147A/N: Thanks for all the lovely feedback, peops. I know, I know, you're all waiting for the big pregnancy reveal and it is coming. In the meantime, welcome to Planksgiving 2001 :)
(For disclaimer, etc. - see chapter 1)
Chapter 13
Wade didn't think he would have to feel sorry for Zoe any more, not once she got to Bluebell, met Harley, and settled into town. He had hated seeing her cry over the news that her father was a different man to who she thought, and he didn't exactly love seeing her struggle with adjusting to a small town in the south after only knowing big city life up north, but at this point, he figured she would be doing okay. Of course, then everybody came home from college and Planksgiving was imminent. Zoe was suddenly out of her depth (again) and it showed on her face, no matter how much she tried to hide it.
"Time for another heroic rescue," said Wade to himself, crossing the town square and calling out for Zoe's attention as he approached her, as well as the Belles who seemed to have her cornered. "Well, hey there, Zoe Hart. I have been lookin' all over the place for you."
"Wade Kinsella, can't you see we are all havin' a very important, women only conversation here?" asked Lemon Breeland with a look that could kill, not that such evil-eyed glances from her ever phased Wade at all - he had known her way too long.
"I can see that Zoe looks like she could use a break from all this female yammerin'," he said without pause, squeezing between Lemon and Elodie to offer his hand to Zoe. "Seems to me maybe she'd like to come along with me and get a break from y'all for a while."
The look on Zoe's face was a picture as she put her hand into Wade's own and allowed herself to be led away from the Belles that had previously had her, almost literally, surrounded. The sigh of relief was audible and made Wade smile. What made him even happier was the fact that, even after they were a good distance away from Lemon and her posse of princesses, Zoe hadn't let up her hold on his hand yet.
"Thank you for that," she said, leaning close into his side as they walked through town square. "I mean, I probably could've got away myself, but... I don't know, even though they were all clearly paying back-handed compliments, I just didn't feel like I could be really rude to them. My dad knows their families, after all, and he's the doctor here. I don't want to make his life anymore difficult, you know?"
"Zoe, you don't gotta worry about ol' Harley," Wade assured her, shaking his head. "He is more'n capable of holding his own if anybody starts makin' trouble. Besides, he would be the first one to take your side against the likes of Lemon Breeland if needs be. That said, her bark's usually worse than her bite."
"Usually?" Zoe checked, squinting against the bright sun as she looked up at him.
"There are certain things that Lemon gets seriously territorial about," said Wade, choosing his words carefully. "She will not hear a word said against her family, she would never allow a single person to get in her way when she was after being prom queen or Miss Cinnamon Cider or some such, and one other thing," he said, pointing across the street and encouraging Zoe to look.
"Who's that?" she asked, staring at the person who would be a complete stranger to her thus far.
"That right there is the Golden Boy of this town," said Wade with a grin. "Happens to be a buddy o' mine too," he explained, cupping his free hand to his mouth then as he yelled out; "Hey, George Tucker!"
The moment he realised his attention was being called for, George raised a hand to let Wade know he heard him and then, quickly checking for traffic, ran across the street to come meet up with him.
"Hey, Wade," he said, reaching to shake his hand, which was what finally prompted Wade to leave go of Zoe's hand, which was a shame. "Man, even though I was back here visitin' just a few weeks ago, feels like too long," said George with the usual toothpaste commercial smile that Wade was well accustomed to.
"George Tucker, I would like you to meet somebody," his friend told him then. "This here is someone you will have heard of by name at least. Zoe Hart," he said, gesturing towards her and waiting for whatever reaction came next.
"Pleasure to meet you, Zoe," George smiled her way now, shaking her hand too. "I did hear somethin' about you, I will admit, but then Bluebell is that kind of town."
"So I've learned already," Zoe agreed, making a face. "Although, I guess you did hear about me a little before everyone else."
"I did?" George checked, frowning a little before the light seemed to dawn somewhere and he turned wide eyes to Wade. "This is... She's... The girl at Yale?"
"That'd be her." Wade nodded his agreement. "You see now why I couldn't say too much about why I was tracking her down? I mean, it's not that I don't trust you, George, you know that..."
"But it was somebody else's secret to hold onto." George nodded, clearly understanding, as he most often did. "Well, like I said, a pleasure to meet you, Zoe," he told her once again. "I do believe you picked just exactly the right time to come on down to Bluebell and meet Harley Wilkes. I'm guessing he and Wade filled you in on the whole Planksgiving tradition."
