Go ahead and blink your eyes a few times. It's probably hard to believe there is an actual update. But it's true! There's an update! I don't really have a good excuse outside of being busy – no writers block or anything of that sort. I do have every intention of finishing this story, so hang in there!
THANK YOU to all of you who have been reviewing and messaging and asking me if I'm still alive. I appreciate you all so much and I do hope you're still reading. I adore you all!
This update is inspired by Heartland's "I Loved Her First." If you're a daddy's girl like me, that song will make you cry like a baby.
THINGS I OWN: A recently purchased Nook. THINGS I DON'T OWN: Hart of Dixie
Recap since it's been a bit: Zoe and Wade are together now, Wade has a big secret him and George are 'taking care of,' Wade's father is sick and Zoe's father is on his way to town. And that's where we pick up.
Zoe thought she knew what the phrase 'pins and needles' meant. She'd been on pins and needles waiting to hear if she'd gotten into her top choice for medical school. Then she'd waited to learn where her residency would be, waited to learn if she'd passed her boards, gotten her fellowship. She'd spent a lot of time on pins and needles, if she thought about it, obsessing over test scores and internships, things that she'd been sure at the time would make or break her career as a surgeon. But now, as she waited for her father to turn up, she truly understood the meaning of the phrase.
It was nearly the end of the day and he still hadn't showed. She'd almost allowed herself to believe he wasn't going to turn up, but she wasn't quite ready to let her guard down. Whether or not she'd be disappointed if he didn't turn up, she hadn't decided. The practice was still open for another hour, but she didn't have any more patients and so she had wandered up to Harley's apartment to go through a few more of his things.
His movie collection, it turned out, was not only vast but varied. He had action movies and classics, comedies and tragedies. He even had a few foreign films. She had sorted them into two piles, one to donate to the church and another much smaller pile that she intended to watch with Wade before they too went into the donation pile.
She'd moved on to his book shelves and was pleased to find he had quite the collection of classics. She divided these into piles as well, but her keep pile was much bigger than her donate pile which mainly consisted of paperback books that could be picked up in any bargain bin. She'd already read most of the books she kept, but she sat aside a copy of Gone With The Wind to take back to the plantation. It was one that she had never read and if nothing else, it could give her tips on how to survive in the South.
It was ironic that she was sitting in her biological father's home, waiting for the man she'd called 'Dad' her entire life to show up on her doorstep. She hadn't slept well the night before, anxious about the next day and wondering what Ethan Hart wanted, what he would say, what she would say. She had managed to push it out of her mind for a while, helping Wade at the Rammer Jammer and then having dinner with him, but as soon as they'd settled in for the night, she was back to worrying.
She was sure Wade had heard his fill of her daddy issues. He had listened as she'd rambled on, picking at his guitar while she paced the floor and jumping in with a comment or two when she took a break to breathe. She couldn't say he was much help, but he'd tried and she had to give him credit for that. He'd let her rant and rave and walk a ring around his sofa which was exactly what she needed to do at the time, showing yet again just how well he knew her.
Sometime in the middle of the night, lying in Wade's bed with her head on his chest as he slept, what she wanted to say to her dad became crystal clear. He had left her. At 10 years old, all she knew was that the man who had loved and adored her even when he didn't necessarily love and adore her mother suddenly went away. At first, he had visited on birthdays and major holidays, maybe the occasional school break. As she got older, those visits became phone calls and presents in the mail. Then just presents and then finally, nothing.
He had returned her calls here and there. She had learned pretty quickly he was more likely to email her than to speak to her on the phone and had figured out that if she focused on medicine, asking questions and telling him about particularly interesting cases, his replies might be longer. She hadn't realized at the time that she was editing her thoughts to get him to pay her any amount of attention. It wasn't fair. She was the innocent one in the situation. She was also the one who had been hurt the most.
"Dr. Hart? It's 5:00. I'm leaving. I'll see you in the morning," came Brick's voice up the stairs.
