Epilogue
Last weekend, the Yeti were eliminated from the playoffs. The season was over, and officially, this was the end of Mikko’s and my arrangement.
Nine months.
One hockey season.
I’d finished my fellowship and helped Mikko balance his career and fatherhood.
Everything we’d set out to do was finished, and the deal was done. But instead of filing for divorce, I stood in the master bedroom of our new house wearing a black jumpsuit, ready to marry my husband for the second time.
“Stop moving,” Lori said from behind me. “I can’t zip this thing when you keep fidgeting.”
“I’m not moving.”
“I’m sorry. You’re right. This is more vibrating than moving.”
I rolled my eyes. “That seems dramatic.”
“So does wearing a jumpsuit this low cut in the back, but to each their own, I guess.”
I caught her reflection in the mirror, and she grinned.
My outfit wasn’t traditional, but neither was anything else about this marriage.
The fitted black fabric hugged my waist, then swept the floor, simple except for the sheer sleeves and the embroidered roses climbing from the cuffs.
My hair was curled and hanging down my bare back, exposed with the low-cut design.
No white. No sequins. No tiara, despite Stevie’s repeated attempts.
Just me.
Lori finally got the zipper up, then smoothed the fabric against my hips.
“There.” She rested both hands on my waist. “Perfect.”
I looked at our reflections, memorizing this moment.
Lori wore a turquoise dress that matched her eyes, her white-blonde hair curled around her face.
The tremor in her hands was more noticeable today, either from exertion or emotion, but she was here in my bedroom, helping me get ready for my wedding.
“You’re going to make me cry,” I said.
“I didn’t say anything.”
“But you’re looking at me.”
“Well, I can stop if that helps.”
“It would.”
She turned toward the door, and I reached out to grab her wrist.
“Not literally.”
Lori laughed, then looked at me again. Her eyes shone this time, and there was no hiding behind a joke.
“I used to picture this,” she said.
“My wedding?”
“Your future.” She took my hand and drew me closer. “When you were little, sitting in my classroom pretending you didn’t need me, I would look at you and wonder where you’d end up. What you’d do. Who you’d become.”
I swallowed down the pressure building in my throat. “That sounds dangerously sentimental.”
“I’m old. I’m allowed.”
I pressed my lips together.
Lori traced her thumb across the back of my hand.
“I knew you’d get out of that house. I knew you’d build a life for yourself.
But this…” She looked around the bedroom, toward the windows overlooking the backyard where several rows of white folding chairs were arranged on the lawn, full of our friends and family.
“This is better than anything I imagined, and everything you always deserved.”
“I wouldn’t have made it here without you,” I said.
“Yes, you would have.”
“Lori.”
“You would,” she insisted, brushing my hair over my shoulder with a trembling hand. “You’ve always found a way.”
I turned to face her, wrapping my arms around her shoulders. She held me tight, her cheek resting against mine.
“You were my family first,” I whispered. “My very first choice.”
Her arms tightened. “And you were mine, from the very beginning.”
A knock sounded against the open bedroom door, and we both turned to see who it was. Mason stood in the hallway wearing a dark suit, his expression soft as he looked at his mom.
“Hey.” He cleared his throat. “They’re ready for you outside.”
Lori brushed a hand along her cheek. “Perfect timing. Shannon was about to ruin my makeup.”
“You started it.”
Mason walked in and held out his arm. “Ready, Mom?”
She took it, and he helped her walk down the hall. Lori could walk short distances with assistance, but every step took concentration. Mason tucked her hand into the bend of his elbow, keeping his other hand near her waist. Before they left, Lori looked over her shoulder at me.
“I love you, sweet girl.”
“I love you too.”
Mason guided her into the hall.
Beckett stood outside the bedroom, wearing a matching suit to his brother's. He stepped aside to let them pass, then leaned against the doorframe. “I can still walk you down the aisle, you know. I know I’m not your dad, and I’m definitely not Lori, but you’re my family. You don’t have to do this part alone.”
It wasn’t the first time he’d mentioned it, but my throat tightened all over again.
Beckett had been part of my life for as long as I could remember.
First as a family friend, then as the man who came home and helped bring all of us back together.
If I said yes, he would have walked beside me without hesitation.
But this part belonged to me.
“Thank you, but I’m okay.”
“You sure?”
I looked past him toward the hallway, where the noise from downstairs had quieted, everyone taking their seats.
“Today is my last day as a Wilder.” I smoothed my hands down the front of my dress. “I can be alone one last time, knowing I never will be again.”
He pulled me into his chest, more of a headlock than a hug, and kissed the top of my head. “We’ll be waiting for you.”
The room was quiet once he left, and for one last moment, I was alone.
I’d spent most of my life believing alone was safer. If I didn’t need anyone, they couldn’t disappoint me.
Except downstairs was a little girl who called me Mama and a man who showed me every single day how much he loved me, both with his actions and words. And in the backyard, our family and friends had come together to watch us choose each other again.
I took one slow breath, then walked downstairs.
The back doors stood open, warm summer air drifting into the house. Soft music played beyond them, accompanied by the distant rush of the river at the edge of our property.
When I stepped outside, everyone rose.
White chairs filled the lawn beneath the aspens. My friends sat mixed in with Mikko’s teammates, no separation between the lives we’d brought together. Lori sat in the front row with Mason and Beckett beside her. Across the aisle, Helena held Leena in her lap while Jari sat next to them.
Leena wore a black-and-white dress with a crown of tiny flowers in her pale hair, waving excitedly the moment she saw me.
“Mama!”
Everyone laughed, and I waved back, glad my knees didn’t buckle under this many emotions.
Mikko grinned from beneath a wooden arbor at the end of the aisle, flowers and greenery wound around the beams. It was beautiful, but I barely noticed it, not when all I saw was him.
