Chapter 52

A/N #1: And we're back! My apologies for the delay in updating. Been struggling the past month with a frustrating case of writers block (Wyatt and Lucy just were NOT cooperating, lol). I actually had nearly 3/4 of this written weeks ago, but wasn't satisfied with it, so I tore it apart and started over :( Hope this longer-than-usual chapter makes up for the wait...

Saturday morning

Coronado Island

Surprisingly, aside from the raucous sound of hungry seagulls lazily swooping here and there over the shimmering water in search of their breakfast, the tranquility of the deserted beach had yet to be disturbed by the outside world. Peering absently at the horizon, Wyatt guessed it might be getting close to 7:00 a.m., if even that-considering how early he'd hauled Lucy out of their luxurious bed to get here. Sitting on the sand with his new fiancé in front of him, arms wrapped securely around her slim waist as she rested against his chest, he was filled with such a heady mix of contentment and excited anticipation for the future, he thought maybe his heart would burst trying to contain it all. She said yes.

Except for the day he married Jess, followed a couple years later by the birth of his son, this was probably the best day of his life, Wyatt decided, a warm glow of satisfaction filling his chest. Somehow, despite his concerns (and more than one sleepless night over the past couple months that thankfully, she knew nothing about), he'd managed to dig deep within himself and find the right words to not only let Lucy know exactly how important she was to him and his happiness, but convince the sweet school teacher to spend the rest of her life as his wife and Jamie's mother. She said yes.

The lingering chill in the spring air gradually warmed as they silently watched the sun leisurely climb ever higher in the sky, welcoming what looked like another gorgeous Southern California day. Hell, it could be storming something fierce, the rain coming down in buckets, and he'd still think it was a beautiful day, Wyatt mused in amazement-because this was the day the woman who'd given him a second (miraculous) chance at love after years of loneliness had agreed to marry him. She said yes.

Although it might appear to a casual observer as if his attention was fixed solely on the gentle ebb and flow of the bay's foaming tide, in reality, he scarcely noticed their surroundings, all caught up in the feel of Lucy's petite frame nestled against him, the pleasing scent of her messy dark hair under his chin. In the back of his mind, a part of him wished this special, once-in-a-lifetime moment would never end. She said yes.

Though Lucy tried to be discreet about it, Wyatt couldn't help but grin when he caught her sneaking quick peeks every few seconds at the glittering engagement ring adorning her left hand. Hopefully, that was a good sign. Clearing his throat, he bought himself some time by leisurely nuzzling the delicate skin behind her ear and murmuring, "You warm enough, sweetheart?" He smiled at her drowsy hum of agreement and went for it, asking tentatively, "So...about the ring? Do you like it? Did I do okay?" Without warning, Lucy whirled around so fast to throw her arms around his neck and hang on for dear life, she almost knocked him flat on his ass–impressive considering he was several inches taller and probably outweighed her by at least sixty pounds.

"Whoa, easy there, Lucy, you're about to strangle me," Wyatt protested with a warm chuckle, sitting up and carefully loosening the unexpectedly strong grip of her small hands and holding them in his. "Okay...I'm guessing that's a yes or at least a strong maybe?" he ventured dryly, gazing into her shining dark amber eyes. Any doubts he might have had were put to rest at last by the radiant smile blooming on his fiance's face when she sat back on her knees and glanced between him and their clasped hands.

"Silly man...my answer to that question would be an unequivocal yes, so you can stop stressing–although it really is awfully cute the way your brow furrows so seriously when you do," she teased fondly. "Trust me, you did good, soldier. I truly love my gorgeous ring...and love you know me well enough to make such an excellent choice–plus I'm thrilled by how perfectly it fits," Lucy noted approvingly, reverently twisting the simple, rose-gold band around her slim finger and admiring the way the growing sunlight glinted off the sparkling, oval-shaped stone.

Lifting her eyes, she stared at Wyatt intently. "There are a couple things I am curious about, though. I mean, we both work full time five days a week and spend nearly all of our free time together, too, so when did you actually get a chance to go ring shopping, and how did you know what size to buy?" she asked, watching him expectantly.

