A/N: Thanks for the latest reviews. This fic really has turned into a proper Zade love-fest at this point and I don't apologise for that. It's doing me good to write so much fluff! :)

(For disclaimer, etc. - see chapter 1)

Chapter 30

"Quick, put your hand here," said Zoe fast, grabbing a hold of Wade's hand and placing in on her swollen stomach. "Wait for it," she said, the moment he opened his mouth to tell her he didn't feel anything.

Truth was, he didn't mean to feel weird about it, and maybe he wouldn't have if they were at her house or his own home or whatever. Sure, there weren't too many people in the Rammer Jammer since they weren't officially open yet. Wade was just there to set up, along with a couple of other wait staff and a bartender, and Zoe had come along to spend a little time with him and stave off the boredom of being home alone while Harley did his rounds. She had been sat in a booth with a soda for a while as Wade moved around the tables, setting out salt and pepper shakers and menus and such. He got a real surprise when she suddenly appeared behind him and started putting his hands on her body all out of nowhere.

"Zoe, I don't..." he began to say, just as something seemed to hit his hand with way more force than he ever could've expected. "Woah, that was..."

"You felt it, right? That's her. That's my baby girl," said Zoe with the biggest grin on her face.

"That is amazing, Zo," Wade told her truthfully. "Kinda weird, but amazing."

"I know, right?" she laughed, seemingly happy enough to just stand there while Wade got the heck kicked out of his hand.

"Woah. She gonna be a soccer player or somethin'?" he asked then, pulling his hand away. "That's a heck of a leg she has there."

"Tell me about it. Sometimes she decides to do that inward instead of outward. Why do you think I have to pee so much sometimes?" Zoe rolled her eyes. "If she is a soccer player then my bladder is usually the ball."

"Hey now," said Wade then, crouching down some to address Zoe's bump rather than her. "You be nice to your momma, okay? She's doin' her best out here."

Zoe stopped laughing then, though the huge grin remained on her face.

"Thank you for that," she said, putting her arms around him as he straightened up. "Always taking care of me, huh?"

"That's what I'm here for." Wade shrugged, kissing her lips. "'Course, I'm also here to work," he told her, checking behind him to make sure neither the boss nor any workmates that might tell on him were paying them any mind. "Still, I guess I could take a break. We don't open for another ten minutes and I'm pretty much done here anyhow," he said of the tables all set and ready for customers.

Zoe led the way back to her booth and they slid into the seat together, Wade's arm around her shoulders like the most natural thing in the world. Honestly, that was how it had felt almost from the beginning with the two of them, and though Wade was sure some guys might be a little weirded out by the whole pregnant thing, it never really bothered him.

Of course, at the start, it hadn't been so obvious that Zoe was toting a kid around. Even when the two of them got serious, she wasn't showing an awful lot. It was in the past month she really put on some serious weight in front. From what she told him, they were in the third trimester now, which was the real tough part for a woman. All the trials of being weighed down and the pain that could bring on. Plus, there seemed to be a lot of hormone-related stuff to come. There hadn't been too many crying jags yet, but it was on the cards from what Zoe had been telling him. Wade so was not looking forward to that part.

"Wade? Are you even listening?" she asked him then, alerting him to the fact he had totally zoned out just staring at her.

"I'm sorry, baby," he said, shaking himself out of a daze. "Uh, you say somethin' about AB?"

"I did." Zoe nodded. "I sent her a text while I was sitting here bored and she replied. We've been going back and forth for a while and she's been telling me about some of her new classes this semester. Sounds like she's having a great time over at Auburn."

"Well, that's good, right?" asked Wade carefully, wondering if he missed some important detail when he wasn't entirely paying attention before.

"Sure, it's good for AB," said Zoe pointedly. "It's just... well, it was supposed to be good for me too. What I mean is, I was supposed to be in college, at Yale, right now and for two more years after that."

