Page 135 of Winter Vows

“Yes, he is,” Kelsey agreed. “And he was a rock during all of this, but he has his own issues to deal with and so do I. The timing’s all off.”

“Today, maybe,” Lizzy noted. “How about tomorrow?”

“We’ll see.” It was as much of a commitment as Kelsey was prepared to make until she and Dylan could have some time together to sort things out.

Dylan sat outside Kit’s house and mentally rehearsed what he intended to say to persuade her to have the custody agreement amended. He needed to have every argument in place, needed to remain absolutely calm. Anything else and he would blow his best chance at getting back into Shane’s life. He could always go to court, but this way was preferable. Funny how a little maturity could make things a whole lot clearer.

He’d arrived without any advance warning, figuring that the element of surprise was on his side. Kit’s defenses would be down and she would be alone without her new husband there to shore up any protests she might have initially.

“It’s now or never, pal,” he muttered under his breath. He got out of the car and walked across the street. Kit had the front door open before he could knock.

“I was wondering when you were going to decide to come in,” she said, meeting his gaze evenly. She didn’t seem especially surprised to see him. Nor did she seem as dismayed or angry as he’d anticipated.

“I see your radar’s as good as ever,” he said, managing a grin to take any sting out of the words. “You look good, Kit. Great, in fact.”

“Are you trying to butter me up for something, or do you mean it?” she asked, studying him thoughtfully. “You actually mean it, don’t you?”

He nodded. “Is that such a big surprise?”

“You rarely noticed how I looked while we were married, not after the first year, anyway.”

The truth hurt. “I’m sorry,” he said, meaning it. She shrugged. “It’s in the past. I’m happy now.

How about you?”

“I’m getting there. There’s just one thing missing.”

She regarded him evenly, then sighed. “I’ve been expecting this. Come into the kitchen. Can I get you some iced tea or some lemonade? You used to like that.”

Relieved that she hadn’t gone ballistic right off the bat, he nodded. “Lemonade would be great.”

She poured the drink into a tall glass filled with ice just the way he liked it, then handed it to him. Rather than sitting, though, she stood by the counter, watching him warily.

“Okay, out with it,” she said.

He was surprised by her demand. “Were you always this direct? I don’t remember that.”

“No,” she said. “I learned from my mistakes. Maybe if I’d told you what I needed a whole lot sooner, we wouldn’t be where we are today.”

The comment stunned him. It was the first time he could recall her being willing to share any of the blame for what went wrong in their marriage.

“I don’t know,” he said honestly. “I probably still wouldn’t have known the meaning of compromise.”

She laughed. “You really were used to being king of the roost in that family of yours, weren’t you? Big brother could do no wrong.”

“Is that how you saw it?”

“That’s how it was,” she said without rancor. “And they might fight you tooth and nail over anything and everything, but heaven forbid anyone else should question your decisions. It was daunting.”

He tried hard to remember that part of the past, but all he recalled was the mounting tension between him and Kit and his inability to do anything to lessen it.

“I’m sorry for that, too,” he told her.

She shook her head. “Amazing. Two apologies in one day, when I didn’t think you were capable of any.”

“I’m—”

She held up her hand. “Enough. Why are you here, Dylan? It’s not to take a walk down memory lane.”

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