Hey! This chapter does take place 6 years later. Enjoy.


"Hey buddy," Wade greeted picking his 6 year old son up.

"Daddy, look, I lost a tooth," the little boy said with a grin, showing his father his missing tooth.

"That's great buddy, did you put the tooth under your pillow?" He asked, placing his son on the couch.

"No, not yet," was his reply, shaking his head. "Can I?"

"Go for it," Wade told him, watching him run off to his room. "Are you really moving?" Wade asked, his hate for his wife taking his son away slipping out.

"Where'd you hear that at?" Zoe asked, feeling a headache coming on.

"It's a small town, we know the same exact people, Doc," he retorted. "You've lived here most of your life, did you really think I wouldn't find out?"

"No, I'm not moving, Wade. The offer was there and sure I took a few days to think it over, but in the end I turned it down," she told him.

"Were you going to tell me?" He questioned getting defensive. He had the right to know the second it had been offered to her. She should have came to him and talked to him about it all. Not keep it from him where he had to find out through the town folk.

"We're talking about it now, Wade. What I do with my life and career doesn't concern you any longer," she fired back. It seemed the last handful of times that they'd do this; dropping Charlie off they'd start fighting over things that didn't mean anything.

"Like hell, Zoe," Wade snapped, looking up the stairs to make sure his boy wasn't headed their way. "Everything you do concerns me when it involves my son, Zoe," he told her, his anger simmering down a notch.

"If for a second I thought about moving, I would've sat down and discussed things with you," she told him, sitting on the couch. "We're still married, Wade," she sighed.

"I'm not signing those papers, Zoe. You and I both know that this separation isn't going to last, we belong together. Why can't you see that?" Wade questioned, dropping all of his anger at his wife. They may be separated but she is still is wife. And he planned on keeping it that way.

"We dated a total of 9 months and fell pregnant with Charlie and got married and yeah sure the first 4 years were great, but now over the last two nearly three years, tons with us changed and not in a good way either, Wade," she replied with. "We had stopped trying and we let our marriage fail, the only reason we stuck together was for our son and I find that sad."

"We belong together mess ups and all, we can fix this, we have to try and fix this Zoe. We gave up then but that doesn't mean we need to give up now. Do you love me? Do you want us to be together giving Charlie the family he needs?" Wade asked.

"Yes, but I don't think it will work out, we're past broken, Wade," she told him, biting her lip. She thought about putting her marriage back together, thought about what would happen if they did move forward with the divorce.

"You're the one giving up, Zoe," he sighed. "What did I do to make you hate our marriage so much that you felt the need to give up on us? To resent me that much?" He inquired, running a hand through his hair, pacing his living room.

"I have no reason to resent you, Wade. That is just ridiculous," she shot back at him. "Maybe it is the fact that you gave up first," she told him, looking down. "You are a great father, Wade but," she paused.

"I was a horrible husband, I know, I am sorry that I didn't try, that I didn't do enough, but I promise you that if given the chance I'll be the husband you deserve to have. Please, Zoe," he pleaded, sitting on the coffee table before her, his hands on her knees. "Let me show you how much I love you."

The worst feeling he could ever have was the day he come home from work to find the house empty. Most of his wife's stuff gone and things his son couldn't part with for the night missing. A phone call told him all he needed to know, she left him and when he had time off she would be back to drop Charlie off and they could try to talk things through. Talking didn't happen as it turned into yelling. He never wanted to feel like his world fell apart again. He would do everything he can to fix it.

"Jesse and Hailee will be in town this weekend and they do want to spend a few hours with Charlie, so that is the start of your last chance." It was already sweet of him for not putting any blame on her because she was at fault for their marriage to fall apart the way it had. "And I am sorry too," she whispered.

"I know," he replied, pulling her into a hug.

"I love you," she whispered against his neck. Any way this went she would love him. He is the first boy she loved growing up, the first guy that stole her heart. The one guy that took many of her firsts. The one guy she couldn't stop loving.

"Why don't you stay and have lunch with us," he suggested. He wanted to be a family again, not for Charlie, but for all of them. However, they chose to live, they would be a family for Charlie. They messed up and it is time to fix it and make their relationship stronger than ever.

"Okay," she replied, not having the heart to decline such an offer. It had been too long since they had done anything as a family. It would be good for them. "What is for lunch?" She questioned.

"Dino peanut butter and jelly sandwiches," he smiled, giving his wife a hand. "Complete with apple slices and milk," he told her leading the way to the kitchen.

"No broccoli for trees?" She teased him, remembering where everything in the kitchen is placed at, as she is the one to place them in a certain spot when they moved into the place together.

"Sadly I am fresh out," he told her, pulling the fridge open to get the jelly out.

Making lunch for their son felt as natural as it had always been, goofing off like they were known too. And for a moment it felt like everything was back to normal between them. Like the last year hadn't happened. The fighting, the feeling of being in a marriage that felt it was strangling you because it felt as if you shouldn't have gotten married to begin with.

Making lunch as a family, wouldn't change the outcome in the long run, but it would change how they moved forward. They both had to change and work to be better parents for Charlie and to be a better husband and a better wife. To be better together.

It was a start and the best place to mend what is broken between them.