*a sexual reference, an expletive
Trixie Belden is a registered trademark of Western Publishing (Golden Books). These are not my characters nor do I intend to make any profit from this story.
Secrets
by Milly
Chapter 1
It had been a long day, thought 19-year-old Trixie Belden as she entered her dorm.
She had just returned from Sleepyside, yesterday had been Mart and Di’s wedding.
They had looked so happy together, but then again so had Brian and Honey; they had been dating for nearly two years. Dan had just recently broken up with his girlfriend Georgia, and still hadn’t quite recovered. Then there was the couple that had made Trixie’s stomach fall into her shoes.
Jim and Sophie. When Trixie had arrived in Sleepyside five days ago, she had intended to tell Jim her secret. One that very much included him. But when she had met Sophie, beautiful, blonde Sophie, and Jim’s Girlfriend Sophie. She had lost all her courage.
Not even Honey knew her secret, she had been hiding it well, she knew Mart was suspicious and she was waiting for the phone call saying "Hey Trix, what’s been bothering you these last few months huh?"
But she knew she had a while before she had to answer that question. Mart had just left to go to Greece for three weeks. Trixie knew she would miss her brother, but was glad he would have fun.
Trixie and Jim had had an interesting relationship; they had been together since Trixie's 17th Birthday, but it was her 18th birthday she remembered very vividly. She had had a great Party and she and Jim had gone for a walk afterwards. When they had reached the Wheelers' lake, Jim had sat her down and held her hand. They had been sitting like that for nearly an hour, when Jim had looked at her and said, "Trixie, there is something I want to tell you." Trixie had been a bit worried at first but when she had seen the look in his eyes she had known that it was good news. "Trixie, you are the most beautiful, intelligent, wonderful, caring person I know, And I just wanted to tell you that…" Jim had stopped and looked at the stars for a minute, then he looked at Trixie again. "Trixie, what I want to say is that I--I love you."
Trixie had been rather surprised, but knew in her heart that she loved him too, and she told him so, "Jim, I love you too."
After that they had sat there for a long time, in each other’s arms, staring into each other’s eyes. When they kissed, Trixie had thought she had found heaven. That night she made love for the first time. She knew they had moved fast, but she had never regretted it.
Just after Trixie turned nineteen things had started to turn sour, they were constantly fighting, they weren’t being completely faithful to each other, and they could no longer spend too much time together without hurting each other someway or another.
They had broken up, and had tried hard to maintain a friendship, but it was becoming strained; having Sophie in the picture wasn’t helping either.
The phone rang. Trixie picked up the receiver, thinking, Oh heck, that had better not be Mart. She was relieved to hear her mother’s voice, at first….
" Hello, Trixie."
"Hi Moms," she replied
"Trixie, I want to ask you something, and I don’t want you to think I’m being a snoop or anything, it’s just that, well Dear…" Helen Belden stopped, unsure how to go about asking her daughter…
"Yes, Moms, what do you want to know?" Trixie was a little scared. Maybe her mom had picked up on what was wrong with her while she had been staying at home these last few days…
"Trixie, tell me, are you trying to keep something from me?" Trixie’s heart was beating a mile a minute; she wasn’t ready to tell her mom yet.
"Like what, Moms?" asked Trixie in the calmest voice she could find
"Umm, well, are you sick or something?"
"SICK!" Trixie breathed a sigh of relief. "No, Moms I am not sick, I am perfectly healthy."
"Oh, thank goodness. It was just that you looked so pale and withdrawn, and I could have sworn I heard you in the bathroom one morning, umm, throwing up?"
"Moms, don’t worry about it, I am fine, just a tummy bug," Trixie replied.
"Oh Trixie, if you're sure... Well, look if you think of something, let me know, please!" Trixie knew her mother was really worried about her
"Yes, Moms, if I think of something, I will definitely let you know." After all, it wasn't as if she could hide it forever.
"Thank you, Trixie."
"Bye Moms."
"Bye."
That was a close call, thought Trixie. The time was coming, and she had to tell people before they realised themselves, but Jim had to be the first to know.
She couldn’t tell him.
How do you tell your ex-boyfriend that you’re pregnant? Especially when to do that you would have to tell him that he is going to be the father of twins! Considering you have just left home, you are in your first year of University and, to top it off, he has a new girlfriend.
She spent hours trying to work out how to tell him: nicely, harshly, to the point, by letter, by phone, in person. She couldn’t work it out. Then the phone rang again; it was Jim.
"Hi, Trix."
"Hello, Jim."
"Look, I was just wondering if everything is OK, you seemed a bit strange these last few days."
This was her chance, she could tell him now…
"Nah Jim, everything is OK. I’m just a little tired that’s all."
Trixie then knew the answer. She couldn’t tell him.
"If you're sure..."
"Yep, I’m sure."
After Trixie hung up, she sat down and cried for hours. Then she knew what she had to do.
Chapter 2
The following morning she went and saw the appropriate people at the Uni.
Made the appropriate bookings.
And, finally, packed up all her belongings.
She had decided that Jim wasn’t ever to find out that she was pregnant by him.
A week later she rang her mother.
"Um, hi, Moms."
"Trixie, Dear, where have you been? I have been trying to get in contact with you for the last three days. I rang the university and they said you were no longer a student there. Trixie, what is going on?"
Her mother sounded really worried
"Ummmm, well, it’s a bit like this: I’ve moved."
"Moved, moved where?"
"Australia."
"AUSTRALIA! Trixie, how could you do that! You're not joking, are you? If I find out that this is a prank, I will… I will… I will be… very angry." Her usually calm mother was screaming through the phone.
"Look, Moms, I’m sorry, ok. But it was something I had to do for myself."
"Trixie, you can’t just up and leave to a new country and tell you mother you did it because you felt like a change!"
"Moms, there is more to it than that, I promise, you will understand in time…"
Eventually Trixie managed to calm her mother down a little bit.
"Ok, umm, can I have your phone number over there, please?" Trixie told her mom what her phone number was. "What about an address, please, Trixie?" Her mother was starting to sound very sharp and angry again.
"Um, Mom, I have come here to be alone for a while, I don’t want to sound mean or anything, but I’m not telling anybody my address. If you need to write to me, just use e-mail."
"OK, Beatrix, that is your choice."
With that, her mother hung up. Trixie could tell that she had really upset her mom, not only by the tone of her voice but her use of Trixie’s full name Beatrix .
Trixie knew it would probably have been simpler to tell her mother why she had left, but she needed time.
Over the next few months Trixie received phone calls from everyone. Honey was the first. The night after she had rung her mother, Trixie’s phone rang for the first time.
Trixie picked it up.
