Sweet Mischief’s Rollercoaster Romance

Seeing his dad, he ran over and planted a big, oily kiss right on his dad's dress pants with all the enthusiasm of a puppy. As soon as Andre became a dad, he quickly learned that kids have a knack for making clothes dirty in record time. You never know if it's going to be tears, a runny nose, drool, or the remnants of a messy meal...

"Henry's turning two, and we're throwing a little party at Maplewood Estates. Just swing by our place," Andre said, scooping up his messy little guy and heading home.

The other godfathers were already on their way, stuck in traffic as usual. Taking advantage of the downtime, Andre sent a voice message to his buddies, "Cooper's flight lands tomorrow morning. Once he's here, he's on Henry duty."

Henry, being the little rascal he is, kept trying to wiggle his way to the front seat, making Andre drive with one arm across the center console to keep him at bay. "Henry, sit still," Andre warned.noveldrama

But Henry, being Henry, wasn't having it. "No, daddy," he protested, pointing eagerly at the streetlight outside the window. "Daddy, light!"

Andre turned slightly, giving his son's cheek a gentle pat. "Yes, buddy, that's a streetlight."

Traffic finally started moving, and they slowly made their way forward. That evening, they swung by the Irvin family's place to pick up Mia, and the trio headed back to Maplewood Estates.

This time of year always seemed to snowball for Mia-juggling her demanding studies while still trying to find the perfect birthday gift for their son. Andre had drafted a two-page plan for the party, but Mia took one look and crossed out half of it. "It's just a kid's birthday. No need to go overboard. Just family and friends, a nice dinner, and some good company. Even Dad keeps it low-key for his birthdays, and he's in his fifties."

Andre agreed, and as you can imagine, Henry didn't get a vote.

The next morning, just as Andre was leaving the gym, he spotted his brother-in- law, Cooper, wheeling his suitcase towards him. Cooper looked like he'd flown over in a hurry, dressed way too lightly for the weather. Before Andre could even say hello, Cooper blurted out, "Hey! Where's my little guy?"

"He's dreaming away in the bedroom," Andre chuckled, leading the way to the master bedroom. Cooper paused at the door, knowing his sister was probably still sleeping.

"Your sister's out in the yard studying. Everyone else is up, except for Henry, who's catching some Z's."

While the house was bustling with the sounds of cleaning, cooking, and studying, little Henry was living the life of leisure-sprawled out on the king-sized bed, wrapped in cozy blankets, blissfully unaware of the hustle around him.

Cooper couldn't wait any longer and burst into the bedroom, sweeping up his sleepy nephew. Five minutes later, Henry's cries filled the room.

Cooper, not quite skilled in the art of dressing a toddler, wrapped Henry in a couple of blankets and took him outside.

Mia, bundled up in her pajamas with a coat and her new fluffy slippers, was reading in the yard, the brisk wind keeping her awake.

"Mommy, m-mommy!" came Henry's little voice, a mix of sleepiness and surprise.

Mia turned to see her brother and was genuinely surprised. "Cooper, how'd you get here so fast?" But her surprise quickly turned to a mix of amusement and exasperation when she saw her son, still in his pajamas, bundled up in blankets. "You woke him up with kisses and didn't even dress him before bringing him outside?"

Cooper grinned, holding his nephew tightly. "Sis, isn't he just the most adorable little guy?"

Mia shut her books, rolled up her notes playfully, and gave Cooper's shoulder a playful whack. "Cooper! You've been back for five minutes and you're already stirring up trouble!"