I have had a blast writing this story, thank you all for following along. I do hope that you all enjoy this last chapter. And I hope it doesn't come off as rushed in any way.
Keep an eye out for a one shot called 'Like A Dream' it does focus on Jesse but it also plays as an intro for my newest story which is called 'Heart of A Kinsella' In the past month that I have been working on that story I have enjoyed it and it is easily becoming one of my favorite stories and I cannot wait to share it with all of you. So please do keep an eye out for both of those stories.
And in the meantime, take a look at 'Web of Lies' as that is my other on-going story and I do enjoy writing that one at the moment.
Anyway enjoy this last chapter.
"Hey baby, when will your dad be back with the kids?" Wade asked, placing the cake on the table.
With getting the house ready for their son's first birthday, Harley suggested that he take his grandkids out to leave Zoe and Wade plenty of time to get things set up without the hassle of two kids under foot. Wade tried to do most of the work, not wanting Zoe to over exert herself.
They did find out that Zoe was indeed pregnant with their third child. The timing may have been off with Colin only being a year-old; they were ready for the challenge that would bring with it. Wade kept to the positive side of things, stating that Colin and the new baby would be the best of friends, thick as thieves. Zoe didn't know how big of a problem that one may turn out to be the older they got.
"Around 3, giving us plenty of time to make the house look like Batman's cave. Though I am quite positive that is on you, and Colin could careless about the theme of his first birthday," she laughed, pressing a soft kiss to his cheek.
"We will have photos and video footage of this day for years to come; he will be amazed because I have yet to meet a guy who does not like Batman," he protested. "Besides our house looked like a fairy castle, that an actual fairy threw up glitter all over the place for Jessica's 1st birthday. I swear I can still find traces of glitter in my clothes from that party," he pouted.
"You did look rather adorable with glitter in your hair," she laughed, ruffling his hair up.
Wade smirked, picking his wife up and spinning her around, lightly tickling her sides in the process.
"Here I thought I was coming over to help get the house turned into a cave for my little nephew," Jesse chuckled entering the house.
"You are," Zoe told him, removing herself from her husbands embrace. "Where is your wife?"
"At home resting, she will be here later," he told them. "So where do you want me?" He asked, looking around the living room.
With Jesse and Wade setting up the living room, Zoe headed into the kitchen to get working on the finger food that would be served throughout the party. She wasn't left waiting long when Vivian entered the kitchen, sharing a hug with her cousin.
"I have his gift in my car; your husband has yet to get the gift table set up. I also brought a little something for Jessica to open. I didn't want her to feel left out," she supplied.
"Totally fine, we got her something as well. She understands that it is her brother's birthday, but at the same time I don't want her to feel left out either," Zoe shrugged.
"Whose idea was that, really?" Vivian questioned, nodding towards the living room.
"Wade's I wanted to do something else; he insisted. I have come to find out that I find it very hard to refuse him," Zoe sighed. "I do have to say that the little mini batman cake is cute," she gushed, pulling said cake solely for Colin from the fridge.
It was done with a dark-blue fondant, Batman's logo in the center of the cake, and Happy 1st birthday Colin wrote in yellow. The cake itself was a plain vanilla cake, neither one of them wanting the cake any sweeter than it already is.
"How adorable is that?" Vivian smiled, admiring the cake. "Lemon?"
"Yes, Annabeth helped with it too," Zoe said.
Having the extra help, they managed to get things set up in time, giving them a moment to rest before the party started. They sat around taking, playing a lovely game of catch up all while Wade pulled his wife's feet into his lap to rub them. Luckily for them, Vivian nor Jesse questioned them on it, as they were used to how in love, the two of them truly are.
Later during the party Wade found his wife laughing away watching young ones running around dressed in Batman capes and masks. Wade himself dressed up as Robin. When questioned about it, he stated that Batman Colin needed to have his best friend Robin by his side.
All in all, the night went off without a hitch. The smallest hiccup being Colin not wanting a thing to do with his cake. The cake did end up all over the floor and not the kid.
"I think this is my cue to leave," Wade teased walking into the kitchen. He took the afternoon from work off. Tonight was the night they planned on sharing their news with their family, after having a little chat with Jessica.
