Zoe was up early the next Saturday morning. She cracked 3 eggs into a pan and scrambled them up, picking out a few egg shells that had fallen in when she cracked them. Reading from a recipe book, she put butter into another pot and stirred it, the mixture changing consistency. When she was done cutting up fruit and the toast was ready, she put all the food on a plate, set up a tray with juice and napkins and walked out the front door, taking the tray with her.

Letting herself into Wade's house, she walked upstairs and went into his room. He was asleep, lying on his back with his right arm above his head. She smiled and walked to the bed. She shook his shoulder and he opened his eyes, blinking slowly.

"Happy birthday, Baby!" she said when he looked at her, his mouth forming a lopsided, tired smirk.

"Thanks, Doc," he said, rubbing his eyes.

"I made you breakfast in bed."

"You… cooked?" Wade asked skeptically.

"Yeah! I made grits and eggs," she responded with a big smile, handing him the tray.

"Grits, huh? I think I'm a little bit afraid," he said but took a bite anyway.

"I can make grits!"

"Well, thanks for making breakfast. The eggs are… edible actually"

"I'm really glad that you liked them!"

"The grits however… they're just… not!"

"What? Yes they are!" she insisted.

"By all means," he replied, holding the fork out for her. She leaned forward and he fed her the grits. She pulled a face and he held out a napkin and she spat the grits out into it.

Crumpling the napkin up and putting it on the tray, he smiled up at her.

"Thank you for breakfast Doc. Best thing to wake up to on my birthday! Well… maybe not the best thing…" he winked at her. She rolled her eyes.

"Can I get my birthday kiss now?" he asked, puckering his lips. She laughed and pressed her lips against his.

They spent the rest of his birthday with Lemon, Lavon, AB and George hanging out and relaxing. That evening, they went to Fancie's with Harley and Earl. Zoe was really impressed that Earl was sober and was dressed in a work jacket and tie. As the appetizers arrived, Harley asked Wade about his day.

"So Wade, what did Zoe get you?" he asked.

"Uh… well… she didn't," he started but Zoe cut him off.

"I got him a belt," she finished quickly. Wade looked at her and narrowed his eyes. She gave him a look.

"A belt? That's… special," Harley said hesitantly.

"Well, it's a really nice belt," Wade said, keeping up the front.

Harley nodded and asked Earl something about fishing. They were talking enthusiastically and Wade looked at Zoe, waiting for an explanation.

"I can't give you your real gift until we're alone…" she whispered, leaning in close. His eyes widened and he looked over to Harley and Earl but they weren't paying attention to the young couple. Harley was telling Earl about a fishing trip he was taking the next weekend in Pensacola with an old school friend.

"I'll give you a hint though… It involves an all access pass," she continued, rubbing his leg.

"Are you serious?" he asked, his voice high. He cleared his throat and looked at her. She nodded and he put his head down, smiling to himself.

At the end of the night, they drove back to their houses in Harley's car. Harley left Zoe and Wade standing on the porch and went inside. Wade kissed her and thanked her for making his birthday so special. After a few minutes, she reluctantly went inside and met him at her window, like she did every night.

The following Friday, Harley left early that morning for his weekend away with his friend. Zoe was under strict instructions that Wade was not allowed to stay over. Wade was waiting to walk her to school, as usual, and while they were walking hand in hand to school, she finally decided to bring up what she had told him at his birthday dinner. She had thought he would talk to her about it or at least try something but they hadn't done anything more than a few stolen kisses the whole week.

"So Harley is away for the weekend," she started.

"Yeah, I heard him telling Earl on Saturday," he replied, looking ahead.

"I'm alone at home… maybe you could… stay over?" she asked, shyly. He looked at her and smiled slightly.

"I would love to but I kinda made plans with George and Lavon for tonight and I'm workin' tomorrow night."

"Oh. Ok… No biggie. I'll maybe invite Lemon and AB over for a girls' night. Should be fun," she said, trying to sound cheery.

"So what you doing with George and Lavon?"

"We're gonna play this new video game George got. Gonna hang out at his house, probably stay over."

"Sounds fun," she said and changed the subject. She was a bit upset because she thought he would be really keen to stay over but a girls' night would be fun.

At lunch, AB and Lemon sat down opposite Wade and Zoe.

"Hey guys! Harley is out of town this weekend! You wanna come over for a girls' night tonight?" she asked once they settled.

"Yeah that sounds… ow!" AB said. She looked over at Wade and glared. He had kicked her under the table. Wade shook his head discretely so that Zoe wouldn't notice. "I mean… we can't tonight. I have to have dinner with my parents and Lemon is babysitting Magnolia," she finished lamely. Lemon looked at her confused and the look in AB's eyes told Lemon to agree.

"Yeah, with Harley being gone, my dad is on call so I gotta watch Magnolia. Bummer!" Lemon added with fake disappointment.

"Oh… Well I guess some alone time would be good. Maybe I can have a long bubble bath and read that book I've been meaning to start," Zoe said, talking more to herself than to them.

That night, Zoe was relaxing in the bath when a noise coming from her room startled her. She sat silently for a while hoping it was just her imagination but then heard another noise. She climbed out of the tub and wrapped a towel around herself and picked up her flat iron. She exited the bathroom swinging the flat iron like a baseball bat, eyes closed.

