The Broken Road
Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters in this fic!
Chapter Fifty-Two
Trixie covered her mouth to stifle another gasp. Not wanting to waste a single second, she took off like a shot and sprinted down the hall. She was halfway to her brother's side before the others had a chance to move a single limb. Grabbing ahold of his arm, she halted Mart's progress and looked up, a shining question in her eyes. Breathlessly, she asked, "Mart?"
He turned to her with the biggest, broadest, most blissful grin she'd ever witnessed splitting his face. After draping an arm around her shoulder, he pulled her close for an impromptu sibling embrace and started dragging her along with him, the old Yankees hat still perched backwards on his head. Through it all, he'd never taken it off. Di hadn't noticed. She'd had a more important issue to focus on. "Come on, Beatrix. Follow me. Let's go give the family the good news."
So happy for him, so in-tune to his emotional state, she cheerfully overlooked his use of her first name and giggled. "Girl, right?" Trixie inquired, her eyes dancing with pure happiness and her dimples winking.
"Beautiful," was his answer. He picked up his free arm, flexed his fingers. It was amazing…beyond amazing. How could he still feel the presence of the little one cradled within his arms? He'd only held her for a little bit. Three minutes, tops, before she'd been whisked away by the nurse for the obligatory first exam. But his arms still tingled from it. Honestly, it was the very best feeling he'd ever had in his entire life. Holding a brand new life, only minutes old. A brand new life he'd helped to create. A brand new life he was going to nurture and love. Forever. Uncharacteristic tears stung his eyes.
"Do you have a name?" Trixie attempted to dig in her heels; she truly did. But Mart was moving with too much drive, too much energy, too much determination. She couldn't stop him, not with her diminutive frame. Short of elbowing him in the stomach or taking out one of his knees, which she didn't think would be very sisterly or kind of her, especially since he'd just become a new daddy, she didn't stand a chance. She was left with no choice but to follow along in his extremely enthusiastic wake.
"Of course," he replied with a snort, taking a second to chuck her under the chin. "But we're going to tell everyone at once. Together. When we all get back to the room. Di wants to see everyone's reaction. She doesn't want to miss out on a single thing."
"As long as it's not Beatrix," she muttered under her breath, barely resisting the urge to roll her eyes at her own name.
"It's not. It's better," Mart shot back cheerfully, unaware that he'd just insulted her. He opened the waiting room door, pushed her unceremoniously over the threshold, and called out, his booming voice cutting through the loud rounds of rapid fire questions currently being shot his way, "So, who wants to meet the newest Belden? She's hot off the presses."
A chorus of shouts, hysterical laughter, and even a few outright sobs all served as his joyful answer. Grateful for her years of experience as a secret agent, Trixie quickly hopped out of the way before she was squashed by the stampeding mass of happy, crying, celebratory people. She laughed; an honest-to-goodness belly laugh, and pressed herself tightly up against the wall as her mother, or maybe it was Mrs. Lynch, barely missed tromping on her toes, on their way out of the room.
"Didn't want to get trampled either?" a familiar voice asked by her side.
The moment was so happy, the occasion so joyous, she forgot to be shy or quiet or embarrassed or reserved around him. She merely smiled up at him, her soul reaching out to him through her honest eyes. There wasn't any restraint; there wasn't any hesitation. None at all. Somehow, she highly doubted if there ever would be again. They'd come too far. "Not particularly."
"Well, stay here with me. It'll be safer if we follow. Well behind the charging herd," Jim teased, holding the door open for her and ushering her through after the crowd had moved on. A quick look at his watch showed him it was after five o'clock. They'd been there just an hour shy of twenty-four hours. A long time but judging from the energetic way Mart was moving, he understood neither of the new parents were feeling the effects of their extremely long and strenuous day. An unfamiliar feeling of envy assaulted him, just for the tiniest of moments, before he resolutely shook it away. Clearing his throat, shaking away the fantasy of what it would be like if he was the one leading the loud and boisterous crew to meet a brand new little life, he said, his voice raspier than it should have been, "I take it you were the first to know since Mart so kindly tossed you into the room. Did you happen to get any details from him?"