"Oh no you don't," Zoe said, you can get the table set, before we round up our daughter to tell her the news. She won't be as easy as Colin was," she said, placing the food in the oven to cook.
"You mean to tell me she won't put her hands on your tummy and say baby?" Wade asked, kissing her on his way to grab the plates. Zoe rolled her eyes at him, turning her back to him, to see what else needed to be done. "Relax, she will be okay with the news and so will the rest of our family. We are not taking the thunder away from Jesse and Willow; I promise you, now do you have the cake hidden from prying eyes?" He asked, walking out of the kitchen to the dining room.
"Yes," she called after him. There was no way she would risk a chance on someone finding the cake that revealed all before the night even started.
With everything done until their guests showed up, they held hands walking upstairs to their daughter's bedroom, smiling when they saw her playing with her baby doll.
"Sweetie, can we chat for a moment?" Zoe asked, sitting on her daughter's bed. Jessica nodded looking from her mother to her father who took up residency on the floor.
"Remember two months ago when you asked us about getting a new brother or a sister?" Wade questioned. Jessica nodded her head. "Do you still want that? To have another baby brother or a baby sister?"
"I guess so," she shrugged, taking a moment to really think it over. "Yes," she finally answered.
"Good, because there's a baby in mommy's tummy, like when she had Colin," Wade told her.
He watched his daughter, carefully place her doll on the floor, walking over to her mom, placing her little hands on Zoe's stomach.
"Hi, baby, I'm your big sister. You ought to know we have the best parents in the whole world; you'll be very loved," she said softly, kissing her mom's stomach.
"This baby will have the best big sister in the world," Zoe smiled, running a hand through her daughter's hair. "You have to promise you won't tell anyone the secret," Zoe told her.
"I won't, Mommy," she promised.
"I've got him," Wade announced, pushing himself off the floor to grab their soon to be middle child from his crib, waking up from his later than normal nap.
Plenty of laughs were shared as the night grew on. Spending time with family is always nice, something Zoe was being reminded of every time she spent any amount of time with any family member. After spending so many years away, it had been easy to see how much she truly missed her family. She let herself deny this happiness for ten years because she didn't want to be wrong. Now though being wrong felt oh so nice.
"It's not very often we get together like this," Jesse commented, sitting around the living room, waiting on dessert.
"We should correct that," Wade shrugged. Getting together with his family every so often, not because of birthdays or holidays, just because, felt like a good enough reason to him, multiple times a month at that. Especially now that his father is a permanent fixture in his life once more.
"We will get right on that," Harley chuckled.
"Make a whole list of nights available and events that we can partake in," Earl added in through his own chuckle.
"Nothing beats family," Wade laughed.
"Now that we have that settled," Jesse said with a smile. "I was going to say there had to be a reason for this get together."
"Why must you think that?" Wade asked, going straight to the defensive side of the reason.
"Tell me I am wrong," Jesse smirked, daring his brother.
"I'll grab the cake," Wade announced getting up, knowing he couldn't deny what his brother was saying. "Anyone need anything while I'm up?"
"Let me help," Zoe offered, following behind her husband, seeing that everyone was okay for the time being. "Don't let him get to you," she whispered in his ear, wrapping her arms around his waist from behind, kissing the middle of his back, between his shoulder blades.
"I'm trying, babe," he replied. "Do we have to show them the cake?" He pouted, turning around to wrap his arms around her.
"Fraid so," she replied, moving from his embrace to grab plates. "You can always kick them out after they finish their cake," she suggested, heading back to the living room.
"I wouldn't dream of that," Wade chucked, following behind his wife, the cake in a box to hide what it would soon reveal to their family.
"What are the two of you taking about?" Jesse asked, looking from his friend to his brother.
"You'll never know," Zoe teased. "Jessica, sweetie, remember what Mommy and Daddy told you earlier today, can you tell your family here what you were told?" Zoe asked.
"Okay, Mommy," she smiled, turning her focus from her mom to the rest of her family. "Mommy's gonna have a baby," she giggled, sitting in her Grandpa Earl's lap.
