Page 118 of Intercept My Heart

“This is my family too. You already know how I’m coming. Hit me up later.”

“Will do.”

I sat on the couch for a moment, lost in my thoughts. I’d always prided myself on being someone who was on top of things. Nobody in the streets could ever get over on me because I read them like a book. Now I was sitting here trying to figure out how in the world Harper had gotten over on me for so long.

Maybe it was the guilt of losing our daughter that caused me to overlook her behavior. Or maybe it was the fact that I didn’t care about her enough to question her motives outside of our relationship. Whatever it was, I realized I had dropped the ball.

“You good, Pops?” Moolah probed.

“I should be the one asking you that, shouldn’t I?”

“I already told you, I’m fine.”

“Yeah, but you shouldn’t be. You shot someone today, Moolah. Something like that has a major effect on people’s emotions. Even if it was done for the right reasons, it can cause a lot of sleepless nights and nightmares.”

“I’m not worried about any of that. At the end of the day, I did what I had to do to protect my family. I don’t feel bad or guilty. That lady was trying to kill us.”

“I know, and I’m sorry I put you in that situation.”

“You don’t need to apologize. I know you would never do anything to hurt us or put us in harm’s way. You don’t have to watch me like a hawk; I promise I’m okay.”

“I think that’s what scares me the most. I don’t want you to feel like you have to grow up fast or handle things that are meant for adults. My childhood was taken from me at a very young age, and I don’t want that for you. I want you to live. Have fun, make mistakes, and do the things that normal teenagers do. It’s my job to protect y’all and not the other way around.” I saw so muchof myself in him—his fearlessness, his determination, his closed-off demeanor.

There were so many things about my childhood that I wished I could go back and change, but I couldn’t. However, I refused to let my children grow up in any environment where they felt like they couldn’t be kids.

“When my mom talks about you, all she ever talks about is how safe you made her feel, how you protected her and loved her. She tells us how strong you were and how determined you were to reach your goals. If I’m anything like you, then I take that as a compliment. I may be a little rough around the edges, but I’m a good person.

“I’ve never had someone that I looked up to growing up. However, the more time I spend with you, the more I see myself wanting to be more like you. I haven’t met a single person who has anything negative to say about you. A lot of football players have great stats, but they also have a lot of scandals behind their names. You’re different, though. In the eyes of the world, you’re one of the greatest, and that’s what I wanna be one day. Granted, I don’t know if my record will be as clean as yours, but I want my name to mean something in this world.”

“You don’t have to worry about that. I can see the hunger in your eyes, and it reminds me of myself. My father used to say that Suttons go after what we want, and we don’t stop until we get it. You have everything it takes to be great, and I’m gonna be right there cheering you on every step of the way.”

“Thank you, Pops. I know I gave you a hard time in the beginning, but it was just because I wasn’t sure how long you were gonna be around. I didn’t wanna get attached to you, only for you to leave. It feels good to be able to talk to you about things that I know I can’t talk to my mom about. She doesn’t understand football or the reason why I go so hard. It’s just something about me and that ball that I can’t let go of. When Istep on that field, the world stops. In school, everybody praises Cash for being the smart and respectable one, but on that field, everybody calls my name. It’s just different.”

“You and your brother are both very unique in your own ways. However, even if you aren’t the smartest or the nicest, you’re still a great kid. Both of you are gonna go far in life, and I’m really grateful that I’ll be here to see it all. I’m proud of you, Moolah.

“What you did today was heroic. It may have been a fucked-up situation, but your instincts were to protect the people you love. I was scared out of my mind, but I knew that you could handle it. I love you, and I want you to know that will never change. You, your brother, and your sister mean everything to me. Your mama too. I’ll never leave you. As long as I have breath in my body, nobody could ever take me away from you.” Moolah wiped the tears from his eyes while I got up to hug him.

There weren’t enough words that I could use to express my gratitude for him today. I prayed we never had a situation like this again, but it gave me comfort to know that he could take care of himself. My phone buzzed in my pocket, alerting me to a new message. Stepping back, I retrieved the phone from my pocket to see a message from Uncle Ro.

Unc:

It’s time.

Those were the only words I needed to see. It was time to get to the bottom of all of this and put an end to it.

Wedding Day

As soon as I got down the aisle, I greeted the pastor before stepping over to the musicians. They were supposed to play Harper’s intro song, but I decided to change things up. I handed him my phone and the cable to connect it to the sound system.

“Start her song until she gets down the aisle, then switch it to this. I’ve already got it set for the part I want to play. All I need is for you to press the play button and ensure it’s clear.”

“Alright, I got you.” I could see in his eyes that there was more he wanted to say, but he chose not to. Once I made sure everything was in place, I got into position. Dreis and my boys stood alongside me with the rest of my groomsmen. We hadpracticed our roles a few times last night, so everyone had an idea of what they were supposed to be doing.

I watched as the bridesmaids began to enter the sanctuary. They were smiling from ear to ear while I stood there stone-faced. The only emotion that I could feel right now was anger, but I masked it as best as I could. When I noticed Harper’s maid of honor walking down the aisle, I glanced over to the musician to make sure he knew to get ready.

“May we all stand for the bride!” the reverend shouted enthusiastically. Everyone in the crowd wore warm smiles on their faces except for Sunny. Her eyes were locked on me as if she was reading my body language. I stared right back until Harper stepped through the door. My jaw flexed as she entered the room. Her eyes were filled with tears, and I wondered what she was so emotional about. I hadn’t been home in weeks, and I barely communicated with her.

She and I locked eyes while I stood there with my hands crossed in front of me. The music faded, and I took a deep breath in anticipation of what was about to happen.

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