Oops...busted. Wyatt shrugged and flashed Lucy a dimpled grin. "Yeah, about that...um, well, to be honest, I might've had a little bit of help...from your sister," he allowed sheepishly. He waited a few seconds for that interesting piece of intel to sink in, not surprised at all when her mouth dropped open in shock. Even as Lucy frowned, ready to pounce on his confession, Wyatt put his finger over her soft lips and shook his head.

"Okay, hang on a minute, Miss Nosy, and let me explain, alright?" He removed his finger at her somewhat grudging nod. His Lucy was such a stubborn little thing. "I guess before I get to the very enjoyable day I picked out your engagement ring, probably a good idea to start at the beginning. Remember that horrible night in the hospital after the car accident that seemed to last forever?" She nodded cautiously. While of course he wanted (needed) to be fully honest with Lucy, even saying the words out loud dampened his good mood considerably. Wyatt could feel a slight tension building in his shoulders while he collected his thoughts as his fiance waited patiently.

Despite his plan to remain calm and collected when talking about one of the worst days of his life, Wyatt could hear his voice deepening with emotion the longer he spoke. While Lucy and Jamie's story had a happy ending (thank God), it still had the power to fill his heart with an icy terror on the rare occasion he permitted himself to relive that frightening weekend back in February. Withdrawing into himself a little despite her quiet presence, he grimaced mentally at the devastating memory of walking into a cold, sterile room to find his seriously injured girlfriend and little boy lying together in a hospital bed, looking so vulnerable–an image that would haunt Wyatt for the rest of his days...

Flashback

Slowly approaching his son's side of the wide bed, Wyatt swallowed hard at the familiar wave of guilt sweeping over him. No big surprise there because he and guilt became (and remained) fast friends after Jess died. This was all his fault...if he hadn't taken off for the cemetery, leaving Lucy behind to take Jamie to his friend's birthday party by herself...if he had been with them, maybe somehow, he could've prevented the accident. Fortunately, somewhere beneath his growing distress, Wyatt recognized how crazy that sounded. Jesus, Logan, get a grip...

Shaking his head at how ridiculous he was being, Wyatt took a deep breath and firmly pushed back against the negative emotions threatening to consume him. Save it for later, buddy, because now was not the time. Reaching out to carefully run his hand over Jamie's baby soft blond hair, he frowned at the neon green bandaid that covered most of the little boy's forehead. Worriedly scanning the small body from head to toe, part of Wyatt's mind dully took note of the shallow cuts marring his five-year-old's uncharacteristically pale, drawn face.

Wearing a loose-fitting Spongebob print hospital gown, Jamie looked impossibly tiny and so damn young cuddled up against Lucy. Out of nowhere, a father's natural instinct to keep his child safe hit Wyatt like a gut punch. My God, he's just a baby, not even six years old. He gripped the metal bed rails tightly, breathing heavily through his nose (in and out, in and out), and wishing irrationally Lucy was awake and well enough to comfort him as he tried desperately not to make the situation worse by losing his cool in front of them and the hospital staff. This meant that, bottom line, it was absolutely necessary for Wyatt to contain his sudden rage at the nameless, faceless bastard whose carelessness or stupidity (or maybe both) had nearly taken the people he loved away from him.

What the hell had the asshole been thinking, running a red light like that? he brooded furiously, the hand caressing Jamie's hair shaking with the force of his fierce, wholly understandable wrath. It fleetingly crossed his mind that in the highly unlikely event Wyatt ever found himself alone with the jerk for even a few seconds, he'd probably tear the guy apart. Now that was a satisfying thought...but probably ill-advised all the same...

Once Wyatt felt his anger safely under control for the time being, he leaned over the bed and tenderly kissed the top of the child's head and whispered, "Sleep easy, little man. Daddy's here now." After a minute or two, he moved to the other side of the bed, frowning at Lucy's appearance. Like Jamie, her normally creamy complexion was devoid of any color save for several ugly abrasions here and there. A large white bandage covered a good bit of her right cheek. If Wyatt had to guess, depending on the force of the collision, it was likely her car windows had shattered on impact when the other vehicle slammed into them, showering Lucy and Jamie with shards of glass. According to the preliminary policy report, it looked as if the driver made no effort at all to stop when his light turned red and just drove straight into the crowded intersection–dangerously T-boning her small, fairly lightweight sedan.

