So here is a BIG chapter. Its long and filled with a lot of the things folks have been waiting for. I'm happy to post it tonight after tonight's episode - Team Wade fans can use the love right now.

Also, I'd like to serious thank everyone that has left a review or marked the story as a favorite. It means a lot. That being said, please add your two cents on this chapter too. It is always appreciated.

Disclaimer: I do not own Hart of Dixie, I'm just Team Wade - what else can I say?

Chapter 10 - When the Night Comes:

By Thursday night Wade had the place ready for the re-opening. This was largely due to a whole heap of help from Zoe. She had been amazing, pitching in where needed. She polished the bar, washed windows and did most of the other cleaning without a complaint. She even redecorated the walls in a way that kept the charm of the Rammer Jammer but added a bit more of Wade's personality to it. He would have been lying if he said he wasn't a little nervous when Zoe told him what she had done during a phone conversation while he was driving back from Mobile. Visions of her Homecoming party at Lavon's sprang to mind, but when he'd walked in the door he was knocked out. She had nailed it.

Besides Zoe, Lavon and George had been great too. They had helped him unload the new bar stools and move around table and chairs. The offer of their muscle had made the heavy lifting move quicker and also spared Wade's back quite a bit.

He knew on that drive back from Mobile that things were ready. Realizing he basically had a free day, he thought about doing something with Zoe before the big opening. He wanted to show her how much he appreciated all her labor and the really smart tech support she'd provided earlier that week.

We're also both ready to take things further in a more intimate sense, he thought. But given how tired they'd been with all the work and their combined intent to make it more than some casual thing that just happened one night, they hadn't gotten past third base. Not that he was complaining; there was an anticipation that accompanied the buildup that he hadn't experienced in a long time.

All that being said, he was ready and knew she was too. She had more than made that clear in a way that only Zoe could. So Wade thought about planning something for Friday, and particularly Friday night, that would knock her socks off.

Zoe had spent almost every night that week at Wade's, but on Thursday Wade had asked if she minded if he dropped her at her place. When she gave him a strange look, he explained that he was planning something special for Friday and needed to do a few things that night. So she stayed the night at her place and woke up on Friday morning alone in bed.

Stretching in her bed Zoe looked at the cracks in the ceiling and wondered what Wade was up to. She missed his bed, the smell of him on the pillows and his body beside her. But she was also finding it difficult to wake up next to him and then get out of bed soon after so they could work through the list of things they need to accomplish that day. Or getting into bed beside him at night, feeling completely exhausted from working to get the Rammer Jammer, but still not pouncing on him despite her fatigue. As she looked for patterns in the ceiling cracks she wondered if they had skipped an important part in their relationship, the one where we can't get enough of each other, and moved straight to the faithful and supportive partners' part. She also wondered how they had managed to do that in the course of a week.

Zoe shook her head at her morose and slightly ridiculous train of thought. Truth was they couldn't get enough of each other, but any hot rolling around in his sheets would be cut short by one of them pulling back from the other. They had decided, without really discussing it, that when it happened, it would not be at the end of a long day of work or a quickie before getting out of bed in the morning.

After regaining her grip on reality, she remembered what Wade had said the night before – about planning something special for today. There was nothing left to be done at the Rammer Jammer. That place was spotless, fully stocked and ready for a grand re-opening. As she thought about, a giddiness filled her and she pulled herself from her bed. Something special. She hoped his idea of something special matched what she had in her mind. And that was some quality time out of the Rammer Jammer that ended with a fully satisfying night that happened to find both of them without their clothes.

Zoe made her way to the kitchen and put on some coffee (Always coffee first) before putting up the shades on the windows. With the shades raised she saw how beautiful it was outside. The temperature was rising in Bluebell, just this side of hot, but still nice. Staring out the window, she was brought back from her daydreaming by the sound of her phone ringing.

She picked up and saw it was Wade.

"Good morning." She answered brightly.

She heard his laugh on the other end of the phone before he spoke, "Maybe for you, but I woke up alone and that was not good."