"TRIXE BELDEN, just what do you think you're playing at, you can't just up and leave like that, especially to a whole new country, especially without telling your best friend what you were doing! How long have you been planning this? Why didn’t you tell me!" Then Honey burst into tears on the other end of the phone line.
Trixie felt really bad. "I’m sorry, Honey, it was nothing personal..."
"Nothing personal! How can you say that? You didn’t tell me, that’s personal enough. I had to find out from your mother!"
"Honey, please listen to me, I didn’t do it out of spite, I just needed to get away from everything, start fresh. You understand, don’t you?"
"Not really." Honey had calmed down a little. "But I will accept it."
Trixie sighed a sigh of relief. For the next half-hour they chatted about the latest gossip, and Honey promised to try and explain to Trixie’s mom
The phone calls from her brothers were pretty much the same as the one with Honey, but with less anger, as Honey, playing the dutiful best friend, had tried to sort things out with them.
Two months after she had moved to Australia, Trixie received a phone call from Jim.
"Hey Trix. How’s Australia? I only just heard that you had moved there."
He sounded really hurt, that nobody had told him.
"Hi Jim, Australia’s great. I’ve made some really good friends and I am really loving it."
She tried to keep the conversation short. She was five months pregnant, and nobody knew, she wasn’t going to risk Jim picking up on it, as he seemed to have some sixth sense when it came to her.
Trixie had made some new friends in Australia. Her best friend was a girl by the name of Gabrielle. Gabrielle knew the story of Trixie’s pregnancy, and why she had come to Australia, and tried to help her in every way possible. Gabrielle had run away from home at 16, due to violence in the family, she was now nearly 17 and lived in the apartment next to Trixie’s.
Gabrielle and Trixie became very close over the next few months.
Trixie’s twentieth birthday came and went, her parents had asked her to come home for her birthday, but being eight months pregnant, she had declined.
On the third of June Trixie went into premature labour. She called Gabrielle, who took her to the hospital. At 3:06am on 4th June, Trixie gave birth to Emily Olivia Frayne, and then at 3:11am Sabrina Gabrielle Frayne was born.
She was at one stage thinking of naming them after family members, but decided against it.
Gabrielle convinced Trixie to tell her parents about the girls. That phone call was one that she would never forget.
"Hi Moms."
"Hi Trixie."
"Moms, there is something I have to tell you. I don’t want you to be mad, please don’t hate me."
"Trixie dear, I could never hate you." Helen Belden sounded very sincere
"Well, please promise you won't tell anybody, it’s a big secret."
"Trixie, what’s wrong?"
"You have to promise me, Moms."
"I promise."
Trixie then proceeded to tell her mother about Emily and Sabrina.
"Moms, you can tell everyone that I had children, but please don’t tell them who the father is. Please! This is between you and me."
"Trixie, I think he has a right to know."
"PLEASE!" Trixie begged.
Eventually her mother conceded.
Chapter 3
3rd June, 2 years later
"Mummy…"
"Mummy…"
Trixie smiled as she heard her daughters’ voices. They were home from their walk with Gabrielle.
Trixie was now twenty-two, and her girls were her life. She still kept in contact with everyone from home. Helen Belden had now accepted why Trixie lived in Australia and that she wasn’t coming home for a while.
She had never hidden from them who their daddy was, they had both seen pictures of him, and now when they saw them, they both pointed and said "Daddy".
Trixie laughed when she saw Emily and Sabrina. They were beautiful girls, they had reddish blonde hair, with a slight wave to it, and big beautiful green eyes. To anyone that knew both her and Jim, it would’ve been easy to tell who their parents were.
Trixie wasn’t surprised when she saw them all covered in ice cream, and tomato sauce; it was obvious that Gabrielle had bought them both ice creams and Hotdogs.
"Hello, Trix, how's your peaceful afternoon been?" Trixie looked at 19-year-old Gabrielle, who was the closest thing these girls knew to an Aunt, and laughed even harder. She was covered in even more sauce and ice cream!
"Not bad," replied Trixie. "I got a letter from home, but I haven’t had a chance to read it, I’ll probably do it after the girls go to bed."
At 8 o’clock that night, after Trixie had finished cleaning the kitchen and getting everything organised for the girls for the next day, their 2nd Birthday, Trixie sat down on the lounge and pulled out her letter from Home. Trixie got one of these letters every month, included was always a photo of her family, a photo of her friends, a letter from her parents, a letter from Bobby a letter from Brian, a letter from Honey and a letter from Mart and Di.
There was the occasional hello from Dan, Regan, Mr Maypenny or other friends from Sleepyside.
She didn’t hear from Jim very much at all; he had rung her up about a week after hearing about the twins, and had angrily accused her of cheating on him while they were still together.She had sat at the other end of the phone line listening to it. Wishing she could tell him the truth, but knowing that she couldn’t.
This package was quite thick. Trixie firstly read the letter her parents had written, then the letter Bobby had written; they were both full of general chit-chat and gossip. Trixie then read the letter from Mart and Di. Di had given birth to a little boy last Friday, called Blake William Belden. They now had two boys, the elder being almost a year old; he had been named David Elliott Belden. Trixie was really happy for them both.
Then there was only one letter left. It was from Honey and Brian. Trixie read the letter, and nearly fell over. Brian and Honey were getting married, the wedding was in just over 3 weeks- June 26th, and if Trixie could come, Honey’s parents would pay the airfare. Honey wanted Trixie to be her maid of honour.
Trixie smiled. A June wedding--how romantic. Also, it would be nice to go home where it was summer rather than winter.
Then she thought it over. What could she do with Emily and Sabrina? She couldn’t exactly take them with her; it was obvious by looking at them who their father was. Oh, jeepers, thought Trixie. And she started to cry.
Then there was a knock on the door, it was Gabrielle who walked in the door and saw Trixie was crying, so she asked what was wrong.
After Trixie told Gabrielle the story, Gabrielle said, "Trixie, if you would let me, I… I… I could look after the girls while you go away."
Trixie looked at Gabrielle. "I’d love to, but…" Trixie stopped and looked at Gabrielle’s face, full of hope. "I’m just a little worried about the time thing. I couldn’t possibly ask you to look after them for a week--it would be to much of a hassle."
"Trix, the time doesn’t bother me. I love those girls as if they were my own…"
"Are you sure?"
"Yep, when do you leave?"
Chapter 4
Two weeks later Trixie was on a plane on her way to New York. She hadn’t been on American soil since that day nearly three years ago that she had climbed on a plane and flown to Australia.
When she saw the Statue of Liberty, she nearly cried; she hadn’t realised how much she missed New York. Mart and Di were going to meet Trixie at the airport; she had missed them all so much.
When Trixie got off the plane and had done all the bits and pieces necessary to do at the airport, she went in search of Mart and Di. As she walked around the corner she saw Mart and Di, and Honey, and Brian, and Dan, and Jim. All the Bob-Whites had come to meet her at the airport. Then Honey saw Trixie and there was yelling and laughing and squealing everywhere.
