Sweet Mischief’s Rollercoaster Romance

Connor's face slowly shifted from surprise to understanding. Annie glanced at her silent fiancé, and her smile grew even brighter. She nudged a plate towards him, "Come on, dig in."

Connor sighed dramatically, "Women can be so heartless, while men are the ones with all the feelings."

After dinner, they headed back to the hotel. Just as they were settling down for a nap, Henry, who had finished his nap, was wide awake, making sleep impossible for anyone else.

Annie yawned repeatedly, her eyes never leaving her little sweetheart. "Connor, I need to take a day off the day after tomorrow. It's my dad's birthday, and since my sister's not around, I ought to be there to celebrate with my folks." She paused, then asked, "Are you free?"

Connor, who had been aimlessly watching his energetic godson, suddenly perked up. "Of course, I'm free. It's my father-in-law's birthday. I wouldn't miss it."

Annie, still sleepy, yawned again while keeping an eye on Henry playing on the coffee table. "Alright, let's head back together then."

Later that afternoon, a worn-out Officer Chapman returned to the station. "Annie, what on earth did you do at lunch? Even catching crooks doesn't wear you out like this," a colleague quipped.

Annie shot back with a grin, "Anyone here ever taken care of kids?"

That evening, Andre swung by the hotel to pick up his son, and saw his friend looking utterly defeated. "Buddy, you've got it rough."noveldrama

"Hmm?"

Connor handed over his precious son, "Handling one wife is a full-time job, but now there's a son who doubles the trouble." His eyes were bloodshot. "Andre, we're all in this together. If you ever need a hand, just holler."

Andre was left speechless. What had his son been up to today?

After picking up his son, Andre made his way to the library to collect his wife. Mia watched her yawning son from the car, "Honey, did he have a busy day? It's only eight, and he's already yawning."

Andre shrugged, "No idea, Connor was in charge today."

Mia cradled her sleepy son, gently rubbing his soft cheeks, "Sweetheart, didn't you warn Connor about the 'risks' of babysitting?"

"I forgot."

As the car drove off, the chatter faded. Henry snuggled into his mom's arms, blinked a couple of times, and drifted off to sleep.

Feeling recharged, Connor met up with Annie again, this time without needing his godson as a

go-between. She joined him righet

away Together, they picked out a gift for Mr. Martin and headed home e next day to celebrate Gabby's birthday. swnovel

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In Newtown, the Martin household was bustling. Louisa picked up yet another call from her eldest daughter. "Maja, where are you? It's been ages since I heard from you, and I've been dreaming something terrible happened." swnovel

Maja replied, "Mom, wish Dad a happy birthday for me."

Gabby took the phone, "Sweetheart, just come back. Can't we just live a simple

life as a family? Listen to your dad, don't do anything rash."

Maja inquired, "Dad, how's my little sister doing? I can't be there for your birthday, but she'll definitely show up."

Louisa quickly interjected, "Your sister and Connor are really close now. She said if anything happened to Connor, she'd be heartbroken. Maja, for your sister's sake, let go of the anger. Mallory's gone, but you stiff have your sister, and your whole life ahead of you. Do you really want to risk tearing the family apart over this?" swnovel

Maja's eyes welled up with tears as she clenched her jaw, "She's trying to scare me, Mom. But I have to make things right for Wei. Connor and Asher, they need to face the consequences."