Prince's POV:
The women I surrounded myself with once Mya had left me demanded the best of the best. Lavish vacations, new cars, my money, my name attached to theirs and I supplied everything they asked for because I was attempting to fill a void, one that only Mya Johnson could fill. Lavish, expensive things of value never impressed her. She didn't care what kind of car I drove, five star hotel rooms, how big my home was. She cared more about experiences, about saving money and loving me wholeheartedly without the public breathing down our necks. She loved me for me, even when the media did their best to tear us apart. She knew me and I knew her. The only difference between then and now was that we were learning everything about each other for a second time, a blessing in disguise.
The ocean breeze was refreshing as it blew in from the open sliding doors that Mya wanted me to keep open as she lounged in hammock with Ian just off the makeshift deck out back. They were having their own little conversation with him coo'ing in response to her voice every few seconds. She didn't notice me staring at them and only raised her head when I handed her a virgin Strawberry Daiquiri with a smile and cleared my throat. "Made it myself," Laughing, Mya took a sip and scrunched her face at how cold it was. Her shoulders were relaxed and her shirt was unbuttoned only showcasing her stomach and nothing else. She was being modest, sassing back to me a few seconds later
"Who e..else w..was going to make it? The i..imaginary bar..t..tender?" I scoffed playfully and took Ian from her, bouncing him around on my hip as she watched us before kissing my cheek and letting her lips linger.
I never thought I'd get a chance to fall in love with her again, to relive memories we made decades ago when she was in her early twenties and I was much older. I never thought I'd become her caretaker, to watch her go through the unimaginable and heal from it. I never thought I'd have to hire the best lawyers to clear her name, to prove that she was capable of being a mother. But yet, I wouldn't change anything, as chaotic as our reality was. Her deficits were becoming more noticeable and frustrating for her as the days and weeks since her stroke passed. Every time therapy seemed to drastically help, she was taking two steps backwards and it wasn't until I was sitting out on the beach with her when we arrived this afternoon that I noticed.
"I love you," I mumbled softly, smiling at her when her eyes brightened and her lips met mine once more. Ian was squirming around in my arms and her lips were coated with the frozen drink in her hand that I couldn't help but laugh against her mouth and pull away. "Come on, I want to give you a house tour." With Mya's hand in my free one, I slowly led her inside and left the sliding doors open as I listened to her questions and Ian's noises with nothing with gratefulness in my heart. She looked around every room with an unreadable expression before slowly telling me how beautifully decorated everything was. I had the house designed to fit both of our tastes at the time and based on the look she had on her face, that taste still stood today.
The whole house was open concept and had the capability to be completely open with the push of a button, allowing it to become an indoor/outdoor environment. If I was anywhere else, buying a home with that feature, a feature that gave no privacy and allowed for anyone to walk in at any time, would not be an option simply because of who I am. However, here, where we were virtually alone on top of a hill, I knew that I could do things I couldn't do in other places and so I waited until the moment Mya wasn't watching me. "Look up my love," I whispered softly and placed the remote in my hand back on the table in the dining room. Mya's head lifted and I smirked as her lips tried so hard to curve into a smile. The windows disappeared right before our eyes and soon, the breeze was blowing in from all directions. "H..how'd you do t..that?" She asked happily, turning to face me with Ian also looking right at my face, radiating the same expression and happiness as his mother.