"Trix, you’ve grown your hair."
"Wow, I’m so excited!"
"Mart, you’re a lot taller than I remember."
"Trixie, you look great."
"I missed you."
"How was your trip?"
"Brian, please explain that hair style."
"I missed you more."
"You look so happy."
"Australia must be doing you the world of good."
"It’s a shame you couldn’t bring the twins, it would have been nice to meet them."
"Yeah, I was going to, but they have been really sick these last few weeks."
After the commotion had died down, they climbed into Mart and Di’s station wagon for the trip back to Sleepyside. Trixie ended up sitting next to Jim in the car and was rather uncomfortable the whole way home.
After Trixie had been through all the welcomings at home, she headed up to her room for a bit of peace and quiet. She had been lying down for about half an hour when there was a knock at the door. Mart walked in. "Trix, what’s going on with you? Something isn’t right."
"Nothing's going on with me, Mart."
"Trix, I saw the look on your face when Jim sat next to you in the car."
"I was just feeling a little jet lagged that’s all."
"You swear?"
"I swear."
After that Mart left and Trixie knew she would have to be careful, or Mart would find out her secret.
That night was Trixie's welcome home dinner, which included, Brian, who had come home for dinner, Honey and Jim, who had walked down from the Manor house, Dan, who had driven in from White Plains. Mart and Di were staying at Crabapple Farm for a few days while their house was being renovated. Normally they would have stayed with the Lynches, except that for the next month, they had Di’s Uncle Monty and his family staying with them. Also Mrs. Lynch had a few friends from London – as well as all their families-- staying, there were 28 people staying there, not including servants, it was just a little crowded there. After everyone left, Trixie asked if she could make a phone call home. Helen Belden, so happy to see her only daughter again, claimed that Trixie could call the moon if she so wished.
Trixie ran up to her parents' room to use their phone, in order to get some privacy.
"Hello?"
"Gabrielle."
"Trixie!"
"Hi, how are things?"
"Oh Trixie, you should see them. They are being really good, do you want to talk to them?"
"Oh, can I?"
"They are your daughters!"
"Very true."
Mart was walking upstairs to get a change of clothes because Blake had thrown the custard at him. He was a little shocked to hear the conversation Trixie was having with whoever it was she had rung in Australia.
"Hi, how are things? ...Oh, can I? ...Very true ... Hello, darling, are you behaving for Gabrielle? ... That’s good to hear ... I miss you too ... Do you want to put your sister on the phone? ... Hello, Emily ... Did you? ... Are you behaving as well? ... You are? I’m glad to hear it ... OK, sweetheart, Mummy has to go now. I’ll talk to you tomorrow ... Bye-bye ... Gabrielle, yeah, it was good to talk to them ... Yeah, I saw him today, I wanted to tell him the truth, but how do you tell a guy you're barely getting a long with that he is the father of two year old twins? ... Exactly ... I still love him, but it’s a bit late now ... If I told him the truth now, he would hate me ... Thanks for understanding ... I’ll ring again tomorrow ... Bye."
Mart stood shocked in the hallway, then Trixie walked out, and saw him, and her face went white. "Mart!" Trixie was shocked, "How long have you been standing there?"
Mart looked at Trixie. "Long enough. Trix, wanna tell me about it?" He sounded genuinely worried.
Chapter 5
Trixie and Mart went and sat in Trixie’s room, and Trixie told Mart the whole story.
"You mean to tell me Jim is the father? Nobody knows except Moms that it's why why you moved to Australia? They are presently being babysat by a 19-year-old runaway and you completely intended to keep this to yourself forever all because of how Jim might react?"
"Well, yes…" Trixie replied.
"Oh Trix, what are we to do with you?"
"Mart, we are to do nothing with me. Friday is the wedding, then on Saturday, I hop on a plane, go back to Australia, and nobody will be any the wiser. Do you understand!"
"Sorta." Mart still looked confused. "But I still can’t understand why you never told anyone, or even how you managed to keep it a secret all these years. But I suppose it does explain a bit."
"What does it explain? I don’t quite understand."
"Well Trix, it explains your sudden departure to Australia, your refusal to tell anyone where you live. I mean, your own family has to send you any mail through a post office box… It was obvious that you were trying to hide something."
Trixie looked at her older brother, she was hoping that he would understand. "Mart, You do realise why I couldn’t tell anybody, don’t you? Hang on… What do you mean obvious?"
"Mart, Trixie, are you up there?" Diana’s voice was heard from the bottom of the stairs
"Yes, Sweetheart, we will be down in a sec," Mart replied to Di, then to Trixie he said, "Yes Trixie, I do understand. I wish you had told me sooner, I could have helped. But I am glad that you finally did tell me. It was obvious that there was something, but I don’t think anybody else picked up on it. I did, but after all, I am your almost-twin."
Then he smiled a cheeky grin, promised to keep her secret, and then went to change his shirt.
The following day, Trixie slept late, when she woke up she had the house to herself. Brian had gone to the hospital. Her parents had taken Bobby to New York for the day and Diana, Blake and David accompanied them. Trixie wasn’t sure where Mart was, she figured he must have gone for a walk.
Trixie had a nice hot breakfast, then decided to walk down to the clubhouse to have a look, considering she hadn’t seen it in nearly three years.
When she got down there, she was happy to see that it was in beautiful condition, somebody had obviously been looking after it.
When she walked inside, she realised how much things had changes in her absence, there were new chairs, a new table, more shelves for storage, everything was bigger now, no more small chairs and crowded tables. The most obvious change though was the pictures on the wall; there were photos of all the Bob-Whites together, when they were younger. Then there were group pictures, as they got older, the only problem with them was that Trixie hadn’t been in any of them-- she had been in Australia instead. There were pictures of Mart and Di’s wedding, she remembered that day, it was the last time she had seen her friends and family before she had moved to Australia. There were photos of everyone, everything that she had missed out on. Trixie suddenly felt close to tears, and when she saw the last photo, Jim and Sophie, at Honey’s 21st , she just broke down, then she collapsed onto the floor and started crying.
After a while Mart walked in, Trixie was still lying on the floor sobbing uncontrollably. He didn’t say anything; he just sat there and held her. When he looked up at the photo in front of her he knew why she was crying.
"Trix, you do know that Jim and Sophie broke up, don’t you? Did anybody tell you?"
Trixie just looked at him and shook her head. "They broke up?"
"Two months ago."
"Oh."
Trixie cried again, not because it was bad news, but because it had come too late. She had been thinking last night about telling Jim, but she had decided not to no matter what, because it wasn’t fair on him, the girls, or herself.
