Page 71 of Intercept My Heart

“Hey, what are you doing here?” Sunny stared at me with concern in her eyes. I wasn’t quite sure what to say as she continued to search my face for answers.

“Come in.” She held her hand out for me to grab before leading me into the house. I followed behind her as she led me to the living room. I took a seat on the coach, but I stumbled a bit.

“Here, drink this.” Sunny handed me a bottle of water.

“Thanks.”

“I’m not one to judge, but I don’t like the fact that this is becoming a pattern for you,” she stressed, taking a moment to observe me. I could see her eyes analyzing me, and it made me uncomfortable.

“What is becoming a pattern?”

“When something in life becomes too much for you to handle, you run straight to the bottle. Alcohol won’t cure your problems; you know that, right?” she asked, with a serious look on her face.

“I never said it would. You’re acting like I’m an alcoholic, but I rarely drink throughout the year. I’m not gonna sit here andpretend that life hasn’t been throwing haymakers lately, because it’s been an adjustment.”

“Tell me what’s going on.” I sat there wondering if I wanted to open up to her, but I realized that there was a reason I ended up here.

“Today is the anniversary of my daughter’s death,” I revealed. Sunny’s eyes widened as she covered her mouth.

“Oh, wow. I’m so sorry to hear that. I can’t even imagine how much it must hurt.”

“Yeah. I’m usually okay, but I guess it hits harder as the years pass. All I can think about are all of the milestones she would have hit by now. My girl would be a preteen by now. She used to beg for a brother or sister when she was little. I can only imagine how excited she would be to know she has two brothers. I’m angry that she won’t get the opportunity to grow up. I won’t get to grill her first boyfriend, attend her graduations, or walk her down the aisle.” Parents weren’t supposed to bury their children. They were supposed to be able to watch them grow. This shit wasn’t fair, and I had nowhere to place my anger.

“I won’t say that I understand where you’re coming from, but I can certainly sympathize with the pain you feel. Forever is such a long time, but I’m sure she’s up there smiling proudly. Every little girl wants to know what it feels like to be a daddy’s girl, and you were able to give her that, even if it were a short amount of time. It may not do much to ease the pain in your heart, but you should feel proud. She went to Heaven knowing she was loved and wanted. You and I both know how important that is for a child.” Her words soothed me in a way I hadn’t expected. She was right. I got the chance to show my baby the kind of love she deserved.

“Thank you. I needed to hear that.”

“It’s no problem,” she assured me. She was nervous about something, but I wasn’t sure what it was.

“I feel like I haven’t talked to you much since the night of your birthday.”

“Yeah, things were so crazy that night. I loved every second of it, but it took me a few days to recover.”

“I’m glad you enjoyed yourself.”

“Why did you do it?” Her pretty brown eyes were locked on mine as she waited for an answer.

“Because I wanted you to have a good time. The boys told me that you never do anything for yourself. I thought about all those years that you missed out on having a party and decided to do what I could to make you feel special.”

“I appreciate it, but you know you’re not obligated to do things for me. Yes, we have children together. However, I’m not your responsibility. As nice as the gesture was, I don’t need pity gifts. You had no way of knowing what happened to me, so you have no reason to feel guilty.” I was taken aback by her assumptions, and I sat there trying to think of the correct way to respond, but that politically correct bullshit went right out of the window.

“Baby girl, you’ve got me all the way fucked up. I can’t even believe you fixed your lips to say some shit like that. When have I ever operated out of pity? Everything I’ve ever done for you was because of my love for you. Nothing more and nothing less. You’re crazy as hell if you think I would drop that kind of money on your birthday because of guilt.” I huffed. My mind was blown, and she low-key killed my buzz.

“I wasn’t trying to offend you. I thought you were doing it because you felt bad, and I wanted you to know that you didn’t have to. I’m not insinuating that you have any reason to be guilty because all of that stuff is in the past.”

“You don’t get it, do you? Every single decision I’ve ever made concerning you has been out of love, and the fact that you’re still questioning that shit after all these years is crazy.Guilt isn’t the reason I take care of you or my sons. I do it because you’re my family, and it’s my job to make sure that you are happy and have everything you need. If you’re not happy and stress-free, that will negatively affect my kids. I don’t play about them, the same way I don’t play about their mama. Fuck outta here.”

“Okay, I’ve obviously hit a nerve. I’m sorry about that.”

“Your problem is that you’re so used to the people in your life not caring or considering you that you automatically assume that everyone has a motive when they do things for you. You’ve got to grow up and get out of that mindset, or you’ll mess up your blessings,” I warned as her shoulders dropped and her lip poked out.

“I’m sorry, Money. I wasn’t?—”

“And I’m tired of that bullshit too. I don’t know if you’re trying to be funny or you want to punish me, but that ain’t my fucking name.” This time, I got up from my seat and yanked her up from hers.

“My name is Dinero to you. Do you understand me? The world calls me Money because they don’t know me on a personal level. They don’t have access to the shit you have access to, and they can’t get to me the way you can. My friends call me that because they were in the streets with me. Every time you’ve ever called me, I’ve come through for you. Don’t you ever try to diminish who I am because you’re in your feelings. Don’t fucking test me, Sunny. I promise you won’t like the outcome. You got that?” My hands wrapped around her neck as we stood in front of each other. Her breathing was shallow, but it wasn’t out of fear. “I’m beginning to think you like testing me.”

“Maybe I do.”

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