Page 43 of A Hood Wife And A Rich Goon

“Lotus!” she heard him yell before she hung up and blocked him yet again.

“Clown,” she muttered.

Sitting there on the stoop, she continued to toot off her joint until she heard the beat rumbling the street from down the block. Something told her the rattling belonged to none other than Eazy. Sure enough, a few minutes later, he parked on the curb outside his grandparent’s home and shut his car off. He wasn’t alone. Jewel was with him, and they strolled toward the house, chopping it up about their day.

“Why you sitting out here?” Jewel questioned.

“Minding my business like you need to do.” She blew weed smoke toward him.

“Always with the smart-ass mouth. The girls here?”

“In there with Summit and Taci.” Lotus tossed her head over her shoulder.

“It smells good. A nigga hungry. Rhema didn’t come over?” Jewel asked, thinking about his baby mama.

He’d had his fill of bitches with no substance the last couple of months, but he was missing the shit out of her. Things ended with her when their daughter, Clover, turned four. That was almost two years ago, and Rhema was sticking to her fucking guns. He didn’t hear about her in the streets fucking around, though. She’d always been a good girl. He was the closest to the streets that she’d ever been in her life. As wifey and the mother to his children, she was perfect, but Rhema wasn’t going to be that dummy to keep going back and forth with him. Bitches got reckless and possessive over him. He didn’t let the disrespect fly for Rhema when he was present, but that didn’t stop bitches for coming for her when he wasn’t around. She wasn’t hood like that, and she didn’t deserve to have to constantly defend her relationship or who she was to him.

“She said she had plans.” Lotus put her joint out gently on the concrete.

“What kind of plans?” Jewel’s brows bunched together.

“I don’t know, Jewel. I’m not her fucking keeper. Does it matter?”

“Better not be another nigga,” he murmured.

“And what if it is? She’s single, and you’re fucking anything not nailed down,” Lotus jested. “Let her live her life.”

Jewel muttered some shit under his breath but stepped past her to go inside. He was such a big baby when shit wasn’t going his way. Eazy stepped up, and Lotus skimmed him carefully in his jeans, black button-up shirt, and black Air Forces. She assumed the leather jacket was part of his signature look. It sat perfectly on his broad shoulders, and all she smelled was genuine leather and the faint scent of his cologne mixed with weed. The diamond link chain across his chest sparkled against the night light.

“What’s up, mean ass?” Eazy greeted her.

“Living the dream.” Lotus rolled her eyes and stretched her arms in front of her with her fingers locked together.

“You straight?” he asked, tilting his head, which oddly enough caused her to do the same.

He didn’t know her like that, but something was going on behind those bright, almond shaped eyes of hers. When her tongue swiped across her lower lip, his dick jerked, remembering how it felt when she did that against his lips and chest.

Lotus lowered her arms and her gaze.

“You don’t have to check on me. I can take care of myself.”

“That ain’t what I asked.” Eazy inched closer.

“Well, that’s all I got.” She stood and yanked the back door open.

She couldn’t let herself stay around him alone for too long. He was charming as fuck, and she couldn’t stop thinking about their encounter when she closed her eyes the last few nights. The type of feels Eazy gave her were different. She knew with a single glance he could fuck up her life. He let her step inside ahead of him, smirking candidly because he knew he’d rattled Lotus. She seemed to be able to keep up, though, which was rare. He usually ran across them ditzy bitches ready to submit for a shopping spree or two. Normally, he was cool with keeping people at arm’s length, but there was something about her that tugged on the need for intimacy he thought was dormant in him.

Kissa and Javon prepared the serving dishes to take into the dining room. Lotus’s father leaned against the counter, bringing a hot Hawaiian roll to his lips when he spotted his daughter walk in with Eazy. She tightened up like she did when she was hiding something or didn’t want him to ask her about something and shoved her hands in her jacket pockets. He could tell from her low eyes that she was buzzed and caught on to Eazy pausing behind her.

“Hello, Ezekiel! I hope you’re hungry,” Kissa greeted him. “Take that in there.” She shoved the dish with the mac and cheese into Lotus’s empty hands.

“Always.” Eazy rubbed his stomach and smiled.

Javon was the same complexion as Lotus, and she shared his nose shape too.

“Nice to meet you, Ezekiel. I’m Javon Bailey. Kissa’s husband and Lotus and Jewel’s father.” He nodded to his daughter escaping the room.

She didn’t have time for him or his line of questioning.