Aaand we're coming to the end! Gratitude to all those that are still reading this! Thanks to Guest again for the review. Your questions are answered in the chapter. Happy reading!
Chapter Twenty Eight
"Can't believe you're leaving us, Tucker. Anything we can do to change your mind?" Wade asked his friend.
Lavon was scowling with displeasure. "Name it, George. What can we do to convince you to stay? This town needs a lawyer. Without you folks here will have to travel to Mobile for legal advice."
"There's always Scooter over in Fillmore," George quipped, laughing when Lavon slammed his hand down on the bar in response.
"That is not funny," Lavon deadpanned accusingly. "Is it the practice? Haven't you had enough work to make ends meet?"
"No, the workload has been fine, same as ever," George replied patiently.
"Then it's you not having your own home," Lavon attempted to rationalise with an air of panic about him, talking more quickly. "I know AB's insurers are dragging their feet about fixing the houseboat, but I can get on to them, if living with me is starting to bug you. I've tried to be a good host-"
"Lavon, you've been a wonderful host," George interrupted gently, trying to calm Lavon down. "But you're right, I need my own place again, and the thought of going back to that houseboat… You know why I moved onto it in the first place, don't you."
Wade and Lavon nodded. "Because the boat was giving Lemon sea-sickness," Wade remembered.
"Exactly. I moved onto that boat for Lemon, to give her my home. Because I cared about her, the way I've always cared about her. I didn't really want to live on a houseboat. And now when I don't have a home, it's definitely not the route I'm gonna go down. I want more space, something that isn't as vulnerable to…drunk drivers."
"There's plenty of rentals around here-" Lavon started again, but was stopped by George raising an eyebrow and placing a hand on his shoulder.
"I know, man, I know. But it's time. Time to grow up, and admit what's really going on. I'm in my mid-thirties, without any real ties. I want to travel and see more of the world, and now I have the opportunity to do that for a few years before I find my real Mrs Right and pop out some sprogs. I'm never gonna see much of anything if all I do is stay here in this town. Staying here, I can't move on. And I've dated all the women around here. The only one I wanted wouldn't have me, and the only acceptable alternative was snapped up by my man here," he finished, grinning at Wade, who smiled back smugly.
"Here you two, have another drink," Wade tried to distract them, pushing fresh cocktails towards them. "Try my newest creation." Taking cautious sips, then longer gulps as they realised they enjoyed the taste, Wade took advantage of the sudden silence to reveal his plans to them.
"How long do you guys think I should leave it before I propose to Zoe?" Wade asked them, causing Lavon to gulp and choke, causing a half-minute delay on the conversation whilst he coughed his guts up and George attempted to help him by slapping his back repeatedly. George whistled at Wade.
"You're really gonna propose?" he asked. The decision to leave took away much of George's jealousy, but a flicker of it beat steady and true in his heart for a minute or so. Telling himself to only be happy for his good friend, he kept his voice natural and light.
Wade nodded, still smiling. The previous evening, when he'd arrived at Zoe's house to find her asleep in bed, he'd spent a few minutes standing over her and watching her sleep. He had swelled with love for her, and found himself wishing that they didn't live in separate houses. He wanted Zoe to come back from work and fall asleep in his bed. Or, even more preferable, their bed. He wanted to fall asleep next to her every night, as he had done so last night. For all he knew that had been a one-off and tonight he'd be back again in his own place, drinking beers and playing computer games one his own. Wade was tired of that life. He wanted to wake up next to Zoe every morning, give her a kiss before work and be safe and secure in the knowledge that a shift later he'd be seeing her again. He'd be happy to live anywhere so long as it was with her.
He knew it was soon. They'd only just agreed to a permanent relationship, so he knew it was too soon to ask Zoe. But he felt impatience clawing at him. Zoe and he were doing so well, and he felt sure it was only a matter of time now until she'd recovered enough to be with him physically. But all the other hurdles between them seemed to be overcome – they'd slept together in the same bed without any concerns. He suspected that that hand job had been more than enough to calm any wandering hands in bed – it was stress and strain that had caused that to happen, his counsellor had suggested. But Zoe trusted him again. She'd showered with him in the next room without freaking out, she no longer tried to keep him at a distance, and as she relaxed, so did he. He hadn't felt an urge to peep at her in the shower, comfortable now with his greater access to Zoe's body. His earlier jealousy for Jonah was completely gone, not even a flicker of it when he'd seen them embracing earlier. He'd watched Zoe's body language. She was completely platonic, and Jonah treated her the same as any attractive women. He had nothing to worry about there. The only thing that could possibly derail their relationship was if he lied to her again, but that was so not going to happen.
"I really am," he reiterated. "I want it all with her: marriage, a house, children one day… I'm fed up of going back to an empty house. I want to at least move in with her, soon if I can convince her."
"Woah," Lavon said, slightly awed that Wade, the ultimate ladies' man, was so enthusiastic about settling down in a white picket fence dream. "Hope it's not anytime soon," he grumped, thoughts spinning off in his mind about AB. "Don't want you and Zoe leaving the plantation and moving out of Bluebell like this one here." It was obvious he wasn't going to get over his upset that George was leaving anytime soon.
"Well, we'll have to move out eventually, Lavon, neither of our houses is big enough for a family," Wade argued, refusing to bow to Lavon's bad mood. "But that's way down the line."
"I'd have thought a proposal would be, too," George murmured. "I'm not being funny with you, Wade. I know how well things are going between you and Zoe, and that's great, but she may not be ready for a while yet to take a step like that."
"He's right," Lavon agreed. "She needs to just relax and be happy for a while. There's no rush, is there?"
Wade shook his head, knowing they were right, trying to be patient. "I just hate that we live apart," he muttered. George beckoned him back onto the dancefloor and together they made happy asses out of themselves, distracting themselves from their worries.
