Page 20 of And It’s Still You

“As you can see, I can keep us alive. I’m not scared, O’Shea. I’m not the same fragile woman you were married to years ago.”

My words hit his back. He continued walking as if I didn’t say anything, and that further pissed me off. I barged over to him, almost falling when I made it to him from how dizzy I was. He caught me before I could hit the ground and glared at me.

“And as you can see, you’re in no condition to be doing anything but healing.”

“In case you forgot, I’m no longer your responsibility. Ocean should be your only concern.”

In one swift motion, Shea had me standing upright with my back against the wall. His stare was too intense. I moved my head, but he gripped my chin and brought my eyes back to his.

Why did I still love that man?

“With all due respect, I don’t give a fuck ’bout none of that, Moya. Us not being together doesn’t mean shit to me. I still love you more than anyone walking this Earth besides Ocean. If you think I’m not going to lay my life down to protect you, then you got me fucked up. Don’t forget, you still carry my last name. That stands for something.”

He released me and walked away again.

That time, I let him.

There was no use in arguing with him.

As badly as I hated to admit it, he had a point. A good one that I couldn’t argue with. The only thing I could do was take my loss and drag my feet back to the room. That little bit of confrontation drained me, and it didn’t take me long to fall asleep, wondering how I could keep my distance from Shea during my stay.

6

O'SHEA COLLIER

“You ready, Bubba?” I asked Ocean as we stood outside the bedroom door that Moya was occupying. Without answering, he opened the door, and I stopped in my tracks.

The glimpse of sunlight through the blinds was shining down on Moya. Since she didn’t have any of her things, I figured she’d be pissed when she woke up because her hair was all over her head. Her chest rose and fell in a steady rhythm as light snores escaped her lips with each breath. The way her bronze skin glowed made me smirk.

Watching her sleep used to be one of my favorite things to do. I could lie there for hours and take in her beauty. Too much time had passed since I’d been able to do so, and still, Moya left me in complete awe.

Ocean tugging at my shirt with his hands out brought me back to him. I carefully set the food tray in his hands and watched as he walked it over to her.

“Mommy?”

Moya’s eyes popped open at the sound of Ocean’s voice. Since he was born, the slightest sound he made would wake her. The nights I was home, I used to force her to go back to sleep so I could handle him. She would fight with me until sleep consumed her again.

Damn. I missed that.

“Oh, Bubba. You made this for me?” Moya cooed and tried to sit up. She winced, so I went over to assist her. To my surprise, she allowed me to. I helped her sit up straight and adjusted her pillow. “Thank you, Shea.”

“You’re welcome.” I glanced down at Ocean. “Show Mommy what you made her.”

Ocean placed the tray on Moya’s lap and rambled off the food he’d helped me cook. He woke me up early as hell, asking for something to eat. I was running off two hours of sleep. As tired as I was, I didn’t want him to wake Moya up. She needed to rest and heal.

“Oh, this looks so good, Ocean. Thank you.”

“You’re welcome, Mommy. Daddy did most of the work because he didn’t want me to burn myself.”

Moya cut off some of the omelet and took a bite. She closed her eyes and released a moan that made my dick jump. I had to hold my hands in front of myself to keep from allowing it to rise.

She glanced up at me and quizzed, “You knew this would hit the spot, didn’t you?”

I chuckled. “I did. I figured your favorite meal would be a good way for you to wake up.”

“That was thoughtful of you, Shea. It’s still as good as I remember. I try to make it at home sometimes, but it’s never as good as yours.”

“That’s because you don’t have the special touch like me. Maybe, I can pass it down to Ocean, and he can make them better than you.”