And dammit, just that quick, his heart rate jumped again. Wyatt slumped into a chair beside the bed and wrestled with his feelings, determined to ignore how badly the accident had shaken him (easier said than done, he quickly found out). He tried...he really did...to keep it together, not only to be strong for Lucy and Jamie, but also to preserve his peace of mind. Things went well enough while Bam and Julie were there, but once they went home, all bets were off and then the fun began. His girlfriend was clearly upset with him about keeping secrets (and rightfully so, he thought guiltily) and his normally sweet-natured child was cranky from being in pain and super clingy (which was only to be expected, but still stressful). Trying to deal with the two of them on top of his own churning emotions severely tested his faltering self control and eventually got the better of Wyatt.

In the end, he didn't sleep at all, couldn't even close his eyes–too worried about his loved ones and growing increasingly more pissed off as the minutes dragged on. Not helping the situation was receiving an email from the SDPD just before midnight containing a official copy of the accident report. Scanning over the disturbing details a couple times, it was all he could do to (barely) keep his temper in check. His tortured, wayward thoughts continued to run wild, forcefully driving home the brutal truth that as unbelievable as it might seem, once again, Wyatt had come alarmingly close to losing another woman he loved...and possibly his only child. Near dawn, when both patients happened to be sleeping, Wyatt had finally succumbed to the intense fear and panic he just couldn't shake.

Dropping his head into his hands, Wyatt let the scalding tears come, crying as quietly as he could manage for fear of waking Lucy and Jamie—terrible, painful sobs that made his eyes burn and chest ache. Gradually, the tears slowed and stopped altogether. Sniffing and swiping at his wet cheeks, he hurried into the bathroom and splashed some cool water on his face and blew his nose, squinting tiredly at his haggard reflection in the mirror. Fortunately, his son and girlfriend slept through the whole embarrassing episode, and if the night shift nurse noticed anything odd about him the next time she came in, she mercifully kept it to herself...

End Flashback

Wyatt paused, but when Lucy had no response save for gripping his hands even tighter, quiet sympathy written all over her pretty face, he forced himself to finish. "It was a pretty hellish night, made even worse because I'd already experienced terrible loss before and knew first hand just how precious and fragile life can be. Sitting in the hospital keeping watch over you and Jamie, I came to the realization that while we've only been dating a few months, there wasn't a single good reason for us to waste any more time-not when two people love each other and want to be together as much as we do."

And that had been enough for Wyatt. Pulling out his phone, he passed the time while Lucy and his child slept off and on until the hospital discharged them around noon surreptitiously checking out jewelry store websites, all the while thinking how right his impulsive decision to ask her in the not-too-distant future to marry him felt.

He wasn't surprised in the least when his sweet, compassionate fiance's face softened with understanding (and knowing her, probably regret) for what Wyatt had suffered during that horrible weekend. Placing a slim hand over his heart and rubbing gently, Lucy responded, "I'm sorry you had to go through something that traumatic a second time and would've done anything to take away the anguish you suffered. Looking back, I suppose it's for the best I don't actually recall everything about the accident, but I do remember coming to in the ambulance, frightened and confused and in pain and wanting you so badly. Probably one of my first thoughts was what it would do to you if you lost Jamie after what happened to Jessica..." She fell silent, biting her lower lip in dismay at the involuntary shiver Wyatt tried but couldn't hide.

Unwilling to let her offer an unnecessary (in his opinion) apology, he rested his forehead against Lucy's and said, "See, right there is just one of the many reasons I love you, sweetheart–your kind, loving, generous heart. It means more to me than I can say you instinctively thought of me and my son before yourself after being involved in a scary car accident. I will be forever grateful that just like any good mom would do, you were right there for Jamie every second and looked after him until I got to the hospital despite being injured pretty seriously yourself." He could tell by Lucy's barely audible, 'oh, Wyatt,' how moved she was by his sincere declaration.

"The truth is, while I was incredibly relieved the two of you would soon make full recoveries, after a while, it occurred to me during those dark hours as I sat watching you and Jamie sleep that none of us ever knows how many days we have on this Earth-but the one thing I do know for damn sure is, I love you with everything I am and, God willing, want to spend every single one of them with you, Lucy Preston, because you make my life better in every possible way. I can face anything the future holds for me and my son if you're by my side."

