Page 96 of Intercept My Heart

“If they score a touchdown, they win, but if not, there’s still a chance for them to win during overtime,” Montez commented.

“I’m not worried. My boy is about to bring it home.”

“Let’s go, Bro! Get that touchdown!” Cash yelled from the sidelines. They both hit their chest three times and pointed toward one another. The bond between them was something to see. Growing up, I always wanted a brother, and seeing the way they loved each other was why. No matter what happened in life, they would always have one another.

The clock seemed to be running fast, and my chest grew tight. My vision focused on Moolah, who was in position. He was ready, and there wasn’t a doubt in my mind. We trained for this. Moolah was hungry and determined to win. His skills were far more advanced than half of those boys on the field. This last play would solidify that.

“Number six, Cashynn Sutton has the ball, and it looks like he’s going to try to go all the way! Number forty-three is right onhis heels.” I tried my best to tune out the announcer so I could focus.

“Oh, shit!” I flinched when Moolah got tackled because he was already injured. I could tell he was in pain because it was taking him longer to get up. I wanted to pull him out so badly, but they were down to the last minute and thirty seconds. I planned to have his mom check him out as soon as I got to the room to assess the injury.

Moolah and I locked eyes, and he must have read my facial expression because he signaled that he was okay. They got back into formation, and I held my breath as the clock continued to run.Come on, Moo. Show these mothafuckas what you’ve got.

“Great pass by number six, Cashynn Sutton!” He lucked up by getting his regular jersey number. It seemed like fate if you asked me.

“Let’s go, nephew! Dig yo’ heels in that fucking turf!” Dreis shouted. It felt like everything was moving in slow motion as Moolah ran down the field. The defense was on his ass, but he shook over two of them.Come on. Come on.

“Defense is trying to get ahold of Sutton with no luck. Sutton pulled a fast one, leaping over number forty-three, Gerard Masson. What an incredible move!”

“What the fuck! Did you see that shit? Nephew ain’t playing with these niggas!” Moolah leaped over the player and immediately took off on them. Right now, there was only one defense player within four feet of him. He was gonna make this touchdown. The time on the clock showed ten seconds left, and he was almost there. Another defense came up on the other side of him, but they were still a nice distance away. Eight, seven, six. The timer was almost down, but Moolah was only a few steps away from the line.All you’ve got to do is put your foot on the line, Son.He couldn’t hear my thoughts, but I prayed he could feel my presence.

Five, four, three. Moolah dove into the endzone right before the buzzer went off. My heart damn near leaped out of my body when he landed on the ground.

“Touchdown! The Durangos win!” The crowd and the players went crazy.

The Durangos flooded the field in celebration as the whistle blew. Dreis and I cheered as they lifted Moolah up. We waited for a moment before the team finally dispersed. Moolah and Cash embraced one another, and I took out my phone to capture the moment. My boys were their brother’s keepers, and it made me even more proud.

Both of them ended the night with multiple awards after it was all over, so we hung around a while as they passed out the trophies and medals. Eventually, Sunny made her way onto the field. I smiled at the waddle in her walk. Our princess was sitting low, but she still had a long time to bake in there.

“Why do you have your lips poked out?” I nudged Sunny as she stood next to me.

“I wanted to fight you and Cashynn when you let him go back into that game. My baby could have been seriously injured.” She cut her eyes over to him and then back to me.

“I’m sorry, but the same way I ask you to trust me, I had to trust him. I considered pulling him out, but I know the kind of player our son is. He believed he could bring home the win, and I allowed him to do his thing.”

“Yeah, guess you two made a great team after all.”

“Hell yeah. My boy went out there and did what needed to be done.” I boasted. Nobody could take the pride I carried for my sons. They were everything a father could ask for.

“He called me pops tonight.” Sunny and I locked eyes. We were so connected that I didn’t have to explain any further. She understood what it meant to me.

“I wish I would have gotten the moment on camera. It was only a matter of time. As stubborn as he might be, you’re a great father. Nobody can deny or take that away from you. Our babies are blessed.”

“Did you see us out there?” Moolah interrupted our conversation as he walked over to us. He sported the biggest grin with the MVP trophy in his hands.

“Y’all really showed out tonight! I’m so fucking proud of you!” I praised, hugging both of them.

“Man, I’ve never been so fired up in my life. I wasn’t sure how the game was about to go.”

“My blood pressure was through the roof, but y’all looked good out there. The people in the stands couldn’t stop raving about the Sutton Twins. They said you were gonna carry on the Sutton legacy.”

“You hear that, Pops? Just wait until I get to high school and college. They’ll be posting our photos side by side, talking about how I’m blowing your stats out of the water,” Moolah teased.

“Man, get out of here. You’re gonna be great, no doubt about it. But you’re crazy as hell if you think you’re gonna run circles around me. I’m the original Money Sutton. Don’t you ever forget that.”

We took some photos, and a handful of coaches complimented the boys and expressed their interest in their futures. I wasn’t pressed about recruiters right now because they were so young. There would be plenty of time for that when they got to high school. We still had a few years to fully develop their skills. Plus, I wanted them to focus on their academics just as much as they did sports. The NFL was not a guarantee, and even if they did make it, it was important that they had a degree to fall back on.

After we finished, Moolah and Cash wanted to meet some of the other players for dinner. A couple of the parents offered totake them to an arcade near the hotel. Sunny looked exhausted, so we headed to the room so she could go to bed. Since most of us stayed at the same hotel, I handed them some money and allowed them to go. Both of their phones held tracking devices, so I wasn’t worried. They would either return my children safely or lose their lives.

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