As expected, Mrs. Cedillo only stretched for about five minutes before getting back to her routine. Cooper knew better than to mess around with his studies any longer.
Mia shot him a look. “So, if Henry goes abroad with you, are you planning to lug him into your classes?”
“I’m not going to class.”
“Then what exactly are you doing?” Mia pressed, eyebrow raised.
Cooper hesitated, then mumbled, “…Just hanging out.”
Mia kept her eyes glued to her book, but her annoying little brother scooted closer, not giving up. “Sis, come on, I’m just heading out of the country to meet my project group, go over our research results, have a team meeting, and work on the next part of the paper. I swear, I’ll be back in three days.”
“Right. Three days. Is it really that hard to go three days without seeing your nephew?” Mia shot back.
Cooper realized his sister was sharp when she wanted to be—there was no fooling her. “I really can’t.”
“I heard from Mom you’re always on video calls with your classmates. Why can’t you just keep doing that?”
Cooper tried to plead his case. “Sis, it’s complicated, can you please just let me take care of my little guy?”
At that moment, Henry was crouched by the door, totally unbothered, munching away on a banana. Every so often, he’d kick his soccer ball around, and when he got bored, he’d wander off to battle the baby gate by the basement stairs.
Back in the bedroom, Andre checked in with his soft-hearted wife. Mia puffed out her cheeks, muttering, “Just three days. If those two aren’t back by then, I’ll fly over there myself and drag them home—even if I have to break a leg or two.”
Andre kissed her on the cheek. “I’ll help you.”
Once Cooper got the official okay from his sister, he couldn’t hold back his excitement. He scooped Henry up, spun him through the air, and caught him safely. “Buddy, you’re Uncle’s little treasure. For the next few days, you’re all mine!”
On the day Cooper took Henry to the airport, Mia was right there, fussing over every detail, lecturing for more than an hour—enough to make even Cooper bite his tongue.
“I packed a new can of formula, and the bottles—make sure to wash and sterilize them every night with hot water, alright?” Mia rattled off instructions for every single item. “And don’t forget to tuck him in at night. His little legs are strong—he kicks the blanket off every time. Andre and I have to cover him up four or five times a night.”
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