Chapter 35
Rohan chuckled as Omari picked up her golf ball, walked it over to the hole, and dropped it in before cheering loudly. They’d been mini golfing for over an hour, and it seemed that Omari was tired of going the traditional route of trying to hit the ball in.
“Omari, that isn’t how you’re supposed to do it. Use your stick,” Nathan told her.
“It’s a putter, remember?” Landon asked.
“Yeah, that,” Nathan nodded.
Omari shrugged. “Yeah, but that was faster.”
“Maybe so, but that isn’t how you play, Bitty,” Jalen told her. “You have to play right, or it isn’t fun for everyone.”
“Well, when will we finish playing so we can get nachos?” Omari asked.
“We only have three holes left,” Rohan told her. “We’ll get some food and then go to the rock-climbing wall.”
Omari nodded, and they went back to playing.
While Kodi and Mikal spent time with Vega in Denver, Rohan and Jalen took the other girls out so they wouldn’t feel left out of the fun.
They’d gone to the movies, Illusion Land, to a picnic in the park, and now they were finishing up the two weeks without the other two at the adventure park.
“Jalen,” Alynn called, gaining his girlfriend’s attention. “Will you take me to the bathroom?”
“I’ll take you,” Landon volunteered. “I have to go myself. Do either of you need to go?” she asked the twins. Both shook their heads no, and Landon took Alynn’s hand, leading her towards the bathroom.
He watched Nathan take her turn while they waited.
Four putts later, she sank her ball into the hole.
Unlike Omari, who enjoyed vocalizing when she could put the ball into the hole, Nathan preferred to do a little dance.
He and Jalen both took their shots while Omari and Nathan played in the faux plants that separated the holes.
Jalen walked over and leaned against him.
“I’ll be honest; I didn’t think the twins would like mini golf as much as they seem to. Well, as much as Nathan seems to.”
She’d told him it would be the first time the twins were going mini golfing and expressed that she was worried their attention span for it would be short or nonexistent.
However, that hadn’t been the case. They’d been excited to play and take their shots for most of the holes.
Until Omari reached this one, Rohan figured that had more to do with her wanting to eat than no longer liking the game.
“We’ll have to bring them back. Just after lunch next time,” he responded with a chuckle.
Landon and Alynn returned, took their shots, and moved on to the next holes. Omari played correctly, though he knew she likely wanted just to put the ball in the hole to get to the food.
Once they finished the course and turned in their putters, the group went to one of the many concession areas. Omari asked if she could order her food, and when Jalen said yes, the little girl excitedly told the attendant that she wanted nachos with extra cheese and only a little chili.
Everyone else ordered, and he pulled out his wallet and paid before Jalen could reach into her purse.
He wondered at what point she would realize that when they were out together, regardless of whether it was just the two of them or the entire clan, he wouldn’t let her pay.
He figured she wouldn’t, considering they’d been dating almost ten months, and she hadn’t picked up on it yet.
Until then, Rohan hadn’t realized how fast time had flown by. It felt like yesterday when he’d first taken her out in September. Time was speeding by them.
As they ate, Landon told Jalen she wanted to learn to drive, so she could work on getting her driving permit and possibly get her license early. She wanted to at least have her permit by the time Kodi went off to college.
“You’ll have to take and pass the written exam first, and you won’t be able to get your license that quickly. Since you’re under eighteen, you’ll have to have the permit for at least six months and complete thirty hours of driving before obtaining your license,” Jalen responded.
“I’ve already been studying and passed the practice test online twice. Can you take me next week to take the test?” Landon asked.
“I’m sorry, Landon. I work every day next week except for Friday. Since I worked Memorial Day, I have the fourth off for the holiday, and they’ll be closed.”
“She can take it online,” Rohan started. “As long as someone supervises her. I also think you’ll have to make the account, Jalen, but I’m not sure.”
Landon bounced in her seat with excitement. “So, that means I can take it when we get home.”
Jalen nodded as her attention was pulled to Nathan, attempting to steal one of her fries stealthily. She pushed her plate closer, and Nathan grabbed several fries with a thank you before placing them in her mouth. She’d eaten all the fries she’d had.
When everyone finished their food, they headed to the rock climbing walls.
There were a few different heights to suit different age ranges.
They let Alynn, Nathan, and Omari go first on the wall recommended for their age group.
Rohan could tell they had fun climbing the wall, but even more fun propelling back down.
Jalen didn’t participate, stating that the last thing she needed was to slip and sprain her ankle, then have to be off work.
“Rohan, let’s race to the top,” Landon stated as they stood at the bottom of the wall.
“You won’t be a sore loser, will you?” he questioned teasingly.
“Nope, because I won’t be the one losing, but you have to give me a four rock head start since you're taller than I am.”
“Alright, you’re on.”
Landon climbed up the four rocks before turning over her shoulder. “Jalen, we’re going to race; tell us when to go.”
“On your mark, get set, go!” Jalen called.
He and Landon both took off up the rock wall. He had not been expecting her to scurry up it so quickly. He could keep up with her because of his height, but she was moving. They reached the top simultaneously, and Landon laughed.
“I almost had you.”
“You were pretty close, kiddo.”
They propelled back down, and the group headed toward the exit once their harnesses were taken off them.
They’d been there several hours, and Rohan was sure they’d all had fun but were tired.
When they got to the parking lot, they climbed into Jalen’s vehicle, with Rohan behind the wheel, and headed back toward her apartment.
????????????
Jalen had just finished making an account for Landon to take her permit test when Alynn came down the hall and sat beside her. She and the twins had headed straight to their room when they entered the apartment twenty minutes ago.
“Jalen, can I sleep over tonight?” Alynn asked.
