Olivia quirked an eyebrow and asked, “Should I tell him you made mom cry?”
Edwin smirked, crouching to meet her level.
“Say what you must.”
With a peck on her mother’s cheek, Olivia darted out.
Soon, she found herself at the study’s threshold.
Upon entering, she caught Mark discreetly wiping his eyes. This sight struck Olivia; she’d never seen this side of her carefree dad before.
Hesitating, she lingered by the door.
A N G E L A ‘s L I B R A R Y
Mark noticed Olivia, collected himself, and beckoned her closer.
She nestled against him, dabbing away his tears, her voice barely above a whisper.
“Mom’s upset too. She’ll miss Edwin. Dad, will you miss him too?”
A soft chuckle escaped Mark.
Lifting Olivia, Mark grappled for the right words.
His heart yearned for Olivia’s perpetual innocence.
Sensing his hesitance, Olivia wrapped her arms around him and whispered, “I’ll miss Edwin too.”
Mark felt a pang in his heart.
The idea of Edwin being way for years weighed on him.
In the grand scheme of things, how many six-year spans did one have?
Especially for him and Zoey?
Yet, regardless of life’s fleeting mature, Mark couldn’t chain his son down.
Edwin had his own dreams to chase.
With newfound determination, Mark pressed a gentle kiss on Olivia’s forehead, softly saying, “We’ll always have our little Olivia by our side, right?”
Olivia’s head bobbed up and down enthusiastically.
While she couldn’t grasp Edwin’s aspirations entirely, she recognized his longing to venture out. She wanted to back Edwin’s choices and be there for their parents and grandma.
A playful idea struck her.