"Don't forget the on call phone!" Zoe called back. She heard Brick mumbling, confirming that he'd forgotten he was on call. Or not forgotten. She had a theory that his tendency to leave the phone at the practice when he left before her was to avoid being on call, assuming she'd pick up his slack. And usually, she did.
Standing from where she'd been sitting in the floor surrounded by books, she picked up the copy of Gone With The Wind, turned off the lights, and locked the apartment behind her. She stopped in her office and gathered her things, contemplating dropping by the Rammer Jammer to see Wade. She decided against it. It would be better to be in the privacy of her carriage house should her father actually show up rather than risk running into him at the Rammer Jammer, a place she was sure he'd go as he had an affinity for scotch. She blew out a breath she didn't realize she was holding as she locked the doors to the practice.
"Everything is going to be okay," she told her reflection in the door's glass before turning towards home.
Wade expertly poured a mixed drink and slid it across the bar to the man who had requested it and started popping the tops off of a round of beers for Shelley to take to a table. On the outside, he looked like his usual cool and collected self, but on the inside, he was a nervous wreck, his thoughts with Zoe and wondering if her father had made his way to her yet. Since he hadn't heard the buzzing a new face in Bluebell brought about, he doubted it, but he was nervous all the same.
He knew she hadn't slept much, if at all, the night before. He'd let her pace the floor, listing all the things Ethan Hart had ever done, the good and the bad. He'd listened as she tried out speech after speech. He'd offered up what he could by way of help, but instinctively knew Zoe had to handle this herself. All he could do was be there with his arms open if and when things came crashing down.
It was a mark of how much he'd grown as a person. Before Zoe, he would have cut and run the second things got tough, not willing to stick around and play the role of supportive boyfriend. It wasn't his style. With Zoe though, he wanted to be there, wanted to hold her hand and tell her everything was going to be okay. He'd face her father for her if he could. He didn't know when it had happened and it certainly hadn't been overnight, but evidence was piling up that he had become a real and true adult.
"Wade, my boy," Lavon greeted him, sitting down at the boy. "Pop the top on something cold for me." Wade obliged, reaching for a Heineken and twisting the top off.
"So you're the Mayor of this fine town," Wade said, leaning on the bar as Lavon turned up his beer. "I reckon you'd get news pretty quick if someone new turned up, wouldn't you? You knew 'bout the doc mighty soon after her arrival." Lavon looked at him.
"I ain't heard hide nor hair of nobody by the name of Ethan Hart arriving in Bluebell," he said. "And trust me when I say I've had my ear to the ground all day." It made Wade feel just a little better, knowing Zoe had Lavon in her corner as well.
"She's all worked up," Wade told him. "You seen her at breakfast, spilling milk and dropping boxes of cereal. I ain't seen her all day. I just hope she ain't gone and diagnosed a patient with some serious disease or gave 'em a shot of something when they just needed stitches."
"She was wound tight," Lavon agreed. "Trying to tell Lavon Hayes won't nothing wrong. She was still speaking to you so I figured you won't at fault. Like to never got that girl to spill the beans on what was bothering her."
"I resent that," Wade told him. "I'll have you know I've made it nearly two months into this relationship without pissing her off. Well, there was that one time with my dad, but we figured that out pretty quick so it don't count."
"Zoe's been good for you," Lavon said seriously. "You've been right good for her, come to think of it."
"I'm just lucky enough she puts up with me," Wade admitted. "That girl done gone and made me want to shine up my shoes and put on a clean shirt." Lavon chuckled at Wade's analogy for Zoe.
"You have looked a bit more presentable as of late," he agreed. The door chime sounded, signaling someone had walked in. Wade usually tuned it out, so used to people coming and going, but he glanced in the door's direction as did Lavon, both on the lookout for Zoe's father. It was Brick Breeland.
"Evening, gentlemen," he said, sitting down beside Wade. "Pour me a Jack and Coke, son." Wade nodded and fixed Brick his drink.
"Zoe still at the practice when you left?" he asked casually as he sat Brick's drink in front of him.
"Yeah. She was puttering around upstairs. She's been distracted all day – not distracted enough to not remind me I'm on call, but distracted all the same. She all right?"