After she stopped crying, Mart took her home and put her back to bed, where she spent most of the next week, claiming she wasn’t feeling well. The only time she left her room was for wedding rehearsals and dress fittings. The only time she saw Jim was when they had rehearsals, after all, it was a bit hard for the maid of honour to avoid the best man.
Chapter 6
The day of the wedding arrived. Trixie got out of bed, had her shower and got ready to head up to The Manor House where Honey, Di, herself, and the flower girls (Di’s younger sisters) were getting for the wedding. All the men were gathering at Crabapple Farm to prepare for the wedding, which was to take place at the Wheelers' Lake, then the reception wold follow at the Manor House.
Just as Trixie was about to walk out the back door, Jim walked in; he gave her a filthy look, and walked towards the living room. Just as she walked out the door, she heard her name being called. She turned around; it was Jim.
"Trixie..."
Her hopes rose, maybe, he wanted to be friends with her again "Y--Yes Jim"
"Trix, I know there is a bit of tension between us, I’m sure you understand why…"
"Yeah, you could say that."
"But, I think for Honey and Brian’s sake, we should not let that show today, OK?"
"I understand." With that, Trixie turned and ran out the door. She got out the door and burst into tears.
By the time she reached the Manor house, she had composed herself, and as she reasoned with herself she knew that she didn’t deserve his friendship. Not after the way she had treated him, and especially after the way he thought she had treated him.
Honey's dress was made of white silk, and it really suited her. Trixie didn’t think she had ever seen Honey look as beautiful or as radiant as she did that day. Di looked beautiful in her lilac Bridesmaid dress; it was a long evening dress that really set off her eyes. The flower girls wore short lilac dresses and had their hair in two pigtails tied with white ribbons. Trixie’s dress was beautiful also; a long lilac and white dress that set off her figure and made her blue eyes stand out. But that day she felt anything but beautiful. She felt sick to her stomach.
The wedding went off with out a hitch. Trixie walked down the aisle, after the short but loving ceremony, on Jim's arm. Ironically enough, her smile, for the first time in nearly a week, was genuine. It felt really good to be with Jim again, to touch him and walk beside him. When she got outside of the smile disappeared, as Jim let go of her arm and walked straight over to talk to some of the guests.
At the reception Jim gave his Best Man’s speech. He spoke of all the times that the Bob-Whites had shared, and why he was glad to be the best man. He spoke of how much it had meant to him to become Honey’s brother and to finally belong somewhere, not just as part of her family, but as her friend, and as her friend's friend. He told everyone how wonderful he thought it was that Honey and Brian had found that something special with each other. How great it was that they were wonderful friends as well as being in love, and that with truth, loyalty, love, and faith in each other, they could do anything.
By the end of his speech almost everyone was in tears.
Especially Trixie; there was a hidden meaning behind his speech and Trixie picked up on it. He was expressing his regret at how things had turned out between them, but also why he couldn’t forgive her.
She couldn’t take it anymore; she stood up and went out side for some fresh air.
"Trix, are you OK?" It was Mart's voice; he had noticed her leave.
"Oh, Mart, I love him so much, I wish I could tell him the truth. I wish I didn’t have to keep secrets. I wish I could tell him who Emily and Sabrina’s father really is. Oh I wish…"
"Shh, Trix, it’ll all be OK in the end, I know it will."
A single tear rolled down Trixie’s cheek, and then she sat down. Mart sat next to her and wrapped his arms around her and sat there with her as the tears rolled down her cheeks and onto her beautiful dress.
Jim stood off to the side, watching as the girl he loved cried her eyes out. He wanted to go over and comfort her; he wanted to be there for her and to help her. He was sick of the way things were between them. When he had seen her at the airport earlier that week, he had known he still loved her, it was easier to pretend he didn’t when she was in another country. He had tried to talk to her that morning, but he had lost his nerve, and then, of course, he had really stuffed things up. Trixie had left Crabapple Farm in tears. He didn’t think she realised that he had noticed, but he had, he had seen that look on her face before. The look that said, 'I’m about to cry, but I’m not going to let myself cry'. Then Dan walked over to where Mart and Trixie were sitting and gave Trixie a hug, spoke to them for a few minutes, then went back inside.
He had missed her these last three years, and he would do anything to get her back, even help her raise the children she had to another man. The man she was with when she was his girlfriend, but that didn’t matter anymore. Nothing mattered anymore except getting Trixie back.
Jim knew that if he wanted to patch things up, he didn’t have very long, Trixie was leaving for Australia again in the morning. He went and sat down in the most private place he could find; he had to think.
Trixie wiped her eyes, and thought about what Dan had just said, "Trix, don’t beat yourself up, even if you did deceive Jim, he still loves you. That’s what he was saying in there-- you know that as much as I do. Now, is that really worth crying for, that the man you love, loves you back?"
If only he knew in what way she had deceived Jim.
How did Dan know that she was still in love with Jim?
Did everyone know it?
What was she going to do?
Did Jim really love her?
Chapter 7
Jim didn’t come to the Airport to see Trixie off; he had called earlier that morning and said goodbye. Trixie knew that that was more than she should expect from a man that she had treated the way that she had treated Jim. But it still upset her that he didn’t come to see her off.
It was hard for Trixie to get on the plane. Much harder than it had been to leave the first time, when she had been running away, but now, all her friends were here, her brothers, her nephews. Even Honey and Brian were there (they were catching a plane to Paris that afternoon).
Mart watched as his sister prepared to get on the plane. He really would miss her, and he was certainly worried about her. He hoped things worked out for her. "Daddy?" He looked down. It was David. "Potty!" Mart looked at his young son, whom they were having trouble toilet training, and was relieved that he was making the effort.
"Everyone, I will be back in 5, OK. David has to go to the toilet. Trix, don’t you leave until I get back." Mart scooped up his little boy and hurried over to the toilet. When he walked in there, he saw Jim.
He took David over to the urinal and then went to speak to Jim.
"Jim, What are you doing here? I thought you couldn’t make it? Trixie will be glad she got to say goodbye to you."
Jim turned around startled "No Mart, Trixie isn’t to know I’m here."
"Why on earth not?"
"Because I am not here to say goodbye to Trixie, I am here to hop on a plane."
"A plane, a plane to where?"
"I have some things to sort out, and I can’t do it here."
"Jim, are you still in love with my sister?"
"Excuse me? Why on earth do you think that? She lied to me and cheated on me, why would I love someone like that?" Jim hesitated. "Look, I might as well tell you what is going on, but you have to promise to keep it a secret." Mart nodded. Jim continued, "I am getting on a plane and going to Australia. I want to sort things out with Trixie, I want us to be together again. I don’t care about what happened last time, that she cheated on me, I don’t even care she has another man's children, I just want her back. It would be to hard trying to sort things out here, so I am going to do it there, on her grounds, where she won’t feel as pressured."
