Sweet Mischief’s Rollercoaster Romance

Leo chuckled, "Trying to cheer up the little one, huh?"

He crouched down so Henry could get a good look at the newborn. "Buddy, you're officially a big brother now. Know what that means?"

Henry's tiny hands gently patted the newborn as he babbled happily. Miraculously, the newborn calmed right down.

Leo sighed with a grin, "So, I'm the big brother to both of you, and now you're his big brother. Your mom and I are the same age, so you two are like my little brothers."

Molly emerged, glancing around at the family gathered around the hospital bed. "Hey, didn't I just deliver? Where's the 'cargo' gone?"

Mia pointed at Leo, who was still squatting. "Look, the three 'brothers' are having a bonding moment."

Leo suddenly stood up, "Mia, what the... oh, sorry."

He noticed Andre's expression had turned icy, so he quickly squatted back down.

Little Henry looked utterly confused, wondering why his brother kept popping up and down like that.

Hansen chimed in, "Your aunt's right, you guys are like three brothers. Oldest, middle, and youngest."

Leo felt a bit embarrassed; where else do you find brothers with over two decades between them?

Back in the hospital room, Molly finally understood the relief her sisters always talked about. "Mia, childbirth is incredible."

Mia replied, "Don't get too comfy; your new life's just kicking off."

"What new life?" Molly asked.

"Being a mom," Mia teased.

Jade waved dismissively, "No biggie, I've got plenty of cash. If one babysitter's not enough, I'll hire ten."

Coleen quipped, "Ten babysitters? Why not a hundred and see if you can break the bank?"

Molly turned to her, "Mom, I'm warning you, don't stress me out. I might just slip into postpartum depression right here."

Coleen shot back, "Oh please, I'd get depressed before you ever do."

Mia shrugged, "My mom used to say the same thing to me."

While the adults chatted, no one noticed little Henry sneaking around to get a better look at the baby.

When Andre noticed the unusually quiet room, he turned around. "Henry!"noveldrama

Henry jumped, startled by his dad, and started to cry when he realized who had scared him.

Hansen also jumped in surprise, "Who put the stool next to the crib?"

"He did it himself!" his dad explained, knowing his son's antics well.

Realizing he was too short to see into the crib, Henry had pushed a stool over, and when that wasn't enough, he stacked another on top, climbing up like a little engineer, just to peek at his baby brother

His dad's shout startled him into tears.

Henry looked so pitiful, big tears rolling down his cheeks, his arms reaching out for his dad.

Andre came over, scooping up his little mischief-maker, worried his crying might disturb the newborn. He took his son out into the hallway to calm him down.

Chad quickly went to soothe his own newborn, who just twitched and fell back asleep. Seeing his son so peaceful, Chad quietly stretched his arm out, comparing their lengths.

Andre had rushed over right after work. With Kendrick off for the day, he needed to be there. He arrived just in time to see his brother in the hallway, trying to talk some sense into his son. en

"Did you hear what Dad just said?" Andre asked.

Henry shook his head defiantly.

Andre sighed, "Do you only listen when you're crying?"

Seeing his uncle, Henry found his refuge, wrapping his arms around his uncle's neck, stubbornly refusing to look at his dad.

Later on, Leo asked his dad privately, "Dad, it's a bit awkward being twenty-one years older than Henry. Does it feel strange for you with me and Jade?"