their problems. Tim is more open with his feelings and his worries. She’s less inclined to pretend everything is well and avoid talking about issues that bother her. Amelia coos in her sleep and Lucy’s heart expands three sizes.
“I can’t believe they just let us take her home,” She muses and Tim chuckles.
“They kind of have to, babe,” His gaze meets hers through the rearview mirror. “We made her.” And this is such a ridiculous notion to her, that they have created a human being. Half of her and half of Tim. A pair of tiny sneakers that will sit between her flats and Tim’s boots. “Lucy?” His voice brings her out of her thoughts, only to realise she’s crying.
“Happy tears,” She tells him, smiling, wiping away the salty water. “Fucking hormones,” She laughs wetly and Tim shakes his head.
“Language!” He chastises teasingly and she laughs again.
“This is your fault.” Tim throws a dirty glare her way as they watch their second born drift back to sleep.
“How is this my fault?” Lucy whispers back indignantly.
“You share a Spotify playlist with Lopez,” The infamous Spotify playlist is one Lucy and Angela put together trying to remember their teenage years. Needless to say it’s full of inappropriate songs for newborns or three year olds. “You kept playing it on loop your entire pregnancy. Of course she’s comforted by rap music!” Which, he’s not wrong. Baby Girl Bradford The Second was very chill every time the playlist was on. Lucy listened to it quite often for this reason.
And apparently the only way she will go to sleep now is with songs from that list. They have tried everything, and Tim means everything. Every little trick that worked for Amelia or the other children of the group. Long car rides. That bouncy chair Jack used to love. Nothing works like In Da Club by 50 Cent. It takes exactly three listens to get their daughter out like a light. Lucy insists it’s the bass on the song. Tim wishes it could have been a different song. Would it have killed them to listen to Dolly Parton?
“It was the only thing that would keep her quiet!” Lucy shoots back. “I wanted to rest!”
“And look where that got us now!” Tim laughs, shaking his head.
“This is going to be difficult to explain when she starts school.” Lucy follows him out of the nursery.
Lily has decided she will not be like any other baby they looked after.
Theirs or anyone else's.
For starters she did not wait for anyone while being born. Lucy went from active labour to giving birth within five hours. She came out in three pushes, screamed to test her lungs and then went to sleep again. Woke up a bit to nurse and go back to sleep after. They’ve been back home and the only time she’s made a sound is if she’s hungry or needs changing. It’s not that they don’t appreciate it, but both Tim and Lucy kinda miss the newborn phase they had with the other two. Lucy is coming out of the nursery just as he’s going in.
“All good?” He asks, pulling her in his arms and she buries her head into his chest.
“Woke up, got changed, got fed and went back to sleep,” His wife confirms. “I feel like I’m inconveniencing her only by existing.” Tim’s chuckles shake them both.
“Mark my words,” He replies, herding her back to the living room. “This child will march to the beat of her own drum.”
“God, help us all!” Lucy laughs.
“There’s breast milk in the fridge if he gets hungry,” Their oldest walks them through her list as if they haven’t raised three kids all by themselves. “He’s been fed, though, bathed and changed so he really shouldn’t be any trouble.” Even if their grandson plans to be trouble Lucy and Tim have it under control.
“Babygirl,” He cuts her off gently. “We’ll be fine. Your mother and I have done this before.” Granted, they were younger but still, the experience is still there.
“Your father is right,” Lucy is already holding Amelia’s coat up for her to wear and for a single second Tim sees three year old Amelia getting ready and not the amazing woman she’s grown into. She looks so much like her mother that it makes his heart hurt. “Everything is under control. Go enjoy yourself!” It’s the first time Amelia and her husband are going out since Timothy Jr, TJ for short, was born. He’s man enough to admit that he cried like a baby when he saw the name tag on the baby’s hospital crib. Tim gets it, though. He felt the same panic the first time they left Amelia with Genny to go out on a date.
“Okay,” Amelia sighs and hugs her mother tight, then him. “I can do this. It’s only a few hours.” She says more to herself than anyone else. There’s the sound of a horn from outside and Amelia gets the message. “Call me if you need anything! I love you!” And then she’s on her way. “Don’t have sex on my couch!” She calls over her shoulder.
“Amelia Bradford!” Lucy chastises scandalised but their daughter is already gone. Tim waits for a second to make sure she’s out of the house.
“So sex is off the table,” He teases and Lucy swats him on her arm. “Making out, though?” His wife laughs moving towards the living room. “That’s not a no!” He calls following her happy that they took a chance with each other and made it work.