Page 11 of Meant for Mayhem

Leena had a firm grip on my pant leg, watching the strangers on the steps before making a whimpering sound I knew would be followed by her arms straight up in the air. The moment her face tipped up to mine, grey-blue eyes full of apprehension, I scooped her back up.

Maybe I was spoiling her by giving in to her every demand, but some part of me was relieved that she saw me as safe. That I’d somehow earned that role in her life these last few months together.

“Sorry. Leena isn’t great with strangers yet.”

“Leena.” Lori smiled. “What a pretty name for a pretty baby.”

Even without looking, I could feel Shannon’s eyes on me, inspecting my every move as Beckett picked up the books scattered around the porch.

I should have helped him—should have done anything, really—but I stood there beneath the weight of the stupid thing I’d done. The mess I now had to clean up.

That was all the reminder my mind needed to make the static return, every worst-case scenario talking over the next until I couldn’t separate one from another.

But when Shannon stepped off the porch, everything quieted. She crossed the yard with her arms folded over her chest, every purposeful stride aimed directly at me. Somehow, seeing her was enough to cut through the fog I’d lived in for weeks.

Shannon.

Dark gray eyes, the color of storm clouds, narrowed as she stared at me, not giving a damn that I stood well over a foot taller than her. Black hair pulled into a ponytail. Gold jewelry catching the afternoon sun against impossibly pale skin. Rose tattoos disappeared beneath the sleeve of her shirt.

Shannon Wilder was the most beautiful woman I’d ever seen, attitude and all.

Which was unfortunate, because in a few short minutes, she was going to verbally dismantle me with the same frightening efficiency she’d used on that poor bastard at the bake-off.

And honestly, I deserved it.

“Why are you here?” she said, as blunt as ever.

“Yeah, buddy, share with the class.” Beckett flipped through the book in his hands. “Shannon, these are hot. I don’t know how I missed that you’re a romance reader, but this is throwing me for a loop.”

She ripped the book from his hold, a tinge of pink returning to her cheeks. “I said they’re not mine.”

I stared right back, holding her eye contact for as long as she needed it to feel in control of the situation. This was something I understood—like a game of chicken, seeing who would scare off easily.

Too bad I was a scary motherfucker myself, and nothing about Shannon’s intensity put me off.

Leena squirmed in my arms, adjusting her body until she too was looking at Shannon, as enraptured as I was.

The moment Shannon’s eyes left mine and caught on my daughter’s instead, everything about her softened. Her shoulders dropped, her hands fell to her sides, and the crease between her brows disappeared. But it was her mouth I couldn’t look away from, not when it tipped up at the corners into the sweetest smile, meant only for my precious girl.

“If that was supposed to make me less curious, it didn’t work,” Beckett said as he flipped through yet another book, then turned it sideways. “For such a frilly looking cover, these are kinda nasty. I like it. So who do they belong to?”

“Your mom,” Shannon said.

Beckett launched the book across the yard, then wiped his hands on his jeans. “Really, Shan? A your mom joke?” He looked at another book and gagged, then stepped right over the pile of books and into the house. “I think I’m gonna throw up.”

“Smart,” Lori said from the doorway. “Leave him wondering if you’re joking or not.”

Shannon chuckled, the sound ringing through the quiet valley, and Leena giggled with her.

“Hi Leena,” Shannon said. “My name is Shannon. You have beautiful hair.”

Shannon touched her own hair as she said it, and Leena let go of my shirt to touch the top of her head.

“That’s right.” Shannon smiled. “That’s your hair. Where’s your daddy’s hair?”

Leena looked at me, her face tipped up to take me in. Sometimes I swore I could see the wheels turning in her brain, her chubby hand reaching up and tapping my hair. I grinned, not even knowing Leena knew this yet.

“You’re a smart girl, aren’t you, Leena?” Shannon kept her distance even while she continued the conversation.