Chapter 12

The following Tuesday, sunlight filtered through the blinds in long golden stripes, casting a calm glow over Karla’s legal aid office. The smell of coffee and lavender from her desk diffuser lingered faintly.

Megan and Karla sat across from each other going over more evidence in the case against Chris Westward.

Karla was 48 hours removed from her incredible weekend with Jalen, and while she had no regrets, she couldn’t ignore the new dynamic that now existed between her and Megan, as well as the fact that what she did with her client’s baby daddy was beyond unprofessional.

She knew she had to tell Megan the truth, and if it meant that Karla would have to step away from the case, then she would live with it, even though she was confident that she stood the best chance of getting Megan the best outcome.

Karla looked at Megan and admired how much she had been really coming into her own as an independent woman.

Megan looked so well-put together in her grey blazer over a black top and beige-colored slacks despite the stressful circumstances, which was a testament to her growing confidence since leaving Chris’s oppressive household.

“Okay,” Megan said, glancing up, “so here are some other documents I was able to pull, and—”

“Megan...” Karla interrupted, her voice sounding tight and hesitant. “There’s ... something I need to tell you first.”

Megan looked up. “Okay ... what’s up?”

Karla paused. Her throat tightened.

“I, um ... I spent more time with Jalen last week ... with the intention of getting more information about Chris’ treatment of you from him, and well ... he and I ... grew close, and by close, I mean—”

“You had sex with him,” Megan finished for her, not missing a beat.

Karla blinked. “Wait—what?”

Megan folded her arms.

“Karla. I’ve seen that look in your eyes for weeks now. Every time his name comes up, your spine loses 10% of its rigidity.”

Karla’s mouth opened and closed, then she finally found her words.

“Well, I—I thought I was hiding that pretty well...” she mumbled a little dazed.

“You were. From yourself,” Megan replied.

Karla exhaled, her voice low. “I didn’t want you to think I was unprofessional. That I blurred a line that—”

Megan waved her off. “Please. I like that you let yourself feel something. That you loved him anyway even though it made zero fucking sense. That’s what makes it real.”

Karla stared at her, speechless. Relief crashed through her body like a tide. She let out a soft, choked laugh.

“Wow. I—I really thought you were going to judge me, or ... feel like I betrayed you, and you’d request a new attorney.”

Megan raised an eyebrow. “Judge you for falling in love with a man who’s quite frankly the most honest, real, and sexiest man you’ll ever find, and who has four other women who see the same thing?”

A beat passed before both women burst into laughter. They laughed for a good minute.

After gathering themselves, Megan straightened up and then took Karla’s hand.

“Look, I never asked Jalen to be exclusive. He made it very clear to me before we even started our affair that he couldn’t. All I asked of him was to love me and be there for me and this baby, and he has done that and so much more.”

Megan squeezed Karla’s hand harder and continued. “I understand why other women love him because I do too. I’m happy that you allowed yourself to fall for him and choose him on your terms. You deserve the kind of love that Jalen gives, Karla, and he deserves you just like he deserves me.

Karla felt tears well up in her eyes. She did her best to fight them back, but she still had to grab a tissue.

“You have no idea how happy it makes me to hear you say that,” Karla said, dabbing her eyes and trying to keep her voice steady. “I really want to do right by you, Megan. I want to win this case and take every last dime from that arrogant bastard that I can for you. You deserve that too.”

“I already know that I have a lawyer who’s going to do that for me,” Megan said, smiling. “I wouldn’t dream of having anyone else now.”

Karla looked at her softly, “You know, the right thing to do as an attorney would be for me to recuse myself.”

Megan looked at her intensely shaking her head. “Hell no. Without you, Chris will win. I need you, Karla. We need to show men like him that they can’t oppress their wives for years and years and get away with it. This isn’t just about me anymore. This is for all those women out there feeling trapped and controlled.”

Karla beamed at her. “Thank you.”

“Now,” Megan said, sitting up straighter with a wicked grin, “tell me everything. Including the naughty shit.”

Karla laughed. “We still have your case stuff to get through—”

“Fuck the case for five minutes. Spill it.”

Karla hesitated, unable to contain her smile, then she leaned back into her chair.

“It’s a long story.”

“I have time,” Megan said, leaning back in her chair too.