"I hear you, cowboy. I had similar feelings about this morning." She assured him.

After a brief pause to take in her answer, Wade resumed, "So listen, I got to do one last thing this morning, but how's 'bout I pick you up around noon?"

"Sounds good. What are we doing anyway? A girl's got to know how to dress." She was hoping to avoid his it's a surprise answer.

"I thought we'd head out to my grandparents place and take the boat out… and then see where things go from there." Zoe could hear the innuendo in his voice and smiled.

Hard to believe it wasn't that long ago that she would have responded in a huff to that tone in his voice, but now it stirred up decidedly different emotions.

Her pause led him to change his tone and add, "So pack your sunblock. I hear it's gonna be a hot one."

"Here's hoping," she replied with her own bit of innuendo.

"Maybe if you're good." He teased.

"I don't think good was in my plan," she teased back.

He let out a deep breath. "Well alright then. I'll pick you at noon."

"See you then." She said lightly.

She put her phone down and headed back to the kitchen to pour her coffee. Coffee in hand she went back to her bedroom to pack a few things for the day, and the evening if everything went well. Then she settled on her bed and looked into closet thinking about what she would wear for the big night at the Rammer Jammer.

Wade had booked a band from Nashville, by way of somewhere in Alabama. Zoe thought maybe Lavon had pulled a few string to get the slightly more well-known band for Wade's big night. No huge stars, but a big enough name to bring people in. It was not going to be a regular night at the Rammer Jammer but she didn't want to go overboard either. Getting up to take a closer look, she pushed the hangers to one side and then the other, looking over her clothes until she thought she'd found something appropriate.

With that settled, she went and turned on the shower. If the night went as she hoped it would, she wanted to make sure she was cleanly shaven. It was a really girl thing to do, but, hell, she was a girl. It was the first long shower she'd taken in days. The water felt good pounding on her back which was still a little sore from her week of manual labor. The muscles in her shoulders relaxed and she tilted her head back to let the water run down her hair. I've got plenty of time, Zoe thought, and I'm so going to enjoy this.

After her luxuriating shower filled with deep conditioner and body gel, she stepped out and toweled off. She found a casual outfit of shorts and tank top and put her swim suit on underneath it. This was one of things she really did enjoy about Alabama. There was no way she'd be thinking about swimming in late April in New York.

Zoe enjoyed the relaxing morning by herself. As much as she enjoyed waking up with Wade, they had been together pretty non-stop since their first date a week ago. It felt good to have some time alone to take it easy. She painted her toes and read the hot-from-the mailbox copy of Vogue – taking time to fully girl out.

At noon, Wade knocked on her door and she grabbed her bag before she opened it. The sight of him had her slightly rethinking her enjoyment of the time alone. Vogue, Smogue. How he managed to look so good in a white t-shirt and shorts baffled her, but it was undeniable. Wade was thinking the same thing about her in her white tank top, short shorts and a pair of flip flops.

He leaned in to kiss her and she wrapped her arms around his neck to make it count. Before all thoughts of the day he planned vanished, Wade pulled back.

"See, now that's what I was thinkin' about this mornin'," he told her with his crooked smirk firmly planted on his face.

She laughed. Since her arms were still around his neck she kissed him again before sinking back on her heels and pulling away. "Me too." She said.

Wade moved to the side so she could walk out the door and as she did he lightly slapped her butt. "C'mon girl. It's a gorgeous day. 'Enough of your lollygaggin'."

She gave him a look over her shoulder but headed out to his car without a word. Closing the door to her place, Wade chuckled as he followed her out to the car. She actually waited by the door for him to come and open it which surprised him. She might just make a decent Southern girl yet he joked before opening the car door and closing it behind her. When he reached his, Zoe had opened it as had become her habit and leaned against him after he got in.

"It was really nice not having anything to do this morning," she told him.

"Musta been - I wouldn't know," He told her teasingly. "I've been busy gettin' things ready for today."

"No rest for the wicked," she told him.

"Ain't that the truth," He agreed.

