Chapter Text
Lucy
Lucy Chen knew exactly three things:
- Even on vacation, she was still spending too much time thinking and dreaming about expanding Lucky in Love Events by Lucy and her assistant Tamara is going to yell at her in all caps and emojis over text when she sees the new to do list Lucy sent via email when she got to the resort.
- She was going to kill her business partner and best friend Jackson for not warning her that he brought her on vacation while he went to the wedding of the century so she could have brought her business cards to network.
- Tim Bradford, Genny’s, her best friend from college, brother, was the biggest pain in the ass she has ever met (she’s dealt with her fair share of bridezillas in the last decade) and the last man she wanted to ever see again was standing across the lobby of the resort with one eyebrow raised at her like she was ruining his vacation just by walking through the door.
Lucy just wishes she knew how her vacation went from a dream to her personal nightmare as her eyes met the icy blue eyes that have haunted her for over a decade.
Two weeks ago
“Two weeks???” Lucy gasped as she stared at Jackson, eyes wide as she sat on their couch in their living room. “You want me to go with you on your vacation with your famous rich boyfriend while he goes to his friends wedding in the Caribbean?!”
“Yes,” Jackson rolled his eyes as he moved an overflowing wedding binder labeled “The Han-Buckley Extravaganza” from its place on the couch next to Lucy. “I mean I don’t want you to share a bedroom with me and Isaac. I love you but I don’t love you enough to let you cockblock me on my vacation especially after a fancy wedding with an open bar. Isaac already made a reservation for two rooms the week of the wedding for him and another his friend and his wife, who was a bridesmaid. But they had to pull out, her sister-in-law went into labor early and they had to go to New York to help out her brother because the new twins have to be in the NICU for a while and they can’t leave their other set of twins alone with the grandparents. There’s an extra room. Isaac already cleared bringing along someone else with the groom since the entire resort has been reserved for the wedding. His friend’s all good with us bringing someone along.”
“ I- I couldn’t possible go to the Caribbean for two weeks,” Lucy rolled her eyes. “I love you and I’m thankful you thought of me. But I am way too busy to just up and leave for two weeks. I have the initial Buckley wedding dress and flow girl dress fittings, the Han tuxedo shopping, arranging all the catering menu tasting, and a walk through with three potential venues in the next week for that wedding alone!” Lucy lifted a hand to rub her side as she started to ramble as she reviewed the do-list she had started to see when she closed her eyes at night.
“Yes and Tamara is on top of it,” Jackson said as he lifted his hand and grabbed Lucy’s hand, recognizing the first sign of Lucy’s nerves. “I already talked to her and she is so excited at the opportunity to take over. You already promised her a chance to move from assistant to junior wedding planner when we expand. She has a good rapport with Maddie and Howard, I mean she already babysits for them for heavens sake. She knows all the vendors and the plans. We already scheduled all the events for the other weddings for after the vacation since we had planned for me to be gone anyway. We’ll still be reachable in case anything comes up as well. We’re going to an all inclusive resort not a remote island. But you need a vacation. You’ve been so stressed out lately trying to expand the business and advertising. I mean I know I’ve spent a lot of time over at Isaac’s apartment lately but Tamara and I have both heard you up in the middle of the night and have seen the time stamp on the emails you send us when you think of your next idea. When’s the last time you’ve gone out? Seen someone other than a client?”
“I went out the other night to-“ Lucy started to say only to be cut off by Jackson lifting up his other hand, not holding hers.
“We went to that bar to arrange a private bachelorette party not to have a party ourselves. That doesn’t count. Lucy, I love you but I know you haven’t take any time for yourself. The last trip you took was up to San Francisco two years ago to visit Genny and the kids for Tyler’s kindergarten graduation and Gwen’s baptism.” Jackson narrowed his eyes at Lucy as she opened her mouth to argue. “Don’t even try it, Lucy. You literally haven’t fixed the calendar hanging in your room since your last trip. It is circled to the event and it says May 2022. Don’t even get my started on your lack of dates. You need the vacation. Everything’s already been taken care off. The room, Isaac’s got a private plane to use, and, everything else is set. You just need to say yes. If you try to day anything else, you know I’m not above blackmail. I still have those spring break photos from Genny…”
“Fine… I’ll go,” Lucy sighed. “You just have to promise me that if anything goes wrong, you have to take charge of the next nightmare mother of the groom.”
