My husband whispered something in our seven-year-old daughter’s ear every evening, but when he took her Into the bathroom and locked the door, I could no longer stay silent

But now my daughter was singing.

Her voice was faint at first, but it gradually became stronger and more confident. Daniel turned off the faucet. He had been using the sound of the running water to hide Lily’s singing so I wouldn’t discover their surprise.

When Lily finished, I dropped to my knees and wrapped my arms around her.

“Why didn’t you tell me?”

 

Daniel pointed toward the calendar hanging on the wall.

My birthday had been circled in red.

“She wanted to sing the song you used to sing to her when she was little,” Daniel explained. “But she was afraid she wouldn’t be able to do it. Every evening, I whispered the next line of the song into her  ear. That way, no one else could hear, and she didn’t feel pressured.”