"Not much. Only that the baby is most definitely a girl and that she's beautiful. Oh, and her name is not Beatrix," Trixie replied with a laugh as she fell into step with him. Once again, she noted how their pace matched. Perfectly. Comfortably enough, she added playfully, "Apparently, the name is a closely guarded secret, only to be spilled under the cover of darkness."
"I have a feeling both of the new grandmothers will be able to break them." The sight of Helen Belden and Mrs. Lynch pushing through the wall of people surrounding the door with the combined finesse of a professional football offensive line made him snicker. Emerald eyes gleamed with amusement. "Mart and Di won't stand a chance."
Trixie saw the same thing. "I never knew my mom could move like that," she shared, her voice filled with reverent awe.
Jim did a quick head count of the people filing through the opened doorway. "It looks to me like we're about to break hospital rules. How many visitors are allowed in a hospital room, anyway?"
"I guess that's one of the perks of having your older brother on the staff," Trixie accurately guessed with another laugh. She didn't attempt to count the number of people currently streaming into Di's room. No one appeared to stop the nearly unending flow, either. The hospital staff must have realized they would never be able to hold back the entire family or force them to visit in small groups of twos or threes. Nope, it had to be all, and all at once, too. Just perfect.
Jim loved the sound of her laughter. It was so light and easy; didn't have an ounce of force or strain to it. It floated around him, enveloped him with its sweetness, seeped into his heart. God, she sounded just like she used to. No guardedness; no hesitation. Just friendly and warm. And his. Definitely his. He sucked in a deep breath before throwing her his lopsided grin, unaware that more than a few sharp-eyed people were avidly watching their progress. Or that his hand was residing comfortably on the small of her back. And he certainly didn't realize that he was drawing a series of small circles on the soft cotton of her shirt with his thumb.
They were the last ones in. The crowd of bodies around the bed was rather dense. Since she'd been blessed with a petite stature, Trixie couldn't see anything over the heads in front of her, not even when she stood on her tiptoes. Wanting to get a better look at her new niece, and wanting it quite badly, she maneuvered around the edges of the large crowd until she could find a gap. She ended up on the far side, right next to the empty hospital style bassinet, with Jim following close behind her, his hand residing lightly on her hip. She touched the little white receiving blanket with the pink and green stripes on it and slowly turned her head towards the bed. The sight was immediately filed away as an extremely cherished memory. There was her brother Mart, still wearing the hat he'd plucked off her head, as well as the goofiest grin she had ever seen, standing next to a peaceful Di, who looked just as gorgeous as ever as she lay in her bed. She didn't have a hair out of place. Somehow, she'd even found the time to apply fresh make-up. No one would ever have guessed that merely half an hour earlier she'd have given birth to a beautiful, healthy baby girl, who was currently cradled within her loving arms. Emotion grabbed ahold of her. Half-turning, she looked up at Jim, who smiled reassuringly down at her. Instinctively, her hand sought his and was immediately captured. She needed to share the moment with him.
"All right, Mart. You've kept all of us in suspense long enough." Dan's voice broke through the chorus of oohs and ahhs as everyone clamored around to get the best look at the little one. The baby ignored it all. Her eyes were tightly closed. Only one tiny hand was exposed. Her little fist was tucked under her chin. "Come on, man. Tell us. What's her name?"
The one they'd decided on months earlier had flown out the window the second he'd looked down into his daughter's face. It hadn't fit. It hadn't belonged to her, not to this sweet little angel. Di, sweet, giving Di, had acquiesced when he'd asked her to change their first choice. Because his throat was suddenly all clogged up with thick emotion, it took a minute before Mart was able to share, his voice low and proud and filled with boundless love, "She already has her mother's eyes."
The others glanced around at each other, perplexed. "Ah, Mart? Di? That's not exactly a name," Bobby explained helpfully, his own arm wrapped loosely around Whitney's waist. "At least, not in our culture."
