Hey all! Welcome to day 3. A quick reminder, italics means a flashback. Bold italics is a flashback within the flashback.
Disclaimer I don't own the characters or the places used within Hart of Dixie, nor do I own the movies mentioned.
Enjoy!
"Is there a reason we're sitting off by ourselves?" Wade asked, having spotted Zoe sitting in the back of the Jammer. Taking one look at her he knew something was wrong. He should have asked her what was wrong, but this thing they started, they were still trying to work around it and he didn't want to come off as being too overbearing. Sure friends care for each other and as her friend he wants to know what's wrong so he can fix it, but it is a fine line they're playing with, without a lot of details to go on. Playing it safe is for the best.
"I'm mad at myself," she sniffled, wiping at the semi-dry tears on her cheeks. How he missed she had been crying he doesn't know, but he will start paying a bit more attention to her and what she's going through, so he can be there for her.
"Why are you mad at yourself?" He asked, moving from sitting across from her to sitting next to her, so he can comfort her. He could feel Zoe relax into his embrace. He kissed the top of her head. "Whatever the reason, I am sure we can fix it," he whispered into her hair.
"I broke my necklace," she told him softly.
"Where is it, and I'll see if I can get it fixed for you," Wade offered. He knows the necklace, played with it hanging around her neck the other day while things were getting hot and heavy after a game of dreidel.
"Ethan gave it to me for a bat mitzvah gift," she told him. She had got it in the mail a week before her 13th birthday, her mom made her wait until the day of her bat mitzvah to open it. "Other than the memories, it's all I have left of him. He was my dad for 11 years, that won't change, and I just miss him," she confessed. "Does that make me a bad daughter to my dad?" She asked, referring to Harley.
"No, Zoe, it doesn't make you a bad daughter. Harley will understand your feelings. Ethan was a part of your life, of course, you're going to miss him," Wade told her hoping to ease her mind.
"Maybe," Zoe sighed. "Enough of that," she smiled, looking at a clock. "We've got another hour before my dad gets home, wanna make the most of it?" She asked, biting her lip.
"Do I?" He asked, smirking devilishly, pulling her to him.
Offering to fix the necklace was the right call to make. Telling her that it was a lost cause, would be stupid along with telling her that she's crying over a silly necklace. To Zoe it's more than a necklace, it's the last link she has to Ethan. He's going to do what he can to help ease the pain she's feeling over her necklace breaking.
"It's at home," she told him. "You wouldn't mind?" She asked him.
"Not one bit," he promised her. "I'll do everything I can to fix it for you, I promise," he said, giving Zoe his word.
"You're kind of the best," she told him, letting Wade help her from the booth.
"More like the best," he smirked, tossing his arm around her shoulders as they left the Rammer Jammer.
The walk from the Jammer to Zoe's house was filled with small talk. Zoe uses the time to fill him in on her school work. The same work he has yet to do. It'll get done, seconds before the bell rings for class on the day it's due. He's tried to be better at his school work, and with Zoe's help he has been, but there are times where he skips doing his work, he can't skip football practice.
"Dinner and a gift?" Zoe asked, entering the house to see the table set, with dinner candles waiting to be lit. The aromas coming from the kitchen were making her mouth water, ready to taste the savory smells mixing in the air. "Aren't I the luckiest gal in all of Bluebell?" She asked, walking up behind Wade, pressing a kiss to his shoulder blades.
"If this makes you the luckiest gal in Bluebell, what does the bubble bath waiting for you upstairs make you?" Wade asked, looking over his shoulder at his girlfriend.
"Someone that doesn't deserve her boyfriend," she quipped out, resting her forehead on his back. "Tell me that you have enough time before dinner is ready to join me in the tub?" She pleaded with him.
"You deserve me, Doc, don't you ever forget that," he told her, turning around in her embrace. "I do have the time. I'll join in a few minutes," he promised, kissing her forehead.
"Never," she told him, meeting him for a real welcome home kiss, engaging in a heated kiss. "I love you," she breathed out, his forehead resting against hers.
"As I love you," he told her. "Now go enjoy your bath before it gets too cold," he said, shooing her off to the bathroom.
Rolling her eyes, she walked backwards, plucking the small blue and white striped bag off the table. "I'm taking this with me," she told him.
"Jokes on you, the gelt is already next to the tub with a glass of wine," he shouted after her. "The bottle is there as well," he tacked on, knowing his girlfriend.
Once everything was taken care of and not going to burn while they were relaxing in the tub before dinner, Wade grabbed a bottle of beer, preferring beer over wine. He took his time, no matter how badly he wants to relax with his girlfriend. He stopped in the doorway, smiling at his girlfriend, seeing her laid back in the tub, eyes closed, half her glass of wine finished, gold gelt wrappers laying in a pile.
"Work that bad today?" Wade asked, sitting on the edge of the tub, taking a pull of his beer.
