“I completely understand if you aren’t comfortable with it. I just thought it would give you some time to yourself, and the seven of us could spend the weekend together.”
Jalen nodded. She hadn’t been expecting Vivian to be asking for Landon and Kodi too, but she was.
“I’ll ask them, and I’ll let you know,” she responded.
Honestly, having some downtime to herself didn’t sound bad, and a part of Jalen almost felt selfish for thinking that, but she knew she shouldn’t. If they wanted to go over to Vivian’s, it would give her two free days. She was working four twelve-hour shifts leading up to Christmas and on Christmas day, so they had plans to celebrate that evening when she got off. She’d been lucky enough to get the two days after Christmas off because she was working Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.
Half an hour passed with them talking and getting to know one another better, when she saw all the girls approaching. She made a mental note to ask them about the sleepover on the way home.
22
Jalen was a bit nervous as she pulled up to Vivian’s house. She hadn’t let her sisters spend the night at someone’s home in a long time. It wasn’t that she didn’t trust other people; she was cautious. It was also the day after Christmas. She’d had to work on Christmas Eve and day, so they’d celebrated when she’d gotten off the night before.
Her sisters were excited about their gifts, and they’d even gotten Jalen a few as well. Even though she’d explicitly asked them not to. She should have known that with Kodi heading the charge, that would not happen.
“Listen,” she started, turning in the driver’s seat to look at the four in the backseat. “Do not go in here and give Vivian any problems.” Her sisters nodded.
“We’ll be fine, Jalen,” Kodi spoke.
“You know you don’t have to stay,” Jalen informed her. She had no problem letting Kodi stay home by herself.
“And miss out on all the fun?” Kodi questioned. “Ms. Vivian said something about homemade cookies, and I’m here for it.”
Jalen laughed before she opened her car door and slid out. If she were being honest with herself, she knew that part of her nervousness stemmed from the fact that she would spend the night with Rohan. It wasn’t the first time, but she hadn’tstayed with him since then, and they would spend the entire day together.
Vivian had asked that she drop her sisters off at noon because the older woman had an entire agenda planned for the next forty-eight hours. Once she had dropped them off, she’d go to Rohan’s house from there. She’d asked him if that was alright, and he hadn’t had a problem with it.
Jalen helped the twins out of the car and handed each of them their backpacks. Kodi had helped the younger three pack and knew that the twins more than likely insisted on having their separate backpacks, while Kodi, Landon, and Mikal brought one small suitcase with their things in it.
Jalen waited behind her bunch as Landon rang the doorbell, and no sooner had her little sister dropped her finger was the door swung open. Alynn stood there with a smile on her face.
“Hi!” she greeted excitedly, bouncing from foot to foot. Vivian came down the hallway behind her.
“Hey girls,” Vivian greeted, placing her hands on Alynn’s shoulders, moving her backward. “Please come in.”
They all stepped over the threshold, and Alynn immediately asked if she could show the girls where they would sleep and give them a tour of the house, which Jalen would be lying if she said it wasn’t a beautiful house.
“Are you sure you’re okay with having them for two days? I can come pick them up tomorrow,” she said, turning her attention from the retreating backs of her sisters, who’d all said a quick bye to her before following Alynn.
“Nonsense. I have a list of things planned for us. You just enjoy some you time,” Vivian responded. “Are you planning on doing anything?”
“I’m going to hang out with Rohan.”
Vivian smiled at her. “Well, I hope you both have fun. You want to stay for a bit?”
She thought about it. She knew her three youngest sisters were probably already engaged in whatever it was they were doing. So, she wouldn’t interrupt them. Especially since this was the first time that the twins would stay away from home. Jalen didn’t want to let them think about it too much and end up crying.
“No, I’m going to go while Nathan and Omari are occupied,” she told her. “Thank you, and Merry Christmas.”
“Merry Christmas.”
She went back to her vehicle and slid behind the wheel, waving to Vivian before pulling off. She would ask Kodi how Alynn and Vivian liked the Christmas presents they picked out for them when she picked them up. That had been another reason she had decided not to hang around. Vivian had been adamant that they not get her anything for Christmas, but they had anyway.
Jalen had never believed in allowing someone to get you something and not reciprocating. That was just the person she was. Vivian had gotten her and her sisters something. Rohan had dropped them off when he brought over the ones he’d gotten for her sisters. It was then that he informed Jalen that if she was free when the girls would be at his mother’s house, he would like for her to come over and the two of them to exchange gifts then.
Driving to the other side of town, she pulled in behind Rohan’s car almost twenty minutes later. She let out a slow breath. She was nervous, and she knew she shouldn’t have been considering she’d been to his house before.
However, this was different. Jalen knew what these two days could bring, and she wasn’t opposed to it. Rohan had been nothing but a gentleman with her. Respecting the fact that she hadn’t been ready to have sex with him, while still pleasuring her twice when he’d received nothing in return. She planned to fix that during her visit.
