Them X
Epilogue - Part VIII
Two weeks later
Doing his best to muffle the involuntary groan that escaped, Wyatt dropped to the thick rubber mat and panting lightly, grabbed a small towel and wiped the sweat from his brow. After being vigorously put through his paces for the last 45 minutes, his muscles were starting to ache dully, but other than that, today was the strongest–the most normal-he'd felt since the attack six weeks ago. He fervently hoped this would be his last PT session. Usually in excellent physical condition and very seldom ill, this much forced inactivity was driving him (and probably Lucy) crazy, and while she was unfailingly patient with Wyatt, he figured it would do both of them good when his recovery was complete and he finally returned to work.
Fortunately, a week ago the doc had not only cleared him to resume driving, but Wyatt had joined Bam and the guys at the shooting range for their weekly target practice. He was finally starting to feel like his old self again, thank God. "Master Sergeant?" Wyatt's musings were interrupted by Brandon, one of his three regular PT's, who offered him a hand up. "Congratulations. You've worked hard these past weeks, made remarkable progress, and in my professional opinion, you're fit to return to all your normal activities. If you can hang around a couple more minutes, I'll just sign off on your paperwork and you'll be good to go. Nice work, Wyatt."
Shaking the PT's hand firmly, he watched the younger man duck into the office and exhaled in relief before heading for the locker room to change clothes. Digging his phone out of the pocket of his neatly-folded jeans, Wyatt tapped the text icon and scrolled through the contact list until he found the name he was looking for.
Great news, Professor! I am officially DONE with PT. Brandon's filling out my paperwork right this minute.
When Lucy didn't respond immediately, Wyatt set the phone down on the bench and hurriedly changed his clothes. Just as he was lacing up his boots, his phone chimed softly.
Sorry, I was putting some laundry away. Wyatt, that's wonderful! I never doubted for a second you could do it-I'm so proud of you!
Thank you, Ma'am, I appreciate that...and Lucy? I haven't said it often enough, but YOU deserve a big chunk of the credit for my recovery by being here and taking such good care of me, so I wanna say thank you for that, too. I don't know what I would've done without you. Hey, don't forget, I'm meeting the guys for lunch before we head to the shooting range, but I'll see you soon, sweetheart...I love you...
You're going to make me cry if you don't stop–and you're welcome. I love you, too :)
Grinning at his phone screen, he didn't notice Brandon standing in the doorway with his papers until the PT cleared his throat politely. Wyatt's cheeks warmed at the expression on his face. Naturally, it hadn't escaped anyone's notice that until this week, Lucy usually accompanied him to therapy-and naturally, Lucy being Lucy, she'd taken a very active role in his progress.
"By the goofy smile on your face, I'm guessing you were texting with Lucy?" the therapist observed, to Wyatt's chagrin. "Give her my best, will you? Your girlfriend sure made my job easier at times, the way she kept after you to do your therapy. That one's a keeper, for sure, Wyatt," holding out the discharge papers with an amused smirk.
Damn, was there any man who met Lucy Preston who wasn't instantly besotted? Wyatt wondered idly. Acknowledging the other man's words with a brusque nod, he stood and pocketed his phone before taking the papers and leaving, ignoring the PT's teasing, "Don't forget to tell Lucy thanks from all of us."
Sure, there was all kinds of truth to Brandon's words, dammit, especially when keeping the Professor with him (forever) was exactly what he was planning on. Wyatt hadn't exactly been sitting on his hands since buying an engagement ring for Lucy a couple weeks ago. He and Bam spent at least an hour every day working on a preliminary budget for setting up a branch of BL in San Francisco, and Julie had gone online and scouted out some possible locations, so some progress was being made for the move, but he was still working on how and when to ask Lucy to marry him and share those plans with her...
Holding the phone to her chest, Lucy closed her eyes, her stomach churning uneasily. Wyatt's text was the news she'd been simultaneously anticipating and dreading for weeks now. While she was immensely relieved and thankful he was all but completely recovered from the attack at the theater, Wyatt finishing his PT meant that he really didn't need her to stay in San Diego much longer...and suddenly the nebulous "future" they'd cautiously tiptoed around to the point of ignoring it for the past six weeks was here, and now there were important decisions to be made.
Lucy knew without question she loved Wyatt deeply and wanted nothing more than to be with him-as his girlfriend, lover, wife, in whatever capacity he wanted–so much she ached with it. And after seeing first-hand the life he'd made here in San Diego, she certainly didn't want Wyatt to give up his friends (who were really family) and his home for the past fifteen years; therefore, in her mind, saying goodbye to San Francisco was the best solution for both of them.