“I don’t mind, sweetie,” Jalen responded, placing the laptop on the side table. “But we need to ask Trent and make sure he’s okay with it.”
“Okay, can I call him?”
“Sure,” Jalen responded, handing the little girl her phone as Rohan walked back into the living room from the kitchen.
He handed Jalen a bowl of ice cream before going down the hall to get the other three girls. Jalen listened to Alynn’s side of the conversation before she held the phone out to her.
“My dad wants to talk to you.”
She took the phone and brought it to her ear as everyone came down the hall. “Hey, Trent,” she greeted as Alynn bounded off with the others to get her bowl of ice cream.
“Hey, did you guys have fun today?”
“We did. We spent a few hours at the adventure park, and now they’re eating ice cream, and we’ll probably watch a movie.”
“Are you sure it’s okay for Alynn to stay?”
“Of course, as long as she has your permission. She’s always welcome.”
“Okay, I can pick her up in the morning before I head to work.”
Jalen shook her head even though he couldn’t see her.
She knew he went to work at the crack of dawn some days.
“She can stay with Landon and the twins, and I can bring her home when I get off. Or, if you’d be more comfortable, I can drop her off with Rohan or Vivian tomorrow morning on my way to work; that way, she can sleep longer. ”
“Either of those works. I’ll drop some clothes by later,” Trent responded. They said their goodbyes and hung up.
Jalen stood, going into the kitchen, where the girls made their bowls of ice cream and added a few different toppings Rohan had set out on the counters. She took the whipped cream bottle from Omari as she covered half her bowl with it and handed it to Landon, who was farthest away from her.
“Alynn, Trent said he’d come by later and bring you some clothes. You can hang out here with Landon and the twins tomorrow while I’m at work.” She turned to Landon. “If you’re okay with babysitting one more.”
“Yeah, that’s cool,” Landon responded. “We’re going to roll off some of the craft paper and make a welcome home sign for Mikal and Kodi, and I told them we could make rice crispy treats if that’s okay.”
“That’s fine. Just be careful with the marshmallows,” Jalen responded as she passed Nathan the sprinkles she was reaching for.
When everyone had their ice cream made to their liking, they went into the living room, and Jalen started Coco. She figured she would choose and skip the debate that could break out. The girls sang along to the songs, which quickly turned into dancing when their ice cream was finished.
Landon, who’d been lying on the floor, got up and sat on the loveseat, giving them room to move around. As the performances continued, Jalen rounded up all the bowls and took them into the kitchen. When Rohan walked in, she’d just started washing them, and he took the spot next to her to rinse.
“What time does their flight land on Tuesday?” he questioned as he dried his hands.
“At four-forty. Maria will cover the last two hours of my shift so I can pick the three of them up.”
“Do you want me to go with you?”
“Sure, baby.”
They returned to the living room and retook their seats.
Jalen watched the girls more than the movie as they spoke the parts almost word for word and acted out the scenes.
She wasn’t surprised. Her little sisters were big fans of Disney movies, and they seldom went a day in their house without watching at least one.
The movie ended, and Omari, Nathan, and Alynn skipped down the hall to play in their bedroom while Landon asked Jalen if she could use her laptop to take her test. Jalen logged into the account since it timed out and told Landon to sit at the dining room table. She could see her from where she sat.
“You want to watch another movie?” Jalen asked.
“Are you going to act it out and sing along?” Rohan teased, and Landon snickered from the table.
She playfully rolled her eyes. “I’m going to leave that to our three little professionals.” She handed him the remote and asked him to choose something. She didn’t mind what they watched, and she knew he wouldn’t pick anything too gory because he knew she wasn’t a fan.
Rohan chose a comedy, and they adjusted the volume so it wasn’t too loud, and Landon could concentrate.
They weren’t even half an hour into the movie when Landon squealed in excitement and bounded over with the laptop in her hand. She spun the screen around and showed it to them.
“I passed with a perfect score!”
“Good job!” Jalen responded with a smile while Rohan held out his fist for her to bump. “Be sure to download the certificate, and I’ll make an appointment for us to pick it up next Tuesday since I’ll be off.”
“I have to wait that long?” Landon inquired, a bit bummed.
“It’s the first day off I have that they’ll be open. They open at nine and close at four-thirty. I’ll be at work during those times.” Jalen was getting off early that coming Tuesday, but it was at four-fifteen, which wouldn’t give them enough time to get it.
“Can’t Rohan take me?” Landon asked hopefully.
Jalen shook her head. “It has to be your parent or legal guardian. I have to take the paperwork with us.”
Landon nodded. “Okay, I can wait. I’m just excited I’ll get to learn to drive.” She placed the laptop back on the end table. “I’m going to call Vega and Kodi and let them know I passed,” she informed before going down the hall.
“She’s excited about the prospect of driving,” Rohan stated as they turned their attention back toward the movie.
Jalen nodded. “She is, but I think it’s more so because she wants to be able to take the other three places if I can’t when Kodi goes off to college.
I feel like she wants to step in, which is fine, but I also want her to be a teenager.
It took Kodi a while to figure out how to split her time, and I don’t want Landon thinking she has to be responsible for them at every turn. ”
“I think she’ll manage it. You’re raising smart kids.
She’ll be able to balance being a teenager with being a big sister, who may have more responsibilities than other older siblings.
She’s seen you and Kodi do it for years,” he responded.
“On top of that, I’ll be here to help and, not to toot my own horn, but I’m pretty good at this big brother, dad thing. ”
Jalen laughed as she laid her head against his shoulder. Her focus returned to the movie, but she couldn’t deny it. He was, and she couldn’t have found a better boyfriend if she’d made him herself.