It had been over a year since Zoe's abduction and also Lucas' birth. Things were pretty much back to normal, at least as much as they are when it comes to Zoe and Wade. They did a lot of work on the house, adding extra bedrooms, closets and expanded the rooms that were already there. They spared no expense when it came to the master bedroom however. There was deck off of the sliding glass doors, two walk-in closets and even a hot tub on the deck. Of course Wade and Zoe spent a lot of time out there when they finally got Lucas down for the night. He was like his father and was a night owl for sure. But, even night owls wear out after a while. He was their pride and joy however. He was the spitting image of Wade, right down to his hazel eyes, always messy blond hair, and the killer smile. He loved his mom and always wanted to be with her except when his father was around. Then he went into 'little boy' mode and the two of them raised hell all the time, driving Zoe nuts sometimes. Wade is such a big kid but that's one of the reasons she's still madly in love with him.
Zoe's father has passed away a few months previously and she was really surprised when she found out she was the sole heir of his estate. She was now a very wealthy woman, but they didn't let that change the way they were. Wade still owned the bar and continued to work a lot of hours, but it was his and they didn't want to downplay that. Zoe only worked occasionally when Brick needed her, preferring to spend her time at home with Lucas. They just left the money in the bank for the time being, planning to only use it in case of dire emergencies.
Zoe sat drinking her coffee and reflecting on everything that her life has become while Lucas played out in the yard with his trucks. She decided to take a walk into town and said to Lucas "Hey Lucas, do you want to go to the Jammer and see daddy?" Lucas jumped up and started yelling "Da! Da! Da!" "I take that as a yes", she said laughing. "We'll just stop over to Uncle Lavon's to let him know where we're headed. Maybe him and Aunt Lemon would like to come with us".
Zoe got Lucas all cleaned up and dressed in his plaid shirt (he just had to be like his father), shorts and work boots. They walked over to Lavon's and as the Kinsellas always do, barged right in. "Hey Lavon!" she yelled. Lemon came walking into the room instead. "Hey, Zoe. Lavon isn't here at the moment but should be back in a bit. Anything I can do for you?" she asked. Lucas went running up to her and grabbed the bottom of her dress "Emon! He yelled in typical Lucas fashion. "Hey little man", she smiled at him and picked him up. He planted a big kiss on her cheek which brought a huge smile to her face. "He is just so gorgeous" she said. "I can't wait until I have one!". "Soon enough", said Zoe, pointing to her slightly protruding belly. They both smiled knowing how happy that made Lavon and Lemon. "We're heading into town", said Zoe. "Do you feel up to taking a walk with us?" she said. "Sure" said Lemon, "let me grab my purse".
They got to the Jammer and walked in just as four women were really starting to come on strong with Wade. "C'mon Wade, you know you want to party instead of working. You were always the one to really party it up." The other girls nodded in agreement. He kept telling them "No, I own the bar now and I have a family. Those days are long gone". The girls didn't believe him and kept it up. One even went so far as to lean over the bar and try to kiss him! Wade just back up a bit to avoid it without trying to cause any hard feelings. With that, Zoe walked into the bar with Lucas and Lemon. "Da! Da! Da!" and Lucas was off like a shot towards his father. Wade heard the voice and saw his son making a beeline towards him. He came from around the bar and bent down just as Lucas got there and ran right into his arms, almost knocking him over. "What's the big rush, buddy?", he asked. Lucas just planted a big kiss on Wade's cheek and gave him a huge hug. "Missed you", he said. Wade smiled and said "I missed you too, Luke. I'm glad you came to visit me". He picked up Lucas and walked over to Zoe and planted a toe-tingling kiss on her hips. "Hey, baby". She said "I see your fan base just doesn't seem to die out" and smiled at him. "Nah", he said, "but I can handle it. I just let them all down gently", and walked away laughing. He got back to the bar and the women just glared at him and left in a huff. Wade just laughed. "I tried to tell them", he said.
Lemon said to Zoe, "I don't know how you deal with that. I would be livid!" Zoe just said "I'm so used to it. He does handle it well though and I know he would never cheat on me again". They sat and had lunch and while they were eating, Lavon came in. He walked over to their table and gave Lemon a kiss and said "Hey big Z". "What brings you girls in town today", he asked them. Lemon just said "Well, Zoe was getting restless, Lucas wanted to see his daddy, and I needed the exercise!". He just laughed. "You look beautiful just as you are", he said.
As they were eating lunch, the weather suddenly turned and there was thunder in the distance. Wade walked over to Lavon and said "why don't you bring the girls and Lucas home. I heard there was a huge storm possibly going to hit later on, possibly even turning into a hurricane. Lavon said "Yeah, I heard that on my way over here. I'll drop Zoe at home to pick up anything that you guys might need just in case of a power outage. The three of you can stay at the house until this is over with. We have the storm cellar if it gets really bad. Unfortunately the weatherpeople don't know much at this point about whats going to hit. Zoe still wasn't used to how fast the weather changed in the south. It could go from a beautiful sunny to a horrific storm within ½ hour. The sun was still shining, but Lavon said "OK ladies, let's head home before the weather gets bad". Zoe walked up to the bar and hugged Wade. "Please don't wait too long before you come home. If it's going to get really bad, I would rather have you at home with us". Wade kissed her "Don't worry. I'll send everyone home shortly and start to board up the windows before I head out. I shouldn't be too long. I want to call Jesse and see if he can go over to the house and board up the windows there. I checked with Lavon and he's going to go and get Earl and bring him over also. He's alone in that old rickety house and I don't want anything to happen to him.". "Good idea", said Zoe. Lucas would love to spend time with him anyway". Wade kissed her again and then hugged and kissed Lucas. "You take care of your momma!" he said. Then they all left to head home and then to Lavon's, leaving Wade to get the Rammer Jammer ready for the storm.