The only real problem was, his apparent reluctance to upset the status quo made her hesitant to force the issue, and so she'd made herself be content with existing in some kind of blissful little bubble with him all these weeks. That strategy worked well enough when he truly needed her help to recuperate and she could suppress her faint anxiety, but now the "bubble" was about to break.
It had been ten days since her resignation from Stanford had been accepted, and like the biggest coward, no matter how often Lucy thought about the situation since then, she just couldn't decide how to break the news to Wyatt that she'd begun the process of staying here in San Diego. Well, evidently, fate had decided the time for waffling was officially over. He'd be home in a few hours, and Lucy needed to tell him what she was planning and then pray like hell they were on the same page.
Then it occurred to her that maybe she could do something unexpected to set the mood...sweeten the guy up, so to speak, by making a nice dinner before springing her decision on him. While Lucy wasn't much of a cook, she wasn't a complete failure in the kitchen. She possessed a doctorate, for God's sake–and should surely be able to fix a simple meal. A satisfied smile bloomed on her face just thinking about Wyatt's reaction when he came home. Still, she was a realist, well aware there were limits to her abilities, and not too proud to admit it. This was an emergency, Lucy reasoned, and it was time to call in reinforcements...
Meeting the others at the restaurant for lunch, Wyatt was content to wait until everyone placed their orders and settled in with some appetizers and a beer before bringing up his plans. With Bam at his elbow for moral support, he broached the idea about opening a branch of BL Protection in San Francisco–and in a move that caught Wyatt off guard–found himself confiding without hesitation in his friends how much he wanted to be with Lucy and that this was the best way to make it happen.
Despite bracing himself for the inevitable teasing he was expecting, the guys cut him a break this time and seemed genuinely glad for Wyatt, immediately offering him sincere congratulations. Somewhat surprisingly, while Jake wasn't interested in leaving San Diego, both Joey and Zach were receptive to moving–and an amused Wyatt suspected each man had different reasons for feeling that way. Although the redhead wouldn't confirm or deny it, it was pretty clear Amy Preston living in the city by the bay was incentive enough for him to relocate, while Joey's eyes gleamed at the thought of all the hot women he'd meet in a new city (his exact words).
The men spent the next hour tossing around ideas for the new office, and by the time their meal was finished, Wyatt was feeling pretty confident. It really was a solid plan, and with everyone on board and working together, the future of BL Protection was looking very bright. Naturally, they all readily agreed to keep things quiet until after he had a chance to talk with (propose to, actually) Lucy.
Laughing and trading good-natured insults, the guys arrived at the shooting range and got down to business. Now that physical therapy was behind him, and he'd talked to the rest of the team about his plans, Wyatt felt lighter somehow, than he had in weeks. With Jake on one side of him and Bam on the other, he took a calming breath to clear his mind of any distractions, including a certain brunette he was crazy about. Planting his feet firmly behind the line, Wyatt steadied his grip, and focusing all his attention on the targets, carefully, relentlessly drilled sheet after sheet. Once their scheduled time at the shooting range was up, Bam swiped his score sheets and examined them with a critical eye before clapping him on the back and exclaiming, "Nice shooting, brother...glad to see your time on the sidelines didn't dull your skills too bad."
It was unexpected praise from Dave Baumgardner, freely given, and Wyatt appreciated it. Watching his best friend and business partner ribbing Joey (like always) about a couple less-than-precise shots while Zach stood nearby cracking up, he mused pensively how much he was gonna miss Bam and Julie. But not nearly enough to give up Lucy. Out in the parking lot, he exchanged bro hugs with his friends and promised to keep them in the loop once the plans were put into motion. Yeah, Wyatt decided, buckling his seat belt, it had been a damn good day so far...with the obstacles to being with the woman he loved toppling one by one.
Upon further reflection, though, perhaps it hadn't been necessarily fair to Lucy that Wyatt had resolutely avoided any serious discussion about their future during his lengthy recovery, but he was self aware enough to know the idea of asking a woman to marry a guy who couldn't take care of himself, let alone a wife, made him sort of uncomfortable. Guess I'm just a little old-fashioned (and stubborn) that way. In a good mood and excited about the prospect about building a life with his sweet Professor, Wyatt suddenly couldn't wait to see her. Tapping his fingers on the steering wheel and humming along to an old country song on the radio, the drive home went quickly, most of it spent contemplating what he wanted to say to Lucy.
