Sweet Mischief’s Rollercoaster Romance

There was no response. Panic gripped her, and she jumped out of bed, bare feet hitting the floor as she raced to the door. Flinging it open, she spotted the three boys playing in the living room. Relief washed over her, though her heart was still thumping.

"You scared me to death-I thought my son was missing!"

She hurried over, scooped her little boy into her arms, and smothered him with kisses. "You nearly gave Mommy a heart attack."

Jared's lips wobbled, and before long, he was sobbing, "Daddy, wah—” He missed his dad. Without him around, life just wasn't the same for this little guy.

The feeling was infectious. She felt her own eyes sting. "We'll see Daddy as soon as we get home, okay? Don't cry, sweetheart."noveldrama

Mia stepped over and explained, "Jared was hungry this morning. You looked exhausted, so I just brought him out to play."

"Thank you," she said, genuinely relieved.

Mia grinned. "No problem."

Molly came out of the bathroom, towel draped over her shoulders. "Oh, you're up! Your kid is such a sweetheart. He saw you sleeping this morning and wouldn't even make a peep to wake you. My two little monsters? One tried to bite my face and the other poked me right in the nose."

The two moms exchanged an exasperated glance. As their hungry boys gulped down their bottles, they each gave their sons a gentle, playful swat on the bottom.

Henry was unfazed, standing on his mom's lap and chugging away at his formula. Wayne, on the other hand, paused, puzzled, eyebrows scrunched. Why did his little butt suddenly sting?

Aimee hugged her son tightly. "Honestly, I wouldn't mind if my kid woke me up by yelling."

She pinched his chubby cheek. "Why didn't you call for Mommy, huh? I wouldn't have been mad."

Right then, the kitchen door swung open and Anya called out, "Breakfast is ready!"

They all headed to the kitchen. In no time, Anya had laid out four dishes and a soup, plus a big bowl of baby porridge.

The three kids acted like they hadn't eaten in days. Henry dug right in with his spoon, shoveling food into his mouth. Wayne waited with his mouth open, ready for the next bite.

Jared was so anxious his eyes barely left his bowl. Luckily, big brother Henry came to the rescue, sharing with him so Jared could taste his very first shrimp patty.

"Kind of weird that none of the guys have called us," Mia remarked.

Aimee was scrolling through Facebook "The old guys went out for karaoke last night." She snorted as she watched a video. "Correction: not just the two dads—a whole gang of grandpas."

Mia and Molly immediately started checking their phones. "If Dad went out for karaoke, he definitely hid it from us."

"No kidding. When have you ever seen them party this hard?"

Henry finished his porridge and piped up, "Mommy, I'm still hungry."

The porridge had been a little too hot, so Mia had only given him a small scoop to

cool quickly. It was nowhere near enough for Henry's appetite.

She ladled another half bowl from her own, letting it cool. By the time Henry was finished with his, she handed over her own now-perfectly-warm bowl, taking his sticky one for herself.

As Henry ate, Mia picked bits of veggies from her plate and tucked them onto his spoon.

After breakfast, Mia went off to figure out the dishwasher while Anya disappeared for a shower. Mia, phone in hand, Googled how to use the dishwasher and muttered, First I can't cook, and now I can't even work this thing..." sŵnovel

Eventually, with the three women teaming up, the dishwasher was up and running.

Meanwhile, Leo called Anya a couple times. He'd finished his morning classes and was on his way to the

research lab. "Hey, eat something

before you go back to campus, okay? Don't skip meals."

"Chad, I already had brunch. Breakfast and lunch combined. I'm good."

He chuckled. “Efficient. Two meals at once. Promise you'll come home tonight?

Don't go wild with the girls. Once the guests leave, you know the guys are going to round everyone up."

Anya dashed off to campus. Mia tidied up the guest room, then tossed a spare house key across the room to Molly.