"You're on call?" Lavon asked, eyeing Brick's drink.
"I know my limits," he said. "I'll just have the one, just like I do every evening after work, on call or not." Lavon shrugged and hoped Zoe was available should something more than a broken bone or scraped elbow occur.
"Distracted how?" Wade asked.
"She's just more – Zoe – than she's been lately," Brick said with a shrug. "Rambling and dropping things. I half expected her to diagnose someone with a debilitating brain disease again but she seemed to manage to get her patients in and out in more or less the same shape they came in. I think I heard her mention to Addie that her dad was coming into town?"
"He's supposed to be on his way," Wade said. "Which would be why Zoe's been a little distracted today."
"Well who can blame her?" Brick said. He took a swig of his drink. "Abandoning her like that. He ought to be ashamed of himself. She was just a little thing when her parents separated from what I hear. And it certainly won't her fault her momma went and slept with Harley then hid the truth from both of them all these years." Wade raised an eyebrow and Lavon looked downright shocked.
"Brick, are you – defending – Zoe?" Lavon asked. Brick seemed to realize what he'd done.
"Just stating some facts, that's all," he said, trying to cover his tracks. He'd grown fond of Zoe in a roundabout sort of way and the more he got to know her, the more he could tell that not only was she a good doctor, but a good person. And besides, he knew a thing or two about being abandoned and secrets himself. "Is that Evan Perkins I see over there? I've been meaning to ask him about a ticking sound coming from my engine…" He got up from the bar, taking his drink with him, and joined the town's favorite mechanic.
"Wait 'til I tell Zoe that Brick's on her side," Wade said with an amused smirk.
"Better take a trip to hell first, make sure it ain't froze over," Lavon commented. Wade chuckled. The bell over the door sounded again and Wade once again turned towards it. His eyes widened.
"That's him," he hissed to Lavon, reaching across the bar to hit his shoulder. Lavon jerked his head once in agreement as they watched the old man, dressed in a tailored suit and giving off an air of importance, make his way to the bar. All eyes in the bar were on him. Brick was looking at him with a sort of contempt, aware of who he was. Lavon and Wade exchanged a glance before Wade greeted the man.
"Evenin,' sir," he said. "What can I do you for?" Ethan Hart looked at him with an expression resembling confusion on his face. Wade realized his usual casual greeting was lost on the man who, he remembered, had traveled the world and was probably even more a fish out of water than Zoe was in Bluebell. "I mean, can I get you something to drink?" he asked instead. Ethan eyed the selection, thinking it over.
"As much as I could use a scotch, I'd better not," he answered. "At least not now. I'm actually looking for my daughter – Zoe Hart? She's one of the doctors in this town." Wade nodded.
"You're in luck," he said. "You done probably found the two people in Bluebell who know her best." He extended his hand. "I'm Wade Kinsella, her neighbor." He purposefully introduced himself as a neighbor, thinking it best to let Zoe do any other introductions. Ethan shook his hand, Wade making sure to look him in the eye and give him a good, firm handshake in return. "And this here is Mayor Hayes," he said, indicating Lavon.
"The linebacker," Ethan said simply, reaching to shake Lavon's hand. "Pleasure to meet you both."
"Likewise," Lavon replied. "Zoe lives in the carriage house on my property. I'm heading that way now if you want a lift."
"I guess I may as well bite the bullet and take you up on the offer," Ethan replied, shifting his weight from one foot to the other. Wade didn't like how he said 'bite the bullet,' as if seeing Zoe was some sort of chore he didn't want to do, but he kept his thoughts to himself, thinking it was in both his and Zoe's best interests if he didn't voice his thoughts right then.
"Right this way then," Lavon said. He exchanged a meaningful look with Wade as he paid for his drink and Brick's too after feeling a certain wave of gratitude towards the town's other doctor for being in Zoe's corner. Ethan nodded a goodbye to Wade and followed Lavon out the door. Wade waited until they were safely outside, then went into his office. He dialed Zoe.
"Hey," she answered.