The last thing Wyatt expected when he walked in the front door was to be greeted by a lingering burnt smell punctuated by the obnoxious beeping of his smoke detector. Fear rising in his chest, he forgot all about plans and proposals as he rushed to the kitchen first, shouting, "Lucy? Lucy, where are you?" Skidding into the room, Wyatt stopped abruptly at the sight of her sitting motionless at the kitchen table, head in her hands, a few silvery tears slipping down her flushed cheeks. What the hell?
He tried again, "Lucy?" but when she ignored him and didn't seem to be in any immediate danger, Wyatt took a second to go into the other room and turn off the annoying smoke detector (and give his racing heart a chance to calm down). Pausing in the kitchen doorway, he hastily glanced around, absently noticing a cookie sheet with some kind of black lumps stuck to it had been haphazardly dumped in the sink and sitting on top of the stove was one of his glass baking dishes holding a misshapen, reddish-brown mound. (Was that...hamburger?) Good Lord, had she been trying to cook?
Waving his hands through the wispy haze, he moved to open a window over the kitchen sink and make sure the oven was off before turning to crouch down beside Lucy. Looking into her tear-stained face, he asked cautiously, "Hey, are you alright? Lucy, what happened? What were you trying to do?" Bottom lip trembling, Lucy sniffed loudly and muttered despondently, "Make you dinner," before dropping her hands and swiping self-consciously at her wet cheeks. When she refused to meet his eyes, Wyatt gently turned her chin toward him and waited patiently for her to regain her composure and talk to him.
At last, taking a deep breath, she tried to explain, the words tumbling out in quavery bits and pieces. It was all he could do not to laugh while she rambled on about wanting to talk to him about something important and hoping to surprise him with dinner (mission accomplished, 'cause he was definitely surprised)...calling Julie, who said meatloaf was his favorite...but the ground beef wouldn't stick together and it looked like a soccer ball or something made out of meat (he nearly bit his tongue in half trying to keep a straight face)...forgetting the biscuits were in the oven and they baked way too long and then the smoke detector went off...Lucy's halting words dwindled away with a soft hiccup as her soft brown eyes began to well up again, and Wyatt thought he'd never seen anyone look so miserable and yet adorable at the same time. Note to self: cooking is not one of my smart, beautiful wife-to-be's skills.
Standing, he pulled an unresisting Lucy out of the chair and led her into the living room where the air was a little clearer. Wrapping his arms around her, he held on tightly, pressing his cheek against her unruly dark curls until the tension in her shoulders loosened some and she took a shuddering breath. Tucking her face into his neck, Lucy whispered, "I'm so sorry, Wyatt...I ruined everything," her soft breath warming his skin. Rubbing her back soothingly, his mind was still scrambling to digest her rather jumbled explanation when a few words in particular hit Wyatt all at once. Wait a minute–did Lucy just say she wanted to talk to him about something important? Aww, hell. So that was what this was all about? His heart sank.
God, I am such a thoughtless idiot. Lucy might have been the one trying to make dinner and accidentally setting off the smoke detector, but this mess he came home to was really on him. Sighing inwardly, Wyatt thought he had a pretty good idea what was on the Professor's mind, especially considering he'd told her this morning his PT sessions were done. Lucy was fretting about their future–probably had been for a while now-and like a selfish bastard, he hadn't considered she might be a little insecure. Leaning back, Wyatt gently wiped away a stray tear and kissing her forehead, sought to offer some reassurance.
"Don't you dare say you're sorry, sweetheart, 'cause I'm the one who should apologize. First of all, I love that you wanted to make us something to eat...it was very sweet. You know what, though? I think maybe supper can wait because you're absolutely right–we do need to talk about a few things, and it's all my fault for putting this conversation off. How about we get out of here for a while? If it's okay with you, there's some place I'd like to go so we can talk, and if you're not too starved, we'll worry about getting food later. Why don't you wash those tears off your face, and since we might be gone a while, maybe bring a sweater or something warm with you, alright?" With a shaky smile, she nodded and slipped into the bathroom. Time to cowboy up, Logan...
While Lucy was occupied for the moment, Wyatt hurried into his bedroom and quickly retrieved the ring box from the back of the closet and stuffed it in his front jeans pocket before spotting an old quilt on the top shelf. He put it on the bed and was pulling a worn Longhorns sweatshirt from the dresser when she came into the room. Offering Wyatt a bashful grin, Lucy reached past him and snagged a dark blue hoodie that read "ARMY" on the back. Pressing a light kiss on her lips, he stuck the sweatshirts and quilt under his arm before gesturing at the open doorway, "Ready to go, Professor?"
