"You do see that, right? I'm not going crazy, am I?" He asked in a panic, seeing his wife approach his eyes going between his wife and a booth in the corner.
"This whole town knows you were crazy the day you actually said I do to the crazy New York doctor," she teased him; taking his hand, glancing in the direction he couldn't stop sending daggers to. "Yes, I see that and the whole town of Bluebell has seen it." To her it wasn't that big of a deal. Moving on at that age was so much easier.
"Do you know how much I want to go over there and I don't know knock some sense into that kid," he sighed, his eyes locked on his daughter's boyfriend with some other girl. Where does one even learn to cheat? He had to know that it would get back to Ariel. "I don't want her to get hurt by this news."
"It wouldn't do any good for either one of you and she won't be hurt by it," Zoe told him finding it slightly amusing. Wade looked at her confused wondering just what it was she knew about Ariel that he didn't know. "They broke up before she left, said it would be easier for them if they remained friends while she was away," she filled her husband in. He was relieved to hear news like that. He may have been slowly coming around to the idea of his daughter dating, but he still didn't like it. He wanted Ariel to keep her innocence for as long as possible.
"Good, I didn't like her dating anyhow," he stated, leaning across the bar top skimming his lips against hers. "Get a hold of your mom yet?" He asked quietly against her lips.
"I wish I hadn't," she commented, both knowing that wasn't true. "But she insisted on coming here for two weeks. We did talk a few things out on the phone but the rest have been left for when she shows up, but the real kicker she won't be able to make it until the end of August, she'll be here a few days before the two kids get back from camp," she filled him in on the talk she had just minutes prior to coming to the Jammer. Even though they had settled things at her wedding, it didn't seem that way because they hardly ever talked and it was like the words her mom had spoken to her, didn't hold as true as she had made them seem to be. Of course Candice waved that off saying they've all just been busy, but busy or not they could've made time and Zoe didn't just blame her mom on that one, she did blame herself as well.
"I'm sorry baby, I know how much you were looking forward to going back to the city and to clear this whole mess up," he placated his wife.
"It wasn't so much about the city as it was making things right with her again; we could be anywhere as long as we can work things out. I just wanted to do it sooner rather than later. 3 months is a long time and she could change her mind on coming here," she sighed, dropping her head to rest on their entwined hands.
"I get that, I do," he told his wife. He never had to go through having such a strained relationship with any parent, but he knew all about making things right with everything that he's been through. "If she changes her mind we'll go up there and confront her, I will make sure that you work things out with your Mom face-to-face," he assured her. "But I'm sure that she'll be here wanting to fix things with you. It can't be easy for her to lose you and Ariel and not even knowing her newest granddaughter."
"But we can't be sure of anything until she's standing before us in the flesh." Wade sighed at how bitter her words sounded to him. She wanted to defend herself on moving to begin with but that was old news and she didn't need to defend herself, not to her husband. If she had been in her mom's shoes she would miss everyone like crazy. "I wouldn't change what I did but maybe the way things have been left off over the last few years." She really did regret the time she had missed out on with her mom, the time she had taken away from Ariel. She needed to fix it and she didn't know if she could wait until the end of August. "Thank you," she smiled looking up at him. "You are simply the most amazing husband in this tiny town."
"You make it easy," he smirked, watching her cheeks turn a pale pink color before his very eyes. "Are you going to be okay?" He questioned, he did need to get back to work. It didn't matter to him if he was the boss he couldn't let his work suffer.
"Yeah, I've got to get back to work myself," she stated, getting up. "Also your mom cancelled dinner tonight, your dad had been feeling a little under the weather, it's nothing serious, that I can assure you of," she told him, putting him right at ease. Jackie had brought Earl by earlier that morning so instead of Jackie watching Eliza she was with Uncle Lavon.
"Okay, thanks for letting me know since my own parents didn't bother giving me that information," he replied. He believed what Zoe told him, but it was his dad, his hero for his whole life and he was sick so of course Wade was going to be worried, it was in his nature as a son.
"Since I was the doctor he saw, they might have figured I'd inform ya and I doubt that you or your parents plan on suing me," she told him pressing her lips against his.
"Maybe I'll divorce ya then sue that little butt of yours," he told her with a very straight face.
"I'd like to see you try," she responded with a smirk. "I love you."
"Love you, Doc. I'll bring dinner when I come," he let her know. He had learned the hard way that there were things that Zoe didn't know how to cook. She could cook, there was no doubt about that, but some things were better left alone. He smiled wide planning the next perfect date night and they didn't even have to leave the house. The only thing he needed to figure out was the night.
"Honey, I'm home," Wade called out, a smile on his face as he walked into the house, a few nights later. He frowned smelling how clean the house was. This morning there was an order of stinky shoes by the front door and now it smelled like floral cleaner exploded at the door.
"What did you do that for?" Zoe asked wide eyed, glaring at the grocery bags that her careless husband had just placed on her still wet countertop.
"You need to relax," he told her, noting that Eliza was in her swing, laughing away. He smiled seeing just how carefree his little girl was. Taking his gaze from his daughter he returned it to his wife, who was back to scrubbing the sink out. Having enough he walked up behind her, taking the sponge from her, he gently spun her around, his arms going around her waist to hold her tightly against him. "Mind telling me what has you in such a cleaning frenzy?" He asked, placing his cheek against her head.