"You could say that again," she sighed, keeping her eyes closed. "Everything that could go wrong went wrong," she shared, glancing at him. "A bath sounded relaxing and I didn't know how true that would be until I was submerged in the hot water," she told him, sinking further down into the water.
"I won't say it again," he teased, picking the gift up. "You haven't opened it yet," he said.
"I've been trying to figure out what it is," she shared, picking her glass of wine up. "Haven't the foggiest idea what it could be," she told him, downing the wine in her glass. "You've got it wrapped so that it doesn't even make any noise when you shake the bag," she said, smiling at him as he poured more wine into her glass.
"Open it, ya goof," he chuckled, handing her the bag.
"Bossy much?" She asked teasingly, taking the bag. To torment Wade, she slowly opened the bag, taking the tissue paper out, to reveal what the gift is. "Wade," she whispered.
"For someone that isn't even your girlfriend, you're sure going through a lot of trouble," Jesse said, standing in the kitchen.
"Welcome home, brother," Wade snapped, taking a calming breath, he set back to work fixing the clasp on Zoe's necklace. He tried to forget that his brother was standing behind him. "Could you get lost before she gets here?" Wade asked through gritted teeth.
"Why?" Jesse asked the smirk coming out in his tone of voice.
"I don't know, you seem to be so good at getting lost lately," he retorted.
"Real original, Wade," Jesse retorted, leaving his brother alone.
Sighing Wade carefully wrapped Zoe's necklace up, shoving it in his pocket, he took off. He stopped short seeing Zoe waiting for him at the end of the driveway. He's not embarrassed about her being in his house, she's been in there before. Knows how his dad is, knows all about Jesse taking off and only coming back when he needs something. She doesn't hold any of it against him and treats him the way he wishes others would treat him.
"I was waiting for the all-clear," she told him when he reached her. "I saw Jesse enter and I didn't want to get in the middle of that," she confessed, kicking at the dirt.
"Don't worry about it," he told her, slipping his hand into hers. "You've been out here the whole time?" He asked, leading her away from his house.
"No, I was at the North Pole making sure Santa had your present," she retorted, bumping him with her shoulder.
"How is good ol' Saint Nick?" He asked, swinging their conjoined hands around her to rest his arm on her shoulders.
"Impressed with how good you've been lately," she answered dryly. "Have you made any headway with my necklace?" She asked, reaching up to her neck to fiddle with a necklace that isn't there, before dropping her hand.
"Want to take a trip with me to Mobile?" He asked, stepping around the question she asked him. The question itself isn't what he's avoiding. It's more to do with him not wanting to tell her that he hasn't made any progress in fixing it. "I don't have what I need to fix it," he told her, wanting her to be at ease a little. "We can make a day of it. Get dinner and watch the sunset," he suggested. Using the excuse that he doesn't want to be at home, to spend time with Zoe, not that he would ever need an excuse to spend time with her.
"It's a date," she smiled, turning around with him to get his car. "We just have to stop by the practice so I can let my dad know," she informed him.
"Got it," Wade nodded, kissing her temple. He has this little problem of not being able to not kiss her when he feels like it. They haven't defined what they are, but she hasn't moved away from the kisses. He's content with what they have, as the last thing he wants to do is rush her into something they're not ready for, ruining their friendship.
"I don't want you to think that I'm trying to replace the one Ethan gave you," he started to explain to her. "I've noticed that you haven't been wearing that one and thought maybe that you'd like to have a new one this year," he finished explaining.
"The clasp broke and I realized it was time to retire the necklace, but that didn't mean you had to run out and get me a new one," she told him softly, eyes tracing over the intricate design. The star is rose gold, filled with diamonds going around both triangles that make up the star of David.
"I didn't run out and buy you one, I wanted to buy you one, Zoe," he assured her. "Every penny spent to spoil you this Hanukkah has been worth it," he promised, leaning down to pull her into a kiss.
"I didn't ask you to spoil me," she told him, placing the closed necklace box back into the bag.
"I didn't need you to ask for permission to spoil my girlfriend when I feel like it," he stated, grabbing her a towel. "We're not going to fight about this, Zoe. What we're going to do is," he said, wrapping her lithe body up in the towel, pulling her into his embrace. "Enjoy our night. I'm going to go get dinner on the table, and you're going to get dressed. After dinner, we'll light the menorah, and watch 'Mistletoe and Menorahs', 'Eight Crazy Nights', and a little 'Fiddler on the Roof'," he stated, not leaving any room for her to argue the night he has planned for them.
"Do you know that you make it nearly impossible to say no to you?" She asked, placing a kiss on the underside of his chin. "We're only watching 'Eight Crazy Nights' because you're obsessed with that movie," she pointed out, moving from his hold to get dressed in some comfy clothes for a night in with her boyfriend.
"It's only fair," Wade smirked, following behind her out of the bathroom. "I watch countless rom-coms, I need a small break when I can get one," he shared. "Don't be too long," he warned, heading to the kitchen to get their dinner finished and on the table.
