Chapter 55: Forgiveness

A little while later, Jalen stepped back into his apartment, mentally preparing for the awkwardness he assumed was still lingering in the air.

Instead, he walked into something completely unexpected.

The tension that had been present earlier was gone. Instead, the six women looked ... united. As if they had reached an unspoken agreement that none of them had anticipated coming into this evening.

Jalen was almost afraid to ask.

Megan turned to him with a smirk. “Well, well. Look who’s back.”

“So ... how did it go?” he asked cautiously.

Kristen reached for a slice of veggie pizza and shot Jalen a look. “You were expecting chaos when you walked in, weren’t you?”

Jalen hesitated. “ ... Maybe.”

Karla chuckled, leaning back on the couch. “Well, we were considering a Hunger Games-style battle to see who gets first dibs on you, but Megan insisted we eat first.”

Jalen blinked. “Uh—”

Megan grinned. “I mean, it only seems fair.”

Jalen opened his mouth, but Sydney patted his shoulder. “Relax. We’re kidding. Mostly.”

Heidi grabbed a plate and smirked. “We did decide you’ll need to keep a shared calendar, though.”

Jalen groaned. “Oh my God, please don’t turn this into a corporate scheduling meeting.”

Karla, chewing on a hot wing, smirked. “Too late. We’re already thinking of color-coding.”

Jalen ran a hand down his face. “I walked into a trap.”

Kristen laughed. “Welcome to your life, Jalen.”

He sat back, exhaling as he looked around the room. Seeing all six of them together, talking, eating, and even joking around, was surreal.

He had dreaded this moment, feared the tension, the arguments, the outright hostility that could have erupted, but instead, they were here, sharing a meal like ... a family.

Kristen wiped her mouth with a napkin and looked directly at him. “You’ve heard me say this before, Jalen, but I don’t think we’ve said it enough. We see what you’ve been doing.”

Megan nodded, setting her drink down. “Yeah. You’ve really been showing up for us, and we appreciate that.”

Sydney smiled. “You could’ve easily just sent a check every month and called it a day, but you’re here. For all of us.”

Karla folded her arms and leaned forward slightly. “I’ve said it before, but I’ll say it again. I’ve known men who run at the mere idea of fatherhood, let alone six pregnancies at the same time. You didn’t run. That says a lot.”

Jalen swallowed, his throat suddenly tight. “I—I mean, I told y’all from the start. I’m not running.” He glanced around the room. “I know this situation is insane, and I know I’ve made mistakes along the way, but y’all deserve someone who’s going to be there. Not just financially or when it’s convenient. Always.”

Rachel let out a sigh. “I’m still pissed at you sometimes, I won’t lie.”

Jalen chuckled dryly. “I’d be surprised if you weren’t.”

Rachel smiled a little before continuing, “But ... you are trying, and you’re proving that this isn’t just some temporary ‘I’ll be here until it gets hard’ thing. So yeah, I agree with them. I see it too.”

Jalen nodded, absorbing their words. He hadn’t realized how much he needed to hear that. He was doing everything in his power to be the man they and these children deserved, but deep down, he had wondered, was it enough?

Hearing them acknowledge it and say they appreciated it meant more than he could put into words.

“I won’t ever stop showing up,” Jalen said firmly. “Not for y’all or our kids.”

They all shared a murmur of appreciation and agreement.

Kristen then spoke up again, “So, Jalen, we talked, and we’ve come to an understanding.”

Jalen blinked. “An understanding?”

“Yes,” Karla said, leaning back in her chair, arms crossed with a small smirk. “We realized that instead of treating this situation like some kind of competition, we need to figure out how to make this work.”

Sydney chimed in, “We all love you, Jalen. That much is obvious, but we can’t let that love turn into resentment for each other. So, we talked, and we figured out what’s fair for you and for us.”

Jalen sat down, looking between all of them. “I don’t even know what to say...”

Megan smiled. “Good. Just listen.”

Rachel exhaled and finally spoke up. “We’re gonna split your time. We’re all going to need you for different things at different times, but at the very least, each of us gets our own day with you every week.”

Jalen blinked again, his brain trying to catch up. “You’re serious?”

Heidi nodded. “Yes. Mondays, you spend time with Kristen. Tuesdays, Sydney. Wednesdays, Megan. Thursdays, Rachel. Fridays, Karla. Saturdays, me.” She paused. “And Sundays? Those are for you. To rest, to do whatever you need to do because we know you’re going to need it.”