Page 116 of Meant for Mayhem

This time he turned to me, hands shaking on the armrest of his chair. “Well, why didn’t you say something?”

“I don’t know, why did you decide to be an asshole today?”

“I’m an asshole every day. That’s nothing new.”

That made me laugh.

We got on with our appointment after that, settling into the comfortable rhythm we’d found over the last few weeks. He grumbled through every exercise like I’d chosen it solely to inconvenience him, but he still did every repetition I asked. His voice carried farther than it had a month ago, and he only had to repeat himself twice the entire session.

Progress.

I packed my tablet into my bag and stood, slinging the strap over my shoulder. “I’ll see you next week.”

Walt gave a single nod, already reaching for his newspaper again. “Happy birthday, kid. Hope he treats you right.”

This time when I smiled, it was genuine. “Thanks, Walt.”

I called Lori and talked to her the entire drive home with Beckett and Emmy chiming in from the background. There was a Mayhem Christmas party coming together the week the Yeti had off for the holidays, and I promised I’d talk to Mikko about us coming up for it.

The closer I got home, the more excited I was to spend the evening with Mikko and Leena. The elevator whooshed as it soared upward, taking me home to my people. I smiled when the doors opened, expecting Leena to come running. Instead, I saw Logan sprawled across the couch.

“There’s the birthday girl,” Logan said. Leena sat on top of him, watching a Disney movie and wearing a new princess costume.

She popped off the couch and raced toward me with a delighted shriek; a red, braided wig a little off-center on her head. I set my bag by the front table and put my arms out to catch her.

“Hi, pretty girl.” I kissed her cheek, then looked down at her outfit. “Are you Princess Anna tonight? You look beautiful.”

Leena pointed at her dress with a smile before wiggling out of my hold and back to the floor.

Logan sat up, and I got a full view of the matching Elsa costume he wore. Blonde wig, blue dress, even the gloves to match. “What about me? Am I beautiful?”

“You’re terrifying.” Mikko walked toward us. “That’s what you are.”

I looked over at him, only to have my jaw unhinge.

Usually Mikko wore sweats and a tee in the evenings, but tonight he was in a charcoal suit. This wasn’t his usual game-day jacket over a t-shirt and jeans. Not even the dark button-down he’d worn to our courthouse wedding.

An actual tailored suit.

The jacket fit his broad shoulders like it was made for him. A crisp white shirt disappeared beneath the lapels, the top button left undone enough to keep him from looking stuffy. His sleeves hugged forearms I’d become far too familiar with over the last few weeks, and for the first time since I’d met him, his hair looked intentionally styled instead of simply air-dried after a shower.

He was unfairly handsome, and the little smirk on his face told me he knew it.

“You, however.” Mikko walked across the room, putting a hand behind my neck to tilt my head up at him. “You’re beautiful.”

“I’m in scrubs.” My voice sounded a little breathy even to me, but how could it not be when Mikko was looming over me, his hand on my neck so possessive and hot?

“Still beautiful.”

Beckett’s voice filtered into the room. “Hey, buddy. What’s up?”

I looked over at the couch to see Logan holding his phone up, Beckett’s face on the phone. “If they don’t kiss right now, I’m gonna throw up. This tension is so thick.”

“I vote yes!” Emmy said from behind Beckett, waving her hand.

“I vote Logan throws up,” I answered, looking back up at Mikko. “But not on the carpet.”

He chuckled, the sound so low my belly swooped. Even more so when his thumb trailed over the back of my head. “Did you have a good day?”