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“Hey, have you heard from your mom recently?”
Tim let out a small grunt of frustration as his lips were currently against Lucy’s neck. “You want to talk about that now? I’m doing some of my best work here, Luce.” He gave her neck an additional kiss to prove his point.
“You are, and I’m giving you five stars,” she commented, as she leaned down for her lips to meet his. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to blurt it out like that. It’s just been so crazy lately with the wedding planning and extra therapy sessions, plus you and I basically running the station; my brain can’t ever shut off anymore. I promise I was focused on your prowess. I just get these thoughts that randomly pop up, like fragments of a to-do list. It doesn’t mean anything more than that.”
Tim kept his head on her shoulder as he looked at her. He’d be lying if he said he hadn’t felt similar lately. Ever since he’d put that ring on Lucy’s finger, with sunset hues making her face glow even more than usual, life had not let up for a second. Getting kidnapped together by a wealthy, vindictive criminal was not on his bingo card. It had been hell, and while they’d healed physically a few months ago, mentally it was going to take longer. Although Tim was working through the guilt of Lucy suffering because he’d been Everett’s target, it still felt overwhelming at times.
“Yeah, I get that. Clearly, my methods to relax you aren’t very effective,” he joked.
She pushed at his chest, but with not enough force to hurt him. It was one of her signature responses, and he couldn’t help but adore it.
“No, listen. I know our lives are hectic, but I still want to get to know your mom better. She’s going to be my mother-in-law. And the whole point of her moving back here was to be closer to her family, so we should make it a priority to stay in contact. Why don’t we have her over for dinner this weekend?”
Tim groaned. “You’re right, but you know she’s just going to want to overload us with wedding stuff. She sent us five possible venues just this week alone in the group chat.”
“It’s sweet!” Lucy protested. “Do you see my mom offering wedding suggestions?”
Oof. Tim winced, immediately humbled. “I’m sorry.”
“It’s okay, Tim. I mean, it’s not okay about my mom, but I’m thrilled to be part of your family.”
Tim really needed to stop complaining. Having his mom fully back in his life again had been an unexpected blessing. Their kidnapping had been the final straw for Joy to finally pack up the condo she’d been in for the past decade and move back to LA. Tim was still figuring out this new phase of their relationship, where he actually shares what’s happening in his life. It was still a challenge, and it usually left him feeling exposed and vulnerable, but as Lucy would tell him, it was because he wasn’t used to it yet. It would get easier over time.
“Okay, I’ll give her a call and set it up.”
Lucy tilted her head.
“You want me to call right now." It was a statement, not a question.
“I mean, is there anything stopping you?”
“I was hoping what we’d been doing was stopping me.”
Lucy lovingly ran her hand down his arm. “I promise, we can get right back to that. But I’ll feel better knowing there’s one less thing to do.”
“This is how our marriage is going to be?”
“Would you want it any different?”
If it meant anyone other than her, never.
Tim fondly shook his head as he pulled up his mom’s contact. Joy answered almost immediately.
“Hey, Mom,” he greeted.
“Timmy!” Joy greeted, “How are you?”
“I’m good. Are you still settling in okay?”
“Yes, it’s been wonderful. I truly feel like I’ve come back home. Plus, I just got some new shelves that work perfectly in the living room. You’ll have to come see them soon once I organize my books.”
“I definitely will. And Lucy says hi, by the way,” said Tim, acknowledging Lucy’s waving hand.
“Hi, Lucy!”
“So, Mom, we were checking to see if you wanted to come over for dinner this weekend, maybe on—”
Lucy mouthed, “Saturday.”
“—Saturday?”
“Oh, that would be fabulous, Timmy. Will Genny and the boys be there, too?”
“Uh…Genny…well, I can check with—”
Lucy was already nodding her head.
“Y-yeah, I guess they are coming also.”
“Perfect! Then could I make a request?”
“Okaaay,” Tim responded hesitantly.
“Would it be alright if I brought someone to dinner?”
