Page 109 of Intercept My Heart

We sat and talked for a while longer. Eventually, we ended up joining the boys and Sunny in the theater room to watch movies. Sitting there with my first love and our children was an indescribable feeling. This was worth more than a hundred Super Bowl rings. They gave me a new sense of purpose, and my only goal was to provide for them and give them the kind of life they deserved.

“This is crazy,” I whispered, sitting on the couch with Sunny sitting on my lap with her head resting on my chest and a bowl of popcorn clutched in her hands.

“Yeah. I can’t believe Rickey got shot like that,” Sunny replied, referring to the movie we were watching.

“Naw, I meant us. I never thought I would be sitting here in this house with you. Now, here we are with our boys, with a little girl on the way. Life is wild. I feel like I need to pinch myself to make sure this shit is real.” Her head tilted up, and I lowered my head to meet her gaze.

“No need to pinch yourself. We’re really here. I haven’t felt this level of peace in years. I don’t even care about all of the things we had to go through to get here. I’m grateful our children get to experience my hero the same way I did.” Sunny reached up to caress my cheek, and I kissed the back of her hand.

“I’m still your hero after all these years?” I honestly didn’t feel like I deserved the title. I made so many mistakes that contributed to our separation.

“You’ll always be my hero. You’re the first person to show me what love really means. The one thing about heroes is that when they are done saving the world, they turn back into regular humans who are flawed and make mistakes. You’re my hero because of the way you love and protect me, not because you’re perfect.”

The rest of the night, I prayed for Tootie’s recovery while asking for guidance on how to handle the other situations in my life. I refused to miss out on any more time with Sunny. But if I didn’t handle things the right way, it would cost me everything.

“I feelweird going on a date when I’m carrying another man’s child,” I admitted, talking on the phone with Laiti and Tamia.

“Women do it all of the time. What are you feeling weird about? It’s not like Bryce isn’t aware of your condition,” Laiti reasoned.

“Don’t even pay her any mind, Lai. The only reason her ass feels weird is deep down, she wishes her date was her baby daddy.” She wasn’t completely wrong, but I didn’t want to admit it. Dinero had been very hands-on concerning me and the kids, but I wanted more.

“Speaking of baby daddies... Does he know you’re going on a date tonight?” Laiti inquired.

“No. Should I have told him?”

“Hmm, I don’t even know how to answer that. On one hand, I want to say it’s none of his business, but then again, you are carrying his baby.”

“I don’t think you need to tell him anything. You are going out to dinner. I could see if you were going to have sex with the man. Then I would say hell no. You don’t owe him an explanation. Besides, isn’t he engaged or something?” Laiti pointed out. Dinero refused to speak on the situation with Harper. All he kept telling me was that I needed to trust him. Itwas easier said than done because I couldn’t shake the uneasy feeling it gave me.

“You know what? I think you should tell him. Let him know you may need him to pick the boys up from my house because you’re not sure if you’re gonna be home tonight.”

“Tamia, you’re crazy. Then he would probably try to cuss her out.”

“Which is why I’m telling her to do it. Rae, I love you so much, and you know I’m always in your corner. However, I wouldn’t be a good friend if I didn’t keep it real with you. You’re a coward.” I jerked my head back in surprise from the harshness of her words.

“Damn, Mia. Tell her how you really feel.”

“I am. From the moment Money came back into the picture, anyone with eyes could tell he wanted you. You pushed him away because you were afraid to let your guard down with him. Now you are sitting here with a belly full of that man’s baby, talking about going on a date with a man you don’t even want to be with. Why? Because you’re too afraid to go after what you want. It’s like you’ve convinced yourself that you don’t deserve to be happy, so you self-sabotage.”

“I don’t know what to do. When we first started back fucking around, I thought it would be something casual. He was someone familiar who knew how to please my body. Then I got pregnant and found out about his engagement. I swore I would leave him alone, but I can’t. He makes me feel seen. When I’m with him, it’s like nothing else matters except us and our little family.

“Dinero has always been the one solid person I could depend on, and then he left me like everyone else. My trust is fucked up, and while I know I’ve made mistakes, too, I’m afraid to let him in. Losing him the first time almost broke me down, and I don’t ever want to feel that low again,” I reasoned.

“Money loves you, and you love him. It doesn’t need to be more complicated than that. You told me out of your own mouth that he’s always been there to rescue you. He’s put you above everyone else in his life. Don’t you think it’s time for you to make some sacrifices? Open your mouth and tell that man what you want, or get ready to watch him marry someone else.”

“What if it doesn’t work? What if I pour my heart out and he rejects me?”

“Then at least you can say you laid your cards on the table.” I took their advice and decided to text Dinero. It may have been a little on the petty side, but I wanted to gauge his reaction.

Me:

Hey, are you busy?

Baby Daddy:

Not for you. What’s up?

Me:

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