Haunted Memories
Part 3
Trixie closed her eyes and felt the Jeep come to a quick stop. After a few minutes, she opened her eyes and stared at the tree, which was just a few feet from the front end of her Jeep.
By instinct, she put the Jeep in park and turned the engine off. She continued to stare out the windshield. She couldn’t believe how close it came to hitting her.
A tapping sound got Trixie’s attention. Turning her head, she looked out the driver’s side window and saw Chief Molinson standing there.
The chief opened the door and asked, “Trixie, are you all right?”
“I…I think so.”
“Are you hurt?”
Trixie shook her head. “No.”
“Why don’t I give you a ride to Ten Acres?” the chief suggested. “I was heading out that way already. We’ll call a tow truck to come take your Jeep home.”
Trixie was glad the chief offered because she didn’t think she could drive on her own right then. She knew she was shook up. “I really appreciate it.”
“Come on.”
The chief helped her out of the Jeep and over to his unmarked police car. After getting her settled in the passenger seat, he got in behind the wheel.
* * * * *
Trixie wasn’t aware of her surroundings until she felt a hand on her shoulder. Blinking, she saw they were in front of the school. She took the chief’s outstretched hand and climbed from the car. He kept a tight hold on her hand as they made their way inside.
Once inside, Trixie felt the warmth. She saw Jim’s secretary and the chief asked, “Where’s Mr. Frayne?”
“He’s in his office.” The secretary pointed down the hall.
Trixie and the chief made their way to the office. Trixie pushed the door open and saw Jim sitting behind his desk. He looked up when he heard the noise.
“Trixie!” Jim exclaimed getting to his feet and hurrying around the desk. When he reached her, he pulled her into his arms. “Are you all right?”
“I think so.” Trixie leaned against Jim.
“Chief?”
“I think it’s just shock,” Chief Molinson said. “A falling tree missed her Jeep by inches.”
“Oh my God.”
Trixie felt Jim pull her closer. She started trembling even though she knew the danger had passed.
“Chief, thank you for bringing her here.”
“I’ll call a tow truck to get her Jeep and return it to the house.”
“I would appreciate it,” Jim said.
“I’ll see you both later.” Chief Molinson turned and left the office.
Trixie closed her eyes as Jim held her tight and caressed her back. “Are you sure you’re all right?”
Trixie nodded her head. She felt Jim loosen his hold and she opened her eyes. Keeping his arm around her shoulder as he led her to the couch, she could feel his concern for her. They sat down and he took her hands in his.
“You’re cold.” Jim got to his feet and moved to the closet and pulled out a blanket. “I’m glad I keep one in here for emergencies.”
Jim came back to her and wrapped the blanket around her shoulders. “Thanks, Jim.”
He settled beside her once again. He reached up and brushed a curl behind her ear. “Trix, can you tell me what happened?”
Trixie took a breath. “I left the office when the power went out and headed for home. I don’t remember where I was when the tree crashed.” She closed her eyes as she began to tremble again and pulled the blanket tightly around herself. “I was scared the tree was going to hit me.”
“But it didn’t,” Jim said, pulling her close as he leaned back on the couch. “You are safe and that’s all that matters.”
Trixie wrapped her arm around Jim’s chest as a sense of security washed over her. She felt Jim kiss the top of her head.
A gentle tapping was then heard on the door. Jim said, “Come in.”
Trixie opened her eyes and saw Jim’s secretary coming into the room carrying two steaming mugs. She said, “I thought you both could use something to warm you up.”
“Thank you,” Trixie said as the mugs were set on the table.
“Go ahead home,” Jim said. “Everything should be fine here.”
“Are you sure?”
“I’m sure. I’ll see you tomorrow.”
“Have a good day.” The secretary left the office.
Trixie settled more comfortably on the couch and moved as close to Jim as she could possibly get. Jim wrapped his arm around her shoulder and gently ran his hand up and down her arm.
Jim said softly, “You look tired.”
“I am a little,” Trixie murmured.
Jim kissed the top of her head again. “Then rest.”
“Are you going anywhere?”