"Oh." Mart looked more than a little stunned. "I wish you the best of luck"
"Thanks, I hope I don’t need it. Remember, you never saw me."
Mart nodded and helped David wash his hands, then returned to where everybody was saying goodbye.
Jim sat in business class on the plane, he knew his parents had given Trixie a first class seat, and he didn’t want her to see him, it had to be a surprise. He hoped this worked, he was guessing that her friend Gabrielle, or whatever her name was, would meet Trixie at the Airport, probably with the girls. The only person from home that had seen the girls was Helen Belden; when her husband had business in New Zealand for a week, she had flown to Australia and met her granddaughters.
He was hoping that this trip would work out as he had planned. If not, then he was making the biggest mistake of his life.
Chapter 8
Trixie couldn’t wait to get home, it had been far too long since she had seen her daughters, and she had missed them like crazy. She was sad that things between her and Jim couldn’t have been better, but maybe it was easier this way.
Trixie felt the bumps as the plane landed, and couldn’t get her stuff together quickly enough. As soon as they were allowed, Trixie was out the door, down the stairs and looking for three familiar faces. Then she saw them.
"Mummy!"
"Mummy!"
"Hello girls, did you miss me? I missed you."
"I missed you lots n lots n lots an lots, Mummy, I missed you more than Emlee did."
"Nuh-uh, I missed you more, Mummy! Seena dinnunt miss you most! I did!"
"You both missed her most, didn’t you?" Gabrielle cut in, before an argument began.
"YEP," they both replied Trixie picked up her girls and gave them a big hug.
Jim saw Trixie's reunion with her girls. He looked at them suspiciously, they looked slightly familiar, but he couldn’t work out why.
Jim had to go by train to get to the town Trixie was living in. Trixie was obviously going by car. It was approximately a 3-4-hr trip by train. He was hoping he had the right town, it was the one that her Post Office box address was in, and so even if it were the wrong town, it couldn’t be too far off.
Jim was wondering if he should have tried to get her address out of Helen Belden. After all, she had been there before, she might tell him. Nah, she was Trixie's mother. MOTHER-- that was it! Those girls looked a lot like the photo he had of his mother as a young child. It couldn’t be. Why wouldn’t she tell him? Why would she lie to him about something like that…?
Trixie was glad to be home. She still missed all her friends back home, especially Jim, but her girls meant more to her than anything else in the world. They were her life.
She was sorting out the mail, when she found a letter, it was addressed to Gabrielle, but Trixie's detective nature was urging her to at least see whom it was from. She had a peek; it was from the landlord. Just then Gabrielle walked in. "Hi Trix." Then she noticed what Trixie was holding. "You can read it."
Trixie read the letter. It was telling Gabrielle that she had one week left to pay all she owes in rent, or she would be reported to the Police. "Why didn’t you tell me?" Trixie asked.
"I was so embarrassed and ashamed. I owe over $600. How am I supposed to pay that?"
"I will help. We can sell some of your stuff, and you can move in with us, OK?"
"Trixie, I couldn’t ask you to do that."
"Why not? Then I have a live-in babysitter, see, so this would be to my benefit too!"
Eventually Gabrielle agreed. She would live with Trixie and, in return, she would help with the twins, cleaning the house, and all the little bits and pieces Trixie didn’t have time for.
The following day Gabrielle was walking down the street, when a handsome redheaded man approached her. "Excuse me, do you know a Trixie Belden?"
Gabrielle was shocked "Umm, who are you?"
The man looked at her. " My name is Jim."
Instantly, Gabrielle knew who this man was. "You’re Jim Frayne? Yeah, I do know her."
"You must be Gabrielle?"
"Yes, please, what are you doing here? I understood Trixie didn’t want anyone from home around here?"
"She doesn’t know that I’m here, and please don’t tell her that you saw me, but I need to speak to her. Could you please tell me where I could find her?"
Gabrielle was shocked. She couldn’t just tell this man where Trixie lived, she didn’t know if he was really James Winthrop Frayne II. "Umm, Jim, do you have any proof of who you are, so that I know I’m not telling just anybody where to find my friend?"
"Here, it has my full name on it, though."
And it did, it looked real enough, so she told him where Trixie lived. "Please though, just don’t tell Trixie that you saw me, or that I told you where to find her, I might get in lots of trouble for that."
"Not a prob, we have never met before. Deal."
"Deal."
"Umm, Gabrielle, just one more thing, do you know who the father of Trixie's children is?"
"Yes. Yes, Jim, I do." And with that Gabrielle winked at him, then turned and ran down the street.
Jim now had the information he needed; all he needed was the guts to do it.
Trixie was sitting on the lounge watching Television while the girls had their afternoon nap. She hard a knock at the door. That’s odd, she thought, Gabrielle must have forgotten her key. Trixie opened the door
"Hi Trix."
"Jim!"
Chapter 9
"What are you doing here?" She knew she sounded really mean and harsh, but Jim was the last person Trixie had expected to see standing on the other side of her front door.
"Hi Trix, I think we should talk," declared Jim
"Talk? Do we really have that much to talk about? I think it would be for the best if you just left."
"No, Trixie, I will not just leave. I have travelled a long way to talk to you, please, just hear me out. " Jim looked at Trixie and saw fear in her eyes. "What is it you are so scared of? Is it me trying to harm your precious little babies? Well, don’t worry, I’m not here to do that." Jim was getting angry. He hadn’t actually expected her to fall into his arms the minute he showed up, but he wasn’t expecting to be thrown out either, at least not before he said what it was that he needed to say.
"WHY JIM? Why are you here, why did you follow me home, invade my solitude, break my peace of mind, WHY ARE YOU HERE?" Trixie was yelling. She was scared, he couldn’t see the girls-- they would be awake soon, and then he would know…
"I came because…"
"Because what? Come on, tell ME!" Trixie was getting hysterical. "Tell me what ever it was you came to say, tell me because I know you won’t leave until you’ve told me. So go on, TELL ME"
Jim was really angry; he had come all this way to tell her he loved her. Only to be abused and told to leave
"TELL ME!" Trixie demanded
"I LOVE YOU! I LOVE YOU! I LOVE YOU! I love you, Trixie Belden, that’s what I came to say." He turned around and walked out the door.
Trixie couldn’t believe her ears. Jim loved her?
Oh jeepers, he's leaving.
"JIM, JIM, come back, please!" Trixie yelled out the door. She saw him turn around; he was part way down the stairs and he looked at her, his face full of hope. "Jim, I love you, please, please come back."
He started to head back up the stairs. She ran down to meet him, when she reached him they shared a passionate embrace.
Then Trixie heard from the top of the stairs: "Mummy?"
