Hey all! The final 3 chapters will be posted next week, to wrap this one up. I hope everyone has a good weekend and I will be back on Monday with a new chapter.

Enjoy!

"Hey mom," Jack said, taking the seat across from his mom in her office at the practice.

"What's going on?" She asked, closing the file she was making notes in. "Is everything okay?" She asked with a frown. It's not very often that Jack shows up at the practice to see her. Not unless it's something that is serious that he wants to talk about.

"I was wondering if I have to have a huge Bar Mitzvah?" He asked, looking nervous. Unlike his sister, he doesn't want to have a huge party with the whole town. He'd be more comfortable having a small party with a few of his friends than anything else. "I can do the ceremony, but do I have to have a party?"

"Jack, we can do whatever it is you want. You don't even have to have a Bar Mitzvah if you don't want one. That choice is yours to make," she let him know. "And at any point down the road that you want to have one you can," she assured him.

"Really?" Jack asked. "That's allowed?"

"Yes, it's allowed," Zoe laughed. "Do you know what you want to do for your birthday instead?" She asked, looking at the time to see if it was quitting time for her yet.

"We can't maybe cancel the family dinner, can we?" He asked with a smirk, looking exactly like his father at the age of 13.

"Unfortunately for you, no it can't be, your sister is coming to town for it," she informed her son.

Sofia had made a life for herself in Tallahassee, Florida. This year instead of living in the dorms, she rents an apartment with a friend she made within the first few days of her Freshman year of college. Sofia is struggling between school, and work. Zoe knows for a fact that her daughter is going to parties when she should be using the time to study, but her daughter is an adult and it's her choice on what it is she wants to do in her downtime.

It would be the first time Sofia has returned home since the middle of summer vacation for a week before she was needed to be back at work. Sofia wouldn't be staying long, leaving the day after Jack's birthday, bright and early.

"I thought so," Jack nodded. "I don't know, can I do, maybe, laser tag with a few friends?" He asked, turning hopeful eyes on his mom.

"Do you want it as a party, or just hanging out with some of your friends?" She asked.

"Can it just be hanging out with friends? Can we do the whole cake and presents with just us?" He asked, with hopeful eyes. Ever since he got older he doesn't much care about birthday presents or birthday parties. He prefers to hang out with his friends doing their own thing.

"We can," she nods. Zoe had learned early on that there isn't much she wouldn't do to make her kids happy. And giving her son the birthday he wants, isn't all that hard to figure out.

"Thanks, mom," he said, getting up. "Is it alright if I go to Kelly's house and have dinner over there?" He asked, giving his mom a small pout.

"As long as Kelly comes over to our house this week for dinner," she told her son.

Kelly lives across the street from them. Jack has been friends with her since they were little kids. Much like Wade had been Zoe's best friend growing up, the same is said for Kelly and Jack. She always thought that her son and Kelly made a cute couple, but the only one she ever voiced that too is her husband, because she didn't care that everyone around town wanted her and Wade together, whether she was with Graham or not. The very last thing she wanted was to make her son feel like he couldn't be friends with Kelly because he can't just be friends with a girl.

"I'll let her know," he nodded. "Love you, mom," he said on his way out.

"Love you," Zoe called after him. Taking another look at the time, she started to pack up, turning things off, deciding to end her shift a few minutes early. It's not like she's the only one working, so it wouldn't be like the practice stood without a doctor.

"This is a lovely surprise," Wade commented, filling a glass of wine for his wife.

"As it should be," she smiled, leaning into the kiss from her husband. "Jack is eating dinner over at Kelly's house," she informed Wade.

"Okay, dinner is coming up," he smiled, heading off to put their order in, knowing that Zoe's normal hasn't changed since they started to date.

While Wade put in the order for their dinner, Zoe moved to a table, waiting for her husband to join her. It's very rare for them to have a family dinner with Jack. He's normally over at a friend's house, or he was at practice. He's determined to make the varsity football team when he's just a freshman in high school.

"Did he talk to you about his birthday?" Wade asked, taking a seat across from his wife. "He asked me, but I wasn't sure what to tell him and sent him your way," he informed her.

"He did," Zoe nodded, taking a small drink of her wine. "He takes after you in that regard," she stated. "Prefers to hang out with his friends instead of having a party, to celebrate turning a year older."

"That's because a birthday party is a waste of time," Wade laughed. "The few times I had a birthday party, I ditched it so I could hang out with my best friend. That's all I wanted for my birthday," he smiled, reaching across the table to take her hands in his. "And all these years later, my only wish came true."

"You have me, Wade, no need to pull out the cheesy lines now," Zoe giggled.

"Is it cheesy when it's the truth?" He asked. Zoe nodded, because yes it is. "I love you, Zoe."

"As I love you, Wade," she told him, moving her glass of wine to lean over the table to share a kiss with him without spilling her wine all over the table.