Chapter 15

And that's how we got here: A concerned bridesmaid, a nervous groom, a very confused bride, and an angry bartender.

Final touches were being made, guests had started to arrive, and Lemon was running out of time to figure out a way to set Zoe straight. She knew that something was very wrong with Zoe and she needed to talk to her one on one.

-Ladies, I think I need a moment alone with the bride.

Zoe's mom may not have played a major role in the planning of this wedding, but ever since she touched down in Alabama, she had made her presence known and had given Lemon a run for her money in the bossy department.

-Lemon, we don't have time for any of that.

Zoe gave a pleading look to Lemon. She knew what Lemon was trying to do and Zoe was desperate for it. She needed to catch her breath. She hadn't slept a wink the night before. When she got home, all the ladies were already asleep. She spent the whole night thinking about what had happened with Wade. How had she managed to make the situation worse? The frenzy of the morning didn't distract Zoe, she kept running the conversation over and over in her head. She loved Wade. He loved her. She ran to him, she kissed him. It was the most amazing kiss. Wade had made her gumbo. Even back then, he was there for her, supporting her, loving her. She had spent so much time focusing on the bad, that she had pushed out all of the good. And there was so much good. They were meant for each other. She could forgive his infidelity. Deep down she knew he would never do it again. She trusted him, she trusted him with her life and her heart. But it was too late. She had made decisions and now she had to stand by those decisions. She could not break Jonah's heart. He had done nothing but love and support her. She loved Jonah too, but it didn't even come close to what she felt for Wade. She could tell Lemon knew what she was thinking and wanted so desperately to talk to her. She needed this.

-Mom, Lemon and I need a moment, please.

Candice had no clue what these two women had to discuss, but she knew her daughter was serious.

-10 minutes?

-10 minutes.

Candice, AB, Rose, and Magnolia shuffled out of the carriage house to go join the other guests.

-Zoe, what's wrong?

Zoe filled in Lemon on everything. She confessed it all. Lemon wasn't surprised and didn't know exactly how to feel. She knew Wade and Zoe were meant to be, but at what cost? She loved Jonah, he was family. Could she play a part in his heartbreak? In that moment, she knew what she had to do.

-Take that weddin' dress off.

-What?

-Take it off, get changed. I'll call Jonah.

-Wait, wait. Hold on.

-Zoe, we can't hold on anymore. You are out of time. You cannot marry Jonah. You're in love with Wade.

-I don't want to hurt Jonah.

-Neither do I but marrying him and then him finding out you were in love with another man the entire time is not exactly fair to him. It will hurt now, but it would be so much worse in the long run if you went through with it. You have certainly made a mess of things Zoe Hart, I can give you that.

Zoe was speechless. She watched Lemon reach for her phone and call Jonah.

-Lemon?

-Jonah, can you please come meet me at the carriage house?

-Um, I'm kinda in the middle of something here.

-Please, it's important.

-I'm on my way.

Zoe came out of her bathroom in her leggings and an oversized t-shirt, but her hair and makeup were flawless. The sight of her would be funny if what was about to happen wasn't so tragic. Jonah walked through the door and was surprised to see Zoe. Deep down he knew what was about to happen.

-I'll leave you to it.

Lemon gave Zoe a reassuring hug and she kissed her cousin's cheek before leaving them.

-I don't know where to start.

-The beginning is always a good place.

Zoe smiled at Jonah. He was always steady and comforting. Even now when she suspected he knew exactly what she was about to admit. She motioned for him to come and sit by her on the bed. He obliged.

-So the beginning huh? Ok well, it starts with a broken woman and an amazing man who was sent to get her through the most difficult time in her life. He was there for her. He made her laugh, held her when she cried, listened to her, comforted her. He helped that woman put the pieces of her life back together.

-Sounds like a great guy.

-He is.

-So what happens to them?

-They start to date and then they get engaged. The plan a beautiful wedding. But what the groom doesn't know is that the woman is not good enough for him.

