A/N: Thanks to all the fab reviewer peops - you're the best! :) To the person who hoped there would be a time-jump at the end of the story - that's an absolute possibility. In the meantime, how about Christmas in Bluebell? ;)

(for disclaimer, etc. - see chapter 1)

Chapter 19

"Well, Zoe, you have clearly been giving this all a lot of thought," said Harley when she was done going over all the options she believed she had for her career post-U of A, "but as for worryin' on which path to choose, I don't think it has to be as stressful as you think. Now, you know that I will support you, no matter what you end up doing. You could be any kind of doctor, or a lawyer, or a baker, or a mechanic, or a wife and mother, or any combination of all of those things and others besides. I am sure I will always be proud to call you my daughter, no matter what, and I will be here to help you if you need me to. I really do just want you to be happy, Zoe."

It was absolutely the nicest thing he could have said to her and Zoe was just so overwhelmed to hear it all. Not that she was really surprised that Harley was being nice to her. He had never been anything else, since the day she met him. Maybe it was just that she wasn't used to anyone being so very invested in her or so unerringly supportive of her choices. First Wade, then Harley, the two of them wanting nothing but her happiness. It was quite the revelation, but she didn't hate it.

"You really are going to be here for me, no matter what, aren't you?" she said, hardly meaning for it to come out loud, but there it was.

"Oh, honey," said Harley, reaching out to give her a hug which she happily accepted.

Zoe hadn't known she was crying until she noticed the damp patch she was making on her father's shirt, realising belatedly that was probably half the reason he was hugging her in the first place. He really was so amazing for loving her this much, for wanting nothing but her happiness. She had two parents before, at least, as far as she knew, and neither one had been so great. Candice had a habit of thinking things should be her way or else, while Ethan had been better when Zoe was younger, but ultimately let her down when she needed him most. She really couldn't imagine Harley ever doing such a thing.

"Thank you... Dad," she said softly, lifting her head to look at him, gauging his reaction to the name she just applied to him.

His eyes were also full of tears then, his voice husky when he replied; "You're more than welcome, Zoe."

When he said they were going to have themselves a fine Christmas, Wade had meant it, though he hadn't figured on anything too fancy or special. Maybe he should have guessed, when Harley invited himself and Earl to join him and Zoe for Christmas day, that things were going to be different, and a whole lot nicer than any occasion the Kinsellas might have spent alone.

Keeping his dad off the bottle was always tougher around this time of year and Wade didn't exactly feel full of the joys himself either, with memories of his mother's passing so big in his mind. He wouldn't go so far as to say he never gave all that a thought this particular Christmas - he really wouldn't want to not think of his momma at all - but it was easier to remember the good times rather than the bad when he was having what amounted to the nicest family Christmas he had known since before he was ten years old.

"I gotta say, this is the best Christmas I've spent in a real long time," said Earl, almost as if he read his son's mind. "Thank you, Harley, for your fine hospitality."

"You are more than welcome, Earl," the good doctor told him with a smile. "We are more than happy to have you here. Besides, we couldn't go keeping the young ones away from each other on such an occasion, could we now?"

"I should say not," Earl agreed. "You know, when he's not with her, Wade talks about nothing but your Zoe."

"That ain't true," Wade complained, sure he was blushing, especially when Zoe grinned widely at him.

"It is absolutely true," his father insisted. "All the time. Blah, blah, blah, Zoe. Blah, blah, blah, Zoe. Zoe, Zoe, Zoe. Not that I mind at all," Earl made very clear then, looking at Zoe when he did so. "You are a breath of fresh air in all o' our lives, young lady."

"I can't argue with that." Harley smiled just the same, raising his glass of soft apple cider in a toast that Earl was quick to get in on.

"Well, thank you, you're very kind," said Zoe then, "but speaking of breaths of fresh air, I could really use one," she said, waving her hand in front of her face to make the point clearer. "Wade, you wanna come out on the porch with me for a while?"

She really couldn't have been any more obvious, but he couldn't find it in himself to object at all. Nice as the day had been with them all together, he really would appreciate a little alone time with the girl he loved. He happily agreed to her suggestion and the two of them slipped out of the living room, hand in hand, leaving their fathers to talk amongst themselves.

Out on the porch, Zoe breathed a sigh of relief, loud enough they probably heard her three streets away.

"Wow. Now, don't get me wrong, I love my dad, and I really like your dad too, but it is not fun being stuck in there with them all day long with you right there and..."

Before she could get any further, Wade anticipated what came next and made it happen all the sooner, pulling her swiftly into his arms and kissing her breathless. Zoe didn't object at all, though she did look a little dazed when the moment was finally over.

