Page 44 of A Hood Wife And A Rich Goon 2

“What is going on?” Kissa questioned when they got closer and Jewel wouldn’t let up. “Why you two out here yelling like you don’t know each other?”

“Lotus, what’s wrong?” Javon asked, stepping closer to his daughter.

“Daddy was yelling at her, and some man too!” Cyn chimed in.

“Girls, come on. Let’s stay out of grown folks’ business and get you to the car.” Rhema urged them along and Lotus remained on the sidewalk trembling.

“Y’all just… go. I don’t want a ride anymore. I’ll just call an Uber or something.”

“No, you’re not,” Javon declared. “Jewel, take your mama home. I’ll take Lotus.”

“You call me if you need to talk, Lo.” Kissa pulled her into a hug, and Lotus held on a little tighter than normal but nodded in agreement.

“Thanks, Ma.” She sniffled and pushed away from her.

“I love you.” Kissa reached for her belly and gave it a rub.

“Love you too.” Lotus gave her a small smile but grilled Jewel, who shook his head and marched behind Rhema and the girls.

“Come on.” Javon pulled Lotus toward his black Lincoln Sedan while the rest of his family went in the opposite direction.

He placed an arm over his daughter’s shoulders and looked down at her while falling in stride beside her.

“Now, I don’t want to press, but you know you can talk about anything with me, right?”

“Not the kind of stuff you exactly want to share with your father,” Lotus muttered.

“Well, obviously something is going on with you and Eazy since he’s not taking you home. You saw the house?”

“Yeah,” Lotus croaked, tears building in her eyes. “It’s perfect.”

“I thought so too. He’s got a good eye. Good taste,” Javon said, reaching his car and pulling the passenger door open.

“I messed up, Daddy.”

“I’m sure it’s not as bad as you think it is.” He stepped forward and pulled her into an embrace.

“Now Jewel’s mad at me too,” she pouted.

“You and Jewel are brother and sister, Lo. You always fight, and you always make up. That’s not going to change.”

“But I’ve never had what I’ve had with Eazy before.” Lotus peered up into her father’s warm, loving eyes.

She’d been able to lean on him through the hardest times of her life, and Javon was always able to make her feel better. This was something different. Eazy was the real deal.

“I miss him as soon as he walks out the door. I want to be up under him all the time, and you know that’s never been me. It’s not just about the baby. The first night I met him, talking to him, looking into his eyes… it was the first time nobody had any expectations of me, and I didn’t have any of him. Then, somehow, he became everything I didn’t know I wanted. How does that happen?”

Javon reached down to touch her face, a soft smile claiming his lips as his baby girl batted her big brown eyes at him.

“That’s what we call love, baby girl.”

“Well, I don’t like it. I can’t control it, and I feel sick as hell knowing I’m going to walk into that apartment, and he’s not going to be there tonight.”

“Did he say it was over?” Javon questioned.

“No. He said he needed some space, and he was going to stay at Summit and Taci’s.”

“Then let him cool off. Whatever it is, I’m pretty sure Eazy ain’t just walking away from you or this baby,” Javon assured her.