Chapter 974

Maddie's POV

“Gotcha now, little troublemaker!” I tickled his sides, making him squirm and shriek with laughter.

“Auntie Maddie, noooo!” he cried between giggles, his tiny hands trying to push mine away as I kept tickling him.

Still I finally stopped, letting him catch his breath as I set him back down on his feet. 

He collapsed onto the couch, still giggling, his face flushed from all the running. I sat beside him, shaking my head.

“You really don’t want to shower, huh?” I teased.

He grinned, his dimples showing. “Nope! Playing is more fun.”

I chuckled. “Yeah, yeah. But you still have to shower, mister. No escaping it forever.”

Little Jason sighed dramatically. “Fine. But after five more minutes of playing, I rolled my eyes. “Deal.”

We sat there, catching our breath, the playful energy still buzzing between us. It felt good, moments like this…carefree and full of laughter. 

It reminded me of why