Across the room, everyone was still recovering from the bombshell that Tansy had dropped. "What, he never told you?" she asked, and the faint inflection of it being a taunt rankled Zoe, causing her temper to rise.
"Obviously not, Tansy," she said through gritted teeth. "What million dollars?"
"When your father came to Bluebell, he took Wade aside and offered him a million dollar cheque if he would leave you," Tansy explained, obviously enjoying herself.
"He did?" Zoe asked, feeling crushed, her voice smaller now. Her father had really offered Wade that much money to leave her? Did her father hate her boyfriend that much? Did he really care that little for her happiness?
"Obviously Wade said no. But aren't you worried that he never revealed this to you? Yet another instance of Wade Kinsella lying to you."
"That's enough, Tansy," AB said sternly, coming to hold Zoe as she could see her best friend was trembling with hurt and building anger.
"I know who you could use to test Wade, if you begin to feel differently," she said smoothly to Zoe, ignoring AB. "I know Wade's one-that-got-away. Her name was-"
"How do you know this?" Zoe interrupted her, voice gone flat with anger, fists bunching at her sides. When Tansy fell silent and didn't answer her question, Zoe's emotions began to bubble out of control. She stepped closer to Tansy, invading her personal space, staring her down. "I said, how do you know?" she asked again.
Lifting her chin in defiance, Tansy sneered at Zoe. "It doesn't matter now," she said evasively. "Obviously, I've said too much as it is, so I'd best be on my way." It was obvious she wasn't going to tell Zoe the truth, or even give her a real answer. She put her purse back on her shoulder and turned to leave, but Zoe stopped her with another question.
"Is this about Wade? Do you want him back?"
Tansy raised an eyebrow, giving Zoe the 'you're nuts' look. "No," she said indulgently. "I don't have feelings for Wade anymore. I'll only be with men I can trust," she said pointedly, before walking off. The urge to follow her and deliver a good slap came hard upon Zoe, and AB must have read her intentions clearly upon her face because the next thing she knew her friend was holding her firmly in place, waiting for her to listen.
"Wade refused a million dollars for me?" Zoe breathed, feeling light-headed from both drink and the nasty revelations, trying to ignore Tansy's taunts about honesty and the gaping betrayal she felt, but was desperately holding at bay by sheer force of will.
"You need to talk to Wade about this," AB said, steering Zoe through the crowd towards Wade, Zoe herself not really registering what was happening, completely caught up in her head.
Wade caught sight of AB pulling Zoe gently through the crowd over to him, and concern rose hard and fast as he saw how upset she was. "What happened?" he asked her when AB pulled her over. Zoe looked wildly at him.
"Tansy told me that my father tried to buy you off with a cheque. Is that true?"
Wade's dawning horror was amplified when a quick glance around the room revealed that many people had noticed Zoe's upset and were now listening avidly. He took her hand, nodded to AB and pulled Zoe out of there. She allowed him, wanting to be alone with him as well and get away from the upbeat country music that now seemed totally at odds with her emotions. How quickly events had changed tonight.
Drawing her outside to a quiet spot, Wade didn't let go of Zoe but pulled her around to face him. "Yes, it's true," he admitted. "He offered it to me on the condition that I break up with you, but I didn't even consider it, Zoe. I told him no then and there, telling him I loved you and wouldn't break up with you for any amount of money."
Zoe couldn't help the tears that slid down her cheeks, taking in Wade's earnest gaze and his fear of her reaction. "Tansy said it was a million dollars," she breathed. He nodded slowly, beginning to overcome his earlier feeling of being blindsided and starting to wonder how the hell Tansy had known about it. Zoe gasped. "Wade, for a million dollars you could have done anything, gone anywhere," she breathed.
"It means nothing to me if I'm not with you," he told her sincerely, and he was beyond relieved when she threw her arms around him even though she started to take great racking sobs.
"I can't believe you did that for me," Zoe said brokenly, gasping in air as she managed with difficulty to get her words out. "I'm so lucky to have you," she finished, kissing him repeatedly, her lips landing haphazardly across his cheeks, nose and lips. He kissed her back, trying to comfort her, hands stroking up and down her back.
"I'm the lucky one," he said gently as she pulled back, and he used his thumb to wipe her tears away. "You inspire me, Zoe Hart, to be a good man, to be the best man I can be. I'd be lost without you. I know I should have told you about the cheque." He waited for her ire regarding his duplicity. He was surprised when it didn't come.
"I understand why you didn't," she whispered. "You knew how much this would hurt me."
He nodded once more. "Yeah, I did. I'm sorry about your father. Once he'd made the offer to me he wanted to leave town quickly to prevent you finding out. He assumed I'd tell you straight away."
"It would've been as much as he deserved. But of course you didn't. You put me first, something my father has never done."
They stood for a few minutes, seeking and receiving comfort from the other, Wade letting Zoe catch him up with her thinking. Eventually she voiced the words that he couldn't get out of his brain. "How did Tansy know? Did you tell her?"
Wade shook his head grimly. "No, I've not said a word to anyone. There's no way she could have found out about this from me."
"We should go back in and see if we can find her," Zoe suggested, and together they did their best but unfortunately Tom and Wanda reported that she'd already driven off. Zoe and Wade agreed that they would go in search of her tomorrow. Neither of them could shed any light on how Tansy had come by her knowledge, as as far as Wade was concerned, the only two people who knew about it were he and Ethan, and he couldn't picture the great Ethan Hart lowering himself to talk to an Alabama hairdresser like Tansy. It just didn't fit. It was like having only a couple of the puzzle pieces, the rest hidden and so they determined to uncover them. Zoe remembered Tansy had been talking to Jonah, but was worried about mentioning this to Wade. Last time there was a hint of Jonah being involved with the photographs he'd stopped thinking rationally and homed in on him, ignoring other possibilities. She warred with herself as to whether to mention it, but was interrupted by her boyfriend.
