Page 53 of Intercept My Heart

“Only for the ones who do exceptionally well in the program. A little extra motivation for them, you know?” I spat. Dinero glared at me as I bit down on my bottom lip.

“You’re a real comedian. Bring your ass on. I already know you’re trying to stall, and I’m not going for any of that.” He grabbed my hand in his, leading me into the living room. I felt like a kid about to give a speech in front of the whole class. My nerves were through the roof, and I was sure he could feel the sweatiness of my palms.

Once we sat down, I tried to put some space between us, but Nero wasn’t having it. He slid me right back to my original spot next to him.

“Do you want to look, or should I? Maybe we should both look at the same time,” I rambled.

“Relax. You have no reason to be nervous. I’m not gonna freak out or anything. We’re simply handling business so we can make sure these kids know where they come from.” His words would have been reassuring if the circumstances were different.

“Right.” Taking a deep breath, I pulled out my phone from my purse. Heading right to the email from the DNA center, my hands began to shake.

“I can’t do this. Can you look for me?” My chest heaved up and down, and a panic attack was setting in. Dinero must have noticed because I felt his hand on my thigh. He gave it a light squeeze for reassurance, but it did nothing to calm me down. Tears streamed down my face as I tried to put on a good front. I had no idea what was on those results, but the thoughts of how we even got to this place caused my chest to tighten.

I’d spent all these years trying to bury what happened to me, but all of this reminded me of just how serious the situation truly was. I loved my boys more than anything, but would that change once I found out the truth? What if they really did belong to Drake?

My head shook as I attempted to rid myself of any negative thoughts.

“Breathe for me, Sunny. It’s gonna be okay.” My eyes were closed, but I heard Dinero’s voice loud and clear. “Come on, baby. In and out. In and out. Breathe in deep, hold it for five seconds, then let it out.” I listened to his words, willing myself to follow the instructions.In and out, Rae. “You’re okay. I promise I’m right here.” He held onto my hand while his other one rubbed circles across my back. “Good job, baby girl. Nothing can hurt you unless you allow it to. You’re one of the strongest people I’ve ever met, so I know you aren’t gonna allow this to get the best of you.”

There was something about a person calling you strong that humbled you. Clearly, he saw something in me that I didn’t see in myself. We sat there for a few more moments, with me trying my best to get it together.

“Okay, I’m good now. I’m sorry about that.” I hated being so emotional and vulnerable around him because we were no longer in that type of space with one another. There used to be a time when I would go to him for everything in my life, but now so much had changed, and so much time had passed.

“Are you sure? As anxious as I am, I would be okay with us waiting a few more days if you aren’t ready,” Dinero offered.

“Weren’t you the same person who demanded I leave my date early to come home?” I chuckled, wiping the remaining tears from my cheeks.

“If we’re being honest, I would have made you leave that lame ass date whether the results were in or not,” Dinero declared, shrugging his shoulders as if what he said made perfect sense.

“And why is that?” My head turned to face him, and the frown adorning his handsome made me smile.

“Because whoever he is doesn’t have a clue what to do with someone like you.”

“How would you know?”

“Everyone doesn’t know how to handle fine China. Things of great value gotta be handled with care—something a lot of these fools know nothing about.” My words got caught in my throat, and when I glanced down, I realized our hands were still locked together.

“I’m ready. I’ve already made a fool of myself in front of you. We might as well get it over with.”

“Naw, you can never be a fool in my eyes. You must have forgotten that I know you. The real you. You couldn’t hide your emotions from me if you wanted to.” No lies were spoken. Iguess I was in my own head, and it was time for me to put on my big girl panties.

Dinero looked at me as if he was waiting for me to change my mind. Nodding, I gave the okay to continue. He switched his hands before grabbing his phone.Breathe, girl. I gave myself a pep talk. Time seemed to move in slow motion as I waited for him to tell me what the test said. My leg began to bounce impatiently. I didn’t want to say anything so he wouldn’t think I was too pressed.

“Do you want to see it?” My head shook vigorously.

“No, just tell me what it says.”

“Well, I guess I can officially say that Moolah gets his stubbornness and smart-ass mouth from me.” He chuckled with a hint of pride in his voice. It took a moment for my brain to connect the dots, and once it did, I wanted to pass out. There were no words to express the pure relief in my heart when he said that.

“Are you serious!” More tears fell as I processed this news.

“And Cashmir?” I’d heard stories of twins having different fathers, so I wanted to make sure.

“He’s mine too, although I think he acts more like you. Quiet and loyal. He isn’t a hothead like his brother, but I can tell that if he had to throw hands on behalf of either one of y’all, he wouldn’t hesitate.” I giggled, thinking about the vast differences between my boys.

I’d never been around twins prior to them, but I always assumed twins did everything the same as one another. Now I would say the twins had their own language as babies and even now. However, they were completely different.

My emotions got the best of me, and all I could do was cry. I regretted all the time I wasted not taking the steps to learn the truth. I allowed my fear from my trauma to hold me hostage, and in turn, I robbed my children of a father for all these years.

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