Forever, Plus One

by Sophie Love

  They left the living room and Emily locked the door behind her. Marnie was standing in the corridor, just having descended the staircase.

  “What’s going on?” she asked, looking at Chantelle’s sign on the door.

  “Nothing,” Chantelle said mischievously. “But you’ll find out tonight.”

  “We’re having a party,” Emily offered. “Everyone’s invited. We’re just going to make the calls now. Can you let the rest of the staff know?”

  Marnie looked suspicious. “Sure,” she said.

  Emily could tell that she was already starting to speculate about the reasons for the party. She seemed to intuitively know there was an announcement coming. Emily realized her becoming pregnant was unlikely to be a shock to anyone who knew her. It tended to follow after marriage, after all.

  The family went out onto the porch, Chantelle carrying her notebook with the list of people they needed to call to invite over.

  “I’ll call my friends,” she said, “and invite their parents too. Mommy, you call all your supplier friends like Raj and Karen. Daddy, you call everyone else.”

  They began making calls. But as time passed, Emily started to feel a sense of sadness. She realized that no one on their list was family. Papa Roy was uncontactable by phone. And what of their mothers? It hadn’t even occurred to Chantelle to put their names on the list. The thought saddened Emily.

  “What about Cassie and Patricia?” she said to Daniel.

  He looked up from his cell phone where he’d been typing a number in. “I don’t want my mom knowing yet,” he said. “Not after the last time I saw her.”

  Emily thought back to the time Cassie had turned up drunk at the inn, trying to manipulate Daniel into giving her money. It had been an ugly scene. She wasn’t surprised Daniel needed more time to get over it before making contact with his mother again.

  But what about Patricia? The last time she’d been here, she too had caused a horrible scene. She’d been rude to Roy, rude to Emily in turn. She never seemed to be happy for Emily, or supportive. Emily didn’t want anything to bring down her mood today. She would tell her mom another time.

  “I’m not calling mine either,” she told Daniel. “I don’t want her to know yet.”

  He nodded in agreement.

  They looked down the list of names, ticking off as they went.

  “I wonder if we could get Aunt Eugenia on a video link,” Daniel said. “I’d love her to be involved somehow but she obviously won’t be able to fly here at such short notice.”

  “That’s such a cool idea!” Chantelle said.

  They huddled together to listen in as Daniel made the call to Aunt Eugenia and arranged a time for them to do a video call. It was so exciting knowing that she would be able to join in.

  “What about Roman?” Chantelle asked, when she realized he wasn’t on the list.

  “I don’t think he’d want to come to our little party,” Emily said.

  “Why not?” Chantelle challenged. “He’s our friend.”

  “He’s a megastar,” Emily corrected. “He’ll be busy.”

  “You never know if you don’t ask,” Chantelle said.

  Emily sighed. She felt nervous calling Roman. As much as she wanted to view him as just any other person who lived in Sunset Harbor, she couldn’t help but feel a little differently toward him, a little more apprehensive. His lifestyle was so lavish it made her feel plain in comparison. He’d achieved so much it made her B&B’s success seem small. But he answered the call and to Emily’s surprise he was utterly thrilled to be invited.

  “I can hand out the confetti launchers at the door,” he suggested.

  With all the guests invited there was nothing else to do now but wait for the cake to be delivered.

  When it arrived, it was enormous. The frosting on the outside was white but the cake in the middle would be the color of their baby’s gender, and there was also a dyed gooey center that would splurge out when they cut it for maximum effect.

  “That’s it,” Emily said once they’d said goodbye to the baker. “Everything ready.”

  She was excited, and felt the excitement coming from Daniel and Chantelle as well. She was just sad that there was one person missing who she really wanted to be a part of it. Her dad.

  Where are you? Emily found herself wondering for what must have been the millionth time in her life. She’d really thought that her years of not knowing were over. But a leopard doesn’t change its spots. Maybe her mom had been right after all, that it had been foolish of her to think she could ever trust her father again.

  CHAPTER TWELVE

  The moment people started to filter into the inn that night for the party, they realized what the party was for.

