Page 194 of Love & Heart Braking

“Ha!” I held up a dumbbell. “I told people I did weights.”

Soleil eyed the tiny dumbbell. “When you show everyone who doubted you, they’ll feel so foolish and embarrassed.”

I chucked it at her, and she dodged back.

“Here’s a photo.” She crouched next to me and shoved the picture under my nose.

My heart squeezed at the beaming grins of my mother, father, and me. Both sets of my grandparents were in the photo too. “I wondered where this went.”

Soleil kissed my cheek. “Then stop being a slob.”

“This is a time capsule,” I retorted. “That’s different.”

We sorted through a spare set of clothing that I thought was from last year.

One million pens.

Ten newspapers. And lastly…

A handbag.

“You have a handbag inside your handbag,” Soleil mused.

I pursed my lips. “I wonder why.”

“Can’t remember?”

“Nope.”

We scanned the ground scattered with completely random objects, and Soleil started to laugh.

“What?” I grunted.

She wiped her eyes. “How did all of this shit even fit in there?”

My shoulders shook, and I joined her. Our hoots grew louder. Soon we were holding each other up for support, and when that failed, we sprawled across the ground in a heap.

The aftershocks slowly left us.

I reached under my back and dislodged the hot sauce bottle. Soleil rolled to her feet and stretched a hand down to me.

We gathered all the items, though Soleil flatly refused to put the rubbish back in my tote. She marched to the bin and disposed of the wrappers that had likely been with me for years.

Probably about time.

We walked out from under the bleachers, covered in dirt, and stood scanning the crowd and game. I wrapped my arm around her waist, and she hugged me back just the same.

Bain was still at the drinks cart, loading up on fizzy drinks. Well, loading Austin’s arms with them. We chuckled as the phoenix dropped a few, then tried to pick them up and dropped all the drinks.

“Don’t tell Austin,” Soleil said. “But I think I forgive him.”

Phew. Big call from her. “What happened to once a traitor, always a traitor?”

“He stepped up. Don’t tell him. I’m going to make him sweat for a few years.”

I wouldn’t have expected anything less.

Soleil’s green gaze landed on her man.

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