Sweet Mischief’s Rollercoaster Romance

Henry was completely confused as he looked at his mom-wasn't the food meant for him? Mia smiled, skewering a piece of tender salmon with her fork and gently feeding it to her son's eager little mouth. Andre chuckled softly, gently pulling his son's tiny hand back to

stop him from swiping at the food his wife had lovingly prepared.

Later that evening, back at the hotel, as they reached their floor, the three men shared a knowing glance. Just as the women were about to open their room doors, the men sprang into action like a well-rehearsed play, each playfully whisking away a woman to a newly booked room. Mission accomplished-the three women were now separated! This had been the men's plan all along, to keep the brains, the chatterbox, and the cheerleader of their group from joining forces. Together, they would be an unstoppable force.

Some things are better said in private-apologies, for instance, can be awkward in front of others. Before the women could even process what was happening, they found themselves in different rooms.

Meanwhile, little Henry stood in the hallway, utterly perplexed. One minute his mom was opening the door, and the next, poof, everyone was gone! Henry's wails filled the corridor. Inside, Mia was fuming, looking at Andre, "Andre! You kidnapped me! And you left your son stranded!"

Anya was about to dash out to scoop up the baby when Leo, with a hint of jealousy, pulled her back. "Keep doting on that baby, and we'll have one of our own sooner than you think."

Anya's eyes widened. She was far from ready to trade her carefree romance for diaper duty. She wasn't done playing with her cousin's baby, let alone ready for her own brother's arrival. Reluctantly, she decided to stay put.

Moments later, Andre opened the door, scooped up his tearful son, and cradled him lovingly. "Son, I'm sorry. I got so caught up with your mom, I forgot about you. I'm really sorry." He kissed Henry's tear-streaked cheeks, gently wiping away his tears.

After settling Henry, Andre turned to Mia, "Mia, Conner was just stirring the pot."

"Really? Are you denying you ever told him you didn't love me?"

Andre placed Henry on the bed, causing the little boy to feel the tension again as his parents' voices rose, his tiny sobs filling the room like background music.

"That was ages ago, right after we got married. Our house was like a circus back then, and we barely knew each other. I might have said something offhand and forgotten about it."

"So you did say it," Mia shot back, her voice rising.

"That was in the past," Andre insisted.

"What's the difference between then and now? You still said you didn't love me," Mia continued, her voice tinged with irrationality. Sensing his wife's stubbornness, Andre tried to reassure her, "I love you. Let's not dig up the past."

"Oh, but when I obsessed over

celebrities, you'd bring up old

ol

Sen I joked about divorce,

you

let it slide. But now it's

my turn, and it's off-limits?"

Women, Andre thought, might forget directions, but when it comes to bringing up old issues, they've got a memory like an elephant.

Andre sighed, feeling defeated.

Meanwhile, elsewhere, with no sensible voice to guide Molly, Chad found it easy to weave her into his plans with a few choice words. "Molly, if I didn't step out of the way, would you even realize there's a problem?"

"What do you mean?" Molly tried to break away, but Chad kept pulling her back, leading her right along his planned path.

Chad continued, "You know I'm your

safety net, yet you do nothing untilnovelbin

the last minute, then suddenly you're scrambling to meet deadlines."