A/N: This fic has kind of taken a back-seat to me trying to finish 'One Step...' before the month is out, but there is quite a lot of this story still to go, so it'll just have to go on hold for December and return in January. I promise to try not to leave you guys on a major cliffhanger or anything :) In the meantime, thank you all for the continued lovely feedback and here is a new chapter that I think y'all will enjoy ;)

(For disclaimer, etc. - see chapter 1)

Chapter 26

There was a spring in Zoe Wilkes' step as she walked to work. It wasn't the first Monday she had gone waltzing across town square with a really good feeling running through her, but today was even better than before. She just told her boyfriend that she loved him, which might not seem like a huge deal, but this was the first time Zoe had ever said something like that to a guy and really meant it. It hadn't even been planned, wasn't a romantic moment, nothing like that at all. She just looked at Wade and he looked back at her and something struck her like lightning. She loved him, and apparently, he loved her too. It was in no way a bad feeling.

Just as she was about to cross the street to the practice, someone called her name. In an instant, Zoe lost that smile she had been holding onto since she first left the plantation this morning as Jesse came jogging over to her.

"Did you want something?" she asked, looking up at him expectantly, squinting a little against the sun that was already bright in the sky.

"Just thought I'd say hi," said Jesse, all charm and smiles that had no effect on Zoe, "since we really didn't get much of a chance to talk yesterday."

"I'm not sure we have anything to say to each other, Mr Kinsella," she said with faux-politeness, moving to go around him, but he got straight back into her path.

"Mr Kinsella?" he echoed. "You can't just call me Jesse?"

"That'd be pretty familiar," Zoe noted, "and I don't think I want to be all that close to you," she said pointedly, taking another step away and managing to get around him this time.

"Well," said Jesse, scratching the back of his head, "I consider myself put in my place, Miss..."

"Dr. Wilkes" said Zoe, forced to stay on the sidewalk next to him as a car drove by and kept her from crossing over.

"Dr. Wilkes?" Jesse echoed, frowning by now. "We used to have one of those around here. You're...?"

"Harley's daughter, yes, not that it's any of your business. Now, if you'll excuse me."

Before any more could be said, Zoe took her chance to dash across the street. Unfortunately, Jesse followed her. She ought to have learnt by now how persistent a Kinsella man could be.

"You really don't like me, in spite of the fact that you don't know me," he said, once again standing right where she needed to walk. "Wade really musta been tellin' tales outta school."

"What Wade has told me is neither here nor there," she said, crossing her arms over her chest and fixing him with an angry glare. "What matters is that you have hurt him, repeatedly, and that's not okay with me. You see, Jesse Kinsella, I happen to care a lot about your brother."

He looked set to laugh at that which only made Zoe more mad. "Aww, is it true love?"

"Do you know, what? Maybe it is, and the weird thing is, I only realised that today. In fact, I want to shake your hand," she said suddenly unfolding her arms and grabbing his hand, pumping it hard. "Thank you, Jesse Kinsella," said Zoe with a big fake smile, his hand still held tight in her own. "Thank you for making me realise just how much I love the rest of your family. I could never feel this angry with you if I didn't love Wade, JT, and Earl so much," she said, suddenly dropping his hand like she was disgusted she ever had a hold of it in the first place. "See, the rest of the Kinsella family, they've become my family," she explained. "Just last week, I was struggling with some stuff, like whether or not I should stay here in Bluebell permanently or whether I should just go back to New York when my year was up. You made me see that this is exactly where I belong," she said definitely. "I could never abandon Wade the way you did. I would never want to."

With that, she swept by Jesse and up the steps into the practice, slamming the door behind her.

Wade could not get the grin off his face no matter how hard he tried. Sure, that letter from Carrie-Sue had been kind of weird, and it didn't thrill him any that Jesse could come wandering into the Rammer Jammer at any second, but all of that paled into insignificance when he recalled what happened this morning. Right there in Lavon's kitchen, when Zoe had laid one on him and then told him she loved him. Wade never knew he wanted that, never entirely admitted to himself that he felt much the same way about her, not until that moment. Now it was all he could think about and it made him just about as happy as a man could be. He had Zoe and JT, and a sober father to boot. All in all, Wade Kinsella had it pretty good right about now.