“A friend?”
Joy paused. “More than a friend.”
Oh. This was a first. He was vaguely aware that his mother had dated here and there over the years since the divorce, but most of that information had come from Genny, not Joy herself. Plus, he’d never met any of them before due to her being so far away.
She’d been back in LA for less than a month. How had she found a boyfriend that fast?
“Y-yeah, yeah, of course you can bring someone.”
Lucy’s eyebrows rose. Apparently this was even news to her.
They talked just for a minute longer, settling on a time for Saturday, and hung up.
“You already talked to Genny about Saturday,” Tim stated.
“What can I say, I like to be prepared. You love that about me.”
God help him, he does.
“So, Joy is really dating someone?”
“She didn’t specifically say, just that they were ‘more than a friend.’”
“Hmmm. Well, I’m glad she’s getting out there and making connections already, but I didn’t expect a possible boyfriend already. I wonder who it is.”
“I guess we’ll find out soon enough. Now,” he leaned back, brushing his nose against hers, “I believe we were right about here.” He captured her lips with his and all thoughts about Saturday were swiftly forgotten.
The doorbell rang on Saturday evening as Tim was finishing setting the table and Lucy was putting the salad together. He moved to answer the door, finding his sister and nephews on the other side.
“Lucy must have told you to come early. Mom won’t be here for ten more minutes.”
“She did, because I’m not about to miss the surprise reveal,” Genny greeted.
The boys trailed behind, giving their Uncle Tim halfhearted waves, but they perked up once they got to the kitchen, with a lively pair of “Aunt Lucy!”s piercing the air.
Tim couldn’t even be mad. The Lucy effect was real, and he couldn’t be happier that they’d taken to her so easily over the years.
The boys headed to the backyard to play with Kojo for a bit while Genny sat down at one of the kitchen stools. “So Lucy, what are your guesses on how my mother met someone so fast?”
“Oh, good, you’re a normal Bradford! Every time I’ve brought it up this week, Tim doesn’t want to play.”
“Why do you think I’m asking you?”
Tim rolled his eyes. “Genny, don’t encourage her. We won’t know until she gets here, so I just don’t see the point in speculating.”
“And that’s why your fiancée is more fun. But seriously, how did she do it? I’ve been back here three years, and I can’t seem to get past a second date with anyone!”
“Well,” Lucy began, “I wonder if she reconnected with an old friend from when she used to live here.”
“That’s possible. Plus, I know she was looking for book clubs to join. Maybe she found one with a hot guy.”
Lucy laughed. “This isn’t normal for her, is it?”
“Not at all. That’s what has me so baffled. It takes time for her to adjust to new things, yet within a span of months, she made a giant move and potentially has a boyfriend? I’m sure by next week her hair will be dyed pink and purple.”
“Maybe she just realized life is short and you have to make the most of it,” Tim quietly offered.
“Thought you didn’t have anything to add, babe,” Lucy smirked.
The doorbell rang once more.
“I’ve got it,” Tim insisted while the two ladies giggled.
He took a deep breath and opened the door. Joy stood there, in a soft sweater and dress pants, eyes crinkled with happiness. And next to her, holding Joy’s hand, was—.
“Pierre?” Tim asked, shocked.
He’d never expected to see the man who had sold him Lucy’s ring standing there, wearing a turtleneck and blazer, standing as distinguished as ever.
“Tim, it’s good to see you again,” greeted Pierre, hand outstretched for a handshake.
Tim shook his hand, trying to mask his confusion. “Uh, yes, you too. Both of you, come in.”
The couple came into the entryway, while Lucy and Genny had immediately beelined over to see the mystery guest.
After Joy gave them a round of hugs, she once again took her spot next to Pierre. “I’d like you to meet Pierre Wilkinson. He and I have been seeing each other. Pierre, this is my daughter, Genny, and my future daughter-in-law, Lucy. And of course you’ve already met Tim.”
“You have?” Lucy asked Tim, curious.
