The house was still half–asleep when they finished packing the last of their things. The sky outside was barely turning blue, the kind of soft pre-morning light that made everything feel quiet and new. Suitcases lined up by the door, gloves shoved into pockets, and the faint smell of the hot choclate Raylene insisted she needed to survive the early hour.
Jedson zipped up the final bag with triumphant enthusiasm.
"Alright," he said, stretching his arms behind his head. "Let's go conquer a mountain."
Raylene zipped up her jacket and gave him a look. "You do know skiing isn't the same as… walking, right?"
He raised an eyebrow. "Ray, I'm steady. You've literally fallen into my arms more times than gravity should legally allow."
She pointed at him triumphantly. "Exactly. Which is why I cannot wait to see you try standing on slippery sticks."
He laughed, nudging her side. "I'll be fine."
"Mhm," she hummed. "We'll see. I'm betting you'll fall straight on your butt at least once."
He placed a hand over his chest in mock betrayal. "You want me to suffer?"
"I want to witness greatness," she corrected sweetly. "The greatness of Jedson, the unshakeable, becoming Jedson, the downhill disaster."
"You're evil," he said, grinning.
"And you love me."
He leaned in and kissed her cheek. "Unfortunately, yes."
She grinned back. "Come on, legend. Let's go see if you can survive standing upright on skis."
Despite the playful teasing, both of them buzzed with excitement. Their first winter trip together. Just the two of them. No airports. No tearful goodbyes. No going in opposite directions after a perfect week.
This time, they were driving home together afterward.
---
The road ahead stretched quiet and frost-lined. For a while, they simply enjoyed the scenery — snow-dusted pines, sleepy towns, the distant blue shadow of mountains rising. A couple of hours into the drive, they stopped for lunch at a small burger place tucked beside the highway.
Jedson returned to the table with their order balanced in one hand.
Raylene took a bite, smiling. "This is actually good."
He nodded approvingly. "The universe rewards early risers."
"The universe rewarded you with a burger," she laughed.
"The universe knows my priorities."
---
By early afternoon, the car rolled into the resort parking lot. It sat at the foot of the mountain, where colorful cottages lined a pathway leading up the slope. Smoke curled lazily from chimneys. The air tasted like snow.
Their cottage was farther up, so after parking in the designated lot, they began their trek with bags slung over shoulders.
"Well," Raylene panted, "this counts as exercise."
"Just warming up," Jedson said, though he was definitely a bit out of breath too.
---
Inside, the cottage was cozy — wooden walls, large windows overlooking the snowy hill, a heater that hummed comfortingly, and a small fireplace perfect for evenings.
After unpacking and settling into their new temporary home, they made a simple dinner and curled up on the couch, blankets pulled over them, a movie playing softly.
The plan was to ski tomorrow, when they were rested.
Raylene's head found Jedson's chest somewhere near the halfway point of the movie. Her breathing softened, her body relaxing fully against him as she drifted off.
He didn't dare move.
Instead, he let his fingers stroke gently through her hair, his heart swelling with something warm and steady — something that still didn't feel quite real.
This woman… had moved across countries. Across oceans. For him.
And now she was here, sleeping against his chest, in a cottage on a snowy mountain, their first winter together as husband and wife. No more goodbyes at gates. No more countdowns. No more shaking hands and aching hearts at airports.
Just this.
Just her.
Just forever.
He pressed a quiet kiss into her hair.
How lucky he was that she chose him.How lucky he was that she stayed.
Tomorrow they would ski.Tomorrow they would probably fall and laugh and tease each other endlessly.
But tonight?
Tonight he simply held her close, letting the soft snowfall outside echo the peace settling slowly, deeply, into his chest.