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Chapter 27
The eight women, Sydney, Kristen, Megan, Rachel, Karla, Heidi, Chrysti, and now Jessica, sat together in Jalen's living room, forming a circle. The energy was surprisingly light, considering the magnitude of what they were discussing. Jalen, sitting in the center of the room, looked around at each of them. "So, now that we are all here," he said, giving Jessica a small smile, "I think we should revisit how we divide our time together."
Rachel sighed. "Yeah, because let's be real, one Jalen and eight of us is...a challenge."
Heidi smiled. "Understatement of the year."
Sydney, ever the level-headed one, took a deep breath while she rubbed her belly. "Well, what we had before worked okay, but now we need to consider the fact that our pregnancies are progressing. Some of us are further along and might need extra support."
Kristen nodded. "Yeah, I won't lie, the farther along I get, the more exhausted I feel, and I'm going to need Jalen more for different things."
Megan, sitting comfortably on the couch, spoke up. "I think we should have a flexible schedule. We keep the set days, but if someone needs Jalen more on a particular day, whether it's because of pregnancy, an appointment, or even an emotional need, then we adjust."
Karla tapped her fingers on her knee. "That makes sense, but we also have to make sure we're fair. We don't want anyone feeling like they're being pushed aside."
Jessica, who had been mostly quiet up until now, finally spoke. "I'm still...wrapping my head around this, but if we're being honest, I don't need a ton of time with Jalen right now. I think some of you need him more at this stage." She paused, then added, "That doesn't mean I don't want time, but I can be patient."
Chrysti, nodding, chimed in. "I think we should also think about how we support each other. We're all in this together, whether we like it or not."
Jalen looked at Chrysti and smiled. Her saying that really showed that she was finally becoming more at peace with this crazy situation after hesitating for so long. He took everything in and leaned forward.
"I want you all to know that I will always make time for each of you. That being said, I think Megan's right. We need flexibility, but also fairness. Maybe we set a base schedule, but we check in each week to adjust as needed."
Sydney thought for a moment. "How about this? We keep the schedule we had before—where each of us has a dedicated day—but we add a rotation day where one person gets an extra night per week based on need or who hasn't had as much time recently."
Kristen nodded. "That could work."
Rachel smirked. "So, basically, we get our set day, and the ‘wild card' day rotates. I like it."
Heidi laughed. "Okay, but if one of us gets sick and Jalen needs to take care of us, that takes priority, right?"
Jalen nodded. "Of course. Health, both physical and mental, comes first."
Karla scribbled notes down in her planner. "Alright, so let's lock in the new schedule. Everyone gets one day, plus a rotating extra night. We meet every Sunday to adjust as needed."
Jessica finally let out a breath. "I can work with that."
Chrysti smiled at her. "We all can."
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