A/N: Thanks for the reviews on the previous chapter, folks. I'm trying to keep updates consistent but I am aware that I have too many fics going at once right now and the gap between new chapters is longer - sorry about that! However, I'm hoping the adorable Zade will make y'all feel better about it ;)

(For disclaimer, etc. - see chapter 1)

Chapter 21

Zoe woke up from what felt like the best night's sleep she'd had in a very long time. She wondered why that should be for a moment or two, then she moved a little and smiled as she remembered. It was a while since she had woken up in somebody's arms, but it felt pretty good, not least because those arms belonged to one Wade Kinsella.

It was strange to think about the first night they met now. Zoe could hardly quantify how either of them were even the same people who had argued over the fuse box and then, not long after, made out in Wade's car. She thought he was just a player then, and she knew that she had been a little too self-righteous in the beginning. In spite of that, here they were, the New York surgeon turned small town GP curled up in bed with the town bad boy turned father of the year, and nothing had even really happened last night either. No, that wasn't true, Zoe thought. Nothing sexual had happened, but something else certainly had.

Smiling still, she pulled herself up some, until she was in easy reach of Wade's lips and planted a kiss there. Zoe watched his eyes flicker and then slowly open to look at her.

"Hi," she said, hoping she wasn't blushing, feeling as if she might be in spite of everything.

"Hey," he replied, moving the arm that wasn't still around her to rub sleep from his eyes. "What time is it?"

"Early, I think," Zoe admitted. "Sorry, I probably should've let you sleep longer."

"'S okay, doc," Wade assured her, though there was something not so okay about the expression on his face.

Zoe frowned some. "You look... weird."

Wade laughed at her choice of word but didn't take offence. "Thank you for that," he said, pulling himself up against the headboard a little more, even as she continued to stare at him. "Look, it's nothin', I'm just... I'm thinking how I'm pretty sure I never woke up with a girl that I hadn't... well, where we didn't have sex first," he admitted eventually. "Not that I'm complainin'," he added fast, hands up in mock surrender before she could accuse him.

Zoe would've liked to say the thought hadn't crossed her mind, but she didn't like to lie, especially not now. Of course, she knew she needn't have worried when Wade shifted closer and kissed her softly.

"You know, I knew from the first day I met you I wanted the chance to take you to bed," he admitted with a smile, his hand lingering at her cheek. "The sleeping with you was the point then. Never did think much about how good it'd be to wake up with you after."

The smile came back to Zoe's lips, even wider and brighter than before as she moved to kiss Wade again. He wasn't exactly objecting, pulling her closer as a sweet, tender moment grew into something more. Okay, so their first night sleeping together had involved nothing but sleeping so far, but Zoe had known for a while now that a leap into the next step was right around the corner for her and Wade. As they slipped back beneath the covers and he pulled her body tight against his own, it seemed like maybe there was no better time than the present to move this relationship forward.

Until JT started yelling.

It was tough to say who pulled back first, though neither Zoe nor Wade could exactly be offended by the other's need to stop. There was nothing that mattered more to them than each other, except maybe the kid in the crib across the room.

"Yeah, I should..." said Wade, sounding as vague and dazed as he looked.

Zoe understood that feeling. "Uh-huh," she replied, running a hand over her face and concentrating on breathing as Wade hopped out of bed to see to his son.

It was not easy to come back down from a high like that. Zoe could only imagine how good it was going to get when they really did get the chance to continue without interruption. Hopefully it would be sometime soon, because at this point, she was beyond ready.

It was a strange day, all told. Zoe had to go into work, not least because Brick had gone to Mobile in an attempt to bring Lemon home, as well as check how things were going with Harold Tucker's operation. Zoe got a couple of texts from Lavon, confirming that George was doing okay, even if he wasn't thrilled about his ex's new guy/old affair hanging around. There was still so much to figure out there, but priority one was George's father.