"They did." Zoe nodded. "I'm still trying to wrap my head around it actually. Pirates, a fish fry, it's not very... Thanksgivingy."
"Like I told you before, Zoe, we got a lot of our own traditions down south," Wade reminded her. "Come on now, you can't tell me there's nothin' specific to New York that'd surprise the heck outta folks from any other state?"
"Nothing that compares to Planksgiving, I promise," she insisted. "But hey, since I seem to be all about trying new things, I figure, just embrace the change, right? I'm pretty sure I can club together a pirate-style outfit for tomorrow."
"I'm sure you'll look just great," said George, grinning at her yet.
Wade tried not to mind that too much, even when he caught Zoe grinning back like her face might split in two. After all, Tucker was with Lemon these days, he'd never look twice at another girl. He was way too upstanding to cheat and way too in love with Ms Breeland to want to anyhow. Besides, even if he were going to make a play for Zoe, wasn't as if Wade had any rights to try and stop him. She wasn't his girlfriend or anything. There hadn't even been talk of them going out... or staying in for that matter.
George was gone when Wade finally paid attention to reality again, off to see Lemon, of course, who was all kinds of pleased to see him. His mind had wandered so much that Wade realised too late he must have completely missed whatever Zoe just said to him. She certainly was looking at him expectantly, like she was waiting on an answer to a question or some such.
"Are you okay?" she asked then, apparently concerned. "Wade, you know, you don't have to babysit me all the time. I mean, it was nice of you to rescue me from the Belles and to keep me company when Harley's working, but I'm a big girl, from New York, no less. I can look after myself if you have places to be, things to do."
When he looked at her then, he knew she meant every word, and yet, he had a feeling that if he actually left Zoe to do for herself in a place where most folks didn't know her beyond a name and the fact she was Harley's daughter, she wouldn't exactly like it much. Besides, as if he really wanted to be anywhere else but with her for just as long as she was hanging around. It wasn't as if she was going to stay forever.
"You tryin' to get rid o' me, Zoe Hart?" he asked her with a smirk he couldn't help. "Now, here is me tryin' to show you a little Southern hospitality..."
"I'm not trying to get rid of you," she said fast. "I just... I'll just shut up then," she said off the look he gave her.
"Sounds like a plan to me," Wade teased her, before leading the way to The Butterstick so they could get something to eat.
As Thanksgivings went, Zoe could hardly say this was the worst one she ever had. In fact, she might have to break down and admit it was probably the best holiday she ever spent anywhere ever. It wasn't that Zoe couldn't recall a couple of nice Thanksgivings or Christmases or even a 4th July or two that she enjoyed as a child, but for the most part, her memories of any special occasions at home in New York involved her dad being absent (for good reasons, but still), her parents fighting, her mom getting drunk, or a combination of all of the above.
Family seemed to have a whole other meaning in Bluebell, Alabama. It meant your blood relatives, who all made astounding efforts to be there and share a day of love and thanks together, but it also meant friends, colleagues, neighbours, acquaintances, pretty much the whole town coming together in celebration, not because they felt they had to or anything, but because they really, really wanted to.
Zoe had never known anything like that in her life and it felt pretty darn good. Then there were the pirate costumes, the crazy traditional games and events, and the grand fish fry in the town square. It was as nutty as it was special and Zoe actually found she loved every minute of it.
"I'm so happy to see you smilin' like that, honey," Harley told her with a wide grin of his own. "I know this is nothing like what you're used to."
"It's really not," she admitted, adjusting the skirt of her costume when the breeze kicked it up, "but everybody is so nice and this has been so much fun. Why doesn't everybody celebrate Thanksgiving like this?" she asked, only half-joking, to be honest.
Frankly, she couldn't imagine anybody having a bad time at an event like this one, or meeting nicer people than she had so far in Bluebell. It was true that certain people, like Lemon Breeland and some of her Belle friends, were less friendly to the illegitimate daughter of the town's senior doctor, but most everybody else had been welcoming and kind.
Several of the guys of Zoe's age who had come home from college for the holiday seemed to take some interest in her, though she tried not to notice that. As nice as it was to get that kind of ego boost, she was wary of inadvertently encouraging anyone. After all, there was a baby to consider, even if she was the only one in town to know that yet. Besides, if she was going to be giving her attention to anybody in Bluebell in that way, she had a feeling she had already picked out the one it would be.