“This is actually who I bought your ring from.”
“Oh wow!” Lucy exclaimed. “It’s so nice to meet you.”
Pierre moved next to shake her extended hand, then gently released her hand, lifting her left one instead. “I’m delighted to see you wearing the ring. I don’t usually get to see the end result like this. That ring has a lovely history, and I believe your story with Tim will be very similar.”
Lucy grinned, clearly touched by his words. “Thank you. Tim told me the story and how you helped him find the perfect ring. He did not mention how charming you are, though.”
Pierre chuckled warmly. “You’re very kind. And for the record, Tim came to that conclusion about the ring on his own. I am just a guide to help people see what they’re really looking for, and it’s quite rewarding.”
Tim watched Pierre as he greeted Genny. He hadn’t known what to expect with Joy bringing a date to dinner, but the fact that it was someone he’d already met before might have made it even more surprising. Tim was grateful to Pierre for his help in finding Lucy’s ring. He thought about that moment of discovery fondly. As soon as he’d picked up that ring and held it between his fingers, he immediately knew it belonged to Lucy. The story Pierre had told had only reinforced that.
Tyler and Austin trampled into the living room, Kojo running in behind them as he panted heavily.
“Oh, there you are, boys,” said Joy. “I want you to meet Pierre.”
Austin spoke up first. “So, this is your boyfriend, Grandma?”
“Should we call you Gramps?” Tyler chimed in with all of his teenage snark.
“Boys!” Genny admonished with clenched teeth. “I’m sorry about them, Pierre. Tact is not a strong trait in the Bradford family.”
Pierre held up a hand. “I’m not bothered. Joy talks about you all constantly, so I feel like I already knew you before tonight.”
“Why don’t all you find a spot at the table while Lucy and I bring out the food?” Tim suggested, trying to move everyone along.
“Joy, you and Pierre can be on this side. Genny, you and the boys can be on the other side, and Tim and I can take the ends,” Lucy added.
Pierre pulled out a chair. “Here you are, my dear,” he said to Joy.
“Aww, they’re so cute,” Lucy whispered to Tim in the kitchen. And he couldn’t help but nod. His mother looked incredibly happy, truly living up to her name.
The first several minutes of the meal were rather quiet as they tucked in. Genny was shooting the boys occasional warning glances, while Pierre remained highly observant, curiously watching this family that was sometimes still re-learning how to be around each other.
Joy cleared her throat. “So, no one is going to ask anything? I’m sure you all have questions.”
Genny was the first to speak up. “How did all of this start, exactly?”
“Well, as you know, I first met Pierre the night Tim purchased Lucy’s ring. I was immediately drawn to the way he told stories and how he spoke so freely about things from the heart, so I wanted to know more. While Tim and Angela were in the house making plans on how to keep the ring hidden from Lucy, I followed Pierre outside where we continued talking for a while, and I just found him fascinating. By the end of the night, we exchanged numbers. Of course, my flimsy excuse was that I might need a jeweler on standby,” Joy laughed.
“I was also taken with Joy. She’s so inquisitive, well-read, and insightful. She’s also kind and beautiful. I appreciated her tender mother’s heart," added Pierre.
“Do you have kids?” Lucy asked.
“No, never had my own. My wife passed before we were able to.”
Tim noticed Lucy’s face fall. “I’m so sorry.”
“It just wasn’t the path for me. I’m very content with the life I created for myself, and even more so since Joy has been in it.”
“Tim, Lucy, when you both were taken, I found myself calling Pierre. I just needed to talk to someone with a level head. And he became my source of calm when I was worried out of my mind, but we also connected deeply. Everything just escalated quickly from there, and we continued to talk long after you were found. As soon as I moved back here, he asked me out to make it official.”
“When you get to be our age, you realize there’s not much point in waiting around for things to happen. We don’t have that kind of time,” Pierre chuckled as he took Joy’s hand and kissed it.
