Chapter 10 - One Step Closer
12 hours before the wedding
Candice made sure that every person that were on Zoe's house left "It's her big day tomorrow" she kept saying "She needs to have her beauty sleep" and with a few yells, in five minutes, everyone was out of the house including Candice. Zoe was now alone.
That idea didn't confort her. Somehow, she thought she needed someone that could be by her side now; being alone was only making her feel anxious. Zoe wondered if the other brides felt the same way she was feeling in that exact moment: scared of commitment, terrified to walk down the aisle... feeling like dying when they think about their future husband waiting for them.
Zoe lay down on her bed and gazed the ceiling for a while "Everything's going to be fine" she said to herself, with a convicing tone "Tomorrow will be a beautiful day. Tomorrow is going to be your day"
She looked to the side and saw her wedding dress. She sighed and closed her eyes, turning her head to the other side "You can do this"
Zoe didn't have a clue why she was feeling so insecure. She felt like crying in that exact moment. Getting married to the man of her dreams isn't supposed to make her feel like running away. Then why does she have that feeling? Why does Zoe keep thinking about running away, leave evertything behind and just forget about the world? Forget about the wedding.
She grabbed her phone, hoping that calling Joel would make her stop feeling like that "Hi honey" she said when he picked up.
"Hi baby, is everything alright?" he asked, his voice trembling like hers. Maybe Joel was feeling like her too... maybe it was normal.
No, she wanted to answer "Yes, I just wanted to hear your voice before I go to sleep" she said and heard him laugh "I don't like sleeping alone"
"I know" Joel laughed again and sighed "Tomorrow you will finally sleep with me again. Tomorrow's the big day"
Zoe paused and sighed "Yeah..."
"You excited?" he asked. No matter how much Zoe tried to change her mind, she didn't feel excited about her wedding. Not even a bit, not even at all. Before Zoe could answer and lie to Joel once more, she heard laughs from the other side of the phone. She froze in her place. More laughs... male laughs "Hey Joel, get in here-" Wade's voice.
"Joel?" she yelled at the phone, rising from the bed "Why are you with Wade?"
She started to walk around the room, with one hand on her forehead and looking to the ceiling "Joel, you better answer me right now!" she yelled one more time, taking deep breaths.
"I don't-I... It's not a big deal, honey. Wade and Lavon just passed by to wish good luck-"
"Lavon is there too?" Zoe asked and narrowed her eyes "There's no way in hell they just passed by to wish you good luck. Have you met Wade and Lavon? Joel..." she said his name calmly, putting her hand over her chest like it would calm her racing heart "Tell me the real reason why they are with you."
"Joel honey come here now! I need to finish my job" a woman's voice came to Zoe's ears and her eyes widened. A woman's voice!
"Joel Stevens! Where are you? Are you... in a strip club?" she yelled more than she previously was.
"No I'm not in a strip club" Joel said, his voice trembling. She could almost see him passing his hand over his forehead, nervously "It's just... complicated"
"I just heard a woman's voice! Who's that? Joel! Tell me!" she kept yelling. Then she heard the phone fall and someone picking it up.
"Hey big Z!" she heard Lavon on the other side of the line.
"Don't 'hey big Z' me! What's going on in there?" Zoe asked, feeling furious right now. If she previously thought that calling Joel would make her feel busy, she was right. But if she thought it would make her feel more calm, she was 100% wrong "Why are you, Wade and a woman with Joel? W-where are you after all? Please don't tell me you are in Joel's room"
Zoe pressed her hand against her forehead again and looked to the ceiling, praying to every angel that Lavon would deny her thought.
"Zoe... it's complicated. But nothing's wrong, alright? Joel is not cheating on you-"
"I wasn't thinking that he was cheating on me!" Zoe yelled.
"Oh, great-"
"But now I am!" she paused and took a deep breath before continuing "What's going on?"
"Trust us, okay?" Lavon said in a calm voice that, in a certain way and God knows how, made Zoe feel more calm too "It's something for the wedding. Nothing bad"
After Zoe calmed herself down, she nodded her head to herself and said "Alright. Pass the phone to Joel"
"He is a little bit busy right n-"
"Pass him the damn phone, Lavon!" she said and waited for Joel to pick it up "I'm going to sleep now"
"Don't be mad at me" Joel said "I promise I'm not doing anything bad"
"I know you aren't" she smiled "I love you. See you tomorrow"
"I'll be the one waiting for you down the aisle. Love you"
He hung up the phone and Zoe threw herself over the bed, gazing at the ceiling.
She placed her head on her pillow and closed her eyes. Joel wasn't doing anything bad, he wouldn't. He loves her a lot and she knows that he would never be unfaithful. But Zoe was doing something wrong: she was having second thoughts; she was wondering if getting married was the best idea.
She wasn't unsure about the way she felt about Joel, no. She was unsure about the idea of having a ring on her ring and calling someone "husband".
"Honey?" Zoe closed the door behind her with a smile. She walked to the end of the hall and when she entered on the kitchen she placed her coat on one chair and her bag next to it. She smiled looking at him, with his eyebrows narrowed; he always had that expression whenever he was concentrated on something.