  “Are you…?” Suzanna asked Emily, tentatively.

  It was the first time Emily had seen her since baby Robin’s birth. She looked gorgeous, her eyes sparkling. But Emily could also read relief in her eyes. She must be grateful to have a sitter around so she had a few hours off mommy duties!

  Emily nodded excitedly. “How did you guess?” she quipped.

  “With the room filled to the brim with pink and blue balloons, it was hard to miss,” Suzanna replied with a laugh.

  Wesley congratulated Emily with a kiss on the cheek. “I’m so thrilled for you both,” he said. “Our little ones can be friends, just like our eldest ones are.”

  Emily grinned and nodded. She was grateful to know she’d have someone to help her through the scary beginning stages of having a newborn.

  Yvonne and Keiran arrived next. Bailey, ever the firecracker, ran straight into the living room and began throwing balloons in the air. Emily wondered what she would do if she had a child with such exuberance as Bailey. She would never be able to keep up. Bailey had boundless energy!

  “I can’t believe it,” Yvonne cried, embracing Emily tightly. “This is such fantastic news.”

  “Thank you,” Emily replied with a little blush. “I wasn’t expecting it to happen quite so soon after the wedding, but we’re thrilled.” She touched her stomach, thinking of the baby growing inside of her, which, according to her size chart, was now as big as a lemon.

  The room began to fill up with friends. Chantelle set her laptop up in the corner and called Aunt Eugenia. Emily hovered over Chantelle’s shoulder, wringing her hands with apprehension. When Aunt Eugenia answered and the screen filled with her jolly face, she immediately guessed the purpose of the call.

  “I’m going to be a great-aunty?” she said.

  Chantelle nodded. “And today is the gender reveal! Do you want to guess what it’s going to be?”

  “A boy,” Eugenia said with a definitive nod. “Definitely.”

  “Okay,” Chantelle replied. She added a tally to her notebook of who’d guessed boy and who’d guessed girl. Currently, boy was leading. “That’s what most people here think too.”

  Emily considered the possibility of a son once more. She could picture herself more easily with a daughter, perhaps because of her experience with Chantelle. But a son would be just as wonderful. She was eager to find out.

  Amy and Harry arrived next, looking as smitten as ever. George was also with them. He kissed Emily’s cheek and shook hands with Daniel.

  “Harry’s been telling me all about the restaurant idea,” he said. “I think it’s great! I can’t wait to find out what you guys do together.” Then in a slightly quieter voice, he added, “Thanks for encouraging my little bro. He can be a bit unfocused at times. This has been his dream for ages and I’m pleased to see it might be about to finally happen.”

  “I think you should thank Amy, not us,” Emily said. “She has a magic way of making people realize their full potential. I believe it’s achieved through a combination of cajoling and stubbornness.”

  George laughed. “Yes, they do seem very well suited together. I haven’t seen Harry like this ever!”

  Emily grinned, happy to hear that Amy’s impact on Harry was proving as positive a
s his on her.

  Finally, everyone on the guest list had arrived. In one hand they all held a confetti dispenser filled with blue confetti, in the other one filled with pink. Keiran, Yvonne, Wesley, and Suzanna were in their positions in the corner of the room, holding the paper chains, ready to pin them into place.

  Everyone held their breath and gasped with wonder as the enormous white frosted cake was wheeled in. Emily felt her heart fluttering with anticipation. Daniel joined her at her side, grinning sheepishly.

  “Ready?” he said.

  Emily nodded, though her insides swirled and whirred. Together they picked up the large knife, Daniel’s hands wrapped around Emily’s. The last time they’d done this had been at the wedding. It had been one of the most beautiful moments of Emily’s life, and she realized that this moment too would join it. Thanks to Daniel, to her family, she’d added more happy memories in the last few months than ever before in her life. She felt blessed as she held the knife and tried to steady her trembling hands.

  “You’re shaking,” Daniel’s voice whispered into her ear.