“Promise,” Jackson smiled as he hooked his pinky in Lucy’s. “Pinky promise. I mean it’s Jamaica, what could go wrong??”
Standing in the foyer of the Sandals Royal Caribbean Resort, Lucy watched as Tim turned his head to whisper to the pretty woman beside him, a baby strapped to his chest. What could go wrong? Lucy thought to herself, as her stomach grew heavy the way it normally did whenever she saw Tim. Oh only running into my mortal enemy with no where to escape.
It’s been two years since she last saw Tim Bradford since she saw Genny and the kids for Tyler’s Kindergarten graduation and Gwen’s baptism. Much like the last time she saw him, her heart stutters at the sight of a baby in his arms. It’s unfair for a dick like him to be so damn attractive and it’s especially unfair how attractive he is with children.
Tim Bradford with his bright blue eyes, sandy blonde hair, tight grey Henley, and dark wash blue jeans was a sight to behold, even if Lucy refused to acknowledge that to anyone other than herself and, even then, it was rare that she allowed herself to admit that small fact. Adding a baby to the combination was just a huge cosmic joke on Lucy, reminding her that the last time Lucy saw Tim, and admitted to herself how attractive he was, Tim was balancing baby Gwen in his arms, her tiny hand curled tightly around a dark blue Henley as she slept, and toddler Theo on his shoulders as Theo clung tightly to Tim’s short hair, while little Tyler climbed on his lap, begging his favorite uncle to play catch with him. Lucy could still hear Genny’s sigh as she begged Tyler to let her take one photo of the kids with Uncle Tim. Lucy spent the remainder of that trip cursing herself for admitting how attracted she was to him when he was so soft around their shared godchildren so to see him for the first time in 2 years with a baby strapped to his chest seemed like Karma was having a laugh at Lucy. Who is the woman Tim is with? When did he have a baby? Lucy’s stomach tightened as her thoughts raced. Surely I would have remembered Genny telling me that Tim had a baby?! Lucy had a weekly standing call with Genny and her favorite children to catch up every Monday. No matter how much Genny knew Lucy couldn’t stand Tim and how much they fought, she always told Lucy about Tim and how he was doing or how much she worried about Tim. Lucy would deny it to her last breathe because she loved Genny, she was the sister she always wanted, but she tended to zone out when Genny talked about Tim, using the few minutes to answer an work email or organize one of her binders. Maybe Karma was right... maybe she was being punished for not listening to her best friend and she deserved it. As much as she dislikes Tim, Genny deserved to talk about her brother, who she loves and worries about, though why Lucy wouldn’t ever understand. What else could explain how Lucy had managed to avoid him when they both lived in Los Angeles not too far apart for two years but ended up stuck in an all-inclusive resort together with him on an island in the Caribbean closed off to only people attending a wedding?
Lucy’s runaway thoughts about karma and her circumstances came to a crashing halt as Tim turned back to face Lucy. He waved a hand at the woman sitting before him in the chair before he moved around the chair, slowly making his way to walk towards Lucy. Lucy briefly wondered if she could hide behind the white pillar 30 feet away or fling the white and gold welcome board that read Welcome to the Wedding Celebration of Wesley Evers and Angela Lopez next to her at Tim so she could try to grab the keys from Jackson or Isaac, who are standing at the check in desk, with mild looks of stress on their faces. If she could grab the key, she can spend the next two weeks hiding in her room with her large tub and room service and avoid Tim completely. Lucy quickly dismissed that thought because she had never backed down before with Tim in the decade, she had known him, and she wasn’t about to start now. Tim is an asshole, but he was not an asshole who was going to ruin the first vacation she has had in two years.