Trixie turned around and saw Sabrina standing at the door to their apartment. The next thing she said, pointing at Jim, was "Daddy?"
Trixie nearly died. All Jim did was say "Hello, do you want to go back inside and wait for us?"
"Otay," and then Sabrina walked back inside.
Trixie looked at Jim. "Look, Jim, I’m really sorry, I should have…"
"Don’t worry, Trix, I’m just glad that they know who I am."
"You knew? Since when?" Trixie was really confused
"Since yesterday, after I saw them at the airport."
"You saw them at the airport?"
"Yes, when they came to meet you."
"Oh, OK." Then Trixie gave Jim a quick kiss on the cheek, glad that they were together. When they walked into Trixie's apartment holding hands, with big grins on their faces, Emily and Sabrina who were both sitting on the lounge started giggling madly.
Jim sat down and spoke to his daughters for a while, getting to know them. After about an hour or so, Gabrielle came home and, seeing that Jim was there, she offered to take the girls for a walk.
After they had left, Jim turned to Trixie, looking really hurt and said, "Trixie, why didn’t you tell me? I could have been part of their lives, I could have seen my daughters take their first steps, hear them say their first word…"
"I’m sorry, I didn’t realise... No, that’s not true. The truth is I was too scared. I didn’t want you to reject them, so I figured that if you didn’t know, you couldn’t reject them and then I wouldn’t have to tell them that you rejected them and...and... and, ummm, I dunno, Jim, look, I am really sorry." Trixie had to stop then as she was crying to hard.
Jim looked at her. "Why on Earth would I reject my own daughters?"
"You...you were with Sophie and...and I don’t know, OK. If you hate me now, I can understand why…"
"I don’t hate you. I am just upset, that’s all," Jim reassured her. "Um, Trix, who else, if anybody, knows that they are my children? I’m guessing your mother, because she has seen them, but anybody else?"
"Umm, just...just Moms, and Mart," Trixie stammered
"Mart knows! How and why the hell does Mart know?"
"He found out last week."
"OK," Jim conceeded. He knew Trixie and he knew that she would tell him the whole story soon enough.
A week passed and Jim spent as much time as he could with Trixie, Emily and Sabrina. At the end of the week, when Gabrielle had taken the girls out to buy ice creams, Jim sat next to Trixie on the lounge and said, "Trixie, thank you for letting me be part of their lives, part of your life, I want to ask you something…"
Trixie looked at him. "What do you want to ask me?
"You know how much I love you."
"Yes," Trixie answered curiously
"And how much I love the girls..."
"Yes…"
"Trixie, I want us all to be one family."
Jim got off the lounge, and kneeled on one knee in front of Trixie, he pulled a jewellers box from his pocket. When he opened it, he said, "Trixie, would you do me the honour of becoming my wife?"
Trixie looked at the ring in the box; there was a small Ruby, surrounded by glistening white diamonds. It was beautiful.
Trixie looked up at Jim. His eyes were full of love, but she was still a little wary "Jim, this is a bit sudden, it isn’t because of the girls, is it?"
"Yes and no. No, because it's you that I want to marry, not them, but yes, because I want to be with them too. I probably wouldn’t have asked this soon if they weren’t in the picture, but Trixie, it doesn’t change the way I feel about you, I love you, I want us to be together, all of us…"
"I dunno, Jim, give me a while. I have to think about it."
Trixie sat up late that night, thinking about Jim’s proposal. She wanted to say yes, but she wasn’t sure. Was he just saying it because of the girls or was he saying it because he really loved her? Why, why had he proposed? She loved him, of that she was sure, but did he really love her?
She looked at the clock-- almost midnight. It would be about 8am in New York. She picked up the phone and dialled.
"Hello?"
"Hi Mart."
"Trix, what's up? It has to be pretty late over there?"
"Yeah, it’s nearly midnight. Look, I need your help."
"Sure, what's wrong?" Mart sounded really worried
"Well, ummm, I suppose I should start at the beginning: Jim showed up at my door the other afternoon."
"Yeah…"
"He knows about the girls, he wasn’t mad, he even knew they were his and everything…"
"You're kidding?" He sounded really shocked. "How?"
"Well, apparently he saw them at the airport when he followed me to Australia, anyway, things have gone really well these last few days… and then, oh, I don’t know." Trixie sighed
"Trixie Belden, tell me this instant, what has he done to hurt you?"
"Nothing, at least not deliberatly. He...he...he proposed.
"He what???!!!"
"Proposed."
"Ohmigosh, what did you say?"
"I said I had to think about it. I don’t know if he proposed because he loves me, or if it is because of the girls. Oh Mart, what should I do?"
"What does your heart say?"
"It says to say yes, but…"
"But?"
"But what if he only proposed because of the girls?"
"Somehow I don’t think he did."
"What makes you so sure?" Trixie suspected there was more to that comment than simple intuition
"Nothing, I just think that he proposed because he loves you, that’s all."
"Martin Belden, you tell me the truth this instant, what do you know?"
"Nothing."
"MART!"
"OK, OK, I really shouldn’t tell you, I was sworn to secrecy."
"Please tell me…" Trixie begged
"OK, at the airport, the day you left, I ran into Jim, he told me that he intended to go to Australia."
"What! And you didn’t tell me??"
"Shh, let me finish. He also told me that he was going to try and win you back, he didn’t care if you cheated on him last time, or that you’d had kids to another man. He just wanted the two of you to be together again."
"Really?"
"Really."
"Thanks, Mart. You’ve given me some more to think about."
"Good stuff, I hope."
"Yeah, good stuff, please don’t tell anyone about this call, it can be our little secret."
"OK, no problem."
"Thanks."
"Goodnight, little sister"
"Good morning, big brother."
After Trixie hung up the phone, she curled up under the blankets and thought about Jim’s proposal, until she drifted off into a sound sleep.
When Jim arrived the following morning, Trixie gave Jim her answer. "Jim, I’m sorry, I can’t marry you."
Chapter 10
Jim looked at her, his face paled, "Why not?"
Trixie giggled. "Because you don’t know anybody over here that could be your best man, and I want to marry in Australia. The girls have to be part of the wedding, but I’m not ready to tell everyone about them yet…" Then she smiled. "But I suppose if we can find someone over here to be your best man, we might manage…" then she giggled again.
"Trixie Belden, don’t you ever scare me like that again!" Jim picked her up and spun her in a circle. "I will find somebody, if you’d agree to marry me, I would ask the next person I see on the street to be my best man!"
Trixie giggled. "Yes, Jim, I will marry you, but I think we can be a bit more picky about the best-man than the next person you see on the street."
Jim laughed, and gave her a big hug. "I love you, Beatrix Belden"
"I love you, James Frayne."
