Page 8 of A Hood Wife And A Rich Goon 2

Stepping aside, Toni widened the doorway for her to walk through. Jou Jou slept at the foot of the bed, and Breeze remained propped up against the pillows. Both of their shoes were left beside the bed. He studied Brenda when she entered and spotted the snacks in his mama’s hands. Toni settled beside Breeze, placing her arm around him so he could rest his head sleepily against her chest. Brenda’s heart fluttered in that moment. He reminded her of Bronx immediately. Tears flooded her eyes, and she released a shaky breath.

“Breeze, this is Brenda. She’s your daddy’s mama,” Toni worded.

When Brenda looked into her eyes, she understood. Toni was telling without telling.

“Can you say hi?”

“Hi.” Breeze waved.

“She brought some snacks. You want some?” Toni tore the bag of potato chips open and handed them to Breeze. “What do you think, Brenda? Toy Story or Cars?”

“Um, well, I always thought Toy Story was popular. How many of those movies is it now?” She frowned playfully.

“I think five,” Toni concluded, reaching for the remote and selecting the first Toy Story film. “Pick a spot and join us.”

Brenda rounded the bed, pausing to admire Jou Jou while she slept. She had Toni’s complexion, but from what she could see, that face was all Bull. Somehow, she’d found a silver lining in a night from hell. Times like this were rare with her boys. Braxton thought them spending too much time with her would make them soft. He wanted them to be men out the womb. Seeing Breeze lean against his mama and stuff Cheetos in his mouth widened the space in her heart instantly.

CHAPTER 3

STEP TO ME

“The fuck?” Lotus sat up in her empty bed.

The pounding at her front door instantly pissed her off. Eyeing her cell on the charger, she saw that it was too late for whatever bullshit waited on the other side. Crawling out of bed, she stomped down the hall into her living room. She reached for the bat in the corner behind the door and stood on her toes to look through the peephole. When she saw that it was Jewel, her eyes rolled back. Lotus pitched her door open and glared at her brother in the hallway before he pushed his way inside.

“Jewel, the hell you doing here?” she demanded, closing and locking her door behind him.

Turning on the heel of his black Timbs, he shoved his hands into the pocket of his black hoodie.

“Eazy told me to meet him here.”

Mouth still partially open, Lotus almost argued, then caught her brother’s tight scowl.

“What’s wrong with you?”

“The hell going on? Ma said you’re pregnant. This nigga Eazy got me coming over here like he run shit⁠—”

“Jewel, you need to mind your business.”

“Fuck that, Lo. You pregnant?” he asked, taking a few steps forward with his brows bunched together.

“Yes!” she hollered. “Damn!”

“Is it Eazy’s baby? You been fucking that nigga behind my back?”

“Behind your back?” Lotus scoffed. “I’m grown as fuck, Jewel.”

“That don’t fucking matter! You should have said something!”

Tears stung Lotus’s eyes, and she blamed the hormones because she’d never been that sensitive, especially not with Jewel. She blinked them away and listened to the keys jingling in her door before the lock turned and Eazy let himself inside with Bull behind him. Jewel threw his arms up.

“This nigga got a key too! You won’t even give me a key!”

“Stop yelling at me!” Lotus screamed. “And you ain’t got a key because you’ll use my house to bring random bitches over!”

“The fuck wrong with you, bro?” Eazy stepped in, face locked tight in a grimace.

Jewel was his boy, but he wasn’t for the disrespect of Lotus from anybody.