The drive out to his grandparents was familiar to her this time and it sunk in how close it was considering how removed it felt from the buzz of Bluebell. He turned onto the tree lined lane towards the house. He parked in the same spot as last time and got out to open her door. She grabbed her bag and he opened the trunk to pull out a cooler.

His head motioned to the house. "Let's drop this inside before headin' on down to the boat."

When she stepped inside she saw that the cloths had been removed from some of the furniture already and it looked a little less dusty. Dropping her bag by the stairs, Zoe followed him into the kitchen and he put the cooler in the fridge after removing a couple of bottles of lemonade and sandwiches. The electricity might not be on, but the fridge was sealed and it couldn't hurt. There were other bags on the counter and he put their lunch into one of them.

Picking up the bag, he extended his arm out. "Alright, let's get on the water and take it easy."

Wade showed her the path leading down to the river and after putting the bag into it, he pulled the boat onto the water.

"Get on in, Doc."

Zoe looked him in the eyes before pulling her tank top off and shimmying out of her shorts revealing her two-piece swimsuit. Then she shucked off her flip flops. She enjoyed watching his perma-smirk evaporate and his mouth fall open. She got in the boat and watched him standing there.

"Quit your gapin'." She did her best impression of him.

Wade shook his head and pulled his shirt off. "Oh you're a wicked woman, Zoe Hart." He told her as he pushed the boat a little further out and climbed in.

They faced each other and Zoe watched him as he paddled them out.

"You want me to take a paddle. You don't need to do all the work," she told him.

Wade shook his head, "Nah, I like it this way with you facin' me so I can check you out."

She pursed her lips slightly and raised her eyebrow. "Okay, but don't say I didn't offer."

"I wouldn't dare."

Wade paddled till they were in the middle of the river and then pulled the oars into the boat. She pulled their lunch out of the bag and handed his to him. Unwrapping her own, she saw he'd made chicken salad again.

"You make a mean chicken salad, Wade Kinsella," she told him as she chowed down.

"You seemed to like it last time and I wasn't feelin' too creative." He replied.

"Fine by me," she said as she swallowed the last bite. She opened her lemonade and drank some of that down.

"Girl, where'd you get your manners? I've never seen someone eat that fast."

She wiped her mouth with her hand and laughed a little embarrassed. "Take it as a compliment."

He took a bit more time eating and then started to paddle again. He showed her different spots along the river. Some were places that were just pretty; others were tied to a memory of his.

"This place really is gorgeous." Zoe said as he rowed back toward the house. "You really should move back here, it's a shame to have it sitting here empty."

Wade nodded thoughtfully, taking in the surroundings. "Yeah, maybe. We'll see."

They made their way back to the shore in a comfortable silence. Wade thought about how he liked that about Zoe. She could talk like a magpie, but she was also at ease with the quiet.

Zoe thought how relaxing it was. Her life had not had much relaxing time to it since she was a kid, during those summers with her grandparents. The past few years especially had been go, go, go. The thought of returning to that and leaving Bluebell was becoming less appealing. She had a little longer before she had to contend with a decision on what came next. So in the peace of the moment she decided she wasn't going to obsess over it just yet.

When they got closer to the shore, Zoe jumped out of the boat into the water, surprising the hell out of Wade. He watched as she swam out and then treaded water. She let out a wicked laugh.

"Thanks for the help." He called out sarcastically as he pulled the boat on to the shore by himself.

She kept laughing until he got a devilish look on his face and jumped in after her. She saw the way he was approaching her and started to swim away from him, but it was no use. He had his arm around her and was pulling her behind him in no time.

Zoe laughed and tried to wiggle out from his arm, but his grip was too strong.

"Not gonna happen." He told her, "I got ya' now"

He swam back pulling her with him – Zoe splashing as tried to get away – both of them laughing. When he finally could touch bottom, he put his feet down and pulled her up tight against him. She was still facing away from him and he used his free hand to pull her wet hair back over one of her shoulders. With it out of the way he could move his mouth freely over the skin of neck and shoulders. Zoe shivered from it and tried to turn so she could kiss him, but he wouldn't let her budge. His arm was firmly around her and his thumb traced along her side, underneath her swim top.

