Page 99 of Intercept My Heart

She smiled brightly, racing in the same direction as her brothers. I wondered how long Ciera and Christian had been together because there seemed to be a large gap between Charae Alise and CJ.

They were all adorable, although only two of the four resembled Ciera. It made me wonder who my little girl would take after. The twins stole my whole face, but I had a feeling this little girl would come out looking like an exact replica of her father. I would love it, though, because he deserved to have his own twin.

“Do you want me to take her?” he asked, gesturing toward baby girl.

“No, I’m gonna feed her, and she’ll probably fall right to sleep. Thank you for asking.”

“No problem. I’ll try to keep them out for at least an hour so you can spend time alone. You don’t have to worry about cooking tonight. I’ll grab something on the way home.”

“I appreciate that. Thank you, baby.”

“Anything for you.” He leaned down to kiss Ciera on the forehead. We watched them until they headed out of the door.

Ciera got up and made a bottle for the baby. Of course, I offered to hold the precious princess. I’d only been around little boys, so holding her heightened my excitement to have a little girl of my own. Once she returned, I grabbed the bottle so I could feed her. The relief on her face let me know she appreciated the break.

“You have a beautiful family, and I can tell your husband doesn’t play about you.”

“Christian is protective over me, but he’s even more protective of our kids. When I first met him, I was so afraid to open up to him, especially with him being in the NBA. The last thing I wanted was to be with a man in the spotlight,” she expressed. The emotions in her tone were filled with love and admiration.

“When I found out I was pregnant with Charae, I thought my life was over. Dox was so excited to have a baby, but I was too young to be someone’s mother. Hell, I never had one to be an example of what they were even supposed to look like. He immediately made an appointment to see how far along I was, and I still remember the glare on his face after the doctor told us I was five months pregnant. We had only been having sex for three.” She scoffed, shaking her head as she told the story.

“I finally managed to escape that hell hole only to be stuck with a permanent reminder of what I left behind.” I gasped when the reality of her words set in.

“Oh, Cece no.”

“Yeah. Charae belongs to Mr. Dennis. Dox ended up breaking up with me, even after I explained what happened. In his eyes, I was tainted, damaged goods. He still let me work for him, though. I was able to keep some money in my pockets. I wanted to terminate the pregnancy, but I couldn’t, due to how far along I was. It was one of the darkest times of my life, but I told myself that I would be okay. I had survived much worse, and I made it through.

“Charae turned out to be my biggest blessing. Having her motivated me to work harder so I could give her a good life. I got a real job and continued to help package drugs for Dox on the side. Then, after I turned eighteen, I went to the strip club for a while. Once the money started rolling in, I got myself a place, found a sweet elderly neighbor to babysit my little girl at night while I danced, and I ended up quitting my day job.

“I cried so many nights because life became too much for me, but I kept pushing for her. She deserved to have the best life, and I refused to let her down. Christian and his teammates ended up coming to the club one night while I was dancing. It may sound corny, but our connection was instant. When I danced on that stage, it was as if only the two of us were in the club. He never took his eyes off me the entire night.”

“So, it was love at first sight. How romantic.” I grinned.

“Girl, no. It was lust at first sight. We hooked up that night, and he fucked me until my lace started lifting. That pretty pink wig didn’t stand a chance with the way he folded me like Origami. After we finished, I dipped out on him and never looked back. In my mind, it was nothing more than a random hookup, but Christian had other plans. He showed up at the club one night, tossed me over his shoulders, and carried me out of there. I never went back.”

“Cece!” I laughed so hard my stomach muscles grew tight. Baby girl kicked, letting me know she was not pleased.

“I’m so serious. He sat me down and told me I could never go back. Within three months, he gave me a fake ass job as his assistant and moved me out of my apartment. I was nervous because I had Charae, but he loved her as if she belonged to him. After a while, she was walking around the house calling for her ‘da-da,’ and he fell for it every time. Even now, their bond is incredibly close. When we got married, he asked if he could adopt her and change her last name.”

“Aww, that’s so beautiful. I’ve spent so many years praying and wondering where you were. Being able to see you live the life you’ve always deserved feels like an answered prayer.”

“I feel the same way. Then, when Christian and Money spoke, he explained how he wanted your birthday to be special, and it gave me so much peace. That man loves you, and it’s crazy because I remember the crush you used to have on him.” My mouth dropped in surprise. I hadn’t talked about that with anyone for such a long time.

“Oh my God. I can’t believe you remembered that. I used to dream about him rescuing me and falling madly in love.”

“Well, I would say your dreams came true.”

“In a way, they did. He rescued me when I had no one else. Dinero made me believe in the impossible.”

“I know a man in love when I see one. Regardless of your differences, you’re a priority for him. Before you showed up, he called Christian to make sure you were safe and that we had a proper security system. He even sent a list of foods that you can’t have because they make your feet swell.” The two of us giggled, although I could not believe Dinero was being so extra. Before I left, he set a bunch of ground rules of where I could and couldn’t go. I asked him if he was my father or something, and his answer was yes.

Baby China fell asleep in my arms, and my heart wanted to burst. I held her until Christian and the kids finally came backhome. We ended up having pizza and wings for dinner. Since it was a family game night for them, they allowed me to play as well. Ciera and Christian played against each other, and the laughs were endless.

When it came time for bed, Ciera offered for me to stay with them for the night. Before I could even decline the offer, we heard a knock at the door. When Christian opened it, my eyes bulged in surprise. Standing at the door were Dinero, Cash, and Moolah.

“What are you doing here?” I inquired, kissing my boys on the cheek.

“We came to get our favorite lady. I know you didn’t think we were gonna let you spend the night away from home without us,” Moolah replied.

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