The Boys are Back Together:
"It would have been nice of you to pick up the damn phone and tell me I was an uncle, Wade!" Jesse yelled the second Wade was out the door of the practice.
"I would have called you if I had your damn number, Jesse," Wade yelled right back walking to the spot his brother stood in. At this point he didn't care about the whole town hearing their fight. "I wasn't exactly sure she was mine until about a week ago." His voice had softened talking about Emma.
"That's what you get. Sleeping around treating women like they're your play things. I'm surprised it hadn't happened sooner." It was supposed to be a joke but it came out in a more serious tone then he intended on.
"Me and you both," Wade replied letting a chuckle out. "Jesse, we've got a twisted past of resentment at least on my part. Is it safe to call a truce after all these years? It's not fair to keep you from your niece."
"Is she the only reason for this truce?" Jesse asked keeping is voice neutral. Wade frowned rubbing the back of his neck.
"No, we're suppose to be brothers. The first 10 years of my life we were close, from what I remember and from the box of pictures dad made me take. Sometimes it takes something like a kid to show you what you've been missing out on over the years." Every single word he spoke came from the heart. He wouldn't come right out and admit that he had missed having his brother in his life.
"It would be good to know how my niece is doing along with my brother. Truce it is. Are you sure she's yours? How'd dad take the news?" Jesse asked sitting on the bench.
"We got the results back today but after spending so much time with her over the last few weeks, I don't need some paper to tell me she's mine. Whether she's my daughter through blood or any other way doesn't matter. I already love her like my own." Jesse let a smile come out. He was really proud of his brother for growing up so much in just a short amount of time. "We haven't been out to dads to tell him yet. He suspects like the rest of this crazy town that she's mine. But he doesn't for sure."
"You ever going to look at the results?"
"I don't see a need to do it. I already know she is mine in my heart," Wade responded clearing his throat. "We're gonna go back to the gate house for a tea party. You're free to join us, if you uh have nothing else to do."
"You with a child, a little girl, how can I miss that?" Jesse asked with a chuckle. Wade shook his head and walked into the practice.
"Ready for your tea party?" Wade asked picking Emma up. She nodded her head.
"Everything alright with Jesse?" Zoe asked hanging the phone up.
"For now it is. He's gonna come back to the house and join in with the tea party."
"Tea set is in a box by her bed somewhere. I should be done around 1 for the day."
"Come out to the gate house and we'll figure out what to do from there for lunch." Zoe nodded kissing Emma on the cheek before they walked out.
"Who he?" Emma asked pointing to Jesse.
"That's you uncle Jesse. I was talking to him yesterday, remember?" Wade asked walking up to Jesse. "Jesse, this is my little girl, Emma, princess this my big brother, your uncle, Jesse." Emma gave him a smile wave curling up to Wade.
"It's nice to meet you, Emma," Jesse said putting his hands in his pockets as they walked.
"Daddy, uncle Jess, come to tea party too?" Emma asked Wade.
"You need to ask him," Wade responded getting a pout out of Emma.
"You ask him," Emma whined burying her head into the crook of his neck.
"Emma, you need to be a big girl and ask him yourself. No buts either," Wade told her with a stern voice.
"Fine, daddy," Emma huffed turning to look at Jesse.
"Uncle Jess, you come to our tea party?" Emma asked in almost a whisper.
"I would love to, Emma," Jesse responded. He was amazed at how well Wade was at being a father. It suited him. "I'll go get the tea started."
"We'll be over once I locate the tea set. Don't make the tea too hot," Wade told his brother not wanting his baby to get burned.
"Noted," Jesse told him with a soft chuckle heading through the path to the gate house. Wade walked into the carriage house putting Emma on the floor.
"Mom said it was by your bed," Wade said walking to Emma's little pink bed. "I don't see a box, do you?" Wade asked turning his head in time to see Emma shake her head. Wade shook his head and looked under the bed pulling a box out that held the glass tea set. "That mother of yours," Wade said getting off the floor. "Let's go have tea. Do we need to dress up?"
"Not tis time, daddy." Wade was relieved hearing that. He really didn't want to get dressed up. He already had to play tea party. "I gotta go potty," Emma announced running into the gate house slamming the bathroom door.
"What's going to happen between you and uh, Zoe?" Jesse asked cleaning off the coffee table.
"Stuff," Wade replied getting the white and pink tea set out. He wasn't certain how that things were going to play out and he wasn't about to rush into anything either.
"Do you think you guys will live as a normal family, under one roof?" Jesse asked checking on the tea that was seeping on the counter in the luke warm water.
"I'm not really sure, Jesse. Finding out I have a daughter is a huge step. I have no choice but to take it one day at a time."
"Are you done with bouncing from chick to chick?" Wade let a chuckle out looking up at his brother.
"I only want one women right now. Life without the sweet Doc and my little princess, doesn't seem right to me. They know how to brighten my day up," Wade responded with a grin walking to the bathroom door. He gently knocked on the door. "Emma is everything ok in there? You haven't fell in have you?" Wade called through the wooden door.
"No, daddy," Emma giggled. "I had accident," she called losing the giggle in her voice.
