Sweet Mischief’s Rollercoaster Romance

James only hit the books because there was no one to play with he wasn't exactly doing it for fun.

In the Calder family living room, Mrs. Calder was busy teaching her son poetry, while Mr. Calder was itching to take him outside for a swim.

“What's with you?” Mrs. Calder huffed. “You're holding back my educational progress.”

Mr. Calder just grinned. "Let the kid play. Why start studying so early? He'll have to learn this stuff eventually anyway—there's no escaping it. Might as well let him run wild while he can."

With that, Mr. Calder grabbed his son's hand and hauled him off for some real childhood fun.

Lately, James and his much-older dad had been getting along better than ever.

That evening, Leo was waiting at the Cedillo family's gate to pick up Anya.

He spotted her coming out in slippers, dangling her shoes and socks from one hand.

"What happened to you?” he asked.

out her cheeks. "Got

you got wet chasing

well what kind of messes

was in the bathroom, he stayed at the sink, scrubbing her muddy shoes and rinsing

You don't have to do it!"

does it matter who washes

her as she peeked out, eyes soft and misty. "Chad, you're making me

to her face. He could just imagine

She could sense trouble coming her

wall, arms bracing against Leo's

her hands apart and leaned in closer. "Still embarrassed

an even brighter shade of pink, her heart

grew hotter with more than just

the door tightly shut, the world outside faded away-though if you listened hard enough, you might have caught the

worn out, but Leo seemed to have endless energy. She felt