"Hey, darlin,'" he replied. He could hear a hint of anxiety in her voice. "How you doin'?"
"Oh you know, just waiting for my estranged father to turn up. So in other words, I'm absolutely peachy." The corner of Wade's mouth twitched upward at her sass.
"Yeah, 'bout that," he said. "He's on his way to the plantation. He came in lookin' for you and Lavon's givin' him a ride out there." He heard her sharp intake of breath.
"Here?" she asked. "As in, my house?"
"Yeah," Wade confirmed. "I wanted to give you a heads up. I figured I sprung one parent on you when I picked up your momma at Thanksgiving, didn't want to be responsible for springin' another one on you."
"Thanks," Zoe said. She let out a breath.
"It's gonna be okay," he told her. "See what he wants and decide if it's worth you listenin' to what he has to say."
"I'll try," she said. "I make no promises." Wade personally thought she was more likely to tell the man off and put him on the first plane back to New York than listen to what he had to say.
"Call me if you need me, okay?" he asked. "I'm supposed to close tonight, but just say the word and I'll be there."
"I'll be fine," she told him. "I'll see you when you get home or tomorrow."
"It's gonna be okay," Wade said again.
"Thanks, Wade. For everything. I know I kept you up last night."
"Yeah well, you can make that up to me by letting me keep you up one night this week, deal?" Her laughter on the other end of the phone made him smile.
"Deal," she agreed. He hung up the phone, took a deep breath and returned to his spot behind the bar.
Zoe sat on her top porch step, eyes peeled on the road where Lavon and her father would eventually appear. She tried to settle on what she would say when he first stepped out of the car, but nothing seemed quite right. If Wade were with her, he'd tell her to go with whatever happened in that moment. He was far better at going without a plan than she was however and even as the black Navigator appeared in the distance, she was still frantically trying to land on something that worked.
The SUV rolled to a stop and Zoe stood, wrapping her arms around her in a protective sort of gesture. Lavon got out of the vehicle right away, but Ethan remained in the passenger seat, taking Zoe in. Zoe returned his gaze, not sure if she was willing him out of the car or o remain inside.
"Seems like an okay guy," Lavon commented as he climbed the steps to come stand by her. Zoe shot him a look that told him he said the wrong thing. "I'm going to be up at the house. Didi is coming over. You come on up there if you need anything, you hear?" Zoe only nodded, her eyes still on her father. Finally, the passenger door opened. Lavon heard her suck in a deep breath. He squeezed her shoulder, bid Ethan goodbye, and climbed back into his Navigator. He was out of sight before either of them spoke.
"Zoe," Ethan said. "You look well." Zoe nodded once.
"You look – the same," she said. He did. He was still wearing tailored suits. His thick hair was maybe a little thinner and a little faded, but he still combed it in the same fashion. He still held himself with an air of dignity that came with being a world-class surgeon. But, she noticed, he looked as nervous as she felt. That comforted her. "So… What brings you to Bluebell?" she asked.
"Well, you," Ethan answered. "Not much else that would bring me here, is there?" He had a point.
"But why?" Zoe asked. "After all this time, what brings you here?" Ethan sighed. There would be no beating around the bush, no casual conversation. Zoe was going to go right to the point and stay there until she was satisfied with the answers she received.
"I think it's time we talked," he told her. "Can we go inside?" Zoe nodded and turned, leading the way inside. She went straight to one of her armchairs and took a seat, tucking her legs under her and waiting. Ethan took his time, lingering in the doorway, taking in her cozy home.
"I imagine this is smaller than your loft in New York," he commented. A photo on an end table caught his eye. He picked it up and studied it. "This is Harley Wilkes, I imagine?" Zoe nodded.
"That's him," she confirmed. There was an edge of defensiveness in her voice, as if she dared one father figure to question anything about the other.
"It seems he was a good man from what I read," Ethan commented, putting the photo back. "A good man, good doctor."
"You Googled him?" Zoe asked.
"Of course I did. Did you think I wouldn't?"
