Page 44 of A Hood Wife And A Rich Goon

Eazy extended his hand, giving him a firm shake and nod.

“Nice to meet you, OG. Let me go wash my hands, and I’ll be back down.” He started toward the stairs.

When he reached the top, he found Essence coming out of what used to be her bedroom when she lived here. Much like his, she still had her entire childhood behind that door and slept over all the time. Their grandparents made it clear when they took them in all those years ago that this would always be their home, and they could come back to it at any time. All either of them wanted to do was get out of there and get their own shit, though.

“I can’t believe you showed up for this.” Essence stopped near the door to his room as he pushed it open and stepped inside.

“Shit, nigga gotta eat.” Eazy took his shirt off and tossed it in the laundry basket in the corner.

With only a white t-shirt remaining, he ducked into his bathroom to wash his hands. He smelled like the gallery and weed since him and Jewel smoked like two trains all day while packing orders. Essence leaned against the doorframe and tucked her arms over her breasts.

“What’s wrong with you?”

“Nothing,” she grumbled. “I just don’t like people.”

“Kissa seems cool, though. What you tripping for?” A questioning frown marred his features.

“I don’t know. Maybe I’m just tired. Of everything.” Essence tapped her foot anxiously, her face hardening into a despairing grimace.

“Gotta be a little more specific, sis.”

“We ain’t no Huxtables, bro. I get the sentiment for Kissa and her family, but that ain’t us,” Essence pointed out.

“It ain’t, but I don’t see nothing wrong with it. I haven’t been here, but they getting old. I think Taci is probably lonely. Neither of us has kids, so just chill. Have some dinner and try to relax.”

“Since when you so family oriented or give a damn about anybody being lonely?” Essence turned her nose up.

“I ain’t say the shit was for me.” Eazy shrugged and thought about Bull. “You know I don’t give a fuck.”

“Not anymore.” Essence pushed herself from the wall.

“What that mean?” he pried, pausing with his brows bunched together.

“Nothing.”

“You got some shit to say, E? Don’t bite yo’ tongue.”

“It means Niva died, and you went into some dark hole. Then you took off. You pop up here saying you got a new job, and that worries me more than you being away.” Locking eyes with her brother, silence engulfed them before he pulled at his t-shirt on his shoulders to adjust it.

“I talked to Bull. We good. Me and Jewel got a good thing going at the gallery. All this shit is temporary, E. Whether you believe this shit or not, I do have a long-term plan. How about you quit worrying about everyone else and be selfish for once. Do something for you,” he encouraged.

“You talked to Bull? How is he?” she asked, unable to stop herself.

Seeing him with Toni and their kids, shit was a wakeup call. He wasn’t sure he was ready for all that, but he wasn’t as closed off to trying to build relationships as he was before. If Bull could switch up like that, Eazy thought maybe it wasn’t as impossible as he once thought. All he knew was the goon life, as they called it. Wasn’t no riding the fence. You was in or you was out. It took commitment to do what they did.

“He seemed cool.” Eazy didn’t want to elaborate because although Essence never let on about her feelings for Bull or vice versa, he knew she gave a fuck.

Her entire life consisted of keeping herself single in case Bull became readily available to her. Eazy didn’t want to be the one to let her down, but he had to keep it real.

“Just cool? What did he say? Did you meet his wife?” Essence interrogated.

“E, I love you. So, just hear me, aight. The shit with Bull, I know y’all have a bond. I would never doubt that. I even believe if anything was to ever happen to you, he would be there for you with no hesitation, but… he does have a family now.”

“Yeah. I heard about it,” she sneered, eyes rolling heavily.

“You might have heard different versions of it, but from what I can tell, shit real over there.”

His words made her pause. She nodded and took a deep breath before exhaling. Letting go of the notion that her and Bull would end up together was a hard pill to fucking swallow. He was the only man she ever imagined sharing a life with. Knowing that would never be a reality left her heart cracking in her chest. She’d carried on the delusion long enough, and Eazy wouldn’t lie to her about no shit like that.