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Besides being his best friend, Wilson was also his team leader on Charlie Team, which he was officially assigned to, though recently, all five of the Shepherd Security teams had been pulled at what seemed as randomly and staffed together on missions. The mission earlier that morning had Mike ‘Powder’ Rogers, also from Charlie Team staffed as well as Lambchop and Mother from Delta Team in addition to the two members of Bravo Team. Shepherd had said the mixing of teams was temporary with the growing pains the agency was currently going through, and because several of their ongoing contracts required six team members.
Wilson replied to his text immediately, inviting him over. Tessman and several others had helped move Wilson and his new family into the townhouse just a week earlier. Wilson had deployed on one of their new Domestic Violence Intervention Cases on Monday, and the small three-person team had wrapped it up and returned to HQ very late the night before. Now that was a mission type that Tessman would be interested in being staffed on.
When Tessman knocked on the door to Wilson’s new home, Wilson’s new girlfriend, Rae, answered the door. “Hi, come in,” she invited with a smile. “Jimmy will be down in a minute.” She was pleasant, had been at each of the four occasions Tessmanhad spent any time with her, though he couldn’t say he really knew her well.
Tessman stepped into the living room. His eyes glanced at the staircase that led up to the second floor. Then his gaze swept over the living room and the kitchen at the far end of the house. There wasn’t a box in sight. It looked like they’d lived there for years. “House looks good. You got a lot done.”
She laughed. “The garage is still full of unpacked boxes, but we’re getting settled little by little.”
“Don’t let her fool you,” Wilson said from halfway down the staircase. “She did all this and unpacked everything upstairs, too.” Wilson descended the rest of the stairs and stepped up to the two of them. “But she is right. The garage is still loaded with boxes. I won’t be parking in there anytime soon.”
“I’m off the rest of the day if you want help to knock some of it out,” Tessman offered.
“Thanks, but it’s stuff that has to be gone through and either put away, thrown away, or donated,” Wilson said.
“He’s saying it’s mine or Lilly’s stuff, or her mom’s, so I’ll have to tackle it,” Rae said.
“I didn’t say that, but sorry, yeah, most of it will be on you to go through, Rae,” Wilson said with a chuckle.
Lilly was the four-year-old who was now Jimmy and Rae’s daughter. Her mother was facing life in prison. Rae was her pre-school teacher and was quite attached to her when she and her mother disappeared, prompting Rae to look for them. She contacted Wilson and when Lilly’s mom, Stella, who was involved in an identity theft ring, discovered that Rae had found her, Rae was kidnapped by Stella and one of her co-conspirators. Rae nearly died. Wilson and the team found her and Lilly, and the Shepherd Security Team working with the U.S. Marshals apprehended Lilly’s mom and the criminal network she was a part of.
“Thanks, babe,” she said sarcastically. “I have to go pick Lilly up from school. You didn’t block Jimmy’s truck in the driveway, did you?” Rae asked Tessman.
“No, ma’am,” Tessman replied.
Rae reached for the keys, which were on the end table near the door. When she did, Tessman saw the diamond solitaire on her left hand.
“I’ll be back. Don’t feel you need to rush off because of me or Lilly. As a matter of fact, if you’ll still be around, you can plan on staying for dinner if you like spaghetti and meatballs.” She smiled and then disappeared out the door.
Tessman’s eyes fixed on Wilson. “Was that a ring on her finger?”
Wilson smiled and nodded.
“You proposed? You fucking proposed already?” Tessman asked, his voice expressing his shock.
Wilson chuckled. “We’re not getting married tomorrow. But when we do, you’ll be my best man, won’t you?”
Tessman stared at him, dumbfounded. “Well, yeah, of course.”
Wilson slapped him on the back and then stepped further into the house. “You want a beer?”
“Sure,” Tessman said. Yeah, he fucking needed one, seeing that Wilson had proposed.
Tessman took a seat at the breakfast bar that faced into the kitchen. Wilson handed the bottle over the sink and bar to him. “I know you don’t get it, but Rae and me, it feels right. Besides, Rae and Lilly both have my last name, thanks to the Marshals, so I figured we should make it official.”
“Lambchop didn’t mention anything.” Lambchop was an ordained minister and the team pastor. Tessman assumed Wilson would have him marry them.
“I haven’t had the chance to mention it to him yet. You’re the first on the team to know,” Wilson said, and then took a long pull from his bottle. “I should probably tell a few others.”
“Married? I figured it would come at some point, but I didn’t expect it this soon.”
Wilson chuckled. “As I said, it just feels right, them living here, the three of us a family.” He smiled.
Tessman had to admit he’d never seen his friend happier. “Well, then I’m happy for you.”
“Stay for dinner. I’d like you to get to know Rae better,” Wilson invited. “She’s right. I don’t want you to feel you need to rush off or stay away, either. I know you think things have changed because she and I are together now, but as far as our friendship is concerned, nothing’s changed, dude.”
Tessman nodded and took another drink of beer. He knew Wilson believed that, but he knew a lot had changed. How that would all play out was yet to be seen.