Sweet Mischief’s Rollercoaster Romance

Cooper took a swift kick and tumbled nearly three feet back. He yelled across the beach, his voice full of mischief, "Sis, who's like you, huh? Who else loves eating weird stuff as much as you do?"

With that, Cooper bolted.

Mia, holding her son in her arms, chased after him. "Cooper! If you've got guts, stop running!"

"If you've got guts, stop chasing me!" Cooper, light on his feet, raced ahead without a care.

Eventually, Mia saw she'd never catch up. She gave up with a huff. "Just wait, you're not getting your cake later!"

Cooper came to an abrupt stop.

Meanwhile, Andre had managed to escape the durian trap, only for his adorable wife to set her sights on their son.

Young Henry wrinkled his nose at the smell. As soon as his mom gave him a spoonful of durian, he gagged, letting out a loud, dramatic, “Bleh!” right in front of everyone. Tears welled up in his eyes as he looked desperately at Andre. "Daddy, save me!"

Everyone burst out laughing.

No one noticed that, amid the commotion, two people had vanished from the group.

Anya emerged from the ocean, claiming she needed to "wash up." Leo slipped away too...

While everyone else waited at the bay to watch the sunset, things in the bathroom heated up fast.noveldrama

Leo pressed Anya gently against the wall, water trickling down as he kissed her neck, her delicate collarbone. His hands roamed, holding her close, and with a fierce longing, he made her his once again.

Days of missing each other had built up, making Leo's embrace even more intense than before.

Anya wasn't in the sea anymore, but the tide inside her was wilder than ever...

Their whispered sighs and low moans mixed together, while outside, the sunset flared an even deeper red.

...

As the last streaks of sunset faded, the young couple strolled hand in hand along the shore.

Leo spotted his little brother dashing across the sand and called out, "Henry! Come here, let your big brother get a hug!"

Henry raised his tiny arms and ran toward him.

Leo, grinning, scooped his little brother up and planted a kiss on his cheek. "What have you been eating? Your face is all dirty again!"

Nearby, everyone was setting up for a beach barbecue. Andre saw his nephew and called out, "Leo, enough hugging! Come help us set up!"

That night, everyone decided to barbecue by the sea—grilling seafood fresh from the afternoon's dive, thanks to the four guys who went hunting underwater.

Leo set his brother down and dashed over to help, steadying the grill while his uncle wrapped wires and got the power going.

Anya crouched down, took Henry's little hand, and gave him a quick kiss. "Where are Ethan and Wayne?"

When they reached the women's group, Mrs. Calder asked her daughter, "Honey, where'd you disappear to? Ethan's been looking everywhere for you."

Ever since arriving on the island, Anya insisted on sleeping with her little brother every night—she adored Ethan so much, even wanting to stick by him at the party.

Anya averted her gaze, mumbling, "I was hungry. Just went to grab a snack."

Molly and Mia linked hands, sharing a knowing look-a whole conversation passing between them without a word.

Mrs. Calder wanted to ask more—did Anya find something to eat, was she still hungry? But Mia changed the subject, "Let's go on a hot air balloon ride tomorrow! My husband says there's still a ton of fun stuff to try here."

Molly's eyes lit up. "Hot air balloons? That sounds awesome! What else, Mia?" "Helicopter rides."

Molly paused for a beat, then shouted, "Chad! Chad! Get over here!"