"Uh-ah," he told her as she tried to move. His mouth was only inches away from her skin and she felt his breath on her neck as he spoke. "I told ya'. I got you now."

She finally gave in arching her neck back against his chest and one arm reached behind her so she could get her hand in his hair. Her other arm slid over the one he had around he and she grasped his hand. His mouth continued to move down her neck and along her shoulder, softly at first and then with greater attention. Her breath deepened and slowly Wade eased his grip on her so she could turn. Zoe grabbed his shoulders and her mouth was on his. She wrapped her legs around his waist and his hands cradled her hips. Her mouth moved over his and she moved her arms around his neck.

When they finally came up for air they were both breathing heavy. She looked at him expectantly and he nodded.

"Tonight," he managed between breaths.

They kissed again less urgently and he slowly released the hold on her hips so her legs could slide down. Her hands moved down his shoulders to his forearms. Sinking from her tip toes onto her heals, she released the kiss and rested her head against his chest.

He lowered his head on top of hers and thought - Now I get what all the fuss is about. All them guys havin' themselves wrapped around ta girl's pinky. He was a little surprised how little he minded joining the ranks.

Not having towels they decided to lie on the grass at the top of the hill to dry. They faced each other and shared stories. Zoe told him about her Dad leaving when she was ten and growing up essentially unsupervised. As she spoke, he began to see how similar they were. They had both been kids left to figure it out on their own and shared a fondness for a set of grandparents that had been their only real experience with what family was. The only difference was she'd chosen a path of high expectations and he had gone the other route. Well, that and the fact he had his sister and Zoe had been alone – God that must have sucked. Still, the similarities were uncanny. Maybe that's why she seemed to get him and didn't fall for his b.s. - and vice-versa.

Once they'd dried off, they dressed and walked around the grounds. Holding her hand, Wade continued pointing things out to her – more memories or thing he thought were interesting. Zoe was a little surprised by how at home she felt at this place. While she could argue it was how it reminded her of Nana and Grandpa's house; that was only part of it. The place had a magic to it that was undeniable. It was picturesque and stately in a cozy way, but more than that it was a home. A place to put down roots, to entwine with the ones that were already here. Never one to get too far ahead of herself where relationships were concerned Zoe didn't allow herself to drift down a road of imagining a future for herself here with Wade. That sort of thing made her too uncomfortable, another set up for potential disappointment. No, she just liked how it felt it to be here, now, and that was as far as she let it go.

Before long the day started to fade with the sun beginning its decent. The air was starting to cool. Zoe looked over at Wade, "Let's head up to the house."

"Good idea." He replied as he put his arm around her.

Once inside Wade built a fire in the large, front room fireplace before heading to the kitchen to get their dinner. He came back with candles, a bottle of wine, two glasses and a bag. Zoe was sitting on the couch watching him.

"C'mon over here, Doc. I got us regular gourmet meal here." Wade said beckoning her with his hand. He lit a few a candles.

She walked over to find him pulling out some hot dogs and some other containers. Next he took out skewers. He pierced a hot dog with one and handed it to Zoe. He pointed to the fire.

"And there's the grill." He told here.

She laughed. "You do spoil a girl."

They toasted their hot dogs and ate their make shift picnic in the middle of his grandmother's parlor. He looked around the room, popping in a piece of cornbread. He finished chewing and shook his head.

"Man, if Grandma saw this she would be chasin' us out of here with that poker." He told her pointing to the fireplace poker.

"I bet. This room isn't exactly furnished for an inside cook-out."

"No it sure ain't."

Zoe dug into the potato salad. It was delicious, but so were the cornbread and cole slaw.

"Where did you learn to cook?" she asked.

"My grandma mostly and then after she died I mostly taught myself. Wasn't like Earl was makin' us big family dinners. Besides Anna Lee needed to eat too and I was the big brother." He explained.

Zoe nodded. "My Mom never cooked – big surprise. But we had a live-in who made my meals."

