Officer Chapman was mixing up a bottle for their daughter when she paused, staring at her husband. “Say that again?”
Mr. Nettleton just clammed up.
Meanwhile, Lizzy, busy gnawing on her chubby little fist, looked up with those wide, sparkly eyes—she was clearly waiting to see her dad get an earful from mom.
Maja, missing her niece, called her sister for a video chat. She just had to see her little Lizzy.
Lizzy, always ready to be the star, toddled over and grinned into the camera for her aunt.
Elsewhere, Mars dropped Milka off at the office, then swung by Crescent Park for a meeting. “So, what’s going on with that kid? Any news?”
Teddy slid the boy’s file across the table. “Nothing weird. All the paperwork checks out—just your average kid.”
If Teddy said it was all clear, Mars didn’t bother digging deeper.
That afternoon, Mia busied herself prepping for the semester—sorting through books, packing up her school bag, ticking off her checklist. Anything to keep her mind off their little rascal.
Later, the couple showed up at the school gate nearly two hours before the bell. When they arrived, the parking lot was empty. But soon, more and more cars started rolling in.
Then came the wave: groups of Henrys, like rows of little bean sprouts, trickling out one after another.
Hansen was already plotting to get their family chef a job at the school cafeteria—anything to keep his precious grandson properly fed.
Andre, worried as he was, tried to play it cool. “Boys need some grit. Let Henry tough it out a bit. Can’t have him growing up too pampered.”
At last, in the middle of all the little sprouts, they spotted their own.
Mia stood at the gate, waving her arms. “Baby!”
A bunch of kids turned around.
Henry spotted his parents waiting and lit right up, shouting, “There! Dad!”
He spun around to his classmates and announced proudly, “That’s my mom calling for me—I’m her little darling!”
As soon as he was outside, Henry took off like a little train engine, racing to his parents before the teacher could even grab his hand.
“Were the teachers nice?”
“Do you like your new school?”
…and so on.
At one point, Henry looked up, all sweet and innocent, and asked, “If I don’t like school, does that mean I don’t have to go?”
Andre was quick to answer, “No way, buddy. That’s not how it works.”
That night, everyone wanted Henry to sleep with them—they all insisted he needed their love.
Molly hugged her son, tugged at Chad’s sleeve, and nodded toward the door.
The three of them snuck off quietly.
By the time anyone noticed, someone called out, “Henry, sweetie, whose room do you want to sleep in tonight—wait, where’s our sweetie gone?”

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