Sweet Mischief’s Rollercoaster Romance

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"There was another one, just like you. Started at 231 pounds before the diet, and after a few too many cheat meals, ballooned up to 330 pounds."

Molly tilted her head, her chin raised as she looked over at Chad with a playful smirk. "Bro, that wasn't just a few cheat meals. Sounds like she went through a whole barbecue pit, not just one pig."

Chad sprawled out on Molly's bed, leaning back against her fluffy pillows, his long legs stretching out over her quilt. "Forget how many pigs she devoured. Science says dieting makes you more likely to pack on pounds. You're the living proof of what not to do." Molly seemed to take it to heart, and Chad felt a smug satisfaction that his well-rehearsed example had hit the mark.

As Molly pondered her next weight loss strategy, Chad blurted out without warning, "Hey Molly, how about we go tie the knot? Get hitched?"

Molly's train of thought derailed, she turned to him, eyes wide with shock. "What did you just say?"

Chad swallowed, his Adam's apple bobbing. "Let's make it official. Register for marriage. I want you to be mine, legally, as soon as possible."

Molly blinked, speechless for a long moment.

Chad continued, trying to lighten the mood, "Get some sleep tonight. Digest everything. You'll wake up a couple of pounds lighter, and we can go while you're still in your slim phase..."

"Don't you try to dig me into another hole," Molly retorted, wise to his tactics now. Whenever Chad wanted her to agree to something, a tempting yet perilous pit always seemed to appear before her.

"Alright, no tricks this time. But think about what I said. It'll be nicer for pictures if we do it while you're feeling slim."

Chad hung around in Molly's room until nine before she shooed him out.

"My leave from work is almost up, Mol. If we miss this window, we'll have to deal with all the hassle of queueing and taking time off again."

---

Late into the night, over at the Cedillo household, Grandpa Hansen couldn't sleep either. He watched his little grandson, wide awake as an owl, or perhaps a night owl, wondering what was keeping the child so alert.

"Ugh, aah, hmm-" The little guy was all excited, flailing his limbs and energetically chattering away with his granddad.

he drifted off, the little tyke would start crying. "Seems I've truly stepped on a landmine with your family. Your mom nags me, your dad upsets me, and now their little rascal is torturing me. Does it amuse you all to bully

"Mmm, ah!"

here. You don't

always hit upon the

only the Cedillo brothers were at

"Where's Naomi?" Andre asked.

last night. Still

late gaming, same

not up either. Is he

"Nah, just tired out from my son's

Anya; it was a given. Leo had overslept the previous day and wasn't sleepy at night. Anya had synced her clock to Leo's, and rumor had it she was up late fixing him a midnight snack in the kitchen. Then little

wearily, "Still

pouted, "Guess I'll go wake

unison, the brothers warned, "Wake up Dad, don't you dare

with puffed cheeks and a sprouting curiosity, she decided

father's room, she found him still asleep. "Dad?

open his eyes, but slumber clung to him just as it did to his daughter-they both lost all sense of the world

"Hmm."

Molly beamed, "You agree?"

"Hmm."

you even

"Hmm."

awake. "So, you agree? If I go now, it's with

by his ear, waved his hand dismissively. "Yeah,

register from the drawer of

and returned within ten minutes, having set

their sister's brief visit and its purpose,