Sweet Mischief’s Rollercoaster Romance

Molly felt a twinge of guilt thinking about her spat with Chad. Despite their argument, he had been patient and coaxed her back into good spirits.

"Alright, enough about me," she said, turning to Mia. "What's going on with you and Andre? Why's he not helping you out?"

Mia sighed heavily. "Andre won't lift a finger to help. He's dumped his entire graduation thesis on me."

Molly paused for a moment, then burst into laughter. "Welcome to the club!"

Mia rested her chin in her hand, looking despondent.

"Didn't get much sleep last night, huh?" Molly observed, noticing her friend's weariness.

"Is it that obvious?" Mia thought back to her son's restless night. "He'd cry when he was hungry, cry when he had a dirty diaper, cry when it was too dark, and cry when the light was on. One minute I'm rubbing his belly, the next I'm up walking him around. I mean, seriously, taking care of a baby shouldn't be this hard, right?"

Molly asked, "Usually, isn't it Andre who gets up at night to look after Henry while you catch some sleep?"

Mia thought of her husband. "It's possible. Last night he kept showing up at the door. Every time the baby cried, he was there, reminding me what to do. You know, my husband's actually pretty responsible."

The two friends pondered if they might have been taking their men for granted.

"Mia, you should get some sleep tonight. You're sporting some serious dark circles. You're still recovering from childbirth; you can't overdo it."

Mia was candid with her bestie. "I just can't swallow my pride."

Jade chimed in, "Honestly, I don't even know how to sweet-talk Chad anymore."

The worries were back.

really care about him, and I'll tell my Andre how pitiful you were last night. We'll make it seem like we're spilling the beans behind each other's backs, sparking their sympathy and guilt. They'll come crawling

on. "Molly, I'm

their chat, the unsuspecting guys were lured into the

you give her a hard time? Nothing seems to

the only one who can upset

adores you, Chad," Mia said

...

either. "Andre, did Mia get any sleep last night at all? Look at her, she's got bags under her eyes, she looks more like a grandma

Mia was practically falling asleep standing up. Have you been

...

Molly exchanged covert winks. The men had taken the bait; now it was time to see the

words. "Molly, I didn't mean to come down on you. And it's not just because I feel sorry for them;

a lesson, and I did too. But I handle things more smoothly, without leaving any trace. Remember the other night when I had to smooth things over with the neighbors? If the cops had come for you, would you have been safe?" Thank goodness he had stepped

realized that she hadn't handled things as well as she thought, which explained why

took a sip of water

me you think I'm the

"Spit-take!"

Chad quickly handed her a tissue while keeping one hand on

say?!" Molly gasped

suspicions. "Andre, don't believe Molly's nonsense. I love only you. Even if you don't help me with my thesis, I understand you're just worried about my defense. And it doesn't change how I feel about you. There's no one else for me. You were my first love, and I'm devoted to you. Before you, I was single; now I'm a married woman. Those other guys don't even register to me, hubby. Don't

emotional integrity. I might get mad at you, but that's because

of last night caring for our son, with no time to regret marrying you. And marrying you is the best thing that's ever happened to me. How could I ever

not vain. I'd be right there with you, eating bread and butter. I'm willing to endure hardship

listen to Molly's wild stories. I can confront her face to face if I need