I'm sorry for not posting sooner, but life gets hectic for everyone and on top of that I struggled with this chapter and I still don't care much for this chapter, but I do hope you all enjoy it. I'm not sure when I will get another update posted as this week is going to be busy for me as I will be going on a trip later this week.

And lastly I have came to the conclusion that I will wrapping this story up within the next few chapters, as much as I love this story and hold it dear to my heart, sadly I'm losing my inspiration to keep this going as long as I had planned on doing. If there is anything you want to see happen before the story ends please let me know and I'll see what I can do.

The week had quickly past them by. Zoe was enjoying her time with her mom, missed her greatly, it was even better than when she was little, her mom having no reason to run off when things got to a place she didn't feel comfortable with. They were doing a better job on fixing the gap they had both created. Zoe really liked that Eliza had created a bond with Candice that was always great to see.

"I have to say that I'm impressed with your mom," Wade commented into the 3 hour drive to get the kids. "I didn't think she would be so hands on and keeping Eliza last night, I didn't expect that. I'm giving her the benefit of the doubt here but I really do think she's trying." He could see how much things between Zoe and Candice were changing for the better, each of them learning just where the other person had been coming from in the past. And the things they had done in the past, the fights, the arguments and everything else, those things didn't matter now. It was time to move past it all and be the family they should've been years ago.

"I think so too," she smiled. It was unexpected with how things had once been but Zoe knew she could be like that because she had been like that with Ariel but at the same time making Zoe step up and be the best mother she could be. "But it's not about her changing so much as it is us putting things behind us, she may not have been mother of the year but she was always an excellent grandma." That was something Zoe couldn't take away from her mom. "I was thinking that we could spend a couple different holidays with her. Change it up every year," she suggested.

"I think that would be a good for all of us," Wade replied with a smile. He was going to make an effort, he couldn't always dislike her. He wasn't a kid anymore; it was time to put pity things behind him. "You do know that you can invite her down her for holidays that we won't be there for, right?"

"Yeah I know," she smiled, giving his hand a gentle squeeze. "I'm really excited to see those two, no matter how many rules they happen to break," she commented seeing the sign for the turnoff to the camp.

"The summer was way to quiet without them. Having time away was nice but I love them, their trouble making ways and all," he commented with a smile.

"You're such a sap," Zoe giggled. "What are you going to do when they move away?"

"They won't go far. They'll be back," he smirked like he knew a big secret that his wife didn't know.

"Whatever you say, dear," Zoe told him amusement in her voice.

"At least I won't be a crying mess like you will be," he joked with a wink.

Zoe huffed playfully. "I will not be," she argued. "By the time they get old enough for college, I'll gladly be shoving them out the door. I know how I was as a teen, do you?"

"Yeah and Brax won't make the same mistakes I made, I'll make sure of that," he said determined thinking back to the things he would like to change from his teenage years.

"You can't stop him. He needs to make his own mistakes and learn from them. I don't want Ariel to make my mistakes either, but the best thing we can do is make sure they're safe and protected." It terrified her to think that Ariel would follow in her footsteps and have a child at an early age like she had done, having Ariel had been a mistake but it wasn't an unwanted one, she loved her daughter greatly, but that didn't mean she wanted her daughter to go through it, she wanted Ariel to have the world and some.

"I know," he replied, clearing his mind. "Let's go get our kids, shall we?"

"We shall," she smiled getting out of the car.

Over half the car ride home was filled with stories about what they had done over the summer at camp, both kids taking turns in telling different stories and the same story. Zoe and Wade laughed along. As parents they were happy that their kids had a really fun summer. They wanted their kids to be happy, no matter how old they were.

Braxton and Ariel talked amongst themselves no longer telling their parents what they had done, but talking about things that happened that their parents wouldn't get because they weren't there to witness it and explaining things wouldn't make it as funny as it had been.

Wade and Zoe remained quiet, Zoe's hand resting on top of his that rested on her leg. They relished in the small laughs coming from the backseat. They missed the chaos that surrounded Brax and Ariel. Once their kids grew quiet they glanced in the back to see each kid was in a world of their own now that they were getting closer to being home.

"Do you think…" Ariel trailed off, leaving her worries to float away. "Never mind," she mumbled.

"What's going on sweetie?" Zoe asked, turning to look at her daughter.

"It's nothing really, I just can't wait to see Grandma and everyone else too," Ariel settled on. She had her worries but they seemed silly and she didn't know how to voice them.

"Okay," Zoe replied. She had an inkling that there was more to it but she couldn't make her talk not when they were in the car. It was a talk she would wait to have with her daughter when they were alone.

Wade casted a glance at his wife, He knew how to read her, with as long as they've been together it's something that came easily to him and he could see that this was bothering her and he wanted to fix it for both his wife and his daughter, but this was something he couldn't fix because he simply couldn't pull things from his daughter. He had no doubts that it would get sorted out.

"I don't see why I can't go off and see my friends tonight instead of waiting until tomorrow," Braxton commented with a huff. "It's not like she's my grandmother," he tacked on, voicing his thoughts.

"That's where you're wrong," Wade stated. "Grandma Candice is part of our family. And you will not get out of spending time with her," he told his son.

Candice may not have liked that Zoe had found herself in a relationship so quickly when she moved to Bluebell but she had come to see with her own eyes that it was meant to be and she would treat Braxton just like he was hers. Because he was, blood didn't make you family.

"Dad's right, I accept your grandparents as my own and you accept Harley and Norma as your grandparents as I do. This is no different, there is only one set of grandparents that you don't have to accept as yours, Braxton," Ariel stated, interrupting anything her brother was going to say. "If you actually take the time to see just who my grandma can be which I do hope she will be again, you'll like her and accept her as your own," she finished in a softer tone.

"It's not like she cared about me before, why should I care now?" He questioned, his eyes trained on the passing world behind the window.

"It's not that she didn't care about you," Zoe told him, glancing at him. "This is a good chance for the both of you to really get to know each other. You can never go wrong in having more family, having more people love and care for you."

"Yeah, maybe," he replied, sending his mom a small smile, turning his attention back to the passing scenery. He liked having family and lots of it but he knew too well the pain it could bring. You don't ever forget the pain of losing a loved one; nothing can take that pain away. He slowly moved his eyes from the window, landing on each family member, each one had lost someone close and because of each one he was able to let go of the pain that was there from when he lost his mom. The pain it would never fully go away and he didn't want it to, but with his family he could move on from it, so maybe having more family was a good thing.

The last of the car ride was spent in silence. Each one lost in their own thoughts.

"Whose idea was it to invite the whole town?" Ariel asked seeing just how many people were waiting on them to return.

"Next time you might want to teach them how to hide to surprise us," Braxton joked, pushing his car door open now that the car was parked and turned off.

"Next time we don't tell the real date they come home," wife told husband with a smile as she got out of the car.

"That would be ideal," Wade laughed following behind his family.

The longer the little party dragged on it was easy to see that Ariel refused to leave Candice's side and Braxton kept his distance. For the time being Wade and Zoe were going to leave it alone, they couldn't force Braxton to be on friendly terms with Candice and they let Ariel be seeing just how much she had missed her Grandma from New York. They had faith that it would all play out for the best.