“You remembered,” she said instead of responding to his question. She didn’t have to. He could tell she did.
He chuckled. “All those days you spent at the one back home and ain’t ever invite a nigga? Yeah, Sky. I remember.”
She walked over to him and laid her head on his chest. He couldn’t help it. He needed to place his lips on her, so he pressed them against her forehead as he rocked her in place. They stayed in the embrace for a few heartbeats before she pulled away and looked up at him.
“This is beautiful. Thank you, but seriously, where is everyone?”
Moolah glanced up at the sky and then back at her. His grip around her waist tightened as he responded. “I don’t like sharing my Sky, so I made sure it was just us.”
He leaned down and kissed her cheek and led her over to the blankets in the middle of the room, saving her from having to respond. The last thing he wanted was to do too much and push her away, but damn it, he couldn’t help but say what came to his mind whenever she was around, and he honestly wasn’t sure he wanted that to change. He wanted her to know exactly what she meant to him so she understood all the reasons she should stay up under him, always.
The plush blankets and pillows felt as soft and silky as her dress. Iskyiah had never worn anything so expensive before, and she wasn’t sure she should be on the ground and eating with such extravagant threads. When she glanced over at Moolah, who wore a white button-up rolled up to his elbows with black slacks and a black vest, she realized he didn’t seem to care about his designer clothes. She wasn’t sure she could be so indifferent. Iskyiah delicately perched on the blankets with her legs to the right side of her while she put her weight on her left arm.
Her eyes grazed the finger foods placed on the long side of the blankets they sat on.
“This looks so great,” she commented, but the longer she eyed the snacks, the more she realized they were all her childhood favorites. She picked up a large bag of Hot Cheetos. “Really?”
She giggled, which made him grin in response.
“I know my girl, that is, unless your tastebuds have changed.”
“They haven’t, but I do try to tone down on the junk food these days. I gain weight a lot easier now than I did when I was a teenager.”
Not for the first time that night, his eyes slowly scanned her body, which caused her to squirm. She wasn’t uncomfortable. It was actually quite the opposite. Being in Moolah’s presence had awoken something in her. Something that had been dormant for a very long time, and she wasn’t really sure how to navigate it. Something told her she didn’t need to know. Moolah had everything under control, as he always did.
“A few extra pounds or not, you still gonna be the baddest thing walkin’.”
Iskyiah’s cheeks warmed. “Thanks,” she murmured as she lifted the lid off a beautiful charcuterie board. It had the typical meats, cheeses, and fruits, but there were also some chicken and steak skewers, roasted potatoes, and spreads. “Oh, now this looks good.”
“I figured I’d throw some actual food in there too. I wanted to make sure you had enough to eat.”
“You’ve always been so attentive to me . . . Why?” She busied herself with opening the Hot Cheetos and the Little Debbie Cakes so she didn’t have to look him in the eye. It took her a moment to realize he hadn’t responded, so she glanced up at him.
“If you gon’ ask me a question, Sky, I want you to look me in the eye when I respond.”
A chill ran down her spine. The issue with his request was she found it hard to look into those coal black eyes for long. Not only was he so damn fine, but he also looked at her as if he could see right into her very core. As if he understood her deepest fears and desires and like he was ready to tackle them all at once just so she could be happy.
She swallowed the cheese she had absentmindedly popped into her mouth and did her best to look into his eyes. When he seemed satisfied with her brown eyes on his, he responded.
“Because I love you. I always have, and I always will. I take care of the people and things I love. It’s that simple.”
Iskyiah gaped at him. Her heart galloped in her chest. How long had she wanted to hear such meaningful words from a man?
Not just any man. Him.
After they made love when they were too young to even know what making love really meant, Iskyiah had dreamed up a world where she and Moolah would be together. She was so certain that as soon as he came back to Desmore Bay, they would make things official. It hadn’t even been a concern to her that she would have to break up with Charles. What she felt for Moolah was beyond what she could ever feel for Charles, or any other boy, as far as she had been concerned.
So, when those moments never came, Iskyiah spiraled. She went through a rebellious phase, much to her grandmother’s dismay. She stayed with Charles because it was easy. At least she knew what she was getting into when it came to him. She graduated high school, barely, and then went to college, and then she got pregnant. She just kept trudging on, but pain went with her wherever she went. Her tender, young heart had broken completely, and it had yet to be fixed. As hard as she tried to put Moolah out of her mind, he stayed there like a pillar. Not only had he stayed in her mind, but he also stayed in her heart, refusing to budge.
Tears misted her eyes, but she focused on not looking away from him as she spoke. “You hurt me.”
He nodded solemnly. “I know. I been wanting to make up for that, my baby. I was just waiting for you to let me. Will you let me?”
This time, she broke eye contact. She looked behind him and took in the sky. It calmed her enough to gaze back at him after a few moments. “I can try.”
“Just don’t run from me.”
She saw vulnerability dance across his face, and she heard it in his tone. Her heart broke because she had to be honest with him. “I can’t promise that, Lah. I been through a lot . . .”
