"You're home early," Wade commented, looking up from what he was doing to see his girlfriend standing before him.
"And you're home and not at work," she commented, sitting in his lap. "What's going on?" She questioned, running a hand through his hair.
"Nothing's wrong, I'm fine," he replied; Zoe shook her head. She wanted to believe him. How could she believe him, when she could sense that he didn't believe it himself?
"I would let that go, Wade, but we both know you're not really fine. It's okay to be anxious about tonight. There is a lot of history that needs sorting out there." She wasn't anxious just worried that they would get into a fight, and that would be the end to it, and all hope would be lost.
"It seems silly to have this grudge against him." Zoe went to protest; Wade was quicker on cutting her off with a peck to her lips. "He left; I was hurt," he sighed, dropping his head to her shoulder. "He left for a valid reason; I wish…" This time she did cut him off.
"I know all of this, Wade. I was with you then; I wasn't there for you when he decided that he needed a fresh start elsewhere," she tried to be. "For that I am sorry that I couldn't have been the pillar of strength for you," she spoke softly, her nails gently scraping his scalp in a calming matter. "I am here for you now, and that is what matters and your dad is back, and he wants to be a part of your life, and I highly think you should let him; baby steps are welcomed in a situation like this."
"You are here now and whatever happened in the past when you were trying to achieve your dream, can't be at fault, I would never make you choose between the two of them. I would have loved to have your full attention then because I wanted the comfort only you can give me, however, I wasn't that selfish of a prick. I needed to go through that alone, so I could grow. Just please don't leave me tonight," he begged slightly.
"I wouldn't want to be anywhere else than next to you for as long as you need me to be there, Wade." She would be a horrible girlfriend if she was to abandon him now. She couldn't do anything when she was gone off looking at her future school, now she could be his strength for the night.
"Why don't you show me just how much you want to be with me," he teased, his breath tickling her neck.
Zoe giggled, shaking her head, resting her palm against his cheek. "Unfortunately, I can't; I will tonight once your father leaves. I've already been gone longer than I said," she told him, slipping from his lap.
"Do not tell me that you are passing up sex with me to hang out with my brother," he pleaded with her, a pinch of jealousy poking through.
"That is cute you think I am turning you down to spend time with your brother," she laughed softly. "I have always been friends with you longer than Jesse; I wasn't his friend until my second year of college. I was called in for a few hours in Mobile; I will be back before your dad gets here, I promise," she told him, with a kiss.
"I know I said I wasn't that big of a selfish prick, but Zoe, I need you here, can't you call them back and tell them you have a family emergency?" He pouted, holding her in place by her hips.
"I wish I could, Wade; I can't," she told him sadly. "I know he is not the same but talk to Jesse; he can give you more insight then I can; I'm sorry," she told him, bending down to share a quick kiss with him before rushing out the door.
With a sigh, he grabbed his keys and went in search of his brother. It wasn't so much the insight he needed but rather the company to keep his mind from the million different scenarios on how the night was going to play out when he was in the same room as his father. He didn't want to think that it would be a disaster, parts of it were going to be and there was no way to avoid that, he hoped that things could be salvageable by the end of the night. As much as he didn't want to partake in this, it was a lie, he was only pushing his dad away because he couldn't face the truth, didn't want to see the truth that had been there all along. He was too old to keep running from it all. Amends had to be made for the both of them.
"I didn't know you were stopping by," Jesse told him, pulling the house door open to let his brother into the house.
"Wasn't planning on it, I'm only here 'cause my girlfriend ditched me for work," he sighed, grabbing a beer from the fridge. "You don't drink wine; Zoe is the only one I know to drink wine, and I have never seen it in there for her before," Wade commented. He was just here the other day and there was no wine in the fridge.
"If you must know it is not for Zoe, though she can have some if any is left when she comes around next," he informed his brother. "While you have been freighting over Dad being back, I've had my own life to live," he filled his brother in.
"What's her name and how long?" Wade pestered, sitting down on the couch, waiting for the details on his brother's personal life.
"I have known Willow for like two months, right now we are getting to know each other," he replied, the smirk on his face giving him away.
"Getting to know each other in very personal ways," Wade teased, taking a drink of his beer. "Either way, good for you Jesse."
"For what getting laid?" Jesse asked with a laugh.
Wade choked on his beer, Jesse laughing harder, hitting his brother on the back. "For finding someone to deal with you," he clarified, with a hoarse voice.
"Don't even get me started on how you were able to win Zoe back," Jesse threatened in a teasing tone.
"I bought her a home and not just any home her dream home and fixed it up the way she has always dreamt of her dream home," Wade replied smugly.
"Dude, don't rub it in, it is already hard enough to get a woman, and once they learn what my little brother did for the love of his life, I've got to find something that is hugely as romantic as that, so thanks for setting the bar so un-fucking-believably high," Jesse seethed out in more of a friendly tone than anything else.
"You are welcome," Wade responded smugly.
"I was being sarcastic you little ass," Jesse laughed. Wade laughed, finishing off his beer.
She was feeling terrible. This was one promise that she didn't intend on breaking, and she was running late. She intended on being home a half-hour before Earl was set to show up, and at the rate, things had gone for her, Earl was going to be there before she got there to help calm her boyfriend's nerves down. There was nothing she could do about it though, she was shuffled into surgery on a little boy no older than the age of 9. The surgery took an hour longer than necessary.
"Sorry I'm late," she called into the house. She frowned when all that met her ears was silence. Walking through the house, she smiled seeing her boyfriend curled up on the couch upstairs. "Hey," she whispered, kissing his cheek.