It took an effort but Mart managed to lift his head from the wondrous sight of his wife and his daughter. His daughter! What a lovely miracle. His heart was so damn happy he felt like it was going to burst. Or maybe that was just the new parent euphoria his father had warned him about. The next word explained it all. "Violet. We've named her Violet. Violet Anne Belden."
"Baby Vi," Honey breathed out happily. She had to tamp down on the urge to grab the cherished bundle out of Di's arms and pressed her hands together. Although it was going to be difficult, she understood the pecking order. Grandparents would have to come first. Leaning back against the solid wall of Brian's chest, already making maternal plans of her own, she released a small, wistful sigh and murmured softly, "How perfectly perfect."
"Who wants to hold Violet first?" Di help the baby up and, since Helen was standing right at her elbow, offered her over. She settled back against the thick pillows, her joy easily combating the pain her body had recently endured. As her mother had said, it really was all worth it. She smiled as Helen introduced herself as 'Grandmoms' to the baby and then unselfishly offered the little darling over to Mrs. Lynch after cuddling her for a long, extended moment. Cameras and cell phones were pulled out and people started photographing the wondrous event of their newest family member.
The congratulations continued and the baby was handed around to each and every person in the room. In no time at all, Violet was introduced to her large and extensive family. Trixie's arms actually felt empty after she transferred the baby to Bobby, who was surprisingly capable at holding a newborn. She tried hard not to stare when Bobby handed Violet over to Jim but she was afraid she wasn't too successful. And afraid every single feeling she had was currently traipsing across her face for every single person in the room to see. She ducked her head and bit her lip in an attempt to prevent the bright advent of a sudden fantasy, one where Jim was holding their child. She wasn't very good at it.
She stepped back from the others, just a little to help her regain some personal perspective, and glanced around the room, looking for something to distract her from the sweet sight of the little baby girl residing safely within Jim's arms. She found it. A fleeting expression on her mother's face, one that bothered her. Frowning, she shifted, moved to the far back of the happy crowd, and murmured quietly, not wanting to draw any attention to Helen, "Is everything okay, Moms? You look worried."
"Oh, everything is wonderful, Trixie. Just wonderful! But I just realized what time it is. It's almost six. Six! I'm starting to get concerned about Goldie." Nervously, Helen stared at the clock. By her calculations, the puppy hadn't been outside in…oh, who the hell was she kidding? She couldn't accurately recall when the puppy last had a potty break. Hadn't Trixie said something about stopping in at the house earlier? She certainly hoped so. Knowing the sassiness of that ornery little pup, there was no telling what kind of mischief she could get into after being left unattended for so long. The possibilities that came to mind made her grimace.
"Leave it to me. Grandmoms," she tacked on with a cheerful smile.
"Grandmoms," Helen breathed out in response. How she loved the ring of her new title. Next to Moms, it was the most beautiful word she had ever heard. She clasped her hands together and let out a heartfelt sigh.
Since her mother was obviously full of new baby high, Trixie took pity on her. With a hand already on the doorknob, she whispered, "Don't worry. I'll take care of little Goldie. Let everyone know I'll be back to visit in a little while. With all the excitement, I doubt if I'll even be missed."
"You don't mind leaving?" The words were spoken by motherly rote. Helen was already floating back towards the baby.
She shook her head, trying hard not to laugh. Her mother wasn't paying the least bit of attention to her. She said the words anyway, on the off chance that Helen would hear her. "Stay, Moms. Stay. And don't worry. I'll be back soon." Helen waved her daughter away, pleased to have handed off her chore. After one last look at the happy gathering, Trixie fished her car keys out of her pocket and slipped through the door.
From his spot across the room, Jim caught the flash of golden curls disappearing right before the door clicked closed. A slight frown marred his handsome face. If there weren't enough people that could competently field an entire baseball team and then some blocking his way, he would have sprinted after her. But that would have caused a series of questions he didn't exactly want to answer yet. At least, not in public. Hoping he was acting inconspicuous, he started inching his way around instead, intent on following her without hopefully drawing anyone's attention.