She sighed, laying her head against his chest, the rhythm of his heart calming her down. "The place was dirty," she offered as her excuse, not that he bought it because he wanted the truth.
"I know that's not true. We never let the place get dirty, messy maybe but never dirty. Now what has you so worked up?" He asked gently. "Is this about your mom?" He questioned when Zoe remained quiet far too long for his liking.
"I got to thinking about her coming here and she can rock the freaking boat for a few people," she spoke quietly, closing her eyes. "I don't know how things ever left off with her and my dad and I don't want anything to ruin what he has with Norma, I know it's not likely because they were able to be civil once before but she wasn't here long back then and now she's going to be here for two weeks and I know there's a part of her that still loves my Dad because I could see it in her eyes and my dad assured me it wouldn't but everything is…" she sighed trailing off from her rambles.
"Breathe baby," he told her, gently rubbing circles on her back. "Zo, you're over thinking this whole thing. Keep this up and you're going to go insane before July ever gets here. We can't worry over this and Harley has a grasp on his life and I really don't see him leaving his wife. It's all going to be okay," he said, being his wife's ever needing voice of reason. "Go take a nice hot relaxing bubble bath and I'll take care of Eliza," he said, gently nudging his wife to the bathroom.
With Zoe out of the room, he put his groceries away; walking over to his baby girl he picked her up, placing kisses all over her face making her giggle. Eliza placed her hands on her father's face and started to chew on her daddy's nose. He winced feeling a tooth dig into his nose. He pulled her away, touching the spot she had just bit him at to see a bit of blood. "That wasn't very nice Miss Eliza, we don't bite people especially daddy," he told her with a light tickle to her tummy as he walked to the bathroom for a band aid.
"What happened?" Zoe asked, cracking an eye open, seeing her husband enter the bathroom.
"She bit my nose," he said, looking at her.
"She got you good," Zoe giggled, seeing the mark left on her husband's nose. She got out of the tub, drying her hands off enough to get some ointment and a band aid put on his nose. She gave his nose a soft kiss and walked back to the tub.
"Are you not going to get after your daughter for biting noses?" He questioned with a playful tone.
"Hmm nah, you can handle the pain," she retorted with a smile. "I'm sure it didn't hurt," she commented.
"Has she bit you?" Wade retorted with, walking to the door.
"Yes," Zoe smirked. "But keep fingers and other body parts away from her and she won't bite them or try to chew on them," she responded. It was Zoe's own fault that she had got bitten by Eliza, she was checking with her finger to see if she had more teeth coming in. "Feed her please?" Zoe asked, looking at her husband batting her eyelashes at him.
"Yes dear," he sighed dramatically. "Let's feed you something other than daddy's nose, my little vampire baby," he teased, walking to the kitchen.
Zoe smiled really loving how Wade was with Eliza. It made her wonder how he would have been with Boyd. It didn't hurt anymore to think about the little boy she had lost, those wounds closed for the most part, she could think about him and not cry like a baby. It was easier to think with having Eliza there because she didn't know if Eliza would have been born if Boyd would've made it.
Wade laughed watching as Eliza struggled to stay awake and eat. She wanted more, but her eyes would close for a moment and she snap them open, only for the process to continue. Wade picked her up seeing that her turmoil of sleeping was going to win out. He dressed her in her little pajamas and laid her down in her crib after he had kissed her night. He tucked her in, switching the nightlight on and quietly walking from the room, leaving the door open.
"Are you cooking?" Zoe asked, once he appeared in the kitchen. She was wearing one of his shirts and a pair of panties.
"Nope," he smirked, his eyes scanning over his wife. "We're making dinner. Welcome to Wade's cooking school," he let her in on his little date night plan as he got the rest of the ingredients out to make chicken Alfredo.
They had laughed as they worked together, Wade's arms around her as he showed her how to make the noodles without under or over cooking them. Zoe had left him to dealing with the chicken and found a spot on the counter to sit as she watched him move around the kitchen, sipping from her glass of wine, finding no need in correcting him that she knew how to cook everything laid out before them.
"You do know that the point in this was for you to expanded your knowledge," he smirked, coming to stand between her legs. She wrapped her legs around him pulling him closer, his hands running over her bare legs.
"But watching you cook is so much more fun and very sexy," she smirked at him, biting her lower lip softly. Wade smirked at her words, his hands moving higher to go under the shirt she was wearing. "And I did cook the noodles," she tacked on, lowering her head to his.
"I remember," he muttered, closing the ever decreasing gap, his lips fire against hers. His hands leaving a burning trail over her skin as they slowly inched higher, he smirked into the kiss feeling she wasn't wearing a bra. She moaned into the kiss feeling his fingers magic against her bare breasts.
They were so lost in each other that the fire detector went off making both of them jump, their foreheads smashing together. They laughed as they hurriedly got everything under control before it woke Eliza up from her slumber. Wade went to fix the breadsticks that had gotten burned and Zoe went and got the table set up for the two of them.
They enjoyed their dinner making jokes about it. But nonetheless it was a good night for them and Zoe was looking forward to the next cooking class with her husband.