By the time all the girls’ hair was done, it was almost six-thirty. Rohan told his mother they were heading out and that he’d see her later. They needed to stop by the store before returning to the apartment.
They were having steak and chicken tacos with Mexican rice, and they got everything they needed. Rohan even allowed them to talk him into getting sugar and chocolate chip cookies.
When they walked through the apartment’s front door, they carried the few bags they had into the kitchen. He figured there was no need to put anything away since they would use it all. They had half an hour before Jalen was due to get off.
“Landon, will you put all your bathing suits in the washer?” Rohan asked.
“Okay. Do you need help cooking?”
“I’ve got it, kiddo. You can put the cookies on in about half an hour.”
Landon nodded and headed out of the kitchen, the twins following behind her, telling him they were going to watch television. While he began taking everything out of the bags, he looked over and found Mikal standing at the bar.
“I finished the comic you recommended.”
“Did you enjoy it?” he asked.
“Yes, but I’m a little confused about one of their origin stories.”
He nodded, knowing exactly the one she was talking about, and for the next forty-five minutes, while he cooked, they talked about it. Landon came in to put the cookies on as he and Mikal started setting up the dining room table, taco bar style.
When Jalen walked through the front door, a quarter after eight, Rohan was pulling the cookies from the oven. He could hear the twins telling Jalen to look at their space buns and then her surprise when they told her he’d done them. She walked into the kitchen, taking in the setup on the table before turning to him with a smile.
“Hey, babe.”
“Hey, baby. How was work?” he questioned.
“It was okay. I only had a few kids.”
“Well, the food is ready, and the girls have already washed their hands.”
“I’ll do the same, and we can eat,” Jalen responded.
A few minutes later, the six sat around the table. Everyone made their tacos the way they wanted, and Rohan thought back to when he first met Jalen. He didn’t know he’d be sitting there with them almost a year later. With him being accepted as a part of their family, and them as part of his. And to think, it all started because he’d wasted a cup of coffee.
Epilogue
Four months later
Jalen placed the last pancake onto the stack and carried the plate to the table, putting it in the middle with the other things she’d made for breakfast. It was early in the morning, and while she usually slept in when she was off, her baby sisters would not be having that today. Not on Christmas.
Like the past couple of years, they’d skipped into her room before the sun had even come up and announced that it was Christmas. She honestly wondered if they had an alarm clock she didn’t know about, especially for that day.
For five minutes, Jalen tried to coax them into lying down with her and going back to sleep, but neither of the twins was having it. So, knowing when she was defeated, Jalen got out of bed, telling them they wouldn’t be opening presents until the other three were awake and they’d eaten breakfast.
The seven-year-olds didn’t seem to have a problem with that as they bounced excitedly out of her room, and she knew they would wake the rest of their sisters.
That was forty-five minutes ago now, and all of her sisters, aside from Mikal, sat at the table. She’d been the last one thetwins woke up, so Jalen knew she was washing her face before she joined them.
A few minutes later, Mikal came into the dining room and took her seat. They blessed the food, then passed the dishes around, making their plates.
As they ate, the twins spoke excitedly about what Santa could have possibly brought them and how they were ready for everyone to open the gifts they’d chosen for them.
Once they finished breakfast, everyone helped get the dishes and kitchen clean before following the twins into the living room. Jalen sat on the couch, tucking her feet under her, watching as they pulled gifts from under the tree, handing them to the person whose name was on them. As excited as she knew they were, they still wanted to ensure their sisters had something to open.
They handed Jalen a gift bag, which said it was from Kodi. She waited to open it until the others opened the presents the twins gave them. Inside, she found a personalized tumbler with a stethoscope on it, her name placed within the design of it, and R.N. following her name. There were also personalized pens that read the same thing.
She smiled at the gift. She’d only found out a few days ago that she’d passed her certification. So, she wasn’t sure when Kodi had had time to have them made for her. She’d been able to use her work experience in place of clinical hours as long as she got a CNE to sign off, and Maria had been more than happy to do so.