"Did you Google me?" she asked. "See what I was up to? If I'd maybe won a Nobel Prize or died in a subway accident?" Ethan sighed and finally took a seat on the couch near Zoe.
"I know you're angry," he started. "You have to understand that I am too. I spent 10 years thinking I had this perfect little girl, only to learn you aren't mine at all."
"Which isn't my fault," Zoe said. "I didn't get to pick who my parents are. Trust me, if I had, I'd have probably chosen differently."
"Who would you have chosen?" Ethan asked. Zoe raised her eyebrows, surprised by his response.
"What?"
"Who would you have chosen?" Ethan repeated. "Who are your perfect parents?"
Zoe opened her mouth to give a response full of sass, but stopped herself. She chewed on her lip, thinking. If he wanted to know, she'd answer. And if he didn't like what he heard, well that wouldn't be her problem. They both knew he was far from ideal.
"They would be there," she started. "We'd have breakfast together before we went our separate ways for the day. I don't know what kind of jobs they'd have. Maybe they'd be a celebrity publicist and a world-renowned heart surgeon. Or maybe they'd be an accountant and a secretary. But whatever their job, they'd come home at a decent hour. We'd have family dinners and talk about our day. Maybe not every day, but most days.
"They'd be at school plays and graduations. They'd pick me up from school when the nurse calls instead of sending a nanny. They'd know I'm allergic to bees and that I thought a family of gnomes lived under my bed for most of third grade. I wouldn't be the kid hovering awkwardly in the corner after a dance recital or choral concert while everyone else hugged their parents and were told how great they were even if they were absolutely awful. Because I'd have my own set of parents to hug and hear exaggerated reviews of my performance from. That's who my perfect parents would be. Instead, I got you. And Mom."
Ethan sighed and rubbed a hand across his face, realizing for the first time that he'd failed even more as a father than he'd thought.
"Zoe, I'm sorry," he said, remorse in his voice. "Even for the 10 years when I was blissfully unaware that you weren't my biological daughter, I let you down. To me, I was doing the best I could as a father, working long hours to give you and your mother everything. I was there when I could be. You can't argue that."
"You were there when there when you weren't fighting to get some fancy surgery," Zoe corrected. "Which is the real issue here. Not the fact that by blood, I'm not your daughter. The fact that you left me." Ethan nodded in agreement.
"I'm sorry," he said again. He blew out a breath. "Listen, Zoe, nothing is going to get solved today. We both know that. I'll be here for a few days and we have plenty of time to talk. It's been a long day of traveling and – for lack of a better word – confrontation. Why don't you tell me about Bluebell, your practice?"
Part of Zoe wanted to insist they keep discussing how he'd left her and all the issues they had. But he was right. It had been a long day for her too, working and then worrying after a night of little sleep. They had plenty of time to talk about things.
"Bluebell is – different," she started. Ethan visibly relaxed, relieved Zoe had agreed to shelf their talk for the moment. "They have all these quirky town celebrations and fairs and festivals. It's something new and strange every other week. But there people here are good. Good, honest people. They care about their neighbors and bring pound cakes to introduce themselves. It's not New York, but it's… Well, it's Bluebell." Ethan raised an eyebrow.
"It sounds like you've grown rather fond of this place," he commented.
"It's not as bad as I once thought," Zoe conceded. "It's hotter than hell, but if you can look past that and all the bugs, you start to appreciate the quiet evenings. You just have to lookout for the wayward alligator if you're wandering around on the plantation at night."
"Alligators?"
"Lavon has a pet alligator," Zoe explained with a wave of his hand. "His name is Burt Reynolds, he sleeps on my porch steps a lot." A thought occurred to her. "Where are you staying?"
"Well I have a room at the Bluebell Inn," Ethan explained. "Although I have the impression it may not be so easy to get a taxi out here to take me back into town." Zoe smiled slightly.
"No taxi," she confirmed. "But when you're ready to go back into town, I'll borrow Lavon's Navigator and drive you." Ethan looked at her.
"You can drive?" he asked, the surprise evident in his voice. Zoe nodded proudly.
