Chapter 19
Wyatt stood in the kitchen doorway and couldn't help grinning at the sight of Lucy and Jamie industriously making cookies. His son was perched on the counter top, short legs swinging, obviously enjoying himself very much, and by the way his chubby hands were tightly clutching the familiar yellow bag, he surmised that Lucy had put her favorite little helper in charge of the chocolate chips. He marveled anew at her seemingly endless patience with the five-year-old's never-ending questions, while she was in the process of measuring ingredients into the big mixing bowl, no less (Lord knows I don't have that much patience).
"Miss Lucy, where do chocolate chips come from? They taste like candy, did you know that? Daddy likes peanut butter cookies, do you think Mr. Carlin will like our cookies? Why did you put two colors of sugar in the bowl? Can we have three colors of sugar? Daddy makes good brownies and cookies sometimes, but we always buy cupcakes cause Daddy says cupcakes take too much time, but girls like cupcakes, right?"
Lucy merely smiled fondly at Jamie and said, "Just a minute, sweetie, okay? Let me get everything in the bowl and mix it up first and then we can talk, I promise," and Wyatt's chest was filled with a warm feeling when she dusted a quick kiss to the child's nose and he looked up at her in adoration (Lucy Preston has got both the Logan men wrapped around her dainty little finger, no question).
She had been so animated at breakfast when they were discussing plans for this evening, assuring him Rufus was a great guy and a lot of fun, and that Wyatt would really like his girlfriend, Jiya, and as he had gazed at her expressive face, it suddenly occurred to him that up until now, a large part of their new relationship had been mostly on his terms.
Since they had gotten together, he and Lucy spent nearly all of their free time at his place (although that was primarily because he had a small child) or with his friends, and she never seemed to mind. But considering her excitement at her friends coming over for dinner tonight, he realized with a vaguely guilty feeling that she had fit so seamlessly into his life that he had probably been taking her for granted (Damn, he really was out of practice at this boyfriend thing). Wyatt told himself that he was going to have to remedy the situation and fast because Lucy certainly deserved better from him.
Wyatt had offered to make a chicken stir fry for supper, and when his son asked if they could have chocolate chip cookies for dessert, and Lucy had enthusiastically volunteered to make said cookies, unfortunately, he hadn't been able to mask the skeptical expression on his face fast enough. After Jamie finished eating and left the kitchen, her dark brows drew together as she inquired rather defensively, "Hey, what was that look for earlier? I can make cookies, I'm not completely hopeless in the kitchen."
"Lucy," Wyatt responded mildly in a conciliatory tone, "I never said you were. Remember how amazing your apple pies were at Thanksgiving? I bet you make really good cookies." When she huffed at his admittedly feeble attempt to smooth her ruffled feathers, and stood up to put her dishes in the sink, he dimly recognized with some surprise that he had somehow offended her, and as Lucy started to walk past Wyatt, he tugged her into his lap and started kissing her delicate neck.
"I'm sorry I hurt your feelings, sweetheart, I didn't mean to, okay?" and when she wouldn't look up at him, he gently pulled her chin up and gazing into her unhappy dark eyes, softly requested, "Lucy, look at me, please. You know I was just teasing you, right?" At her reluctant nod, Wyatt decided maybe now was a good time to remind his girlfriend just why he had fallen in love with her.
"Lucy Preston, sometimes I can't believe a woman as special as you would even want to be with a regular guy like me. You are smart and kind and loving, and just, well, beautiful inside and out, and Jamie and I are so lucky that you picked us," and her eyes began to shine as she hid her blushing face against his neck. In a small voice, Lucy mumbled, "I guess I overreacted, I'm sorry for being so sensitive," and Wyatt stopped her with a firm kiss and his own apology.
"Lucy, no, don't apologize, I think maybe I have been taking you for granted, and I would never want to do that, so I'm the one who's sorry, okay?" At her quick nod, Wyatt pulled her slim arms around his neck and held her so closely, he could feel her heart beat against him. "Did we just have our first disagreement?" Wyatt wondered, and was relieved that his sweet Lucy forgave so easily.
He crept soundlessly into the kitchen, putting a finger to his lips when Jamie caught sight of him. At the little boy's eager nod, Wyatt snuck up behind Lucy, and swiftly wrapping his arms around her waist, he rested his chin on her slight shoulder and casually asked, "How's it going in here, guys?" and sputtered in surprise when Lucy tossed a tiny pinch of flour in his face while his son giggled helplessly.
