Chapter 22
Leena’s hands slapped against the window the moment we settled on the team plane, everyone finding their seats. Several teammates cast glances my way, but I ignored it.
“You seem awfully calm,” Carter said when he stopped at our row and put his suitcase overhead.
Logan dropped into the row in front of us, taking the same spot he had on the flight here. “Right? I was afraid we’d get a phone call to help bury a body.”
I frowned at them, then looked at Shannon. “Do you know what they’re talking about?”
She shrugged. “I haven’t even finished my first coffee. It’s too early for me to know things.”
Carter turned to look at us, his gaze bouncing between Shannon and me. “Oh.”
“Oh,” Logan repeated. “They were too busy f—”
Shannon slapped her hand over his mouth. “She’s repeating everything right now, and I think we can all agree I don’t want one of Leena’s first words to be that one.”
She dropped her hand, and Logan grinned. “But you were, weren’t you?”
He wiggled his dark brows, then made a crude gesture with his hands to show exactly what he thought we’d been up to.
I glared at him, but Logan only grinned harder. “Where’s my phone? I need to text Conway.”
Nolan walked over to us and handed me his phone. “Here. This came out last night and has been all over social media this morning.”
Shannon took the phone from him, her brow creased as she slid her finger along the screen. I leaned over to look at it, seeing the headline.
A Bride for the Silent Giant? Mikko Laaksonen Drops Bombshell in Post-Game Presser
The Denver Yeti’s quiet superstar has somehow made one of the biggest stories of the NHL season even bigger.
After disappearing on a leave of absence on opening night, Mikko Laaksonen finally returned to the lineup, only to deliver his best game in months Saturday night with two assists in a 3-0 win over New York.
Then came the real surprise.
Reporters noticed a wedding band on Laaksonen’s left hand during his post-game interview, prompting the Yetis to confirm that the notoriously private defenseman recently got married.
Public records identify the mystery bride as Shannon Wilder, a speech pathologist from Colorado.
“Mikko and his wife are happy, and our organization is supportive of them as they adjust to married life and raising a young daughter together,” a Yetis representative said after the game.
Apparently Laaksonen has been keeping more than a wedding under wraps.
He’s a dad.
For years, the Giant has been one of the most reliable players in the league. But after an uncharacteristically shaky start, an abrupt leave of absence, and now his personal life changing overnight, it’s hard not to wonder if everything is quite as settled as the Yetis would have us believe.
Saturday’s performance looked like the Laaksonen we expect.
The question is whether we’ll see him again Monday, or if one of hockey’s safest bets has become its biggest question mark.
Shannon pointed at the picture of herself featured below the article. “They took that from the rehab site. That’s my headshot.”
I clenched my teeth, looking over the rows of seats until I saw Richard standing at the front of the plane, talking with Camille.
My pulse raced as I stood from my seat and walked to the front of the plane.
Camille noticed me first, and she put a hand on Richard’s arm to still whatever he was saying to our GM.
“Fire him,” I growled between clenched teeth. “Now.”
My heart hammered against my ribs, the familiar ringing starting in my ears.
The article.
The photo.
The way they’d dug through public records to find Shannon’s name—it all crashed into me at once until I could hardly breathe.
Richard’s face went pale. “Mikko, we discussed—”
“You discussed,” I cut him off. “I told you to keep my family out of it. I said I’d answer your questions about anything except them, so you did it for me. You had no right.”
My chest tightened. The edges of my vision blurred the way it had in the locker room a few weeks ago. I grabbed the nearest seat, trying to stay grounded, but the roar in my ears was only getting louder.
Coach Tremblay stepped onto the plane, Frankie close behind him. The moment Frankie’s eyes met mine, he knew.
“Mikko,” Camille said, her hands up. “Let’s take it easy.”
But I couldn’t take it easy, not on this.
Frankie pushed past Coach to get to me, but not before Shannon’s hand clamped around my upper arm.
She pushed me down into the closest seat, then stood in front of me until all I could see was her.
“Hey,” she said, her voice cutting through the noise in my head. “Breathe with me. In and out.”
I did as she said, and she gave me a little smile.
