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She knew he was getting restless.
Sure, she could read him like an open book, but this time it was obvious to anyone the way he was constantly checking his phone and sighing.
An impromptu party at the station had come together at the end of shift on Christmas Eve. While many from Mid-Wilshire would be descending upon Angela and Wesley’s house the following evening for their Christmas party, Nolan and Bailey had used their day off to bring the squad a stack of pizzas and homemade baked goods. Before anyone could blink, someone had thrown on their Christmas playlist and the evening had turned into an unexpected but much needed time of unwinding.
At least Lucy had found herself unwinding. She relished in the relaxed atmosphere as she got to socialize with the people that had felt a lot more like family this year than her own.
What she couldn’t figure out was why Tim seemed so antsy to leave. She knew he cared about these people in his own way and actually enjoyed their company. Even Smitty…maybe.
And it wasn’t as if she and Tim had made any grand Christmas Eve plans themselves. They had wanted to keep it low-key, with him staying over at her apartment (more festive than his house was her explanation) and watching Christmas movies with Tamara. But Tamara had also ended up in a spontaneous celebration, so they wouldn’t be starting any movies until later anyway.
And she was having fun, even with Tim practically sulking in the corner.
But when she turned around to go snag another cookie, Tim was suddenly there, surrounding her, filling her senses. And then all she wanted was to be in his arms.
No, not here. They’d done so well all evening, always keeping a respectable distance, primarily talking with others with only the occasional passing comment to each other, and never letting their glances linger too long.
Except now, he leaned in, his breath hitting her ear eliciting an involuntary shiver. She nearly melted right there on the spot. Desperate to keep her composure, she pursed her lips together and held her breath.
“Meet me in the parking garage in ten minutes. I know you’ll want to get your goodbyes in,” he whispered, proving once again how well he knows her.
Craving more of his touch, more of him, as soon as possible, she had no trouble complying.
After another minute, she spotted him discreetly ducking out, as she began making the rounds, wishing everyone happy holidays.
When she got to Angela to tell her goodbye, the detective threw her arms around Lucy in an unexpected display of affection.
“Um, merry Christmas, Angela.”
“You too, Lucy. You seem really happy tonight.”
“Me? You’re the one giving out hugs over here!” Lucy said, laughing.
“Well, I’m in a good mood. My friends are all happy, and it seems I won a bet.”
“Ooo, what kind of bet was it?” Lucy asked, her interest piqued.
Angela shook her head. “Oh, I’m sure you’ll find out soon enough, but not tonight. You go have fun, and I hope the both of you have a great Christmas together.”
The both of us?
"Do you mean me and Tamara?"
"Nope."
“Then who are you talking about? You know I broke up with Chris.”
“Yes, and thank God for that. No, I’m referring to someone else…rhymes with dim, like how you two have been acting for months."
Lucy let out a squeak as her jaw dropped to the floor.
Angela smirked. “Don’t be so shocked. You’re looking at the best detective at Mid-Wilshire.” Lowering her voice, she added, “Don’t tell Nyla I said that.”
“But seriously, how did you–”
“Oh please, you two aren’t nearly as stealthy as you think. You’ve been making heart eyes at each other all night, and a lot longer than that if I’m being honest. For the record, I’m really thrilled for you. You both have been through a lot, and deserve to be truly happy.”
Ah, so that’s where the hug stemmed from. Lucy smiled, grateful for the support. It wasn’t as though she and Tim expected negativity from their friends, but the relationship was still so new they had barely been able to process the change themselves. They were just enjoying being in their little bubble for now.
“Thank you. I guess we’ll see you tomorrow night.”
“Oh, you definitely will. And Lucy? Now that the cat’s out of the bag, don’t even bother with the pretense of arriving separately or I will give you crap about it all night."
Lucy laughed. “Noted.”
Tim was having fun. He was, really.
But he had plans, and he’d started getting concerned that said plans would fall through, so he’d finally made an executive decision. It was time to go.
As he saw her turn the corner towards his truck, he instantly relaxed.
She came to stand directly in front of him, hands landing on his shoulders and slowly making their way down his chest. “Did you hit your social wall, old man?”
He rolled his eyes, but couldn’t help the small smile that graced his lips. Now that he didn’t have to try to suppress them anymore, his smiles were plentiful and she could have as many of them as she wanted.
He’d give her the whole world if he could.
They’d only been dating a couple of weeks. He could still barely wrap his head around the fact that Lucy considered him to be the most important relationship in her life.
She was definitely his.
He felt a tug of guilt thinking of how he stayed with Ashley for far longer than he should have, and not even being the one to take control and end it. He could chalk it up to trying to be logical, sensible, and avoiding complications. But maybe it turned out he was just as scared as Lucy.
But those mistakes were past them, and they were now exploring this new facet of their relationship that was fresh and exciting, yet still somehow comfortable and familiar. It was a fundamentally different experience from anything else in his entire life.
Everything had changed.
And it was amazing.
“I did,” he answered, placing his hands on top of hers. “But I also have a surprise for you and it’s getting late.”
Lucy tilted her head slightly. “Why didn’t you say something sooner? We could have left early.”
Tim shook his head. “No, you were clearly having a great time in there, all smiles. I didn’t want to get in the way of that."
It had been an entertaining and breathtaking sight, watching her all evening, or at least trying to without getting caught.
