"She looks like she could be my sister?" JR laughed. Dixie didn't laugh at all. "Colby's a lot bigger than that little girl."
"I'm not talking about Colby. I'm talking about my daughter, Jenny-Kate."
The feeling in JR's stomach spread to his entire body now. "Oh my—no. There's no way," JR denied, pointing at the little girl.
"How long was I in Europe, JR?"
"You were gone—" JR tried to do the math in his head. "Nine—"
"Nine months," Dixie finished. "A little over nine months."
"But… but you sent me pictures every month you were there!" JR sputtered.
"Lanie and I took those pictures the first few days I was there. I have real pictures from when I was pregnant—and believe me, if I'd sent those, you would have figured it out," Dixie beamed.
JR looked her in the eye. "You're not joking about this, are you?"
"No, sweetie. I left so I could have your sister."
JR's mind was spinning. "Does Tad know?"
"No," Dixie hesitated. "He doesn't know about his daughter, and he can't. Not yet, at least. I'm going to tell him—but I thought I'd tell you first. Telling Tad is going to take a little more time."
JR nodded, suddenly feeling anger surge up inside him. "Sure. After all what's a few more days to nine months?" he barked.
"JR," Dixie began in an injured voice.
"You left us for the daughter you'd never had," he accused.
"I was pregnant, JR! I was having a baby, and I knew if I stayed in Pine Valley, I probably couldn't give birth safely. I wasn't going to risk hurting my child."
"How noble, Mom. And what about your other child?"
Dixie was taken aback. "JR, you know I love you very much—"
"You left me. While you were playing mommy with Jenny for nine months, I was stuck here without a mother."
"Honey—I tried to keep in touch with you. I called every week," Dixie's voice was starting to quiver.
"You know it's funny. Most kids my age act like they don't need their parents. But you left, and I felt like I'd done something wrong. I missed you. And I'll even admit it: I needed you. But you weren't there. You were off studying in Europe—or having a baby—or whatever!"
"JR, listen—"
"JR?" Amy's voice came from nearby.
"Enough, Mom. I'm here with Amy, and I don't intend to blow her off, certainly not because of you." JR struck, the fury in each word evident. "Please leave. Now."
Dixie was dumbfounded. She wandered back to the swings. Even a fool would have been able to read the look of rejection on Dixie's face, and Sarah was no fool.
"Let me drive you back to the hotel," she said kindly.
Dixie nodded and closed her eyes. She knew if she tried to speak, the tears would start to fall, and they wouldn't stop. Throughout the car-ride back to the hotel, Dixie remained that way. It wasn't until Sarah led her back to her room that she fell apart. Tears strewn down her cheeks until she couldn't see, not that it mattered—with her son so angry because of her, there was hardly anything worth seeing.