"Hi," he sleepily smiled, pulling his girlfriend on top of him. "I could stay like this the rest of the night." He dismissed the fact she was late; she couldn't clock out of work or rush through something and make a life-threatening mistake because he was a bit needy of a boyfriend, and it wasn't like his father was there, so there was no point to be mad at her over something she couldn't control.
"Same here, however, your dad should be here any second now, and we have nothing on the stove cooking or in the oven for him," she informed him. He groaned, hugging her tighter.
"Can we pretend we are not home?" He questioned with a cute little pout.
"No," Zoe responded, kissing the pout from his lips.
Hands didn't get a chance to roam as there was a knock on the door. Wade sighed, moving Zoe from his lap and got up.
"It will be okay and I'm right here," she assured him, taking his hand in hers. He smiled, bringing her hand up to place a kiss on the back.
The first few minutes were awkward to say the least, Wade wasn't saying anything, Earl had plenty to say, just couldn't get the words out and as for Zoe, she didn't know what to say, she had already asked him about his elbow, and once that conversation came to an end so did everything around them.
"Sorry doesn't seem like enough," Earl started to say, clearing his throat.
"I don't know if it is or not," Wade said, cutting his father off. "I don't even care that you didn't tell me about rehab; I was happy that you got the help you needed; I'm over that pain; I want to know why you had to start fresh elsewhere and why you couldn't, or you wouldn't come see your sons? The whole thing was hard on us and its like you didn't even care," he got out, his anger and his pain taking over. Zoe took his hand under the table where he had them in fists.
"And I am sorry about that, I wanted you both to come live with me after I got clean, I talked to Jesse about it, and he refused; I figured you would have done the same thing. After getting clean, I couldn't come back here, Wade, your mother's memory is everywhere, and I knew it would make me relapse. I needed to be elsewhere to stay clean. I never wanted to hurt you, Wade. I wanted the best and to give you that I had to remove myself from the equation. I was only thinking about my boys, Wade."
"I know how hard it is to come back and face the ones you hurt," Zoe interjected, placing her free hand on her boyfriend's arm. "There were so many times that I didn't even want to come back because I knew how hard it was going to be, and I didn't know how it would work out for me in the end. You forgave me and I know it's not as bad as what your dad had done, but find it in yourself to forgive him, because we are never too old to need our parents in our lives."
"It's not the same," Wade retorted. "I let you go because it was the right thing to do, I knew where you were at, I didn't know where my dad went or why he couldn't come home, and for the record, it would have been nice to be asked, to be given the chance on what I wanted."
"It's not, but I do know a thing or two about a parent leaving you. I got to believe for 18 years of my life that my mother didn't want me, to feel unwanted, that I was nothing to her, and that she could so easily abandon her only child. You know what?" She asked, needing a moment to reign her emotions in. Wade shook his head. "She didn't abandon me; she wanted me, but she couldn't be a mother, so she did what was the best for me, she gave me my best chance and that is what your dad did for you, he went about it wrong, and that is what it comes down to," she told him taking a deep breath, the next part of what she had to say wasn't going to be easy for him to hear. "You might have known this if you got off that damn high horse you were on and talk to him while he was in rehab, and any time after that. Your dad isn't the only one at fault here," she said getting up. "Now excuse me while I go figure out dinner," she stated, leaving father and son alone.
"She sure is a feisty one," Earl chuckled. Wade laughed despite being mad at his father.
"Like you wouldn't believe," Wade smiled. "Makes me want to miss the days when she was shy and afraid of her feelings for me," he commented.
"I want to make it up to you, Wade. We can rebuild our relationship as slow as you want to go," he assured his son. "It was wrong of me to think the way I did concerning if you would move to be with me, it was wrong of me to leave without a word, and I know it's not a reason or an excuse but it was the middle of the night, and I was drunk when I left wanting to be a better father for you, I was wrong not to come back sooner, and I tried to a million times," he paused, taking a deep breath. "I couldn't do it; it hurt to know she wasn't going to be here and that need to drink was stronger than ever, it will always be there, but now I have a better control on it. You have to know that I was hurt, that my actions hurt me and knowing that I could lose you or your brother for doing what I had done was the hurt and pain I got to live with. What do you say?"
"I say my girlfriend was right, and I am to blame for things. I could have picked a phone up; I could have let this go sooner. You are my dad and I love you, and I do want that relationship that was ruined because I take after my father," Wade smiled, letting all his hate and pain go away; it did no good for anyone for him to hold onto it any longer. "You want something to drink?" Wade asked getting up. He had to check on his girlfriend.
"Water is fine," Earl replied with a smile knowing that wasn't the main reason his son was going to the kitchen for.
"I shall have you know that you Zoe Wilkes cannot be abandoned by anyone, that you are wanted," he whispered, coming up behind her. "I like it a lot when you go off like that," he husked out, nipping at her neck. "Thank you," he said, tilting her head just right to capture her lips.
He was lucky to have Zoe back in his life, to set him straight; she was the one thing that had been missing from his life. She was everything he needed, and he could only believe and trust that he was everything to her as well. They worked better together than apart.
"I love you," was the only response she gave him.
"Love you," he replied, kissing her nose. "Dinner smells amazing," he said, getting two cups of ice and two cans of coke. "Need me l will be in there rebuilding my bond with father brick by brick," he informed his girlfriend with a small smile.
She smiled going back to the food in front of her, not wanting to burn any of it. She was pleased that they had been able to work things out.