Of course, Zoe had trouble not thinking about Ethan Hart too. He had been her dad once, still was on paper, kind of. A part of her hoped she would get to see him while he was in Alabama, while another part dreaded having to face the reality of that situation. She tried to put it out of her head as she worked, but it didn't come easy, except for in the times when her head was filled with another man instead.

Wade sent her a text after he dropped off JT and headed to the Rammer Jammer for work. He told her again how great it had been to wake up with her and made some allusions to what they had been doing before JT interrupted the fun too. Zoe wanted to tell him she would quite happily pick up where they left off sometime soon but didn't know how to phrase it. She almost asked Addy's advice but wasn't sure she dared. Sometimes, she really wished she had more girl-friends.

Towards the end of her shift, Zoe started thinking about the texts again and wondering if she should have replied with something more than just a smiley face. She had the phone in her hand, staring at the messages when suddenly there was a knock on her office door.

"Hey," she said, smiling when she realised Wade was standing there with JT on his hip. "I was just thinking about you."

"You hear that, JT, we're on the doc's mind," he said to his son. "Can't be a bad thing."

"Well, it was actually more you than him," Zoe admitted, before realising what she was admitting too and backpedalling a little. "Not that I'm not pleased to see you too, kid," she promised JT, taking him into his arms when he reached to go. "Don't tell Daddy, but you are my favourite of all the Kinsellas," she said in a whisper that Wade was absolutely supposed to hear and the smirk she wore ought to prove it.

"You know, old Earl is gonna be heartbroken he hears you talking like that," Wade joked.

"Can't help it." Zoe shook her head. "This kid is too cute!" she insisted, making a huge fuss of JT who giggled and gave her a hug for her trouble. "Aww, and he loves me so much, don't you?"

"That's 'cause he's a smart kid. Knows a good thing when he sees one," said Wade, looking as sincere as Zoe had ever seen him when their eyes met.

It wasn't exactly 'I love you'. Zoe would've been more than a little shocked if he had said those words, but he seemed to have come awfully close and Wade wasn't taking it back either. Zoe wondered if her heart was thumping in her chest from excitement or panic, and decided in the end it was a little of both, not least because she realised she could so easily allow herself to say something similar back. How the hell had that happened anyway?

"Uh, so, this isn't exactly a random visit," said Wade then, shaking his head and reaching to take JT back into his arms. "Me and my boy here are headed home now and I was wondering if you needed a ride back?"

Zoe checked her watch and then asked Wade to wait a second while she ran out to reception to ask Addy if she had any more patients scheduled. Confirming that she didn't, she came right on back and accepted Wade's offer to take her back to the plantation.

"I had kind of an ulterior motive in offering you a ride," he admitted once they were in the car, JT strapped in his seat in back while Zoe sat up front beside Wade. "Could you maybe keep an eye on my boy while I grab a shower and maybe clean up my place a little? I only need a half hour-"

"Wade, you know I will," she told him easily. "It's no problem."

"She is the best, JT. No doubt about it," he said, looking at his son in the rear-view before putting the car in gear and heading for home.

On the way, Zoe checked her phone and told Wade she had another message from Lavon. Harold's surgery had gone well, so said the doctors at the hospital. At least that was one less thing to worry about.

"He's a stubborn old man." Wade nodded. "Prob'ly be back to normal in no time."

Zoe didn't even bother to explain about the actual recovery time after such invasive heart surgery. It wasn't important right now. She would rather look on the positive side herself and believe George's father was going to be just fine, and quickly too. She wanted no more stress and worry for her friend.

When they got back to the plantation, Zoe unstrapped JT from his seat and told him they were going to the carriage house for a while. Wade planted a quick kiss on her lips before he dashed towards the gate house. Zoe lifted JT's arm to encourage him to wave to Daddy.

"Everybody should be so lucky as to have a daddy like yours, JT," she told him, taking him inside and sitting down on the bed with her young charge. "You know, technically, I kind of had two fathers, one that I only met once, and another one that doesn't even want to know me anymore. And yes, I know, your mother isn't the best person, but I didn't exactly luck out on the mom front either. Families, huh?"

