Sweet Mischief’s Rollercoaster Romance

Naomi shook her head. "Something doesn't add up. I know Bruce-if he really wasn't into her, there's no way he'd go out of his way to hang out with her. The fact that he does? He's definitely got some feelings for her."

Molly blinked, trying to keep up. "Wait, Naomi, what if—what if they're just classmates, just friends? Maybe we're reading too much into it." She felt nervous; one little comment from her last night had snowballed into this whole mess. If she got herself in trouble with the family again, she'd never live it down.

Naomi huffed, the frustration building. "No, that's not possible. I honestly think they both liked each other, but Mom was so strict about dating, and Dad gave him a hard time—he was too scared to actually go for it. Otherwise, they'd have ended up together. Back then, when dating was just starting to become a thing, who could blame them for wanting to give it a shot?"

Hansen jumped in. "No, no, you've got it wrong. I raised three wild kids-I know them inside and out. If any of them really caught feelings for someone, they'd stand up to me in a heartbeat."

Naomi shot back, "Then why didn't Andre stand up to you when he didn't want to marry Mia?"

Hansen fell silent, caught off guard.

Mia pressed her lips together, thinking, Great, now the drama's rolling over to me.

Molly squeezed Wayne's arm, ready to make a run for it. Oh boy, are we about to have a full-blown family meltdown?

The butler, always trying to keep the peace, cleared his throat. "Ma'am, what sir meant was 'falling for someone.' That's a separate issue from Mr. Andre and Ms. Mia's situation. I can assure you, if Ms. Mia were ever wronged, Mr. Andre would go to bat for her, no matter what."

It sounded harsh, but it was true. Hansen nodded eagerly. "Exactly." The last thing he wanted was for Andre's marriage to go sideways because of him.

If all the women left, the Cedillo men would be stuck here together-bored out of their minds, not knowing how to manage anything.

Mia, hearing the butler, seemed to relax a little.

Naomi muttered, "Anyway, I don't want to see Bruce for a couple of days."

Mia and Molly immediately looked at Hansen. He was suddenly wide awake, nerves jangling. He didn't

want to be the clueless dad whonet

ruined his kids' happiness. "Naomi, after all these years, you know Bruce's heart. You know who he loves most."

"Yeah, Naomi, you've got to trust Cedillo

elen-we only love one

woman Mia added quickly. "My husband may be strict, but

mistake, I'm the apple of make no

eye."

Henry turned, confused. Wait, who's the apple of Dad's eye?

Mia continued, "Back in school, that stuff didn't matter. I hung out with Leo all the time, but that was just "

Before Mia could finish, Naomi got up. "Alright, I'm going to see my son."

"Naomi, wait, Naomi!"

But Naomi was already halfway up the stairs, packing her bags.

Mia and Molly exchanged guilty glances. Had they just dragged other people into this mess?noveldrama

The sisters looked back at Hansen. Jade, always practical, asked, "Dad, should we give Bruce a heads up?"

Hansen crossed his arms and thought for a moment. "Honestly, Naomi has a point. Back then, your big brother's grades tanked-he was more interested in shining his shoes than studying. Your mom thought hẽ was sneaking around dating, and after I gave him a good scare, he finally buckled down and got into a good school."

Mia sighed. "Dad, we're not talking about ancient history. We're talking about

what's happening right now."