Chapter 10
Dinner was even more awkward than our introduction with Mikko’s dad sitting at the table completely silent.
Helena had no such qualms, asking me everything from my job to my favorite color.
With each answer, she smiled wider, radiating a friendliness that neither of the men in her family could match.
Meanwhile, Mikko sat in a staring match with his dad for most of the meal, only speaking when asked a direct question. That Helena seemed unphased by this odd behavior told me this wasn’t the first time they’d shared an awkward meal.
Despite his hostility toward me and whatever drama was between Mikko and him, it was hard not to notice how attentive Jari was to his wife.
Mikko had mentioned his mom was in a wheelchair since he was young, so it made sense—this was a practiced dance they were all too familiar with.
Still, the tender care he took to make sure she had everything she needed before sitting down at the table was so endearing, it didn’t match the personality I’d seen so far.
Maybe I should have regretted calling out Jari’s inferiority complex. I was so used to insults and words meant to hurt thrown my way, they bounced right off. But Mikko wasn’t the only one who could read body language—his father had hurt him far deeper than either of them wanted to admit.
And over my dead body would I let that stand.
By the time dinner was over, Leena slumped in her high chair, worn out from the day. I gathered the dishes and carried them to the sink while Mikko lifted his daughter up and carried her into the bathroom to begin her bedtime routine.
“This is her least favorite part of the day,” Helena said as she moved to my side by the sink.
I raised a brow, taking the dishes she had on her lap and putting them in the sink. “Any tips for me, then?”
“Remind him gently that babies can tell when you’re stressed and that boy of mine...
” She frowned. “This has been hard on him. Moving here, we were dealing with a time change, then his training schedule, and also a baby trying to adjust to a new home. I’m not sure we’ve figured it out yet, but we’re getting there. ”
Water splashed across the dishes as I rinsed them. “It’s a lot. It would be for anyone.”
Helena took the dish from my hand and placed it in the dishwasher. “Being a good parent isn’t about being perfect, though. I think Mikko feels like he’s already lost, and my boy isn’t used to losing at anything. You know this, I’m sure.”
An uneasy chuckle slipped from my mouth, finding that far too easy to believe, but not willing to admit how little I actually knew about her son.
I walked a tightrope in my mind, feeling like I was one word away from tipping our hand.
That they so willingly bought into this farce told me maybe they didn’t know him well, either.
When we finished the dishes, Helena moved to the living room and waved for me to follow her.
Jari had disappeared a while ago, taking the elevator downstairs.
I looked over my shoulder at where Mikko and Leena were still in the bathroom, then followed his mom to the couch, at a loss for what else to do.
“You leave tomorrow?” I asked, then realized how that sounded. “Sorry, that sounded like I’m trying to get rid of you.”
Helena’s eyes crinkled as she laughed. “Nonsense. You’re newlyweds and have been apart for months. I wouldn’t want my parents hovering either.”
My cheeks flamed with embarrassment. “That’s not—”
She patted my leg, drawing my attention. “I didn’t mean to embarrass you. My son has always been private, so I’m not as surprised by this turn of events as I probably should be. But I am so glad he has you. It makes a mother worry less, knowing he has someone to have his back when times are hard.”
“I do,” I said, mimicking the words I’d said earlier today. “Have his back, I mean.”
Maybe it was my turn to be not as surprised as I should have been, but I meant it when I’d stood in front of a judge, promising for better or worse, for the next few months at least.
And somehow, I meant it even more now.
Her smile widened. “I know.”
The soft chime of the elevator echoed through the penthouse, and we both turned toward it. A moment later, Jari rounded the corner, pushing a luggage cart full of the tote bins I’d packed my life into.
I shot to my feet. “Jari, you don’t have to do that.”
He kept walking without so much as breaking stride.
“At least let me help.”
A dismissive wave over his shoulder was the only answer I got.
Helena smiled beside me. “Don’t bother arguing. The men in this family are better with actions than words.”
“I’ve noticed that.” I trailed after him anyway, more out of guilt than hope.
He disappeared down the hallway, stopping at the last door before nudging it open with his shoulder. One by one, the heavy totes disappeared inside.
My steps slowed.
Mikko had told me his guest bedroom was occupied, but I hadn’t truly considered the implications of what that meant.
