The Officer's Runaway Wife & Secret Son novel Chapter 577

By early May, the weather was warm enough to break out the summer clothes.

May fourth was Clara's thirtieth birthday.

Taking advantage of the long weekend, everyone coordinated their schedules and decided to go camping at Crimson Lake, just outside the city.

The seven of them packed into a minivan. The spacious middle-row captain's chairs naturally went to the two VIPs: Clara and Emily.

Daniel was driving, with Alex navigating from the passenger seat.

In the back row, Rhys buckled Felix into his car seat, sitting next to Simon, who was aggressively demolishing a bag of original potato chips.

After about half a song's worth of loud crunching, Felix looked up from his picture book, stared at Simon for a moment, and let out a heavy sigh.

"Daddy Simon, you've already eaten three bags of snacks today," Felix stated deadpan. "Mom and Aunt Emily have babies in their tummies. Your tummy is just full of snacks."

Simon nearly choked, spitting out a chip as he glared at the kid. "Felix, you've been getting way too out of hand lately! I have a standard male model physique. What's wrong with a few chips?"

"Male models can get chubby too," Felix shook his head knowingly. "I heard you complaining to Mr. Thorne this morning that your pants were getting tight."

Simon's face flushed red.

This kid listened to everything, remembered everything, and blurted it out at the most devastating moments.

Embarrassed and annoyed, Simon reached over to pinch Felix's cheek, but Rhys effortlessly swatted his hand away and casually confiscated the half-empty bag of chips.

"That's enough. The smell is too strong, it'll make Clara nauseous."

At the mention of Clara, Simon instantly backed down and obediently grabbed a wet wipe to clean his hands.

Sitting in the front, Clara couldn't stop the corners of her mouth from turning upward.

This chaotic warmth had become her favorite daily routine.

When they arrived at the campsite, the lake breeze was incredibly refreshing.

The air smelled entirely of damp earth, fresh grass, and the crisp moisture blowing off the water.

She gave him a stern look. "Dr. Black said no heavy lifting. Do you just have a bad memory, or do you think I'm too nice?"

Rhys obediently pulled his hand back.

He genuinely felt like he could handle it. He had been feeling relatively energetic for the past couple of weeks and hadn't coughed much at all.

It was just a box of charcoal. It wasn't going to kill him.

But in front of Clara, that was an argument he could never win.

Daniel walked over and threw Rhys a glance. "Just sit tight. It's Clara's birthday; her word is absolute law today. Go over there and wash some fruit for the pregnant ladies. That's your job."

Helpless, Rhys grabbed a bag of fruit and walked off.

The campsite was quickly transformed into a proper setup.

Once the large canopy was pitched, it cast a massive patch of shade over the grass. Clara and Emily lounged in camping chairs, a folding table draped with a checkered cloth set up in front of them. It was covered with freshly sliced fruit, thermoses of water, and little snacks that Felix kept running back and forth to deliver.