Page 79 of Intercept My Heart

“These two, you need to pee on, and this one, you drop the pee in it. The best thing for you to do is pee in a cup and stick these in there, and then you can use the sample for this one too.”

“You seem well versed in all things pregnancy. Let me find out you’ve done this a time or two.”

“Listen, I told you I was a ho in high school. No, I’m not proud of it, but it’s my truth, so I’m standing in it. The Lord knew I didn’t need a damn baby, but those scares used to send me into a complete panic. Now stop stalling and pee!” I rolled my eyes and then did what she asked. My hands were shaking as if I was about to take a drug test that I wasn’t sure I would pass.

“Let me grab my gloves before you piss me off. Acting all scared when you were throwing it back without a care in the world.” Mia fussed. Tears sprang to my eyes when she walked out of the room because I couldn’t believe I had gotten myself into this situation. She returned within minutes and proceeded to dip the tests and drop the samples. I wiped myself, then got up again to close the lid back.

“We have to wait three minutes. Do you want to sit in here and read them together, or would you like me to read them to you while you lie down? You look like you need a nap.”

“I really hate you right now. My life is hanging in the balance, and you think it’s a joke,” I whined.

“Girl, please stop with the dramatics. You are having a baby. It’s not the end of the world. Besides, you are not doing this alone. I’m here, and I’m pretty sure your baby daddy will be here as well. Please dry your face because you’re acting up right now.” Using the bottom of my shirt, I dried my eyes. She made a valid point. A baby wouldn’t be the end of the world, but this wasn’t how I saw things going. Not only was I not married, but my child’s father was engaged to someone else.

Ding. Ding.

The timer on her phone went off as I took a deep breath.

“Do you want to look?” As much as I wanted to say no, it was time for me to be a big girl. Standing up from the seat, I stood over the counter. Two of the tests had two lines on them, but the digital one left nothing to decipher. The word ‘pregnant’ sat there on the screen, bold and black.

“They all say the same thing. I’m gonna be a god mommy again!” Tamia jumped up and down, screaming as if this was the best news in the world, while I remained frozen, my eyes glued to the tests. Of course, I checked the boxes to make sure they actually meant pregnant, even though I knew it was.

“Come on, girl. We need to get you cleaned up and looking halfway normal before the boys come back. You know how Moolah is, and he’ll pick up on your mood as soon as he walks through the door.” I nodded before taking a look at myself in the mirror.

“I’m pregnant.”

“Yes, you are. Now, come on. You’re more hardheaded than the kids.” Grabbing my hand, she led me to my own room, where I showered and then got in the bed. I planned on making food for us to have a taco bar, with today being Tuesday, but all of that would have to wait. I needed a nap in the worst way.

I heard a voice in the house, so I figured my sons had finally made it home. Dinero offered to bring them home throughout the week since he also practiced with the high school team on those same days. The boys wanted to watch him train his players, so they didn’t mind having to stay over a little later.

Ever since I found out about his fiancée, I’d been giving him my ass to kiss. When we finally talked, I made it clear that I would never be a side chick. He told me that he loved me, but none of that mattered anymore. I refused to deal with a man who couldn’t keep it real with me, especially considering our history. His fucking her was the reason we were no longer together, and I would be a fool to wait around for a man to choose me. Things had been awkward as hell between us, but I was glad the boundaries were in place.

As I stuffed my feet into my house shoes and traveled downstairs to greet my babies, I wondered how they would feel about having another sibling. Cash used to ask for one all the time when they were younger, but now they had settled into being the only two.

I was sure they would be excited either way because they never complained about much. Besides, they wanted to have a big family. I was the one with all the reservations. It bothered me that I wasn’t able to give them one in the traditional sense, but I prayed we would one day have one of our own.

“Mama always cooks tacos for us on Tuesday. You should stay for dinner,” I heard Cash suggest. I didn’t have to wonderwho he was talking to because the sound of Dinero’s voice stopped me in my tracks.

“It sounds good, but I have a few things I need to take care of. Speaking of your mother, where is she?” he asked right as I rounded the corner. I was sure I looked exactly how I felt, so I wasn’t shocked when they all stared at me.

“Are you good, Ma? You never take a nap this late in the day. Are you sick or something?” Moolah probed. My son wanted to be an NFL player more than anything, but he could have a great career as a detective with the way he picked apart every detail about a person.

“I wasn’t feeling well earlier. How was practice?” Their eyes lit up when they started to ramble about everything they had learned during practice.

“Then we got to watch Dinero with his team. I won’t lie. I may have been a hater at first, but his old tail can really move down that field.”

“Your little ass is gonna get enough of calling me old. I’m nowhere close to being old, and I’ll sweep the floor with you every day of the week. You must have forgotten what happened during football camp. Don’t let my age fool you. I’m still that nigga. Check my stats,” Dinero boasted with a goofy grin on his face.

The relationship between him and Moolah had grown so much since their heart to heart, and I could tell it made him happy. Cash embraced him instantly and began calling him dad. Moolah wasn’t there yet, but Dinero seemed to take it in stride. I believed a part of his hesitation came from his love for me. He felt like he was betraying me by getting too close to him. No matter how many times I expressed to him that there was no reason for him to hold a grudge, Moolah insisted that his loyalty belonged to me and only me. He was more like his father than either of us cared to admit.

“Is something wrong?” I asked.

“What do you mean?” Dinero continued to stare at me questioningly.

“You usually drop them off and leave. Is there something I’m missing? Are they in trouble?” I hoped I didn’t come off as rude, but I wanted to be prepared if there was something going on with them. Moolah hadn’t been in trouble in a long time, so he was overdue for a fuck up.

“Oh, no, they’re fine. I have some paperwork I need to go over with you. I figured it was best to do it in person so you wouldn’t be caught off guard later on.” My eyes squinted as I peered at him and the manilla envelope resting in his large hands.

“Okay. Boys, would you mind going upstairs and getting cleaned up? Dinner is running late, but all I have to do is cook the meat and set up all of the toppings.”

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