SURPRISE!
Hey! Turns out there was a bit more that I wanted to add to this. The ending wasn't very up to par on what I would have liked and this chapter is more the vision I had in mind when I started this whole story. Figured it was only right to give you this ending as well. I promise this will be the last very last chapter.
Enjoy!
Wade stepped out of the office his therapist was located in Mobile, a smile stretching across his face as he walked down the sidewalk to where his family was waiting for him. Nine years ago, he would have never imagined his life turning out this way. Back then, he was so devastated over the loss of his late wife, that he would have never thought about finding love again. Thought his chance at love was gone because he couldn't imagine loving anyone other than Olive. And he went entering her life because he couldn't handle the pain of losing the one person he's loved his whole life. She gave him a friendly smile and helped him out when he knows he would have never done the same thing for her.
Zoe Kinsella née Hart showed him more compassion in one night than he had allowed himself to feel in days. In many ways, she had been the one to save him. That's not why he's with her. Over time, they have become the best of friends, building upon the foundation of what has been the best friendship he's had in a long time. Every day, she makes him want to be better for her, for their kids, and most importantly for himself. No day is a guarantee, and he understands now how important it is to show those you love that you love them every single day.
"Daddy, watch this!" Chloe exclaimed, pumping her legs harder, checking to make sure her dad was still watching her, before she took a deep breath and jumped off the swing. Giggles followed her through the air as she flew, landing on her feet.
"That's spectacular, sweetie," Wade smiled, once he knew for sure that his daughter was okay and back to swinging. He plopped down on the bench next to his wife. "Where's Alex?" He asked, looking around the park, not seeing his son.
"He got bored playing with his sister, so he took off for the basketball courts," she told him, motioning to the courts on the far-right side of the park. "It doesn't matter how many times I tell her to be careful, she still needs to go as high as she can and jump," Zoe sighed, watching Chloe jump again.
"Is he still pouting about his punishment?" Wade asked, glancing to the courts to see his son playing a game of pickup with a small group of teens. "She'll be fine. She's not really going that high," Wade retorted.
"Oh yeah," Zoe snorted. "He was trying to plead his case. Mom this or Mom that, and my favorite, Mom it's not fair," she told her husband, glancing at him, not wanting to lose track of her daughter playing with some other little girls on the slides.
Wade nor Zoe pushed Alex to call Zoe anything other than Zoe. When he started referring to Zoe as Mom instead of Zoe, they didn't make a big deal about it because it wasn't. They wanted Alex to decide on what he wanted to call Zoe. There are days when he uses Zoe as well as mom. Either one is fine with her. Chloe had a melt down about it one day. She got mad because she couldn't refer to Zoe as anything other than mom, and she didn't understand why Alex got to use first names when it came to Zoe. And they had sat her down and explained that he had a different mom. It took a bit of explaining for her to fully understand. Once she had understood, she gave her big brother a hug, saying she was sorry and that she'd happily share her mommy with him. Alex smiled, telling her thank you.
"I don't know what he thought was going to happen," Wade sighed, shaking his head.
Last week, they had been called to the school to talk about the behavior of their son. They couldn't figure out what Alex could have possibly done. He's never been one to cause any sort of trouble in school, outside of school with his friends is another story. He's on the basketball team and that requires him to be on his best behavior, keeping his grades up as well. Turns out it could have been worse, but he had gotten into a fight. Bullies are the worst and Alex had enough of one of his classmates belittling and picking on another student just because he could all because the kid thought it was funny, when it wasn't. Alex tried to stand by and do what he could without resulting in fighting. And it just exploded.
Alex was suspended from school for a week for fighting, and he would be benched for the next 4 basketball games. That had been his punishment at school. Once he got home, he didn't fare as easily. Video games were taken away for two weeks, and he's not allowed to drive, even though it's just his permit. He won't be going to get his license on his 16th birthday, but Alex needs to learn that there will always be some sort of consequences for his actions.
"He's learned his lesson and I think he should be given back his driving privileges. I know just how bad you want to share that with him, and why punish him longer than need be?" She asked, leaning into her husband.