When her eyes widened at the intensity of words, he briefly wondered if in his desire for Lucy to understand his feelings that maybe he'd laid it on a bit thick, but then Wyatt's self consciousness eased when Lucy regarded him steadily for a long moment before her lips curved in a loving smile. His remaining insecurities melted away for good at her reassuring response.

"Wyatt Logan, I figured out pretty quickly after we began dating–like most men-you might not be that confident at times about the way you express your feelings, but today, my love, you have really outdone yourself. In case I haven't made it thoroughly clear, I love you, too, and want to be with you, and yes, be Jamie's mom for the rest of my life," Lucy informed him solemnly, her heartfelt words filling him with such joy, he couldn't resist the temptation of her sweet, trembling lips. Everything around them faded away as they shared a tender, unhurried kiss full of love and desire and promise.

When they finally broke apart, he was filled with masculine pride at the sight of Lucy's flushed cheeks and rosy, kiss-swollen mouth. She was the most beautiful thing Wyatt had ever seen–and hell, yeah, he'd marry her tomorrow if it were possible. In that intimate, quiet, almost spiritual moment it felt to him as if they were the only two people in the world. Just a man and a woman who'd been lucky enough to find each other and fall in love. They held each other's eyes for a few blissful seconds longer before Wyatt regretfully broke the meaningful silence.

"As exciting and hopefully romantic as this day has been already, we obviously can't hang around here all morning, so how about we head back to the hotel room to continue our special weekend? And hey, now that we are officially engaged, if you like, we could maybe start kicking around a few ideas for our wedding–which I'm totally on board with-or if that feels a little soon yet to you, I'm sure we can find lots of other interesting things to keep us occupied, at least for the rest of the morning...stuff like a nice hot shower–one that may or may not involve more than just getting ourselves clean, have some breakfast, and then maybe a nap to recharge our batteries, so to speak." His good mood restored, Wyatt reveled in Lucy's startled expression and her whispered, 'my goodness.'

"But fair warning, though, sweetheart," he continued blithely before she could even think of interrupting him, "There's still plenty of weekend left–hours upon hours–and I personally plan on spending a big part of it enjoying the hell out of that sexy little body of yours. And oh, yeah, in case it slipped your mind while we were extremely busy getting ourselves engaged, I feel the need to remind you there's a big ole spa tub waiting on us in our room that we haven't had a chance to try out yet." He waggled his eyebrows devilishly, amused and possibly a little bit aroused when Lucy blushed adorably and ducked her head–but not before he noticed the shy smile she tried to hide from him. Oh, yeah, they were definitely on the same page...

When her face immediately warmed at delicious thoughts of getting her guy naked and taking full advantage of the spa tub, she attempted to play it cool (praying he wouldn't notice her red cheeks). "Do I have to remind you that we are in a public place, Master Sergeant, so you need to behave yourself?" Lucy scolded breathlessly, peeking around the thankfully still-deserted beach before sternly focusing her attention on him once more. Taking a deep breath, she admitted, "As it happens, yes, I am ready to go back to the hotel, but before we leave, there's something I want you to know." Wyatt nodded encouragingly when she hesitated briefly before taking his hand in hers and holding it tightly.

Gazing intently into his eyes, Lucy observed with a pensive smile, "Not sure if I told you this or not, but I've never been engaged before...never even been asked...well, not actually. Truthfully, I was one of those brainy nerd types who rarely socialized in high school, and college was mostly more of the same–too busy all those years focusing on my studies, I guess. Too, it's a little embarrassing to admit in this day and age, but I've just never been comfortable about casual sex. Before Noah, there was one other guy in college I dated but I never cared about enough either man to even consider marriage."

Sure, she felt vaguely uncomfortable sharing her limited dating history with him, but it was important to Lucy that Wyatt realized what their relationship meant to her. "But all that was before you, Wyatt. You couldn't have chosen better words for your beautiful proposal because I understood completely when you told me that I made you want and need and feel because that's what you have done for me. You know, it seems unreal to me when I think about what my life was like less than a year ago compared to now. Meeting, then dating and falling in love with you has changed me and made my life better."