The wedding was set for September 6th, Trixie asked Gabrielle to be her maid of honour, and the twins were to be flower girls. Jim had become good friends with a man from down the street, Mitch, and he was going to be the best man, and his son Jonathan was going to be pageboy. Trixie asked Mr Anders, from upstairs, a kind elderly gentleman, who had been good to her and the girls over that last few years, if he would please give her away; he was absolutely delighted.
Her friend Taylah was to be bridesmaid, and her husband Gerald was going to be groomsman.
Trixie and Jim had decided to keep the wedding a secret from everyone back home, and surprise them all when they arrived there for a one month holiday, which was also going to be their Honeymoon. They both knew that they should tell everybody what was going on, it felt really bad deceiving them, but, after all, they thought Jim was in England visiting friends – except Mart, who was the only one that knew of the wedding, and he had been sworn to secrecy. If they were to tell them, then they would be expected to have the wedding back home, and they didn’t want that.
Three days before the wedding, Trixie was walking home from buying a few bits and pieces from the shop, when her conscience got the better of her, she at least had to tell her parents
"Jim!" she called, when she walked in the front door.
"Yeah, Trix," came the reply from the kitchen
"Where are you?"
"In the kitchen making a coffee, do you want one?"
"That would be great. We need to talk."
"Talk? Why, what’s wrong?"
"Nothing really, it’s sorta about the wedding, but nothing bad."
"Um, OK then, be out in a second."
A few minutes later Jim walked out to the lounge room carrying two hot cups of coffee. "OK Trix, what’s up?"
"I think we should tell our parents-- about the wedding, that is."
"I thought you wanted to keep it a secret…"
"I did, but now I realise that we should at least tell them. It’s not fair that we hide it from them. After all, we aren’t naughty little school kids trying to skip class, we are grown adults – with children, who want to get married. We should tell our parents, not everyone else, just our parents and tell them to keep it a secret."
"Trixie, I knew that you would think that eventually, that’s why I didn’t argue when you suggested it."
"Gee thanks, I think…"
"Do you want to ring your parents first, or should I ring mine first?" Jim asked.
"I’ll go first."
Trixie then walked over to the phone and proceeded to ring her parents.
The day of the wedding came. Trixie was wearing a simple cream coloured dress, her attendants were wearing blue, Gabrielle in a long flowing dress, Taylah, in an evening style dress and the flower girls were in knee length dresses, all made of the same material.
Jim had a Black Tuxedo, with a blue waistband and bow-tie. Mitch and Gerald were in dark suits with a blue tie, and Jonathan wore a small black suit with a blue vest. There was going to be a small party at Taylah and Gerald’s house afterwards and then Jim and Trixie were leaving for the States. Mart was meeting them at the Airport, and then they were staying at Manor House.
The ceremony went perfectly and Trixie had never been as happy as she was when the celebrant pronounced her and Jim to be Husband and Wife. Mrs. Frayne, she thought to herself. She liked it. Trixie Frayne, or even Beatrix Frayne sounded OK. She was glad that the girls wouldn’t have to change their names, the only thing was she would have to tell people at home that they were Emily and Sabrina Frayne, their real names, instead of Emily and Sabrina Belden, which is what everyone, except her Mother, thought them to be.
The party was great, and Trixie and Jim had a great time. The time came for them to leave for the airport. It was already late and the plane was leaving soon. Trixie had a hard time saying goodbye to the girls again. They were staying with Gabrielle, who would fly out to the States with them two weeks later, that way Trixie and Jim had time for a honeymoon and a chance to tell everyone the truth about the girls' paternity. Then when Gabrielle brought them out, they would get to meet them.
"Oh Jim, I am so nervous. It’s been so long since I’ve seen everybody, not as long as last time, but long enough, and last time, I didn’t have news to share, at least not news this big."
"Calm down, sweetheart, it will be OK. It’s not as though they will be angry, probably a bit upset, but not angry."
"Oh jeepers, maybe we should have told them, instead of keeping it a secret. Honey will probably kill us both, slowly and painfully."
Jim laughed, the thought of his calm and tranquil sister killing anything was not something he could picture.
"What?" Trixie seemed really upset by Jim’s laughter
"Oh Trix, could you really imagine Honey killing anything?"
Trixie thought for a second, and then she also started laughing, she couldn’t imagine Honey trying to kill anything either, especially slowly and painfully.
Just then the captain announced that the plane was about to land in New York. Trixie, though still laughing, buckled her seatbelt, and sat back waiting for the plane to land.
"Mart!" Trixie saw her brother standing near the gate, and she ran to greet him, he turned and gave her a big hug
"Hello, Mrs Frayne," he said happily. "How are my favourite newlyweds?"
"Not bad, thanks for keeping our secret," Jim replied
"No problem, do you want to grab your bags and we’ll get going?"
"Yep, this way," Trixie said, turning and heading toward where the luggage was.
It was still reasonably early in the morning, so the traffic would be low. When they were organised and were in the car on the way to Sleepyside, Trixie asked Mart if he thought that everybody would be mad about what they did. She also told him that Mr and Mrs Wheeler knew, and so did their own parents.
"You're kidding, when did you tell Moms and Dad?"
"About three days ago."
"Oh, how did they take it?" Mart seemed very curious
"Not bad, they were a bit upset that they couldn’t be there, and all that stuff, but they weren’t mad, I still haven’t told Dad about the girls though..."
"Ah, he’ll be Ok with it, I think… So Jim, how did your parents take it?"
"Umm, they took it pretty much the same way as your parents did really, upset, but not angry.
"That’s good to hear."
"Mart" Trixie interrupted, "You still haven’t told me if you think everyone else will be upset, like Honey and Brian, and Di, and Dan and Regan and Miss Trask and Tom and Mr Maypenny and…"
"Trixie, breathe," Jim interjected
"Umm, I’m not sure how they will take it, probably a bit upset and then they will probably be very happy for you."
"You think?"
"Yeah, I think"
The rest of the trip to Sleepyside they all chatted about general things, including the wedding itself and the twins.
When they arrived at Manor House, to unload all of their stuff, there was nobody there to greet them, so they just left their luggage in the front hallway and then headed down to Crabapple Farm.
Chapter 11
When Jim, Trixie and Mart arrived at Crabapple Farm, they walked in to the kitchen to discover Trixie's parents, Jim’s parents, and all their friends were in there, and there was a big cake on the table, with 'Welcome Home' written on it.
Honey walked up to Trixie. "Hi Trixie, it’s so good that both you and Jim were due back at the same time, it meant we only had to make one cake." She giggled
After everybody had finished saying hello, they were starting to sit down and chat.
Trixie called everyone’s attention. "Umm, I guess I have an announcement to make." Just then Di noticed the ring on Trixie's finger. "Hey Trix," she called out, "what’s with the ring?"