  She felt comforted by his presence. By his solid body behind her. This moment was overwhelming her with love.

  “I’m nervous,” she said. “Let’s do it.”

  She felt Daniel’s nod, his head close enough to hers to touch. It was a wonderful, beautifully intimate moment. Together, they sliced into the cake. One cut. Then they moved the knife and cut the other side of the piece. They slid the knife under the base of the piece they’d cut.

  Daniel counted them down. “Three. Two. One.”

  They pulled the slice out of the cake.

  Pink.

  The sponge was pink.

  The gooey pink center cascaded down the sponge.

  The room erupted in a surprised shout.

  “A girl!” people cried.

  All around Emily, pink confetti burst into the air. The sound of popping balloons from the kids stamping on the blue ones became a sudden cacophony of noise. Across the ceiling, the pink paper chains were tugged, making a criss-cross above them.

  Emily hunkered down, thrilled, exhilarated, feeling happier than ever. Daniel’s arms were around her, tightening in an embrace from behind. Then suddenly Chantelle catapulted through the crowd and hugged them both tightly.

  “A sister! A sister!” she exclaimed.

  Emily felt tears spring into her eyes. Seeing the joy that people had for her and her family meant the world to her.

  This truly was one of the happiest moments of her life.

  *

  After much dancing, cake eating, and balloon popping, Emily’s friends started to depart. It had been a delightful evening and Emily was filled with gratitude.

  Once everyone was gone, Emily, Daniel, and Chantelle sat in the dining room and had dinner.

  “I was thinking about baby names,” Emily said.

  “Me too,” Chantelle replied. “I was thinking a color would be nice. Like Ruby. Or Scarlett.”

  “I thought it would be nice to repeat the ‘elle’ sound that Chantelle has,” Daniel added. “Something like Isabelle. Or Gabrielle.”

  But that wasn’t what Emily had in mind. “They’re nice names,” she said. “But I had a different idea.”

  She chewed her lip, reticent, unsure whether Daniel would be on board with her suggestion.

  “Well, what is it?” Daniel said.

  Emily picked at the tablecloth with her fingers, delaying the moment. Finally she spoke. “I was wondering how you felt about calling her Charlotte.”

  There was a pause. Emily looked up at Daniel, worried that he’d hate the idea. But his gaze on her was soft and gentle, his eyes inviting.

  “It’s a lovely idea,” he said, nodding.

  “Are you sure?” Emily said, with relief.

  She didn’t want to make Daniel feel like he wasn’t a part of this baby, that it was just hers. But naming her after Charlotte felt like an appropriate way to honor the sister who never got a chance to grow up and have her own family. That loss sat with Emily every day, but she’d always felt Charlotte’s presence in this house, had always felt her smiling down upon them. She wanted to show her love for her sister, who even in spirit form only ever wanted the best for Emily.

  “I’m sure,” Daniel said with kind affirmation. He reached across the table and squeezed her hand.

  Emily looked at Chantelle. “What do you think? Do you like the name Charlotte?”

  Chantelle nodded. “I love it. But I’ll call her Lotty.”

  Emily smiled. “That’s fine by me.”

  Just then, they heard a noise coming from the living room. It was a sort of electronic bleeping.

  “What’s that?” Emily said curiously.

  “It sounds like my laptop receiving a video call,” Chantelle said. “Maybe Aunt Eugenia is calling back.”

  Everyone stood and hurried into the living room. It was still covered in pink, bits of confetti, streamers, and copious crumbs from the cake. In the corner, Chantelle’s laptop flashed with an incoming call. She sat on her knees and craned her face close to the screen. Then suddenly she screamed.

  “What’s wrong?” Emily asked, alarmed.

  Chantelle looked back at her parents, her face beaming with excitement. “It’s a video call from the UK!” she screamed.

  It took a moment for Emily to realize what that meant. When it dawned on her she felt suddenly overcome with emotion.

  Chantelle confirmed was she was suspecting.

  “It’s Papa Roy!”

