“No, I’m here with—”
“Jalen?”
“Rohan,” Jalen stated. She had not expected to see him. Her mind had vaguely wondered what she would say to his brother if she saw him, since she was out with her sisters. Never had she thought of what she would say to the man himself.
“You look festive,” he told her, taking in her costume.
“So do you,” she responded. “A doctor was a cop-out though, don’t you think?”
“Not when you aren’t actually in the medical field,” he responded with a smirk and a shrug. “Did you come here with your girls?”
“I...did. Yeah.” Jalen was contemplating with herself.
She wasn’t sure if now was the right time to introduce him to them or not. However, that choice was taken away from her when Kodi returned with the twins. She watched as Kodi looked at her, more than likely wondering if she was going to say the code phrase.
“Who’s your friend, Jae?” Kodi questioned when she didn’t give it to her.
“This is Rohan, and his niece Alynn.”
“Flowers guy. Nice,” Kodi said with a smile, waving at them both. “I’m Kodi. This is Nathan and Omari,” she introduced, pointing out each twin. “Mikal and Landon are…” Jalen and Kodi looked around until they spotted the two girls. Mikal was getting candy dropped into her bucket. When the two younger girls looked in their direction, Kodi flagged them over. “Mikal, Landon.” Kodi then pointed them out. “This is Jalen’s friend Rohan.”
“Date guy?” Mikal questioned, and Jalen face-palmed while Rohan chuckled.
“So, you’re the one our sister has been texting like some teenager,” Landon stated, and Jalen didn’t miss the way his eyes slid to her at the word sister.
“I hope so,” he told her. “Because if it’s someone else, I just might be heartbroken.”
“It’s okay. You’re a doctor tonight, so you can fix yourself,” Nathan told him.
Jalen listened as Rohan chuckled again. “Alynn and I were just about to get some curly fries from the truck over there. Do you all want to join us?”
Jalen opened her mouth to speak, but she was cut off by Kodi. “Curly fries sound good. I propose that Landon and I take the others to find a table, and you two order five fries.”
Her sister was not slick. Intuitive little thing that she was. Jalen knew exactly what she was doing. She was giving Rohan and her some alone time to talk. Kodi knew Rohan knew she took care of the five of them, but he didn’t know that they were her sisters. Jalen was sure he’d assumed they were her daughters, and Landon dropping the bomb that they weren’t gave them something to talk about.
????????????
“Sisters, huh?” Rohan questioned as he and Jalen stood in line to order the curly fries. He could see all six girls at a table close by. Alynn and Mikal were already having an animated conversation while the twins, Nathan and Omari, seemed to rifle through their candy buckets. Landon was attempting to get them to stop while Kodi watched him and Jalen.
“I can explain,” she told him.
He honestly didn’t need her to. If she hadn’t been comfortable telling him that they were sisters, then she must have had a reason for it, and he didn’t feel that it was his place to question that or demand any type of explanation from her. However, she looked cute in her flustered state. So, he would let her explain if that was what she wanted to do.
“You don’t owe me an explanation,” he told her. Still wanting it to be clear that he would not push her into anything. “But I’ll listen if you want to tell me.”
“It’s just easier a lot of times to let men think that they’re my daughters. They rarely stick around long once they find out that I have five girls at home. So, I don’t see the point of giving out the information or telling the complicated story of how it ended up like this.”
He thought about it for a moment, trying to choose his words carefully. Because while he’d said she didn’t owe him an explanation and he’d meant it, a part of him was a bit hurt that she’d put him in that category. They’d been dating, talking, whatever they were doing, for the past two months, and he’d asked her about them whenever they spoke.
“I can see how you would have been worried about that, and that you had to worry about it in the past. But this is now. Thepresent. I didn’t head for the hills when you told me you took care of five girls.”
“I know. But it happens.”
Rohan gripped her chin. “Not with me. I’m not some little ass boy who couldn’t deal with someone who has responsibilities. Don’t handle me as if I am.”
He watched her bite her bottom lip, and he knew she was trying to formulate some sort of protest in her mind. Some past experience to quote. She opened her mouth to speak, but he cut her off.
“If you give me another past experience, I’m going to think you’re trying to push me away.” He paused, searching her eyes. “If you want me to go, Jalen. Just say that.”