Wade had something he wanted to do. Now that the secret of the cheque was out, he felt a weight come off his shoulders, and he was hungry to release the final secret he had from Zoe. May as well do it tonight, he thought, then they could truly enjoy their celebrations with nothing between them that could spoil things for them in the future.
"There's something I need to show you. I should have done it a long time ago, but now that this has come out, I may as well show you everything. For a long time I thought you were too fragile. Then the counsellor helped me to see, I realised it just came down to protecting myself." Zoe opened her mouth to speak, a quizzical look on her face, but Wade didn't reply, just took Zoe by the hand back inside the Rammer Jammer, and led her over to his office. When they came in view of the door, he felt for the first time Zoe blanch when she saw where they were headed.
"You have a problem with my office, don't you," he said looking at her closely, it all coming together for him in the space of a moment. "You've never wanted to go in there, since it all happened."
Zoe hesitated, her doe eyes seemingly enormous in her worried face. "No. Every time I see your office I remember that woman you took in there, knowing I knew about it but you did it anyway. I don't hold it against you anymore, I forgave you. But….it reminds me of a time when things weren't just bad between us, they were horrible. I can't help it, it still hurts a little."
Wade sighed, and pulled her closer, knowing how lucky he was that Zoe had forgiven him, and that it was their shared journey over the past months that had allowed them the time they needed to come through it all. If Zoe hadn't needed him, he would have been dust to her. She wouldn't have forgiven him under normal circumstances, which made him feel confusingly relieved. He shook away the feeling, concentrating on his plan to share his last secret. "There's something in there I need to show you. Whilst we're laying our cards on the table, it was in there your father tried to buy me off, in there that I turned my back on Wade the playboy for good and focused on being Wade the man, Zoe's man. It's just a room, one that I've both screwed up in and, I hope, vindicated myself in. So, please, come inside with me."
"You have something you want to show me?" Zoe asked, holding onto Wade's words – "it's just a room".
Opening the door, Wade flicked on the light and walked around behind the desk. Zoe followed him, taking in the messy piles of invoices and ordering sheets that were the usual clutter of a small business on the desk, unable to help her first thought, which was "I should help him tidy that up". She looked again, knowing what Wade had done across that desk, but instead she envisioned her father standing where was right now, offering Wade a million dollars and him saying no. It was easier than she thought to let go of the nasty thought, and looking round again, she felt the truth of the words. It was just a room. If she had a thing about every place Wade had screwed a girl in, she wouldn't be able to live in Bluebell. Wade had been a prolific ladies' man, and she'd always known that about him. and when she was finally ready, she would be the one who'd reap the benefits of his experience. Because to Wade, she was the world. He'd been offered an opportunity that many would kill for, and he'd rejected it out flat. That knowledge warmed her, burning away her fear and resentment, and insecurity in their relationship, and meeting Wade's eyes, she knew her future truly lay with this man in front of her.
Wade hesitated, his hand on the file that Bill had given him about Duane and Sarah, the file he'd never shown to Zoe and had put to one side in his own mind. He saw the way Zoe looked at him, like she was sure, and knew he had to trust her, knew that his uncertainty of her reaction was something that had to be confronted before he could return the look of clear, pure trust she was giving him. She deserved that, she'd forgiven him so much, even taking the news of her father's cheque in her stride. He was certain that her upset at her father would overtake her later, but for now, she was clinging onto the information that gave her strength and peace, not the knowledge of her father's perfidy. She'd compartmentalised it for the moment. And that was fine. There would be time. A whole lifetime in front of them.
"Bill gave this to me, many weeks ago," he told her. He held out the file to her, and Zoe took it, uncomprehending.
"What is this?" she asked curiously, flicking it open to see the Alabama Police Department logo on the first page. She waited to hear his answer before reading any further.
"It's a police report on Duane Collins and what they knew of his sister, Sarah. There's pictures in there that you'll probably find upsetting. I was afraid to show you this. Afraid that seeing their stories in black and white would turn you against us, make you hate me, even. But Bill wanted you to see it. He thought you deserved to know, and he was right. Once you read the file, there will no longer be any secrets between us."
"Was he allowed to give you this?" Zoe asked, hands frozen.
Wade shrugged. "Prob'ly not."
They were interrupted by a banging on the door. "Zoe and Wade! You're missing your own party!" they heard Lavon and George shouting. "In a minute!" Wade yelled back.
"Go," Zoe told Wade. "I'm going to sit here and look at this."
"Now?" Wade asked in surprise. "I thought you'd want to take it home, read it in the cold light of day."
Zoe shook her head, unable to take her eyes from the file in her hands. "I want to look at it now." She was implacably calm, and completely unmoving. His stomach turning, Wade hoped he'd done the right thing. Quietly, he left her to it and rejoined the party.
Zoe crossed the room and settled down in Wade's chair behind his desk, laying the file down on the worktop. Taking a deep breath, she turned the first page, to see a police report on Duane Collins. There wasn't much there, and nearly all of it related to the case that she and Wade had been so heavily involved in, so there wasn't really any new information. The next pages were more jarring, and she couldn't help a small cry as she saw pictures of Sarah Lampardy, dead from an overdose, her skin white and her eyes lifeless. She quickly read the details of how the police had found her, what her autopsy report had found, knowing exactly which drugs had been involved, knowing how her body would have reacted to the dose and finally shut itself down, unable to take the quantities involved. The next page contained Sarah's mugshot. Zoe stared at this picture for even longer. Sarah had been pretty once, although not blindingly so. This was taken a couple of years before her death, and calling the change drastic was kind. In death she was no longer Sarah – the drugs had stolen her health and death of course had left her a pale imitation of what she had been in life. But she could see from the earlier photo what had drawn Wade to her. She was pretty, someone he'd have noticed. Not for the first time, she felt sorry for her. But reading Sarah's criminal record, it confirmed for her that Wade had been just as much her victim as she had been his. Her struggle with addiction had begun long before Wade had been on the scene, paying for her habit with not only stolen goods but also her body. She was as much to blame for her relapse as Wade was, if not more so.
