DON’T HOLD BACK #5
“Antonia Taylor-Chambers. She graduated from Stonebridge High School. Went to school and got her degree in education and childhood psychology. Mother is a fucking drunk and drug addict, and she never knew her father. Onika Taylor-Chambers married Urso Chambers when Toni was three years old. He adopted her. He has a record, but it’s petty shit.
Nothing major, not even an armed robbery.
He’s a snake, but a different kind. Prostitution, nickel and diming, gambling.
He also has two daughters. No red flags on any of them,” Bull explained.
Eazy wasn’t surprised that he’d ran a full background check on this girl. Bull was cautious if nothing else. There was no way he was going to wife her and not know shit about her.
“I haven’t stopped looking for answers. Even if they lead me to some places I don’t want to go,” Bull divulged. “I just wanted you to know that and make sure we good.”
“Yeah. We good.” Eazy nodded and brought himself to his feet. “I like this crib. You seem to have something good here, bro. I know it probably took you by surprise—”
“This ain’t that.” Bull shook his head and joined him on his feet.
Eazy gave him a look like, “yeah right” as they moved toward the hall.
While he was walking him out, Toni and the kids emerged from the den.
With Jou Jou on her hip, Breeze followed her, hopping up and down with excitement.
She stopped next to her husband. Bull looked down at her and the kids.
Jou Jou opened her arms and whined for him.
Rolling her eyes, Toni handed her baby girl over and went to gather her purse and their jackets from the coatrack in the corner.
“Yeah, aight, Daddy,” Eazy jested.
“Fuck you.” Bull flipped him off.
“Bad word, Daddy.” Jou Jou wagged her finger at him.
“Keep him in check, niece.” Eazy leaned in and kissed her cheek. “Toni, thank you.” It was short and simple, but he no longer harbored fury in his eyes when he looked at her.
“You feel like going to the aquarium with a couple of bad ass kids?” she tested, a smile capturing her lips.
“I gotta get to work. It was a busy night at the gallery, and I gotta get this shit packed and shipped today,” Eazy expressed. “You, me, and Jewel need to link up and shoot some hoops. Been a while since I whupped y’all asses on the court.”
“You mean got whupped. Don’t play with me,” Bull corrected, making Eazy laugh and shake his head.
“Well, Bull is having a small party for his birthday. I will make sure he invites you. It’s going to be fun. I’m doing all the cooking, and there’s going to be plenty to drink. You can even bring a date.”
“I told you I didn’t want a party—”
“And I told you, I don’t care. You only turn thirty-five once, and we are going to celebrate,” Toni stipulated.
“Bet. It ain’t Vegas like we normally do, but I’m with it.” Eazy chuckled. “Sounds like what wifey says goes. Just let me know.”
He immediately thought of Lotus as his plus one. Shorty wasn’t fucking with him, though, so he had to push that shit out of his head. He had enough going on in his life, and it was crazy that this girl was all up in his mind anyway. He hadn’t given a woman a second thought in a long time.
“If you need anything, bro, just hit my line. I’m around.” Eazy pitched the front door open, and Bull walked him out.
Standing on the porch with Jou Jou, they watched him get in his Chevy and pull down the driveway to the gate. When they turned, Breeze and Toni came up behind them. Looking down at him, Bull peeped his keys in his son’s hand.
“I drive to the aquarium.” He jingled them in the air.
“Nah, man, you can’t even see over the wheel. I got it.” Bull laughed and took the keys from him before looking up into Toni’s smiling face.
No denying his wife was pretty as fuck. When he was around her it was hard not to look at her.
Her heart stalled a little as something flickered behind his eyes assessing her face.
Every now and then, she thought she caught real admiration there but usually summed it up to her own imagination.
Bull might have slipped up with her once or twice, but Toni knew where they stood, even if she didn’t like it.
More than anything, and she hated to even admit it, she wished their marriage could turn into something.
Occasionally, she sat and fantasized about it but quickly forced herself back to reality.
“I told them we could get McDonald’s on the way there.”
“Aight, let me go grab my phone and shit, and we can go.” He handed Bijou back to her and stepped inside while Toni got them buckled into their seats in his Tahoe.
She could tell that seeing Eazy shifted a weight on Bull in some way, and she was glad.
It wasn’t just Bronx dying that bonded them.
Bull was the first person to look out for her with little questions asked.
She knew he had his suspicions of her and her involvement in everything, and he had every right to after how it all went down.
Today, he and Eazy both seemed to believe what she was saying.
The only problem was that her truth only brought more questions than answers.