No such luck. Satisfied with staying in the background, Dan leaned up against the wall, his hands tucked negligently into the loops of his jeans and his booted feet crossed in front of him. There were times when it felt so damn good to be privy to certain unshared, secretive knowledge. At the moment, he certainly knew a lot more than most of the people standing in the room. Scratch that. He truly did know the most. "Going somewhere, Mr. Frayne?"
Jim started swearing under his breath. He saw the look, recognized it, and understood without a doubt that Dan wasn't going to be letting him leave the room anytime soon. At least, not without causing a scene, the one which he'd been hoping to avoid. He imagined Trixie getting into her car, most likely a rental, and nearly banged his head on the wall in frustration. He wasn't going to catch her before she left the hospital. Not anymore.
"Such language," Dan tsked at him, wagging a disapproving finger through the air and a fake frown of disappointment on his face.
"Yeah, yeah, yeah," he grouched back, looking around wildly for someone to intervene and interrupt. Any of the Lynches, Wheelers or Beldens would have been welcomed with a relieved breath. Even Peter would have been….well, he derailed his train of thought. He wouldn't go that far. It didn't matter. None of them appeared to hear his silent plea for assistance. They were all clustered around a breathtakingly beautiful Diana and her equally gorgeous daughter. If he didn't miss his guess, it was Mrs. Lynch's third time holding her new granddaughter, too.
"You saw her leave," Dan posed it as a statement, not a question, and observed him through narrowed lids.
Jim swung his head around, a flush staining his cheeks. "Maybe," he grunted, barely resisting the urge to kick Dan in the shin. The thought, while tempting, was just a little too childish for him to follow through on. Plus it would call a lot of attention their way. It appeared he was in a no-win situation right now, he realized with an inner sigh. He was stuck.
His lips curled even more. In a tone that should have been helpful but clearly wasn't meant to be, Dan offered the information without a moment's hesitation, "She's going to Crabapple Farm. Her mother was worried about the puppy."
"Puppy?" Jim parroted back before he recalling something Honey had shared with him, about a week earlier. The new pet at Crabapple Farm. He searched his memory banks to come up with the breed. Ah. There it was. A golden retriever. "Oh. Yeah. Puppy," he repeated again, nodding his head sagely.
"I can't help but notice that your vocabulary has taken a serious hit since you stopped working," Dan noted sarcastically, just to needle his friend.
Because his parents had drifted closer to where they were conversing, Jim wisely chose not to swear again. They wouldn't appreciate such language near the baby. He settled for a low grunt instead. It was enough to get his point across.
Dan started laughing, appreciating the tone and understanding what it truly meant. "Anyway, you could probably catch up with her at Crabapple Farm. With everyone at the hospital, she'll be the only Belden there. You may even get to have a few minutes alone before the rest of the clan descends upon you." Of course, if Peter Belden noticed Jim Frayne leaving, he would most likely bolt, too. One eyebrow lifted high while he contemplated the inevitable. He didn't want to imagine a scene at Crabapple Farm with Jim, Trixie and her father in it. Didn't promise to be too pleasant. Or productive. No, he mused to himself, tapping a finger against his thigh. It would be much better if the pair were able to have some private time together. Only he wasn't certain how such a situation could come about.
"My thoughts exactly," Jim nearly snarled out, his emerald eyes glowing brightly. "You're the only one stopping me right now."
"All depends on how you look at it." Dan lifted a shoulder and grabbed Jim by the forearm, preventing him from moving without causing an obvious scuffle that would draw a lot of unwanted attention. A devil of an idea was glimmering brightly before him. He studied it from all sides. Was it the right thing to do? He couldn't be entirely sure and started ticking off the answers to his questions. Would Jim be out for his blood? Most definitely. Trixie? Well, she wasn't present right now so he didn't spend too much effort thinking about her reaction. Peter Belden, however, was the serious wildcard. How would he react? He eyed the older man with a great deal of trepidation combined with an equal amount respect. He was someone who wouldn't have any qualm about killing the messenger, of that he had no doubt. Or the husband.