After what feels like forever, Tim came to a stop in front of Lucy, folding his arms carefully across his chest while being careful of the baby strapped to him. The baby was sleeping peacefully, blissfully unaware of Lucy’s inner conflict and tension crawling across Lucy’s skin as Tim stared down at Lucy, his blue eyes flashing in amusement as he started to speak. “Well, well, well… What are you doing here Dawn?”
“My name is Lucy,” Lucy grunted out softly, torn between wanting to yell at Tim and not wanting to wake the baby. After all, its not the poor baby’s fault they ended up with a grumpy asshole for a father.
“I told you, I’ll call you Lucy when you figure out why I call you Dawn.” Tim smirked at Lucy as he raised his stupid, somehow attractive eyebrow higher up his somehow wrinkle-free forehand, even though he’s a decade older than her. “Again, I must ask you, why are you here? I thought the resort was closed unless you’re attending the wedding and I didn’t see your name on the guest list.”
“I will never understand you or that damn nickname,” Lucy scoffed at Tim. “But I’m here because my business partner and other best friend basically dragged me here. His boyfriend is a groomsman and had an extra room after his friend and his wife, a bridesmaid, couldn’t make it. Before you alert security and try to get me kicked out, the groom is already aware I am here and cleared me staying in the extra room.”
“Goddammit Wes,” Tim hissed out, his voice raising slightly, which caused the baby to let out a soft whine in protest at Tim for disrupting his nap. Tim unfolded his arms from his chest and laid a hand across the baby’s back, slowly rubbing his hand in a soft circle as an apology. Lucy carefully raised her eyes up, avoiding watching the moment of softness Tim was displaying. Do not be lured into thinking Tim was anything but the dick she knows him to be. Focus Lucy. “Sorry, Jack, but you’re dad just makes it impossible to do my job. He swore he had given me every name so I could run all them through the background check and I could clear everyone through the security process and if he let her through, who knows if I missed someone else?”
“Wait… Wesley Evers is a client of yours and the father of this babe? Not you?” Lucy’s head slowly started to hurt.
“I don’t usually confirm or deny who I have as a client,” Tim sighed, shaking his head softly. “But considering I basically just said it, yes. He’s a client of my security business. I am also the man of honor and the bride over there,” Tim paused to turn around and point at the woman sitting in the chair he was talking to earlier. “She is this little guy’s mom and, unfortunately for Jack, appointed me his godfather and also in charge of handling him in during check in.” Tim stopped suddenly, turning around with wide eyes, as he looked at Lucy, who assumed she must have looked as surprised as she felt with wide eyes and her mouth slightly hanging open. “Wait… why did you ask if Wes was the father and not me? Did you think I had a kid you didn’t know about? You really think Genny wouldn’t have immediately told you? I know she tells you everything about me, no matter how much I ask her to not spread my business to anyone else. Apparently you don’t count as anyone else because you’re the sister she wanted rather than the brother she got.” Tim rolled his eyes in the usual fondness he had when he spoke of his little sister. If he had one redeeming quality, it was how much he loved his family though Lucy would never tell him that. God knows his ego didn’t need to hear any kind of compliment from anyone else especially her.
“Umm…” Lucy hesitated, darting her eyes around the lobby, hoping someone would notice and come up and rescue her. “I mean I jus-“ Lucy yelped as Jackson came skittering to a halt next to Lucy while grabbing her arm. Lucy turned her heard to Jackson, taking a second to note the only reason Jackson had stopped before running into her completely was because Tim had somehow caught his approach and speed and stopped him with his muscular arm. Stop it, Lucy! Lucy almost sighed, though she wasn’t sure if it was in relief for the interruption or concern for Jackson. “Jackson! Are you okay?” Lucy’s eyes widened as she took on Jackson’s panicked face.
“Um…” Jackson hesitated, eyes fluttering back and forth between Tim and Lucy, before swallowing. Lucy’s stomach dropped again, tension again crawling up her skin. Oh no. Jackson took a deep breath and looked Lucy in the eyes. “We have a problem…”