A/N: Sorry for the long wait, but I had a lot going on in school and I didn't have time to post another chapter. But here it is, even knowing that is a short one, but I'm hoping that, for the content of it, you will apologize me.
Oh and I wrote this chapter listening to "I'm Gonna Be (500 Miles) by Sleeping At Last", so... if you want to hear it, that would be great.
Chapter 11 - Forever Starts Tonight
Wade Kinsella was there.
He looked at Zoe and froze when he saw her. She was wearing a beautiful wedding dress that made her look even more beautiful than what she was naturally. Wade's throat started to close and his heart raced when her eyes met his. Instantly, Wade forgot why he was there. Why he had came into that house for. His attention was now on the beautiful woman in front of him.
The woman he loves and that was getting married today.
"Wade?" he heard her calling him and suddenly he woke up to reality. He cleared his throat and looked around, scratching the back of his neck.
"Uh, yeah. Hi" he said and Zoe narrowed her eyebrows, confused "Nice dress by the way"
"What are you doing here? Shouldn't you be with Joel?" she asked, crossing her arms against her chest. She felt her hands trembling with his presence, but she pretended that she wasn't feeling it.
"Uh... oh, yes I should" he said and nodded his head "But we have a problem. Ethan isn't going to make it in time for your wedding" he said immediately.
Zoe froze in her place and, suddenly, she couldn't see nothing. She heard Candice yelling by her side.
"Why?" she asked, her voice hoarse and feeling tears on her eyes again.
"The flight was canceled" Wade said with his eyebrows narrowed at Candice that had been yelling at him like it was his fault "And the next flight is in two hours"
"Oh..." Zoe muttered. So he wanted to go to the wedding, he just couldn't because his flight have been canceled. Somehow it made Zoe feel better, knowing that it wasn't Ethan's choice.
"Then who's going to walk you down the aisle?" Candice yelled and covered her face with her hands.
"It can be you, ma'am" Wade said and he immediately regreted it. Candice looked at him and pointed him a finger.
"Are you crazy? I can't walk my daughter down the aisle. I'm a woman! It's supposed to be a man... her father!" Candice shook her head and sat on the bed "This is a disaster"
"Wade can do it" Zoe said before even thinking about it. It wasn't no surprise how nervous Zoe uses to be around Wade, so why was she asking him to walk her down the aisle knowing that probably she would trip? That was a mistake but the look on his eyes was enough to make her not say anything. He nodded.
"Yeah I can do that" he said.
"Then come on people!" Candice said, tired "Give my daughter her bouquet and let's get out of here. Her limo is outside waiting to-"
"A limo?" Zoe narrowed her eyebrows and looked at her mother "You know that the church is not that far from here, right?"
"Do you wanna get dirt all over your dress?" Candice rolled her eyes and made Zoe walk towards the door "Come on, people! We have fifteen minutes to get to the church. Wade! Open the damn door!"
Wade rushed to open the limo's door so that Zoe could get in. With a lot of help getting the whole dress inside the limo, Wade entered next and sat beside Zoe. Everyone else was on their own cars, driving behind the limo. Zoe looked nervously through the window and pressed her hand to the other, feeling them sweaty.
"Nervous, doc?" Wade asked and made Zoe look at him. She smiled and nodded her head "Don't be. You look beautiful"
She felt the heat on her cheeks and bowed her head, smiling "Thanks Wade. You look pretty good on that suit"
"I know" he said "I'm gonna get all the chicks"
They laughed. Wade didn't wanted to get all the chicks. He wanted Zoe, but she was right beside him and about to get married to the man she loved. Wade wasn't a part of her plans anymore and he needed to get into his head that.
"I'm glad you are here with me, Wade" Zoe grabbed Wade's hand and squeezed it, making Wade's heart race.
"I'm glad I'm here too, doc"
They looked to each other and, suddenly, the limo stopped. She saw her mother, Brick, Annabeth, Gigi and Lemon getting out the car and when she looked to the side, Wade wasn't there anymore. The door by her side opened and Zoe smiled seeing Wade stretching one hand towards her.
"Come on doc, you have to go get married" Zoe took a deep breath before stepping out the car. The church's doors were closed but she could hear people talking inside it.
"We have to get inside" Candice approached Zoe and passed her hands on the dress and then stroked Zoe's cheek "Please don't let her fall, Wade"
Wade nodded and then watched them getting into the church. Rose was by the door, with a basket full of rose petals, smiling to them. Zoe saw her mother waving her hand and the music started "Ready doc?" Wade muttered on her ear and she nodded.
"Just don't let me fall" she repeats her mother's words and closed her eyes for a brief moment before climbing the three steps to get into the church. When they were finally by the door, she saw everyone raising from their seats. Rose was right in front of her, throwing the petals to the floor. Zoe closed her eyes again when they started walking.
She squeezed Wade's arm, breathing fast. Then Zoe opened her eyes and saw everyone looking at her. On the altar, AnnaBeth, Gigi and Lemon stood up with their matching dresses and on the other side of the altar stood Lavon, George and Tom dressing suits. And then Zoe spoted Joel, wearing a perfect suit and smiling at her.
Her heart skipped a beat. This was really happening. She was about to get married to Joel Stevens, the man waiting for her on the altar. She took a deep breath when Wade and her finally reached the altar. Joel stretched his hand towards her and she grabbed it. But Wade kept squeezing her arm on his, not letting go.
"Wade" she whispered, trying to make him let her go "Let me go"
Let me go, those words echoed on Wade's mind. You have to let her go, other voice appeared on his mind and he stopped grabbing her arm and when he saw her climbing to the altar, with Joel's hand on hers, it took him a minute to go seat. He let her go.