With the light of retribution spearing out from his slanted eyes, Jim shook off the restraining hand as unobtrusively as possible. Luckily, no one saw the jerky movement. "Enough of this. I'm leaving now, Mangan."
That simply, his decision was made. At the very least, a very big secret would be revealed. If all went as well as he imagined, he'd also be able to buy the two the large block of time that they desperately needed. After his declaration, no one would be interrupting them, wherever they ended up. Not even Peter Belden. He trusted Helen to see to that. "After you meet her at her house, you should probably take her up to Ten Acres," he suggested softly, already seeing the evening unfold in his mind. Yeah. It was most definitely a good one. Jim, Trixie, and the new house at Ten Acres. "You two have a lot to discuss. Your house really would be the best setting. Less chance of anyone walking in on you."
"Like I'm going to take any advice from you," Jim grumbled back. With the devil gleefully tap-dancing away on Dan's shoulder, he would never have admitted what an awesome idea it was. Ten Acres was the perfect place. The only place. Where it all began, so many years earlier. And where it should all start anew.
Dan ignored the acerbic tone and glanced around the room. Now or never. Shaking things up was always a favorite of his. Intentionally waiting until Jim was halfway to the door, he uncrossed his arms, pushed himself away from the wall, and asked loudly, his voice slicing through the joyful sounds of the never-ending celebration, "Hey. Does anybody know where Hollywood went? I can't seem to find her anywhere."
Instantly, the noise level dropped. Jim groaned and leveled an irritated glare over his shoulder. Just like that, his thoughts of a quiet retreat had been blown to bits. Judging from the satisfied smirk on Dan's face, it was exactly what his friend had wanted, making him come to an abrupt halt. Damn. And double damn. Dan's exultation concerned him even more than a hasty ending to his quiet exit from the room. The fine hairs on the back of his neck rose. Oh, hell. Something was brewing.
Competently folding a set of soft pink and purple receiving blankets for the baby, Helen waved a dismissive hand through the air, not concerned in the least with the whereabouts of her missing daughter. "Trixie's gone back to the house to take care of the puppy for me, Dan. There's no need to worry. She'll be back soon."
A collective sigh of relief rolled through the room. "I was wondering where she'd gotten to," Brian murmured, starting to do a mental roll call. Yep. The only person currently missing was his sister. Although he couldn't help but note that his best friend was wearing one hell of an ugly scowl on his face. He stared at Jim, wondering what on earth had happened to make him look like that. Then he saw the recipient of the glower. He cocked an eyebrow, suddenly aware of a different atmosphere in the room. For reasons unknown to him, he ended up sidling closer to his father. The slight move earned him a matching nod of approval from Dan, proving that his instinct was the correct one.
"Goldie's quite a handful," Helen continued to the room at large. She put the blankets on a nearby table and started nosing her way through the shelf under the bassinet. She made small approving noises at the contents within and began transferring items from a gift bag onto the shelf. "Honestly, I don't know what Trixie is going to find when she gets home. She is a little handful of trouble."
"Don't worry about your aunt. She has quite the habit of disappearing," Mart told his infant daughter, smiling down at her as he made little gurgling noises and spoke in an abnormally high-pitched voice. It made his heart swell to see the intense way she stared back at him before she yawned broadly and closed her eyes again. He tapped her gently on her little button of a nose and added, "Yes. Yes. Yes, she really does. I'm relieved to say she's only gone home this time."
Ah. There it was. He had to bless Mart. The man was a saint. He'd given him the exact opening he was searching for. Dan took a moment to grin victoriously at Jim, who must have had a premonition because he went stark white and actually shook his head no. But Dan didn't listen. He sent a long look over the group, made a mental picture in his mind of the before shot, and, since he couldn't wait to discover the after, dropped the bomb with a glorious gleam of devilish delight dancing in his eyes, "I'm sure her husband's relieved, too."