She snapped the file shut, the sound seeming to echo in the empty room, resolution filling her as her feelings settled into place. She looked up at the door, imagined her father standing there, offering to ruin her life for her.
She was going to have to deal with him.
Wade rejoined the party in the bar, checking his watch to realise that not even two hours had passed since he'd picked Zoe up at her door in their finery, despite it feeling much longer. He walked over to Lemon and AB, absently noting that George remained at the bar, whilst Lavon had joined AB and was whispering into her ear. At his approach however, everyone snapped to attention, and even George wandered over to him, ignoring his ex for the sake of tonight's crisis.
"Where's Zoe?" AB asked in concern.
"In my office," Wade said woodenly, trying to concentrate on the matter at hand. The current mission was to find out everything he could about Tansy, and so Zoe's friends were the first ones to question seeing as the woman herself had gone. AB opened her mouth to enquire after Zoe's wellbeing but Wade spoke first. "Did Tansy give any clues, anything at all, as to how she came by the knowledge of the cheque?"
"So that was true?" Lemon breathed speculatively.
"Well done, man," Lavon clapped Wade on the back, but Wade wasn't interested in being congratulated. He wanted answers.
"Yes, it was true. Lemon, what did Tansy want?"
Lemon bristled at Wade's curt tone, so decided not to bother sugar-coating it. "She wanted to try to convince Zoe to set you up in a test. Apparently she knew your one-that-got-away? She wanted Zoe to set you up in a situation with her, and then see if you told her the truth about it afterwards."
"What?" Wade said, aghast, echoed by George and Lavon. "Zoe was on board with this?"
"No, she wasn't," AB cut in quickly, trying to avoid an argument. "She was totally against the idea, as was I," she reassured not only Wade but her newly regained boyfriend as well, relieved when Lavon relaxed against her once more.
"Bet you weren't though, were you Lemon?" George asked silkily, his eyes narrowed. "I bet you thought it was a great idea."
Lemon didn't flush, instead her jaw firmed as she stared George down. "Honesty is important in a relationship, that's all I said," she lied, unwilling to risk bringing the entirety of Wade's anger upon her. AB's look of scorn didn't go unnoticed by anyone.
"Well, thanks, Lemon. Nice to know you have my back. And I thought we were friends," Wade said sarcastically, enraged at the thought that Lemon could have encouraged Zoe to set him up like that. He knew Lemon well enough to read between the lines, and she had definitely been rooting against them in this, interfering as she did best. Knowing Zoe had rejected the idea out of hand though brought him a great deal of relief. If only he knew what she was thinking about, what she was going through at that very moment though, sat in his office reading that file. He hoped to god his attempt at honesty didn't come back to bite him in the ass.
"We are friends, Wade," Lemon started to say, but Wade cut her off, too annoyed to listen. Right then he could have happily wrung her neck.
"Let's get back to Tansy. Who invited her here this evening? Have any of you spoken to her recently?" They all shook their heads no, they hadn't had any contact with her and had no clue how she had known about the party.
"She was talking with Jonah, earlier," Lemon mentioned sulkily. "At some length and the discussion seemed…intense."
Wade turned to her, seizing onto the first piece of useful information he'd heard. "Jonah? What did she want with him?"
"Sorry, I don't know," she replied.
"Right," Wade said, dismissing the lot of them and turning to find Jonah.
"We'll help you, man, we'll find him," he heard Lavon say as he made his way across the bar in search of the golden doctor. His earlier irritation with Jonah resurfaced, despite no evidence that he'd actually done anything wrong, but Wade had a bad feeling about this. Everything that had happened lately… surely Tansy had had something to do with it. And that meant Jonah probably knew something about it, despite how helpful and supportive he'd seemingly been. Jonah had left, and Wade's first urge was to go over to the Breeland's house in case he'd gone there, but was uncertain about leaving the premises entirely, as he wanted to be there when Zoe came out of the office. Lemon offered to go in his place, and when Lavon and AB agreed to accompany her, he agreed, not really trusting her to go alone. He realised Jonah could easily have gone back to Mobile, either at the hospital, or his own place. He must have one in the area. Looking at his mobile, he realised he didn't have Jonah's number anymore. Zoe would have, though.
Ten minutes later they returned to tell him Jonah wasn't at the Breelands, so they decided to all go back in and have a few drinks and eat some of the delicious catering Wade had secured. They all felt they needed it, Wade most of all. Zoe's absence was beginning to bug him, and before she made her way back out to the bar, Wade had downed a number of shots of whiskey, tequila and vodka and was well on the way to being drunk. Only AB had maintained her sobriety, with difficulty, maintaining that she had a headache and didn't want to make it worse. Thankfully nobody questioned her, too busy discussing Tansy and Jonah.
"What's all this?" Zoe asked as she returned to the bar, unsurprised to see less people in the bar as the party wound down.
"Zoe!" Wade slurred a little as he pushed a drink towards her, too worried to meet her eyes, afraid of what he would see.
"Are you okay?" Zoe asked him, ignoring the others like they weren't there, concerned at the sight of an obviously drunk Wade, his hair raked every which way with hair sticking up all over. He'd obviously been pulling at it in anxiety.
"Course," he said, taking the hand she offered as she settled in against him. "Are you okay?" he turned the question on her, cautiously optimistic from the feeling of her soft, light weight against him.
