A/N: Thanks for the reviews, peops. Glad to see you're onboard with AB/Jonah. I just think they're so cute together ;) Of course, Zade is the most important pairing, so let's see what's going on with them...
(For disclaimer, etc. - see chapter 1)
Chapter 32
Over the years, Wade Kinsella had woken up to many different female forms beside him. Some he was sorry about, most he wasn't, but no-one, absolutely no-one, measured up to Zoe Hart and what he felt every single time he opened his eyes and saw her there in his bed.
Something happened to him the day they met, something that Wade didn't have words for. It had been something else getting to know her, going out on dates, becoming a part of her life and having her become the best thing about his. Hell, he was even starting to believe those folks that always said sex was better when you really felt something real for the other person, that making love was just a whole other thing. What he and Zoe had proved it true, he was sure on that.
Now, they were back in his home town, that ought to be hers too, in some ways. It was amazing enough being with Zoe in New York, Wade didn't think it could get any better, but walking around Bluebell hand-in-hand with this woman, waking up beside her in his own little gatehouse, it was some kind of magic. Wade could honestly see this being his life forever and never wanting to change it. Shame then that it wasn't quite so simple.
Zoe had sure been enjoying her time in Bluebell. She hadn't actually said she wanted to stay, to take on her half of the practice and call 'Bama home on a permanent basis, but she also hadn't said a definite no on the subject either. Mostly, Wade chose not to mention it at all, to live in some kind of misguided hope. Brick asked once, George mentioned it in passing a couple of days back, but for the most part Zoe was left alone to enjoy her time in Bluebell without pressure, and she looked real good doing it too. She always looked good, Wade knew, because as attractive as she was on the outside, she had the kind of beauty that came from the inside too, where it really mattered.
"Hey," she said as she opened her eyes and caught him staring then. "You do know watching people sleep is a little creepy, right?"
"And here was me thinkin' it was romantic or somethin'," Wade told her, leaning down to kiss her lips. "You know, like that Aerosmith song you love."
"That is true," Zoe considered, "but I like the song you wrote for me even better," she promised him with a wide smile.
"That, Zoe Hart, is a real good answer," he told her definitely.
The kissing resumed and soon turned into rolling around under the covers like the passionate lovers they were. It was an hour before they actually surfaced and were ready to face the day. Even then, Zoe was reluctant to leave Wade's bed, but frankly, she was going to cease functioning without some coffee and food soon.
"Besides," she told him as she pulled on her clothes, "I told AB I would meet her for lunch later and Rose was asking if I could help her out with choosing a dress for her school dance at some point."
"Look at you." Wade chuckled from his place still stretched out in bed watching her, arms crossed behind his head on the pillow. "You are becoming quite the social butterfly, doc. Bluebell sure has got you wrapped around its finger already."
"It has not!" she protested, even though she knew he had a point. "The people are just all so nice, you know? They treat me like some kind of princess, partly because I'm Harley Wilkes' daughter, partly because they never thought they'd see the day when you took a relationship seriously," she said, giving him a look.
"I ain't questioning how special you are, Zoe," he assured her. "I just think it's kinda nice, you settling in so well and all."
"Yeah, it is nice," she agreed, smiling all over her face. "What would be even nicer was if you got your butt out of bed and came to breakfast with me up at the house. You just know Lavon and Lemon will be wondering what's keeping us."
"If they can't guess then they don't know me as well I thought." Wade smirked, gently kicking her in the butt as she walked by the end of the bed.
"Hey!" she complained, picking up his shirt from the floor and throwing it at him even as he laughed. "Get dressed and come to breakfast," she told him, mock sternly, having a hard time keeping a straight face, truth be told. "I'll meet you in the kitchen."
"I'll be there, sweetheart!" Wade called behind her as she let herself out of the gatehouse and rushed off to the house.
Heaving a sigh, Wade finally got himself up out of bed and looked around for his pants. Before he managed to find them, his cell started up ringing on the nightstand.
"Seriously?" he asked the phone as it vibrated and danced on the surface. "Who in the hell...?" he muttered, picking it up to see Bradley's name on the screen. "Brad," he greeted him a second after accepting the call. "What's goin' on, man?"