"Hmm, so you read minds now?" she asked breathlessly.

"I guess so." Wade grinned at her. "Or maybe it's just that I've been thinkin' the same thing for a while now. Ain't natural to be with the woman you love, and with so much mistletoe around, havin' to be all gentlemanly 'cause both our fathers are watchin'."

Zoe laughed, her arms up round his neck, fingers in the back of his hair. "It's not like they're chaperones or we're going to get shot for kissing or anything."

"Hey, whatever. You were the one who dragged me out here, and what for, if not what we just did?" he challenged.

"Okay, point taken," Zoe agreed, pulling his head down and initiating another searing kiss before he had a chance to argue anymore.

Not that Wade had planned on it. He would kiss Zoe from now until the end of time if she wanted him to. He just wanted to be with her, now and forever. He loved her, plain and simple, and thankfully, that whole idea didn't seem as scary as he thought it might.

When they finally parted for breath again, Zoe pulled him with her to the porch swing and they sat down together, his arm around her shoulders and her head resting on his chest.

"It has been such a nice day. I mean, I always loved Christmas, and yes, I know, half-Jewish, but still. As it turns out, my other half is very much Christian. Anyway, I always loved Christmas, but being here with you and Harley and Earl, I guess I really understand what a family Christmas means now."

"I guess it does feel that way," Wade agreed with a sigh. "Used to be real different when I was a kid coming up. Momma went all out for this time of year, and old Earl, he always played Santa at the Christmas Tree lighting."

"Earl was Santa?" Zoe asked, giggling at the very idea.

"Yes, ma'am, he was. 'Course after Momma... Man, that year was just the worst, in all kinds of ways," he admitted, looking so sad she could hardly bear it, running a hand down over his face. "I never thought things could be right again after that, like we would just be hurting and suffering for the rest o' our lives. I sure as heck never thought I'd see another Christmas that I just couldn't wait to be over, but now... well, like you said, this is turning out to be a real nice occasion."

Zoe smiled up at him, glad to see the expression reflected on his own face. It didn't feel like the right time to start kissing again, so instead she wrapped her arms around him and hugged him close, whispering how much she loved him. It was nice to hear him say it back, then feel him kiss the top of her head as he thanked her again for the Christmas gift she bought him.

It was only a shirt, as she reminded him, no big deal, not like the pretty silver bracelet he had gotten for her, but they were both pleased with what they had received. Of course, Zoe was pretty sure she had Lemon to thank for her gift from Wade. It was funny to think Miss Breeland had a hand in both their Christmas shopping.

Zoe and Wade sat outside for quite a while, largely in companionable silence. It was nice, just to be together. Just to let the joy of the day wash over them along with the gentle breeze as afternoon turned to evening and the sky grew darker.

"I guess we should get back in there," said Wade eventually, "else your daddy or mine is gonna come searchin' us out."

"Hmm, I guess," Zoe agreed, though she was so comfortable curled up against him, the swing rocking her back and forth and lulling her to sleep, she really didn't want to move at all.

"Come on now, sleepyhead," he urged her, when she failed to stir. "Can't stay here all night."

She deliberately leaned her weight more heavily against his chest, turning her limbs into dead weight that even he would have trouble moving. The smile on her lips would prove to him that she was doing it on purpose, that she wasn't actually sleeping at all.

Wade laughed at her trick, as she was sure he would, then set about picking her up to carry her indoors. She kind of loved when he did that, though she wasn't sure she ever told him so. It wasn't really in-keeping with her whole New Yorker, independent, modern woman vibe, to like it so much when her boyfriend swept her up into his arms, as if she were a damsel in distress and the two of them were on the cover of some cheesy romance novel, but Zoe couldn't help herself. He was certainly built the right way to be on one of those book covers and she couldn't hate that either.

"You know you can be a real brat sometimes," he told her, affection in his voice even then.

Zoe giggled and was about to respond, when somebody else spoke for her.

"She's always had that streak in her. I'd like to blame her father, but unfortunately, I'm fairly certain she gets it from me."

Zoe gasped with shock, immediately kicking her legs for Wade to put her down. Sure enough, when he turned to look, there was Candice, standing out on the path beyond Harley's home, luggage in hands and a scowl on her face.

"Hello, sweetheart," she said coolly. "So nice of you to tell me where you would be for the holidays," she added, sarcasm in full evidence.

Zoe sighed a much less contended sigh, blowing her hair off her forehead, and muttering; "So much for a nice family Christmas!"

To Be Continued...