"That will teach you to sneak up on us while we are baking the best chocolate chip cookies ever, right Jamie?" she sassed as he very methodically wiped flour from his face. In a deceptively calm voice, Wyatt asked, "Do you know what's going to happen now, Miss Preston?" and her eyes widened at his tone before Jamie declared, "Daddy, do you have to kiss Miss Lucy on her mouth again?" with such a long-suffering attitude that both adults looked at him in surprise and then at each other and burst out laughing.
Wyatt leaned in and breathed beside Lucy's ear, "To be continued when we are alone, sweetheart," and was amused and maybe just a little aroused when she rolled her eyes and stuck out that sexy little tongue of hers in response. Leaving them in peace to finish their baking project, Wyatt decided he could start cutting up vegetables for the stir fry since their company was expected around 5:00.
They had already straightened up around the apartment, and he reminded his son to please pick up his toys that were scattered about the front room as soon as his very important chocolate chip "job" was done. As he pulled ingredients from the fridge, Wyatt found he was actually looking forward to this evening and getting to know Lucy's friends better.
Lucy was so pleased with how well everything was going. Wyatt and Rufus were really hitting it off, and they had been laughing all night at Jiya's quick-witted, snarky comments. Jamie, who of course knew Mr. Carlin from school, had been a little shy around the teacher's girlfriend at first, but then she had flopped down on the floor with him to play Legos. "Jiya has two little brothers who love Legos," Rufus had explained, and soon Jamie was chattering non-stop about Legos, Spiderman, and Santa Claus.
While the guys were bonding over the Chargers' mediocre season this year, Lucy had cleared the dirty dishes and stacked them in the sink. Wyatt started to get up and help her, but she put a hand on his shoulder, and pressing a gentle kiss on his cheek, assured him, "I got this, you made dinner, so just sit." As the couple smiled sweetly at each other, the faint but distinct sound of someone gagging could be heard from across the table.
"Man, Jiya and I have been together for a while now, and I forgot how sickening the first stages of love can be," Rufus mused as Wyatt and Lucy both stared at him. Then Jamie and Jiya came into the kitchen and the adults all chuckled when the little boy asked innocently, "Oh, no, is my Daddy kissing Miss Lucy on her mouth again, cause if he is, I have to shut my eyes." Rufus guffawed loudly as Wyatt smirked and Lucy's face reddened when Jiya quipped, "Jeez, are you guys trying to scar the poor kid?"
Wyatt pulled his son onto his lap, and gently blew a raspberry on the little boy's round cheek, causing Jamie to giggle while Lucy stood at his shoulder, smiling affectionately at the two of them. "The three of you look like a family," Jiya blurted out, as Rufus rolled his eyes at her less-than-tactful observation, and when Lucy glanced hesitantly at Wyatt, he only smiled at Jiya, who shot her boyfriend a smug grin.
After everyone had fussed over and enjoyed the chocolate chip cookies, Wyatt caught sight of a yawn that Jamie was trying to hide, and suggested it was time for bed since he had school tomorrow. At the five-year-old's almost immediate protests, his dad said, "Jamie, now," in a firm, quiet voice, and he replied, "Yes, sir. Can Miss Lucy help me, please?" and the other three watched as she took his hand and led him upstairs.
Jiya turned to Wyatt and said in an admiring tone, "Your son has really nice manners, Wyatt. You must be so proud of him." He sensed her unspoken compliment, and appreciated the younger woman's restraint. "Thanks, Jiya, that's nice of you to say." "Well, your little guy is certainly crazy about Lucy," Rufus offered, "And she's really good with him." Wyatt smiled at the couple, "I think so, too."
A few minutes later, Lucy brought a pajama-clad Jamie downstairs to say good night. The little boy fist bumped Rufus and surprisingly, threw his arms around Jiya's neck, "Good night, Miss Jiya." She hugged him tightly in response, wishing him sweet dreams, and looking at Rufus, said, "We better get going, have to get up early tomorrow. Thank you so much for the great dinner, Wyatt, and of course, those awesome cookies," winking at Jamie, who grinned at her.
Wyatt bid the other couple goodbye as he took his son upstairs to his room while Lucy walked Rufus and Jiya to the front door. The two women hugged, and Rufus repeated Jiya's earlier thank you for the nice dinner. As she turned to follow her boyfriend out the door, Jiya leaned in to Lucy and murmured, "Rufus and I are so happy for you, Lucy. You and Wyatt are great together, and that little Jamie is such a cutie."
She smiled slightly in appreciation at her friend's words, truly gratified at the evening's success, but still felt a little down that the weekend was over already and it was just about time for her to leave also. "At least we have the Christmas Gala to look forward to on Saturday," Lucy thought, unable to suppress a shiver of excitement as she went upstairs to read Jamie a bedtime story before she went home.
