All Chapters of Her Christmas Wish: Chapter 31 - Chapter 40

It had been a few days since Laila had last spoken to Jordan. In that short span of time, the house had settled into an uneasy quiet, the kind that followed something life‑altering but unfinished. The air felt heavier, as if the walls themselves were holding their breath, waiting for the next shift. Malaya hadn't brought him up again, which Laila knew meant only one thing—it wasn't gone. It was brewing beneath the surface, collecting questions and feelings, waiting for the right moment to spill out.Laila stood in the doorway of her daughter's room, leaning lightly against the frame as she watched Malaya play on the floor. The late‑afternoon light spilled through the window, casting soft shadows across the carpet where toys were spread out in a familiar, comforting chaos. Dolls, markers, and half‑finished crafts surrounded her, evidence of a child trying to keep busy while her world quietly rearranged itself. For a moment, everything felt almost normal, and Laila clung to that feeling

An hour and a half later, Malaya sat on the wooden bench at the edge of the rink, her skates dangling just above the ice as Laila knelt in front of her, carefully placing and tying each lace. The bench was cold beneath Malaya’s legs, and she shifted slightly, her shoulders hunching as she watched her mother work. She tried to ignore the way her stomach fluttered with nerves, the strange mix of excitement and unease that had followed her all afternoon. Malaya wore thick pink tights beneath a soft ballerina skirt, a white sweater zipped all the way up to her chin, and matching pink earmuffs and gloves that framed her small face. Her cheeks were already flushed from the cold, and every few seconds she let out a small breath, watching it puff into the air like smoke before disappearing.Laila tugged gently on each lace, double-checking the knots the way she always did, pressing her thumb against the toe of each skate to make sure they were secure. She lingered longer than necessary, partl

“Hey, guys!” Jenny called out, approaching cautiously and slowing to a careful stop a few feet away from them, as if she didn’t want to startle anyone or intrude on something fragile and new. Her skates scraped softly against the ice as she steadied herself. “I know you told us not to come, Jordan, but we just… we didn’t want to miss this. Can we say hi, or will that be too overwhelming?”Jordan turned at the sound of her voice and froze when he saw Jenny, Jake, Judy, and Jerry standing together near the edge of the rink. The cold air seemed to thicken around him, pressing in on his chest until it was hard to breathe. His shoulders tensed instinctively, panic flashing briefly across his face as a hundred thoughts raced through his mind—too soon, too much, too fast. He hadn’t been ready for this part yet. He hadn’t known how to bridge the space between the life he’d built and the one he’d left behind.But before he could open his mouth to stop them, apologize, or retreat, Laila met his

Jordan hadn’t meant to stare, but the moment his eyes landed on Laila sitting on the bench with another man, his easy smile faded completely. His skates slowed without him realizing it, blades carving shallow, uneven lines into the ice as his attention locked onto the scene off the rink. The cold air felt sharper all of a sudden, biting at his lungs as something tight and unfamiliar settled deep in his chest.He squeezed Malaya’s hand just a fraction too tightly before catching himself and loosening his grip. Guilt flickered through him immediately. This wasn’t fair—to her, or to Laila. Malaya didn’t seem to notice, too busy laughing as Jenny showed her how to glide backward without wobbling, her giggles echoing across the rink as she nearly lost her balance and then recovered. Her smile was wide and unguarded, the kind that made his chest ache with pride and regret all at once.“Who the hell is that?” Jordan muttered, his eyes never leaving the bench.“Who?” Jake asked, skating up be

After saying goodbye to everyone at the rink, Jordan had hesitated for only a moment before asking if Malaya could join his family for ice cream. Laila’s first instinct had been to say no. The word rose quickly in her chest, sharp and instinctive, the same protective response she’d had since the moment Malaya was born. Her mouth had already started to form the word, but she swallowed it back, forcing herself to take a steady breath.A part of her knew—deep down—that if she didn’t give Malaya the space to answer for herself now, she might never feel free to do so when it came to Jordan. And as much as that terrified her, she also understood that shielding Malaya from everything wouldn’t prepare her for the world—or for her father. This was one of those moments where love meant letting go, just a little, even when every instinct screamed not to.To her surprise, when Jordan asked, Malaya didn’t hesitate at all. She nodded eagerly, her eyes lighting up in a way that made Laila’s heart bo