"Wade?" he called back at him. "You sound weird."
"I got you on speaker," he explained, hopping on one foot to try and get into first his underwear and then his pants. "I just this second got outta bed and my girlfriend is waitin' on me for breakfast, so whatever you need me for, maybe you could say it fast. You forget I was on vacation here?"
"I didn't forget, Wade," Bradley assured him, "and trust me, I wouldn't have called if it wasn't urgent."
"Urgent, how?" asked Wade from across the room where he had finally located the shirt he wanted.
"Wade... well, look, I'm just going to tell you how it is, because keeping secrets is not my style," said Bradley then, making Wade frown more than a bit. "The album isn't exactly selling like we hoped. There were some pre-orders, not as many as we expected, but we figured come release day, it'd pick up, and with all the promo stuff and everything... but it just hasn't happened. I mean, we're maybe going to make enough to cover costs but it's looking like that might be it. Sales have just dropped right off, and I don't think last night's incident is exactly going to help matters."
"Incident?" Wade echoed, too stunned to move from the spot across the room yet, even though picking up the phone might've been a good plan by now. "You mean like an accident or somethin'?"
"Oh, this was no accident," Bradley told him, letting out a hollow laugh. "You know how Mark has been the last few weeks? Well, he and Clayne got into it at the club last night. Right in the middle of the dancefloor, he takes a swing at the guy, almost knocks him completely on his ass."
Wade didn't mean to laugh, he really didn't, but the whole scenario did just sound so bizarre. He covered his mouth with his hand and hoped Bradley hadn't heard anything he shouldn't, but honestly, he wasn't exactly shocked to hear Mark got fist happy. The guy had form for that kind of thing back in the day. Sure, he calmed down a lot once he was grown, but when his temper flared, it really went off with a bang.
He never did make any serious attempt to step on Wade's toes, because he knew what he'd get if he did. He was actually surprised he got that brave with Clayne, because that guy could give as good as he got too. Of course, he had more of a head on his shoulders than most and probably would've tried not to make too much of a scene given the circumstances.
"Wade?"
"Still here, man," he told Bradley, shaking his head clear of too much thought. "Ah, so, Sippin' Whiskey ain't doin' so well reputation wise nor selling album wise. That's the whole story, right?"
"Pretty much." Bradley sighed. "I'm sorry to have to tell you all this, Wade, and ruin your vacation, but you deserved to know the truth."
Taking a deep breath, Wade finally crossed the room and picked up the cell, clicking it off of speaker and putting it to his ear. He had his back to the door and didn't even see Zoe coming back up the steps. Never even heard her open the door as he told Bradley just exactly what he thought of the current situation of the band.
"Look, Brad, the truth is, if this whole music career thing died it's death tomorrow, I'm not so sure I'd cry about it, not any more. I mean, sure, the money's nice and all the attention wasn't so bad for a while. I got to see the big city and be a real-life guitar hero, whatever. Fact is, my life has changed more in the last six months than I ever could've imagined. Bein' back here in Bluebell with Zoe and all... makes me wonder if I shouldn't just give up the whole rockstar, big city thing and just come on home for good."
The gasp behind him made Wade turn real fast, in time to see Zoe back out of the door again and set off at a run. A couple of choice curse words escaped his lips and then he was apologising to Bradley and scrambling into a pair of boots.
"I'll call you back later, but right now, I gotta go," he told his manager, ending the call and yelling for Zoe as he started to run after her.
Much like the last time she decided to hear half a story and bolt, she was already long gone.
Zoe's head was spinning. One minute she was perfectly happy and contented, making love with Wade Kinsella, loving being in Bluebell, wanting nothing more than a cup of coffee and some breakfast, before spending a long, lazy day with friends and loved ones. She had no idea how much could change in just five minutes.
Honestly, she ought to be used to shocks by now. She certainly had enough of them lately. Still, hearing what Wade had said, about giving up his career and his whole life in New York to move back to Bluebell permanently, with her, no less, it had kind of blown her mind.
On automatic, she staggered back towards the main house, not even thinking about the fact Wade might follow her there. It wasn't that she really wanted to get away from him anyway, it was just that she needed some breathing space and a few minutes to process.