The next morning, Wyatt and Bam Bam were standing in line at the base dry cleaners to drop off their dress uniforms for Saturday night. He grunted in surprise when without warning, Bam Bam elbowed him sharply as their C.O.'s administrative assistant, Kelly, approached. Discreetly rubbing his side, he glared at his friend as she drew near, greeting them cheerfully, "Good morning, Master Sergeants, how are you both today?" as her bright blue eyes lingered slightly on Wyatt. "Good morning, Kelly," they responded.
She noticed them holding garment bags and asked both men, "Oh, are you dropping off your dress unis for the gala Saturday night?" but her intent gaze were focused exclusively on Wyatt. "Yep, gotta look our best for all you lovely ladies, right, Wy?" Bam Bam responded when his friend just smiled distantly. "Are you going to be there, Kelly?" Wyatt asked politely, and hissed silently when the other man stepped on his foot (Jesus, Baumgardner, what is wrong with you today?).
Kelly brightened and smiling warmly at Wyatt, stepped a little closer to him and confirmed that she would be attending. "Maybe I will see you there," she remarked hopefully. Unfortunately, it was common knowledge around the base to everyone but Wyatt that Kelly, an attractive blonde in her late 20's, had been interested in the young widower for a long time now, but to no avail.
The smile fell from her face when a distracted Wyatt replied, "Sure, maybe," and pulling his phone from his pocket, excused himself, turning slightly away from the other two as he answered, "Hey, sweetheart, what's up?" in a low intimate voice, completely missing the administrative assistant's look of dismayed surprise. By the time he hung up from the brief call with Lucy and looked around, Kelly was gone.
Frowning at Bam Bam, a somewhat pissed-off Wyatt asked, "What is your deal, Bam? First, you nearly bust one of my ribs with your giant bony elbow, then you try to break my foot. What the hell, man?" His friend shook his head, a look of pity on his face. "Wy, you are not a dumb guy, but it's a good thing you have already managed to get your pretty girlfriend to fall in love with you, 'cause, son, you are terrible with women."
At Wyatt's confused expression, Bam Bam sighed, and said, "Seriously, after all this time, how can you not see that Kelly has a thing for you? She's been trying to get you to notice her for years, Wy, and when she finally gets up the nerve to kind of make a move, you start talking all lovey-dovey on the phone with your girlfriend that Kelly apparently didn't know about."
At Wyatt's faintly guilty expression, he relented, "Well, never mind, I suppose this was better than giving her false hope." "You are such an asshole," Wyatt solemnly informed his friend, punching him in the bicep, and chuckled in spite of himself when the other man grinned and said, "Hey, thanks!"
After what felt like a month instead of five days, it was finally Friday afternoon. As soon as school was dismissed, Lucy hurried home to retrieve everything she would need for tomorrow night after Julie had invited Wyatt and Lucy to get dressed at their place since they would be leaving from there on Saturday.
She had modeled her dress for Amy as soon as she got home on Sunday night, and was very satisfied with her sister's admiring reaction. "Damn, Luce, you are gonna give Wyatt a heart attack, you know that, right? You and your guy will be the hottest couple there, and I would love to see the looks you are sure to get from the other women. Half of them will hate you automatically because you're with the gorgeous Wyatt Logan, and the other half will want to be you," she pronounced, much to Lucy's embarrassed delight.
"Will you help with my hair and makeup Saturday night?" she pleaded, and grinned in relief when Amy responded, "Duh, you think I'm gonna miss the chance to help you get ready? From what you've told me, this whole party is kind of like an Army 'prom', right?" and the sisters snickered at the thought. They had been discussing some different hairstyle and makeup ideas when Amy got a gleam in her eyes, and said, "You know what would look perfect with your dress? Grandma's anniversary necklace and earrings."
When their mother had passed away a couple of years ago, she had left her daughters a few pieces of good jewelry they had agreed to share for the time being. Aside from the time Lucy had attended a fancy party with her doctor ex in San Francisco, neither sister had even looked at the jewelry in quite a while. "C'mon, Luce, let's see how it will look," and Lucy had let herself get caught up in her sister's growing excitement.
So Lucy had carefully packed everything the night before: shoes, bag, the barely-there underwear that Julie had talked her into, jewelry, makeup, stuff for her hair, and lastly, the garment bag that held her dress. She loaded it all in her car, and before she went to Wyatt's, stopped off at the Baumgardners' to leave it all there for tomorrow night. The girls were in the back yard with their dad, so Julie helped her carry stuff upstairs to their spare bedroom where the two women would be getting ready.
