The Officer's Runaway Wife & Secret Son novel Chapter 602

Rhys was sweating bullets, nervously wondering if Felix had cried like this when he was a baby.

He must have.

All babies had nights like this.

And Clara had survived every single one of those nights completely alone.

The more he thought about it, the harder it became to breathe.

Clara's heart ached at the sound, and terrified that he would stress himself out, she threw off the covers to get up and help. But Rhys immediately freed a hand to gently press her back down.

"Don't move. I can calm her down. Just stay in bed."

Just as the frazzled father was on the verge of a breakdown, paranoid that he was somehow hurting his daughter, the master bedroom door swung open.

Felix ran in barefoot, clutching a small rattle he usually used for kindergarten performances. He marched up to Rhys and tugged at his pajama pants.

"Dad, lower my sister a bit. She needs to see me."

Rhys hesitated, but the wailing in his arms was simply too heartbreaking. The usually invincible officer was at his wit's end.

Following his son's instructions, he bent down, bringing the crying baby closer to Felix.

Felix held up his rattle and shook it in front of Annie, letting it chime cheerfully.

"Don't cry, Annie. I'm right here. Want me to sing you a song?"

"Hush, little baby, don't say a word..."

It was nothing short of a miracle.

Annie, who had just been screaming herself hoarse, magically started to quiet down the moment she heard the familiar voice and the jingling rattle.

The little girl struggled to open her eyes to find the source of the sound. Suddenly, she reached out with two chubby little hands and grabbed onto Felix's fingers.

She puckered her little lips, blew a small spit bubble, and drifted right back to sleep with her eyes closed.

Rhys stayed hunched over, his face painted with pure disbelief.

Felix's singing hadn't even been on key.

Felix shot his dumbfounded father a glance, a mix of pride and sheer smugness.

"See? Her favorite person is still me."

Rhys looked at his son's cocky little expression, then down at the baby girl in his arms who was still clutching her brother's fingers for dear life. He let out a helpless chuckle.

"Yeah, you're the best." He sighed softly in surrender. "Dad admits defeat."

"Hmm?"

"I just had a dream. I dreamed of what Annie will look like when she grows up."

"And then?"

Rhys gritted his teeth. "And then she was stolen away by Daniel's brat."

Clara was utterly speechless.

Ezra was barely two months older than Annie. He had just learned how to roll over and couldn't even say 'Dad' yet, but this man was already harboring a deep-seated grudge against the boy.

She was shaking from the effort of holding back her laughter.

Rhys stared at her shaking form, his face totally deadpan. "I don't think this is funny."

"It's not funny," Clara managed, trying her hardest to keep a straight face. "Not funny at all."

But the corners of her mouth were twitching uncontrollably.

The more Rhys thought about it, the angrier he got.

He leaned down and kissed her again.