Stunned. Shocked. Hurt. Confused. Yes confused. That is what Wade was feeling standing outside her carriage house.
Just 24 hours ago he was sitting at his dads dinner table with Zoe Hart. The strong, confident, albeit tiny woman, who was not afraid to tell him she loved him. How she wanted to try their relationship again and how she wanted him to take a chance with her. And he was the person terrified of getting hurt again. Scared of messing it up and hurting her, afraid to take a risk.
It was at his father's house where Crazy Earl earned back his "dad" title by advising his son to not hide, to take a chance. Earl always had a firmer grasp on the relationship between his son and the pretty doctor than the two cared to admit. Even when referring to them as Romeo and Mrs. Romeo, he saw their relationship as the true loves of each other's lives. And he was right.
Wade loved Zoe. He knew it, she knew it, and the town knew it. If he were honest with himself he probably would know that he had fallen for her the first time she barged into his gatehouse in the middle of the night. And fell deeper each time she blew-out the fuse box or got herself into a wacky situation. But he was never the relationship guy and wasn't good at them when he was in one. But that all changed when he met Zoe Hart.
And Zoe loved him. It took her longer than him, to admit it though. She had relationships before. She had even been in loved, or at least she thought she was in love with Joel. But she too was not great at relationships. When things didn't go her way, or when she got scared or hurt, she ran. And in doing so, she hurt the ones she left behind. Its what she did to Wade Kinsella by walking away after he told her he loved her.
As he explained to her months ago, losing her the first time almost killed him. And he didn't think he had it in him to go through that again.
Somehow, people expected him to get passed it. To get over the fact Zoe left for months and returned with another boyfriend. They told him, he was a better person now. That he wouldn't hurt her again. That she made him better. And that Zoe had grown too. He made her better. She had learned to trust herself and her feelings. And that she still had a piece of him that he couldn't let go.
And now, here he was, standing outside her carriage house. Finally convinced by Zoe, his dad, and the town, that the two of them were meant to be together. Ready to give it another shot. To take her to dinner and see what happens next. But when he told her he's ready, she told him no. She slammed the door in his face. After months of her trying she said "too late." She hurt him again.
But this time it seemed different. She was happy when she saw him at her door. He could see the spark in her eye. He could read Zoe like a book. He knew her better than she knew herself. He could read her expressions. He knew when she was happy, sad, or scared. He knew when she was hiding something. And he knew her too well to believe the words she was saying. Something must've happened for her to do this sudden turnaround. And he was going to find out what that was.