"Wade taught me," she said. "I'm still not very good with a manual and he won't let me anywhere near the driver's seat of his car, but I do pretty well with Lavon's Navigator. So much so I'm considering getting a car of my own."
"A car of your own? It sounds like you might be planning on sticking around once your year as a GP is up."
"There's a lot to be decided," Zoe said firmly. The tone in her voice let her know the subject was off the table for discussion. Ethan decided to focus on the other piece of information he'd picked up on when Zoe revealed she knew how to drive.
"Wade, he's the young man I met at the bar I walked into, right? I believe he said his last name was Kinsella? He introduced himself as your neighbor." Zoe nodded.
"He lives in the gate house on the other side of the pond," she told her father. "He's my boyfriend, actually." Ethan had suspected as much, putting together the pieces from Wade saying he knew her well to the slightest of smiles that had graced Zoe's face when she'd mentioned him teaching her to drive.
"Boyfriend?" Ethan inquired. "I can't say I ever seen my daughter dating a bartender. He did seem like a fairly nice kid though."
"The Rammer Jammer is actually his bar," Zoe corrected. "It was his mom's place before that. It's the place to be in Bluebell. He does a great job with it. You'll have to try the po'boy while you're here. Or maybe the biscuits and gravy."
"He treats you well?" Ethan continued. "Makes you happy?" Zoe's smile was the only answer he needed.
"Wade is great," she confessed. "He's always looked out for me, even before we realized we liked each other. He takes care of his dad too, helps Lavon out around the plantation."
"If he's such a successful business owner, why does he live in a gate house on the mayor's plantation?" Ethan asked. Zoe opened her mouth to respond, but realized she didn't know the answer. Why did Wade live in a guest house? She was sure he could easily afford a place of his own, maybe somewhere closer to the Rammer Jammer or out near his dad.
"He's been friends with Lavon forever," Zoe told her dad. "It was just one of those 'temporary' things that turned into a long term thing."
"Kind of like your time in Bluebell?" Ethan asked. Zoe gave him a look but didn't answer him. He was implying that he knew what she was going to do before even she did. He sensed he was wearing down his welcome. "Why don't you show me these driving skills of yours?" he asked. "We can make plans for tomorrow on our way into town."
Zoe sat in one of the Adirondack chairs by the pond, her head back and eyes closed, enjoying the cool night air. Spring was banging on the door, hints of it already showing up in greening grass and early buds on the dogwood trees. She could practically smell the new season floating in on the light breeze that was blowing through Bluebell.
It occurred to her that this was one of the moments she'd been trying to explain to her father earlier. The quiet, the peace. She felt at home as she relaxed, waiting for Wade's headlights to break through the darkness. She desperately wanted to see him after the day she'd had and had paid him a visit at the Rammer Jammer to tell him as much after she'd dropped Ethan off at the inn. The place had been extremely busy and he had been running all over to keep up, but he'd promised to come over whenever he got home.
It was close to eleven when the sound of his car interrupted the silence of the night. She opened her eyes and sat up in the chair, watching his headlights grow bigger as he got closer. He bypassed his house and drove around the pond to hers. He rolled to a stop at her porch and got out, made his way towards her.
"Hey," he said softly.
"Hi," Zoe replied just as softly. He gave her his usual quick kiss on the lips before settling into the other chair. "You were busy tonight." He nodded.
"Good thing too," he said. "Kept me from havin' time to worry about what was goin' on here." He looked at her expectedly, waiting to hear how things had been with her dad. She'd seemed okay when she'd dropped by the Rammer Jammer. Had she not been, he would have abandoned ship and headed home right then and there. As it was, he'd already ducked out early, leaving Shelley to close.
"I got a few things off my chest, he got a few things off his. We're having lunch tomorrow – at the Rammer Jammer so be prepared to impress." Wade raised an eyebrow.
"Does he… Does he, you know…. Know I'm your…"
"Boyfriend?" Zoe supplied, amused as Wade stumbled over his words. "Yes, he does. He said you seemed like a 'fairly nice kid.' I told him you weren't awful."