"Sure, I know that," Wade agreed, "but then junior here came along, so plans changed, right? I mean, I know you still wanna do the whole doctorin' thing just like your daddy somehow, but... well, I gotta be honest, Zo, I got no idea how that all works," he said, shaking his head. "Don't you have to go to school a whole lot to be a doctor?"

"Four years of college, another four of medical school," Zoe confirmed, nodding her head, "then a residency programme. It is a lot, and sometimes I think, all of that plus a kid, it's just going to be too much, you know?"

Wade watched her expression as she stared at the cell phone in her hands and sighed. He really wasn't sure whether Zoe was looking for him to agree with what she just said or fight her on it. Honestly, he wasn't so good at giving advice or anything in the first place. All he knew was he wanted Zoe to be happy, no matter what it took, so he figured maybe that was just the best thing to tell her right now.

"Look, Zoe, I know you had your heart set on bein' a supersonic space surgeon or whatever it is the great Dr Ethan Hart does for a living," he said, not at all offended when she laughed at the way he phrased himself. "And now, you say maybe you could be like Harley and work at the practice here in Bluebell and all. On top o' that, you got your little girl to think about, and sure, I get that it's all kinds of complicated figuring out a path through all of that stuff. But here's the thing, Zoe Hart, no matter what you wanna do, whatever path you choose to walk, I am gonna be right there with you, supporting you any damn way I can. You get that?"

It was supposed to be a good thing. The smile that was back on Zoe's face when she looked at him then made Wade believe maybe he had said the right words, but the tears in her eyes all but slayed him.

"Thank you," she said softly, visibly swallowing hard and clearly struggling to say more for a few seconds. "Seriously, Wade, you have no idea... It means everything to me that you just-, that you would just do anything to make me happy."

"Like I said, Zoe," he told her, leaning over to gently kiss her lips, "'s what I'm here for," he repeated, just a call went up and Wade was summoned back to work - after all, it was opening time.

"Go," Zoe told him, when he knew he looked regretful about having to. "I'm fine, I promise."

Wade nodded his agreement, stole one more quick kiss, then went rushing off to earn his pay. Zoe watched him hurry across the Rammer Jammer and found herself laughing and crying at the same time. He really was the best guy in the world. Well, actually he and Harley were the two best guys in the world, and in very different ways when it came to loving Zoe Hart.

She could not be more grateful for the way her father took on his role in her life without pause, despite the fact they had met each other so late. Still, when it came to Wade, Zoe was even more bowled over by his love and commitment. After all, he didn't owe her anything, he didn't have to do it, he just did.

"I don't know what we did to deserve him," she said, one hand moving gently back and forth over her bump, "but I'm so glad we found him... or that he found us, I guess," she said thoughtfully.

When the little one kicked out against her hand, Zoe took it as agreement. She couldn't doubt that her baby was going to love Wade or that he would love her just the same. It was kind of amazing knowing that, but for all that she was sure of the man in her life and the baby they planned to raise together, there were still an awful lot of unknowns to consider.

As her cell beeped in her hand, Zoe looked down at Annabeth's latest message and smiled a sad smile. College was on hold until at least September, and even then, Zoe wondered what she could feasibly do about it. She would be the mother of a three-month-old by then, living in Bluebell, Alabama, with Harley and Wade to help and support her, but that didn't answer the question of college in any way. There was no way she was going back to Yale, it just made no sense.

"They have colleges in Alabama," Zoe considered aloud, thinking immediately of Auburn where Annabeth was completing her courses. "There have to be others..."

The next moment, she was up out of the booth and waddling as fast as she could towards the door. She didn't even realise Wade had noticed her going by until he called her name.

"Where's the fire, sweetheart?" he checked, looking concerned about her being in such a hurry to leave.

"I'm fine, I promise," she swore, finding him a smile. "I just... I have some things to do at home."

"You can't walk all that way," he insisted. "Hold on a sec, let me talk to Wally, see if I can't skip out and drive you."