But Jari wasn’t carrying my things into a guest room like I had at the Conway’s house.
He wasn’t even asking where I’d like them.
He simply put them where a wife’s belongings would go.
The master bedroom.
Mikko’s bedroom.
Tonight, after Leena and his parents were asleep, there would be no buffer between us.
Just me and Mikko, sharing a bedroom.
Sharing a bed.
Heat crept up my neck before I could stop it, realizing how much I’d underestimated how difficult it would be to sell this whole married thing.
I went back to the living room, not sure what else to do.
Jari stepped back into the hallway a few minutes later, dusting his hands together like carrying every single one of my belongings was no more taxing than taking out the trash. “Done.”
Before I could thank him, Mikko walked out of Leena’s bedroom across the hall and eased her door shut behind him. Judging by the way his gaze flicked toward his bedroom before settling on me, I had a feeling we were both thinking the same thing.
Jari put the luggage cart back by the elevator, then walked over to Helena, grabbing the handles on the back of her chair.
She reached out and squeezed my hand. “Goodnight, kulti.”
“Night.”
Jari wheeled Helena toward a separate hallway, the two of them murmuring quietly in Finnish. A moment later, the door clicked shut behind them, leaving the penthouse unnervingly silent.
Mikko hadn’t moved.
Neither had I.
For someone who’d willingly stood beside him in a courthouse only a few hours ago, the fifteen feet between us felt impossible.
I forced one foot in front of the other, each step carrying me farther from the safety of pretending this was all business and closer to whatever being married was supposed to look like.
Mikko waited until I reached him before silently stepping aside, giving me room to enter his bedroom first.
Like the rest of the penthouse, his bedroom looked like it belonged in a Nordic design magazine—pale wood furniture, clean lines, and soft, neutral textiles.
Floor-to-ceiling windows stretched across one wall, sheer curtains already pulled closed enough to soften the lights from the city below without hiding the mountains beyond.
Growing up tucked inside the Rockies, I’d never thought much about the view. Mountains were always there. From up here, though, the range rolled endlessly across the horizon, layer after layer fading into blue until I couldn’t tell where the earth ended and the sky began.
It should have been the first thing I noticed, and it almost was.
But even more beautiful than the mountains were the floor-to-ceiling bookshelves opposite the bed. Every shelf was filled with books and trinkets, the collection sprawling from one end of the room to the other.
My feet moved toward it before I even clocked what I was doing, fingers dragging along the light wood shelves and across the wide array of books.
Sci-fi, fantasy, mysteries, and action-adventure fiction titles sat in neat rows, some collector’s editions and some no more elaborate than my bodice-rippers tucked into tote bins by the door.
It wasn’t fancy, but it was impressive and I wasn’t prepared for it.
“Mikko,” I said, then made the mistake of turning around to face him.
Words dried up on my tongue as I finally took a good look at my husband.
He’d changed while getting Leena ready for bed, trading his button-down for a navy t-shirt that stretched across shoulders I’d already been trying not to think about.
Gray sweatpants hung low on his hips, concealing even less than the t-shirt clinging to his muscles.
Trim hips, thick thighs, and the distinct outline of—
My gaze jerked back to the bookshelf with all the subtlety of a car slamming into a guardrail.
Yep.
Books.
Books were definitely safer.
Mikko pointed toward the door tucked beside the closet. “Bathroom’s through there. Help yourself to anything you need. Towels are in the cabinet.”
“Perfect. Thanks.”
Before he could say anything else, I grabbed my backpack and escaped.
If I was hoping for a slice of my reality, this bathroom wasn’t it.
Warm marble floors took the chill from my bare feet, the oversized mirror cast a soft glow across the floating vanity, and the walk-in shower looked bigger than the bedroom at my dad’s house.
It felt like a luxury hotel, and even that, I’d only ever seen in movies.
I planted both hands on the cool countertop and blew out a slow breath.
“Okay,” I muttered to my reflection, looking as out of place as I felt. “Don’t be weird.”
My phone buzzed in my pocket.
Stevie
You up?
Shannon
Yeah.
Before I could even lower my phone, it started ringing.
I answered with a laugh. “You know texting exists for a reason, right?”
“I sent one text, and you answered. That means we’re both standing here with our phones in our hands. Calling is more efficient.”
“What a millennial thing to say.”