"Don't come any closer, I have a weapon!" she yelled. She heard a familiar laugh and opened her eyes, dropping her hands to her side.

"Wade! What are you doing here? I thought you were a murderer or something!"

"Oh yeah, cause Bluebell is known as the crime capital of the US! Nice outfit by the way," he added with a wink.

"It's not funny Wade! You scared me!"

"I'm sorry, Doc. Come here," he said, stepping in and drawing her into a hug. "Did I really scare you?" he asked into her hair. She nodded.

"What are you even doing here? Why aren't you with George" she asked after a while.

"I have a surprise for you, Princess. Get dressed." She eyed him suspiciously but got dressed anyway.

"What do I need to wear?" she called to him from her closet. He was lying on her bed watching her look through her clothes.

"Don' matter. Somethin' comfy." She ended up choosing a simple yet sexy black dress with white lining.

"Is this ok?" she asked, walking up to the bed.

"You look hot!" he exclaimed enthusiastically. He jumped off the bed and claimed her lips in his. He pulled her in close and wrapped his arms tightly round her waist.

"What was that for?" she asked, breathlessly when they pulled apart.

"Just cause you're beautiful and I love you," he said with a smirk. She blushed and kissed him again. After a while they pulled apart and he led her down the stairs.

Once they were in the car, she rested her hand on his knee and once he had reversed into the road, he took her hand in his.

"So where we going?" she asked after a short while.

"I already told you, it's a surprise."

She sighed out of frustration. "What happened to your plans with George and Lavon?"

"Oh… yeah… those didn't exist," he said with a shrug.

"Why did you lie to me?" she asked angrily.

"Cause I've been plannin' this since I heard Harley tell Earl he was goin' away and I didn' want you to think I was up to somethin' and ruin it!"

"Oh… Sorry for getting mad," she said and kissed his cheek. He turned into the old plantation and drove down the dirt road. He parked outside the carriage house and she saw a dim glow coming from the windows. When they walked inside, there were candles everywhere and in the middle of the room, there was his comforter from his bed along with a few pillows.

"Wade!" she gasped, "it's beautiful!" She looked at him and he had his hand shoved deep into his pocket and the other rubbing the back of his neck nervously.

"You think?" he asked warily.

"It's perfect!" she insisted. She took a step closer to him and turned to face him. The butterflies in her stomach were going crazy and she was so nervous but also excited. He smiled nervously and leaned down to kiss her. He started off slowly but soon the passion increased. He moved her back until she was standing on the comforter and moved his lips to her neck. She pulled him closer, her arms around his waist. He broke away and rested his forehead against hers.

"So… what do we…" she started.

"Uh… let's uh… sit on the comforter," he suggested. She knelt down and he followed. He took her face in his hands and kissed her. The nerves subsiding, he let his hands roam her body, over her clothes. He unzipped her dress and slid it off her. She moved her hands and tugged at his shirt, pulling it off. She deftly undid his belt and threw it to the side. She moved to sit on top of him, feeling him through his jeans. She unbuttoned his jeans but he kept them on, kissing her shoulder while she ran her hands through his hair, leaning her head back. Her grinding her hips against his, a movement that they had been very careful to avoid over the past few months, caused him to let out a moan. He moved so that he lay her down on the comforter and took his jeans off. He unclipped her bra and trailed wet kisses down her chest. She bit her lip as he reached her belly button. He hooked two fingers into her panties and slid them down. He moved his mouth back to hers, mimicking her grinding motion from earlier, now with only the thin material of his boxers between them. He pulled his boxers off and reached over into his jean pocket, pulling out a condom. Moving back to lying on top of her, he slid his hand down and kissed her again. She kissed him back but paused for moment. He stopped moving immediately.

"Are you ok? Did I hurt you?" he asked worriedly, shifting so that he was directly on top of her.

"No, no! I want this," she insisted and kissed him, encouraging him to continue.

Later that night, Zoe was lying in his arms and he was tickling her back. They weren't speaking but were enjoying the silence. Both were thinking about what had happened and they were so glad they had waited until both were ready and sure. Zoe could not have asked for a more perfect night. It was kind of painful but Wade was very loving and cared about making her feel comfortable. Even though it was not what she had been expecting, she wouldn't change it for anything.

"We should go," he said, kissing her hair.

"I don't want to leave you," she whined.

"You think I'm gonna leave you alone for the rest of the night? I want to fall asleep with you in my arms but I didn' bring another blanket so we might get cold. Let's go back to your house?" he suggested. She nodded and he sat up. They got dressed and Zoe helped him pack up all the candles.

When they got back to their houses, Wade parked in his drive way and opened the car door for Zoe. They walked to her house and went upstairs. He stripped down to his boxers while she changed into her pajamas. When she was done getting ready for bed, he was lying in her bed and she smiled before climbing in and snuggling into his chest. They fell asleep a while later with smiles on their faces.

Author's note: So there you have it. I don't know when I'll update again, this weekend is kind of hectic. Any suggestions on where you'd like to see this go would be welcome, I like to incorporate your ideas if I can so feel free to message me or suggest in the reviews.