"So that explains why you can't cook." He joked.

Zoe began to look offended, then softened. Shrugging she agreed, "You're probably right. I was never too interested in the food preparation; I was more focused on the consumption."

Zoe then shifted topics. She had heard Wade talk about his sister before and other people in town mention her too. "Are you and your sister still close?'

Wade let out a laugh thinking about his baby sister. She was only a year younger than him, but he still thought of her as the baby. His eyes narrowed a bit and a warm smile filled his face before he started telling Zoe about her.

"Aw yeah, Annie is probably my best friend - she's somethin' else. It's not so much that trouble finds her, but more she enjoys seekin' it out. But, man is she fun. She makes me look like a boring ole housecat. And she's just good peeps. Outside of the hell raisin', she's got a lot of Momma in her. People can't help but love her, just like Momma. Annie looks a lot like her, too." Wade looked at Zoe before he finished talking about his sister, "I think you two will get along real good."

"So you think she'll approve." Zoe said and Wade nodded.

Then it hit her, she hadn't thought to ask – though she wasn't sure why. "Is she coming tomorrow?"

Wade chuckled a little under her breath, "Aww yeah she's gonna be there alright, but I'm not allowed to tell anyone in Bluebell. Although I gotta imagine some folks figured it out."

Zoe looked curious so Wade spilled.

"She's in the band, but that's not advertised per her request. She's goin' by her stage name these days so she thinks folks won't know. 'Course her stage name is Anna Lee – all she did was drop Kinsella." Wade said shaking his head again, chuckling.

His sister was probably the only other girl who had him wrapped around his finger.

Zoe liked listening to him talk about his sister. Thinking of meeting her had Zoe a mix of excited and nervous. It was not just that his sister was important to Wade, but she sounded like a handful. But he knew his sister and if Wade said she'd like Zoe she would have to trust him.

Finished with dinner, Wade was ready to move on to what he'd planned next. He packed up what was left from dinner and brought it back into the kitchen. Zoe picked up the pillows they'd used as seats and put them back on the couch. Then she followed him into the kitchen.

Wade was standing at the counter packing things into the cooler with only a candle for light. Zoe walked up behind him and hugged him close. She pressed her face to his back and breathed him in. He looked at her over his shoulder and smiled before returning to the work in front of him. After closing the cooler he turned and put his arms around her.

Zoe looked up at him smiling, "Today has been…" her eyes looked upwards as she tried to think of the right word. "…perfect."

Wade looked down at her, "Glad you think so, but it ain't over yet."

He lifted her chin and gave her a quick kiss before he started to move, but she grabbed his hand.

"I got the next part." She told him. "Stay here and wait for me to call you."

He cocked his head to the side, wondering what she was up to. "You know where you're going?" he called to her as she grabbed some candles and her bag at the bottom of the stairs.

She looked back at him before heading up the stairs, "I think I'll figure it out."

It felt like she'd been up there forever. Wade paced around downstairs; putting out candles and watching what left of the fire. The anticipation was boiling over, wondering what she was doing upstairs only made it worse. He held the flashlight in his hand, ready for her call.

Finally, he heard her.

"Wade, you can come up."

He tried not to take the stairs two at a time and keep his cool. He saw the flickering battery candles leading towards one of the bedrooms. He followed the path they made and began to hear the low music coming from the room. When he came into the bedroom, the small soft lights were everywhere, mixed with candles she took from downstairs. The effect created a sensual, low light.

He saw Zoe lying on the bed, leaning slightly to her side with her head propped up on by her hand. Her hair was falling in waves around her shoulders. She wore a midnight blue silk slip of a nighty that fell to her mid-thigh. The fabric curved over her hip. The neckline dipped just enough to tease. The sight of her stopped him cold and the craving for her pumped through each of his cells.

