Sweet Mischief’s Rollercoaster Romance

Hannah had her own take on things. "Sweetie, you need to learn to spend some money. Andre's out there busting his butt, and his paycheck's got your name on it. If you don't spend, what's his motivation? And Mia, you too-shop smart, not hard. Why tire yourself out at

the mall when you can just click a few buttons and have everything delivered?"

Mia wasn't one to just go with the flow. Sitting next to her husband, she pointed to their little bundle of joy in his arms. "I need to be careful with our money, babe. Raising a kid isn't cheap. This little rascal's already gone through a ton of diapers-and they cost a fortune!" Henry, the diaper-wearing culprit, let out a babyish "Ahem, umm."

Andre looked down at his son with a gentle smile. "Hear that? Your mama's talking about you."

The little one gazed up at Andre, grunting with effort.

Fatherhood had clearly softened Andre-a change everyone could see and feel.

Around eight in the evening, Chad got back to his hotel room. He opened the door to find that Molly was gone.

The water bottle on the table was empty. He chuckled and walked to the bathroom, where a used toothbrush was left haphazardly.

Chad picked up the toothbrush, smirking coldly. "So repulsed, huh?"

Molly got a call from Chad while the Cedillo family was having a cozy evening. They were lounging in the living room, watching TV, playing games, and chatting.

The Cedillo household was a picture of warmth. Mia and Naomi were deep in conversation about parenting, while Hansen teamed up with Molly for a game, urging his daughter to lead him to victory. Anya, crouched on the floor, was idly carving art into orange peels, turning a simple snack into a masterpiece.

Leo occasionally glanced her way, careful not to disturb her. He joined in on a conversation with his dad and uncle, while Henry, lying in the middle of the living room, would occasionally stir and whimper until Mia picked him up.

Everyone was busy, and Chad's call made Jade's heart skip a beat.

"Hang up, hang up, we're about to win," Hansen urged.

guiding her

provided background noise as

Andre. Henry settled back into his father's arms, lulled by his soothing voice, and closed

by the chatter around him, Henry began to cry. Only when the room fell silent, with just his cries echoing, did

passed them to Leo, who ended up with a sore mouth from eating too

Chad didn't bother to try

ready for bed. Anya, done with her orange peels, headed to the kitchen to whip up

in the bed Molly had slept in the night before. The room was dim and quiet. His arm was raised, head resting on his bicep, eyes fixed on the ceiling, a smile playing on his lips as he thought about Molly's words. At the Cedillo household, Anya's cooking was

the little one woke up with no food

around with him, not giving the maid a

Mia tried to take over, Andre insisted she eat

lullaby, the

finished her snack and went over to Andre. "Uncle, I'm done eating.

in, "Uncle Andre, Anya's been studying hard and hasn't had a chance to hold Henry. She's

son over

at the unfamiliar face and

but determined, patted his back and walked around with him until his whimpers faded and

of accomplishment as she sat next to Leo, whispering

her best friend. Normally, Henry would barely stay in her arms when she got home, but today she seemed quiet,

sleep, and

She hesitated, then withdrew her

to shower, and

the little

son

close your eyes, go