Love's Redemption



Keira chuckled softly. After Hayden left, Lena leafed closer and teased, "Well done, Rea. You've mastered the art of taming a husband. When I find myself a man, you have to teach me."

"You're learning to make coffee and desserts from me, and now you want lessons on husband- taming? Did you pay the tuition?" Keira teased, holding out her hand.

"Look at you, being so stingy," Lena said, swatting Keira's hand away.

They started playing a game of slap hands, laughing like kids, when suddenly something fluttered down from above. Both of them froze mid-play and looked up.

"It's snowing!" they exclaimed together, joy lighting up their faces.

Keira immediately turned toward the house and called out, "Hayden! Come quickly-it's snowing!"

He walked out, looking completely unsurprised. "Yes, I came back early just to watch the snow with you."

It was only then that Keira realized he had come home earlier than usual.

Lena sighed dramatically. "Well, I'm off now. No third wheels allowed."

She was already heading for the gate when Keira called after her. "Hey! We're an old married couple now. How are you a third wheel?" "Even if I'm not a third wheel, watching snow alone is boring. I'm going to the main road to see if I can bump into a handsome, single guy," she quipped with a laugh, waving as she left.

But just as she stepped outside the gate, she stopped dead in her tracks. In the swirling snow, a man leaned casually against a car. He wore a dark overcoat over a matching turtleneck sweater. Snowflakes rested on his shoulders and hair, casting an almost surreal glow around him.

For a moment, Lena thought she was staring at the male lead of a romance drama.noveldrama

Noticing her frozen in place, Aaron walked toward her. "Don't recognize me?" he asked, his deep, pleasant voice snapping her out of her daze. "Uncle Aaron? What are you doing here?" she stammered, blinking.

"Picking you up," he said simply.

Those three words sent her heart skipping a beat. "I drove here," she replied, motioning toward her car.

Whether it was the heavy snowfall or the intensity of his gaze, Lena suddenly found Aaron's eyes unusually deep and captivating. He looked at her steadily and said, "I know."

She swallowed hard, her pulse quickening uncontrollably. His voice broke through the quiet

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snow again, this time softer, more intimate. “I came to take you to see the first snow."

Indeed, it was the season's first snowfall, arriving later than expected.

"Oh," she muttered, watching a snowflake land on his lips and melt, leaving a glistening trace of moisture. For some reason, it felt as though that drop had fallen onto her own lips, tickling her. She unconsciously ran her tongue across them, as if to soothe the sensation.

Her small, thoughtless gesture made Aaron's Adam's apple bob slightly. Without hesitation, he reached out and took her hand. “Let's go,” he said. His palm was warm, enveloping her cold fingers. The contrast sent a shiver through her entire body.

Inside the gate, Keira had stepped out to see Lena off but stopped short when she saw Aaron. Quickly, she ducked back and hid behind the doorway, peeking out at the scene unfolding in the snow.

Hayden came up beside Keira, and she gestured for him to stay quiet. Then she pulled out his phone and snapped a picture of the moment.

Lena had always denied the possibility of anything between her and Aaron, but the surprise in her eyes, the soft vulnerability she showed in his presence-it all betrayed her heart.

The photo of them holding hands, framed by the snowfall, was stunning. Keira showed it to Hayden. "You send this to Aaron, and I'll send it to Lena," Keira whispered with a grin.

Hayden said nothing. Keira turned to look at him.

The snow was falling harder now, dusting his hair, forehead, eyebrows, and even the bridge of his nose. A delicate flurry settled on his lips. And then Keira realized-the snow was falling on her too.

"Hay..." Keira started to call his name, but before she could finish, his lips were on hers. Cool, soft, and tinged with the crispness of snow. They'd kissed countless times before, but this one felt different. Tonight, their kiss carried the taste of winter's first snow.