Page 50 of Intercept My Heart

“You already know I don’t care to go to any games that you all are not playing in, especially if I have to dress warmly in order to focus. I’ll pass on that one.”

“Yeah, you can definitely go.”

“Why are you making promises when you don’t even know if we’re your kids yet? We both know that as soon as those results come in, you’ll be back to your regular life, spending money on bottles and bitches, right?”

“Moolah! This is my last warning,” Charae hissed under her breath.

“I apologize, Mama. I just don’t want ol’ boy getting my brother’s hopes up when I know he won’t be around for long.” Life must have taught him not to trust, and as a result, he pushed against any form of change in his life. However, I wasn’t the type of nigga to say anything I didn’t mean, and he would learn that sooner rather than later.

“Do I break my promises, Sunny?” I folded my arms on the table as I stared directly into her eyes.

“No. No, you don’t,” she answered with her eyes shifting to her plate. Even though we didn’t end on the best terms, my track record spoke for itself. Whenever she needed me, I made myself available to her, and had she told me about her pregnancy, I would have been there for her from the very beginning. She denied me the opportunity, and her reasoning still didn’t sit right with me.

The rest of our lunch, Cash and I talked about all things sports related. Moolah only spoke directly to his brother, and I chose not to say much about it. He needed time to adjust to everything, and he wasn’t the only one.

“You have a bowling alley and a movie theater in your home? That’s crazy. I’ve gotta come check it out,” Cash expressed.

“Why wait? We can go right now if you want,” I offered, since Moolah was so convinced that I wouldn’t be able to keep my promises.

“Can we, Mom? Please? We don’t even have to stay long. I just wanna play one round of bowling,” Cash pleaded.

“I don’t know, baby. I have to be at work in an hour, so you wouldn’t have much time over there.”

“I mean, they can always stay with me until you get off. If that’s okay with you.”

Charae’s eyes widened at my suggestion. “Umm, are you sure? I’ve never left them with anyone outside of Tamia. Are you guys comfortable with that?” Once again, she took a moment to gauge their expressions and opinions.

“I want to go!” Cash expressed excitedly.

“You already know I’m not leaving my brother with a stranger, so if he’s going, then I’m going.” I chuckled. Moolah refused to acknowledge that he wanted to go on his own, so he used his brother. It didn’t matter one way or the other, as long as they came.

“Okay. Well, I guess that settles it. Can you take down Tamia’s number, just in case something happens to them and you’re unable to reach me for some reason?”

“What do you think is going to happen to them?” My face frowned up because you would have thought she was handing off two newborns.

“Look, I may know you, but you don’t know them. If an emergency were to come up, you wouldn’t be able to answer any of the necessary questions an EMT or nurse may need answered. I just want to make sure all bases are covered because these two are my lifeline. I’ll kill you where you stand if anything were to happen to them on your watch.”

“Man, get out of here. I wouldn’t allow anything to happen to them, nor would I put them in harm’s way. Besides, I’m sure they would jump my ass if I did something they didn’t approve of.”

Sunny looked at us skeptically as if she wasn’t sure if she should trust me or not. It did something to my soul to see that she had lost so much faith in me. I used to be the only person she could trust, and now she was grouping me with everyone else. The shit set me off, so I needed to get a few things straight before they came with me.

“You must have forgotten who you’re dealing with, but we’re gonna get that shit straight before it’s all said and done. I sent you my address, and you have my location. That way, you won’t have any trouble finding the place. The code to the gate is your birthday. Y’all say goodbye to your mama,” I instructed, walking off to unlock the doors to my Lambo so the boys could get in.

Once I got inside my whip, I sat there and watched her until she pulled off. I didn’t know what the hell we were going to do, but I planned to change all of their narratives about me.

“Girl,hurry up and open that damn email!” Tamia fussed at me through the phone. I called her in a panic after I saw the email from the DNA testing center had finally come through. Dinero hadn’t texted me, which made me worry. I wasn’t sure if it meant he hadn’t gotten it yet, or he had looked, and the twins weren’t his.

“Did you forget that I have a date tonight? I don’t think it would be a good idea to open these until I get back home because, depending on the results, I may not even have an appetite,” I vented. We were supposed to get the results last week, but they reached out to let us know they were backed up and would get them to us as soon as possible. My anxiety spiked the moment these results hit my inbox, but they would have to wait.

I had put off the date with Therron for long enough, and mama needed a night to get cute and have a good time. Cash and Moolah were at a friend’s house, so I used my time wisely. Plus, if the date went south, I could make up an excuse that I needed to pick up my sons, which wouldn’t be a complete lie.

“Oh, yeah. I forgot you were going out with that sexy piece of chocolate. Even though I’m secretly rooting for you and yourmaybe baby daddy to get together, I wouldn’t mind you getting your back blown out by that fine ass giant.”

“You are terrible. Anyway, I don’t have time to fool with you. Just be here with a strong drink when I get back from this date.”

“I’m packing my overnight bag as we speak. I don’t think we’ll need the tissue, but I’ll bring some just in case. I’ve also moved my morning appointments in case we end up going to bed late. I’ve got you covered, boo.” Having someone like her in my corner made all the difference in the world. She got tired of me thanking her, but it would have been nearly impossible to get through these years without her by my side.

“I love you, Mimi. I’m gonna treat you to a full body massage and a manicure on me.”

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