Gone were all the repressed emotions of holding back and waiting. He put the flashlight down and walked toward the bed. He lifted one knee on the mattress but stood beside it for a moment taking her in again. Slowly he moved his hand along her hip, feeling the silk of the fabric as he traced his fingers down to her thigh. He lifted himself into the bed as he did this and she watched how his eyes followed the movement of his fingers. It was possibly the sexiest display of foreplay she'd ever experienced. Moving closer to her Wade reached for her face and his mouth met hers with an urgency that had Zoe catching her breath. Her fingers laced in his hair, pulling him closer to her. They broke their kiss suddenly and she pulled his shirt over his head. The intensity of her eyes as did stirred him in a way he had not imagined. With his shirt gone she ran the whole of her hands over skin of his chest, and then looked up at him. His eyes were burning into hers.

"I want you, Zoe. I want you now." His tongue rolled over his top lip.

Zoe's eyes stayed locked on his and she leaned back on to the bed. Wade was not waiting for any other answer. He took her face in his hands and pressed his lips to hers. Her tongue slid over his bottom lip and he opened his mouth to her. His hand slid to the back of her head and down her neck. He pulled her hair back and slowly moved his mouth down her neck. When he reached her shoulders, he slid the narrow strap of her nightgown down her arm. He rolled her on top of him and moved his hands down her sides to her hips. Her breath became ragged every time their mouths broke apart. Finally, she whispered urgently. "Now, Wade. Now."

The sheets tangled around them. Her nightgown was in a ball at the end of the bed and his clothes had found themselves on the floor. Wade was lying on his back with Zoe pressed against him. Her head was on his pillow looking towards him. Their breathing had finally begun to slow. Wade slowly ran his fingers through her hair and down the skin of her back to where it met the sheet bunched around her hips. He closed his eyes and took in the way she felt against him. She nuzzled into his neck.

"Mind. Blowing," Zoe said each word with separate and equal emphasis.

"Mmmm…." Wade almost hummed. "I agree," he managed to put the words together somehow though his brain was not thinking much about stringing words together.

Repeating the up and down path of his hands trailing her back, his eyes remained closed, focused on the feel of her skin. He was already thinking of going another round when he heard her voice.

"That was worth the wait," she said quietly in his ear.

Wade smiled at the words. "Yeah, it was," he agreed as began to roll her underneath him. She saw the sexy smirk.

"Too good to even think 'bout waitin' to do it again." He growled before he moved his mouth over hers and his hands down her sides.

An hour or so later, Wade was balancing himself on his lower arms and looking down at Zoe. Her chest was rising and falling, her breathing heavy. He was dazed; taking in the way her hair spread over the pillow, her eyes closed, the movement of her chest. He could not stop the compulsion pushing the words out of his mouth.

"Damn, Zoe ... That was amazin'."

Zoe opened her eyes and looked at him, "Which time?" she asked, breathless and beaming.

"You tell me." He said as he brushed his lips over her ear.

The sensation of his breath and lips on her ear made Zoe forget the question. "I'm at a loss for words," she managed.

He rolled off of her and they each turned on their sides to face each other.

"So remind me why we waited so long?" Zoe asked him with warm, happy eyes.

"Well, recently I think it's becuz we were tryin' to make it count … and it did." He leered at her and then finished his thought, "Before that I think it was just sheer stupidity on both our parts."

A light laugh escaped her and Wade brought his arms around her, "Hey, Zoe?"

"Yes, Wade."

"Will you be my date tomorrow night at the Rammer Jammer?"

"I thought you'd never ask." She rolled over and snuggled her back against his chest. "Wade?"

"Yeah," his voice was sounding sleepy.

"Tonight was amazing." She repeated his words.

"That's cuz you are." He whispered in her ear.

Zoe pushed herself deeper into his chest and he tightened his arms around her. Taking his hand to her mouth to kiss it, Zoe whispered. "Good night, Wade."

"'Night, Zoe."

Sooo...Let me know what you think. I wanted it to be tasteful and true to the T rating. Hope you enjoyed it!

Stay Tuned: Wade's sister arrives in the next chapter or two (depending on how long Zoe and Wade dawdle before the big re-opening). She is a handful - I think she kind of looks like Emma Stone personally ;-) She also has some history with a particularly well regarded member of the community...