Sweet Mischief’s Rollercoaster Romance

Before boarding, Cooper went over his sister's reminders one last time, only relaxing after he made it through security and headed for the gate.

Henry thought his parents would board the plane with him, but even when they reached the waiting area, he still couldn't spot them anywhere. "Mommy?" he called out, his voice small and uncertain.

There was no answer. Lost in the crowd, Henry's eyes welled up and he started to cry.

Meanwhile, Mia and Andre lingered near the airport entrance, unable to pull themselves away. They worried their son might throw a fit or flat-out refuse to go, and they wanted to be close just in case.

But the plane took off, climbed into the sky, and still, Cooper's phone never rang with a desperate call for help.noveldrama

Mia felt suddenly hollow, her heart achy and empty.

On the flight, Cooper did his best to keep Henry distracted-filling his lap with snacks, handing over new toys, and inventing little games.

Every so often, Henry would remember his mom. His lips would start to tremble, and he'd let out a few whimpers before getting caught up in whatever fun his uncle found next.

Back at Maplewood Estates, the house felt too quiet and chilly for Mia's liking. She packed up and went back to the old family home.

Molly happened to be there, too.

"Mia, where's your little one?" Molly asked, as Mia scooped up Wayne, her adorable, milky-scented nephew.

"He's gone abroad again," Mia sighed, cuddling Wayne close.

"What?" Jade's jaw nearly hit the floor.

Hansen was on a video call with an old friend, swapping grandparenting stories. He overheard and called out, "Where's my grandson gone off to?"

"Traveling with his uncle," came the reply.

Hansen could only shake his head.

Molly looked downright envious. "Your nephew is living the life. He's not even three and already has more stamps in his passport than I did at twenty-five."

That night Mia couldn't sleep a wink. Her mind was full of worries for Henry. She refreshed the flight tracker on her phone, watching the little plane crawl across the map.

Andre tried to sound calm-"He'll be back in three days, it's all fine"-but he was just as restless.

On the plane, Henry sat on Cooper's lap, crying his heart out for his mom and dad.

Cooper got up and walked the aisle, bouncing Henry and realizing that, all along, his nephew was only well-behaved because his parents had always been close by. It wasn't anything special he was doing.

Eventually, after enough tears, Henry wrapped his arms around Cooper's neck

and sniffled, "Cooper, I want Mommy and Daddy~"

"Hey, sweetie, it's just a couple more

days and we'll be home. Uncle loves Okay?" Cooper whispered,

you

rocking him gently until Henry fell asleep against his shoulder.

As soon as the plane touched down, Mia called immediately. She barely gave Cooper time to answer: "How is he? Did he cry? Was it tough? Should Andre and I come right now?"

"We just landed, sis. Everything's fine, I promise."

Cooper put Henry on the phone with his parents, and that was all it took-Henry burst into tears again, making Mia and Andre's hearts twist with guilt.

Neither of them could figure out what possessed them to let their "big kid" brother take their toddler overseas.

They stayed on the call while Cooper brought Henry back to his bachelor apartment.

Once inside, he set Henry on the bed and quickly tidied up.

Henry, in a new place, was all over the place-crawling under tables, climbing onto chairs, poking around every corner.

Cooper cracked open a bottle of sparkling water, took two sips, and set it down. Henry spotted it, abandoned his own bottle, and toddled over to try a taste.

He made a face the instant the bubbles hit his tongue, then hurried back to his milk bottle, hugging it close with both hands.