Page 71 of A Hood Wife And A Rich Goon 2

His expression softened, and he stroked her cheek. His sweet, beautiful, fearless ass wife. The way he’d grown to love her over the years still amazed him. She grew into the type of wife and mother a nigga could only be grateful for. A rare treasure. If he had to do this life shit with anybody, Toni was the only option.

“That’s it?”

“Whatever you’re planning. Whatever you think you have to do. Come home when it’s over. That’s it.”

“Always,” Bull vowed.

His phone suddenly went off on the table, and he frowned, studying the screen. Toni saw his expression and leaned in too.

“When the hell Taci learn how to FaceTime?” he asked, swiping to pick up.

Not only was Taci on with Summit in the background doing something in the kitchen while she sat at the table, but so were Kissa and Javon, Jewel, Rhema, and Eazy in a darkened room with the glare of a TV bouncing off him and Lotus sleeping against him.

“Yo, Taci, who gave you an iPhone?” Jewel asked.

“I got the plug,” she countered cockily.

“Let me fucking find out.” Jewel tittered, squinting at Rhema chatting with a doctor. “Rhem, who dat? Ain’t no Grey’s Anatomy shit going on up in there. I’ll come in there and knock all that shit over.”

“Jewel, the hell you know about Grey’s Anatomy?” his mother asked.

“They be fucking on there, Ma. All up in the hospital. Between surgery. In that on call spot⁠—”

“Oh, my God.” Toni covered her mouth and busted out laughing.

“Lord, Rhema don’t have that man coming up to that hospital showing his ass.” Kissa shook her head.

“Yo, the fuck is this call about?” Eazy was growing a little irritable because they were blowing the high he was trying to catch with his blunt.

“I am here to formally invite all of you to the house on Saturday. We having a cookout.”

“Yo, Taci… Lotus needs to rest⁠—”

“Ain’t nobody asking that girl to come over here and perform manual labor. It’s plenty of places for her to sit and be comfortable.”

“Ms. Taci, I kind of had plans,” Jewel argued.

“Cancel ’em.” She shut him down instantly.

“Ms. Taci.” It was Bull’s turn to try and weasel out of it.

“Bezai Andrews, don’t you Ms. Taci me. I’ve barely seen you, that wife, and those kids.”

“Baby, maybe folks don’t want to—” Summit intervened from the background and caught the evil eye from his wife. “Saturday it is. Around four,” he knelt and said into the camera for everybody to hear.

“That’s right. I am tired of this family acting like we got forever to fix shit. Now, one last time. I expect everybody here. And don’t be showing up emptyhanded.”

“Goodnight, Taci.” Eazy was the first to hang up.

Saturday afternoon…

The grill was smoking. Motown hits thumped from the big speaker on the back porch while Whistler and a couple of the ladies on the block line danced in the grass. With a cold Coors in one hand, and a joint in the other, he showed off his moves and grinded on a few of the ladies who allowed it.

Jewel bought cases of Cutwater and none of the old folks had ever tried them. Now he stood on the sidelines, blowing a blunt and cracking up as they all got loose. His girls and a few of the other neighborhood kids ran through the sprinklers in their swimwear and slid down the water slide while chasing each other in the small pool set up for them.

It was a good ninety-degree day as he looked around at the turnout. Taci said a cookout, but he wasn’t expecting the whole block to show up. Summit stood at the grill, poking and flipping meat over while chopping it up with a few other old heads. Eazy, Javon, Bull, and one of Javon’s retired friends slammed dominoes on the table nearby as Bull and Eazy passed a blunt back and forth. Taci and a few of her friends were inside with Kissa, preparing the sides, sipping wine, and talking shit. Every now and then, you heard them laughing through the screen door and open windows.

“You wrong for exposing these old ass people to that, Jewel.” Rhema came up beside him, shaking her head with a plate full of food.