“Good. Again.”
I focused on her dark grey eyes, on the feel of her hand stroking over my arm.
Slowly, the ringing faded.
My shoulders dropped.
The panic that clawed at my throat eased back enough for me to breathe normally.
When I gave her a small nod to let her know I was okay, Shannon turned toward Richard, her expression hardening.
“And you.” She pointed at him. “He explicitly told you not to talk about us. I said if you needed to mention me, fine. I’m a grown-ass woman. I can handle a Google search and a few strangers on the internet deciding they hate my eyebrows. But you mentioned a child.”
Richard opened his mouth, but Shannon held up a hand.
“No. You don’t get to PR-spin your way out of this, Dick.
You took the one thing Mikko asked you to protect and gift-wrapped it for every bored asshole with Wi-Fi and a search bar.
So either you’re catastrophically bad at your job, or you’re such a sad, attention-starved little man that getting your name quoted on a hockey blog was enough to make you cum in your pleated pants. ”
Frankie let out a little snort laugh, sinking into the chair across from me. He reached for my wrist to track my pulse, but I waved him off. With Shannon standing between the staff and me, my anxiety was all but gone.
She turned on Camille next, pointing a finger at her.
“And you. Mikko isn’t a number on your roster—he’s my husband and Leena’s father.
He asked your staff to respect his boundaries, and Dick here rode right over them.
I heard it, and so did half the plane. So whatever bullshit he’s about to spew to save his ass, I will go toe-to-toe with anyone here until you regret the day you ever hired him. Got it?”
Camille smirked, her eyes looking back and forth between Shannon and me.
The plane was so quiet you could hear a pin drop. My wife reached a hand out behind her back, and I took it. She squeezed, the little motion grounding me, checking on me even now.
This time I couldn’t breathe, but it had nothing to do with a panic attack.
Watching Shannon stand up for me—for us—meant more than I could put into words.
Camille walked toward us, sliding a business card between her fingers and holding it out to Shannon. “If you ever decide to change careers, call me. The NHL could use more women like you.”
Shannon looked down at the card, then at Camille. “I hate hockey.”
A round of laughter broke over the plane, shattering the tension thick in the air.
“I like her,” Camille said as she passed us, patting me on the shoulder. “Don’t mess that up.”
I stood, wrapping a hand around Shannon’s waist. “Don’t intend to.”
Once everyone had taken their seats and returned to normal conversation, Shannon spun in my hold. Her hands rose to grip my face, pulling me down until we were nose to nose. “Are you okay?”
I closed the rest of the distance between us, laying a gentle kiss on her lips.
She sucked in a little breath that reminded me of how we’d spent the morning, and I kissed her again, a little more possessive this time.
“Shut your eyes, Leena, you don’t need to see this,” Logan said from behind us. “Me, on the other hand—”
I pulled back and looked back at him. “Not one person here wonders why you’re single.”
Leena clapped her hands over her mouth, and the rest of the team laughed.
Shannon’s cheeks tinged pink, but it was my turn to grab her hand. I squeezed it reassuringly, then led her back to our seats.
Logan handed Leena over to me while Shannon took her seat. “Well, that was exciting.”
“I think I peed a little,” Logan said, and the boys around us laughed again.
Carter leaned over me, knuckles held out for Shannon. “No dead bodies and no panic attacks, so I call it a success. Welcome to the Yeti, Shan.”
She chuckled, then pulled two princess tiaras out of her backpack for Leena, placing one on each of their heads. Next came a plastic tea set and a bottle of water to fill each tiny cup.
Instantly, the fierce woman who’d stood between me and everyone who held control over my contract dissolved into the kind, playful version of herself she turned into around Leena. I couldn’t look away, amazed that she was capable of such fire and tenderness in back-to-back moments.
Shannon poured water into a plastic pink cup big enough to hold a swallow. “What?”
“Nothing.”
Her eyes narrowed. “You’re staring.”
“I’m appreciating the range.”
“The range?”
“You threatened the GM of an NHL team a few minutes ago, and now you’re wearing a tiara.” I flicked the plastic crown on her head, and she reached up to straighten it.
