"A what?"
I nodded at his surprise, a small smile waiting to bloom on my lips. My heart was pounding against my chest, sinking and floating over and over as I await a proper reaction. I could feel my eyes trace his every feature repeatedly.
"A baby?" He repeats, almost hesitantly.
"Yes, we are going to have a baby."
Chan bites at his lip while processing. Then suddenly his eyes dropped to my stomach, lifting quickly to check for my reaction. I assumed he recognized the small flitter of excitement that I attempted to hold back. His lips pull back immediately to show a beautiful smile he tried to cover.
"Are you for real?" His accent was much stronger due to his joy. "Baby, are you serious?"
I nod again, this time quickly. "For real!"
Chan puts a hand to his mouth, silencing his gasp. He kept stepping backwards and forwards, swaying on his feet to keep himself calm. The big grin on his face was hard to hide, however.
"How far?" He asks.
"12 weeks. I'm going back to the doctors soon, but I only went by myself because we both thought it was the stomach flu again." My words were a reminder to him so he didn't irrationally forget our decision.
Chan didn't seem to care. "That's almost time to check the gender!" He pauses and makes a different face. "Have you been sick this whole time?"
I shrugged, not remembering. "Not really the entire time, no. But yes, we can check the gender soon."
He bounced slightly, grabbing my hand to pull le close. "We can start thinking of nursery themes! You know I've been thinking lately that rubber ducks are great gender neutral--"
"We aren't doing them," I respond immediately. "You have already started thinking way ahead."
Chan squeezes me tightly. "My baby having my baby? My next big dream after marrying you," he teases, kissing my cheek. "You know I'm a family guy."
I smiled, wrapping my arms around his waist to pull him closer as well. The relief of his happy reaction allowed my heart to stop sinking. "Wait until your mom hears about this. She will be more excited than you are."
Chan pauses, attempting to remark something clever. Then he sighs. "You're right. She definitely would be."
We sat there holding one another in contempt. It was a big milestone in the relationship, one we both were willing to overcome. Despite this, we knew very well how easily this could change things forever. A part of me was hesitant for this change. The other part was so happy to be able to start a beautiful family, I was pushing aside all worries.
"What about kangaroos-"
"No."
(2020)
