Sweet Mischief’s Rollercoaster Romance

Before Cooper showed up, he made a special trip to the mall with his nephew to pick out a gold bracelet. Afterward, he slathered on some lotion his sister had bought for his nephew and swapped it out with the bracelet he'd picked. Then, he headed over to the Byrne family's place to put another gold bracelet on little Wayne.

Ethan, the little guy, wasn't a fan of strangers. The moment Cooper scooped him up, Ethan eyed his cool, dark-haired uncle suspiciously. After racking his brain to place him, he realized Cooper was a new face and almost started bawling.

Henry, having learned his lesson after numerous reminders from his folks, knew better than to trample the sofa with his shoes on.

So, he kicked off his shoes, stood up on the Byrne's couch, wrapped his arms around his uncle's neck, and chatted with his little brother in a cute, pouty voice. In the end, he planted a sweet kiss on his uncle's cheek, "Mwah!"

Cooper was caught off guard, spinning around with surprise, "Did you just call me uncle? Can you say it again?"

Henry, in his adorable, babyish voice, chimed in, "Mwah!"

Cooper, over the moon, pulled his nephew into a big hug and playfully pretended to nibble on his face, startling Henry into tears, thinking his uncle was about to have him for lunch.

Wayne, surprisingly, didn't shed a tear this time.

On the drive home, Cooper couldn't help but smother his nephew with kisses and playful nibbles, absolutely overjoyed.

"Say uncle again."

"Mwah," Henry pouted, making Cooper's day.

At the Irvin family's dinner table, it was "say uncle"; in the bathroom at night, "say uncle"; before bedtime, "say uncle"...

Mia joked, "All my kid does these days is call out for his uncle."

"Sis, I love you," Cooper suddenly blurted out, sending shivers down Mia's spine. "Are you possessed?"

Cradling his nephew, Cooper pleaded, "Sis, with how much your son loves me, have a few more kids, will ya? I'm begging you, you're the best sister ever."

For once, Mia felt genuinely spooked.noveldrama

Cooper hung out at home for over ten days, and the trio stayed with the Irvins for just as long.

When it was time to head back to school, Henry was the saddest sight at the airport, crying and coughing clinging to his uncle's clothes for dear life. Cooper, also reluctant to part, held his nephew tightly at the airport entrance, "Sweetie, be good at home, okay? Don't always make my sister carry you. Her arms aren't just for holding babies. Uncle loves you the most and will come back whenever I can." swnovel

"Uncle."

After showering his nephew with kisses, Cooper finally handed him over to a teary-eyed Mia, "Sis, I'm off."

With his suitcase in tow, Cooper set off solo for a distant land.

Lately, Henry had been sharing a bed with his uncle. On Cooper's first day away, Henry, missing him dearly, cried in his dad's arms.

Andre, holding his little bundle of joy, lovingly wiped away his tears, "Your uncle really did dot on you."

After wrapping up her work, Mia saw her son looking all downcast and wanted to cheer him up. Without

Cooper, she was at a loss on how to keep Henry smiling all the time. swnovel

"Henry, look at Mommy."

When Henry turned to find his mom, Mia flicked off all the lights in the bedroom, plunging it into darkness.

Perched on his dad's chest, Henry turned his head and called out, "Mommy?"

Then, Mia's phone light flickered on,

casting a glow on the wall. Her

hands danced in front of the light,

creating fun shadow animals, "Look,

a little bird is here, see it flying on the wall?"

swnovel

Andre watched his playful wife, grinning as he turned his son around, "Henry,

check out the wall, what's that?"