Emily nodded. “Okay!”
“With rainbow colors?”
“If you want!”
“And glitter?”
Emily laughed. “That sounds wonderful.”
It was such a relief for her to know that Chantelle was happy for her. Sheila’s pregnancy had caused a whole host of emotions to erupt in Chantelle, compounded by the fact that her friend from school, Toby, was also soon to become a big brother. Emily had been slightly concerned that Chantelle may act out as a result of the news. But so far she seemed nothing but excited. Emily reminded herself to let her teacher, Miss Glass, and Gail, the school counselor, know about the situation in case Chantelle had a delayed negative reaction to the news.
Daniel’s expression turned serious for a moment. “Chantelle, will you be able not to tell anyone about this yet?” he asked.
She looked at him and frowned, visibly deflating like a popped balloon. “Why not?”
Emily knew why Daniel wanted to keep it hush for now. She wasn’t yet past the critical first trimester. This was her first pregnancy and she was an older mother. At thirty-six it fell into the horribly titled bracket of a “geriatric pregnancy.” The chances of her miscarrying were higher than average. The thought caused a jolt of alarm to shock her.
“So we can keep it our special Morey family secret,” Emily said, tapping her nose. “It will make it more fun.”
Daniel looked up, his expression relaxing somewhat, presumably at the way Emily was handling the slightly delicate situation.
Chantelle’s frown turned to suspicion. Then it disappeared as quickly as it had come.
“Okay!” she said, raising her eyebrows, suddenly on board. “But then, what about Papa Roy? He’s family but he’s a Mitchell, not a Morey.”
Emily considered her question for a moment. What about her father? Should she tell him before the first trimester was over? Should she tell anyone? She’d need emotional support, that was for sure. She just didn’t know who would be best placed to give it to her. Her father had only just come back into her life, after all. She didn’t know how well he’d handle adjusting to being a father, father-in-law, and grandfather in one fell swoop!
“Maybe a bit later,” she told Chantelle. “For now, let’s just have it be between us three. Okay?”
Chantelle mimed zipping her lips. Everyone laughed.