Silence. The kind where the exceedingly continuous whir of the heating system was the one and only sound you could hear. It suddenly sounded more like a freight train than the quiet, almost nonexistent hum it actually was. Helen slowly turned around, the lotion she'd been adding to the shelf of the bassinet slipping from her suddenly nerveless finger to the floor, where it rolled underneath the bed, forgotten. "Husband?" she repeated weakly, her big blue eyes zeroing in on Dan, who apparently carried a font of unknown information about her daughter.
Oh, hell, yeah. It was priceless. Priceless. Gaped mouths, shocked silence, eyes as large as saucers. Dan took it all in. He didn't doubt that they'd find a way to pay him back, and big time, but he didn't regret it. He couldn't; not with the unusual amount of stunned shock and astonished awe coming his way. His lips twitched once, twice, before he resolutely smoothed them back into what appeared to be a concerned line. And then he damned Jim. He jerked a thumb in his direction and, without a moment's regret, tossed him to the ravenous lions, "He was just asking about her, too."
Releasing a sound that resided somewhere between a squeak and a shriek, Honey stared, openmouthed, at her big brother. Who was Trixie's husband. Since he was looking like he wanted to kill Dan with his bare hands, she didn't doubt it. Her mouth stuttered closed, her mouth fell open, but she couldn't get a single word past her trembling lips. For the life of her, she was simply too dazed to talk. She wasn't the only one afflicted with the same condition.
When pushed against the wall, Helen could move. And move fast. With careful yet forceful arms, she competently extracted the baby out of Mart's hands and immediately began a baby bucket brigade, desperate to get the baby to Peter. Without looking to see who was standing next to her, she pressed Violet gently into Matthew's arms. Then she ordered the group, her tone loud and insistent and demanding not to be ignored, and her concerned eyes only on her husband, who she could tell was about to explode, "Givehimthebaby. Givehimthebaby. Givehimthebaby. OhMyGod. Give. Him. The. Baby. Right. Now!"
No one could ignore the thread of urgency in Helen Belden's voice. Matthew followed the directive perfectly. Little Violet Anne Belden was swiftly passed to Mr. Lynch, who in turn gave her away to Bobby and then Whitney. After Honey and Brian had a quick chance at passing along the baby, she was offered over to Madeleine who very carefully and very tenderly held her out to a thunderous looking Peter.
As much as he'd like to, he couldn't overlook the small swaddled offering. He accepted his granddaughter without protest, ironically enough from the mother of the man he was mentally plotting to maim. In many varied and creative ways, too. Understanding that he'd just been neatly outmaneuvered by his own wife, the unpleasant expression on his face slowly filtered away. After all, how could he look like he wanted to strangle someone when a new life was staring up at him, out of charming violet-colored eyes? He couldn't; exactly like Helen had planned. He couldn't even grumble and groan or grouch and complain. Or turn the air dark blue with an inventive string of curse words. No, he didn't want to scare his only granddaughter. Backing up until his knees hit the back of the wooden rocking chair, he gently sank down. His toes pushed back and forth on the ground, his pace intentionally slow and calm, while his arms carefully cradled the precious baby. He looked up, more to offer an impotent glare at his new son-in-law than to offer words of welcome to the family, but the man was already gone. All he could see was the door closing behind him.
"Married?" Honey finally managed to squeak out. Hazel eyes large with shock attempted to search out Jim but she couldn't find him. The realization that he must have gone after Trixie dawned brightly. Since her brother wasn't present anymore and couldn't answer her long list of questions, she turned to the next best person. Dan. "I thought they just…well…um…" Her cheeks blushed bright red while she became the recipient of more than a few astonished stares. Either because of what was alluding to or because she'd already known that they were together. "Oh, dear, Dan. You know what I mean. That's all I thought they did when they were together in Las Vegas! I didn't know they got married."