“I contain multitudes, Mikko.”
Logan twisted around in his seat. “That’s what I’ve been trying to tell him.” He pointed at the tea cups. “Deal me in, baby.”
“Call me baby one more time, and I’ll show you another one of my sides.”
Logan plucked the tiara off her head and put it on his own, then turned around in his seat. “Fine then. I’ll have my own party.”
Carter laughed across the aisle. “I’m starting to understand why Mikko married you.”
“Because I’m charming?” Shannon held up her pinky, taking a tiny sip from her teacup. Leena picked up the other one and did the same, slurping the liquid.
“Because he’s terrified of you.”
“He should be.”
“I’m not,” I said.
Shannon handed me a tiny cup with a smirk. “Drink your tea, husband.”
I accepted it without argument, making the boys laugh again.
Once we reached cruising altitude, Leena toddled behind Nolan and handed out tea cups to my other teammates.
Each one accepted it with gratitude, taking imaginary sips.
Shannon leaned her head on my shoulder so she could see her walking up and down the aisle until Leena came back to us.
Logan still wore the other tiara, practically begging for my daughter’s attention.
“Excuse me, princess, I’m so thirsty.” He held his hands out, and Leena put the cup in his hand with a giggle.
Unlike everyone else who had only been pretending to drink, Logan swallowed back whatever was in the cup.
“This is delicious. What kind of tea was it?”
“Backwash, probably,” Nolan said. “Can’t believe you actually drank that.”
Shannon shook with laugher, her hand resting on my forearm.
When Leena climbed back into our laps, she went to drink the one cup she’d left behind, but there was something floating in it. Before she had it to her mouth, Shannon reached up and swapped the cups for a new one. “Nope. That one’s no good.”
Leena frowned at her, then let out a string of babble that sounded suspiciously argumentative.
“I agree,” I told her. “That was rude, Mama.”
The words left my mouth before I thought about them.
Shannon went still.
It wasn’t the first time someone had made the mistake, but this hadn’t come from a stranger.
I’d said it.
Leena looked between us, her little brow furrowing as if trying to understand why we’d both gone silent. Then she twisted in Shannon’s lap and reached for me.
“Dada.”
Everything inside me stopped.
Shannon let go, letting Leena climb into my lap where my daughter stood on my legs, patting my chest repeatedly.
“Dada.”
“Did she…” I swallowed against the sudden catch in my throat. “Was that—”
“That was a word.” Shannon’s eyes filled as she smiled at me. “She looked right at you and said it twice with intention.”
Relief rushed through me so fast I had to look away.
Shannon had told me to be patient. That Leena was still young, and she understood far more than she could say. Every time she repeated it, I believed her.
But believing Leena would be okay hadn’t stopped me from worrying that I’d missed some crucial step that could have made this easier for her. Or that I was still missing something now.
I pulled Leena against my chest and pressed my lips to the top of her head. “That’s right, Leena. I’m your Dada.”
She grabbed my shirt with both fists, smiling up at me.
“Dada.”
A quiet laugh broke out of me.
Shannon wiped beneath one eye, pretending she wasn’t crying even as another tear slid down the other cheek. “See? I told you it would take time. She needed to feel safe.”
The word lodged itself in my chest, not sure if Shannon was talking about herself or my daughter. Maybe both.
Logan had turned around at some point, his chin resting on his hands while he watched. Carter and Nolan watched from the aisle too, but no one said anything. They let us sit in the weight of this monumental moment.
Leena leaned away from me and patted Shannon’s cheek.
“Who’s that?” Shannon pointed at me when Leena settled back in her lap.
Leena grinned. “Dada.”
“That’s right.” Shannon’s voice cracked as she looked at me. “That’s Dada.”
I wrapped an arm around her and pulled her into me before she could object. Shannon came easily, resting her head against my shoulder while Leena sat between us, entirely unaware that she’d given me the most precious gift.
For a while, neither of us said anything. I held my daughter, Shannon’s hand resting over mine, and let the relief settle somewhere deep.
Leena had found her first word, and I couldn’t stop thinking about the one that had slipped out of me.
Mama.