"Hold on a second," Wade called back digging through the bag Zoe left on his bed. He quickly found what he was looking for and brought them back to the bathroom. "I'm going to open the door and hand them to you."
"Eyes closed, daddy," Emma called back. Jesse turned his back focusing on the tea.
"Eyes closed," Wade responded closing his eyes. He opened the door far enough to hand Emma her change of clothes. "Do you got them?"
"Yes, daddy," Emma answered pushing the door shut. She quickly changed and came out. She gave Wade a hug. "Thanks daddy." A warm fuzzy feeling filled the pit of his stomach every time Emma called him daddy. At first the feeling felt funny but now he loved how the warm fuzzy feeling washed over his body.
"You're welcome princess," Wade responded kissing her head. "Let's have this tea party, shall we?" Wade asked getting situated on his lap.
"You gotta hold cup with tiny finger out," Emma corrected Wade and Jess. "Like this," Emma stuck her pinky finger out taking a drink of her tea.
"Got it," Jesse replied in a serious tone. "Like this, Emma?" He asked sticking his pinky out well taking a small sip of tea. Emma nodded giving him a thumbs up.
"Finger up," Emma seethed through clenched teeth pulling Wade's finger up. Wade laughed holding his finger up. "Better," Emma told him going back to her tea.
Back at the practice Zoe had just finished up with her last patient for the day. She got her things together walking out into the sun that was still high in the sky. She gave Dash a smile.
"Hello, Miss Hart. Is Wade with Emma? It's a shame that her group keeps getting canceled."
"Hello, Dash. It is, I really hope it's nothing too serious. She loves spending time with Wade. It does her some good to have a male role model in her life," Zoe responded digging through her purse for some chap stick, neither one had noticed the paper that had fallen from her purse.
"Where is the father? We have all grew to love that girl, we'd hate for some high-powered man to come waltzing into town taking her way from us," Dash responded with an awful scowl on his face.
"That's not going to happen, I can promise you that. I really need to go, Dash," Zoe told him starting to walk off.
"Oh alright, Zoe. Have a good day." Dash looked down noticing the folded piece of paper. "Zoe," he called out only Zoe was too far way to hear him. He shrugged taking the piece of paper with him.
Zoe headed straight to the gate house to see that the guys were still having their tea party with Emma. She smiled watching the guys cling their cups together only to get chewed out by Emma. She put a hand over her mouth to keep her laughter from getting out. She found it cute they had their pinkies in the air as they drank their tea.
"Such an adorable moment," Zoe smiled entering the house. "Are you three having fun?"
"A blast," Wade smarted off with a smirk.
"Not as bad as I had thought it would be," Jess replied standing up. "Can I talk to you for a minute outside, Wade?" Zoe took Emma and together they started to clean up.
"What can I do for you?" Wade asked walking away from the gate house.
"You should tell dad the truth before he finds out elsewhere, you know this town and you know it's possible."
"We might go over there in a little bit. Gotta get to him before he starts to drink."
"Wade, one last thing. Don't ever doubt yourself on being a father. I saw you with her and you are pretty amazing at fatherhood. Don't you tell me otherwise either. I saw you in action, you didn't," Jesse went on seeing that Wade was ready to argue him on this. "You're not a failure, you wont end up like dad. You'll make mistakes but that's life, Wade. As your big brother, I'm very proud of you."
"Thanks, Jesse. It all means a lot to me. Failing that little girl is the last thing I ever want to happen. I love her a lot. I understand to a degree about dad, but he gave up on us. He's our father and I'm always going to love him."
"I know but things can't change, Wade. We learn from them. Take care and I'll be in touch." Wade shook his brother's hand and they parted ways.
"You wouldn't mind having lunch with Earl would you?" Wade asked standing in the doorway.
"Not at all, I'd actually like that," Zoe replied getting a small smile from Wade. "Wanna go see your grandpa?" Zoe asked turning to Emma.
"Pappy Ethan?" Emma asked getting excited. Zoe shook her head sitting on the couch.
"No sweetie, you have another grandpa now. He's your daddy's father." Zoe explained.
"The man who was on the roof of the building I helped down. Earl," Wade tried coming to sit down by them.
"The man who made you mad?" Emma asked. Wade nodded. "I not like him," Emma protested crossing her arms over her chest.
"Sweetie, please give him a chance. You can't dislike someone you don't know," Zoe told her daughter keeping her sigh at bay.
"He's not that bad, princess. You'll like him," Wade spoke picking Emma up.
"Oh otay," Emma gave in with a small huff.
They got some take-out and headed over to see Earl. Wade let the things Jesse had asked him run through his mind. Sure Emma was his daughter, his family. Zoe was his girlfriend but they weren't ready to live in the same house together. He didn't even know if things were going to work out with Zoe. He was certain that if things didn't work out that she wouldn't keep Emma from him. They could be a family where they lived now. He could do some redecorating at the gate house and Emma could spend the night with him a few days out of the week. He was so wrapped up in his thoughts that he hadn't even noticed that he was parked outside of Earl's place.
I see that you guys really need to see if Wade is the father of Emma. I would to if I didn't already know the answer. All I can say is that the answer is coming shortly. Thank you to everyone that has read, alerted, favorited and a huge thank you to those who have left amazing reviews.