"Wade Kinsella certainly excelled himself in all the competitions today," said Harley suddenly, almost as if he read Zoe's thoughts straight out of her head.
She sincerely hoped he hadn't in the circumstances. She realised then she had actually been unwittingly staring at the guy in question who was across the square a ways, laughing and joking with his friend, George.
"You know, I wonder if he wasn't trying to impress somebody," Harley said then, nudging Zoe's elbow with his own. "I mean, not that he isn't usually showing off a little anyway. Boys his age do have that tendency. I know I always did," he said with a chuckle, "but I have a notion maybe there's somebody in particular he might like to make a good impression on."
Zoe looked at her father then, took in the grin on his face, and knew precisely what he meant. She was pretty sure Harley meant for her to know too, but she was also just as certain she had to put him straight on the situation with her and Wade, no matter how awkward.
"It's really not like that," she insisted, shaking her head. "I mean, it could be. It's not that Wade's not a totally nice guy," she said instead, that part being the whole truth at least, "and maybe he does like me, I don't know. I do like him, because he got me here to meet you, and he's been a real friend this past week or so, but I'm not... I don't..."
"Oh, you don't have to explain to me, Zoe, sweetheart," Harley insisted, patting her hand. "I'm just teasing is all, the way old folks are supposed to. I'll be honest, given the way Wade runs around town, making conquests and breaking hearts... well, he's a good boy deep down, I know that, and of course, you are your own person and can make your own decisions, but I wouldn't want to see you hurt for anything, or in any kind of trouble, if you take my meaning."
Zoe bit her lip then, unsure if she were more likely to cry or just make a huge confession here. Either way, her teeth dug into her lip hard enough to keep anything from slipping out while she gave herself the chance to think for a moment.
Harley didn't want her hurt and he didn't want her getting into any trouble. If only he knew. There was no question that now would be the perfect time to tell him, and yet. It had been such a great day, as close to perfect as Zoe could imagine. If she spilt the truth now, she wasn't just spoiling a nice occasion, but she was doubtless going to alter Harley's opinion of her. As for Wade, well, she was saying goodbye to his attention, she was sure on that. There was no way a guy like him was going to be interested when he knew she pregnant.
Honestly, Zoe knew the moment she decided to keep this baby that she was letting go of a whole bunch of things she might have otherwise had in her life, but that was okay. She made her choice to sleep with Logan and this was the consequence of that. Come what may, she would face it like an adult, except for the part where she probably wasn't going to get through this conversation without bawling like a child.
"Harley, the truth is..." she began, faltering almost immediately she gained his full attention again. "Um, the truth is..." she started over, only to be interrupted this time instead.
"So, what'd you think to your first Planksgiving, Zoe Hart?" asked Wade as he and George walked over to the bench she was sat on, alongside Harley. "Everythin' you dreamed it'd be?"
"Uh, yes, absolutely," she said, forcing a smile back on her lips, though she wasn't certain it was convincing, especially when George looked concerned.
"Hey, you feelin' okay?" he asked worriedly. "You look a little... wobbly," he opted for eventually.
"No, I'm fine," Zoe insisted, making a liar of herself as she stood up far too quickly and fell sideways, right into Wade's arms.
"Geez, Zoe, this is becoming an awful habit," he said, attempting to set her back on her feet.
It was hard for Zoe to feel stable and she was glad that Wade kept his arm around her for a while. Harley was soon on his feet too, supporting her on the other side.
"A habit?" he said, looking from his daughter to Wade and back. "This has happened before?"
"The day I met her," Wade explained. "I figured it was the shock of me tellin' her about you, but now..."
They continued to go back and forth, both of them fussing, with George chipping in too, all putting forth theories on what was wrong with her. Everything from heat stroke to anaemia via stress and viral infection got suggested, until Zoe felt like her head was spinning in a whole new way. Harley actually started asking her questions then and talking about running tests. It was more than she could take, so very much more.
"I'm pregnant!"
The words were out before she could check them, so loud that Zoe was convinced people all the way back home in New York heard her. Certainly, from the looks on their faces, Harley, Wade, and George hadn't misunderstood what she just told them, and the silence that seemed to have fallen over a large part of the town square suggested a whole lot more people than just them had heard too.
Zoe sighed heavily. "Well, I guess that secret is out."
To Be Continued...
