Chapter 9 Small Victories

• It would be best for the children to meet Deanna at their house, on their own territory so they wouldn't feel uncomfortable in public. But before that, he sat down with them to assure them that what their grandmother had told them wasn't true; he explained to the older ones that they hadn't known about her before because he needed to be sure things would work out. Perhaps when they were a bit older, he could give them the real reason.
• Daniel wasn't sure if little Jonathan had fully understood the situation; he was the one who worried him most of the three. Ethan had no complaints about it, telling his father it was his decision and he respected it. Naomi, being shyer, assured him there was no problem and that she hadn't listened to the things their grandmother had told her. Both children trusted their father, but they also didn't dare to contradict him.
• To try to make the meeting more relaxed, they invited Susan, Harry, and Laura. Maybe, surrounded by their aunts and uncles, they would feel more comfortable and less rigid. On the way to Daniel's house, Harry had told Deanna a bit more about his nephews and nieces. He saw her much more nervous than when she met her future husband, but he was convinced she would get along well with them.