“I’m staying right here. I’ll be here when you wake.”
“I love you.”
“I love you, too.”
* * * * *
As Trixie awoke, she felt someone gently brushing the hair back from her face. Opening her eyes, she realized she was resting on her side. She easily figured out she had her head on someone’s lap.
Rolling slightly onto her back, she looked up and saw Jim staring down at her. He brushed the curls from her forehead and placed a kiss there. He asked, “How did you sleep?”
“All right. How long was I out?”
“About two hours. You look well rested.”
“I feel rested,” Trixie said pulling herself to a sitting position with some help from Jim.
He took the blanket that had been covering her and wrapped it around her shoulders. She leaned back against Jim’s shoulder. He wrapped his arms around her and held her close.
“Has the storm let up at all?”
“Not much,” Jim answered. “It will probably last into the night.”
“You probably have a lot to take care of.”
“Everything is under control.”
Trixie and Jim sat quietly. She didn’t know what to say, but figured something had to be done since the silence in the room was leaving her unsettled. She figured she might as well try to talk to her husband.
“Jim…”
“Trixie…”
The both laughed. Jim said, “Go ahead.”
Before she could say anything, there was a knock on the office door.
“Come in,” Jim said.
The door opened and one of the students, Rick, came in.
“I’m sorry to interrupt, Mr. Jim,” Rick said. “Hello, Miss Trixie.”
“Hi, Rick,” Trixie said.
“What do you need, Rick?” Jim asked.
“We’re having trouble in the gymnasium trying to set everything up to make the most use of the space as possible.”
“All right,” Jim said getting to his feet. “I’ll come help.” He looked at Trixie. “I’ll be back in a few minutes.”
“Take your time.”
Jim left the office with Rick, closing the door behind him.
Trixie let out a sigh of disappointment as she looked at her bag. Seeing it on the table, she reached in and pulled out the legal pad she had been writing on. Grabbing a pen, she started putting her thoughts down.
I don’t think things are going to change. I need to get this out in the open even if Jim doesn’t like it. I think this is the only solution I have left. I love Jim so much, but how can that love last if we don’t discuss the important matters together? I don’t want to lose Jim over this issue, but I guess I’ll have to force it. I may have to go to the extreme.
* * * * *
As the day turned into night, the wind could be heard outside, sometimes raging so much that it seemed to shake the panes of glass, trying to break them. Several families from nearby came to the school when their power went out, knowing they wouldn’t have to worry about being in the cold since the school had a couple backup generators for just this kind of emergency.
Around midnight, Jim came back to his office. Trixie heard the door close and turned to face him. She had started a fire in the fireplace and was still wrapped in a blanket as she sat on the large ottoman.
“Are you warm enough?” Jim asked, moving up behind her. He sat down and wrapped his arms around her.
“I am now.” She leaned back against him. “How is everything in the gym?”
“All right. They are starting to realize they are safe and are going to sleep.”
“Sleep does sound good,” Trixie said.
“You sound tired.”
“Maybe a little.”
Jim kissed the back of her neck. “If you’re tired, get some sleep. It’s going to be a long night.”
“I’m all right. But I was hoping we could talk.”
Jim kissed her neck again. “You sound serious.”
“I am.”
“All right. What’s on your mind?”
Trixie turned to face Jim. He reached over and brushed a curl behind her ear. “Jim, what I have to say is important and I hope you won’t say anything until I’m finished.”
“I’ll be quiet.”
She gave Jim a small smile as her stomach started to tighten up. “Last night, I told you about the dreams I’ve been having which have been causing me a lot of restless nights.”
“Trixie.”
“Let me finish.” She took a breath. “When I left for college I was hurt. I realized I should have been more honest with you sooner about my college plans, but I wasn’t. All the distance we had is my fault and I take full responsibility for it. But you need to know that I never stopped loving you. Every day you were the first person I thought about when I woke and the last person I would think about when I went to sleep.” She let out a breath. “But with the way things had ended, I didn’t think we would ever be able to get back what we had. I guess that is really the reason why I didn’t come back for five years. The thought of seeing you angry at me was just too hard to take.” She reached up and caressed his cheek with her hand. “I hated being away from you. I felt that if I tried to talk to you about my feelings regarding this, you would brush me off.”