When Julie asked Lucy if she was looking forward to tomorrow night, she nodded, and admitted, "I really am, and this week has gone so slowly, it's kind of making me crazy. I'm excited to get all dressed up for Wyatt, and can hardly wait to see how he looks in his dress uniform. And this will be a group effort for sure because you helped me pick out an amazing dress, and Amy will be here to do my hair and makeup, and best of all, my escort will be the very handsome Master Sergeant Wyatt Logan. I just want everything to be perfect."
Her friend assured her, "Well, it's going to be a great time. I know you are going to look beautiful, Lucy, and he won't be able to take his eyes off you. Now you better get on over to Wyatt's, and make sure to get your beauty sleep tonight, no sexy times now, because you need to save your energy for tomorrow night's fun," and grinned when a shocked Lucy turned bright red (Good lord, the things that come out of this woman's mouth).
Finally, it was Saturday afternoon, and while Lucy went with Julie to get her nails done around noon, Wyatt was packing a small bag for his son. Julie's parents, Bob and Ruth, had gladly volunteered to stay with Jamie and the girls at the Baumgardners all evening, including overnight, so that the four of them could stay at the gala as long as they wanted to. Wyatt really liked and respected the older couple, who had practically adopted the Logans, and they were the closest thing to grandparents that his son would ever have. He was looking forward to introducing Lucy to them.
Lucy had asked Amy to meet them at the Baumgardners around 3:00 since the gala's opening ceremony began at 6:00 sharp, and he and Bam were expected to be there by 5:45. He had no idea exactly how long it would take Lucy and Julie to get ready, but wanted to make sure there would be plenty of time. Just as he finished with Jamie's bag, Wyatt heard Lucy come upstairs, and he turned as she walked into the little boy's room.
Holding her slim hands out for him to examine, she asked, "What do you think?" and while Lucy rarely even wore nail polish, Wyatt had to admit, there was something pretty alluring about the glossy dark red color. "Very sexy, sweetheart," he complimented, and a pleased Lucy wrapped her arms around him and murmured near his ear, "You haven't seen anything yet, Wyatt Logan," and as his heart beat faster in his chest, he managed, "Looking forward to it, Ma'am," and held her close for a long, quiet moment.
It was controlled chaos at Julie and Bam's by the time they arrived. Amy was already upstairs setting out Lucy's makeup, and she had volunteered to fix Julie's hair as well as her sister's. As soon as Wyatt turned off the Jeep, Jamie ran into the house looking for Julie's parents, "Grandpa Bob! Grandma Ruth! Come and meet Miss Lucy! She's my teacher, but Daddy and I love her and Daddy kisses her on the mouth all the time!"
Standing in the front doorway, a red-faced Lucy turned to Wyatt and said, "Well, that wasn't embarrassing at all," and he flashed her a dimpled grin and taking her hand, briefly introduced her to the smiling couple. After exchanging pleasantries, Lucy excused herself, but before she went upstairs, leaned in and whispered in Wyatt's ear, "I will see you soon, Master Sergeant," and he swallowed hard at the promise in her dark eyes.
When Lucy walked into the bedroom, she was touched to see that her ever-efficient sister had already hung up her dress and laid everything out on the bed for her, and was busy working on Julie's hair. Annie and Sadie were sitting on the floor raptly watching Amy deftly swirl their mother's curly blonde hair into an elegant updo before Julie put her dress on. "You didn't tell me your sister was a genius at doing hair," her friend commented as Amy began to coax a few tendrils to curl around Julie's forehead.
There was a knock at the door, and Ruth poked her head in and said, "Julie, I thought maybe you and Lucy would like some privacy while you are getting dressed, so I'm going to take the girls downstairs, all right? C'mon, girls, let's go see what I brought you and Jamie, okay?" and Annie and Sadie happily followed their grandma out of the room.
While Amy put the finishing touches on Julie's hair, Lucy ducked into the bathroom and quickly shedding her clothes, slipped into the minuscule panties and matching strapless bra before sitting on the bed to carefully roll a nude pair of thigh high stockings up her long legs.
"Okay, Luce, Julie is going to do her own makeup while I do yours, and then I want to at least curl your hair before you put your dress on, and oh, don't forget the jewelry," her sister instructed, and Lucy obediently sat in front of the mirror so Amy could work her magic.
Ten minutes later, Lucy looked in the mirror and was thrilled. Her little sister might be a genius with hair, but she was no slouch doing makeup either. The smoky shadow and eyeliner Amy applied, along with a little mascara to her already long lashes made Lucy's eyes look sexy and mysterious. A light coat of foundation to cover Lucy's freckles, some rosy blush for her cheeks, and lipstick that matched her nails completed the look.