Intrigued, Di lifted her head from the pillow. Never a dull moment in Sleepyside. Her own smile stretched from ear to ear. She couldn't tell if everyone present was happy for the newly married couple or not but she most certainly was. They more than deserved it. After all the pain they'd suffered through, after all the loneliness, she firmly believed they deserved all the happiness they could grab. Together. "Wow," she exclaimed softly, smoothing a hand over her soft hair. "My pregnancy must have really messed with my intuition. I didn't have a clue any of this was going on."
"You didn't, either," Dan informed Mart cheerfully. He chuckled at the way everyone swung their heads back to him. It was a good thing they were at the hospital. Some of them were going to have a severe case of whiplash before it was all said and done. Before Mart could sputter and take offense, he quickly explained, "Do you remember talking to Trixie about the baby shower? You know, sometime back in June?"
"What does that have to do with anything?" Mart eyed his friend cautiously, unable to make any kind of a connection between his phone call to Trixie and her marriage to Jim.
"You meant to call Jim. In fact, you did call him. But she answered his cell by mistake." Pleased to finally have a generous portion of the truth out in the open, Dan watched the emotions flicker across Mart's face. He could tell the exact moment when Mart fully understood.
"I knew something was…odd about the phone call," he grumbled, frowning down at the floor, perturbed that he hadn't picked up on the interception. He toed at the wooden legs of a table. "I just didn't give it too much thought, I guess."
"You had other things to concentrate on. Like getting ready for your baby girl," Honey said soothingly. Then she turned to the others and announced proudly, bringing everyone's attention back her way, "I figured it out pretty quickly, though. You see, the same thing happened to me. Must have been a few days after you called, Mart. I wanted to talk to Trixie but Jim answered her cell. That's when I knew something was up. Although…" Letting the phrase hang, she slanted a curious gaze at Dan.
"I'd like to know how you knew they got married." Matthew Wheeler finished the statement for his daughter. After all, his son was now married. Married! And he hadn't known a blessed thing about it. Sensing her husband's changing mood, Madeleine moved over to him and slipped her hand into his. The contact helped soothe him immensely. He didn't settle for holding her hand, though. He pulled her into his arms and ordered in his best boardroom voice, "Tell us what you know, Dan. Now."
Better him than Jim. Or Trixie. Dan didn't mind taking the heat for the couple. Not when it was going to buy them a whole boatload of time together. No one was going to bother them tonight, of that he was sure. They were going to leave them alone. "I crashed Jim's vacation," he shared, recalling his spur of the moment decision to visit Vegas with an amused smirk. "What I didn't know was that Trixie had already crashed it first. I wasn't around when they got married, though. Jim merely told me about it in a text." That part was almost the truth. Almost. In the infamous text, Jim hadn't told him about their 'marriage.' No, he'd ordered him to stay the hell out of the suite if he valued his life, and in not quite such a family-friendly way. And Dan didn't see any point in sharing the information that Max had taken the marriage between Beatrix Johnson and James Hart and turned it into a real one. The way he figured it, the extra knowledge would only confuse the issue.
"Well." Taking it all in, deciding that he liked the new development immensely, Brian heaved out a long, steadying breath. He kept a sharp eye on his father and nodded approvingly. His mother's machinations were working like a charm. The calming feel of the bundle in his arms was definitely counteracting their father's fiery need for blood and vengeance. Apparently there was nothing quite like holding a newborn baby to soothe the savage beast. "So. Married?"
Hearing his brother, the doctor, sound so astounded was the last straw. Mart tossed back his head and released a string of low chuckles, entertained beyond belief. "Well, would you look at that. It sounds like they've finally got their act together."
"It's only taken them seven years," Madeleine noted with a slight shake of her head. She couldn't help but smile. Happily. It seemed like her decision to push Jim into a Las Vegas vacation had turned out much better than she'd ever hoped it would. She leaned back into her husband's arms and whispered to him, "Matthew, now everything is making a lot more sense to me."
