A/N: Look at all those lovely, suppotive, joyful revews. Thank you, reader-peops, you're fab! Now, please remember how much you love and trust me as you read this chapter, k?

(For disclaimer, etc. - see chapter 1)

Chapter 18

At first, Wade thought his prayers had been answered. No sooner had he got done telling Lemon how he was doubtless getting no time off to go visiting Bluebell, the very next day, Bradley upped and told him that the band was getting some real R&R after all.

Of course, the way their manager told it, it was not quite so simple as time to go home, go on vacation, and do whatever you please. Seemed they would still be needed for a few things - photoshoot for the album cover, possible interviews and such for when the promotion really kicked in - but there were not going to be any more gigs for a few weeks.

Apparently, the idea was to have Sippin' Whiskey not be around so much for a little while, so when news of the album surfaced, they would have created an even higher demand than already existed. Something about building the tension or whatever. Wade didn't care much about that side of things. He was just glad to know he was getting some time off on weekends.

All this meant that Wade was able to make more time for Zoe and whenever she was not on shift at the hospital, or sleeping off one of those very same shifts, they were pretty much together. Whether he was taking her out to a fancy restaurant or they were rolling around in bed together, there was no denying they were having a real nice time. Of course, such fun and good times could not last forever.

"Zoe, do we have to?" Wade complained from what had fast become his side of her bed. "Can't we just tell your momma we got other plans?"

"Are you kidding?" she asked, evading when he reached for her and wrapping her robe around her body. "We're talking about Candice Hart. Things she doesn't take well include excuses, rejection, and no for an answer," she reminded him with a look. "Besides, she helped you out a lot when you had that trouble with Alan McKenzie, or did you forget?"

"Like I could." Wade rolled his eyes. "But that doesn't mean I have to go to some party full of stuck-up people I don't know, does it?"

"They're not all stuck-up people." Zoe laughed at both what he said and the way he said it. "Gigi will be there and I'm pretty sure she's bringing Jonah Breeland. Plus, you know as well as I do that Mom talked to Bradley and said he should invite the whole band along. I mean, you would know better than I do if they're likely to show..."

"I don't know, maybe." Wade shrugged. "Still doesn't mean I wouldn't rather be right here alone with you," he said, reaching for her again.

Zoe backed up a step. "Uh-uh, no way, cowboy. I think you have had more than enough fun with me this afternoon. Now it's time to do the decent thing and be that Southern gentleman I know you can be for my mother, okay?"

Wade sighed heavily. "You drive a hard bargain, doc," he told her, even as he threw the covers aside and got out of bed. "Hey, if you need to take a shower, and I need to take a shower..." he said with a look that was unmistakable. "I'm just sayin', shouldn't we do our thing for the environment and all, save a little water?"

"Yes, because that's why you're making that suggestion." Zoe rolled her eyes.

Of course, he wasn't hearing any actual objections, and from the way she didn't protest at all when he put his arms around her and kissed her then, he suspected there weren't going to be any either. In fact, quite the opposite.

"I'm so sorry we're late," Zoe apologised as they entered the party.

She noticed that Wade could hardly contain the smirk that wanted to spread all over his face and smacked him in the arm, giving him the severest look she could manage so he would stop. After all, it was mostly his fault they were late in the first place, seducing her in the shower the way he did. He was a very tough person to say no to, Zoe had found. Not that she was exactly complaining about their activities, but she could use not having anything else for her mother to complain about.

"The important thing is that you're here now," said Candice, giving her daughter a kiss hello. "And Wade Kinsella too, how nice," she said as she looked at him, her tone suggesting she wasn't exactly being truthful about that.

Zoe chose not to make a big deal out of it.

"Okay, so, I think you know most people here, Zoe. Just do me a favour and circulate a lot, be sure to tell everyone who you are and what you are," she said with a look.

"Hi, I'm Zoe Hart, Candice's surgeon daughter," she pantomimed for her mother's benefit. "Something like that?"

"A little more natural, honey, please," Candice urged her, patting her face, before walking away to greet more guests.

"I really do appreciate what she did for the band and all," said Wade in Zoe's ear then, "but your mom is really..."

"Yes, I know," she told him before he could find too many suitable adjectives - she already had her own list and did not need the help. "So, she wants us to circulate, let's do that."

"Sounds great," Wade deadpanned.

Zoe just laughed, grabbed his hand, and pulled him into the fray. Honestly, she didn't mind doing as her mom asked, not least because when she got done telling people who she was, she got to tell them who Wade was too. As shallow as it may seem, Zoe did not mind at all that she was dating one of the hottest guys in the room or that he was an up and coming rockstar. Not a person at the party could fail to be impressed that she was doing so well both career-wise and romantically too.

"I could almost be jealous," said Gigi as they waited in line outside of the bathroom together, some time later. "You know, if I wasn't here with a sexy doctor of my own," she said, waving none too subtly at Jonah who was chatting with Wade by the bar.