She felt her eyes start to tear up. She didn’t want to cry, but she didn’t think she could stop the tears either. “I hate that this is still hanging over our heads. I know you were angry about my college decision and how I left. But we need to get past this.”
Trixie wiped her eyes with the back of her hand and saw Jim was looking down at his hands. She had a feeling she had blown it. He looked like he really didn’t care. He wasn’t saying anything.
Jim suddenly got to his feet and left the office. Trixie felt the tears come. She buried her head in her hands and sobbed, harder than she had ever sobbed before.
She thought, I’ve lost Jim. I’ve lost him forever. But there was no other way for me to get through this. I had to tell him my feelings from that time. He had to know that I still loved him. even though I was on the other side of the country. I should’ve never kept the news to myself. And now I’ll really end up paying.
* * * * *
Trixie sat up all night by the fire, numb from the evening’s lack of conversation. She was shocked that Jim had not said a word and walked out. His actions made it feel as if her heart had been broken in two and that he would never talk to her again.
As morning came, she realized the storm was over. The sun was streaming through the office window, but it didn’t brighten her mood. She knew she could make it home even if there was a lot of debris in the road and she had to walk.
Taking the blanket from around her shoulders, she folded it and set it on the couch. Grabbing her bag, she exited the office, unaware that she had left the legal pad she’d been writing on sitting on the table.
She made her way outside and wasn’t surprised to see branches littering the ground. When she remembered her Jeep wasn’t there, she knew she would have to walk home. She honestly didn’t mind. It got her away from the school where her husband was.
“It’s not that far,” she murmured and started walking.
Making her way through the woods toward the house, she wondered how much longer she would stay there. Jim doesn’t want me around, she thought. His actions last night proved that he doesn’t. But how are we going to deal when the baby is born? I’m not going to give up the baby, but I know he’ll want to be involved in its upbringing. We’ll have to come up with something because I don’t see us living together after this.
She reached the driveway to the house and made her way home. As she got closer, she saw the house had survived the storm with minimal damage. Some of the shutters had been pulled from the windows and tons of branches were littering the grounds. It would be a clean-up job.
Stopping by the front door, Trixie realized she no longer felt safe or secure. She knew this was no longer her home.
Going inside, she pushed the door closed and made her way up to the master bedroom to pack some clothes. Trixie figured she could stay at Crabapple Farm until she found an apartment.
Trixie pulled a suitcase out of the closet and set it on the bed. She sat beside it feeling drained. Her stomach started to hurt and she figured it was due to the emotional stress she had been under. She couldn’t believe how it was ending. She started crying again, surprised there were any tears left. Setting her head on her pillow, she sobbed herself to sleep.
* * * * *
“Trixie? Wake up, sweetie. Trixie?” The voice sounded familiar. She adjusted her head, but kept her eyes closed. She felt a hand caress her cheek. “Please, Trixie. Open your eyes.”
She slowly opened them and saw Jim sitting on the bed beside her. He gave her a small smile. He asked, “How did you sleep?”
“All right.” Trixie slid her hand under the pillow and closed her eyes.
“Trixie, don’t go back to sleep.”
She opened her eyes and stared at him. She asked softly, “Is there something you need?”
“What are you doing here?”
“What does it look like?” Trixie asked harshly, too tired to play nice.
She saw Jim staring at her. She didn’t want to get into it with him. She slowly got to her feet and moved to her dresser. Grabbing her brush, she started to get the tangles out of her hair.
“Let me,” Jim said, coming over behind her, taking the brush from her hand and running it through her hair.
Trixie turned her gaze from the mirror and looked down at her hands. Jim said, “You know, you still look tired.”
“I’m all right.”
She felt Jim stop brushing her hair. “Trix, can… can we talk?”
“I’m really not up to talking right now,” Trixie said. “I have a lot to do.”
“Couldn’t it wait?”