"Shame not everybody is feelin' quite so sunny," he muttered to himself, watching a sad and lonely figure trudge into the bar and sit down on a stool with a thud. "George Tucker," he greeted him with a smile anyway. "You look like you lost a dollar and found a dime."

"You ever have those days when you wonder why you bothered gettin' outta bed at all?" said George, heaving a sigh.

"Only when I left my beautiful girlfriend in the bed I just got out of," said Wade considering it.

George laughed at that, as if maybe it was a joke. As far as Wade was concerned, he ought to have known he was entirely serious in what he said.

"Still not used to you using the word 'girlfriend' like that and meaning it," said George, shaking his head. "It's nice though. You know I'm real happy for you and Zoe, right?"

"I appreciate that, Tucker," Wade assured him, getting him a beer. "You know, there was a time when I thought... Well, that you and me was gonna come to blows over the good doctor."

"Yeah, I gotta admit, I had some thoughts in that direction myself," George said honestly, taking a drag from the bottle of beer, "but Zoe was never... I mean, she's great, don't get me wrong. She's smart and she's beautiful, great sense of honour, and she's a real good friend."

"Don't go gettin' carried away there, Tucker," said Wade with a warning look that wasn't quite so faked and humorous as it might be.

"I was gonna say that in spite of all Zoe's glowing attributes," said George then, hands up in mock surrender, "I never had any real feelings for her," he admitted. "She just reminds me a lot of New York is all, and with things the way they were with me and Lemon... I don't know, I guess, if anything, she woulda been an easy out. I'm glad I didn't get the chance to use her that way and mess up everythin'. You and Zoe, that just works."

"Not gonna argue with that." Wade shook his head, leaning on the bar to continue talking to his buddy. "'Course, almost got myself into a scuffle yesterday when I saw who was back in town. You seen Jesse around today?"

"Jesse? No, I haven't," George assured him. "He been makin' trouble?"

"Not as such, but his bein' here puts my back up just waitin' on it." Wade sighed. "I guess now he knows he's not welcome, he'll disappear quick as he showed up. Usually does anyway."

"Did he, uh, meet JT?" asked George carefully, clearly mindful of Wade getting mad about it, as he should be. "I mean, he is the kid's uncle."

"My son has uncles a-plenty in this town," said Wade definitely. "Between you and Lavon, he ain't lackin' anythin' that Jesse would teach him, that's for sure."

Wade had been concentrating on wiping down the bar, he missed the goofy smile George was wearing at first. When he saw it, he made a face, wondering what it was all about, though his friend told him before he ever got the chance to ask.

"You think of me as JT's uncle?"

"All we've been through down the years, Tucker?" Wade rolled his eyes. "'Course if I knew you were gonna be such a girl about it... Speakin' of that kinda behaviour, when are you and the mayor gonna kiss and make up already?"

The smile went off George's face in an instant and he gave all his attention to downing much of his beer in one go. Wade rolled his eyes once again and leaned back down to his friend's level.

"Look, Tucker, life is too short for this crap. Take it from somebody who knows," he said definitely. "Now, you and Lavon, you been friends a good long while."

"Until I found out he was havin' an affair with my fiancée!" George hissed, eyes darting around to make sure no-one was listening in - as if they didn't all know already!

"And where was you when this grand affair was goin' on?" asked Wade with a look. "'Cause I do recall you had taken yourself off to New York, without that precious fiancée of yours. Now, before you try tellin' me that is no excuse for Lemon and Lavon doin' what they did, I wouldn't ever say it was," said Wade fast, "but you think on this, George Tucker, if you and Lemon were so in love and everything, why'd you leave her that way, and why'd she let you go so easy?"