"No, Wade, you can't just-" she tried to tell him, only for another voice to cut in.

"I could drive you."

Zoe turned to see who was there, absolutely sure she had just imagined the offer she thought she had heard when she saw who must have made it. Shaking her head and belatedly realising her mouth was hanging open, Zoe sputtered some, not even managing to form a sentence before Wade got in before her.

"Uh, Tansy, you don't have to..."

"Maybe I want to, Wade Kinsella," his ex snapped at him, arms folded across her chest as she looked from him to Zoe. "Look, I'm headin' out now, so either you want the ride or you don't," she said snippily, "but I'm offerin' to help you out so the guy who plans on helping you raise that baby doesn't lose the job that earns him most of his cash."

She sounded so hostile for a woman offering to do a person a favour, but Zoe couldn't really believe she was going to come to any harm if she got into a car with Tansy. Wade's ex was pissed at Zoe when he chose her instead, but Wade himself had explained she was in no way violent or dangerous. Tansy Truitt wouldn't hurt a fly, far as he knew, at least, not so long as you never insulted her brothers within her earshot.

"Prob'ly best I don't skip out so soon into my shift," said Wade, looking sideways at Zoe. "You okay goin' with her?" he checked.

Tansy scoffed before Zoe could answer. "Like I'm not a better driver than you, Wade Kinsella," she said pointedly.

"Actually, she probably is," he confessed, rubbing the back of his neck.

"Then I guess I'm getting a ride with Tansy," said Zoe, feeling a little weird just saying it. "I'll see you later," she told Wade, moving to kiss him goodbye then thinking better of it as Tansy glared a little, and playfully punching him in the arm instead as she walked away.

Outside the Rammer Jammer, Zoe tried and failed to keep up with Tansy who strutted away towards her car with a purpose. She had the vehicle unlocked and was waiting with the passenger side door held wide open when Zoe got there.

"Thank you so much for this, Tansy. I really appreciate it," she said honestly, manoeuvring herself into the seat.

Tansy didn't say anything, just closed the door behind her and then moved around to climb into the driver's side. She pulled on her belt, glanced over to check Zoe had buckled herself, then put the key in the ignition to start the car. Just when Zoe was sure they were about to start moving, Tansy turned the engine back off again and heaved a huge sigh.

"I don't hate you, okay?" she said then, turning a little in her seat to look at Zoe. "I didn't like it much when Wade dumped me over you but... well, I guess that wasn't entirely your fault, and I wouldn't ever wanna stand in the way of a kid havin' his momma and daddy together. You should know, I had no idea you were havin' Wade's baby when we were-"

"Tansy, no," Zoe said fast, shaking her head. "Wade is not... I mean, he's going to help me raise my baby, but he and I, we hadn't even met when this happened," she said, gesturing to her pregnant belly. "Wade's not the father," she repeated, in case it wasn't clear. "But he is going to be the dad, if you see what I mean."

Tansy seemed to need a minute to process that and Zoe couldn't blame her. Seemed as if Wade's ex was one of those people in town just completely convinced that Zoe and Wade were together because of a baby they made together, never mind the fact that was wholly untrue. Of course, she figured he had a point about not bothering to go over and over it with any person who chose to believe their own theory, but when it came to Tansy, given the circumstances, Zoe felt it better to make sure she knew the whole truth, and believed it too, if possible.

"Wow," she said eventually. "I never thought... I mean, no girl in this town could ever get Wade to commit to as much as a second date before now, not for anything," she said, shaking her head, eyes wide with wonderment. "Now, you're tellin' me he gave up his wanderin' ways for you and for a kid that ain't even his own? That is... Well, I guess he really is in love with you, huh?"