Trixie felt the pain return to her stomach. She reached down and ran her hand over the top of it, but the pain wasn’t going away.
“I just don’t have the energy to talk right now. As I said, I have a lot of work to do.”
Jim put his hands on her shoulders. “Please, Trix.” She could hear the begging in his voice.
Trixie let out a breath knowing he would keep pushing until she finally gave in. She knew she needed to get it over with. She turned to face Jim, expressionless. “What do you want to talk about?”
He took her hands in his and led her over to the bed. They sat down. “Trixie, I’m worried about you.” He squeezed her hand. “I know something has been bothering you these past few days and I wish you would be honest with me.”
She stared at her husband in disbelief, realizing he hadn’t heard a word she had said the previous evening. She figured he wouldn’t listen now either.
Trixie pulled her hands from his and stood up, trying to ignore the intense pain she was feeling in her stomach. She allowed her anger to take control.
“I can’t believe you. I told you last night what was bothering me, but you didn’t seem to be listening.”
“Trixie.”
“Let me finish!” Trixie yelled. “No matter what you say, it won’t change what is going on. You haven’t heard a word I’ve said. I don’t think you were listening at all.”
“I was listening!” Jim yelled, getting to his feet as well. “I heard every word you said.”
“Then why did you walk out without saying anything last night?”
“I was trying to get my thoughts together. I didn’t want to just start speaking because I was feeling so much that I didn’t think I could have controlled my temper.”
“You should have said something!”
A searing pain ran through her stomach and she slumped on the bed.
“What is it?” Jim asked quickly, sitting down beside her. “What’s wrong?”
Trixie felt the tears streaming down her cheeks as the pain intensified. She gasped, “It hurts.”
Jim pulled her into his arms and said, “You’ll be all right, Trix. You’ll be okay.”
Trixie leaned her head against his shoulder crying in pain. She hoped he was right.
* * * * *
Two hours later, Trixie was resting in the emergency room. A doctor on call had examined her but wouldn’t tell her anything. All that was said was that she needed to calm down and relax.
But how can I calm down when no one is telling me anything? she thought caressing her stomach. I can’t be losing the baby. I can’t be. I haven’t held the baby in my arms yet, but I still love it.
At that moment, a nurse pushed the curtain opened and stepped in. She moved to the bed and checked Trixie’s blood pressure. A nurse had been doing that every 15 minutes and that worried her. After a minute, the nurse left, pulling the curtain closed behind her.
Trixie closed her eyes and let out a breath. She wanted someone to tell her something. She couldn’t stand the waiting.
This is all my fault, she thought. I could have avoided all this if I had figured it out sooner and talked to Dr. Taylor. But I didn’t. I kept it to myself and now I’m paying the price. This is my fault.
“Trix,” a voice said softly, getting her attention.
Opening her eyes, she saw Jim standing by the curtain, holding it open. He quickly moved to the bed and pulled her into his arms. He gave her a kiss and held her tight as she started crying.
“Has the doctor said anything?” Jim asked.
“No,” Trixie said, holding onto Jim for dear life.
“All right,” Jim said gently. “Calm down. You need to calm down.” Jim loosened his hold on her and leaned back. She looked up into his eyes as he reached for her forehead and brushed a curl back.
“Jim, I’m…”
“Shh. I know what you’re going to say and I feel the same way.”
“What if something happens?” Trixie felt her eyes tear up again.
“Trix, you need to relax and not jump to conclusions. We just need to wait and hear what the doctor says.”
She knew Jim was right, but she couldn’t shake the uneasy feeling she had.
“Jim…”
She didn’t get far because at that moment, Dr. Taylor walked in. “How are you feeling, Trixie?”
“Scared,” Trixie admitted. She took Jim’s hand in hers and squeezed hard.
“I understand, but there’s no need to be.”
“Is everything all right?” Jim asked as he squeezed Trixie’s hand.
“Well,” Dr. Taylor began. “The pain you had wasn’t serious, but you need to relax. I want you to spend a couple days here under observation to make sure you are all right.”
“Will she be okay?” Jim asked.