“Did you ever think that me being all smiles might have a little more to do with you than the party?”
His breath hitched. “Yeah?”
She scrunched up her face. “I mean, maybe. Kinda depends on what my surprise is.”
He laughed as he moved to open the passenger door to his truck for her. “Nope, you’re in the dark a little longer on that one."
They began their drive, Tim taking turns onto less frequented streets, leaving Lucy baffled by their route, even while they chatted about other topics. But the more beautifully decorated houses they passed, he could see her mental wheels spinning faster.
She grabbed his arm as her eyes lit up. “Tim, are you taking me around to see Christmas lights? That’s my surprise?"
The grin overtook him before he could even nod in affirmation. “Yep.”
“That’s perfect! I hadn’t had a chance to do a drive myself this year. It’s my favorite Christmas tradition.”
“I know.”
“How?”
“You told me."
“When?”
“Months ago.”
The story was she’d always been drawn to Christmas lights growing up. She couldn’t get enough of them, although her parents never put any up except on their tree. Every Christmas Eve she would ask them to drive her around to see the lights, but they thought it was a waste of time, and they needed the time to prepare the food for the following day when Lucy’s Aunt Amy and other relatives would come over. Lucy would always go to bed that night disappointed, even knowing presents were waiting for her under the tree. So, once Lucy got her driver’s license, she began taking several drives to look at lights every Christmas season, but especially on Christmas Eve.
When he’d heard her tell the story, it settled somewhere deep inside of him and stayed there. It was one of the few times she’d painted a clearer picture of what she’d gone through with her parents over the years.
After he’d taken the plunge weeks ago and asked her out, he recalled that story and knew he had to create the best Christmas lights drive ever. He’d been tweaking his route for days, finding some of the most decorated streets in LA.
Her eyes had widened at his answer. “So, you remembered a completely random conversation we had about Christmas lights months ago?”
“Believe me, it happens a lot more often than you think.”
She shook her head in disbelief. “Tim Bradford, you are just…you’re just….”
While they were at a stoplight, he leaned over and kissed her cheek. “I know.”
She shoved him playfully.
They had been close to approaching the grand finale, a short cul-de-sac that had every single house lit up from top to bottom. These families were less about having a village of inflatables in their yard, and more about quality light placement. He breathed a sigh of relief as they turned onto the street, noticing that every house was still lit up.
Lucy was in awe, exactly as he’d hoped.
“Ohhhh. Tim, this is amazing. How did you find this?”
“Can’t give away all my secrets. So, you like it, huh?” he said as he parked at the end of the cul-de-sac.
“I love it! We have to come here every year from now on!” Her face froze as she apparently realized the implication of what she said. “I-I mean, something else that sounds less scary and permanent."
What she didn’t realize and what he didn’t know how to really get across to her was that the “permanent” part wasn’t scaring him at all. He knew he was falling fast, something he never experienced with Rachel or Ashley, and that the L word he’d only freely given to one other woman in his life would be making its first appearance with Lucy sooner rather than later.
He couldn’t help it. This woman, this unstoppable force with the biggest heart, had flipped his world upside down, and he wouldn’t have it any other way.
Tim leaned into her space, like he’d wanted to so many times in their shop when she was distressed, or bouncing in her seat with excitement. An invisible barrier had always stopped him then, but all barriers were now gone between them. He reached over to caress her cheek, and let his hand wander into the silky forest of her hair. “No, Lucy…I like that idea.”
His lips found hers and he could feel her body relax at his touch.
“You know,” he began once they broke apart, “My story is kind of opposite of yours. When I was growing up, my mom took me and Genny to see the lights, every year without fail. They were some of the only good memories of Christmas we had, when it was just the three of us, away from Dad. Genny and I could just breathe and feel some excitement. After she passed,” he paused, his voice thick with emotion, “I never did it again. But when I remembered your story, I thought maybe it was time to try again. We could create our own memory together.” Taking her hand, he lifted it up to kiss her palm.
Lucy’s eyes shined from unshed tears as she moved into his lap, wrapping her arms around him. “Thank you so much, for sharing that, and for tonight. This is definitely in the running for favorite Christmas.”
He’d have to agree, as the gentle notes of Nat King Cole floated around them from the radio, and the warm golden glow from the lights hit Lucy’s face at the most perfect angle.
Maybe it was why she was always so drawn to the lights, because she was light herself.
When he realized she hadn’t spoken for a couple minutes, he studied the overwhelmed expression on her face.
“Hey,” he whispered, “Talk to me."
“I just never….”
“What?” he prompted.
She slowly exhaled, looking at him intently. “I knew it could be good, but I just never imagined it could be this good…with you.”
“Me neither. You’re exceeding all expectations, as you always have. And they were already pretty high."
“And it’s only the beginning.”
Man, he liked the sound of that. Their lips found each other again, deeper this time, full of all the potential and promise their new relationship contained. He drank her in, not knowing if it was Christmas magic or magic of their own, but it was definitely magic. Nothing before Lucy had ever been quite like this.
“Merry Christmas, Lucy,” he said after they caught their breath.
“Merry Christmas, Tim. Oh, and by the way, Angela knows, and we now have to come to her party together.”
He shrugged. “I can think of worse things. But get ready for an interesting night. She’s probably got mistletoe hanging from every inch of her ceiling.”
Lucy wiggled her eyebrows. “Sounds perfect.”