"Well, Zoe Hart, what are you doin' back again and without your man in tow?" asked Lemon as she re-entered the kitchen.
"Hey, Z?" Lavon prompted when she didn't react, his expression full of concern when Zoe finally looked at him. "What in the heck happened to you?"
Lemon came over to Zoe then, putting a hand on her shoulder and guiding her to a seat. "Well, bless my soul, you look just awful. Did you take a fall out there? Did that crazy Burt Reynolds frighten you?"
"No." Zoe shook her head, swallowing hard and trying to find focus. "I just... I went over to the gatehouse to hurry Wade along, like we said. He was on the phone to Bradley, the band's manager."
"He have some bad news or somethin'?" Lavon asked curiously, taking a seat across the counter from his friend.
"No. Well, yes," Zoe reconsidered. "I mean, I don't know exactly. I didn't hear much of what he said. He was on speaker, but then Wade picked up the phone to talk to him. He said... he said he didn't really care what happened with the band. He was talking about being happy just to give it all up, being a rockstar, living in New York, everything."
She looked at Lemon, who in turn looked at Lavon, though nobody seemed to know exactly what to say. Eventually, it was the mayor who found a few words.
"Well, I don't... I mean, it's not like Wade would really give up everything like that. I know he wants to be in New York, because that's where you are."
"Except I'm not," Zoe reminded him, "or at least, I don't have to be."
"If you take Harley's share of the practice alongside Daddy," said Lemon knowingly, sinking down onto the stool next to Zoe's own. "Is that what you wanna do?" she asked carefully.
Zoe opened her mouth to answer that and then closed it again, feeling uncertain. Sometimes, she seriously considered it. There were moments when she wondered why she was even pretending like she wanted to go back to New York. Bluebell was so great. It was Wade's home, it was her natural father's birthplace too. She had so many friends here, practically like family. It was comfortable and familiar and nothing at all like New York, but she loved it, loved it like home, and yet.
"New York is all I know," she said helplessly. "I was born and raised a city girl, trained to be a surgeon, to work in a hospital, I don't... I just don't know if I can give all that up," she said, looking to Lavon for help. "You understand, right?"
"I guess, maybe," he considered. "'Course, everything was kind of the other way around for me. All I knew was Bluebell and small town livin' before I made the big time in football. Big cities and fame and fortune and all, it ain't no bad thing," he said with a grin, "but what made me the happiest in the end was coming right back home. I ain't sayin' I don't love my football or that I'm not glad for the career I had, 'cause that'd be a lie, but when it comes down to it, home is what matters, and family, and folks that love you."
He was right of course and Zoe nodded her head in understanding of every word he said. Still, what was right for Lavon wasn't necessarily right for her, and as he said, his situation had been reversed. He gave up Bluebell and all he knew for a while to be rich and famous in playing football and everything, before deciding to return home when all that was over.
For Zoe, it would mean leaving her career and starting anew, away from the only blood family she had left and the friends and colleagues she knew in New York. Of course, she would be gaining a lot too. A different kind of family, but one that could matter just as much, a job that could be just as fulfilling as the one she left behind, maybe even more so.
"Zoe?" Lemon prompted, her hand at her elbow.
"I'm okay," she said, finding her friend a smile. "I promise, I am. I just really need to think about all this before I talk to Wade again. It's a big decision and I think I've been putting it off for way too long already."
"Well, whatever you decide, I know he'll understand," said Lemon kindly.
"I'd count on that," Lavon agreed easily. "Never did think I'd live to see the day when Wade Kinsella might just settle down with anybody, but then he brought you here, Z. If he ain't head-over-heels, 24 carat, stone-cold in love with you, then he's doin' a real fine job of makin' it look like he is."
"And trust me, for all that Wade is and has been," said Lemon with a look, "he is just lousy at lyin'."
Zoe laughed at the way she said it, knowing it was true. Wade was as honest as the day was long and she loved that about him. She loved everything about him, actually, which is what had her so worried. If they chose wrong here, if they couldn't agree on the next step in their life together, then maybe they would be making that next step in opposite directions, and that was the very last thing Zoe wanted.
To Be Continued...