“I believe so. The sonogram showed the baby is fine, but I think once Trixie is released, she’ll need to be very careful. We don’t want the baby to come before its due date.”
“What about the pain?” Trixie asked.
“I think the pain was connected to your emotions,” Dr. Taylor said. “I can see that you have relaxed some and I don’t think you’re having the pain anymore, are you?”
“I haven’t felt it in a while,” Trixie admitted.
“That’s good. But I still want to monitor you for a couple days so I can be one hundred percent positive you and the baby are all right.”
“I understand.”
“Good. I want you to relax and rest. In a little bit, someone will come down and help you to a room.”
“How long will she have to stay?” Jim asked.
“A few days at most.” Dr. Taylor smiled at them both. “There’s no need to worry.”
Dr. Taylor left the room, pulling the curtain closed behind her.
Trixie looked at Jim and let out a breath. She was relieved both her and the baby were going to be all right. Jim caressed her cheek with the back of his hand.
“Jim, I…”
“There’s no need to say it,” Jim interrupted. “Why don’t you close your eyes and rest? I think you and the baby could use it.”
“Will you stay?” Trixie asked, realizing she was tired.
“I’m not going anywhere,” Jim said quietly. “Now close your eyes and get some sleep.”
Trixie felt her eyes drooping. She felt Jim lift her hand and give it a kiss. She was asleep in minutes.
* * * * *
A week later, Trixie was released from the hospital. She hadn’t minded the long stay because she knew it was for the baby. The ride to Ten Acres was quiet. Trixie was glad to be going home, but had a little apprehension. She knew they still had to deal with the issues of the past.
Jim pulled up to the house. He got out, hurried around to the passenger side and opened her door. He offered Trixie his hand and she climbed out.
“Thanks,” she said.
She waited as Jim grabbed her bag and then closed the Jeep’s door. She felt him put his hand on her back and they made their way inside.
Stepping into the house, Trixie was immediately greeted with the scent of fresh flowers. As she walked into the living room, she saw there were several bouquets and baskets of flowers decorating the room.
“Where did all these come from?”
“A lot of people didn’t want to make your hospital room feel like a greenhouse so they sent the flowers here,” Jim explained.
“They are all so beautiful,” Trixie said, bending to smell a bouquet of sunflowers, daffodils and pansies.
Before either of them could say anything, the house phone range. As Jim went to answer it, Trixie started opening the cards to see who the senders were. Most of the flowers were from friends.
“Trix,” Jim said getting her attention.
Turning to face her husband, she saw he was serious. “Is something wrong?”
“Not really,” Jim said. “But I need to get to the school.”
“Then go.”
“Are you sure? You just got out of the hospital.”
“I’ll be fine. I’m going to take a shower to get rid of the antiseptic stuff they used at the hospital, and then take a nap.”
“All right. If you need anything, give me a call at the school.”
“See you later,” Trixie said.
“Bye.” Jim gave her a kiss on the cheek and he left the house.
After making sure the doors were locked, Trixie made her way upstairs to the master bedroom. She stepped into the bathroom and turned the water on getting the right temperature.
As she showered, she kept her mind focused on the baby, hoping it would be healthy and strong. As the water started to cool down, she climbed out, dried herself off, and slipped on her robe.
Returning to the master bedroom, she noticed one of her journals on the bed. She didn’t remember putting it there. Opening the journal, she realized it was the one she started at college. She knew that most of the entries dealt with her feelings for Jim and how much she still loved him even though they were apart.
Trixie settled herself on the bed and started reading the entries she had written those first days. She wasn’t surprised that most of them revolved around Jim.
As she read through them, she thought, I think we could have stayed friends. I should have pushed the issue while I was in school, but I didn’t. I wrote to my family and Honey a lot, but even in those letters, I never asked about Jim since he returned the few letters I sent unopened. I am partially at fault for not making more of an effort to talk about this. I should’ve written more.
With that thought, Trixie drifted to sleep, her journal open on her lap.
* * * * *
Something woke Trixie. She wasn’t sure what it was. Keeping her eyes closed, she figured it was her imagination and decided to go back to sleep. As she let out a breath, she heard papers being shuffled.