"Yes," she told him, touching his cheek in an attempt to bring his eyes to hers. When he finally met her gaze, she communicated without words her acceptance of what she'd read, although he knew she'd want to talk about it. Later, she mouthed. Wordlessly, he nodded, feeling light-headed. That was it. No more secrets. Zoe reached for her glass and downed her drink, and he readily refilled her glass, then his own. Knowing he'd have a headache tomorrow but not caring, because despite absolutely everything, he and Zoe were gonna make it through. She was a hell of a woman.
"Did you find anything out about Tansy?" he heard Zoe ask the group and him, then she made a funny choking sound that at first was hard to place. He belatedly realised he'd squeezed her too tight in his relief. "Gently," she admonished, but there was a small smile in her tone that belied her instruction. She took his hand and squeezed it tightly, returning his affection, trying to put the image of the dead Sarah out of her mind, as she listened to the others' explanation of where they were up to in the investigation.
"I've got Jonah's number," she said, pulling out her phone, and dialling the number. She was relieved that the Jonah decision had been taken out of her hands. Everyone waited in silence for her to ring. Jonah didn't answer, so Zoe left a message asking him to call her back. "If it comes to the worst, I've got a shift with him before he goes back to New York. But I want to talk to him sooner than that."
"On that we agree," Wade replied.
-HoD-
The next morning, as Wade and Zoe talked softly together, discussing their feelings about the file they'd both read and trading reflections on the night before, sharing their horror and their recriminations, AB was staring into her cup of green tea (another change, it was usually coffee) and was only half-listening to Lavon's morning patter. They'd avoided their talk the previous evening as Lavon had been too drunk by the time they'd gotten back to the plantation to speak coherently, and only with George's help had she managed to get him home. This morning though, George had gone off into town already to start his goodbyes, so she and Lavon were alone.
"All right, what is it, AB," said Lavon, putting down his saucepan and turning to her. "Say what's on your mind." She'd already briefed him on her trip to the hospital yesterday and knew she'd been given treatment for her infection. He wondered if it was still tugging at her thoughts. "Is it talking to Davies that's worrying you?" He assumed she hadn't done that yet, and AB confirmed she'd be doing it later.
"Lavon, I really enjoyed being with you last night, and then waking up with you this morning," she told him, remembering to an hour before when he'd coerced two orgasms from her before he'd allowed her out of bed. Even the pastries waited for them this morning.
"I did too," Lavon said cautiously. AB was saying the right things, but she sounded like she was about to break up with him.
"But we need to talk," AB said quickly, deciding to rip off the plaster instead of tugging at it gently. When he nodded, and motioned for her to go ahead, she continued. "You convinced me that you really want to be with me," she started.
"I do," he reassured her. "I've wanted it for a long time now."
"I want children," she blurted out. "I want marriage and children. You didn't want those things before, and even though you say you want me, I don't know how you feel about that kind of commitment." She looked earnestly at him, and he knew this was the moment where he had to tread carefully.
"I know all of that," he said, taking her hand and leaning in close to her. "I knew all of that when I asked you out again. Remember? I said I wanted to give you everything you deserved."
"So you want to have children with me?" she pressed, needing to hear his answer, needing him to say the words.
"I won't deny it, the thought of having children has always been real scary to me. But I want you so badly, AB. I want to be your everything, including the father of your baby. How could I not love a child that was born from our love? A child with my eyes and your smile? I needed to know darkness, to know misery, to give me the time I needed to grow up. I'm ready, AB. Ready to give you, give us, a future. Will you still have me?" AB nodded, tears flowing down her cheeks, to choked up to respond straight away. He gave her a large grin, then bounded away before she could process any more. She straightened in surprise. This wasn't the sort of conversation that you just normally walked away from midway.
Barely a minute later, Lavon re-entered the room. He was still wearing loose bottoms and an oversized t-shirt, she in her dressing gown. It wasn't the time or the place that he'd originally planned to do this (and he'd be lying if he didn't admit that Wade had roused the idea again in his mind), but if there was a right moment, it was this. Opening the box he'd procured from his bedroom cabinet, that he'd bought weeks ago when he'd decided to win back AB, he dropped to one knee before her stool and said, "AnnaBeth Nass. I hereby profess my love for you, and my eternal commitment to you and our life together. I want more than anything to ride the journey with you by my side. Tell me, will you marry me?"
AB's mouth dropped open once again in shock, and before she knew it she'd replied, "yes," and Lavon was slipping the ring on her finger, and they came together in a hearty embrace that eloquently spoke of many more to come.
"You rehearsed that," she teased once they'd eased back from each other a little, still in shock, resorting to weak humour to allow her stomach to settle. "Hereby profess my love?"
Lavon grinned, unabashed. "Well, maybe a few times," he admitted, before kissing her soundly once again. "Mrs Hayes," he teased back, enjoying the blush in her cheeks as she smiled in pleasure. "I'm going to make you very happy, AB, I promise, or die trying," he told her. Overcome, again happy tears escaped her eyes and she threw her arms around him, basking in the moment. It wasn't long before happiness turned to ardour, so new was their refound intimacy. It began with slow soft kisses that quickly spiralled into heated passion. Grabbing her and lifting her up so that her legs curled around his waist, he started to walk her back upstairs, but she twisted in his arms before they could leave the room. "Put me down, Lavon, we're not finished," she breathed.
"What is it?" he panted, trying to think straight. His happiness at being engaged to AB was overwhelming. He had exactly what he wanted, and could only thank the heavens that he'd finally woken up to what he wanted, no needed, before it had been too late.
"I have something serious I need to tell you," AB said, stepping away and curling up on the couch into a protective posture, knees resting against her chest.
"More serious than what you told me yesterday?" Lavon joked, trying to calm his raging body down when he saw that she meant what she was saying.
"Yep," AB nodded, suddenly stiff as she prepared to say it. Concern abruptly jolted Lavon again as he hoped that this wasn't more bad news. "Lavon, I'm pregnant."
