Jalen had also invited Rohan to dinner. She’d thought about not doing so because it wasn’t his burden or information to give.She also didn’t want Vega to feel as if she were bringing someone into their business. However, Vega had extended the invitation himself to Rohan at the party yesterday, if it was alright with her. Honestly, she knew that she and her sisters could use the support, and Rohan had become close to her sisters over the five and a half months they’d been dating.
They weren’t having anything extravagant for dinner. Jalen decided on beef stew and cornbread since it was cooler out. She’d just put the cornbread in the oven when there was a knock on the door.
She wiped her hands and went to answer it, finding Rohan on the other side. She stepped aside, letting him in, as he leaned down and kissed her forehead as he passed.
“Hey, baby.”
“Hey,” she responded, closing the door behind them. “Thank you for coming.”
“You don’t have to thank me.”
They went into the kitchen, where Rohan asked her if she needed help with anything. Jalen shook her head, leaning against the counter as he watched her.
“You don’t need to be anxious. Everything will be fine,” he told her before lowering his voice a bit. “I don’t know Vega, but he seems like a pretty good guy. I mean, he traveled back to town for Mikal’s birthday.”
Jalen knew he had a point, and from their conversation at the coffee shop that day, and the few they’d had over the phone since then, he seemed sincere. She just wasn’t sure how to break the news to her sisters, or how they would react.
“You’re right,” she responded. She went to the stew and stirred it.
“Where are the girls?” Rohan questioned.
“I asked them to play or hang out in their rooms until I called them for dinner. They’re too good at noticing when somethingis wrong with me, so I didn’t want to have to answer questions until then.”
There was another knock on the door, and he volunteered to get it. Jalen placed the lid back on the pot and was coming around the bar when Rohan returned with Vega.
“Jalen, thank you for having me for dinner,” he said, hugging her.
“You’re welcome,” she replied, returning his hug. “I think it’s time we had this conversation, anyway.”
Vega nodded once they’d pulled apart. “I agree, but I have a request.”
Jalen furrowed her eyebrows. “Okay, what is it?”
“Can we not tell the girls that I may be their dad?”
“I’m confused. I thought telling them was the whole point of this evening.”
Vega nodded. “It is. I would like to tell them I am instead.” The confusion must have been written all over Jalen’s face because he continued. “The youngest, Omari and Nathan. I don’t think they’d understand and could be upset or hurt if we told them I had the possibility of being everyone’s father but theirs. I don’t want that, and I don’t mind taking responsibility for all of you. I told you. Valerie and I split because I wanted kids, a big family, and this gives everyone involved a positive outcome.”
Jalen could understand what he was saying. She really could. However, she knew children were resilient, and her sisters would bounce back from the news in no time.
“While that’s extremely admirable of you, Vega, I don’t think that’s a good idea. While I was against helping my sisters look for their fathers, this situation has given me a different perspective. I always assumed that they just didn’t want to be a part of our lives, when in reality, it could be the same sort of situation we’re in now. My egg donor didn’t even give them the courtesy of telling them.”
She’d had time to think about it and realized that she’d been stuck in a place of them not wanting to be a part of her or her sister’s lives, whoever they were, that she had not thought past that, and realized that they may not even know that they existed. It wasn’t until she’d sat down and had the conversation with Vega that it was even a possibility she considered.
“So, I want us to tell them the truth, but I won’t stop you from being around any of them, regardless of the outcome of the paternity tests. You’re Kodi’s dad. We know that much, and that makes you family.”
Vega nodded at her. “You’re right. I understand. I hadn’t even taken that into consideration.” He then held up the bag he was holding. “Where do you want this?”
“I’ll take it. Thank you.”
Jalen went into the kitchen, pulling brownies and cookies from the bag and placing them on the bar top. Then she stirred her stew again and checked on her cornbread. She glanced over to find Rohan and Vega talking, her boyfriend chuckling at something the older man said.
Jalen took a deep breath because once the food was done in a few minutes, she would have to have a hard conversation with her sisters.
Dinner had gone well; however, Jalen had not started the conversation that needed to be had. She’d continued to put it off, and now she couldn’t delay any longer. Everyone had finished eating, and they were now about to have some of the dessert Vega brought.
She’d excused herself from the table, volunteering to go get them, but really, she just needed another minute. It wasn’t as if she couldn’t be seen from the dining room, since the bar only separated it, but it would give her a second to collect herself.
