Page 12 of And It’s Still You

That was something Shea had learned over the years. If only he had it when it mattered the most.

I sighed. “You’re right, but I do apologize. Have a safe trip and be careful, okay? Text me when y’all make it.”

“I will. Thanks, Moya.”

“No worries.”

We ended the call, and the guilt washed away.

Do better, Moya. He’s trying.

“Okay, friend! You better step out and make them heads turn!” Elise hyped me up as she opened the door for me. She and I were getting ready to head out for a much-needed girls’ night. Albany would be meeting us at the lounge, and I couldn’t wait to see her.

“Better not make them turn too much, or we’re going to have some problems,” Terrance commented from behind Elise. He wrapped his arms around her waist and kissed her neck. A twinge of envy shot through me, one that was easy to shake off because I truly loved them and their marriage.

“Whatever.” I waved him off and stepped inside, closing the door behind me. “You know your little sister looks good.”

“I didn’t say you didn’t. I’m just saying be careful out there. I’d hate for me and Shea to have to set somebody straight over y’all.”

“Now, why would you even include him, Tee? The only tie O’Shea Collier has to me is Ocean. Other than that, I’m single and may be ready to mingle. It’s been years.”

Elise glanced back at Terrance with the corners of her red-painted lips curving. “You heard that, baby. My girl said don’t count her out.”

“Exactly, Elise!”

Terrance playfully mushed Elise’s head and took off running when she swung at him. I cackled watching her chase him in her miniskirt and heels. He would slow down just enough for her to catch up to him, then take off running again.

In between laughing and trying to catch my breath, I encouraged, “Get him, Elise!”

“You know she’s not ’bout to catch me.” Terrance did some type of move that almost made Elise fall, but he caught her before she could. He peppered kisses all over her face, and the sound of her squeals made me smile.

I let them have their moment while I made my way to their kitchen. Elise had already poured us some shots, so I searched their fridge for a chaser. My phone rang in my clutch. The biggest grin spread across my face upon seeing Ocean video calling me from his tablet. He made sure to call me multiple times a day whenever he and O’Shea weren’t busy.

Setting my phone up against the wall, I slid my finger across the screen and continued searching the fridge.

“Mommy! Look what I got you,” Ocean stated the second he popped up on the screen. In his hands was a stunning diamond tennis bracelet shaped in starfish and seashells. They were my absolute favorite. Anytime we went to the beach, I made sure to bring some home. To see my son had thought of me enough to get me something warmed my insides. I was positive his father was behind it too.

Shea’s love language was acts of service. He loved showing people he loved them by showering them with their favorite things. It was one of the reasons I knew he still loved me.

“Oh, Bubba! That is beautiful.” I gushed, getting closer to the screen to get a better look. “Thank you, Ocean. You were thinking about your mama, huh?”

“Yes, ma’am. Daddy was too. He took me to go get it, so you gotta tell him thank you too.” Before I could protest, Ocean ran a few feet and handed O’Shea the phone. “Mommy wants to say thank you for the gift.”

O’Shea sat in a chair with his shirt off, and his locs were hanging freely around his face. His beard looked good and moisturized. His skin was glowing, showing signs of a light tan. His eyes appeared lighter from the way the sun was shining down on him. For a moment, I had to remove my face from the camera so he wouldn’t see me drinking him in.

I opened the fridge and said, “Thank you, Shea. It’s stunning. You didn’t have to do that for me.”

“I know, but we wanted to. When we were on the beach, Ocean started picking up a gang of shells for you, so I figured we could bring you something else too.”

“He’s so sweet. I love that he thinks about us whenever he’s away from us.”

“Me too. You at Elise and Tee’s, huh?”

I got back into his view and nodded. “Yes. Elise and I are about to go out, but Tee is giving me a hard time.”

“I’m not surprised.” Shea was quiet as his gaze went up and down my frame. “You look good, Love. Doesn’t Mommy look pretty, Ocean?”

Ocean popped his face back into the camera with ice cream all over his mouth and bobbed his head. “She does. She always does.”