"Damn, girl, you are gorgeous," Julie said approvingly, and high-fived Amy before stepping into her own dress. "Lucy, go ahead and put your dress on so I can brush out your hair," and Lucy eagerly reached for the dress. As it settled around her slender frame, Amy moved to zip up the back, and warned, "Now don't sit down to put on your shoes or you will wrinkle."
So Lucy braced her hand on the dresser while her sister helped her slip her heels on, and quickly spritzed on some cologne before Amy carefully brushed her hair into dark glossy waves around her face. Lucy stood in front of the full-length mirror and twirled slowly in a circle, and nervously asked the younger women, "Well? What do you think?" And was gratified by the stunned expressions they wore.
Julie silently whistled while Amy gazed at her in wonder, "Luce, for once, I just don't have the words," as she casually waved away her older sister's fervent thanks. "Don't even mention it. I have had so much fun, I kind of wish I was going. I'm going downstairs now so I won't miss a second of the look on Wyatt's face when he sees you, Lucy."
"Let's get this show on the road," Julie declared, and taking a deep breath, Lucy picked up her wrap and bag from the bed and followed her out of the room. "I'll go first so you can make a big entrance, okay?" her friend asked, and nodding, Lucy shut her eyes and listened as Bam Bam hooted and whistled at his wife before she calmly followed Julie down the steps.
There were so many pieces to the white mess uniform that it took Wyatt and Bam nearly as long to get dressed as the women. Black trousers and a white tux shirt with gold studs and cufflinks over their boxers and white tee shirts, followed by white suspenders, black cummerbund and bow tie (that Ruth helped them with), shiny black shoes and matching socks. The last article they donned was the short, white, waist-length jacket that included white chevrons and their service stripes and finally, the mess chain with buttons.
Once dressed, Wyatt carefully combed his hair, and looking at his reflection in the mirror, inspected his face for any spots his razor might have missed. He caught Bam's smirk in the mirror, and growled, "Shut up," as they went downstairs to wait for the girls. Ruth and Amy complimented both of them, and he grinned when Sadie tugged on his pants leg and whispered, "You look pretty, Uncle Wy."
Julie came downstairs first, apparently not at all embarrassed by her husband's rowdy behavior, and then the rest of the world disappeared for Wyatt as Lucy slowly descended the steps and came to stand in front of him. He thought maybe his heart had stopped beating because at this very second, he wasn't sure he was still actually taking in oxygen. She was simply the most beautiful thing he had ever seen and literally took his breath away.
Her dress was red, a rich, dark ruby red, made from some kind of satin material, and her slim, creamy shoulders rose from the modest cleavage of a heart-shaped neckline. Lucy's waist above the full skirt looked so small he could probably put both his hands around it (oh, hell, yes, that was definitely going to happen tonight, numerous times). It ever so fleetingly crossed his mind that whatever Lucy had paid for the dress, it was more than worth it. Her huge dark eyes glowed as she gave him a luminous smile, and he wanted to kiss her sweet red lips so badly at that moment, but he settled for murmuring, "You look beautiful, Lucy."
Lucy softly smiled at the dazed look in Wyatt's dark blue eyes, and was feeling a little bit lightheaded herself. Wyatt Logan in a military dress uniform was every bit as handsome as she had imagined and more, and she knew as long as she lived, she would always remember the way he looked tonight. As they continued to gaze at each other, she and Wyatt gradually became aware of the affectionate grins worn by everyone around them, and they both blushed as they came to their senses.
Julie's mom quickly took some pictures before Bam Bam broke the spell by announcing, "If G.I. Ken and Barbie are done staring at each other, we better move or we're gonna be late," and taking his wife's hand, said, "C'mon, Wy, you can look at Lucy for the rest of the night, so let's go." Wyatt helped Lucy put on a lacy, sheer long-sleeved wrap that matched her dress, and after they quickly kissed Jamie good night, hurried out the door. Wyatt was suddenly glad that he had changed his mind about the gala because he had the feeling this was going to be a night he and Lucy would never forget.
A/N: Omigosh, this chapter was just a beast...and they haven't even gotten to the gala yet! Hope the dress lived up to expectations. (I had so much fun with that.) And Wyatt's dress uniform is as accurate as I could make it from my Google research ;) and of course, the whole point of this chapter is the phrase "G.I. Ken and Barbie" cause that's just how Bam Bam rolls, LOL. My deepest appreciation to everyone for their support and encouragement...and reviews! Thanks!