His dark suit stretched across his shoulders, blond hair swept back from his face.
The summer sun caught in those ice-blue eyes, and the emotion there was all I needed to know this was the right decision.
“You’re beautiful,” he whispered, holding out a hand.
“You look okay, too.”
His mouth curved. “Thank you, wife.”
“Anytime, husband.”
Logan cleared his throat, then stepped up between us. “Welcome everyone. Thank you for joining us today as we give witness to the love and commitment between Mikko and Shannon. Glad they decided to include us this time.”
I rolled my eyes, but couldn’t hold back my grin. “I thought you promised to stay on script.”
“Right, right.” Logan patted his pockets. “Well, I don’t have the script you gave me, so…”
Mikko glared at his friend, and Logan shook with silent laughter.
“For those who don’t know the full story, Mikko and Shannon’s first marriage was a little rushed, starting with a panic attack and a toddler who trusted Shannon more quickly than either of these two trusted themselves.”
A few quiet laughs moved through the audience.
“Some people might say that was a terrible foundation for a relationship, but I think leaning on each other was the most honest thing either of them had done in years. Even before they understood what they were doing, they chose each other. Mikko needed someone strong enough to stand beside him without treating him like he was broken. Shannon needed someone patient enough to love her without demanding she lower her guard first. And Leena… She needed them both.”
Mikko and I both looked at our daughter, smiling back at us.
“They didn’t fall in love because everything was easy,” Logan continued. “They fell in love in the middle of the hard parts. They built a family through long road trips, sleepless nights, press conferences, bedtime stories, and an alarming amount of pizza.”
Leena perked up. “Pizza?”
That earned another laugh.
Logan grinned at her. “Exactly.”
He looked back at us. “Mikko and Shannon, you already made one set of promises to each other. Today, you get to make the ones you mean.”
Mikko turned toward me, taking both of my hands in his, the amusement fading from his face.
“Shannon,” he said, his voice rough. “I promise to choose you on the easy days and the hard ones. In Denver, Linwood, or wherever life takes us, I will love you, take care of you, and make sure you never have to wonder if you belong with me.”
My eyes watered, but Mikko brushed at my cheek before it fell.
“And I promise to spoil you forever,” he added. “As many snacks as it takes.”
I laughed through the tears. “That’s a tempting offer.”
Logan turned toward me. “Shannon?”
I tightened my hands around Mikko’s.
“When you showed up at my door with a toddler and a marriage proposal, I should’ve had you arrested.
” A few people laughed, but Mikko’s attention never left my face.
“But even before I knew you, I knew how wonderful you were. How kind, and thoughtful, and good. I thought helping you would be temporary. I thought if I kept enough distance between us, I could walk away when the season ended and go back to being alone. Instead, you gave me a life better than I ever imagined.”
Mikko’s eyes shone.
“You never asked me to become softer or quieter or easier to love. You let me be sarcastic, and you let me be scared.” I glanced toward Leena, who was watching us from Helena’s lap. “And you trusted me with the most important part of you.”
“Mama,” Leena said again, and I laughed softly, pressing my lips together until I could continue.
“I promise to stand beside you, but also to let you stand beside me. I promise to talk when every instinct tells me to shut down. And I promise that wherever we go, whatever changes, you will always have me.”
Logan closed his binder. “Well, that was adorable.”
“Wrap it up, Parrish,” Mikko said.
“I’m getting there.” Logan looked out at our guests. “Mikko and Shannon have already exchanged rings, signed the paperwork, and have been legally married for almost a year, so all that’s left is the good part.”
He gestured between us.
“Mikko, you may kiss the bride.”
Mikko cupped my face and kissed me.
Our guests erupted behind us. Someone whistled. The Mayhem kids pounded their feet against the grass, and Leena shouted loud enough to compete with all of them.
I wrapped my arms around Mikko’s neck and kissed him until Logan cleared his throat.
“Okay. You’re still in front of children.”
Mikko pulled back enough to look at me. “My wife.”
“For real this time.”
“You were always real.”
Before I could fall apart over that, Logan grabbed both of us and pulled us into a hug.
“And as your wedding present, I thought you should hear this from me,” he whispered, the seriousness in his voice catching my attention. “They offered me the captain spot on the Austin expansion team, and I’ve taken it.”
Mikko pulled back. “What?”
“I waived my no-move clause, so the Yeti spot on the new team is taken.”
“Logan—”
“Start your family here.” He gestured at our new house behind us, and the people here. “Stay where you belong and live happily ever after for me, okay?”
Logan didn’t wait for our response, catching Mikko’s and my wrists and raising our joined hands into the air.
“Ladies and gentlemen, Mr. and Mrs. Laaksonen!”
Everyone rose, cheering as music filled the backyard.
Mikko looked at Logan, stunned, but our idiot officiant had already turned toward the guests, accepting applause like it was all for him.
“We should kill him later,” I whispered. “After we thank him.”
“Agreed.”
Mikko lowered our hands but didn’t let mine go.
We stood there together, looking out at everyone we loved.
This was what family felt like—a hand reaching for mine.
A place saved for me. People who showed up and kept showing up, not because blood or obligation told them to, but because they chose to.
Mikko brought my hand to his mouth, kissing my knuckles.
“Ready, wife?”
I looked at my husband, my daughter, and the life waiting for us.
“Always.”
Together, we walked down the aisle and into forever.
Before you go, thank you!
I'm so grateful you picked up Meant for Mayhem — if you loved it, tell a friend who needs more chaotic, swoony hockey romance in her life.
As a thank-you, I wrote a bonus scene with Shannon and Mikko—six years after the final chapter, and a glimpse into retired life for the Laaksonens.