"That's nice of you," Wade said, a hint of sarcasm in his voice. He'd never done the meet-the-parent thing. Meeting Zoe's mom was one thing. They weren't dating then and there had been a life or death situation taking place. He'd gotten her on his side before he could officially call Zoe his girlfriend. But her father was a different animal. There was a lot of baggage between her and Ethan Hart without tossing a boyfriend – a guy from nowhere, Alabama who owned a bar – into the mix.
"He asked if you treated me well, made me happy. I told him yes on both accounts. Then I told him about the po'boy and biscuits and gravy at the Rammer Jammer and so he insisted on us having lunch there tomorrow."
"Guess I'll have to put on a clean shirt in the mornin,'" Wade commented. Zoe laughed.
"You're not the one who has to impress," she told him. She stood and moved over to him, took a seat in his lap. He wrapped an arm around her and she rested against him. She kissed him on the cheek before resting her head on shoulder.
"Are you okay?" he asked. "With him being here and all?"
"I think so. I don't know. It's weird having him here. He asked me what kind of parents I would have if I had the chance to pick them out. I said ones that would always be there, not leave me." She looked up at Wade. "Does that make me weak?" Wade frowned.
"Why'd that make you weak?" he asked. "I think it makes you honest. You parents won't there for you. You wish they were. Nothing wrong with that. I wish the same thing myself." Zoe looked up at him, studying him for a long while. They were so different and yet in some of the most critical ways, they were cut from the same cloth.
"I felt weak confessing that," she admitted. "But he needed to know." She wanted to change the subject. She played with the buttons on his shirt. "I was thinking… Why do you live at Lavon's? Don't get me wrong, I'm glad you do. This would have never happened if I weren't fighting you for electricity or the last cup of coffee day in and day out. But you've got this successful business and all – why not live closer to town or maybe buy a place out near your dad?"
"It just happened," Wade said, which was more or less the truth. "I wanted to be closer to the Rammer Jammer when I took it over and Lavon offered up the gate house until I found a place. I just ain't never left. Never had a reason to. Good thing too. Like you said, this wouldn't have happened." He jostled Zoe playfully.
"Who would have ever thought I'd fall for a bar owning, electricity hogging, guitar playing, plaid wearing guy from Alabama?" she commented, settling back against him comfortably.
"Probably the same people who said I'd end up risking my reputation for a fast-talking, short short wearing, bossy Yankee doctor," Wade countered. Zoe chuckled.
"Risking your reputation?" she asked.
"Yeah. It seems gettin' a girlfriend and makin' it all Facebook officially disproved any and all claims that I, Wade Kinsella, am a ladies' man."
"I am so very sorry," Zoe said seriously.
"Oh I reckon I can forgive you," Wade countered. He leaned down and planted a kiss on Zoe's shoulder. He yawned.
"Let's go to bed," Zoe said, sitting up. "You're yawning, I didn't sleep last night and we've both got to work tomorrow."
"Yeah, I'm openin' the Rammer Jammer," Wade agreed. He helped Zoe to her feet and stood as well before taking her hand and starting towards her house. It had become an unspoken agreement that they slept at one house or the other, together, each night. With their work schedules, it was really the only time they got to see each other unless they planned a date night in advance.
Inside, Wade pulled his shirt off and stripped down to his boxers. Zoe did the same, taking off her shirt and jeans until she was in her boy shorts and cami, Wade sneaking peeks with a small grin on his face. His girlfriend was hot and he didn't mind appreciating the view. He got into bed and waited for Zoe. He couldn't help but grin when she emerged.
"What?" she asked, slipping between the covers with him.
"You're beautiful," Wade said simply. A faint blush filled Zoe's cheeks as she settled down in her bed.
"Good night," she told him, pulling him down to her to kiss him goodnight.
"Night, Zoe," he replied. He kissed her one more time and then rolled over to turn the bedside lamp off, throwing them into darkness. Zoe laid her head on his chest and sooner rather than later, they both drifted off to sleep.
I hope you enjoyed it. I hope you're still reading. Thank you for reading and reviewing!