Sweet Mischief’s Rollercoaster Romance

Andre cleared his throat, trying to sound casual. "Let her sleep. No one wake her up, alright?"

Henry, full and satisfied, had his eyes glued to the fridge again. He hadn't forgotten-there were still treats stashed away in there.

Right before heading out to work, Andre scooped Henry up in the entryway and smothered him with kisses. "Not too much, okay?"

But Henry was determined. He wrapped his little hands around his dad's cheeks and planted a bunch of wet, noisy kisses of his own. By the time Andre made it to the car, his face was covered in drool. Andre set Henry down by the driveway. "Go find Mia, buddy. Daddy has to go to work."

The second Andre's big SUV rolled out, Henry darted back inside and made a beeline for the freezer. "Squeezy! Treasure!" he called out, reaching in for his treat.

Grandpa Hansen was already crouched nearby, waiting for Andre to leave. He made his way to the fridge too, but his little partner in crime beat him to it. Both of them bent over, butts sticking out, each grabbing a popsicle.

The butler reminded them, "Just one, sir."

Hansen shot him a look. "After surviving Mia's kitchen experiments last night, you're not on my side now?"

The butler, who spent every day in this house, knew better than to take sides for long.

Henry, mouth full of icy sweetness, zoomed around the living room in his toy car until lunchtime.

By midday, Henry was still in the playroom, yelling, "Mommy! Where are you?"

Hansen, who'd been his tireless playmate all morning, felt a pang for his little grandson—especially now that his brothers were gone. “Your mom's still

sleeping."

Henry grabbed the railing with his chubby hands and climbed the stairs, little feet pattering as he reached the bedroom door. He started patting and knocking. "Mommy, wake up! Mommy, play with me! Mommy!"

The persistent slapping and wailing finally pulled Mia from her exhausted sleep. She lay in bed, listening to the steady thumping and Henry's dramatic cries.

With a groan, Mia got up. As she stepped forward, she nearly tripped over last night's silky nightgown tangled on the floor. She quickly scooped it up, crumpled it into a ball, and tossed it into the bathroom hamper.

Last night, Andre had insisted she wear that nightgown again. Once he set his mind on something, he never let it go-and after enough coaxing, she'd given in. Of course, it hadn't stayed on for long.

Now, with reminders of last night scattered around, the whole room felt thick with leftover heat.

"Mommy, you don't want me anymore?" came Henry's teary voice from the hallway.

Mia pulled open the curtains and

the summer warmth rush in.

let

leaned toward the window and he

called, "Don't cry, baby! Mommy wants you."

Her voice carried through the door.

The moment Henry heard her, he stopped crying and pressed his ear to the wood. "Mommy, open up! I can't come in!"noveldrama

Mia tidied up quickly, then opened the door.

Henry immediately flung himself at her legs.

With the window open, the room was warming up fast. Mia scooped him into her

arms, adjusted the air conditioning, and settled back onto the bed.

Henry curiously poked at the red marks dotting her skin-what were those?

They were supposed to head down for lunch, but with Henry curled up in Mia's arms, both of them drifted off again. It was nearly two in the afternoon before they finally woke up. sŵnovel

This time, Mia felt rested. Henry stretched out his little arms, demanding to be carried.

When the two finally emerged, Naomi hurried over. "Come on, you two! Time to eat."

Then she disappeared back into her own busy world.

By four o'clock, Andre was home.