From there, the conversation began to springboard into other topics: Tyler’s baseball tryouts for the school team, Austin’s latest video game obsession, Genny’s students, and Lucy’s tales of planning a wedding. Pierre was easy to talk to, giving each speaker his full attention. He seemed genuinely interested in getting to know the family, and his own stories in turn were riveting. It left Tim silenced in a swirling mix of emotions.
He was struck by the sharp contrast between his father and Pierre. They couldn’t be more opposite. Tom Bradford wasn’t gentle, attentive, or patient. He never treated Joy the way she deserved. Maybe they had had some brief happiness together before Tim was old enough to remember, but all his memories were filled with yelling, insults, items carelessly thrown across the room, all from Tom.
The rest of them never tried to do anything to instigate him, but they could never truly know what would set him off. When Tom’s anger took over, Tim always stepped in, shielding his mother and Genny from his wrath. He took the beatings out of love, thinking that if he couldn’t stop the violence altogether, he could at least keep the rest of his family from getting hurt.
But as much as he tried to protect Joy, he would sometimes hear her cry herself to sleep some nights, when she thought her children were asleep, and Tom had yet to return home. It was no wonder that as soon as Tim enlisted, Joy finally found the strength to file for divorce and escape to the other side of the country, taking Genny with her.
She’d always seemed so lonely in her marriage. It was the one thing Tim couldn’t protect her from. While Tim suffered physically, most of the emotional toll rested on Joy’s shoulders. It’s probably what led to Tim withholding so much from her over the years. It had started out as small things, but as time as a soldier grew more heartbreaking, his job as a cop became more demanding, and Isabel’s undercover stints grew longer, it was just easier not to bother his mother with all of it. He wanted her to keep every shred of happiness she could hang on to, even at the detriment of his own relationship with her.
But there was healing in that now. He was sharing his life with her again, which is all she ever wanted, apparently. It still astounded him that there was more happiness found in talking about the hard things and hurting together than shielding his pain and problems from the people in his life. It was a lesson he’d learned the hard way and was still working on.
And to see his mother treated like a queen by a kind man, well, that meant the world to him.
“Tim?”
He looked up to see everyone at the table staring at him. Guess he'd gotten in his head more than he realized.
“Are you alright?” asked Pierre.
Tim gave one of his polite smiles, the ones that Lucy said never reached his eyes. “Yeah, I’m fine. I think I just need a little air. I’ll be right back.”
As he caught Lucy’s look of concern, he did his best to wordlessly convey he was okay.
He was just more overwhelmed than he expected.
Tim made his way out the front door onto the path from the driveway. The evening was breezy, the slightest chill in the air, and it settled his thoughts a little as he took deep breaths. He figured Lucy would come out to find him any second.
Sure enough, a minute later, the door opened. Yet it wasn’t Lucy; it was Joy.
“Timmy?”
“Hey, Mom.”
“Lucy was going to check on you, but I insisted. Maybe it wasn’t the best idea to spring Pierre on you all like that. I’m sorry. You may not approve of him, but he really is the most genuinely sweet man I have ever known. He’s good for me. I'd like you to be on board, but I'm going to keep seeing him regardless.”
Tim scrunched his face in confusion. “Wait, you think I don’t like him?”
“I was watching you at dinner. Your face got so cloudy, and you seemed overwhelmed.”
“Oh. Well, I am overwhelmed, but not because I don’t like Pierre. I actually have enormous respect for him, and I’m happy you’ve found someone that treats you so well. It just…well, it still infuriates me that Dad didn’t. You never deserved that. I couldn’t fix that for you.”
“Oh, Timmy,” Joy said, placing her hands on his shoulders. “It wasn’t your place to fix that. You were a child, a child who already carried a burden he should never have had to carry. I wasn’t strong, Tim. I should have stopped it so much sooner than I did, and I will never forgive myself for that.”
“Mom, I don’t hold a grudge about that. You were trying to survive.”
