Page 43 of Intercept My Heart

“Yeah, I checked the trunk, and there were three. I might have a problem, but we’ll address that another time. Now, where are the shot glasses?” I stood back as Tamia rummaged through my cabinets. Once she found the glasses, she rinsed them out and then set them on the counter.

“Light or dark?” she asked, holding up the Don Julio in one hand and the Hennessy in the other.

“I’ll go with light. I still need to finish dinner.” I giggled. The last time I drank Henny, we were seconds away from being placed in the back of a cop car.

“You might be right about that What are we toasting to?”

“I have no idea.”

“Well, let’s toast that your sit-down with Dinero goes well, and we don’t have to jump him. Amen.” My jaw dropped, staring at my friend in disbelief.

“Tamia, please.”

“What? I thought that was a good one.” She lifted her glass, and the two of us downed our shots. Tamia sat with me while I cooked dinner. When I made the decision to move, she transferred schools with me. I begged her not to change her life for me, but she insisted that she wanted to be there for me. We shared a lot in common, as she was a foster child as well. She ended up being adopted by a family, but they sent her back because she didn’t fit in with their other kids.

Our bond grew from friends to sisters over the years, and I appreciated her more than I could ever express. The boys loved their godmother as well, and she spoiled them like they were her own. Tamia ended up changing her major from political science to nursing school. After graduation, she opened her own med spa, where she specialized in lip fillers, Botox, and weight loss injections, amongst a host of other services. I booked her for iron infusions monthly. She often booked celebrity or high-profile clients because we lived in a popular city.

I stuck to my dreams to become a physical therapist with a degree in sports medicine. I’d been blessed enough to work with professional and collegiate athletes. I loved my job, and helping my patients regain their strength and confidence encouraged me every day. The salary was more than worth it, especially when it came to my high-profile clients.

I was so proud of the both of us. We came out here and accomplished all our dreams. Her being here allowed me to have extra support for the twins over the years. Whenever I couldn’t pick them up, Tamia swooped right in and took care of them. When I walked across the stage to get my degree, I could only thank God for keeping me focused. These last thirteen yearswere rough for me, but being able to provide my children with the life I never had made it all worth it.

Moolah and Cash came in right as I finished up dinner. After we ate, they retreated to their own rooms. Although they had separate rooms, I often found them in each other’s. Biologically, they were fraternal twins, but most people assumed they were identical because they resembled each other so much. As their mother, I could tell them apart within seconds. However, they had gotten over on a handful of teachers over the years.

Tamia ended up passing out in the guest room, so I cleaned up the kitchen, then headed to my bedroom and turned on the water in the tub. I added some lavender bath salt before climbing in. My arms were wrapped around my legs, and memories from my past flooded my mind.

“Congratulations, Sunny. I’m proud of you, baby.” Nero showed all thirty-two teeth as he walked over to me with a giant bouquet of roses. My graduation commencement ended a few moments ago, and I still couldn’t believe I made it this far. I’d been through hell, but this moment held so much weight for me. I finally accomplished something I could be proud of.

“Thank you for coming.” I squealed, throwing my arms around his waist. I buried my head into his chest. My home. My safety net. Dinero came into my life and instantly became a lifeline for me. He motivated me to keep pushing when I wanted to give up. We would sit up for hours, quizzing each other on different subjects, and even when he left for college, he stayed on my ass. You would have thought he was much older from the way he carried himself, but I guess it came with the territory when you were forced to grow up fast.

“Where else would I be? My baby crossed the stage today. This is the only place I need to be.” Leaning down, he crashed his lips against mine. All the sparks and butterflies took over as he slid his tongue into my mouth. It had been a monthsince we’d made love, and I craved him like an addict fiending for their next fix. Sex carried so many negative memories for me growing up, but in a year’s time, Dinero filled my mind with nothing but good, pleasurable memories. His patience and gentleness made me want to do more to please him.

I watched videos on how to please your man because I never wanted him to feel like he needed to go somewhere else. He made me feel safe, and I wanted to hold onto that feeling forever.

“We’ve gotta chill because my dick is hard, and there are way too many kids around. Are you ready to go?”

“Yes, I’m ready. You still haven’t told me what we’re doing today.” Dinero paid for me to get my hair and makeup done, as well as buying my dress and shoes for graduation. He told me he wanted me to feel as beautiful as I was.

“All you need to do is sit pretty and let your man celebrate you. You know I’ll never put you in any position where you don’t feel safe, so you don’t have to worry about anything else. Come on.” Dinero kissed the top of my head, then grabbed my hand to take me to his car. He dropped me off earlier because he said he needed to take his car to be washed. He let me use his older Charger when he left for college, and I appreciated it. Being able to drive myself around made life so much easier.

I worried that I would be on my ass when he left, but typical Dinero made sure I had everything I needed before leaving for school. I loved him because of who he was as a person, but the way he loved and provided for me made me downright obsessed. It scared me to have someone so in tune with my needs and desires. He never asked for anything in return, and that alone let me know it was genuine, something I never experienced before.

When we pulled up to the house, I noticed a handful of cars in the driveway. It confused me because I didn’t have any family and neither did he.

“Come on, witcha scary ass,” he teased, kissing the back of my head before he stepped out of the car. By the time he opened the door for me, I noticed a head peeking out of the door. I assumed it was Tootie because she came by regularly to cook for us. Dinero held my hand as we walked toward the door.

“Don’t be nervous; I promise you’ll be fine,” Nero assured me. I trusted him, so I stepped into the house with confidence. The appearance of pink balloons and a large pink banner that read, ‘Congratulations, Charae’ were the first things I saw. Before I could ask questions, the sound of a bunch of people cheering and yelling “surprise” left me stunned.

“Congratulations, baby girl. We’re so proud of you.” Tootie stood in front of us with her arms outstretched.

I’d grown to cherish her overly affectionate nature because it filled a void in my heart. She possessed a kind and gentle spirit that reminded me so much of Dinero. Even though Roman was his biological family, Tootie behaved more like it. She never missed any of Nero’s games or any events he was a part of. She included him in her family celebrations and posted about all his accomplishments.

“What is all of this?” Most of the people here were strangers to me with a few familiar faces sprinkled in.

“It’s your graduation dinner. My best friend and I were up last night cooking up a feast for your special night. I hope you brought your appetite.” Her smile was so infectious I couldn’t help but smile right along with her. Tootie grabbed my hand and began introducing me to some of the guests. I glanced back at Dinero, and he blew me a kiss for reassurance. For the rest of the night, I laughed and enjoyed the company that showed up to celebrate me. I lost count of how many cards and gifts Ireceived, but it was more than I’d ever gotten before. Of course, Dinero had to be extra by giving me the most.

Tootie’s family embraced me as if I was a part of their family. We ate, danced, and sang to the music blaring through the speakers until we were tired. Tootie and her friends set me down and gave me the rundown on everything I would need in my first year of college. She even gifted me a care package with enough snacks, bedding, cleaning supplies, and feminine products to last for the first two to three months.

Once the night ended, Dinero helped me carry all my gifts upstairs. I sat in the middle of my bed in amazement at the amount of money in the cards. I didn’t even know it was customary to give money to the graduates until Dinero and Dreis had their dinner together.

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