Lucy's mind and heart were so full, she felt her eyes begin to tear up, and it took a few seconds to compose herself. Blinking rapidly and absently rubbing her thumb across the back of his warm hand, she murmured, "Lucky for us, with some decidedly low-key nudging from my sister (she loved Wyatt's skeptical reaction to that), somewhere I found the courage to make a change from that old life in San Francisco–one which, sadly, had become kind of routine and predictable-to a new life, a new future, here in San Diego. Truthfully, an important decision like that was rather daunting at the time, but oh, so worth it because this brand new life eventually led me to you and Jamie. Don't tell her I said it, but I will be forever grateful to Amy for pushing me to take a chance...although knowing my brilliant sibling, she's probably already figured it out."

"God bless Amy Preston," Wyatt agreed promptly, his fervent tone making her laugh in delight. The naughty expression on his face very much reminded Lucy of a certain mischievous five-year-old she knew and loved, and not for the first time since meeting the Logan men, she imagined her fiancé looked very much like his son at the same age.

"You might not be aware of the fact that usually Amy Preston is terrible at keeping secrets, and has been her whole life," she reflected idly, "But somehow, when it counted most, she came through with flying colors, and I couldn't be prouder. So in case I forget, thank you for being such a good influence on your future sister-in-law! Knowing how impetuous she can be, it must've been pure torture for her to keep something this important from me for very long...speaking of which, won't you please tell me exactly when the two of you went ring shopping?" Lucy begged prettily, needing her curiosity satisfied now.

Instead of answering her question like she hoped, though, Wyatt stood and pulling Lucy to her feet, replied mildly, "How about we save that part of the story for later, alright?" She reluctantly acquiesced, faintly disappointed to see the firm set of his lean, stubbled jaw–all too aware when Wyatt used that particular tone as well, he wasn't actually asking. She accepted long ago it was useless to put up a fuss when the stubborn man had his mind made up about something-although Lucy couldn't deny how much she liked it when Wyatt surprised her by suddenly nipping delicately at her lower lip...just before he told her to quit pouting. Pouting? Ha! Like she would ever do something so childish...

Apparently satisfied Lucy saw things his way, her fiance reached for the blanket and shook out the sand before draping it over one arm and drawing her close with the other. She rested her cheek on Wyatt's broad chest, immediately comforted by the steady beat of his heart. I'm engaged to be married...this man is going to be my husband, Lucy thought, trying not to feel overwhelmed by her new reality. Only a couple hours ago, she couldn't imagine being happier, and now there was an exquisite ring on her left hand and a wedding to plan. This was turning out to be the best weekend of her life...

They were mostly quiet on the brief ride back to their hotel, Lucy resting her left hand on Wyatt's strong thigh. Once they drove out of the Hotel del Coronado beach parking lot and merged into traffic, he dropped his right hand over hers and gently rubbed his thumb over her beautiful ring. She was going to marry Wyatt Logan. Clearing his throat, Wyatt offered in a deceptively casual tone, "Pretty great way to start the day, right?" peeking at her out of the corner of his eye while he concentrated on navigating the increasingly crowded Orange Avenue. Lucy hummed her agreement, turning toward him with a bright smile as her fingers lightly caressed his leg.

"That's probably the understatement of the year," she chuckled. "Since we've been planning this trip for ages now, including having to work around a couple of unforeseen delays, I certainly hoped the weekend was going to be special for us, but have to say, Wyatt, you've blown any expectations I had right out of the water. I think it's going to be extremely difficult to top a beautiful marriage proposal at sunrise overlooking Coronado Bay," Lucy declared, glancing down at their entwined hands with a contented sigh.

While Wyatt didn't say much, she could tell by the faint smile he wore that her new fiance was well pleased by the compliment. He was such a good, decent man...and she was going to marry him. "Thank you, Ma'am. If you're happy, then I'm happy," he said simply before focusing his attention on the bustling traffic around them. A short time later, they pulled up in front of the 1906 Lodge main entrance. Hurrying around the front of his Jeep, Wyatt tossed the keys to the valet on duty and retrieving the hotel blanket from the back seat, opened Lucy's car door and offered her his hand.

Once inside the inviting, sunshine-filled lobby, which was much busier than it had been earlier this morning, she noticed, they headed for the front desk. After handing over the blanket and politely thanking the receptionist, Wyatt briefly glanced at Lucy first for her approval before placing a breakfast order from room service and asking that it be delivered in an hour. She savored the feel of his large, calloused hand clasping hers as they walked up the steps outside leading to the second floor. She was going to marry Wyatt Logan.