“And I did. We all did. And we’ll always bear those scars. But it’s in the past, and right now our present and future are much more exciting. You’re getting married to the most amazing girl, and Pierre and I, well, we don’t take this lightly. This relationship feels solid and sure, and I think it could go the distance. Plus, he and I aren’t exactly spring chickens.”
They both laughed.
“I am really happy for you, Mom.”
Joy wrapped her arms around her son. “Thank you. That means so much.”
As they let go, Joy added, “I should also mention that Pierre would like to get to know you and Genny individually.”
“Well, maybe he and I can meet up for lunch sometime.”
Joy lit up. “He would love that!”
“Good. We should probably get back inside. I need to clean up.”
“I will help you, and I don’t want to hear a word about it.”
They headed inside, where everyone had migrated to the living room, the adults on the furniture chatting away, the kids on the floor watching a Lakers game and playing with Kojo.
He and Joy began washing the dishes, but Tim kept his gaze on the scene unfolding in the living room.
There was a time he felt he had lost his entire family, after he’d cut off his dad, and he rarely had conversations with Joy and Genny, certainly not any meaningful ones. It had only gotten worse after Isabel had left him. He felt he would forever feel the cold vacancy of where a family should be. Slowly over time, healing had woven through those relationships, restoring them more than he could have ever expected. Plenty of that could be credited to his incredible fiancée.
Tim could see a possible future, one with future gatherings with his mom and Pierre, his sister and her future husband (Lucy was already determined to throw the bouquet directly to her at their wedding), Tyler, Austin, maybe their own spouses someday, and Tim and Lucy’s own children running around. A full family. He could see Christmases, Thanksgivings, birthdays, or even just a random Saturday night like tonight. It stretched out before him like the horizon, and an uncontrollable grin took over his face.
Of course, as if she could sense it, Lucy turned at that exact moment, their eyes catching, her own grin forming once she saw him.
The rest of the evening was filled with an easy flow of conversation and laughter. Tim couldn’t remember the last time he could just relax with his family around him. He was also able to get into more conversation with Pierre, whose life experience and savvy were refreshing and welcome. By the time everyone needed to go home, it felt like a new bond had formed in the group.
“You are welcome back here anytime, Pierre,” Lucy said sincerely. “Of course, the rest of you already know you’re welcome.”
“But, uh, maybe at least call first,” Tim added, garnering an affectionate eye roll from Lucy.
As Joy gave out her goodbye hugs, she said, “And Lucy, don’t forget to visit that florist I mentioned. She’s an old friend of mine, and she’ll give you a good deal.”
“Well, why don’t we go together on my next day off?” Lucy suggested.
“I would love that. Thank you so much for including me.”
Pierre shook Tim’s hand once more. “I look forward to getting to know you better, Tim. You’re a good man.”
Tim swallowed, letting those words settle inside him. It meant something that Pierre was able to see that after meeting him only a few times, while his father could never manage to see that.
“Thank you, Pierre.”
Once everyone shuffled out and the door was closed, the quiet that moved in felt overpowering, the only sound being Kojo strutting over to his bed. Lucy crashed into Tim’s chest, wrapping her arms around his neck. He pulled her in tight.
“Tired?” he asked.
“Exhausted,” was her answer. “But a good exhausted. I just love them together. Tonight also felt like when I truly became one of the Bradfords.”
“You already were. I think you became one all the way back when you helped knock down walls at my childhood home.”
“Tim,” she said with a bit of awe.
He leaned in to kiss her nose. “Thank you for setting this up.”
“You’re welcome. I hope it’s the first of many.”
Clearly they were on the same wavelength, as he thought about his future visions.
“Well, my dear, are you ready to go to bed?”
Lucy smirked at him. “Oh, are we using that now?”
“Well, you did say you were charmed by Pierre. I figured I’ve gotta up my game.”
She giggled as she pulled him toward the bedroom. “Oh, well, not to give you a big head, but your game is already good. But if you want to up it, I can think of other ways to do that.”