Her Christmas Wish
Laila Jones has spent eight years building a quiet, beautiful life for herself and her daughter, Malaya. After her high school boyfriend caved to his racist grandfather and chose football and family approval over her and their unborn baby, Laila left Ohio, moved south, and raised Malaya on her own.
Now Malaya is eight, there’s a daddy–daughter dance coming up, and her one Christmas wish is simple—and heartbreaking: she wants to meet her dad.
Going home for the holidays was hard enough. Running into Jordan Hall, now the golden-boy quarterback of the Cincinnati Bengals, is worse. He’s famous, gorgeous, and acting like he has the right to look at her with regret. Laila is ready to avoid him, yell at him, or both.
What she doesn’t know is that after his grandfather’s death, Jordan discovered every letter she ever sent—proof that she kept their baby, begged him to come, and raised their daughter without him. The truth wrecks him, and this Christmas, he’s determined to fight for the family he should have had all along.
But Laila isn’t interested in being anyone’s redemption arc. Especially not while his nasty fiancée is calling her a liar to the press and the internet is tearing her apart.
As secrets unravel and emotions explode in front of cameras, Laila and Jordan have to decide what matters more: anger, pride, and old wounds…or the little girl who still believes Christmas wishes can come true.
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Chapter: Not Just a Mom TonightLaila tossed yet another dress onto her bed, groaning as the hanger clattered across the hardwood floor with a metallic echo that somehow matched the growing storm inside her chest. It had been ages since she’d prepared for a real night out—not a late-night grocery dash for snacks, not an emergency drugstore run, not a quick Target mission where she pretended browsing the home décor aisle qualified as self‑care. A real night. A night where she could exist as more than a mother, more than a student, more than a woman trying to keep every spinning plate from crashing down.And the evidence of this rarity surrounded her in spectacular chaos. Her bedroom looked like a boutique had exploded—silky fabrics thrown across lampshades, sequins winking smugly at her from corners she didn’t remember touching, shoes scattered everywhere like weary little soldiers who had fought valiantly and surrendered. A few necklaces twisted themselves into glittering knots; bracelets rolled under the dresser li
Last Updated: 2025-12-13
Chapter: The Aisle Between UsJordan Hall sighed as he pushed the grocery cart forward, the squeaky wheel wobbling with every uneven rotation. It felt as if it were a metaphor of his life, almost screaming under the weight of the emotional storm raging inside of him. The grocery store was warm and crowded, buzzing with shoppers wrapped in puffy coats, glittering scarves, and festive hats. Holiday music jingled overhead—songs that normally made him nostalgic, made him smile, made him feel grounded in the season. But not today. Today, everything felt distant, muted, like he was separated from the rest of the world by a thick sheet of glass. Everyone else was moving on with their cheerful holiday errands while Jordan trudged through molasses, stuck in a moment from eight years ago that refused to let him go.Jake jogged ahead of him, nearly slipping on a wet patch of tile as he snatched a gallon of milk from the refrigerated case. He recovered quickly—mostly due to luck—and tossed the milk into the cart with far too
Last Updated: 2025-12-12
Chapter: Making a PlanJordan felt like he blinked, and suddenly he was back in Lima, pulling into the hotel parking lot as though his entire drive had been swallowed by a fog of grief and determination. The town looked exactly the same—quiet streets, Christmas lights on every porch, the faint smell of chimney smoke drifting in the cold air—but he felt different. Heavy. Weighted down by everything he had learned, everything he had lost, and everything he was now terrified to hope for.He refused to stay at his grandparents’ house with the rest of the family. The thought alone made his throat tighten. Being in that space felt like suffocating under years of secrets and manipulation. Every room in that house reminded him of something stolen—stolen time, stolen letters, stolen chances. Staying there felt like honoring a legacy built on lies, and Jordan couldn’t stomach it. Not anymore.Inside the hotel room, he dropped his keys on the nightstand and sat heavily on the edge of the bed. His hands trembled slight
Last Updated: 2025-12-09
Chapter: The Truth Flashback: Six Months AgoJordan made his way into the house, walking straight up to his grandfather's room. Jordan had rushed home when he got the call that his grandfather was dying. He was still plenty angry at him, but in the end, Jordan went along with everything, so he was more to blame. Walking into the room, he rushed to his grandmother's side."Oh, Jordy, look at you! All grown up, I am so glad you came…I thought…""You thought because he did what he did, I wouldn't come? I'm not like him, Grandma. I am not a monster who hates.""Jordy?" Came a frail voice, and Jordan looked at the man who had taken the love of his life away. "Grandfather.""There was a time you called me Pawpaw." He said weakly. "That was when I respected you," Jordan said. "Look, I didn't come here to fight. I just… I couldn't not see you. No matter what you've done.""Jordy… I'm sorry. I never…" He started coughing, and Jordan handed him a dri
Last Updated: 2025-12-08
Chapter: Behind the SmileJordan Hall stood beneath the blinding studio lights, looking every bit the polished NFL superstar they wanted him to be. If perfection had a physical form, his publicists liked to say, Jordan was dangerously close to it. He looked like an Adonis—handsome in that soft, all‑American, golden-boy way that made endorsement companies drool over him. His usually dark blond hair had been dyed a warm chestnut for the holiday campaign, and the rich color made his hazel eyes appear warmer, deeper, almost honey-like when the light hit them just right. Clean‑shaven for the first time in months, his jawline looked sharp enough to cut through the tension in the room, giving him a younger, more boyish charm despite the exhaustion hiding behind his expression.Even at rest, with his shoulders slightly slouched in boredom, Jordan's athletic build, broad chest, and sculpted features looked effortlessly camera-ready. On the outside, he was a marketing team's dream—a man who sold fantasy with a single sm
Last Updated: 2025-12-06
Chapter: A Goodbye She Never DeservedFlashback cont. A Week LaterLaila lay on her bed, staring at the ceiling, when a knock came—a soft, hesitant sound, the kind someone makes when they don't want to startle you. She looked up, eyes swollen from days of crying, and sighed as her older sister Mariah stepped quietly into the room. The door creaked slightly, letting in a sliver of hallway light."Hey, Lai… Can I come in?" Mariah asked gently.Laila shrugged, shifting upright. Her pillow was damp again—she didn't even remember falling asleep. Everything felt heavy, like grief itself sat on her chest.Mariah walked in slowly and perched on the edge of the bed. She held something in her hand—an envelope, folded once, edges worn as if it had been held too tightly."I have something for you… a letter," she whispered. "From Jordan."Laila stared at it, her heart lurching. For seven days she had waited, checking her phone every few minutes, praying he would call, text—anything. She knew he was hurting too. She just believed love
Last Updated: 2025-12-06
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