Once inside their room, Lucy kicked off her flats and immediately headed for the still unmade bed, flopping face down with a muted groan. Now that her excitement at getting engaged was subsiding a bit, she was starting to feel kind of exhausted—but also ravenous—her mouth watering at the thought of a hearty meal. Suddenly, something Wyatt said downstairs popped into her over-stimulated brain. Her voice muffled somewhat by the bedding, she grumbled, "Wyatt? Why did you tell the girl at the front desk we don't want breakfast for another whole hour? I'm kind of hungry right now." Lucy frowned against the soft pillow when he snickered softly. Apparently her fiancé thought it was cute when she got cranky.

Dropping his wallet and key card on top of the dresser and putting his phone on the charger first, he sat on the bed beside Lucy and began rubbing her back tenderly. "I know, sweetheart, I'm about starved myself," Wyatt soothed, "I thought maybe you'd like to get cleaned up a little before we eat, that's all." Lifting her head from the pillow, she leisurely rolled on her side to face Wyatt, narrowing her eyes calculatingly. Hmm...she might be sleepy, hungry, and yeah, okay, a touch cranky, but still sharp enough to sense where the guy was going with this...

Staring intently at him without a single word, eventually she gave Wyatt a languid, positively sinful smile. "My goodness, look at you, Wyatt Logan, being such a gentleman-and I do appreciate a man with manners. Tell you what...I'm a little tired since for some reason, I didn't get much sleep last night, so I could probably use some help and gosh, not sure if you noticed earlier or not, but that shower looks pretty roomy... " Lucy observed thoughtfully, slowly biting her lower lip–a subtle gesture of hers she'd discovered never failed to get his heart rate going.

Before a visibly interested Wyatt could respond, however, the sexy, confident attitude she was going for was ruined somewhat by a wide yawn that came out of nowhere. Damn...she could really use some sleep. A chagrined Lucy couldn't help but grin ruefully though when Wyatt readily laughed and admitted he might have been thinking the same thing.

"You know me, I live to serve, Ma'am," he quipped, a flirty twinkle in his azure eyes, getting to his feet and reaching for her. "Just to be on the safe side, it'll probably be better if we share the shower anyway since they'll be knocking on the door with our breakfast in less than an hour." After hesitating for maybe all of a split second, she graciously agreed with his brilliant suggestion. Lucy quite appreciated that Wyatt wasted little time getting her stripped down and whisked into the indeed generously-sized shower in a matter of seconds. Her man definitely had a number of valuable skills. Once the relaxing water began cascading over their bodies, Wyatt smoothly finessed Lucy against the tiled shower wall that felt decadently cool in contrast to the steaming water-exactly where she wanted to be.

"Ready to get this little party started, sweetheart?" he invited, leaning past her and dipping his head under the water. Pushing soaked hair out of his eyes, Wyatt made no effort to hide the way his dark blue gaze hotly raked up and down Lucy's drenched body.

"Bring it on, soldier," she whispered bravely, reaching for him with trembling arms. Eagerly pressing herself tightly against him, Lucy daintily nipped at his stubbled jaw, delighting in Wyatt's husky groan. The man she had pledged to marry was all about equality, though. Wrapping his hand around her slender neck, he sweetly captured her wet lips in a breathtaking kiss before leaning back and resting his forehead against hers.

"No doubt about it, sweetheart, I think you'll find I'm up for the challenge," he assured her hoarsely, grinding his muscular, aroused body against hers and smirking at the whimper she couldn't contain. Game on, then, soldier...

"We have to hurry because I hate cold eggs," she warned breathlessly as his lips moved possessively over the sensitive skin behind her ear–a rather pointless comment because honestly, eating breakfast was positively the very last thing on Lucy's mind at the moment, not when her guy had his heart set on 'helping' her get cleaned up. Making sure to give equal attention to every single inch of her quivering body, Wyatt seemed quite pleased at the soft whimpers he was skillfully coaxing from her. "Wyatt, please," Lucy gasped when she couldn't stand it any longer, and then, bless his heart, he really got down to business...