"No, don't tell me you two are actually serious about each other?" Zoe checked. "Honestly, I didn't really think Jonah was the serious type with anybody, and you don't exactly have much sticking power when it comes to guys lately either."

"Who said anything about serious?" Gigi shrugged. "We're just having a good time. A really, really good time," she said with a wicked grin.

Across the room, Jonah saw the girls laughing together and chuckled himself. "What is it with women when they get together? They just have to talk about us, don't they?"

"Seems that way," Wade agreed, taking a drink from his beer bottle. "Not that it bothers me any. Zoe can say whatever the hell she wants, I got nothin' to worry about."

"Me either," Jonah shrugged easily. "I mean, I don't see Gigi has anything to be disappointed about, if you know what I mean. Well, except for the fact that I'm gonna be headin' home before too much longer."

"When you say home, you mean Bluebell?" Wade checked.

"Mobile mostly," his old buddy explained. "They need another pair of hands at the hospital there and, honestly, I'm gettin' a little tired of big city life. Figure I'll go back down south, work in Mobile, go see the folks in Bluebell."

"Yeah, that does sound like a fine idea." Wade sighed. "'S been too long since I last went visitin'," he admitted, rubbing his forehead. "I thought I could get away a while, since my manager gave us a break from gigs and all but, as it turns out-"

"Well, if it isn't the Alabama contingent!"

Wade looked around fast when he heard somebody yelling, surprised to find it was Candice Hart who was suddenly very close by and quite willing to throw an arm around him and Jonah both.

"Wow, you are a very enthusiastic hostess, Ms Hart," said Jonah awkwardly, obviously finding it difficult to set Candice back on her feet when she leaned on him so heavily.

'Drunk?' Wade mouthed to him over the woman's head.

'Oh, yeah,' he mouthed back, right before Candice got her footing.

"I have been hearing so much about the two of you lately, especially you, Wade," she said, leaning his way this time and breathing enough alcohol fumes on him, he would swear he got a little more drunk just from that alone. "Now, come on, why don't you dance with me? I can have them play something you'd like. Johnny Cash, maybe? Hank Williams?"

Wade honestly wasn't sure if she was kidding or not, or whether she genuinely thought she was coming up with good suggestions. Could be she was even trying to be rude, but honestly, he wasn't sure she was in any fit state to be clever at all.

"Come on, dance with me!" she insisted then, dragging him forward.

He barely had time to put down his beer down before she had him on the dancefloor, pulling his arms around her waist and making a big deal out of having that dance she so wanted. Wade felt a little weird about it all, not because she was Zoe's mother exactly, although that didn't help. It was more the fact she was clearly three sheets to the wind and looking up at him like a teenager in love. Now, that was concerning.

"You know, I do understand why Zoe finds you so attractive," she said, grinning wide. "I mean, the rockstar thing, of course, that's appealing. Personally, I love drummers. Probably had more of those than Spinal Tap," she said out of the side of her mouth as if imparting a big secret - either which way, Wade so didn't want to hear anymore.

"You know what, Ms Hart? I think we should just-"

"But that's not what it is!" she told him, ploughing on regardless, putting his arms back around her the moment he let them slip away. "No, that's not what Zoe likes so much about you, I'm sure of that. It's the Southern thing. I'll bet you all the money in the world, that's exactly what it is. It's what it was for me," she said with a sigh then, her head falling forward so her forehead landed on his chest.

Wade had a horrible feeling she was about to pass out or something, when suddenly she looked up again so fast, she almost cracked him in the chin with her head.

"He was a real Southern gentleman," she explained, though as yet, Wade had no clue who she was talking about and didn't like to ask. "I mean, when I say gentleman, I don't mean all of the time. If he were, Zoe wouldn't be here," she said, laughing loudly.

That comment brought a frown to Wade's face. Now it seemed clear that Candice was talking about Zoe's father, which would mean Ethan Hart, but he was New York born and raised, Wade was sure on that, because Zoe had told him so. Of course, drunk as Candice was, she could be getting her wires crossed somewhere, but the father of your own kid seemed like a weird thing to get wrong, even if she was drunk as Cooter Brown.

"Sometimes I think I should've just married him instead." Candice sighed, still swaying a little in Wade's arms even though the music had changed back to an upbeat number and slow-dancing wasn't exactly the thing to be doing. "He would've married me, that's what Southern gentlemen do, isn't it? The right thing by the woman they love, and I think he did love me. Good old Harley Wilkes."

"Who now?" Wade checked, hardly able to believe his ears. "Say that again?" he urged Candice, leaning a little closer to better hear when she repeated the name he thought he just heard.

Of course, she just had to take his getting closer all the wrong way. Wade just didn't see it coming. One second, he was trying to fathom out if Candice really was implying a guy he knew was actually Zoe's father, the next, his girlfriend's mom had her hands on either side of his head, closing the gap between them and kissing him soundly.

By the time Wade managed to get his bearings and pull away, of course, it was all too late. He turned at the sound of an audible gasp and there was Zoe, hand on her heart and tears in her eyes. It really couldn't get any worse than that.

To Be Continued...