Sweet Mischief’s Rollercoaster Romance novel Chapter 1527

Havenbrook.

Annie’s baby bump was hard to miss as she got up to print some paperwork. The colleague next to her scrambled to help. “Detective Chapman, your transfer just got signed off—you’re really heading back to Newtown, huh?”

“I heard that precinct’s a nightmare. Total chaos. There’s even that guy, Conner… Wait, Detective Chapman, what’s your husband’s name again?”

Annie smiled. “Conner.”

Her colleague stared, speechless.

Once the printer finished, Annie grabbed the papers, organized them, and slid them into her folder. “Yeah, I’m going back to wrangle troublemakers like him.”

“Uh, Detective Chapman, I’ll be right back. Easton’s looking for me.” Her coworker practically bolted.

Thinking of that so-called troublemaker, Maja realized Conner hadn’t called her all day. Usually when he did, it drove her nuts. But when he didn’t, she felt like something was off—a weird kind of emptiness, a jittery restlessness.

It was the weekend, and Molly stopped by the station with her little boy. With nothing pressing going on, everyone wandered outside to fuss over Officer Chad’s son.

Wayne stood in the middle of the attention, frowning at the crowd. Suddenly, he piped up, “Daddy!”

Chad came over, grinning, and scooped Wayne out of the throng, joking with the others as he did.

Molly didn’t visit the station much since she started her new job, so whenever she showed up, her coworkers treated her like a celebrity, pulling her aside for a catch-up.

Annie strolled over, crouched down, and offered Wayne a lollipop she’d stashed in her desk drawer.

He eyed her suspiciously, wary of this “stranger.”

Chad leaned in, his voice gentle. “Aunt Annie gave you a treat. Want to try it?”

Wayne pressed his face into his dad’s shoulder, but Annie just pressed the lollipop into his little palm. Finally, he cracked a smile.

“Your transfer paperwork’s in. You’ll be leaving soon,” Chad told her.

Instead, it was her parents—the Martins—who called, checking in on her health and reminding her what foods to avoid now that she was pregnant.

Before hanging up, Louisa hesitated. “Annie, have you heard from your sister lately?”

Annie paused. “No. Has she called you?”

Louisa sighed on the other end, confiding softly, “I keep dreaming about her. Bad dreams, every night. I told your dad this morning, but he says I’m worrying over nothing.”

Louisa didn’t dare bring it up again.

Gabby, meanwhile, was helping out at her son-in-law’s startup. She’d never been one for chasing new business, but when it came to keeping things running smoothly, no one did it better.

She’d managed Chapman Inc. for decades. Her son-in-law needed steady hands, so he brought her in.

Conner always trusted his father-in-law’s honesty. As Mr. Nettleton’s father-in-law, Gabby had plenty of people trying to cozy up to him, but he never gave them the time of day. In a lot of ways, both his daughters took after him—stubborn, rule-bound, and totally unwilling to bend.