That night, Jalen was at Lonnie Wright’s townhouse in Smyrna, Georgia, for a much-needed guys’ night. Their other friend, Rodney Morris, had joined them as well.

It was the first time Jalen had seen Lonnie since his massive 30th birthday party months ago, and it had been even longer since he had caught up with Rodney. The familiar atmosphere of Lonnie’s living room was exactly the kind of grounding Jalen needed.

The three of them sat around the coffee table, destroying a massive order of American Deli chicken wings. An NBA game played on the flat-screen TV in the background, muted, providing a comfortable, flickering backdrop to their conversation.

“I’m telling y’all, I’ve been hitting up some different spots in the city lately. Trying to branch out,” Rodney said, pointing a lemon pepper wing at Jalen and Lonnie. “There’s this new spot that just opened up called the Ice and Flame club. It’s crazy. They completely recreated this 1940s vibe—old-school glamour, live music, the waitresses do full drink service at the tables. And bro, I heard they got this one singer who performs there on certain nights. I haven’t seen her yet, but they say she can make a man cum in his pants just by looking at him.”

Lonnie choked on a laugh, nearly dropping his drink. Jalen shook his head, wiping his hands on a napkin with a skeptical grin.

“You believe anything, man,” Jalen said. “Ain’t nobody doing all that just by making eye contact.”

“Hey, I’m just telling you what the streets are saying,” Rodney defended, though he was grinning too. “We gotta go check it out.”

“I might have to, because we definitely have something to celebrate,” Lonnie transitioned, leaning back on the couch.

“I’ve been killing it at the dealership. My sales are through the roof. I’m actually a few months out from having enough saved up for a down payment on a second place. A single-family home. Figure I’ll move into that and rent this townhouse out.”

“Okay, big money!” Rodney cheered, raising his cup. “I see you, landlord.”

Jalen smiled, genuinely happy for his friend. “That’s huge, bruh. Congrats, man.”

“Preciate it,” Lonnie said, taking a sip of his drink. He set the cup down, his expression shifting into something a little more amused. “Actually, speaking of the dealership ... you remember Greg from the party?”

Jalen’s chewing slowed. “Yeah. I remember Greg.”

“Man has been in a serious rut lately,” Lonnie chuckled, shaking his head. “Can barely close a deal to save his life. Rumor around the floor is that it’s because his girl, Sydney, suddenly broke up with him not too long after my party.”

Lonnie paused, his eyes sliding over to Jalen with a knowing, teasing smirk. “Which is funny, because I specifically remember you eyeing Sydney pretty hard at that party. I even saw you two talking on the patio.”

Rodney immediately perked up, tossing his chicken bone onto his plate. He leaned forward, eyes wide. “Wait. Hold up. J, did you steal that man’s girl?”

“I didn’t steal anyone,” Jalen defended smoothly, though his heart rate ticked up a notch. “We just talked. And she told me herself that she was already halfway out the door emotionally. That relationship was dead long before I said a word to her.”

Lonnie and Rodney exchanged a look.

“Uh-huh,” Lonnie said, crossing his arms. “So, what exactly happened between you two at the party after y’all ‘talked’?”

Jalen leaned back, picking up his drink to buy a second of time. He was not a ‘kiss and tell’ kind of guy, and even if he was, the truth of what happened that night was the catalyst for the most insane chapter of his entire life.

“We danced,” Jalen said simply, taking a sip. “And I’ve seen her a few times since then. That’s it.”

“Bullshit,” Lonnie called out instantly. “I didn’t see you or Sydney for the rest of the night. And when I went looking for you, somebody told me you had gone downstairs to the basement. Not long after that, I saw Greg wandering around looking for her, looking stressed.”

Rodney’s jaw dropped in realization. He turned to Jalen, pointing a finger directly at his chest. “No way. Did you hook up with her in Lonnie’s basement? While her man was upstairs drinking?”

Jalen raised his hands defensively. “I plead the fifth.”

“Oh, you definitely hit it,” Rodney laughed, shoving Jalen’s shoulder. “Come on, J! Stop holding out on us!”

They kept pushing, digging and prodding the way only old friends could, until Jalen finally let out a defeated laugh and conceded.

“Alright, yeah. We slept together.”

Lonnie and Rodney exploded. Rodney literally jumped off the couch, howling with laughter, while Lonnie slapped his knee.

“Greg was upstairs drinking, and you were downstairs piping his girl out?!” Ronnie yelled. “That is diabolical!”

