Edmund swung the door inward and he and Dixie entered, with Sam and
Maddie practically clinging to her.
"OK, you two," Edmund said. "It's way passed your bed time. So I want you to go wash up and get into you pajamas."
"We're not going to get a story tonight, Daddy?" Maddie asked.
"Of course you are. I'll be up in a little while to read..."
"Can't Dixie read to us tonight?" Maddie asked. Sam nodded.
Edmund looked over at Dixie and smiled. "Sure I can," Dixie said. "Why don't you guys go get ready for bed and pick out a story... I'll be up in a little bit, OK?"
"OK!" the kids said in unison before running upstairs.
Edmund stood beside Dixie, putting his arm around her shoulder. "The kids have really warmed up to you," he said.
"They're great kids," Dixie said, leaning her head against his arm. "They're happy, they're sweet."
They're lucky too," Edmund said, wrapping his arms around her waist. Dixie rested her chin on his chest, looking up at him. "Just like me."
Dixie smiled. "And why's that, Mr. Grey?"
"Because, Miss Cooney, I'm getting married to the most beautiful woman in Pine Valley."
"Are you trying to make me blush?"
"Is it working?" Edmund asked.
"I don't know," Dixie laughed. "I'm a pretty tough cookie."
"That you are," Edmund said as he began to lean his head down. "But you do know that even the toughest cookie has to crumble at some point." Her eyes sparkled as he gazed in to them, before pulling her gently up into a kiss. Dixie smiled against his lips, her cheeks flushed.
"Crumbling?" Edmund asked.
"Crumbled." Dixie replied in a soft whisper. She put her arms up around his neck and pulled his head down, kissing him.
The serenity only lasted a moment, before Edmund and Dixie heard tiny footsteps behind them. they pulled away and looked down at Maddie, who was now pulling at Edmund's pant leg.
"Daddy." she said as Edmund crouched down in front of her. "We can't find it."
"Can't find what, sweetheart?"
"The story book," Maddie said.
Dixie didn't give Edmund a chance to respond. "I'll help you find it," she said as Edmund stood again. "Go on upstairs, OK. I'm right behind you." Maddie turned and ran upstairs. "I'll get them in bed." Dixie kissed Edmund quickly. "Then I'll be back."
"I'll be here." Edmund smiled.
Dixie made her way upstairs and into the kids' room. "OK, guys," she said. "Let's see what we can find here." Sam and Maddie leaned back as Dixie sat on the edge of Maddie's bed. She leaned over, looking under the bed and in the dresser. She didn't find a book, however, Dixie pulled out a small picture frame, bearing Maria's likeness. She just looked down at it for a moment.
"I'm sorry," Maddie said. "You weren't supposed to see it."
"Why not?"
"Because. You're marrying Daddy. And you're gonna be our new Mommy."
"Oh, Maddie," Dixie said. "I don't want you to forget your Mommy. You didn't have to put this away." Dixie placed the picture on the dresser, facing Maddie's bed.
"You won't be angry?"
"Why would I be angry, sweetheart? Your Mommy loved you very, very much."
"Did you know our Mommy?" Sam asked.
Dixie nodded. "She was one of the nicest. sweetest people I ever know. You look a lot like her, Maddie."
"Do you really think so?" Maddie smiled.
"I sure do." She paused. "I know that you two don't remember her, but she was very, very special, and she loved you both with... every single bit of her heart."
"Like Daddy?"
Dixie smiled. "Just like your Daddy." She paused. "I don't want you guys to forget about your Mommy, OK? Because she's always going to be a part of you." Dixie put her hand over her heart. "She's in here. And she'll always be there."
Sam got out of bed and walked over, sitting beside Dixie and Maddie. "Do you love us like Mommy did?" Sam asked.
"Of course I do," Dixie said, hugging them both. "I love you two so much. I love you and I love your Daddy. And I'm going to do... I'll do everything that I can to make you all happy, OK?" The kids nodded as Dixie held back her tears. "Alright," she said. "I'll tell you what. This book is nowhere to be found,,, and it's really late. So what do you say I just read you two stories tomorrow night."
Sam and Maddie nodded as Dixie pulled away from them. She had no idea that Edmund was standing in the doorway and that he had heard most of her conversation with the kids. He watched as she tucked them into bed and kissed them both on the forehead. Before she turned around, Edmund entered the room.
"Are you two all set?" he said. They nodded. Edmund kissed them both on the head as Dixie stepped back. "I'll see you in the morning," he said. "Get some sleep."
Edmund turned the light off in the room. He and Dixie walked to the door, shutting it on their way out.
Dixie headed for the stairs, but Edmund reached out for her arm. "Dixie," he said as she turned. He approached her, taking her hands in his. "You know that you don't have to compete with her."
Dixie looked at him inquisitively. "What are you talking about?" she asked.
"I heard what you were saying to the kids," Edmund said. "Maria was your best friend, Dixie." Dixie was silent. "I love you. You know that. It's never going to change." He paused. "I know you've heard that before."
"Tad Martin comes to mind," Dixie admitted. "Yeah."
"I'm not Tad," Edmund said. "I would never do what he did."
"I know you wouldn't," Dixie said, wrapping her arms around him. "It's just that... I've been down the aisle half as many times as Erica Kane and... it's getting so I can't even remember my whole name."
"Well, Dixie Cooney Chandler Martin Lawson Bodine Martin Cooney," Edmund said. "I'm going to be adding a name to that list."
"My track record doesn't scare you away?" she asked.
"Not in the least," Edmund said. "I love you, Dix." He kissed the top of her head. "And there's nothing... nothing that's going to change that."
