Page 49 of A Hood Wife And A Rich Goon 2

Taci gasped, and Summit paused in the middle of slicing his tomato for his sandwich.

“Eazy, that’s enough.” Summit’s tone was low. Even.

He’d only spoken to him a handful of times like that in his life, so Eazy knew he was serious.

“Nah, it’s okay, Summit.” Essence nodded with tears in her eyes. “I guess my big brother ain’t who I thought he was.”

“You not about to play victim in this situation when you on bullshit with this nigga. And I’m not about to sit around nobody that can sit around my fucking enemy! You put yourself in this position, and you don’t give a fuck about nobody but yourself.”

“That’s not true,” Essence argued, eyes on the salt and pepper shakers on the table.

“No?” Eazy placed his palms against the surface and leaned past Niva toward his sister. “He kidnapped Toni and her and Bull’s two kids. He was working for Braxton Andrews this whole fucking time. He’s the reason me and Jewel almost died. Why she supposedly died.” Eazy nodded to Niva but kept his penetrating eyes locked on his sister. “That’s who the fuck you’re laying next to every night. And I don’t give a fuck about you, Bull, or the past. If you can sit around that muhfucka and live with all the shit I just told you, that’s on you.”

Essence could barely see past the tears in her eyes.

“Essence, baby…” Taci reached for her hand across the table. “Listen to him. Eazy would never do anything to purposely hurt you, but… you don’t know this man.”

“I love him, Taci!” Essence shrieked. “He’s the first person in a long time who looks at me and sees me. He listens to me. He encourages me. All I ever am to anybody else is a means to something. Cooking, cleaning, making sure you and Summit are okay. Making sure the help I hire for you is doing their fucking jobs, on top of trying to work and build my own life. Which I didn’t have much of before Marchonne came along. We have fun, he’s romantic⁠—”

“I don’t want to hear that shit!” Eazy stood tall. “He did all that shit because he knew who the fuck you are. And anybody can see you fucking lonely and ain’t got no life, E!”

“Go to hell, Eazy!”

“You know what? You right. Why the fuck am I sitting here wasting my time when I got a new house, a woman I’m pretty sure I’m fucking in love with about to have my baby… my son,” he declared, shocking the room.

Summit leaned against the counter and simpered at the news.

“Some shit I never thought I’d have.”

“Lotus is having a boy?” Taci grinned.

Eazy went into his pocket for the sonogram pictures he’d tucked there so he could share. Summit came up behind Taci to look at the images. Now it was time for Niva to get emotional at the thought of Eazy having a child with another woman. It was enough to make her stomach turn as she leaned forward.

“Congratulations,” Summit voiced.

“Thank you. Too bad my son will never know his auntie.” Eazy took the images back, and Essence peered up somberly.

“That’s not fair,” she whispered.

The idea of never being involved in her nephew’s life rattled her in a way she couldn’t fathom. When she was younger she couldn’t wait for her and Eazy to have families and build what they never really had with their own parents. She wanted the Sunday dinners, birthdays, holidays, and family vacations they never got.

“He would never be safe with you with Midas around, and I’m not ever budging on that. So you do whatever you want with that. I gotta go. It’s been a long day, and I have to work tomorrow.”

He turned to go, but Niva hopped up from her chair to follow.

“You don’t miss what we used to have?” Niva’s question stopped Eazy in his tracks in the driveway. She’d followed him into the brisk night and watched him pause at his driver’s door. Success poured off him now. He was everything he said he would be, but now, she wouldn’t be the one he shared all that with, and it hurt. She hated Oracle even more now. He was the reason she and Eazy weren’t on the same page. If she’d come forward all those years ago when she first woke up, things would be different. At least that’s what she tried to convince herself of.

“I used to,” Eazy admitted, eyes briefly softening.

“What changed then?”

“Lotus,” he said with much conviction. “This baby we’re having. What we’re building.”

“Mmm, so just like that, you forgot about us? You got this brand new life and now anybody before don’t matter?”

“I see why you and my sister are friends.” Eazy chuckled. “You both like to play the fucking victim like you ain’t responsible for your actions. You chose to fake your own death and not reach out to me. You put all your trust in Oracle and your bitch ass mama! Essence going against me with a nigga who was involved in almost having me killed, but I’m supposed to play nice with this muhfucka cause she didn’t know and is so in love? Fuck out of here! I said what I said, and I meant that shit. You want to keep coming around here, that’s on you. I don’t owe you shit either.”

“Eazy—”