Sweet Mischief’s Rollercoaster Romance

Mia piped up with a grin, "Her boyfriend's last name is Rivers-Andre's nephew, mind you. She's already got a spot saved as our future daughter-in-law!"

Ms. Aimee groaned, "Let's just pretend I never said anything."

Anya just shook her head and laughed, "No worries at all."

The Cedillo house was buzzing. It was already nine, but Andre was glued to the couch, news on TV and not paying attention to a word. His brother-in-law sat next to him, nervously twisting his hands. One look between them said it all-they were both worried.

"Andre, they've been MIA all day. No calls, no texts, nothing. Maybe we should check in? It's late, Molly's probably exhausted with the kid. When she gets worked up, sweetie gets even more fired up than her mom."

Nobody outside the family would know, but Wayne was a perfect blend of his dad's best qualities—and all his mom's quirks.

Andre nodded, "Go ahead. You call."

Officer Chad hesitated, "Or, you know what, let's both call."

Andre glanced out the window, grabbed his phone, and stood up. "I'll take the front porch."

Chad stood too, phone in hand. "I'll head out back."

They split up, each dialing their partner.

Inside, the four women were deep in gossip, laughter echoing, when suddenly both Mia and Molly's phones rang. In a flash, the room went silent.noveldrama

Glancing at her screen, Mia whispered, "Molly, we might act like frenemies most days, but if you spill my secret tonight, I'll tell Chad about your crush on the high school basketball captain."

Molly shot back, "Savage! But if you tell him, I'll tell Andre you went to the movies with another guy."

Mia looked scandalized, "When did I ever go to the movies with another guy?"

Molly stood up, phone in hand, grinning, "Hey, anytime you set foot in a theater, every guy there counts."

Mia retorted, "We're going nuclear, huh? Well, you once brought water to another man."

Jade blinked, "When did I ever do that?"

Molly smirked, "Remember when

we

skipped PE to buy drinks? There was that homeless guy outside, and you handed him a bottle of water because he looked so pitiful."

Molly added, "With my money, by the way."

Aimee sat cross-legged, watching the 'best friends' trade secrets with a gleam in

her eyes. "Y'know, maybe being friends this long isn't always a win."

"Mutually assured destruction," Mia joked.

"Or just having each other's backs," Molly replied.

They shared a look, then peeled off to different corners to take their calls.

"Hey, babe~ where are you?" "At my dad's."

"Chad, what's up? Where are you?" "...At the Byrne place."

"Well, kiddo and I aren't coming home tonight. We lost track of time, so we're crashing at Molly's. Don't worry, we'll behave-no drama, no fighting, no wild stories, promise."

"Chad, I'm staying over at Mia's. Seriously, it's fine. Sweetie and I are good-no tantrums, no squabbles He can't out-yell me anyway! Don't stress Chad. No all-nighters, no junk food, not even a peek at cute guys. I'll have both eyes glued to sweetie."

Wayne toddled over, wrapped his arms around his mom's leg, and looked up with those big "look at me" eyes.

Molly glanced down, but her neck ached from bending, so she nudged his head gently and whispered, "Go play with your brother."

Meanwhile, Andre asked his wife, "You're really at the Byrne place?"

"Yeah, what's up?"

Chad was checking in with his wife too, "You sure you're at the Irvin house?"

"Is that a problem?"