(For disclaimer, etc. - see 1.)

14. Just The Three of Us
Characters/Pairings: Zoe/Wade, JT
'Verse/Timeline: Growing Up Kinsella Style - post-fic
Date: December 2012

Zoe hadn't realised how distracted she had become until Wade called her on it. It was pretty easy to spend quite a while just watching JT roam around the floor of their carriage house home, marvelling at all his Christmas gifts and having the best time with the boxes they came in half the time.

"Sorry, I was just thinking," she told Wade, leaning back into his embrace. "It's so weird to think that last Christmas we hadn't even met JT yet."

"We weren't even datin', doc," he reminded her easily, "though I was tryin'. You recall me asking you to go for a drink?"

"I do," she confirmed, nodding once.

"You recall giving me a rain check on that?" he asked next, kissing her neck and making her squirm in two very different ways.

"Yes," she was forced to admit, "but I had my reasons, Wade, and at the time, they seemed like good ones," she told him, turning to see his face. "You understand that, right?"

"Sure, I do, doc," he assured her, the fact he had been teasing plain as day now she could see him properly. "I figure maybe we just weren't ready for each other then. That's the way old Earl puts it anyhow."

"I think he's probably right," Zoe agreed, turning back to see the little boy they both loved so much wearing a piece of gift wrap on his head and giggling like a loon about it. "JT coming along made us all grow up a lot and he is worth the effort. For the record, you are too," she told Wade, sparing him another glance.

"Thank you," he said, surprisingly sincerely as he stole a quick kiss. "You know, it makes me wonder, if JT hadn't come along, you think you and me still would've got here?"

Zoe had to think about that one for a moment, but only a moment. "I think we probably would. You were already getting under my skin, Wade Kinsella. Of course, I wouldn't be without JT for all the world."

"Me either, but you know, I think we're gonna regret some of this stuff we bought him for Christmas," said Wade, wincing a little as JT hit the button on another electronic toy that loudly played one childish tune after another.

"I just love to see him having such a good time." Zoe giggled, though the music was a little much for her too. "To think he's been here almost a whole year now, it seems amazing, but then I think back and it seems weird that there was a time when he wasn't here."

"Sometimes seems weird to me to think there was a time when you wasn't here, Zoe Hart," said Wade then, pulling her around to face him one more time and kissing her deeply.

Zoe wasn't eager to get away, at least, not at first. She was shocked out of the beautiful moment when suddenly JT was closer than before, his hands hitting on Wade's leg and then Zoe's own.

"Dada! Mama!"

With wide eyes, Zoe pulled away from Wade to stare at the little boy. "Did he just...?"

"Pretty sure he did, doc," her boyfriend assured her.

Zoe pulled JT into her lap and hugged him tight. "Oh, sweetheart, you have no idea, but you just gave me the greatest Christmas gift ever."