“In the basement?!” Lonnie yelled, shaking his head in disbelief. “Under the man’s nose! Jalen, you are absolutely wild for that. I ain’t even mad, I’m just impressed.”

“Ice cold,” Rodney agreed, still laughing as he sat back down. “So, what’s the deal now? Y’all still seeing each other?”

The room quieted down just enough for the question to hang in the air. Jalen stared at his half-empty cup. A massive internal debate raged in his head.

The sheer absurdity of the question almost made Jalen laugh. Should he tell them? Should he tell his two oldest friends the full truth?

He imagined the look on their faces if he sat forward and said: Actually, guys, she’s pregnant with my kid. And so is Kristen Stanley. And Megan Westward. And Rachel DeSantos. And actually, there’s a lawyer named Karla Silva, and I don’t know for sure yet, but my gut tells me I just knocked her up, too.

Just the thought of trying to explain the situations with the five deeply complicated women currently occupying every waking second of his life made Jalen’s head pound.

Ultimately, he knew he couldn’t drop that bomb on them. Not tonight.

“Yeah,” Jalen said simply, keeping his voice remarkably steady. “We’re seeing each other. Just ... still figuring out what it’s gonna look like long-term.”

Lonnie and Rodney exchanged a quick look. They both clearly felt like Jalen was holding out on them—that there was a massive piece of the puzzle he wasn’t sharing—but seeing the exhausted, tight line of Jalen’s jaw, they mercifully let it go.

“Well, damn,” Lonnie said, grabbing another wing. “Crazy world.”

“Crazy world,” Jalen agreed softly.

He silently thanked the heavens that they dropped it. He promised himself that he would tell them the full truth down the line. They were his boys, and they deserved to know. But right now? Right now, it was just way too much to explain.

The Westward wine cellar job was behind Jalen, and now, he was hunting for his next big project. He had largely been doing smaller projects at various clients’ homes since then.

Now, thanks once again to a recommendation from Jim Harbor, he’d just landed his next potential big fish.

A prominent Georgia politician from Bartow County, Georgia named Tim Horner, had been looking to have one of his old large sheds transformed into a prominent detached guest house in the back of his property.

Tim served in the Georgia House of Representatives and was also a very wealthy businessman stemming from owning multiple successful car dealerships in Bartow County.

Tim was very good friends with Jim Harbor, and when he asked Jim about a contractor, Jim quickly recommended Jalen, citing the work he did on their storage room and assuring Tim that he was the best he would find.

So, the next Monday, a little over a week after his amazing weekend with Karla, Jalen pulled up to the long, winding driveway leading to the Horner estate, a sprawling property up near Cartersville, Georgia.

The sheer size of the land was ridiculous, featuring several acres of pristine grass, perfectly spaced trees, and a massive brick colonial-style mansion sitting at the highest point of the property. The American flag and the Georgia state flag waved proudly on poles near the front entrance.

A detached six-car garage stood to the side, likely filled with expensive vehicles.

As he eased his truck to a stop near the main house, Jalen adjusted his fitted polo shirt and took a steady breath. He had been in plenty of spaces like this before. Places where people like him, unfortunately, weren’t always welcomed with open arms.

Money was money though, and if Tim Horner could cut a fat check, Jalen would take it.

He stepped out of the truck just as the front door swung open. A stocky white man in his late 40s with grayish brown hair and a thick mustache came walking down the steps.

His gaze was confident, the kind of confidence that came from knowing he owned everything around him.

This was Tim Horner.

Jalen noticed immediately how Tim’s expression shifted the second he laid eyes on him. His face didn’t outright frown, but the flicker of unpleasant surprise was clear as day.

Jalen kept his face perfectly neutral, though.

“Jalen Moss?” Tim asked, stopping a few feet away.

“Yes, sir. Good to meet you, Mr. Horner.” Jalen extended his hand, keeping his posture firm and professional.

Tim hesitated for a fraction of a second, but Jalen caught it. Then, Tim clasped his hand, giving him a strong, business-like shake.

“Likewise,” Tim said, though his tone lacked the warmth. “Jim Harbor speaks highly of you.”

“I appreciate that. I make sure my work speaks for itself,” Jalen responded.

Tim nodded, studying Jalen for a moment before turning. “Come on, let’s take a walk.”