A big Thank You to everyone who has left reviews. I enjoy reading them knowing that you all our enjoying this story. It's getting closer to the end now, I just finished writing chapter 43 and think I will write one more chapter and that will be the close of this story so it looks like it will end with 44 chapters.

Let me know if you like what happens in this chapter.

Sw,

Chapter Thirty- Eight

Candice Hart had just gotten off the phone with her Attorney the man hadn't been able to talk to her daughter yet, but had talked to Wade Kinsella. There was no way that Mr. Kinsella would be able to hide the fact that she wanted to talk to her daughter with her Attorney having called most business in BlueBell. Those little towns had very many busy bodies that were sure to spread the news all over town which would eventually get to Zoe that way if the Bartender didn't tell her himself she still would find out.

Plus the Attorney had made a friend with one of the locals when he called earlier saying they would like to help anyway they could to see Zoe Hart return to her Mother in New York City of course for a little bit of a price. Candice usually did not like dealing with untrustworthy people but in this case she would make a exception if it helped get her daughter in grandson where they belonged in New York City with her.

Candice knew she had to get Zoe out of there before she did something stupid like marry that backwoods southern. Before Zoe had found out about Jack, Candice had set up that trust fund so that her grandson would be taken care of for his future. She had never planned to let Zoe know that her baby had been born, but that didn't mean she did not want to look out for Jack's future she just thought Zoe was better off not being a part of it. Because that Bartender was never going to let Jack go once he had him. And even though she had told Zoe they would get custody of Jack, Candice knew Wade would not lose his parental rights so he would always be a part of their lives from now on.

But that didn't mean Jack couldn't live with them most of the year and visit his father for a few weeks a year. Candice was sure that the Bartender would be relieved to not have to be a babysitter any longer. He could go back to his partying ways take a different woman home every night. She was really doing Mr. Kinsella a favor his kind never really changed he would go back to his playboy ways once Zoe was done with him. It didn't matter to Mrs. Hart that Wade hadn't dated since learning of Zoe's accident, that Wade loved Zoe and wouldn't dream of touching another woman again.

All Candice Hart wanted was her Daughter back in New York City where she could see her when work allowed, being the Heart Doctor she had studied to be not some General Practitioner that took care of running noses. Mrs. Hart hadn't paid all that money in tuition for Zoe to practice in that nowhere town. Zoe should be a world renown Heart surgery not playing Mother and part time doctor.

This was why Candice had decided that if Zoe had not find out about Jack she wasn't going to tell her, she did not want her daughter throwing away her life to be just a Mother. How Zoe could think she could be happy down in that small town Candice could not understand, she must have some brain injury that wasn't fully healed.

Her poor little girl not fully recovered thinking she wanted to live with that Bartender and baby for the rest of her life. If only she hadn't of gotten the Power of Attorney taken off this would have been so much more simply. Instead she had to play games to get her daughter to return to the city where she belonged. Soon this would all be over and Zoe would be back with her and hopefully Jack with her as well.

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Zoe's question if he was asking her to marry him had taken Wade aback because he really hadn't realized what he just said had sounded like that. But thinking over his words they really were words used with a marriage proposal. They had come straight from his heart because he truly did want Zoe as his Wife. Shaking his head Wade mumbled something under his breath about Earl being right.

Zoe at a lose as to what was going on because Wade looked awestruck by her question, so it looked like he wasn't trying to proposal which should make her happy seeing as she did not believe in marriage yet instead it disappointed her for some reason. She had just told Wade she did not want to get married so why did the idea of him not asking her to marry him make her sad?

Wade intertwined the fingers on his left hand with Zoe's right then gentle tugged on them to get her to follow him out of the booth they were setting in. This was not where he pictured doing this but Earl was right he should let nothing stop him for asking the woman he loved to marry him. So once they both were standing up Wade's hand went to the ring in his pocket then he bent down on one knee in the classic pose.

"I know I do not deserve you Zoe Hart, but I love you and can not see a future without you as my Wife, so please make this man the happiest in the world and say you will marry me? I know you don't believe in marriage but Zoe this isn't going to be all those other failed marriages this will be our marriage. Me and you and together Zoe I know we can make it work"

Tears where running down both of their faces as Wade held up his Momma's ring for Zoe to see. The ice cream parlor employee cheerfully said "Say Yes"

"So what do you say Dr. Hart will you marry this down on his luck Bartender?" Wade asked with baited breathe.