-Zoe

-Jonah, I'm in love with Wade. I kissed him last night.

And there it was. He was not surprised, but this revelation hurt like hell.

-I could put that dress back on, I could walk down the aisle, I could say my vows and promise a lot of things to you today. But what I can't do you is give you my whole heart. That's not fair to you.

-Zoe, I know I pushed you in this relationship. I knew you wanted to go slow and even though I convinced myself you were ready for these next steps, deep down I knew you weren't. I was selfish too. I wanted all of you. That wasn't fair to you.

-Thank you Jonah.

-I guess we should let our guests know that the wedding is off?

-I guess. Jonah, I'm so sorry.

-Zoe, stop, we both played a part in this.

Jonah stood up and held out his hand. Zoe took it and they left to go confront their guests.

Not a single person at the wedding was shocked to hear the news. Lemon and Candice quickly teamed up to herd the guests out and hand back the gifts. Brick offered to take Jonah back to Mobile and he accepted. George, Tansy, and Rose worked to quietly take down all the wedding decorations. Lavon escorted Zoe back to her carriage house.

When Zoe left his place last night, Wade packed a bag and left town. He was not going to be around to watch this sham of a wedding. He wanted to get as far away from Bluebell as possible. He didn't know how long he would be gone for and he had no idea where he was going. He stopped at a roadside motel when exhaustion finally caught up to him. He plopped himself on the bed and fell into the deepest sleep.

He only woke when his phone started blowing up. Missed call after missed call: Dad, Dad, Lavon, Lemon, Lemon, George, Tansy, Tansy, Wally, Tom, Tom, Tom, Tom, Meatball, and the last name was a shock, Zoe. Were they all just checking up on him, making sure he was ok? He didn't want their sympathy today. But why was Zoe calling? He then opened up his text messages.

Dad: Son call me

Lavon: Pick up your damn phone!

Lemon: Where are you?

George: Dude, get back home now!

Tansy: You idiot

Wally: Wade, come home. Are you drunk? Do you need a ride?

Tom: Come back

Meatball: Lemon is hot!

Zoe: I didn't marry him.

Wade had to rub the sleep out of his eyes before he would even let himself believe what he had just read. They weren't calling to check up on him, they were calling him to let him know Zoe and Jonah cancelled the wedding. And if they were all calling him it was because they knew why the wedding was canceled. She did it. He can't believe she had done it. He didn't know whether to call her or just go see her. This was it, this was finally happening. He was getting her back and he knew he was never going to let her go. He grabbed his things and sped down the highway.

Zoe had run to find Wade, but she walked into an empty gate house. Lavon wasn't far behind.

-Where is he?

-I don't know. We've all tried calling and texting him. No response.

Zoe whipped out her phone and tried to call him, no answer and so she texted. She was afraid he had shut his phone off and she was hoping he would at least see her message pop up. He had to come back. Wherever he was, he had to come back to her. Lavon brought Zoe home and asked her if she wanted him to wait with her. She said no. She was okay to be alone. But deep down she knew she wasn't going to be alone for long. She believed Wade would come back. She knew it in her bones.

Zoe was pacing around her place, chewing on her manicure. She couldn't sit still and she couldn't stay cooped up inside. She had to go find Wade herself. This was taking too long. She grabbed her phone and keys and as she walked out her front door, she slammed right into his chest.

-Wade!

-Where do you think you're going?

-To find you.

-You found me.

-I didn't mar..

Wade cut her off with his lips. They slammed into each other and he guided her back into the house never once stopping their kiss. He was finally where he was meant to be, with Zoe. This time he knew she wouldn't pull away. There were no more obstacles. He had fought for her and she had come to her senses. He didn't care how it happened, only that it did. Zoe kept trying to apologize between their kisses, but he didn't want to hear any of it. She had forgiven him for his infidelity and he had forgiven her for her reluctance to get right back together with him. They had both caused each other an enormous amount of pain. But now they were back together and he didn't care how they got here, only that they were here.