Page 42 of A Hood Wife And A Rich Goon

Bull’s chest tightened. He didn’t like that shit. When she tried to slip past him, he pressed the palm of his hand against her stomach, stopping her. He didn’t say anything, but his eyes softened in a way that she rarely saw when aimed at her. Usually, there was some kind of shield in front of them, like he was trying not to study her so hard.

“It matters.” His tone was low, causing flutters to erupt in her stomach when she caught the flicker of sincerity lingering in his gaze.

“No.” She shook her head. “I can’t do this with you.”

She pushed past him into the house, leaving him standing there, looking out at the pool. Bull was a strategic man. He always thought things through so he could prepare himself for the outcome. Choosing to marry Toni was the first time he didn’t see an end game. In the moment, all he wanted to do was make sure nobody harmed her or her baby. Then, her baby became his baby, and she became his wife, making them a family. Not only that, but he planted his own seed, and he loved Jou Jou more than his own life.

Somehow, the love for her and Breeze flowed right over to Toni, and he spent most of his time denying it. He fucked up and made a mess out of things, all out of loyalty to a brother who chose the life he lived and ended up paying for it. Most days he held a lot of resentment for Bronx, even if he was dead. His parents were also on that list. Entertaining Chai was just that. He thought fucking her would keep his mind off Toni and how she solidified a place in his life. She was everything a nigga like him didn’t deserve.

CHAPTER 9

ALONE WITH YOU

The following evening….

“Summit, that’s not how you do it,” Taci argued with her husband about how to play some game on the tablet that Cyn and Clover brought over with them for Sunday dinner. “You gotta go take the order then take it over to the cook and hurry up and bring it back to the table. You moving too slow.”

Seated in their living room, she and her husband had argued for the last twenty minutes.

“Woman, you’ll get your turn. Leave me the hell alone and let me play in peace,” he complained.

The girls sang karaoke songs from the TV together, not in the least bit worried about their two old, arguing asses. In the kitchen, Kissa made sure they had enough food to feed everyone while her husband, Javon, assured her that they did. He even grilled a few slabs of ribs at home before coming by.

In the dining room, Lotus examined old family photos on the walls of the Campbell home while setting the table. It was almost 5:00 p.m. when Essence stepped through the back door, slinging her purse over her shoulder and taking everyone in. Work pretty much consumed her life, so Kissa did a great job of making sure her grandparents were okay. She hadn’t expected a full house when she arrived, though.

“I didn’t realize we were having a party.”

“Oh, well, Taci insisted we have dinner tonight,” Kissa chimed in with a smile. “I hope that’s okay. We should be done by eight. I’ll clean up everything and make sure we’re out of here. I just didn’t want to shut her down. She seemed happy about it.”

“No. That’s fine.” Essence forced a tight smile on her face. “I’m going to change and get comfortable.”

“Dinner should be in the next twenty minutes,” Kissa told her.

“Table is set. I am going to take a smoke break.” Lotus started toward the door in her Ed Hardy Hoodie and letterman jacket slung over it.

“I have told you time and again, Lotus Bailey, it is unladylike to smoke,” Kissa warned.

“It’s also unladylike to cuss a mothafucka out or beat them until they are black and blue, Ma. You really gotta choose your battles in this life. I choose peace, so it’s best for everyone if I blaze up every once in a while,” Lotus volunteered.

Her parents shrugged off her pessimism and let her do her thing. Nobody was going to convince her that weed was a bad thing. Lotus took a seat on the stoop outside the Campbell’s back door and brought her joint to her lips. After she lit the tip, she took a deep pull and held the smoke in her lungs before lifting her head and exhaling into the sky. When her phone went off in the pocket of her hoodie, she reached inside to check it. For the last couple of days, Evren wouldn’t let up. She blocked him, but he kept finding a way through on different numbers. Sighing, she decided to pick up. All she wanted to do was get this nigga to fall back and leave her alone.

“What!” she snapped, bringing the phone to her ear.

“Lotus. Baby, what’s going on? Why you doing me like this?”

“Evren, seek help. Why the fuck are you still calling me?”

“I love you,” he whispered.

“You’re crazy! You have a whole wife. You have children. There is no way in the world you could possibly love me. You lust for me. There is a difference.”

“How can you say that to me after all the shit I did for you!”

“Look, just run me my last paycheck, and we’re good. You can go back to Michelle and the kids. Hey, you can find a new side chick. Just leave me the fuck alone. We’re done. How else can I say this?”

“This wasn’t just some random shit for me.”

“Well, that’s too fucking bad, because that’s all it was for me,” she clarified. “Do us both a favor and forget about it. Move on. I’m sure there’s some other poor, desperate little bitch out there waiting to be next in line.” She snatched the phone from her ear.