"I hope so" Zoe told her with a smile, not really noticing that she was spinning her eternity ring around and around on her finger until she saw Tansy looking at the motion. "He says he loves me and seems pretty determined to prove it all the time. I know I love him, and if I could tell you how that happened, on either side, Tansy, then I would, but I really have no idea," she confessed. "It's just this weird thing that happened. Wade walked into my life and things just started changing left and right, in so many ways, I can't even begin to count. All I know for sure is that we love each other and that's just it."

Tansy nodded in some kind of understanding and then even smiled a little too.

"I hope things work out for you two... or three, I guess," she said, glancing down at the very noticeable bump between them. "Everything's okay with that, right? Sorry, I don't know whether he's a he or she's a she."

"She's a she," Zoe explained, "and yes, thank you, everything is fine. We had our 28-week appointment the other day and all is as it should be."

"That's good," said Tansy, nodding once. "I do mean that."

"I know," said Zoe easily. "So, not to be a pain, but you were going to drive me home and since I have bladder control issues lately, it's probably better for your interiors if we go now."

"Oh, right, sure," Tansy agreed, shaking herself into action.

Zoe sat watching her for a moment as she got the car into gear, checked all was clear, and then drove out of the Rammer Jammer parking lot, headed for the Wilkes place. If anybody had asked her a month ago, even a week ago, if she could see a time when she and Tansy were friends, Zoe would have called that person crazy. After all, Tansy was the girl Wade dumped in order to be with Zoe herself, but it seemed that Ms Truitt was more than capable of being mature about these things if she set her mind to it. Zoe wasn't sure why she was surprised by that. After all, she was having to grow up very quickly herself, making huge decisions, adjusting to the fact she would be a mother around three months from now.

"Ah!" Zoe winced then, her hand going immediately to her stomach.

"Oh my... Are you okay?" Tansy asked fast, eyes flying from the road to Zoe and back within a second. "Do I need to pull over?"

"No, no, I'm fine," Zoe promised. "It's normal, she's just moving around a lot today," she said of the baby. "Sometimes she kicks me somewhere painful, that's all. No problem. You know, I'm really grateful to you, Tansy. Not just for the ride home, though obviously, that's very kind," she explained. "You have every reason to be mad at me over Wade."

"You didn't ask him to date me when he was obviously already in love with you." Tansy sighed, concentrating on the road as she turned the next corner. "And you didn't ask him to dump me either. He did that all by himself, and yes, I am still mad at him for what he did," she said, finally arriving outside of the Wilkes house and parking the car up. "But like I said, none of it was your fault, Zoe Hart. I see that now."

"Well, thanks anyway." Zoe smiled. "Right now, I could use all the friends I can get. The ones I had in New York... I really haven't talked to any of them since I moved here. My dorm mate at Yale, Katie, she keeps in touch, but she's such a long way away, and even the people who live here, like AB and Lemon and George, they're in college most of the time. I know it'll be spring break soon, but that only lasts so long anyway."

"You need somebody to talk to, you can call on me," Tansy told her then, seemingly surprising herself as much as anyone. "I mean, I don't know so much about babies, and I sure as heck ain't as smart as you, with your goin' to college and wantin' to be a doctor and all but, you know, if you needed another woman to talk to..."

"Thank you, Tansy. Again," said Zoe with a chuckle. "Seriously, I really appreciate it."

"No problem." Tansy shrugged. "We should get you inside."

She hopped out of the car then and was soon at the passenger side, opening the door up for Zoe and offering her a hand out. For what felt like the hundredth time in a few moments, Zoe thanked her newest friend, and then waited outside to wave to her when she drove away. It was nice to have friendly neighbours and everything, something that Zoe never could've imagined when she was living in a New York apartment. Her life really had changed so much in the last few months.

"And it's not done yet," she said to herself, turning towards the porch steps and bracing herself for the climb.

Sure, she had to go to the bathroom before she did anything else, she had not been lying to Tansy about that, but then Zoe had other plans, potentially big plans. Life wasn't going to wait for her while she procrastinated, that was for certain. Time to get a jumpstart on what came next.

To Be Continued...