Several heated, frantic minutes later, they slumped against the tile, panting and hanging on to each other. 'Wow' was about all Lucy's dazed brain could come up with-and judging by the stunned expression on his gorgeous face, Wyatt seemed to be at a loss for words also. Their engagement was definitely getting off to an outstanding start, she thought with a shiver. Thankfully, they managed to recover quickly enough to finish soaping and rinsing each other before the rapidly cooling water ran icy cold.

Turning off the water, Wyatt stepped out of the shower first. Grabbing one of the fluffy white towels neatly stacked on a shelf above the toilet, he wrapped it around his waist before taking a second towel and gently but thoroughly helping Lucy dry off. He smiled lovingly when she sighed, 'thank you' and answered, "Sure thing, Ma'am."

Luckily, Wyatt was dry and just slipping a clean pair of jeans over his boxers seconds before their breakfast was delivered. As Lucy stood just inside the bathroom doorway rubbing a towel over her hair, he signed the meal ticket and shut the door with his hip before placing the tray in the center of the bed.

Walking into the bedroom wearing one of the hotel's plush white bathrobes (and nothing beneath it, he was quick to notice), Lucy's face brightened at the sight of hot food and both juice and coffee. Abruptly tossing the damp towel over the side of the spa tub first, she knelt on the bed beside Wyatt. They fell on the scrambled eggs, bacon and toast like starving wolves, laughing and making plans for the rest of the day as they ate.

As usual, Wyatt cleaned his plate well before Lucy, and busying himself with refilling his coffee cup, decided she'd waited long enough to hear all the details of his ring shopping expedition. "So, are you ready for me to tell you about the day I got your ring?" Despite her mouth being nearly full at the time, his fiance nodded so eagerly, he was half afraid she might choke. Unwilling to keep her in suspense any longer, once she safely swallowed the bite of food and washed it down with a swig of juice, Wyatt admitted with a sheepish grin, "Full disclosure? I texted Amy maybe a week after she came over for supper the Monday after the accident, and once she agreed to help me out, we went to the jewelers on February 28." Lucy's fork clattered abruptly on her nearly empty plate, a cute frown creasing her forehead as she was clearly trying to figure out how long ago that was.

"I'm sorry, did you say February 28? February 28? Wait a minute, are you telling me the two of you have been keeping this quiet for nearly two months? Since shortly after the accident?" she sputtered, truly caught off guard. Greatly entertained at blowing his fiance's mind, he waited patiently for Lucy to settle down...which took a minute or two (and maybe a fortifying sip of coffee).

At last, she shook her head and gave Wyatt an admiring smile. "Wow...trust me, that is practically a miracle. I am truly impressed at how easily you convinced my sister to stay quiet about this. I'm really looking forward to telling her we are now officially engaged. And, hey, are we going to wait and share the good news with Julie and Bam when we pick up Jamie tomorrow? On second thought, maybe we should go ahead and text them..." She immediately fell silent at the clearly guilty expression on Wyatt's face.

"This is just a guess, mind you, but from the look on your face, is it possible that Amy isn't the only one who's been keeping this a secret?" Lucy asked dryly, pretending to be irritated, but secretly enjoying watching her fiancé squirm uneasily. Actually, she had a pretty good idea what Wyatt was going to say next...wait for it...and yes, she was right...

"Yeah, about that...I'm sorry, Lucy, but I might've accidentally blurted out the news to Bam yesterday afternoon right before leaving work...and of course, the guy is totally unable to keep anything from his wife, so apparently he spilled his guts the second he got home...but I swear to you, though, no one else knew I was going to ask you to marry me," Wyatt was quick to explain. The expression on his face was so adorably earnest, it was hard for her to keep a straight face.

Clearing her throat, Lucy nodded matter of factly, deciding not to give her new fiancé too much grief. "It's fine, Wyatt. To be honest, I know how close you are to Julie and Bam, and I'm actually impressed you held out as long as you did–so, well done!" She bit back a grin at the baffled expression on Wyatt's face. Poor man probably assumed she'd be mad at him. "Anyway, until a gorgeous soldier swept me off my feet a few months ago, Amy was the most important person in the world to me. Why don't we go ahead and share our big news with your best friends and my little sister? I think they will be really happy for us, don't you?"