"You might be right," Wade sighed, pressing a kiss to her head. "I might very well be doing it to be a little selfish. I do want him to grow up, but again I don't. I miss having that little boy who needed me to hold his hand to cross the street, or the little boy that would make a mess of himself out of an ice cream cone. I'm just not quite there to watch him grow up fully," Wade confessed, getting his feelings out over his son growing up.
"I get it, but you can't hold growing up against him," Zoe stated, kissing her husband's shoulder.
"I know," Wade sighed, dramatically. "I will think about it while I go play with our little monster," he stated, sharing a quick kiss with Zoe, running off to the playground to toss his little girl in the air, making her squeal with excitement.
Zoe smiled watching her husband run from their daughter as she pretended to be a dinosaur chomping at the caveman who is her father. When she moved to Alabama, she didn't think she would have a family. To have her dad in her life and to be on good terms with him, to have a loving husband and two amazing kids. Because she will forever see Alex as hers. She moved to get her life back to how she wanted it to be, and this life she lives is more than she could have ever asked for. She loves every minute of the chaos that ensues.
When it was time to leave the park, Chloe buckled up in the back seat of her car, she watched Wade cut Alex off on the passenger side of his pickup, giving his son the keys. Zoe's smile brightened, seeing the bright smile spread across Alex's face. While the boys headed on home to Bluebell, Zoe had a few things to do before leaving Mobile and Chloe wanted to go with Mommy to do those little errands.
After dinner, they sat around outside, Wade pulling his guitar out to play all songs requested by those he loved greatly. Zoe sat back and let the kids pick the songs they wanted to hear their dad play. She didn't much care what the song was, enjoying the way her husband's voice soothed her. It had taken Wade a few years to pull his guitar out, the pain being too much to deal with. But as he moved on with his life, he found that playing and singing soothed him in ways it never has before. He'd always sing for Alex when he requested a bedtime song and for Chloe, but those were far and few in between.
It wasn't much longer when Chloe fell asleep in her chair. Wade stopped the music as he got his daughter up to her bed and covered up. When he made it back outside, Zoe sat in the backyard by herself. He had met Alex as he headed inside, saying he was going to bed, but Wade's certain he's going to spend a few hours playing video games online with his friends. He kissed the top of Zoe's head, handing her a glass of wine he brought out for her, plopping down next to her with a bottle of water.
"Done for the night?" Zoe asked, looking at her husband as he lazily strummed the strings.
"Not if you have any requests," Wade smirked, meeting his wife's brown eyes. Zoe shook her head.
"Can't say I do," she told him, sipping her wine. Something she has grown more accustomed to the longer they have been together.
Wade smiled, finding the right guitar chord needed to sing some love ballads to his wife. Watching Zoe smile and laugh is all he needed to end his night on a happy note. Finishing one song, he would jump right into another love song. They lost track of the time as they sat outside, Wade singing one love song after another.
"Dance with me," Zoe said, standing up, holding her hand out for her husband.
"How could I ever refuse an invitation like that," Wade smirked, placing his guitar down, taking his wife's hand.
Getting up, Wade gave Zoe a spin, electing a slew of giggles from her. Wade pulled her close, holding on to her hip, tightly. Zoe's fingers gave his shoulder a squeeze as they danced around the backyard, avoiding any toys that hadn't been put away. A feat in itself.
The longer they danced under the stars, the more relaxed they became. Wade's hands resting on her hips, Zoe's hands wrapped around his neck, their foreheads pressed together. Zoe had her eyes closed as Wade sang softly under his breath.
Before he could finish the song, Zoe surged forward, pressing her lips against his, in a soft, slow kiss. Every kiss is better than the last kiss. A feeling of home, of being whole, filling them. Every kiss is filled with love and passion. As the kiss turned more heated, they moved to their room, remaining quiet as they did. While Wade got his guitar put away, Zoe snuck into Chloe's room, to whisper good night.
Declarations of love, being made against the other's skin as they came together as one, will always be the most wonderful feeling in the world. To be one with each other, nothing could beat it. Two people becoming one. To turn something that had been built because of something so tragic to pure love, there was no other feeling in the world. You can call it bliss. Pure bliss.
Their love is a one of a kind type of love because it's their love. Everyone's love is different and this is theirs, and they're going to embrace it, wholeheartedly.