Her arms wrapped him around his waist and hugged him. Zoe felt him laugh.
"I'm glad you are already home" he placed a kiss on her lips, when he turned around and left to the side whatever he was doing. He held a strand of her chocolate brown hair behind her ear and stroked gently her cheek "The kids are acting crazy, asking for you"
"I better go check on them" Zoe turned around and started to leave the kitchen, but something held her arm making her go back to where she previously was: his arms.
"Or you could stay with me here a little bit" he kissed her on her neck and she felt his breathe, making the hairs on the back of her neck stand up "In a few minutes they will appear here and ask for you and you will be there. Just give me a while to be with my wife, when wee are still alone"
Zoe laughed and bowed her head a bit to the side, like it was an invitation for him to keep kissing her neck. It felt so good that the idea of not going to see the kids in that moment was tempting.
"I really should go check on them" Zoe said again and tried her best to go away from him "If they come in here and see us like this you know what they will say"
"Yuck!" he made a perfect imitation of what their kids would say and it made Zoe laugh again.
"Exactly, so please let go of me-" before she could even finish her sentence, he took her in his arms and sat her on the counter. Zoe realized a sigh and shivered when she felt his hands stroking her legs. He kissed her one more time and Zoe sighed "I really have to go see them"
She opened her eyes and looked at her left hand. She had a wedding ring on her finger - and now it was feeling more odd than before. He had call her wife and she felt like she was married. But now seeing the ring on her finger made her feel different. Zoe pushed him and looked at his face and let out a scream.
Wade Kinsella was her husband.
"Rise and shine, sleeping beauty!" the sunlight suddenly filled the room and made Zoe close her eyes even more "Today's the big day, people!" Candice Hart's voice came to Zoe's ears and made her feel nervous. What a beautiful way to wake up!
When Zoe raised from her bed, still with her eyes closed, she heard a lot of gasps that made her open them "What?" she asked.
"You are sweating!" AnnaBeth said and approached Zoe, passing a hand on her forehead "You need to take a shower"
"There's no time for showers!" Candice said and approached them "Ugh Zoe! Why did you have to sweat on this night of all?"
"Well I'm sorry if I can't control what I do while I'm sleeping" Zoe rolled her eyes. She obviously couldn't. If she could, she hadn't dreamed about Wade, that was for sure. The idea of being married with Wade and having kids with him made her shiver.
"To the bathroom, fast!" Candice yelled.
Zoe stepped into the bath and let the warm water relax her body. It wasn't weird that she woke up sweating; she had a terrible nightmare. She dramed about Wade being her husband, for God's sake! That was enough to make Zoe lose hair just because she was stressed.
A bang on the door made Zoe wake up from her thoughts "We don't have all day, missy!" her mother's voice came from the other side of the door.
Zoe washed her body and hair fast and got off the bath. She dried her body and put on some underwear and dressed her robe.
"Alright, now let the day begin!" Candice shout and one man - obviously gay - and one woman grabbed Zoe by one arm and dragged her to a chair placed strategically in front of the mirror. Zoe looked at her reflection in the mirror. She had two dark circles under eyes and her hair - still wet - was a mess. Her mother shook her head in disbelief "Didn't you understand me when I said you needed your beauty sleep?"
"I get it mom" Zoe said, her voice coming out hoarse. She kept gazing at her reflection in the mirror while Jones and Margareth - at least, Zoe thought it was their names - tried to make her look beautiful. AnnaBeth and Gigi appeared on the mirror frame and Zoe raised her eyes to look at them, and smiled.
"How are you?" AnnaBeth asked, excited "Today is the big day!"
Zoe nodded slowly "I know" she gazed at her hands for a while "I'm so nervous"
"Oh dear, it's normal" AnnaBeth grabbed her hand and nodded firmly, smiling "I felt nervous too when I married by ex husband. But I guarantee you it's going to be the most perfect day you'll ever have"
"I hope so" Zoe bit her lip "Because on the last few days I've been thinking a lot about this and-"
"Don't even think about not getting married today!" Gigi said, approaching the two girls "Listen Zoe, everything is going to be alright! And I had a lot of trouble making this wedding happen perfectly so-"
"I'm not going to change my mind!" Zoe narrowed her eyebrows "I'm just... nervous"
"And that's totally normal" AnnaBeth said and nodded her head. Something caught her eye because she wasn't looking to Zoe anymore. Zoe turned her head to the other side and gazed to the blonde figure by the door frame, looking around, confused.
"Lemon" Zoe called and forced a smile. Zoe wasn't entirely satisfied that Lemon was one of her bridesmaids, but she had to have three. And there was only AnnaBeth and Gigi and, with a lot of effort, Zoe asked Lemon if she wanted to be one of her bridesmaids.
"You crazy?" Lemon had said when Zoe asked her that "It's obvious that we don't like each other. So why are you even asking me that, doctor Hart?"