Hearing Zoe coming downstairs, he lights the dinner candles. It may not be a night out, but those nights aren't the ones he looks forward to. Sure he likes people to know that Zoe is his and he's Zoe's. But there's something special about spending time at home having a date night in. It's those nights he cherishes the most.
"I don't think I told you how amazing everything smells," Zoe said, taking a seat at the table, her mouth-watering with the food filling the table in front of them.
"I would love to take credit for it," Wade started to say, joining her at the table. Beer for him and wine for Zoe in hand. "But your dad will give me away when we see him next," he shrugged.
"It's the thought that counts," Zoe told him with a small smirk, digging into the food.
"Wade," said Zoe, placing her hand atop of his. "You don't have to fix it. I understand and it won't hurt my feelings if I need to keep it in a jewelry box," she told him. The necklace may be important to her, but she has the memory of it and she doesn't need the reminder as well. Things break, and she's old enough to understand that not everything is fixable.
"I get that, but I can fix it," he promised her. "It's almost done as is, why stop now?" He asked, taking a look at Zoe. Once he got his hands on the right tools, fixing the necklace was a breeze. And it may look like he's not getting anywhere, but he does have the old clasp off, working on getting the new one placed on the chain. It should only be a few more minutes and he can give the necklace back to her, good as new.
"Even if you wouldn't have been able to fix it, I wouldn't have held it against you," Zoe assured him, picking a fry up to eat. "But who am I to stop you with it being so close to done?" She asked with a teasing smile.
"The owner of the necklace," he quipped, picking the necklace up. "So really the choice is up to you," he informed her. "I don't have to fix it if you don't want me to," he assured her.
"I feel naked without the necklace," she told him, giving him the only clue as to yes she wants him to fix the necklace.
"Naked, huh?" He asked, raising an eyebrow. "I'm sure we can go somewhere we can get naked," he winked. He laughed loudly, getting hit with a fry. "I'm just saying," he tossed out.
"You can keep that to yourself," she quipped at him, swiping a chicken wing from his plate. Wade stopped what he was doing to look at her like she grew a second head, not even caring about the wing she stole, rather concerned about the words she was saying to be untrue. "I'm not like the others Wade," she told him softly. "If that's what you want, well we can go back to being friends," she stated, eyes cast down at the food on her plate.
"Zoe Hart, I do not want anyone else. I respect you and your body. I knew what I was getting into when I fell for you, and I wouldn't change it nor will I," he stated, moving around the table, squatting in front of her, taking her hands in his. "I want you, not anyone else. Is that clear?" He asked, catching her eyes.
"Yeah, it's clear," she smiled.
"Any other surprises, I should know about?" She asked her boyfriend, curled up into his side as the credits on their first movie of the night started to roll.
"I guess you'll have to find out and tell me when this holiday of yours is over with," he quipped, ready to get started on the Adam Sandler movie.
"That will be a yes," she laughed, eating some popcorn. "All I need is you, Wade," she told him.
"Talk about being cliche," he chuckled, pulling her close for a hug, kissing the crown of her head. "Good thing I love my girlfriend, cliches and all," he told her in a serious tone.
"Don't even start with me, Mr. Cheeseball romantic," she retorted, looking up at him.
"Is this your way of saying we're made for each other? Two peas in a pod? A match made in Heaven? Soulmates? Do we go together like salt and pepper? Do I need to say more?" He asked, having trouble thinking of more. He figured Zoe would have cut him off earlier.
"Yes you do," she nodded, squeezing his leg. "I'm curious as to what else you are going to say," she laughed, playing with her necklace, it being too pretty to keep in the box.
"All the cliches, all the cheesy things out there, is what we are," he told her. "I'll take it all, the fights, the makeup, the cuddles, and everything else if it means I get to be with you," he whispered, gazing at her lips.
"Who knew that I have such a romantic sap as a boyfriend?" She teased, closing the distance between them, feeling his rough, dry lips against her soft lips.
"That fact doesn't leave this room," he warned, kissing her forehead.
"And if it does?" She asked, raising an eyebrow.
"There will be a punishment of some sort," he shrugged, not certain on what he could do, without punishing himself as well. Seeing his girlfriend happy, is all he needs. What the rest of the town thinks of him doesn't matter, just what Zoe thinks of him. She loves him, so he's doing something right. "Or none at all," he amended.
Wade sat behind Zoe as the sun started to fall below the horizon casting the night sky in an array of purples, oranges, and pinks. The sight is breathtaking, but not as breathtaking as the woman sitting between his legs, using him as a backrest. With Zoe transfixed on the sunset in front of them, he pulls her necklace out of his pocket, placing it around her neck. With Zoe holding her hair out of his way, he latches the clasps together, dropping the chain. Smiling Zoe tilts her head up to look at him. He wastes very little time in closing the distance between them to kiss her. Sharing kisses with Zoe is one of his favorite things to do. He's going to have to find a way to make her his girlfriend before the week is over.