"They're not always so bad," said Wade making Zoe jump what felt like a foot in the air.

"Are you trying to scare me to death?" she checked, but Wade only laughed.

"Sorry, doc," he said, wandering over and kissing the top of her head. "One other small favour to ask of ya," he said then, even as she noted the towel in his hands. "Havin' some problems with my shower, so I thought maybe..."

"Yes, you can use mine." Zoe rolled her eyes. "Anything else I can do for you today, master?" she joked then. "Cook your dinner, paint your house?"

"Well, if you weren't doin' the very important job of watchin' my boy here I mighta asked you to scrub my back..." he told her, smirking hard.

"Get out of here," said Zoe, throwing the nearest pillow in his general direction a moment before he ducked into the safety of the bathroom, chuckling all the way. "I take back all those nice things I said about your Daddy, JT!" she said, loud enough for Wade to hear.

"Don't you listen to her, bubba. Your Aunt Zoe couldn't say a mean thing about me if she tried."

"That's probably true actually," she said softly to JT, "but don't tell him I said that."

There was no way Wade heard, not with the water running. Zoe was glad of the distraction of babysitting, since she knew where her mind would wander to otherwise. Naked Wade, right there in her bathroom. Maybe he had been joking about her joining him, but the idea didn't sound half bad.

"Pure thoughts, Zoe. Come on, you're not an animal," she reminded herself, turning her full attention to JT and trying to keep him from tumbling off the bed when he made to crawl away from her.

She put him down on the floor and grabbed the bucket of building blocks that he seemed to like so much, showing him how to build a tower and counting the bricks. Zoe had read so much about child development since JT came into their lives and she was determined that he was going to be as stimulated as possible. He would be walking and talking and spelling and counting long before all the other kids, she was determined on that. Of course, it occurred to Zoe sometimes that JT wasn't her son and that she wasn't even absolutely sure how long they would be in each other's lives, but she always dismissed those thoughts whenever they came up. It seemed too tough to think about it much.

JT's arm suddenly shot out and knocked down the tower of blocks Zoe just built. She faked shock and a seriously sad pout at him spoiling her creation and he laughed at her dramatics. She reached for a block to begin rebuilding, only to be interrupted by a knock on the door.

"More visitors?" she said to JT, getting up from the floor and picking him up too, settling him on her hip as she went to see who was there. "I guess we should be glad this person knocks, but I don't..."

Her words trailed away as she opened up the door and saw who was standing on the porch. In fairness, Ethan Hart looked equally as shocked as Zoe felt, his eyes shifting back and forth between her and the child in her arms.

"Uh, hi," said Zoe awkwardly, adjusting her grip on JT when he wriggled to be set free. "What are you doing here?"

Ethan blinked too hard, mostly staring at JT yet. "Zoe, your mother didn't... I mean, I didn't know..."

"He's not my son," she said then, rolling her eyes. "Not that I could love him anymore if he was," she admitted, kissing JT's head. "I help take care of him. His dad is..."

"Somebody talkin' about me?" said Wade as he appeared behind her.

Zoe wasn't sure whether to be relieved by his presence or more panicked. It was something to realise he had actually bothered to get dressed before presenting himself to the man who had self-identified as her father for quite a while.

"Um, Wade Kinsella, Ethan Hart," she said awkwardly, "and this is John-Thomas, Wade's son. We call him JT."

She was beginning to ramble, so Zoe bit her lip to stop herself from continuing in that direction. She looked to Wade for help but he seemed to be mostly focused on glaring at Ethan right now.

"Think maybe we should get out of your hair, doc," he said then, finally looking down at her. "Figure you got a conversation you need to have here."

Zoe nodded, handing JT over to his daddy before having to face the man she used to call by that name. Wade's free arm slipped around her shoulders a moment and he pulled her closer.

