Max peeked his head out the door and saw Clara carrying a basin of water to water the flowers outside. Just as his unreliable dad had said, she didn't seem unhappy at all—on the contrary, her face carried a brightness that was rare to see.
"Alright then, I'll let you off the hook this time."
Edward Harper let out a sigh of relief,
"This is a little secret between Mommy and Daddy. Now you know, so you have to help keep it secret, okay? Don't tell anyone else, or Mommy will be unhappy."
Max nodded with a mix of understanding and confusion. Of course, he didn't want Mommy to be unhappy. The agreement was temporarily sealed.
Edward Harper held Max's chubby little hand and gave it a squeeze,
"Now, Daddy has something to ask you and your sister. Can you go bring your sister over?"
"Sure."
Max slid off his dad's lap and went to the living room to fetch his sister. In less than a minute, the two little ones came crowding into the study, with Lucas looking full of curiosity,