Wyatt responded with a relieved smile, "That would be great. I really like that idea. How do we wanna do this, then? I guess we could make a couple of calls, although it's still pretty early. A text seems a little too casual, considering what an important occasion this is..." They stared at each other thoughtfully until suddenly a lightbulb went off in Lucy's head.

"I have an idea...why don't you take a picture of my left hand only, and we'll text that and something like 'she said yes!' or 'we're engaged!' to them?" With a knowing smirk, Wyatt instantly agreed, and pulling out his phone, took several pictures of Lucy's hand from different angles.

After choosing the one they liked best, he swiftly texted it to Amy and Julie, along with the caption they came up with, 'he put a ring on it!' Turning off his phone, Wyatt set it on the table beside the bed. "Since we're kinda in the middle of a romantic trip here, we can check for their reactions later," he explained. When Lucy cheerfully agreed, he leaned back against the pillows to finish his coffee.

Dropping her napkin on the tray with a contented sigh when the invigorating hot coffee was gone and every crumb of delicious food consumed, Lucy declared, "Maybe it's because we worked up an appetite, but that possibly was the best breakfast I've ever had...um, you, know, in a hotel," she hastily clarified, giggling when the guy who prepared most of the meals at home almost spit out his coffee all over the bed, which only made her laugh harder (Of course Lucy would deny it later, but there might have been a snort involved, too). God, how she loved this man...

Curling herself around one of the oversized bed pillows on her side of the bed like a drowsy kitten, she yawned a couple times and watched in silence while Wyatt efficiently stacked up the dishes and carried the empty tray to set outside the door to be picked up later. Tummy full, body clean–and very well loved–Lucy glanced at her left hand and smiled dreamily. She was going to marry Wyatt Logan...

Shutting the door firmly, Wyatt turned to see his fiance watching him with dark, slumberous eyes, just about down for the count. Poor baby...had herself a big morning and now she's all worn out, he thought tenderly. He woke her long enough to remove the thick robe she wore (no sense in covering up all that enticing skin) before carefully tucking her bare body under the covers. Tempting as it was to look at his phone and see if Julie and/or Amy had responded yet to their message, Wyatt decided there was no harm in keeping the world outside this room at bay a little longer.

Shedding his jeans, he slid in beside Lucy, his heart skipping a beat or two at the sleepy little smile she gave him. "C'mere, you," Wyatt coaxed, getting her settled against him, her small left hand resting over his heart. They lay entwined, not speaking, just content to be together. He was feeling quite relaxed when Lucy unexpectedly breathed against his bare skin, "Hey, Wyatt? Thanks for asking me to marry you."

It was such a typically 'Lucy' thing to say, he couldn't help but smile. His wife-to-be was one of the kindest, sweetest women he'd ever known. Arms tightening around her, he pressed his lips to the top of Lucy's still damp hair and murmured, "You're welcome, sweetheart...thank you for saying yes and making me the luckiest guy alive..."

In response, she rubbed her soft cheek against his chest and closing her eyes, murmured something that sounded a lot like,'love you.' Enjoying the way she trustingly fell asleep against him, he quietly responded, 'love you, too, sweetheart.' Lying there in a fancy hotel room holding the woman he loved, freshly showered, well loved, and his belly full, Wyatt's future seemed bright and brimming with possibilities.

Closing his eyes, he resolutely willed himself to sleep. There was plenty of their special weekend left-and he intended to be fully rested in order to enjoy every second before they went home to their son. Damn, but he liked the sound of that. Still, no matter how they spent the remainder of the weekend, as Lucy pointed out earlier, it was going to be pretty hard to top a surprise marriage proposal at sunrise. Definitely one of his finer moments...and what a great story to tell their grandchildren some day, Wyatt thought wistfully before drifting off...

A/N #2: My goodness, this chapter sort of got away from me! There's plenty more fun to come for our newly-engaged couple as they continue to enjoy their romantic Coronado Island getaway. Meant to mention in the last chapter that Lucy's engagement ring is real-I found it on the Jared Galleria website. It's really pretty :) And now for a quick side note: not sure how many readers are still following this "Energizer Bunny" of a story, but I offer my deepest appreciation to those of you who take a few seconds to leave a review. Even the briefest review is incredibly encouraging and wonderful incentive for those of us who write fanfic. Your favorites and follows make my day, too. Thanks, Timeless friends, for continuing to support my writing–it means a lot :))