Trixie blushed. "Well, that’s actually why I’m here. Yesterday morning I got married."
"Then why are you here, shouldn’t you be on your honeymoon?" Honey called out
"Hey Trix, who is this guy anyway, I mean what’s his name?" Brian asked
"OK, OK, settle down, umm, this is my Honeymoon and his name, well, you already know it."
Then Jim stepped forward. "OK everyone, shhh please. The person Trixie married was…" he paused just to let everyone wonder for a few extra seconds, "Me," he finished off.
"You!" Honey squealed.
"Ohmigosh," Brian muttered.
After that, it was hard to understand what people were actually saying amid all the noise, although Trixie did notice Mart off to the side having a little giggle.
She walked over to where he was and asked him what was so funny. He replied, that because he knew what was going on the whole time, that it was very amusing watching all these people that had had no idea what was going on.
She realised that it was a bit funny. After all, last time Trixie had been here she and Jim weren’t getting along very well at all, and then the next time everybody sees them, they are married. She, too, started giggling.
The rest of the morning consisted of congratulations, toasts and "Why didn’t you tell me" from all their friends.
Trixie and Jim had been in New York about four days when they decided that the time had come for them to tell everyone the truth about the girls' paternity. They decided they should get their family and close friends together and tell them. So that afternoon, they gathered in the Wheelers' garden. The group included Mr and Mrs Belden, Brian, Mart and Bobby, as well as Mr and Mrs Wheeler, and Honey, also, Diana, Dan, Regan, Miss Trask and Mr Maypenny.
Trixie wasn’t sure how to tell everyone this little bit of news…
"Um, I asked everyone to come here today because I have something that I need to tell you. As you know, the girls are due out here soon, and you will all get to meet them…"
"Trixie dear, what are you trying to say?" asked Mrs Wheeler
"Well, not many people know who their father is… and, um, well, it will be pretty obvious once you see them, so I should probably tell you first."
Trixie stopped and looked around; everyone was looking at her strangely. She continued, "Well, this isn’t an easy thing. I mean, it’s not bad or anything, but, oh jeepers." Jim took Trixie's hand and held it in his own for support, he would have liked to helped her tell everybody this, but she said, that since she was the one that kept it from them in the first place, she should be the one to tell them the truth.
"Well, umm, oh heck." Then the next bit just rushed out, "The father is Jim."
Everyone (except, of course, Helen Belden and Mart) looked at Trixie absolutely shocked.
Honey broke the silence. "Trixie!" she shrieked. "How could you not tell me this…" she paused to breathe. "First of all, you tell me that who the father of your children is is your business and your business only. And now you turn around and tell me that the father is my own brother…" Brian gave Honey a hug and tried to soothe her a little.
After that there was a lot of commotion. Trixie's mother walked up to Trixie and dragged her off to the side. "Trixie, I am very proud of you. You have come a long way in the last three years. I'm glad you told Jim about the girls, and I am also very happy that you have told everyone else. Just one question, when do you intend on letting everyone meet them?"
"Oh, that’s easy, You know Gabrielle?"
"Yeah…"
"Well, Emily and Sabrina are staying with her at the moment, and next Saturday she will be bringing them over to meet everyone."
"Oh, OK, are you going to tell everyone this?" Helen asked
"Shortly, Moms, shortly."
After the commotion died down a bit, Trixie called everyone’s attention. "There is one other thing I should tell you."
"Not another thing! What else have you been keeping from us all, Trix?" Dan exclaimed.
"Nothing bad--just that you will all have the chance to meet Emily and Sabrina Frayne next Saturday. You will also get to meet my best friend from Australia, Gabrielle, they are flying out next Saturday, they are due here at about 10am."
"REALLY, WOW!" The normally calm and collected Honey squealed.
"Yes, really," Trixie replied.
The next ten days passed rather quickly, and the next thing Trixie and Jim knew, they were on their way to the airport to meet their daughters, with Mart, Di, Honey, Brian, and Dan firmly in tow. Everyone else was waiting back home, as they didn’t want to overwhelm the girls too much.
Chapter 12
Trixie saw the girls walk though the gate, and went bolting over to meet them. By the time everyone else has caught on to what she was doing, and caught up to where she was, Trixie had already picked up her girls in a big hug, and was chatting away with Gabrielle.
When Gabrielle saw Jim walking over, she left Trixie to have a few moments alone with the girls, and went over to talk to Jim.
"Hi Gabrielle."
"Hey Jim, how are you?"
"Not bad, I would like you to meet everyone."
"OK… Hang on, let me guess…"
"OK…"
"Umm, let me see. You must be Mart? You look like Trixie's twin."
"Yeah, that’s me."
"Wow. Umm, you must be Brian?
"You got it," replied Brian.
"Umm, Dan?" she said, pointing at Dan.
"You're good!"
"OK, let me see, Honey, and Di?"
"You're right, how did you guess?" asked Honey.
"Well, Trixie told me so much about all of you, I almost feel as if I know you all."
Then Trixie walked over. "Um, everyone, I want you to meet Emily and Sabrina Frayne."
"Oh wow, look at the resemblance. No wonder we weren’t allowed to meet them-- you can tell just by looking at them who their parents are!" exclaimed Dan
"Yeah, well… Um girls, this is Uncle Brian, Uncle Mart, Aunt Honey, Aunt Di, and Dan."
"Hello, everyone," the girls chorused
"Oh, how cute!" exclaimed Di. "My boys would be far to shy to do anything like that."
Emily shrunk back behind Trixie's leg and hid, while Sabrina, the bold one, asked Di, "You have boys?"
"Yes I do, two boys. They would be your cousins"
"Wow, where?"
"At home, you will get to meet them soon."
It was two days before Trixie, Jim, Gabrielle, Sabrina and Emily were due to go home. Jim and Trixie were sitting outside talking. "Jim, I’m really going to miss everyone here when we go back home, and Dan and Gabrielle seem to get along really well, and everyone loves the girls…"
"Trixie, what are you trying to say?"
"I’m not sure. I love Australia, I own my own flat, and I have lots of good friends, but I don’t have family there. I do have you and the girls, but I don’t have Moms, and Dad, and Mart and Brian and Bobby and Honey and Di and Blake and David and...and...Oh, I don’t know!"
"I understand, maybe we can work something out…"
Epiloge
Trixie and Jim smiled as they looked at their young son, Ricky. He was just beginning to walk.
They had moved back to Sleepyside two years ago, deciding that they missed the States too much. Gabrielle had come with them.
"Mummy, we’re ready," called Emily from the door. Trixie turned around and smiled. "OK, girls, in the car."
Fifteen minutes later, Trixie, Jim, Emily, Sabrina and Ricky were on their way to Dan and Gabrielle’s engagement party.
The End