She knew someone was in the room with her. Trixie slowly opened her eyes to see Jim sitting on the edge of the bed beside her.
But his presence didn’t surprise her. The fact that he was reading her journal did. She lifted her head off the pillow and looked at Jim.
“Enjoying the reading?”
Jim’s head shot up as he turned to face her, the typical deer in the headlights look crossing his face. “I’m sorry, Trix.”
“It’s all right,” Trixie said, pulling herself to a sitting position with her back against the headboard.
“I didn’t mean to read it. The journal was open.”
“As I said, it’s okay.”
Jim set the open journal down on the bed beside her. “How was your nap?”
“It was nice.” She looked down at the journal and saw it was the entry she had been reading before falling asleep. She looked up at Jim. “Did you find it interesting?”
Jim stared at her for a moment and fingered the journal. He asked softly, “Did you mean what you wrote here?”
Trixie nodded her head. “I meant every word in there. I had a lot of emotions I needed to get out and this was the best way for me to express them.”
“Did you mean everything you wrote in the legal pad you left at the school?”
Trixie stared at him for a moment. She didn’t realize she had left it behind. “I was mostly trying to get my feelings out because I wasn’t sure how to talk to you.”
There was a moment of silence.
“You know, Trix, when you left for school, I was heartbroken.”
“So was I.” Trixie looked down at her lap. “I hated the thought of leaving you here, but at that time, I didn’t see a choice. You didn’t want to talk with me. You broke off our relationship. What was I supposed to do? Stay here in Sleepyside and beg for you to take me back?”
Jim shook his head. “No. You did the right thing. You had an opportunity you couldn’t pass up. Yes, I was hurt that you didn’t tell me sooner, but I shouldn’t have said what I did. I had no right to tell you what you should do.”
Trixie slid closer to Jim and put her hand in his. “Well, I shouldn’t have kept the news to myself. If I had said something sooner, we could have talked about it.”
“I probably would have lost my temper and we may have broken up sooner than we did.” Jim reached over and brushed the hair behind her ear. “I’m sorry for everything.”
“So am I.”
Jim slid closer to her. He took her hand in his. “Trix, that day you left for California, I felt as if you had taken my heart and soul with you. I didn’t come to the airport because I couldn’t say goodbye.”
“I hated leaving without seeing you,” Trixie said, trying to blink back the tears. She knew Jim was being sincere.
He took a breath. “I was hurt and angry. Not about your decision, but about the way you kept it from all of us. I mean, you are my best friend and you didn’t come and confide in me about these plans you had made. You kept it a secret. We have always been able to talk to one another about everything. Everything. We’ve always trusted one another explicitly. And when you left, I didn’t think I could trust anyone again. I honestly began to shut people out because I felt like everything that had begun to fall in place for my life was crumbling around me. You had helped me find this wonderful family and great friends, and then you were just leaving me. I had gone through enough of that and I just wasn’t sure I could go through that again. It was just easier to try and forget that we did have a relationship.” He looked her in the eye, his voice softening. “But it didn’t work. I loved you since the day our eyes met and even though you had left, I couldn’t keep my mind off you. Trixie, you are my world and when you left, that world started to fall apart.”
“Oh, Jim.” The tears were falling freely down her cheeks.
“Trix, I need you to promise me something,” Jim said, reaching up and caressing her cheek with his right hand.
“What?”
“That you’ll never leave me again,” Jim said. “I don’t think my heart could take it.”
“I promise, Jim. I was miserable without you. Do you promise me?”
“I’ll never, ever leave you. I love you, Trixie Frayne. Forever and always.”
“I’ll never leave you either.”
Trixie wrapped her arms around Jim and held him close. He tightened his hold on her and kissed her head. “I love you.”
“I love you, Jim.” Trixie leaned back and returned the kiss.
When they broke apart, Jim turned so he was sitting against the headboard. Trixie slid close to Jim and leaned her head against his chest.
