“I think it had more to do with the fact that I can’t seem to keep my hands to myself.”
With that, Rohan explained the concept to her. He didn’t feel the need for them to have any more small talk.
She waited until he finished before asking questions. Wanting to know how what he’d shown her would translate in different ads. He could understand her curiosity. She was asking all the right questions. Which was more than he could say for some of his clients. They just wanted something that looked nice. They were never interested in how everything would come together.
“I like it,” Ariel stated once he’d answered all of her questions. “I’m excited to move to the next step.”
“Great. We’re ahead of your timeline, so I’ll get with my team and we'll move forward.” She nodded, and it fell quiet between the two of them. “Is there anything else I can do for you?” he asked.
“No, I think that’s all,” Ariel responded, grabbing her purse and standing. “I look forward to your next call.”
Rohan nodded, standing as well, and took the hand she offered, shaking it. He retook his seat as she walked out of his office, turning the screen back around. He checked his cellphone to see if the package he’d ordered had been delivered. It was Landon’s birthday present, and he wanted to have it ahead of time. It was a little over a week away, and she hadn’t wanted to do anything other than go out to eat and go to the movies.
He thought her birthday couldn’t have been at a better time, though it wasn’t her doing, since Jalen would have to go to court the week after that. She still hadn’t told any of her sisters, other than Kodi, what was going on, but he knew she had plans to do so tomorrow once they’d gotten out of school and since she was off work. He knew it was something she wanted to tell them on her own, but he made it clear that he was there if she needed him.
The package hadn’t been delivered yet, but he’d gotten the notification that it was out for delivery.
Placing his phone back down, Rohan stood from his chair. He had a meeting with his team in an hour and a half, so he would go grab some lunch before then.
Rohan dried the last dish and put it away. When he’d gotten home, he found the package he’d been waiting for on his front porch, brought it in, and opened it to ensure everything looked the way it had on the website, and everything he’d ordered was inside. He’d then wrapped it and read the last comic issue Jalen had gotten him before making himself dinner.
He finished cleaning the kitchen, went into the living room, and grabbed his laptop. He wasn’t in the mood to watch television, so he did more birthday shopping. Alynn’s birthday was in May, and Jalen and Trent’s were in June. That thought had Rohan pausing as he realized he’d have birthdays to celebrate almost every month now.
It didn’t take him long to find what he wanted to get Alynn. Jalen would be harder. He wanted to get her the perfect gift for her birthday. He knew he could always buy her something for work. New scrubs, shoes, something of that nature — but that didn’t seem like something that he should get her for her birthday.
His phone rang, pulling him from the task at hand. Picking it up from the coffee table, he saw Meila’s name flash across the screen.
“Hey, Meila,” he greeted, leaning back against the couch cushion.
“Hey, Rohan. Is Jalen with you?”
Rohan rolled his eyes. “I’m great, thanks. How are you?” he responded sarcastically.
Meila sighed. “My bad. I’m glad you’re doing okay. I’m fine, thanks for asking. I was sitting here thinking about something, and I needed to ask Jalen a question. I’ve called a couple of times and sent her a text, but I haven’t gotten a response.”
“She’s working tonight. Depending on the number of patients she has, sometimes it’s harder for her to answer or respond right away.”
“Right. I didn’t think of that.” Meila paused. “Maybe you know, then. It isn’t confidential since you were there when we spoke about it.”
“I might. What’s up?”
“I remember Jalen saying that her mother’s threat to take the girls included Mikael at one point, but the paperwork is only for the twins.”
“That’s right. When she first popped up, she was threatening to take the younger three,” Rohan responded.
“Did she say why?”
He thought about it for a moment. “Something about the other two being too old for the family she wanted.”
“Did something happen between then and when Jalen was served with papers? I’m trying to see if we’ll have to do this a second time, because she’s trying to prolong things.”
“Not that I can think of.” He paused for a moment. “Actually, Jalen found out that Vega was Mikael’s father.”
The noise that greeted Rohan’s ear sounded as if Meila had just huffed out a small laugh.
“I get it,” Meila replied. “She doesn’t want to fight a losing battle.”
Rohan stayed quiet, figuring Meila would let him in on what she was thinking unless she wasn’t allowed to, since he wasn’t her client.
