Sweet Mischief’s Rollercoaster Romance novel Chapter 1794

“Can’t I win, just once?”

Mia grinned at her husband. “Babe, you’re not supposed to win, but hey, you can always ask.”

Andre puffed up. “If I win, Mia has to do whatever I say.”

Mia didn’t even look up from her notebook. “Sure, but my obedience comes with an expiration date—one day only. Otherwise, it’s highway robbery. And what if you lose?”

Andre shrugged. “You can write whatever punishment you want.”

With a mischievous twinkle, Mia scribbled something on the page, then spun around to find her next victim. “Naomi, your turn!”

Meanwhile, Henry and Wayne each clutched a badminton racket, inspecting a tiny hole in the grass. Their little fingers poked around, curiosity written all over their faces.

Not really sure how this game worked, they tried digging with their rackets, but only managed to nudge a bit of dirt. Then they spotted a shuttlecock on the ground. Remembering that time Uncle Cooper played soccer with his nephew—and confusing “badminton” for “football”—the boys decided it was a ball to kick.

That didn’t go so well, so they started stomping on it instead.

The butler scurried over to save the battered shuttlecock.

“Henry, sweetheart, come here. Time to write your punishments,” Mia called.

Henry looked up, a little suspicious. “Why do we get punished?”

“Because losers get a penalty. That’s the rule.”

Henry’s eyes darted. “Well, what if we win?”

Mia, playing it up, gave a mock gasp. “Not a chance! I’d never let you win.”

“Hmph! Just wait, we’re totally gonna win!” Henry declared.

“Oh, kids. Always so optimistic.” Mia grinned as she wrote, “If you lose, tomorrow you have to say ‘bloopity-bloop’ all day. If you win, you have to speak English all day. Deal?”

Henry nodded, serious as ever. “Deal!”

Hansen watched the whole thing, shaking his head with a chuckle. “That boy’s got his aunt’s brains, for sure.”

Andre joined Mia, and soon he was sorting the teams like a pro.

Even though the autumn air was crisp, the Cedillo backyard was full of laughter and warmth.

As evening settled in, everyone pulled on their jackets. The sunset painted the sky with fiery colors, and a few wild geese glided overhead, probably wondering what all the racket was about.

“Honey, toss it to me!”

“Dad, watch me, watch me!”

“Naomi, catch! Slow down, don’t run so fast!”

Henry and Wayne barreled over. “Dad, let us play!”

Things got rowdy until Andre scooped Henry up again. Henry insisted on the racket, but once he got it, he managed to whack himself on the head and burst into tears.

The shuttlecock zipped across the yard from east to west. Mia’s eyes tracked it, and with a graceful swing, she sent it sailing right back over the net.