Page 57 of The Suitcase Swap

She tipped her face up to him, her smile strained. ‘Shouldn’t I be asking you that?’

He gave her a lopsided grin. ‘You can ask me too, if you’d like.’

‘I’m ready,’ she said. ‘Are you?’

‘Yes,’ he said, smiling broadly this time. ‘I love you.’

‘I love you too.’ She went up on her toes and kissed him this time. ‘Now let’s beat the shit out of this photo.’

Tom laughed and they both fell into position. Tom took a moment to adjust his grip on the bat. ‘Ready? One, two,three.’

The bats came down with force, the picture frame splintering instantly. Tom gave it another whack, laughing as he leaned the tip of the bat against the floor.

But Marisa kept going, smashing the pieces until they were almost dust. Her teeth bared in a grimace, her face red.

After a few seconds, Tom darted around to her other side, trying to approach her safely. ‘That’s enough, my love. That’s enough.’ His voice was so soft, so gentle, that Sophie’s heart broke.

Marisa’s must have, too, because suddenly she was sobbing, collapsing in on herself as she slid to the floor. The metal bat hit with a clang before rolling away. Tom was there in a second, pulling Marisa into his lap. He held her, letting her sob against his chest, his hand smoothing back her hair. He crooned mostly comforting nonsense to her and made soothing sounds as Marisa howled her anger and grief.

Out of the corner of her eye, Sophie saw the door open and shut as Mike slipped out of the room. Before she could think more about that, her attention snapped back to Tom and Marisa.

‘It’s not fair.’ Marisa’s voice was heart-rendingly raw as she rasped, ‘I wanted it. So much. I loved it and it’s notfair.’

Tom held her tighter. ‘I know, my heart, my love, I know.’ He was crying too, his tears no less gutting for all that they were quiet. But Sophie was sure she could see relief there, too, relief that Marisa was finally,finallyletting it out.

Marisa’s sobs were gentler now as she wrapped her arms around Tom and held him just as tight.

Sophie felt a tug on her hand, only then realizing that Mike had come back into the room. He pulled her behind him gently until they were out of the door, shutting it quietly behind them.

Tom and Marisa didn’t look up once during their exit, and Sophie was glad. They needed each other right now, not anyone else. Her heart was breaking for them, but it was healing for them, too. Their love, their consideration of and support for each other would see them through this, she was sure of that now. When they grew tired, she would be there to help them until they became strong again.

Sophie plucked the safety glasses off her face and sighed. ‘Do you think we can talk the employees into leaving them alone for a minute? I know our time’s up, but—’

Mike shoved his safety glasses up until they rested on his head. There were twin indentations on each side of his nose, evidence of where they’d been. Why did she think that was cute?

‘I took care of it. There was another group scheduled to come in here, but I managed to talk them into taking one of the other rooms.’

‘How did you do that?’

‘By offering to pay for their session,’ Mike said. ‘They were all pretty amenable after that.’ He put his hands on his hips and blew out a breath. ‘Do you think we should wait for them? Or leave them be?’

Sophie spent a long moment staring at his adorably questioning handsome face. This man. What was she going to do with this man? While the long term was definitely hazy in her mind’s eye, the immediate future was crystal clear. She clasped his face in her hands and kissed him. He tensed for a second, surprised, before melting into her.

The kiss started out soft and sweet, but quickly deepened into something that would have Sophie blushing later.When she finally pulled back, Mike was wide-eyed and out of breath.

‘What was that for?’ he asked. ‘And how can I do it again?’

Her answering laugh was quiet, but no less joyful. ‘How about you take me home and we can discuss it later?’

She’d never seen a man shed safety gear so fast in her life.

Chapter Seventeen

Sophie Swann was a Valkyrie. A Boudicca. A warrior queen. Mike had known this, at least partially. He thought that a lot of people fell into the trap of labelling hersoft.She was kind, thoughtful, warm and funny. These were things that society tended to put into the soft category, but they weren’t. Not really. They were strengths, at least to Mike. It took a core of steel to go out into the world every day and be these things despite the never-ending grind of reality. The fact that Sophie was still soft despite what her ex had done to her was unfathomable.

That was bravery. That was strength.

So he’d already known she was tough, but seeing her in the rage room . . . that had been something else entirely. She wasbeautifulin her fury. Mike had never considered himself the kind of guy who would be turned on by watching a woman demolish a microwave oven with an aluminium bat, but apparently he was. He really, reallywas, and he needed to pour a metaphorical ice bucket on that right now. She’d been sick this morningandhad an emotional bomb dropped into her lap. She may have kissed him, she might be interested in more, but none of that was happening tonight.

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