Sweet Mischief’s Rollercoaster Romance

Andre watched the two sisters, saying nothing. But the quieter he got, the more anxious they became. Molly, ever the nervous one, whispered, "Mia, I really miss Chad right now~"

Mia sniffled, "I don't even want to get married anymore."

Andre: "..."

With two minutes left on their timeout, Andre turned and walked off.

Later that night, back in the bedroom, Andre stared at their son lying smack in the middle of the bed. "Why is he here?"

Henry, sprawled across his parents' bed, looked just as lost. He'd been settling in for the night in his own room when his mom scooped him up and carried him here.

"From now on, Henry's our boundary line," Mia announced. "If we can't have separate rooms, we'll at least have our own sides of the bed. Let's not bother each other."

Andre, hands on his hips, glared at the so-called "boundary line." He grumbled, "Go back to your room and sleep."

Henry clutched his little pillow, ready to shuffle off.

"Lie down," Mia said, pulling him back. "Tonight, you're sleeping with Mommy."

Wedged between his parents, Henry sensed trouble brewing. He sat up, lips trembling, and burst into tears before anyone could start arguing.

The couple's eyes met and then dropped to their bawling boy, softening instantly. Mia, already sitting on the bed, pulled Henry into her arms, kissing his cheeks and soothing him, "Don't cry, baby. You're with Mommy tonight."

Andre sat down too, gently wiping the tears from Henry's chubby cheeks. "Daddy and Mommy aren't fighting. Go on, sleep-you're staying with us tonight."

Once Henry started crying, both parents caved, fussing over their little prince.

That night, Mia clung to her "boundary line" pillow and, with Henry, kept a safe distance from Andre as they drifted off to sleep.

Andre lay on his back, glancing at his wife and son. Every time he shifted closer, Mia would yank the covers over her head and ignore him.

"What should we get Wayne for his first birthday?" he asked.

"You buy your gift, I'll buy mine," Mia replied, eyes closed.

"His uncle and aunt are married-do we really need two separate gifts?"

"Why not?" Mia shot back.

Meanwhile, in Jade's room...

She was sprawled on the bed, phone pressed to her ear, while Wayne played with the comforter nearby.

In

"Chad, you have no idea-Andre is terrifying. When you get off your night shift tomorrow morning, come pick me up, okay? I'm scared he's going to lecture me again. noveldrama

Chad leaned back in his chair, phone in hand, chuckling. "If you didn't come up

with these wild plans, Andre wouldn't have to scare you."

"Wild plans? Please. I call them good ideas that just didn't work out. If I'd managed to pick that lock..."

"Then I'd have to show up in uniform," Officer Chad interrupted smoothly.

Molly sprawled across the bed, giggling into the phone. "Didn't you say you'd never arrest your sweetheart?"

Wayne's crawling skills had improved lately. He watched his mom, then planted his little hands on her shoulder and climbed over, grabbing a fistful of her hair.

“Ah! Chad, help! We've got a criminal

on the loose-Wayne is attacking at

eleven months and twenty-seven days old!" Molly yelped, trying to free her hair.

She tossed the phone aside, flopped over, and rested her head on Wayne's chubby thigh. “Let go, you little rascal."

Wayne looked down at his mom using his leg as a pillow and only gripped her hair tighter, making gleeful baby noises. "Ahhh, ahhh, oww~"

Molly howled back, "Wayne, if you've got the guts, let's have a fair fight—no sneak attacks!"

As Molly and her son "wrestled" in the bedroom, Chad listened to their antics and couldn't help but laugh.

Untangling Wayne's tiny, pudgy fingers from her hair, Molly grinned. "I've decided at your birthday party, the main dish will be roasted dragon claws!"