"I'm ready to hear you out," Zoe told him, making herself comfortable on his couch. She didn't want to hold off on this talk any longer than necessary. It was a talk that needed to happen but not only that it was a good distraction from Earl.
"You need to believe me that I would never cheat on you sober or drunk, I'd be a fool if I did," he started out saying, sitting next to her on the couch facing her. "It was only supposed to be the guys cause I missed just hanging out with them." Zoe nodded her head that was something she could understand. "And before I knew it the place was filled with people I didn't even know. I wanted them out before you got home." Remaining quiet while Wade explained the whole night seemed to be the best option for Zoe. It wasn't the party she was worried about or even cared about. It was that strange woman on his lap she cared about. "The lipstick on my cheek that was from Cheryl ya know Nash's wife. She's like that with everyone." She barely knew Nash, she has never met Cheryl. Maybe that was her fault for not wanting to get to know anyone in his band, well that was going to change. She really wanted to believe that they could make it through this and be okay.
"I think it would be best if I get to know the people in your band and their significant others," Zoe told him, she wasn't going to start talking like their relationship was over with until all the facts were out, that was if this whole thing could be resolved, she still hadn't heard him explain why there was some random chick on his lap.
Wade wholeheartedly agreed with Zoe on that one, once he was able to prove that he had done nothing wrong that night, except for letting things get out of hand instead of kicking people out sooner. "I can make that happen but right now that's not my biggest concern," he told her, running a hand through his hair. Zoe nodded her head letting him know that she agreed with him. This was it, either Zoe believed him or she didn't and if she didn't believe him, she couldn't possibly trust him so could their relationship work out if there was no trust there? Pushing that thought to the back of his mind, he forged ahead. "The guys thought it would be funny, I didn't, I tried to keep her from doing it, but my protest fell on deaf ears. I didn't need anything from her."
"What are you talking about Wade?" Zoe asked trying hard to follow what he had just said, but none of it had made sense to her.
"She did a little stripping on the side of whatever her real job is," Wade informed her.
"A stripper?" Zoe asked trying so hard to stay calm about this. Why would he need a stripper for? Surely she was more than enough for him, at least that's what he has told her.
"The guys thought it would be a funny joke if they got her to give me a lap dance. I tried to keep her from doing it, I pushed her away, and she wouldn't move kept saying I needed to relax and enjoy it. But I didn't and I swear I didn't ask her to do it; I wanted her to leave me alone. The guys admitted that they had sent her as a joke. I'm sorry baby," he finished telling her.
"After all it was just harmless fun, right?" Zoe asked, licking her lips.
"Exactly, but I didn't want it," he stressed.
"Except it wasn't, Wade. I know you're saying that you didn't want the lap dance and you tried to get her off of you, but you could've gotten up and walked away," Zoe told him. "And it hurt to walk in and see that," she told him.
"I get that and even that night I knew that it would and I honestly tried to stop it. I did try Zoe, but that's when you walked in and I wish I could take it back because I hate seeing you that hurt because I was being stupid," he told her, taking her hands in his. "I love you Zoe, so damn much that it hurt to walk away that night and give you the space you wanted," he told her.
"I know," she told him, locking her eyes with his. "It hurt worse to watch you walk away than what I was accusing you of," she admitted to him. She could look past this, he wasn't cheating on her and she felt relief knowing that, but could they move past this? "But with this huge misunderstanding can we move forward?" She asked. She wanted to forget it ever happened; she just wasn't sure how easily she could let it go. She believed him, she knew he could easily lie to her about it, but with the truth shining in his eyes and what Meatball had told her, it didn't seem like he would just lie to her about it. He had to know that if he was lying about it, that the truth would eventually come out.
"We can Zoe. I know it's going to be hard but we can make it work, if you want to," he said, his voice breaking as he said those four words. He wanted this to work out, he'd do everything in his power to make it work, but he could only do so much if she didn't want to be with him. It was hard to prove anything with the miles that separated Bluebell and New York.
"I love you, Wade it would be stupid of me to walk away now. I believe we can fix this thing between us," she told him, seeing him relax, a smile spreading across his lips.
"Since I agree to that, I've heard that makeup sex is the best," he smirked, flinging a laughing Zoe over his shoulder.
The next day found them back at the hospital. Even though they had talked things through the night before and they were on the recovery to things being good between them, there was still a little something missing between them and things between them weren't the same as before. It was to be expected though; they couldn't just pick things back up from where they left off at, it was going to require them to work at it.
"Are you okay with Jesse hanging around?" Zoe asked as they walked into the hospital.
"Not really, no," Wade responded pushing the button to call the elevator. "But I'll suck it up. He's here for my dad and if things manage to miraculously fix themselves between him and myself, it'll be fine but I don't have the right to kick him out," Wade told her, stepping into the elevator, Zoe following him. "I want a relationship with him, have since he took off," Wade confessed.
"This is your chance, Wade. You pushed me into talking to my mom and now it's my turn to push you into taking and rebuilding the bond you had with Jesse," Zoe said pushing the button for the right floor. "All you can do is try, Wade," she told him, resting her free hand on his arm.
"I know and like I told him last night I do forgive him and I do get why he left without me," Wade told her lowly. Jesse was right in doing so; he wanted a reason to hate his brother for leaving him. He wanted Jesse to hurt the same way he had. Now that just seemed to be childish.
"Making amends will do a person wonders," Zoe told him with a smile, leaning up to kiss his cheek, before stepping from the elevator.
"Don't I know," he smirked, pulling his hand free and wrapping it around her shoulders, pulling her close as they walked down the hall to his father's room.
They came to stop hearing a few voices carry from the partially open door. Wade knew it was wrong of him to keep Zoe quiet as they listened to what was being said, but in all fairness Jesse and his dad were in the middle of a conversation about him, so they way he saw it, he had every right to hear what they were saying.
"I don't know how much longer I can try. He says he forgives me but I don't think he really does," Jesse said with a sigh. "If I knew that he'd hate me this much, I wouldn't have left," Jesse was in the progress of saying.
"You would have regretted it then," Wade said entering the room, Zoe behind him. "Not only that you would have resented me for making you stay. I hate that you left me behind, but I don't dislike the man you've become or the person you're tying to be, Jesse. Leaving was the best thing for you and I would never want you to stay back because of me, I might just have resented you for doing that," Wade told him being completely honest with his brother. "And I do forgive you, Jesse."
"You mean that?" Jesse checked.
"Of course I do, Jesse," Wade responded. "It was just easier to hate you, then to put the pain aside you caused. I knew back then why you left me behind."
Zoe went over and leaned against the wall next to Earl's bed. "Look at that miracles do happen," Zoe commented, watching her boyfriend and his brother embrace in a hug.
"That they do," Earl chuckled. "If you're wondering I'm doing okay," he told her with a smirk.
"Of course you are," Zoe replied. "You need to be tough to handle those two," she told him. Earl laughed, shaking his head. He liked his youngest son's girlfriend; he really hoped that Wade didn't do anything to mess it up or her for that matter. He knew very little about Zoe, just what Wade had told him and what he had learned from the few times they had met before, but he liked them together. Seeing them together reminded him of his own relationship with Jackie when they were starting out.