Page 103 of Made for Mayhem

Junie lifted her arms, and I tugged it over her head. The hem grazed her shins and the sleeves swallowed her hands. She giggled as I rolled them up so her fingers reappeared.

“There,” I said, straightening the hood. “Perfect fit.”

Her nose scrunched. “I called you Dad.”

“Yeah,” I said quietly. “You did.”

She searched my face. “Is that okay?”

“That’s up to you, kiddo. But I liked it.”

She smiled then—small, shy. “Me too.”

I tugged the hood strings so the fabric bunched around her chin.

“Come on, cowgirl. Let’s get you warm.”

She slipped her hand into mine, dragging the stuffed cow behind her as we walked toward the fire pit. Chairs and blankets glowed in the firelight as everyone settled in.

I sank into a chair beside Daisy, and Junie curled into her lap, the cow wedged between them. Daisy wrapped an arm around her, rubbing slow circles into her back as Junie launched into a breathless recap of the day. When Daisy shivered, I snagged a nearby blanket and draped it across them, covering all three of us.

Across the fire, Beckett kicked the back leg out of Mason’s chair just enough that it folded halfway. Mason yelped, catching himself before he hit the grass.

“Real mature,” he snapped, straightening it.

Beckett grinned. “I thought you loved surprises.”

From a few feet over, Lori let out a dry laugh. “You’d think nearly forty years on this earth would’ve taught you two how to share.”

Beside her, Shannon smirked. “They’ll still be fighting over shit in the nursing home.”

“Probably,” Lori said. “Heaven help whoever has to judge the wheelchair races.”

That set everyone off again.

Junie snuggled deeper into her hoodie, face tucked under her aunt’s chin. Daisy leaned into my shoulder, unguarded and easy.

“Hey,” Mason said, glancing around. “Where’s our Finnish giant?”

Beckett frowned. “Mikko was right behind us.”

Shannon didn’t look up from the firelight reflecting off the gold rings on her hands. “His mom called twice, so he went to call her back.”

“From Helsinki?” Beckett asked. “What’s the time difference again?”

“Nine hours!” Junie said, lifting her head. “I looked it up after he told me where he’s from. Did you know Helsinki has more public libraries per person than almost any city in the world? They decided a long time ago that everyone should have free access to knowledge, no matter where they live. I think that’s cool.”

The group stared at her.

“Well, dang, kid,” Mason said. “You’re cuter and smarter than all of us combined.”

Junie beamed and burrowed back into Daisy’s lap. Daisy laughed, one arm tightening around her.

Then the first firework cracked open above the mountains.

A low whistle rippled through the crowd, followed by a collective ooh as red and gold sparks bloomed against the sky.

Junie twisted in Daisy’s arms, pointing. “Dad! Look!”