"Yes, but I will have you know I'm marrying a up and coming restaurant owner" Zoe answered as tears kept falling. This wasn't something she thought she wanted but now here with Wade it was much more then want it was what she needed. Wade slipped the ring onto her finger then stood up and kissed Zoe as if his life depended on it.

Behind them the ice cream parlor employee was taking pictures with her phone, she was going to ask them if they wanted her to send them the pictures when they finished kissing. This was a first for her someone becoming engaged while she was on duty. She thought it was the first marriage proposal for the parlor as well. Usually Wednesday nights where their slow time nothing interesting happening but ever still these two started showing up making out in that booth on Wednesday nights it was at least entertaining laughing she kept taking pictures.

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Zoe kept looking down at her finger looking at the engagement ring setting there. She had always thought she never would have one or wanted one. But now that it was there she never wanted to take off the ring. Because behind that ring stood a promise of forever with Wade.

Getting engaged a month after dating again wasn't taken it slow but it was what felt right. Beside they didn't have to rush into getting married right away. After all Lavon and Lemon still hadn't set a date for their wedding yet so Zoe did not want to steal their thunder and have her wedding before theirs. Of course if they were going to be planning a huge wedding a year from now Zoe might jump ahead of them on that.

"I love this ring where did you get it?" Zoe asked Wade as he was driving them home had he been planning to ask her to marry him a while now?

"It was my Momma's engagement ring, Earl gave it to me today" Wade answered taken his eyes off the road for a second to look at Zoe. "My Pa knows how much a I love you Zoe, he told me not to waste anymore time and make you my Wife"

Tears came to Zoe eyes the ring meaning more now then it did just a few seconds ago learning that it had belonged to Wade's Mother and came with the blessing of his Father made Zoe feel truly welcomed into the Kinsella Family.

"That's really good to know, at least your Father will be happy for us" Zoe responded with "I know when I call my Dad he would be thrilled for us he likes you"

"I really should have asked Ethan first" Wade said feeling bad about not following that old tradition of asking the brides Father for permission first.

"I hope he isn't going to be mad at me"

"Wade you got me pregnant when we weren't dating and he likes you. I don't think he will be mad about this" Zoe giggled she was just so happy.

"Yeah but that was before we knew each other" Wade said with a chuckle he was being a little silly. But he just wanted Zoe to have one parent that would be supportive of their up coming marriage.

"We will call him tomorrow morning tell him first thing that should get you out of the dog house you're afraid you'll be in" Zoe said admiring her ring again. "Are we going to tell George and AnnaBeth tonight?"

"I want to shout it out to the whole world" Wade added laughing feeling like nothing could keep him down.

"Me too, but maybe we should just tell people one at a time until we settle everything with my Mother" Zoe said she did not want her Mother finding out about their engagement until the woman signed over her missing money. "Once we finish everything up with her, maybe we can have a party at the Rammer Jammer and tell everyone at once"

Wade laughed at that idea it might be fun having a engagement party at the Rammer Jammer for the two of them. The whole town would surely show up for that. "I like the way your thinking Doc"

Wade kept laughing as he said "Earl will never let me live this down you know? He loves you I think if you would have said 'No' he might have begged you to reconsider on my behave"

"It's nice to be appreciated" Zoe spoke then added "I'm sorry my Mother doesn't appreciate what a good guy you are Wade. What a wonderful Father you've become"

"No need for you to apologize for your Mother Doc, I'm more upset over how she treats you and Jack then anything she had ever done to me" Wade replied wanting Zoe to know he did not hold anything against her that Candice Hart had done or would do. "I hate how she has treated the both of you"

Zoe nodded her head understanding Wade did not think highly of himself he thought he deserved all the awful things Candice Hart did to him but not Jack or her. Just because he got scared and drunk and did something he truly regretted did not mean her Mother could treat him like a murderer.

"Let's not give my Mother another second thought tonight, this is a happy time one of the happiest of my life" Zoe said then she leaned over and kissed Wade's cheek settling for the side of his face only because he was driving.

"This might be the happiest day so far of my life" Wade utter knowing that the day Jack was born sure have been but Candice Hart had ruined that by not allowing him to see Zoe. Shaking that thought away Wade knew Zoe was right no more thoughts of Mrs. Hart tonight only ones of happiness.

"But I'm sure the day we get married will be the happiest"

Zoe giggled at Wade and looked at her ring again yes this was a happy time and nothing was going to stop them for having the future they wanted.