"We are gathered here today to celebrate Zoe Hart and Joel Steven's marriage" the priest started when everyone was sitting. Zoe looked to Joel by the corner of her eye and smiled when he smiled to her "And here are here today too to celebrate their love and to recognize and witness their decision to journey forward in their lives as marriage partners."
What the priest had just said didn't made Zoe feel less nervous than she already was. She was about to say yes. Say yes to have Joel for her husband, forever.
"A wedding is such a beautiful occasion filled with hopes, dreams and excitement. May your love create a safe haven for you both on the journey that lies ahead of you. Deeply listen to each other—to your dreams, and to your frustrations. Be helpmates. Be playful in finding new ways to give your love anew to each other every day. A marriage doesn't only asks for you to be there in the best moments, but to help each other on the worst. That defines your love and it is your love that has brought us together here today"
Wade felt his forehead sweating to the priest's words. Zoe was about to say yes to Joel being her husband forever. It made him sick. He loved her and he wanted to be with her.
"If any man can show just cause, why they may not lawfully be joined together, let him now speak or else hereafter for ever hold his peace" the priest paused and you couldn't hear nothing but silence. Zoe sighed and looked to Joel, smiling "Friends and family" the priest continued "Will you promise to love and support their marriage in all the days to come?"
"We will" everyone on the church said. Zoe started to feel her hands getting sweaty again. This was the moment. The priest was going to make them say yes in that moment. Joel would be Zoe's husband forever. It's only a single word, Zoe said to herself, feeling nervous.
Wade didn't take his eyes from Zoe's back. The priest kept talking but Wade wasn't hearing anything. In his head, a thousand images of moments that Wade and Zoe had spent together appeared, but nothing made him stop seeing Zoe on that beautiful wedding dress.
"But the thing I realized was that... it turns out that... I like you, Wade Kinsella. I really like you. And who knows maybe there's a chance you and I could be happy together. But we'll never know unless we try" she said after a long pause.
"What are you... what are you saying?" Wade asked.
"What I'm saying... is that... would you maybe consider... being my for real out in public, everyone-knows-about actual boyfriend?" after seeing the look on Wade's face, Zoe continued "It's okay. You know what, you can think about it 'cause I know that I'm a handful and neurotic and sometimes I'm too bossy and I do-"
Wade stood up and kissed her.
He stood up.
"So, without much further ado" the priest said and shot Zoe a smile "Do you, Zoe Hart take-"
The priest stopped talking and looked over Zoe's shoulder. Wade stood up for a while, but he sat before Zoe's eyes could meet his. He couldn't do this to her. What was he doing?
When he sat, Candice squeezed his arm like a threat.
"As I was saying, do you, Zoe Hart, take Joel Stevens to be your partner for life? Do you promise to walk by his side forever, and to love, help, and encourage him in all he does? Do you promise to take time to talk with him, to listen to him, and to care for him? Will you share his laughter, and his tears, as his partner, lover, and best friend? Do you take him as your lawfully wedded husband for now and forevermore?"
Inside, Wade felt like punching himself. If he was trying to fight for Zoe, he sucks. He saw Zoe opening her mouth, ready to speak out the big "yes" that would define everything. And then Wade couldn't do nothing to have her back. So if he wanted to do something. He needed to do it now. Or he would lose her again.
"The other day when you asked me, I wanted to pretend it didn't happen" Wade started, trying his best to not looking to the tears that were falling down from Zoe's eyes "I couldn't even admit it to myself. But I... I did a stupid thing. That didn't mean nothing to me. I was drunk... and I was in a dark place, and... Zoe please, say something"
Say something.
Zoe opened her mouth to answer the question that would define her whole life. But she couldn't see how that was going to work out. She was a mess and her mind was a mess in that moment. Zoe was sure that Joel was the man she loved, so gathered all her strength and opened her mouth again, ready to say yes... When she heard noise coming from behind her and people gasping. Joel and the priest looked to the middle of the hall as well.
"No, please" Wade said, standing again on the middle of the hall and his hands passing through his suit "I love you... Zoe Hart. And I can't let you do this"
Zoe's jaw dropped open and from the corner of her eyes she saw everyone with their mouths open as well, gazing at Wade.
There's a moment before Wade continues his speech, that he thinks if he's doing the right thing. If this goes wrong, he knows he will be getting all the bad looks in town forever. But then there's another moment when his heart starts to race whenever he looks at Zoe Hart and he thinks that this is, definitely, the right thing to do. Fighting for the love of your life isn't a mistake, even if it goes wrong and she chooses to be with the other guy. Even if all the odds are against them and they just aren't meant to be together.
So he continues and opens his mouth, ready to say how much he loves and what he is willing to give up just to stay with her by his side. Forever.
That wedding should be theirs. He knows, he knows it so well, that he had been an idiot; he hurt her like no one else before and he can't forgive himself for that. And he knows that actions speak louder than words. So he is standing up, in front of a huge crowd of Bluebellians watching him, looking to the only thing that he desires: Zoe Hart. And yes, as he knows and thought before, actions speak louder than words. But words are forever and if this is what defines his future, he's going to make it be worth it.
"I tried... I swear that I've tried to forget about you but I can't because I always loved you and I always will" Wade continued and passed on hand through his hair, looking to the ceiling for a moment and then returning to look Zoe in the eyes "And that's why I can't let you do this. I love you and I need you because you are the best of me and I just can't let you go. Without you, I'm nothing"
Wade paused and took a step foward "I still love you and I know you still love me too" Wade said "Don't you?"
Zoe couldn't take her eyes off him. Wade was doing something that she never thought he could be doing. She opened her mouth to answer.