"OK, you two," Edmund said. "It's way passed your bed time. So I want you to go wash up and get into you pajamas."
"We're not going to get a story tonight, Daddy?" Maddie asked.
"Of course you are. I'll be up in a little while to read..."
"Can't Dixie read to us tonight?" Maddie asked. Sam nodded.
Edmund looked over at Dixie and smiled. "Sure I can," Dixie said. "Why don't you guys go get ready for bed and pick out a story... I'll be up in a little bit, OK?"
"OK!" the kids said in unison before running upstairs.
Edmund stood beside Dixie, putting his arm around her shoulder. "The kids have really warmed up to you," he said.
"They're great kids," Dixie said, leaning her head against his arm. "They're happy, they're sweet."
They're lucky too," Edmund said, wrapping his arms around her waist. Dixie rested her chin on his chest, looking up at him. "Just like me."
Dixie smiled. "And why's that, Mr. Grey?"
"Because, Miss Cooney, I'm getting married to the most beautiful woman in Pine Valley."
"Are you trying to make me blush?"
"Is it working?" Edmund asked.
"I don't know," Dixie laughed. "I'm a pretty tough cookie."
"That you are," Edmund said as he began to lean his head down. "But you do know that even the toughest cookie has to crumble at some point." Her eyes sparkled as he gazed in to them, before pulling her gently up into a kiss. Dixie smiled against his lips, her cheeks flushed.
"Crumbling?" Edmund asked.
"Crumbled." Dixie replied in a soft whisper. She put her arms up around his neck and pulled his head down, kissing him.
The serenity only lasted a moment, before Edmund and Dixie heard tiny footsteps behind them. they pulled away and looked down at Maddie, who was now pulling at Edmund's pant leg.
"Daddy." she said as Edmund crouched down in front of her. "We can't find it."
"Can't find what, sweetheart?"
"The story book," Maddie said.
Dixie didn't give Edmund a chance to respond. "I'll help you find it," she said as Edmund stood again. "Go on upstairs, OK. I'm right behind you." Maddie turned and ran upstairs. "I'll get them in bed." Dixie kissed Edmund quickly. "Then I'll be back."
"I'll be here." Edmund smiled.
Dixie made her way upstairs and into the kids' room. "OK, guys," she said. "Let's see what we can find here." Sam and Maddie leaned back as Dixie sat on the edge of Maddie's bed. She leaned over, looking under the bed and in the dresser. She didn't find a book, however, Dixie pulled out a small picture frame, bearing Maria's likeness. She just looked down at it for a moment.
"I'm sorry," Maddie said. "You weren't supposed to see it."
"Why not?"
"Because. You're marrying Daddy. And you're gonna be our new Mommy."
"Oh, Maddie," Dixie said. "I don't want you to forget your Mommy. You didn't have to put this away." Dixie placed the picture on the dresser, facing Maddie's bed.
"You won't be angry?"
"Why would I be angry, sweetheart? Your Mommy loved you very, very much."
"Did you know our Mommy?" Sam asked.
Dixie nodded. "She was one of the nicest. sweetest people I ever know. You look a lot like her, Maddie."
"Do you really think so?" Maddie smiled.
"I sure do." She paused. "I know that you two don't remember her, but she was very, very special, and she loved you both with... every single bit of her heart."
"Like Daddy?"
Dixie smiled. "Just like your Daddy." She paused. "I don't want you guys to forget about your Mommy, OK? Because she's always going to be a part of you." Dixie put her hand over her heart. "She's in here. And she'll always be there."
Sam got out of bed and walked over, sitting beside Dixie and Maddie. "Do you love us like Mommy did?" Sam asked.
"Of course I do," Dixie said, hugging them both. "I love you two so much. I love you and I love your Daddy. And I'm going to do... I'll do everything that I can to make you all happy, OK?" The kids nodded as Dixie held back her tears. "Alright," she said. "I'll tell you what. This book is nowhere to be found,,, and it's really late. So what do you say I just read you two stories tomorrow night."
Sam and Maddie nodded as Dixie pulled away from them. She had no idea that Edmund was standing in the doorway and that he had heard most of her conversation with the kids. He watched as she tucked them into bed and kissed them both on the forehead. Before she turned around, Edmund entered the room.
"Are you two all set?" he said. They nodded. Edmund kissed them both on the head as Dixie stepped back. "I'll see you in the morning," he said. "Get some sleep."
Edmund turned the light off in the room. He and Dixie walked to the door, shutting it on their way out.
Dixie headed for the stairs, but Edmund reached out for her arm. "Dixie," he said as she turned. He approached her, taking her hands in his. "You know that you don't have to compete with her."
Dixie looked at him inquisitively. "What are you talking about?" she asked.
"I heard what you were saying to the kids," Edmund said. "Maria was your best friend, Dixie." Dixie was silent. "I love you. You know that. It's never going to change." He paused. "I know you've heard that before."
"Tad Martin comes to mind," Dixie admitted. "Yeah."
"I'm not Tad," Edmund said. "I would never do what he did."
"I know you wouldn't," Dixie said, wrapping her arms around him. "It's just that... I've been down the aisle half as many times as Erica Kane and... it's getting so I can't even remember my whole name."
"Well, Dixie Cooney Chandler Martin Lawson Bodine Martin Cooney," Edmund said. "I'm going to be adding a name to that list."
"My track record doesn't scare you away?" she asked.
"Not in the least," Edmund said. "I love you, Dix." He kissed the top of her head. "And there's nothing... nothing that's going to change that."