Neither one said much during the drive, which suited Lucy just fine. She cringed mentally, her cheeks heating with embarrassment every time she thought about her epic kitchen disaster. What in the world had she been thinking? It would've been so much better–and just plain smarter-to order a nice meal and have it delivered than try to prepare all that food by herself. Both Amy and Julie had offered to help Lucy, but no, wanting to impress Wyatt, she'd dug her heels in and ignored her sister and friend (and also the skeptical little voice in her head that warned, this is a terrible idea since you're not a very good cook) and stubbornly tried to prepare the meal by herself.
Not only had she burnt everything to the point of setting off the smoke detector, but judging from his frantic expression when he burst into the kitchen, Lucy had scared the hell out of Wyatt. To his credit, the poor guy hadn't blinked twice at the horrible mess she'd made of his kitchen, making it clear he only cared about her safety and well-being...and wasn't that just one of the many reasons she'd fallen in love with this amazing man? Wyatt saw her, really saw her, flaws and all, and had proven time and again how much he loved Lucy.
Lost in her troubled thoughts, they were nearly to the entrance of the Coronado Bridge when Lucy figured out where Wyatt might be heading. Even as she impulsively opened her mouth to ask, he lightly squeezed her hand where it gently rested on his upper thigh and said, "Do you trust me?" What a silly question–of course she did.
Without hesitation, Lucy leaned in and kissing the side of his mouth, answered softly, "With my life," ridiculously pleased when Wyatt smiled in satisfaction. Shortly after crossing the bay, he turned into the entrance to the Hotel del Coronado, driving to the back of the lot near the edge of the beach. Reaching in the back seat for the quilt and sweatshirts, Wyatt held out his hand, leading Lucy down a well-trod path to the water where they stopped long enough to take off their shoes and roll up their pant legs. The late afternoon sun-warmed sand felt noticeably cooler at the water's edge, where the foamy surf licked at their feet and ankles as they leisurely walked along the beach leading away from the hotel.
A few minutes later when they reached a rather secluded part of the beach, Wyatt headed a few feet away from the water and found a spot to spread out the quilt. Once they were settled side by side, he wrapped a muscular arm around Lucy and tenderly kissed the side of her head. Sighing happily, she snuggled closer and breathed against his cheek, "Thank you for bringing me here. It's so beautiful, and reminds me of our romantic little getaway." Content to be in this place with Wyatt, and overwhelmingly relieved it seemed they were finally going to have a serious discussion about the future, Lucy was able to put the earlier kitchen debacle out of her mind.
"Yeah, that was a really nice trip, wasn't it? So much has happened since then with us–to us–it's kind of hard to believe we were here less than two months ago," Wyatt observed ruefully, dropping his arm as she nodded in agreement. Wrapping their arms around drawn up knees, they sat quietly for a few moments, enjoying the view and the light breeze sweeping delicately around them. Angling his head toward Lucy, who watched him solemnly, Wyatt began to speak in a low intimate voice.
"If it's alright with you, I'd like to go first 'cause there's a few things I think you should know about me," and when she quickly acquiesced, began, "A few days after we met, I told you my wife was killed by a drunk driver around five years ago. Jessica and I were in our early twenties and I had already been selected for Delta Force when we got married. I guess during the early years, we were mostly happy, or at least as happy as a young couple could be considering I was regularly sent overseas for months at a time to places like Syria and Afghanistan on missions that I couldn't talk about, couldn't share with her. Jess always said she understood and seldom complained, but I know shutting her out of such a big part of my life was hurtful, and as time passed, began to wear on her."
Conscious of Lucy's sympathetic gaze, Wyatt paused for a moment before turning to stare out at the water and forcing himself to continue. "She was a good person, a good wife, who deserved a better man than me. I loved her-and it pains me to admit it-but I wasn't great at being her husband, wasn't able to give her what she needed. And then she was killed, and the opportunity to make things right, to try and be the husband Jess wanted, was gone forever...and that's been a hell of a burden to live with. The guilt and regret on top of the grief of losing someone I loved, was a heavy weight that nearly tore me apart. So for a while, I buried myself in the job, taking every dangerous mission offered because I just didn't care...
Mortified when without warning, his voice cracked with emotion, Wyatt shut his eyes tightly. Seconds later, he felt the comforting warmth of Lucy's slight body pressed against his side. "I'm right here, just breathe," she whispered, leaning her head on his shoulder, and his heart filled with gratitude at her love and patience.