"What?" he said, assuming he'd heard incorrectly. They'd only just gotten back together.
"I'm pregnant," she told him patiently. At his look of confusion, she explained. "We conceived a baby when we had that one night together." She'd had a scan when she visited the hospital yesterday, which had confirmed the age of the foetus inside her. It was definitely Lavon's baby, not Davies, to her relief.
"You're pregnant," he said as if from far away, eyes dropping to her belly despite knowing it was still perfectly flat. Suddenly he was back in the room with a click. "You're pregnant," he said again, this time sounding happy, and eager. "Told you I'd give you what you wanted." Now he was smug, prepared to take all the credit.
"I hope this is something we both want," she said gently, relieved when she saw no guile or regret on his face, just surprise and then happiness.
"I'm going to be a father. I can't believe it," he said, unable to help a rush of feeling. With the happiness came a surge of protectiveness that settled comfortably on his shoulders, and he wondered at the change. "I'll take good care of you both, I promise. How long have you known?" he asked, suddenly realising that this entire conversation had started out with her testing him to see how he'd reacted. He suspected strongly that if he hadn't proposed, she wouldn't have told him this yet.
AB told Lavon everything, and when they'd finished discussing everything they needed to, she once more pressed her lips to hers and didn't complain when he carried her back upstairs, enjoying the newfound reverence he had for her body. They didn't come down again until hunger forced them to.
-HoD-
"So who are we going to speak to first? Go over to Tansy's, or try and find Jonah?" Wade asked Zoe. "I told Ava I needed some time off today so she's covering for me at the bar." He didn't miss the way that she rolled her shoulders at him. "What?"
Zoe chose her words carefully. "I was thinking I should maybe talk to Jonah on my own. If he knows something about Tansy he might be more willing to talk to me on my own."
Wade scowled, his instincts telling him not to agree. "No. I want to be there when we talk to him. I've known him a lot longer than you, remember. I'll know if he's keeping anything back."
"I thought you didn't have a problem with Jonah anymore."
"I don't."
"Doesn't sound like it?" she probed.
"Okay, I am a bit worried that he might not be as lily-white as he's been coming across to you. If he does know something he's had plenty of opportunity to tell you but he never has. So, he might try and play you."
"I'm not an idiot Wade, I won't let him." Wade gave her a look.
"Sweetheart, you're naturally kind-hearted. I'm not sure you would know if he was."
Zoe didn't reply, slightly hurt, it seemingly pointless to argue. "I think we should talk to Tansy, first," she said at last, eager to change the current of the conversation. "Jonah might not know anything about it, but Tansy definitely does."
Wade thought about it for a minute. "You already asked her what she knew, didn't you?"
"Yes, what about it?"
Wade looked her square in the eye. "Maybe I should talk to Tansy alone. She might be more willing to talk to her ex husband, than the woman who interfered in her relationship with George Tucker."
Zoe bristled exactly as Wade had done a minute before, but didn't reply. She couldn't help a flicker of jealousy – it wasn't that she thought Wade would for even a second be interested in his ex, but the thought of him getting cosy with her to try and get information out of her filled her with a mix of dread and loathing. Her anger at Tansy's spite was still fresh and hot, and she hadn't even begun to think about what she was going to say to her father. Besides, it was okay for him to insist on coming with her to talk to Jonah but he expected her to just be okay with cutting her out of talking to Tansy?
Wade couldn't miss her tense posture, the way she was gripping the kitchen counter so hard her knuckles were white and starting to tremble. "You haven't got anything to worry about with Tansy. I don't intend to be nice, she knows something she's going to tell me," he told her quietly.
"It's not just her. It's my dad too. I can't even begin to fully understand yet how I feel about what he's done. But I'm not sure I'll ever be able to forgive him for it," she said, her voice cracking on the last words. Immediately Wade moved over to wrap his arms around her, pressing his lips to the back of her head.
"You don't have to say anything to him about it yet. You never have to talk to him again if you don't want to."
"Wade, he's my father. I'm mad at him, yes, so mad I could scream and yell if the thought of it didn't make me feel so exhausted. But that doesn't mean I never want to see him again. But I haven't heard a word from him since he left. I don't even know whether he's in the country right now."
"You could phone your mom and ask her," Wade suggested, tucking some hair behind her ear. He didn't dare voice his real feelings about Ethan Hart. Zoe was in enough pain, he didn't need to make it worse.
"I had such hope," Zoe said, beginning to really cry. "That things were going to change between us. When he talked about taking me on a trip somewhere, I hoped so much that it would really happen, that he was going to try and be a proper dad to me. I wanted to be a proper daughter, someone that spoke to her father more than a couple times a year, and got together every Hannukah. Now..."
After Wade comforted Zoe for a while, he figured the best way to distract Zoe from her dad was to come back around to the beginning of the conversation. "So, I'll go see Tansy, you go see if you can find Jonah?"
That caught Zoe's attention. "You don't mind if I talk to him on my own? I thought you reckoned he was just going to play me."
Wade shrugged with feigned nonchalance, not as unaffected as he made out. "Makes sense, don't it? I gotta be cool with you seeing him if you can accept me talking to Tansy. Then we'll be done twice as fast."
Zoe smiled slowly. "I can make that deal."
They set off soon later. Wade arrived at Tansy's mobile home, and banged on the door. Tansy wrenched it open, saying "It's about time-" then abruptly stopped talking as she caught sight of Wade. She hesitated visibly. "What are you doing here?" she asked.
"Mind if I come in?" he asked, not waiting for an answer but pushed his way past her into her home. The first thing he noticed was a pile of shopping bags on the floor, and apartment listings piling up on the table. "Been busy, Tansy. Come into some money?"