The uncomfortable feeling she had had was gone. She felt safe and knew that the dreams haunting her were gone. They had finally talked out the issue that had bothered her and were moving forward, together.
“I love you James Winthrop Frayne, the Second.”
“And I love you, Beatrix Elizabeth Belden Frayne.” Jim kissed the top of her head.
* * * * *
The next morning, Trixie slowly woke. When she opened her eyes, she realized she was alone in bed. Forcing her eyes open, she looked around, wondering where Jim was.
Maybe I dreamed that we talked last night, she thought. I hope it wasn’t a dream. I don’t want to have to go through that again. We both made mistakes and are sorry for them.
At that moment, the bedroom door opened and Jim came walking in carrying a tray.
“Good morning.” Jim moved to the bed and set the tray down beside her, which had eggs, toast, bacon and juice on it. He leaned over and gave her a kiss.
“Morning,” Trixie said.
He leaned back with his brow creased as he settled on the bed. “Are you all right?”
“I’m fine,” Trixie said quickly.
“Were you thinking last night was a dream?” Trixie gave Jim a smile. She thought, He knows me so well. “It wasn’t. You and I dealt with the one thing that hurt us the most.”
“I’m glad it wasn’t a dream. I would’ve hated to have to go through that again.”
“Same here.” He pushed the tray closer toward her. “I figured you would be hungry, so I made breakfast.”
“I am hungry,” Trixie admitted as she took a piece of bacon and took a bite. “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome.”
“You must have been up early to make all this.”
“Not really. I had been up anyway.”
“Didn’t you sleep?” Trixie asked, confused.
“Not much. I was too busy watching my beautiful wife.”
Trixie blushed as she looked down at the bed. “Do you have to work today?”
“I have the day off. I may have to go get some papers later, but we’ll see.”
“If you need to go in, go ahead. I’ll be fine.”
“I don’t need to go.” Trixie lifted her head and looked at Jim as he said, “I am where I want to be.”
“I’m where I want to be too.”
Jim leaned in and gave her another kiss. “When you are done with your breakfast, I have a surprise for you.”
“Really?” Trixie asked quickly, forgetting all about the breakfast Jim had prepared for her. “What is it?”
Jim laughed at her impulsiveness. “If you want to see it, you need to close your eyes and come with me.”
“Do I really need to close my eyes?”
“Trust me. I’ll make sure you don’t walk into anything.” Trixie looked at Jim and saw he was looking at her expectantly. “Come on, Trix.”
“All right.”
Trixie got to her feet and moved around the bed as Jim got to his feet. She closed her eyes as Jim wrapped his arm around her waist.
She was as patient as she could be as he led her along the second floor. She heard a door open. After hearing a click, Jim said, “Open your eyes.”
Lifting her eyelids, Trixie blinked against the invasion of light. After a few flutters of her eyes, she was able to bring the nursery into focus. She looked around and her gaze fell upon the crib next to the wall.
“Where did this come from?” Trixie asked, moving to the crib.
The crib was made of all wood with an intricate design on the headboard. She ran her hand along the stained wood, amazed at how smooth it was. Inside the crib was a mattress and blanket with a bunny dressed in yellow and green overalls.
Trixie turned to look at Jim. “Jim, where did this come from? It wasn’t here the last time I was in the nursery.”
“It was brought in last night.”
“But where did it come from?”
Jim stepped over behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist while turning her to face the crib.
“I made it.”
“You did?”
“I did.” Jim pulled her closer. “I Know it’s not the best reason, but all the nights that I stayed late at work, I was working on the crib. I wanted it to be a surprise for you.”
Trixie turned in Jim’s arms. “It’s absolutely wonderful. Our baby will love it.”
“I hope all of our children will love it.” Jim captured Trixie’s lips in his. “I love you.”
“I love you too.”
Trixie settled her head on Jim’s shoulder and looked around. She thought, This is how it should be. Our problems from the past have been dealt with and we can now focus on our future with our family. Life is perfect.
The End
Author’s Notes: Once again my esteemed appreciation goes to Amy and Kaye for the editing of this story and the suggestions that made it better.
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