Jim's lack of focus at work. His resignation from the company. The house at Ten Acres. His move back to Sleepyside. Yeah. It all made perfect sense to him now. It turned out the missing piece all along had been Trixie, just as they'd suspected. Matthew tightened his arms around his wife and held on. The love of the right woman was an amazing treasure to find. He'd learned how to cherish it. And it looked like his son had finally learned, too. Pressing a kiss to the top of her head, he murmured, "You're right, Maddie. You're absolutely right."
"Aren't I always?" she countered, a perfectly plucked eyebrow arched high.
Honey hooked a thumb towards the door. While she wanted to stay and admire the new baby, she was also anxious to find the new couple. There was so much she wanted to know, so much she felt entitled to discover. Seriously, how did it all evolve? Why did they keep it a secret? What was the ceremony like? Did Trixie wear a dress? Or have a maid of honor? What song did they dance to? The questions were endless; the need to find out all was demanding. She took a step forward, then another, intent on following them to Crabapple Farm or Ten Acres or wherever they ended up. Belatedly, she remembered to include the others. "Do you think we should…ah…go and congratulate the newlyweds?"
A sarcastic reply sat on the tip of Dan's tongue. Oh dear Lord. Did it ever. How he wanted to say that they needed to wait and let Jim have the chance to inform Trixie of their married status first. After all, she was now the only one out of the entire bunch who didn't know about the marriage. He actually had to bite down on his tongue. That revelation would open up a whole different sort of a can of worms. Ones he didn't want released, especially not with how peaceful and calm Peter Belden was now looking. "I'd suggest waiting," he said instead, pleased that he was able to keep the newest strain of humor out of his voice.
"I suppose I can wait until tomorrow," Helen replied, giving her head a decided shake. She didn't want to but…there was a new baby to fuss over. And she really wanted to fuss over the little one. She could give her daughter and her son-in-law a night's worth of privacy, she supposed. They obviously needed the time together. "But that's it. After all, Trixie comes by her impatience honestly. I won't be able to wait any longer. I want to see them."
Peter didn't offer another word on the matter. Listening to the discussion of the group with only half an ear, he recalled the differing facts as he understood them, starting from the very moment he'd offered over the diamond solitaire engagement ring to Jim years ago on a warm summer's evening to the sight of them holding hands together in the waiting room, only a few hours earlier. From all those memories, one very clearly stood out in his mind. Jim's emphatic answer to a months' old question, that unforgettable afternoon of the baby shower. Damn it all, the man really did love his daughter. Peter couldn't deny it any longer. And if Trixie married him…that meant she really and truly loved him, too. Not wanting to scare the peacefully slumbering baby in his arms, he stifled a small grunt and mentally prepared himself to throw in the figurative towel. He had to. He figured Helen was right. As much as he'd like to storm Ten Acres and take it over, he wouldn't. He couldn't. Trixie would kill him if he did. It looked like he was going to have to wait until tomorrow, too.
Something was puzzling Brian. Ever the older brother, concerned about the emotional welfare of his sister, he leveled a deep, contemplative stare at Dan. With a deep frown wrinkling his forehead, he began slowly, his words picking up speed and volume as he continued, "You know, Dan, I'm surprised you broke their news, and in such a big way. Especially since neither Jim nor Trixie told anyone else about their marriage. Obviously, they weren't ready to clue the rest of us in yet. Maybe they wanted to keep it a secret a while longer. What made you decide to do it?"
Once again, the room went quiet. All heads swung back in Dan's direction. Breaths were held; eyes were glued. And Peter wasn't looking quite as relaxed as he'd been, only a few short seconds ago. Dan didn't mind the attention; not in the least. In fact, he'd been anticipating the question. It didn't surprise him at all that it came from Brian, the most level-headed and responsible one from their group. Dan held his arms out, tucked them behind his head. And then a cocky grin tilted his lips up at the corners. He paused for a dramatic second and then inquired rhetorically, his deep voice ringing throughout the suddenly silent room, "Have any of you seen Jim's house?"