  CHAPTER THIRTEEN

  Chantelle answered the call and Roy’s face filled the screen. Emily felt her breath hitch with emotion. It had been too long since she’d seen her father, had spoken to him. She hadn’t even realized how much or how deeply his absence had affected her.

  He looked different. Tired. Older. His lines were more pronounced, his cheeks sunken as if he’d lost some weight since they’d last been together.

  “Papa Roy!” Chantelle exclaimed. “Where have you been! We missed you!”

  Roy looked embarrassed. “I’m so sorry. The post office here lost your letter. I only got it last week. Then I couldn’t work out how to do this video call thing at all. I had to drive to the library in the next town over to get one of their assistants to show me how to do it!”

  “So you’ve read the letter?” Daniel asked. “You know our news?”

  Roy grinned. “I have. And congratulations. I’m thrilled for you.”

  Emily smiled, relieved to finally have confirmation from him that the new baby was a welcome surprise. But she had a niggling sense of worry deep inside of her. Something didn’t seem right. She wasn’t sure if her father just felt guilty about having been AWOL for so long or if there was something more.

  “You just missed the party,” Chantelle exclaimed. “We did the gender reveal!”

  Roy’s eyes widened slightly. “Oh? You mean you already know?”

  Emily spoke next. “Yes. Do you want us to tell you?”

  He nodded eagerly.

  “Go on, Chantelle,” Emily said, touching the child’s shoulder lightly. “You tell Papa Roy.”

  “It’s a girl!” Chantelle cried, grabbing two pink balloons in each of her hands and waving them frantically in front of the screen.

  Roy seemed overcome with emotion. “That’s such wonderful news. I’m so happy for you all. Baby girls are such a delight to raise.”

  Emily felt a lump form in her throat. “We’ve picked out her name already,” she said. “We’re calling her Charlotte.”

  There was a pause from Roy. He looked floored by the news. Then his eyes glittered with emotion. He wiped away a tear.

  “Is that okay, Dad?” Emily asked, softly. “Do you mind?”

  Roy shook his head. “Mind? Of course not. I think it’s a lovely idea. I’m so happy.”

  Emily sighed with relief. It mattered a lot to her whether Roy was on board or not. She was so glad that this phone call had finall
y taken place, that he’d finally confirmed his joy at their news. It somehow made the prospect of telling her mother less terrifying. With his backing and support, she could handle whatever sniping her mom threw at her.

  A crease appeared between Roy’s eyebrows then as he frowned. “Emily, does that mean you can’t fly now?”

  “Fly?” Emily asked, confused. “I can fly up to twenty-eight weeks. Thirty-two weeks with some airlines. But why do you ask?”

  “Because of the vacation,” he stated. “Remember? You were all going to come and visit me for the summer.”

  Chantelle started bouncing on her knees. She clasped her hands together and looked up expectantly at her parents. “Are we going to England? Are we going to visit Papa Roy?”

  Emily felt shell-shocked. She’d gone from having no contact with her dad to suddenly discovering he wanted them to visit, something she had finally come to term with not happening—at least not this soon.

  “We can take it very easy,” Papa Roy added. “Nothing too strenuous for you in your delicate state.”

  Emily didn’t need convincing. “We’d love to come!” she cried. She looked over at Daniel for confirmation. There was a smile on his face and Emily knew that meant he agreed.

  “When can you come?” Roy asked.

  “We’ll look at flights tonight,” Emily said. “But Dad, how will we let you know when we’re coming, when our flight has arrived, that sort of thing?” She couldn’t help but feel worried. What if he went AWOL again? What if they flew to England and he didn’t come to meet them? Anything could happen with Roy.

  “I’ll check in at the library every day. You can email me. And write. And then I’ll call. We’ll cover every base. Double, triple, quadruple check.”

  Chantelle laughed. She seemed so excited at the prospect of a vacation. Emily wondered whether Amy would mind them disappearing from Sunset Harbor when she herself was here all summer. But then she reminded herself that Amy was busy with Harry. She’d probably be relieved to not have to split her time between her hormonal pregnant friend and her exciting new lover!