Tansy ground her jaw and crossed her arms. "It's none of your business, Wade. What are you doing here?"
He looked at her like she was stupid. "What do you think I'm doing here? After what you said to Zoe last night?"
Tansy didn't even have the grace to be embarrassed, instead conveying through her tone that it was Wade who should feel that way. "I didn't realise it was a secret you were keeping from her."
Wade took a step towards his ex wife, wondering where all her venom was coming from. "How did you find out about it, Tansy? I'm not going to leave here until you tell me what's going on." he kept his tone neutral, but by no means did he project being a pushover.
"I can't say," she argued, raising her chin in the air. "I only came to wish you and Zoe well last night, that's all."
Wade took another step. "You can say," Wade said persuasively. He was fighting the urge to get angry, kept telling himself to stay cool, even managing to suppress negative body language – though it cost him more than he thought it would.
Tansy eyed his advancing figure. "What are you going to do if I don't tell you? Hurt me? Do you think Zoe will want to stay with you then if you do anything to me, Wade?"
Wade stopped abruptly, recognising that he couldn't hurt a woman, and therefore any tactics of intimidation were essentially useless as Tansy knew the threat would never become real. Instead, he had to try another route. "Tansy, we've known each other a long time. We were married, for Christ's sake, and despite the fact we didn't work out I've never stopped caring about you. Back when you were dating George I think we even came perilously close to being friends. What is this, now? Trying to convince Zoe to set me up with an old girlfriend? What have I done to you, to make you stir up trouble for me like this?"
"It's not like Zoe doesn't deserve a bit of interference," Tansy muttered. "George and I were happy until she came along and did her best to ruin things."
"But it's not just Zoe you're hurting, it's me as well," Wade, determined not to be pulled off into a discussion about any of that, was relentless. "We've fought so hard to be happy. Why are you trying to ruin things between us? And in god's name, how did you find out about the cheque? I can't believe you've been talking to Zoe's father-"
"Who?" she asked.
"Ethan Hart," Wade supplied.
"No," Tansy admitted, and Wade actually believed her this time. There was quiet for a couple of minutes as Wade waited her out this time. Finally, she threw her hands up and made an irritated sound in the back of her throat. "Alright, fine. Jonah told me."
"He did?" Wade asked eagerly. "How did he find out?"
"I honestly don't know. But I was asking him about how you two were getting on, and he just mentioned it."
Wade raised his eyebrows. Why would Jonah just blurt this out to her? Jonah had been in town for a couple of weeks and not said a word. "Why?"
"Why what?"
"Why did he just mention it to you?"
Tansy fixed him with a knowing look. "We have a history."
Wade scoffed, but let it pass. "So you told Zoe the first chance you got? Why?"
"I didn't realise she didn't know, dummy," Tansy said, sounding more genuine. "She was saying about how you'd only admitted what had going on between you because she'd been sent some photographs? I didn't really get what all that was about. I was just trying to help her by giving her some good relationship advice. She sounded really lost when she was speaking to her friends. It isn't fair, Wade, to put her through that."
Wade looked at Tansy's wide eyes, hearing her castigating him when she had been the one pouring venom into Zoe's ear, and couldn't help himself. He lost control. Grabbing Tansy by the shoulders he pushed her, hard, against the wall and pinned her there, his fingers digging into her skin. When she made a sound of pain, he couldn't help the bloom of satisfaction that at last he was hurting her, like she had hurt Zoe and through her, him. She had tried to ruin his happiness. "My relationship is none of your business," he growled, "you had no right saying anything like that to Zoe."
"I'm sorry," Tansy said quickly, voice nervous with a glimmer of panic. "Let go of me, Wade. You're hurting me."
Wade fought the urge to wrap his hand around her stringy neck, but his aggression leaked through despite his efforts and pulling her by the grip on his shoulders he slammed her against the wall with force in order to leave her good and rattled, before letting go. He turned away, keeping her in his sights in case she decided to brain him with a vase or something. She stayed perfectly still, her facade shaken, feeling like the rabbit instead of the fox.
"Zoe told you about the photographs," Wade said, his voice hard, resuming their earlier conversation like it hadn't just happened.
"I overheard."
"Classy," Wade sneered. "Eavesdropping on a conversation you weren't a part of and then dropping me in it the first chance you got." He stepped back, ignoring Tansy's further protestations, and ran a hand through his hair.
"What was all that about photographs, anyway?" Tansy fished, sensing the danger was over and innocent expression firmly in place.
Wade slanted her a nasty look. "Excuse me if I don't fill you in on all the latest that's going on in my life," he said sarcastically, before walking over to the door. He noticed the pile of shopping bags again. Suspicion furled through him once more. He wasn't sure he entirely bought Tansy's story that she'd only done what she'd done out of female solidarity, especially considering her feelings towards Zoe which were mixed to say the least. "Where's the money come from, Tansy?"
"Scooter's been spoiling me," she said weakly.
He turned to go, unable to prove that she wasn't speaking the truth, wanting to get out of there before he did something he'd really regret. He couldn't believe that he'd just hurt Tansy. Regret was beginning to intermingle with the overwhelming rage, but he didn't want his ex wife to see it. Opening the door, he missed Tansy's relieved expression. "One last thing. Why didn't you want to tell either Zoe or me that it was Jonah who told you?"
Tansy flailed for a couple of seconds, then added quickly, "he asked me not to say anything. I think he felt he was being a little indiscreet."
Wade looked away, then nodded. He still felt unsure of this whole situation, but it did make sense. However he had a strong feeling that Tansy was holding something back, but he was damned if he was going to beg and he didn't really have any other options. He'd asked Tansy as nicely as he could – he'd invoked their past relationship and done his level best to lay on the guilt trip. He'd then lost his temper and been pretty stupid. He'd done as much as he could do. He should've bought Zoe with him. Tansy seemed to have changed. Suspicions started to form in his mind, but he decided to hold off on leaping to firm conclusions until Zoe had had a chance to talk to Jonah. Quickly, he texted her to tell her that Tansy had accused Jonah so that she'd know in time for her talk with him.
