Waking up to the familiar smell of coffee makes me smile, and I roll over to face Jack. He pulls me close and kisses my forehead.

"Good morning, Love. Are you ready to get up, or do you want to cuddle for a bit?" He already knows the answer before he even asks it.

"Cuddle."

He grins at my answer, and I roll onto my other side and push back into him. He wraps his arm around me as a satisfying hum escapes from his lips. I love how we fit perfectly together. In my man's arms is my favorite place to be. As we lay here, Jack's hands roam my body.

Our morning ritual gives me a wonderful sense of happiness to start my day. I close my eyes as Jack lightly tickles my skin with his soft touch. He enjoys the way my body responds to him. Now and then, his hands make their way to my breasts, and he gives them a gentle squeeze before he continues tickling me. These morning touches don't always lead to sex, but they give us that intimate moment together before facing the world.

Jack and I are high school sweethearts. We met at our school's wrestling match. I was a new student who had just moved into the school district while Jack was born and raised in this quaint small town. It was my first time cheering at the match, and he was a student spectator. He approached me after the game and asked for my phone number. His handsome features took me back. His greenish blue eyes and smoothed straight chestnut hair immediately caught my eye. While he was a senior and part of the popular crowd, I was an unknown mystery girl he took a chance on, and we've been together ever since. We even attended the same college, where I studied education, and Jack was a marketing major and married the summer after I graduated.

About half an hour later, the aroma of the coffee beckons us from our cozy, warm bed. Jack rolls out first, and I follow him into the kitchen with the bare necessities: a stove, refrigerator, and sink. Shelves line the right wall, where you will find canned goods and the food we all brought to share. A wooden microwave stand houses a small microwave and coffee maker. The coffee pot sits on its perch, waiting for the next addict to partake in its desired elixir. Jack pours each of us a cup, and we head out to join the group by the morning fire.

The West's two-bedroom and one-bath hunting cabin was built by Chris' uncle and his partner when there was nothing but untouched woodland in this secluded part of the Promise Land. After his uncle's partner passed away, he gave it to the West family to share after his death. Double-sized bunk beds in each of the bedrooms provide for eight bodies. The living area is adorned with an eclectic array of mismatched furniture, two futon couches that open into full-sized beds, a long table with metal folding chairs around it, and a TV with piles of DVDs to choose from if you're snowed in or in the mood for a movie on a cold, rainy day.

"It's about damn time!" Jim gives us a smirk. "We were all wondering if you two would ever join us."

"Hey, I can't help how hard it is to let my sexy wife out of my arms. I mean, look at her." Jack's reply has everyone looking at me, and I feel the heat warming my cheeks.

"He's not wrong." Dom smiles as Julie hits him alongside his head on her way back from refilling her coffee cup. "Ouch! Woman, you know that you're the only sexy wife for me."

Julie kisses Dom, where she had just smacked him a moment ago.

"Oh, I know." She smirks and sits back down by the fire.

The dynamics of this group make our time together full of teasing and laughter. Besides coming to the cabin with them, we also vacation with them for a week on a warm Caribbean island every January to escape the winter's freezing temperatures.

"I'm going to get breakfast started. Our tee time is in two hours," Chad announces as he disappears into the kitchen.

"Need some help?" Deanna offers, but Chad waves her off.

Chad is our designated breakfast cook when we're at the cabin. Deanna always jokes that breakfast is the only meal Chad knows how to cook. Today, he's making his specialty bacon, egg, and cheese sandwiches with English muffins.

Deanna serves each of us girls mimosas, except for Julie, who gets orange juice with fresh berries. We all relax around the fire, preparing ourselves for the busy day ahead.

The four men golf in the same golf league on Thursday afternoons. The four wives all golf, but only the boys go golfing when we take our yearly trip to the cabin. The men golf in the morning while we ladies go on an adventure of our own.

We've gone wine tasting at local wineries, bar-hopped from brewery to brewery, rented boats, and hiked around the many lakes in the surrounding area. Lounging by the fire, watching for bears, toasting marshmallows, and making mountain pies is always a good time.

While the men start to get ready for golf, we ladies refill our drinks and take a quick walk in our pajamas down the dirt lane shared with other hunting cabins. Walking, we see well-kept properties and dilapidated places that have not seen care or occupancy in years. The walk is peaceful as the sun peaks through the canopy of trees to warm our faces.

Each of us comes from a different background. I've moved nine times in my life. My dad was not military; his job moved us around. Julie comes from a farming family and has always lived in the same town. Charlene came from a broken home, and she has so many half-sisters and brothers that I can't keep them straight. Deanna is a California girl. Her father worked in the airline industry, and while most flights her family took were to visit other family members, the travel bug bit her hard.

We're all close friends despite our differences in upbringing. All four of us met each other through our husbands and golf. I love these girls. They're always here for me, and I hope they know they can also count on me.

Julie breaks the silence. "Are we still planning to hike Skytop today?"

We all look to Deanna for the answer. "Absolutely. I have wanted to hike it for years."

"Did any of you tell the guys we were planning to trespass on Skytop land?" I ask, knowing that I didn't tell Jack about it.

"It never came up. Jim didn't even ask me what our plans are for today." Charlene shrugs.

"Dom asked; I just said that we were hiking after lunch. I didn't go into details. I honestly forgot the name of the area we were hiking in," Julie admits.

"You know that they're going to ask us what our plans are before they leave for golf," Deanna announces, and we all nod in agreement.

Our guys always want to know our plans before leaving us.

"I'm sure that Dom at least told them that we were going on a hike," Julie says before sipping her orange juice.

It's true; those guys tell each other everything. They're just like a bunch of hens with the way they gossip.

"What do you think Chad will say, Deanna?" I ask, knowing how particular Chad can be about this area.

She gives me a smirk. "Chad will try to talk me out of it, but it's not happening. He'll probably be pissed. He never wants to tarnish the West name around here."

"Should we pick somewhere else to hike?" Charlene asks.

"No way, Chad will get over it. He knows that I have wanted to hike Skytop trails for a while now," Deanna says with determination.

We all giggle, knowing that once Deanna has her mind set on something, nothing or no one will change it.

We finish our drinks, and return to the cabin. Our men, dressed in golf attire, are ready for their day. Each couple embraces to say their goodbyes.

"I hear that you ladies are going hiking today. Do you need any extra money?" Jack asks; he's always so considerate of my needs.

"I'm good. Thank you." I give him a tender kiss, and he squeezes me tightly. "Have fun today."

He kisses me again. "You too. Where are you hiking?"

"Skytop." I smile when he raises his eyebrows.

He chuckles at our juvenile plan to break the resort's rules. "Try to stay safe and out of prison."

I give him a flirty smirk. "Will you promise to bail me out?"

"Always." He grins. "Make sure that you charge your phone before you leave. I love you."

"Will do. I love you, too."

We give each other one last kiss before the guys all get into Jim's truck. I watch with the ladies as Jim pulls out of the driveway and leaves a dusty path behind them.

"Are you ladies ready for our adventure?" Deanna asks, and we all nod. Deanna and I go to the fire, and Charlene and Julie head into the cabin to get ready for our forbidden hike into the prohibited woods. None of us has a clue of the danger that we are about to step into today.

Would the men have lingered longer to say their goodbyes? Would we have let them leave us so quickly? Would we have spent our last moments with the husbands we love differently? That's the thing about hindsight; you only get to look back on what could have been. You can't take back your choices, the words that leave your mouth, or the repercussions of your decisions.

All that is left is the guilt, the pain, and the sorrow of what was lost.

*****