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de at the snow still swirling around.
“Have you gone soft on me? I was already outside this morning checking out the snow situation. That’s how I realized our cars had been tampered with. Let’s just say there’s a nice chill in the air, but you won’t freeze or anything.” He stood up and jerked his chin in the direction of the coat rack. “Come on. Live a little.”
With a groan, Kit stood up and said, “But it’s so toasty warm in here.”
“I’ll make us some hot cocoa when we come back inside. Scout’s honor.”
“Will you put white chocolate in it?” she asked, the soft expression on her face resembling a small child.
Jayden shook his head. “You’re in luck. I brought some with me.”
“All right. I need to put some clothes on first” she said, letting out a groan before walking over toward her bedroom door and heading inside. While she was gone, Jayden busied himself clearing up the breakfast plates and washing the pots and dishes in the sink. By the time he finished, Kit had returned. She was dressed in thick snow pants and a turtleneck. He began putting on his coat, hat and gloves as Kit did the same.
The moment they headed outside, a blast of cold air confronted them. The temperature had clearly dipped since he’d ventured out earlier.
“Brr,” Kit said, wrapping her arms around her middle. Jayden couldn’t seem to take his eyes off Kit. In her white parka jacket and hot pink hat, she looked beautiful. Her cheeks were rosy from the cold and dark strands of her hair peeked out from under her hat. How in the world was he going to move past Kit? It just wasn’t happening. He couldn’t imagine loving another woman. She was it for him. Perhaps God had placed them in the same place at the same time so they could both realize that they needed to hold on tightly to their marriage. But could he convince her? Could he show her how sorry he was for all his mistakes in their marriage? His arrogance and selfishness?
He didn’t know how to go about it, but in this moment he knew what he needed to do. Jayden bent down and picked up a mound of snow, then formed it into a perfect snowball. He hurled it in Kit’s direction. It landed with a thwacking sound on her chest.
“Oh, you’re going to pay for that!” Kit vowed, bending over and picking up an armful of snow and sending it in his direction. He let out a howl of laughter when she missed him by a mile. He was laughing so hard he clutched his belly. Bam! Suddenly, he had a face full of snow.
“Ha!” Kit said, pointing her mittened finger at him. “Not so funny now, is it?”
“That was a cheap shot. Faces are off limits.” He ran his gloved hand across his jaw. “I need to keep this face in prime shape for all my endorsements.”
Kit stuck her tongue out at him. “Ugh. You have such a big head, Jayden London.”
Jayden groaned. “Gimme a break. How many times have you told me that? I’m not the one who just put on lipstick and mascara before she came outside.”
Kit let out a roar. She raced towards him and threw more snow at him. Rather than a snowball, it was a flurry of snow. He reached out and grabbed her by the waist, then tripped over his own feet in the process. They both landed on the snow with a thud. Jayden turned toward Kit. He was surprised to see her giggling. Their faces were so close to one another. Mere inches! Her lips served as an invitation. Kiss her! A voice inside his head urged him. He closed the distance between them and placed a searing kiss on her lips.
Oh, it had been so long since he’d kissed his wife. The glorious scent of her filled his Nostrils like warm honey. She exuded a warm, vanilla smell. Her lips were still as soft and inviting as they had always been. Her lips tasted like maple syrup. Mmm. Kissing Kit felt like coming home. It was familiar and exciting at the same time. And she was kissing him back! He wasn’t imagining it either.
Suddenly, he felt Kit pushing him away. She quickly scrambled to her feet and brushed the snow away from her outfit. She put her hands on her hips and glared at him.
“Why did you do that? We’re not on a romantic trip, Jayden. We’re not dewy-eyed newlyweds. We’re getting divorced. And kissing me just complicated things.” She turned away from him and stomped toward the house, closing the door behind her with a fierce bang.
Jayden lay on the ground for a few moments, his mind reeling from what had just happened. Why had she gotten so upset with him? Kit had definitely kissed him back! She had been willing and able. It had been a great kiss! Then she’d flipped out on him and left him in the snow feeling like a fool. Was Kit really over him? His heart constricted at the notion that she no longer loved him. Clearly, the kiss hadn’t been that great for her. Ouch! It really wounded his pride and hurt his heart at the same time.
When he finally entered the cabin Kit was kicking off her boots and shrugging out of her coat. The look on her face was mutinous. It made Jayden feel like an idiot for believing there was still something between them, something worth fighting for.
Suddenly, he felt completely defeated. Broken. He wasn’t a man who gave up on things, but if Kit couldn’t even share a kiss with him, how was he going to convince her to call off the divorce? Why was he even fighting it at this point? They had been through some really painful things together. Somehow those times hadn’t strengthened their union. They had given up on each other and on their marriage. Perhaps he just needed to accept the inevitable.
Kit was standing by the kitchen table, her brow furrowed, her expression intense. Once he’d taken off all of his gear, Jayden turned toward Kit. She was giving off strong vibes of resentment.
He let out a ragged sigh. He was done fighting. It was a wrap. Jayden felt powerless to stop the tide going against him.
Lord, give me the strength to accept the end of my marriage.
“So, where are the divorce papers?” he asked Kit. “We might as well sit down and sign them together since that’s what you came here to do.”
Kit bit her lip. She shook her head. No words escaped her lips.
“What’s wrong?” he asked.
“I can’t,” she said in a low whisper.
“Why not?” he asked. “Isn’t that why you came to the cabin in the first place?”