"I need three bridesmaids!" Zoe rolled her eyes and sighed, pressing her hands against her waist. Then she gazed at Lemon's annoyed look and said "Look, this is really important to me and I would like having you like one of my bridesmaids-"
"Cut it!" Lemon said, raising a hand and shooking her head "I'm not totally satisfied by knowing that there is going to be another wedding in town. Of course, Wanda and Tom married before but... it doesn't matter to me. My marriage was ruined and I wanted to be perfect and now there you are asking me for being one of your bridesmaids so that your wedding day can be perfect. I'm not totally satisfied, believe me"
Zoe gazed at Lemon for a while. She could understand Lemon's point of view: Zoe had, tecnically, ruined her wedding with George. She had spent so many days trying to not letting George and Lemon getting married that, eventually, it happened. But Zoe really needed this favour and, as much it was painful for Zoe to say, she came to not hating Lemon so much. So, having her being one of her bridesmaids wasn't such a horrifying idea.
"Fine, I'll be one of your bridesmaids" Lemon said and Zoe felt like start jumping "But with one condition. I will have some say so in the way that you will be looking on your wedding day"
Zoe nodded her head. That wouldn't be so awful.
Lemon approached Zoe and smiled to the mirror "I can't believe that these two haven't get your hair done yet" she shook her head with disdain "Come on people! The wedding's in two hours!"
Zoe laughed when Lemon started to say how Zoe's hair would be looking like "If you make me look ugly I'll banish you from my wedding" she warned the blonde woman.
"Calm down, will you? I know what I'm doing" Lemon said grabbing one strand of Zoe's hair "And if I'm going to be someone bridesmaids, that person has to be perfect."
It wasn't totally a nice way to say that Lemon wanted Zoe to have a beautiful day and feel like a princess, but it was close. And Zoe appreciated that.
After a whole hour with people taking care of her hair and makeup, Candice made Zoe stand up from her seat "The three bridesmaids, where are you?" Candice called with Zoe's wedding dress on her hands. AnnaBeth, Gigi and Lemon appeared by Candice's side "I need you to help Zoe with the dress. Go in there and help her out"
Zoe entered on the bathroom that was now full of white flowers and white ballons inside it "Take off the robe, babe" Gigi said and when Zoe undressed it, she grabbed it and threw it to the floor "Arms up!"
They made the dress come down Zoe's body and zipped it. They put the shoes in front of Zoe's feet and, with AnnaBeth and Lemon grabbing her arms, Zoe put them on. Then her eyes caught something on the floor. She bowed to grab it. It was a red shirt. The kind of shirt that only one person would wear.
"Why the hell is Wade Kinsella's shirt in my bathroom?" she yelled and shook the shirt in the air "This wasn't here when I came to take a bath!"
"Zoe calm down" AnnaBeth said and grabbed the shirt "Probably it's someones shirt and not Wade's-"
"This shirt is from Wade!" Zoe said and started to have trouble breathing "I know it is!"
"Will you calm down?" Lemon rolled her eyes and took the shirt from Zoe's hands "It's just a shirt"
Zoe stopped for a while. She knew why she was so mad for finding Wade's shirt on her bathroom's floor. It was the second time she found something of Wade in less than two days. And it made her feel upset.
"Done" Gigi said and grabbed the doorknob.
"The veil!" Lemon yelled and put the veil strategically "You can go now"
Gigi opened the door and Zoe came out the bathroom. She heard gasps and claps, and she had to admit: it felt good. But it also made Zoe feel dizzy and about to throw up "You look amazing, my dear!" Candice said with tears in her eyes and kissed her cheek.
A bang made everyone stay still and they saw Brick Breeland entering Zoe's house. He stopped by the door frame and, like his daughter had done when she arrived, looked around confused "I-I'm so sorry" Brick said and walked towards Zoe "I have something for you. You need something blue, borrowed and old"
Zoe tapped on her forehead. She had totally forgot about that.
"I have here something that is the three of those things" Brick smiled nervously and handed Zoe one brown box. Zoe narrowed her eyebrow and opened the box. Inside it was one silver hair comb with blue little shining stones clustered into intricate floral patterns atop the teeth "It was your dad's mother and I know he would like you to have it"
Zoe's throat seemed like it was closing, making it hard to breathe "Brick..." her vision started get blurred by the tears in her eyes and she had to look up to the ceiling so that they wouldn't fall and ruin her makeup - it would make her mother scream "It's perfect. Thank you so much" Zoe hugged Brick. A awkward hug - a huge awkward hug. They always looked at each other like rivals because of the practice, but now Zoe felt compassion for what Brick did. It was so nice of him.
"So you have something old now?" Gigi gasped and smiled "Because if that isn't old, you always have your mom"
Zoe looked at Gigi with her eyes widened and laughed when she started to laugh to. Then another bang came from the door and everyone turned quite again.
"Oh will you please stop coming into this house like savages today?" Candice said throwing her arms in the air with frustration.
But something was making Zoe not paying attention. Not something, someone. The person that was by the door, looking around, confused.
Wade Kinsella.
A/N: Another chapter is here. It is almost the big day huh? I bet that you guys are all freaking out, sorry about that! I'll try to post the next chapter as soon as possible.
And, again, if you want to see the dress I chose to Zoe, you just have to google "kate hudson bride wars wedding dress".