Page 70 of Meant for Mayhem

Almost on cue, Mikko stole the puck from the other team and carried it toward the goal instead of passing it away.

Nolan chuckled. “See? He can never mind his own business.”

That made me chuckle. “Okay, that tracks.”

When the shift changed, Mikko came off the ice, his gaze finding us instantly. I grinned at him, then waved Leena’s hand in his direction.

“Wave hi to Dada.”

Leena flapped her arms up and down. “Da!”

As if he heard her, Mikko grinned, then met my eyes. A riot of butterflies let loose in my belly under his attention, a mixture of pride and emotions I wasn’t about to look deeper at.

He sat down on the bench with his back to us, focused on the game, and I breathed a sigh of relief.

It was working.

Nolan kept explaining the game to me in the simplest terms, and by the end of the first period, I felt like I had a better grip on the game. Or, at least, I wasn’t as lost.

Leena started swapping snacks with him, giving him a piece of her pretzel while he offered her popcorn. “How is it that you married a hockey player and know so little about the game?”

I shrugged. “My brothers played growing up. With Beckett Conway, actually. But growing up in a town that practically worships hockey, I did my best to hate on it any chance I got.”

“A rebel. I like it. But Conway’s a great guy. I always liked him.”

“He’s not my least favorite person.”

“That feels like high praise from you.”

I tapped my finger against the side of my temple, and Nolan laughed.

“Are you going to tell me your name yet? Or should I call you Mikko’s wife forever?”

“Shannon.” I wiped my hand on my ripped jeans, then held it out for the shake I’d denied him earlier. “And this is Leena.”

Nolan shook my hand, then waved at her. “I’ve been dying to meet you, pretty girl.”

Leena hid her face in my chest, peeking over at Nolan with a shy smile.

“She takes a while to warm up to people. Don’t take it personally.”

“Like her mama,” Nolan said, still smiling at her.

Mama.

Nolan said it so naturally, like there wasn’t any question about it. Like I belonged to the little girl tucked against my side. I hadn’t even considered that was what everyone would assume, and of course they would. If Mikko was so private that he could convince his parents I was his wife after never mentioning me before, then no way did anyone know the real story of Leena’s mom.

So if they knew I was Mikko’s wife, why wouldn’t Leena be my daughter, too?

Maybe I should’ve corrected him, but I didn’t.

This marriage was supposed to be temporary. A business arrangement. A way to give Leena the stability she deserved while helping me escape a life I’d spent years trying to leave behind.

It wasn’t supposed to feel this normal.

But when Leena curled into my side, when Mikko searched the stands for us, when my heart soared every time he made it through a shift without looking for us…

It didn’t just feel normal.