"You can't be serious," Jesse said cautiously.
"I won't let my ego bruise because you think that," Wade remarked, flipping the box open.
Their sonogram picture sat in the middle of the cake, propped up, the words 'Congratulations on your bundle of joy' done in a light-green color.
"We didn't plan this, and I don't want to take away from you two," Zoe said, looking at Jesse and Willow.
"I'm happy for you both, now these two little ones will have someone a little closer to their age. Congratulations," Willow said, getting up with the help of her husband to hug them both.
"Congrats," Jesse said, giving them a hug as well. "It is just one right?"
"Yes," Wade laughed. He didn't know if he could handle twins when he already had two kids.
"I do love getting more grandkids," Harley smiled, hugging his daughter. He would've liked to have more kids himself. To give Zoe brothers or sisters, he is fine with only having Zoe. He is genuinely happy for his daughter to have such a loving, growing family.
"Five grandkids, I can manage that," Earl chuckled, hugging Zoe. "I'm happy for you, all of you," he said.
"This is a good thing," Jesse commented. "I know that you didn't plan this, and even if you did, how could I be mad at you?" He asked. "You are giving me another niece or nephew, can't be mad about that. Please don't feel bad about being pregnant, more than one woman can be pregnant at once. Besides this news will help keep the townsfolk at bay," he laughed.
Just like that the anxiety that filled her about Jesse being upset they were taking away from their first pregnancy, vanished seeing how happy they all were about their growing family.
The months flew past them, between schooling for Jessica, Wade finishing up his last days at the Rammer Jammer, to finally start as a music teacher, Zoe working in Bluebell and in Mobile until her father, and husband made her sit back and relax. They one problem they did have, they finally settled the second they learned out the sex of their newest bundle. They did agree to keep their little one in their room for a certain period of time.
"I was talking with your dad this morning, when were you going to tell me about him retiring, and you taking over full-time for him?" Wade asked, sitting next to his wife on the couch, bringing her feet up to rest on his lap, starting to massage them.
"He told me yesterday," Zoe replied, rubbing her stomach, more than ready to give birth the urge to hold her little one in her arms. "By now you shouldn't even have to ask a question like that," she huffed out, to comfortable to get up and walk away from him.
Wade frowned suddenly lost on the conversation. "Zo, I didn't accuse you of keeping things from me. I was simply asking when you were going to tell me, not that you weren't," he said slowly.
"When I had the time to take it in. It's one of those things I need time to think about," she told him.
"How much do you really need to think about?" He asked, moving from one foot to the other.
"Must you ask?" She smiled. "How many times did I bore you talking about running the practice myself when we were kids?" She laughed.
"After like the twentieth time, I learned how to tune that bit out, because I knew when we grew up the world would be yours and whatever you choose to do you would excel at."
"Nice save," she replied, closing her eyes feeling a contraction hit.
"Yep, that's are cue, we're going," he replied,not wanting to risk anything. Getting up, he helped Zoe up. Helping her get ready, and out to the car, double checking that what they needed at the hospital was in the car.
Zoe pulled her phone out breathing through another contraction, sending a message to her mom and Ethan, who showed up days ago not wanting to miss the birth of their third grandchild, who also had taken Jessica and Colin out for the day.
Like with the first two times, she was in labor, it hurt and time blended together from the time the doctor made a visit to the time she was told to push. Her favorite noise to hear the wailing of her newborn baby. Holding her newborn son in her arms for the first time is the best feeling in the world. Watching her husband hold their newborn son, tears in his eyes, is a sight she will cherish. Her favorite sight to see is when her oldest and now her middle child, smile over there newest brother.
Nicholas Jacob Kinsella was born into a now complete family. A family filled with love. He had loving parents, loving grandparents, an aunt and an uncle who adored him, two cousins, a boy and a girl who will grow up with him and a big sister and a big brother who will watch out for him. Not to mention the distant relatives or the friends who were considered part of the family. One big loving family. A family that pushes you in the right direction, even if you believe otherwise. A family that will always have your back.
Coming home after being away for ten years will remain the best choice she has ever made in her life. Doing so brought her more happiness than she could ever want or need.