-HoD-
Zoe managed to prise out of one of the female ER nurses Jonah's home address, so she left the hospital grounds quickly and made her way there. She knocked smartly on the door, and then again. Eventually Jonah came to the door, paint roller in hand and clearly wearing workman clothes. Despite the seriousness of the conversation they were about to have, she couldn't help but laugh a little. Jonah was covered in paint, it was all over his hands, and he'd clearly forgotten about it as it was all over the rest of him too, including in his hair which was charmingly bespattered. "Redecorating?" she asked brightly.
"May I ask what you're doing here?" Jonah asked, looking out into the street to see if she had company.
"We need to talk," she told him solemnly. Wordlessly he turned his body to allow her entrance, and Zoe walked into a half-painted room. Jonah explained he'd promised to smarten up the apartment in exchange for a reduction in rent. Zoe decided not to dally and instead came to the point. She could swear Jonah was nervous, talking to fill the silence.
"Tansy knows about the cheque my father offered Wade, and told him that it was you who told her about it. How did you know?"
Jonah's mouth parted in a look of surprise, which turned to edginess. He turned away slightly and picked up the paintbrush again, continuing his work on the wall. "Your father told me about it," he replied finally.
Zoe was floored for a second. She'd truly believed Jonah hadn't known, that Tansy had lied about him telling her, so it took her a few moments to recover her bearings. Hurt bloomed inside her – and knew that Wade had been right to be suspicious of Jonah. Feeling foolish, she turned to him with fresh eyes. "You mentioned before that you'd seen him at a charity event," she encouraged him instead of voicing her real thoughts.
Jonah looked at her briefly, taking in her pale complexion and determined outlook. "He knew I know you, and came over to talk to me. About you and Wade, and his concerns for you about your relationship. He mentioned that he'd tried to buy Wade off, and I tried to reassure your dad that Wade was a good guy. Not taking the money proved how much he cared. But, I couldn't convince him that because Wade cares about you it means he's good enough for you."
Zoe nodded, her mind working quickly. "So that's why, when Lemon told you…"
"Yeah. I suddenly knew what your father had been talking about. I thought he'd been right, that's why I reacted so strongly."
Zoe walked closer to him. "Why didn't you tell me you'd been speaking to him?" She couldn't help the sharpness of her tone – anger was rising at the knowledge that Jonah and her dad had been talking about her and Wade behind her back. What right did either of them have, what business what it of theirs? And Jonah had been hiding this for weeks.
Jonah's mouth tightened, and he slowly put down the brush and finally looked her in the eye. "Because I knew it would rile you," he said simply. "When you convinced me that you and Wade were okay, I decided not to say anything because I knew it would only cause trouble, and I wanted you to be able to come to me if you needed me. You wouldn't have if you'd known I'd been talking to Ethan."
Zoe couldn't refute his words, but felt no sympathy whatsoever for Jonah who looked extremely sad and remorseful. "So in fact you're just like Wade, thinking you know what's best for me and making decisions for me." Wisely, he didn't reply. "Tell me what else."
"What else?"
"What's going on with Tansy? Why did you tell her about it?"
Jonah didn't try to hide the look of annoyance this time. "I didn't tell her."
"You didn't?"
"No," he said, the steady conviction of his voice convincing enough for Zoe. "She approached me last night, and starting trying to get me to come over with her and try and persuade you Wade was trouble, he wasn't trustworthy. She told me she knew about the cheque. When I said I wouldn't, I tried to reason with her, but she was hell bent on revealing it to you as another example of Wade's lies."
Zoe was flabberghasted. "She approached me and did just as you said – she tried to sell me this plan to test Wade by setting him up with another woman on purpose to see if he told me about it."
Jonah whistled. "That's cold."
"So that means… my father must have been talking to Tansy," Zoe murmured. "That's the only explanation. He tried to convince you to do your best to break me and Wade up, and when that didn't work, he paid Tansy to cause trouble instead."
Jonah nodded. "I'm afraid that's true. She hasn't been talking with Ethan directly. Some associate of his. She told me last night, after I pulled it out of her." He didn't make it sound like it had been easy.
Other things began to click into place for Zoe. The woman in the Rammer Jammer car park, the glossy photographs. Her father had set that up too. Perhaps that woman was the same one who'd been talking to Tansy. Blood went from simmering to boiling, and currently Jonah was the only target for her anger. "And the reason I had to track you down is? Why didn't you come and tell me any of this?" she spat at him.
"It was your party. I didn't want to ruin it for you." Trying to be charming, but Zoe could see the sweat beading on his temples.
"Jonah," Zoe warned.
"Fine. I didn't want to reveal my own part in all this. That enough honesty for you? I wanted to get the hell away from Bluebell and back to New York, but I promised I'd paint this damned room first and I still have a shift left at the hospital. My flight isn't for another two days."
Biting back the retort she wanted to fling at him and biting her tongue, she decided to ignore Jonah's blatant self-serving cowardice for now, she asked, "so, I take it my father is in the country at the moment?" If she started railroading Jonah for his deception, she'd be allowing herself to become distracted by the smaller fish when it was the bigger fish who needed catching. Plus if she started she wouldn't stop.
Jonah nodded, looking worried. Zoe fixed him with a steady look. "I'll get someone to finish the painting, and I'll call in a favour to get someone to cover the shift. We're catching the first flight out to New York - we're leaving tonight. We're going to confront my father and tell him to put a stop to this interference once and for all."
A/N: Duh-duh-duuuhhhhh! So it is indeed the nasty Ethan Hart who is our final villain! Let me know what you think, please review!