With some effort, Wyatt managed to control his feelings long enough to get through the rest. "I was lucky, though, to have solid friends like Bam and Jake and the rest of the guys in my unit. They always had my back and never gave up on me. That's why, about a year ago, when Bam first started talking to me about leaving the service and starting our own security company, I never hesitated. He and Julie were there for me through the bad times, and I was happy to return the favor in some small way. Have to admit, going into business with them was one of the best decisions I've ever made...and even more importantly, eventually led me to you."
Turning his face slightly, Wyatt captured her lips in a lingering kiss. When Lucy shivered against him, he reached behind him for the Army hoodie and dropped it over her head, grinning when the sleeves hung well past her slim hands. She sighed in pleasure at the warmth of the soft fleece, like a tiny kitten, and his heart swelled with such love for this woman. Suddenly, he knew without a doubt this was the perfect moment, the one he'd been waiting for, and patting the ring box in his pocket first for luck, Wyatt cleared his throat and went for it.
"Okay, just so you know, I'm not good with words like you are, Professor, but I'm gonna try. For a long time after Jess died, life was dark and sad and sometimes, seemed like I was barely existing. To be honest, after a couple years, the loneliness got the better of me and I started 'dating' occasionally–which is just a polite word for drinks and sex." He pretended not to notice when Lucy's narrow shoulders stiffened ever so slightly.
"I get that probably makes me sound like a real asshole, but in my defense, I never once hinted to any of my 'dates' that I was interested in more than just a few hours of their time. Didn't seem fair to give someone hope, not when I was guarding my heart against having deep feelings for any woman ever again. And that was my life...until the day I was given the assignment to protect a famous author slash history professor from San Francisco."
Encouraged by the reluctant smile curling one side of Lucy's mouth as she watched him with wide eyes, Wyatt began to relax. "Now, I'm not proud of it, but up to a couple of months ago, it felt like I was living some kind of half life, drinking a little more than I should've, spending time with women I had zero interest in seeing a second time–and telling myself that this dull, loveless life was as good as I deserved since I wasn't able to offer any woman love in return. But then I met you, sweetheart, and I swear, that wall around my heart started getting all kinds of cracks in it. For the first time in a very long time, I began to want and need and feel..."
Wyatt grinned when she blushed and murmured, "Pretty good words, Mr. Logan." Reaching into his pocket, he drew out the small box and snapping it open, held his breath. The stunned gasp Lucy couldn't contain made his heart soar as she stared in disbelief at the engagement ring before lifting her gaze to his face. "Oh, Wyatt," she breathed, "It's just beautiful." So far, so good...
Inhaling deeply, he took her trembling left hand in his. "There's so much I love about you, Professor...your sweet smile, the one that's just for me...your amazing brain that runs circles around mine...that sexy little body I can't keep my hands off...your unbelievably generous, loving heart. I want all of you, everything you are, and most of all, I want the chance to love you for the rest of our lives. Will you marry me, Lucy Preston? Make a future with me?"
Soft raven curls tumbling around her face, Lucy immediately nodded with a teary smile and whispered emphatically, "Yes, yes," while he fumbled a little with the ring before smoothly sliding the delicate, sparkling band on her slender finger. Thank you, Amy, he thought, pleased when it fit perfectly.
He laughed joyously when she abruptly threw her arms around his neck and began peppering his face with tiny little kisses in between declaring breathlessly, "Wyatt Logan, don't you ever tell me again that you're not good with words because those were the most perfect words ever. I love you so much. I can't wait to marry you." When she finally leaned away from him, they both stared reverently at her left hand and the glittering ring that proclaimed to the whole world Lucy Preston loved him and had agreed to be his wife. It was on the tip of Wyatt's tongue to share the exciting news about his move to San Francisco to start their married life, but he thought the better of it. There was plenty of time for them to discuss details–the rest of their lives. For now, this was the happiest moment of his life, and he wanted to savor it for just a little while longer...
A/N: My goodness, this chapter gave me fits! Struggled with a little bit of writer's block here, probably because I've built up everyone's expectations over the preceding 35 chapters for this very moment, and I definitely wanted to deliver the goods. All of you who've been faithfully following this story for nearly a YEAR deserve nothing less :) Fingers crossed it was worth the wait! Next chapter (the last one?) will include the proposal from Lucy's POV and the much anticipated discussion of their future plans. As always, my deepest, most sincere appreciation to my Timeless friends for all the favorites, follows, and wonderfully encouraging reviews. Thank you! :))