George was frowning hard by the time Wade stood up and went to go serve the next customer at the bar. He'd let Tucker puzzle a while over what he had said then stand him another beer and hope that before the hour was through, he could convince his buddy to go make things right with Lavon. It'd make Lemon feel better to know they could at least pass each other in the street without coming to blows, and Wade was in the mood for making everybody else just as happy as he felt right now. Not that he was really convinced anybody else could be that happy, but then nobody else had his girlfriend or his son to go home to at day's end. Wade Kinsella was well-aware of just how lucky he was.

"So, if you trust the word of Shula Whitaker, and I do," said Zoe seriously, "Jesse is long gone. He was seen walking through town square with his bag on his shoulder around two o'clock and nobody has seen him since."

"Good riddance is what I say to that," Wade told her, pulling the car up outside of the gate house. "Like I told George Tucker just this afternoon, I got no time for that no-good brother of mine. And you sure as heck don't need an uncle like that in your life, huh, buddy?" he called to JT in the backseat.

He got a happy babble in response and that was enough for Wade apparently. Zoe was just pleased to see them both smiling and laughing. It made her heart swell with a good, warm feeling that she wasn't sorry to have.

It lasted well into the evening as the three of them all hung out together. At one point, JT did his standing routine again and this time it really seemed like he might take a step, but it never quite happened. Zoe was quick to reassure him that he was fine even though he had fallen on his butt again. He was tired by then and getting teary, so she gave him the biggest hug and offered to put him to bed.

Wade took her up on that and worked on cleaning up the place a little since it kind of looked like something had exploded right across the gatehouse. He was a great father, but he really wasn't the best at keeping on top of housework.

"So, I should go," said Zoe when JT was settled.

"You sure on that?" Wade checked, following her to the door. "'Cause I do recall talk of picking up something we started this morning..."

Zoe smiled, not trying to fight at all when his hands went to her waist and pulled her close. Her arms went up around Wade's neck and she gave him a quick kiss.

"I know what we said and I would love to stay, but I have an early start tomorrow and honestly, I'm just so tired," she admitted. "I promise to make it up to you another night."

"Yeah? Well then, that gives me somethin' to look forward to, doesn't it?" said Wade with a smirk, leaning in to kiss her goodnight.

It was almost enough to convince Zoe she wanted to stay after all, but she had to be stronger. Dragging herself away, she turned towards the door and prised it open, only for Wade's hand to land above her head, pushing it closed again. She glanced over her shoulder at him, trying to be mad but failing miserably when his arm snaked around her waist, pulling her to him again. His lips on her neck made her knees weak.

"You're such a bad influence," she said softly.

"Yeah, but I heard you love me anyway," he whispered in her ear.

Zoe giggled at that, turned in his arms, and then felt very serious as their eyes met.

"Wade..."

"What?" he asked, looking just a little worried, which was far from what Zoe intended.

"You know I'm not going anywhere, right? I mean, when I came here, it was just supposed to be for a year, and even when we started... whatever it was we started, I still thought I'd probably... Well, it was kind of undefined for a while there, uncertain, you know? What I'm trying to say is that I'm certain now. I'm sure that this is where I want to be, with you and JT, in Bluebell."

"Gotta admit," said Wade, letting his forehead press against her own, "crossed my mind a time or two that we was on borrowed time here. That someday you were gonna get the notion to take yourself back where you came from and... well, I just tried not to think about it too much."

"I've been thinking about it a lot lately," Zoe admitted. "I wasn't sure if I could just be here forever, even though it started to seem like a nice idea. After everything the last couple of days, I just... I know now. Somehow, I just know that even if they called me up tomorrow and offered me that fellowship I wanted so badly before, I couldn't go. I have to stay here, Wade. It's the only thing that makes sense to me anymore."

The smile that came over his face at the sound of those words was enough to light up the room.

"And after all o' what you just said, I'm supposed to just let you go on home tonight?" he asked her, lips so close to her own she felt the words as much as she heard them.

"I guess it wouldn't be so bad if I stayed," she said with a smile, right before Wade kissed her, lifted her up into his arms, and carried her to his bed where they both knew she belonged.

To Be Continued...