"You need us, you just yell, alright?" he said softly near her ear.

"Thanks," she said, smiling slightly as he kissed her cheek and then they parted.

Wade winked at her then hurried away down the porch steps and around the pond to the gate house. Zoe watched him until he was at least half way home before inviting Ethan Hart into her own house.

"I was surprised not to see you at the hospital," he said, following her inside. "I had hoped that you would assist with the surgery."

"I needed to be here," Zoe snapped.

"For that man and his son?" Ethan checked.

"And for my job. I have responsibilities in Bluebell, and unlike some people, I take my responsibilities to other people very seriously," she said, folding her arms across her chest.

"Zoe, come on." Ethan shook his head. "You know, your mother, she didn't tell me the truth for a long time, and when she did... You cannot understand how that felt."

"I have a pretty good idea, Dad," she said acidly. "You think you had it so tough, and yes, I know, it was hard on you, believe me, I do know, but it was harder on me. Can't you understand that?" she asked him desperately. "You were my dad. Up until a few months ago, that is what I believed, and where were you? You just left me. You didn't want to take my calls, you didn't even come to my graduation. You hurt me over and over, and I blamed myself."

"Zoe, sweetheart," said Ethan as he approached her, but she backed up another step.

"No, you can't just call me sweetheart and give me a hug and make it okay," she insisted. "I know Mom was the one who lied and cheated, I get that, and believe me, she knows how I feel about it, but you did the wrong thing too," she said definitely, determined to go on even as tears streamed from her eyes. "You know, a few days ago, there were some questions about JT's paternity. Wade was devastated at the thought of JT not being his, and he's only known the kid existed for a couple of months, but when we were waiting for the DNA results, do you know what he said to me? That he would be happy to go on bringing him up, even if he turned out not to be his son. He loves him that much already. You were my dad for years and then suddenly, you were gone, like I didn't even matter."

"You're over-simplifying, Zoe," said Ethan with a look.

"No, I'm really not!" she yelled back at him before he had a chance to go on. "Even when you knew the truth, the relationship we had should've been enough. I should've been enough," she said, her hand on her chest, her voice choked with tears. She had to swallow hard before she could continue. "You know, what? I don't think I can deal with having you around, any more than you could deal with being around me. Maybe we should just call it quits and stop torturing ourselves."

"Zoe, that's not... I don't want things to end this way," he told her sadly.

"I didn't want it to end at all, Ethan," she said pointedly, "but you made that choice, not me. Now, you did me a favour today. What you've done for George and his family, that was... I have to be grateful for that, and I am, but now, I think we should just draw a line and be done. You have your life, I have mine. Nobody owes anybody anything anymore, okay?"

She tried to look him in the eye when she said it but it didn't come easy. Zoe acted tough, sometimes she actually felt as if she was that headstrong New Yorker she purported to be, but this stuff hurt. Dealing with the man she always thought was her father, telling him they were done and almost fearing he would agree with her more than she feared him fighting to stay.

"Okay," he said eventually. "Maybe you're right. Maybe it is for the best if I just... I'll go," he said, nodding his head and turning towards the door.

Zoe held it together, but only just, as he looked back at her.

"For what it's worth, I am sorry, Zoe," he said in a way that she actually believed somehow, and yet, he left right after without another backward glance.

As the door closed behind Ethan Hart, Zoe let out a cry and allowed herself to shed the tears she had been fighting all along. For a while she raged and cried, alone in her carriage house, letting out the last of the anger and pain and frustration, at least for now.

When it was over, she caught sight of herself in the mirror and was horrified by the state of her face, and yet as she met her own eyes in the glass, she knew the worst was over. She had said so many things that had been bottled up inside her too long, spoken her piece and made a clean break on her own terms. Taking a deep breath, she nodded her head once and turned away from the mirror, knowing that, painful as it was, she had done the right thing and would be better off for it in the long-term.

To Be Continued...