A Holiday Stocking Stuffer: Eva & Jaleel
Talk about going with the flow! This little stocking stuffer was completely unplanned. I’d just finished writing the alternate ending for my Brookelynite Daily subscribers and felt called to share a small piece of Eva and Jaleel with you all, too.
In my book world, the end isn’t always the end. It’s simply the close of a chapter. And this one felt like the perfect moment to check back in on my unofficial holiday couple.
Merry Christmas! 🎄
EVA
It took a minute to remember where I was, but the moment the morning blur cleared and my eyes landed on the snow drifting past the floor-to-ceiling windows, it all came rushing back.
I inhaled deeply, shifting beneath the sheets, the soft white Egyptian cotton brushing my bare skin. The faint scent of chocolate and marshmallows from the Christmas charcuterie board I’d put together the night before still lingered in the air. I turned away from the window to find Jaleel asleep beside me, and the sight of him made my lips curve into a quiet smile.
The down comforter sat low on his body, barely covering his lower half. I let myself take in the view—one the snow falling outside like glitter could never compete with.
It was Christmas morning, and we were far from home. Minnesota had given us the kind of snow-covered magic that felt straight out of a snow globe. Unreal. Dreamlike.
And warm… inside our hotel suite, at least.
I pulled the bedding higher, settling deeper into the pillows, my eyes still on him. The warmth that washed over me had nothing to do with the comforter. It was this moment. This stillness. Honestly, my favorite part of Christmas.
The quiet before the noise.
Just him and me, even with him knocked out cold from the night before, his body heavy with rest the second we’d fallen into bed.
We’d stayed up past midnight finishing our Monopoly game, played with real cash, his idea. We talked for hours after. About life. About plans for the new year. About how grateful we were to even be able to talk like that again.
Because all of this almost never happened.
The early morning rise before him. Us, wrapped in heavy bedding, warm, genuinely happy.
I studied his face, my smile deepening, my heart softening in a way it still surprised me.
Did it make sense to be this in love with your husband after everything you’d survived together?
I wanted to trail my fingers down his broad chest, but I didn’t want to wake him. He had a game later—practice before noon—and Christmas sometimes meant Jaleel had to share himself with the world. This year, the Bronx Ballers were scheduled to play, and like so many basketball families, we’d learned to celebrate the night before.
At one point in my life, that would’ve hurt.
But we’d survived harder seasons than this.
I was still lost in the quiet when Jaleel spoke, his voice rough with sleep.
“How much longer I gotta pretend to be asleep before you surprise me?”
I scoffed, tipping my head back in laughter, then brought it down just long enough to punch him lightly in the ribs.
He opened his eyes instantly, laughing as he pulled me into a bear hug, turning me until my back pressed against his chest.
“You ass,” I said through my giggles. “How long you been awake?”
“Long enough to see you staring,” he rasped, the bass in his voice vibrating against my skin. “Creep.”
I elbowed him and he laughed louder this time, groaning as his arms tightened around my bare waist, pulling me closer.
We were now to skin and in familiar territory. Indulgent, as always.
Even after two kids, relaxing with him like this still felt like sin in the best way.
“Talkin’ about how long you gotta wait to be surprised,” I teased. “Didn’t you get enough last night?”
“Like Luther said,” Jaleel replied smoothly. “Never too much. Never too much. Never, ever too much…”
I snorted, settling more fully into his hold.
“Mmm,” I moaned, feeling him harden against me. “You better stop. I’m pretty sure J.R. and Evie are awake, and I am not trying to relive that time they busted in on us.”
“The door’s locked,” he said, pressing a kiss to my shoulder. “And we ain’t home. They know better.”
“Mmm-hmm…”
We fell quiet again, his heartbeat steady against my back, my eyes drifting closed… until the view outside pulled me back in.
Downtown Minneapolis was stunning. Tall buildings like New York’s, softened now by falling snow, giving Christmas morning exactly what it was supposed to give.
I laced my fingers through his, absently playing with his hand as I watched the city wake with us.
“It’s so beautiful out there,” I said softly.
He traced his thumb over my wedding rings, lifting my hand just enough to press his lips to them. “It’s way more beautiful in here.”
I smiled, eyes closing, letting myself sink into the moment.
I knew it wouldn’t last forever. He’d be gone soon. But his absence was always temporary now… ever since we chose to make things right.
He groaned, tightening his arms around me.
“I’d rather stay in bed than play this game tonight, for real.”
I arched a brow. “Well, that’s a first.”
He snickered.
“Once upon a time I used to have to beg you to lay this still on game day.” I sucked my teeth. “You were always itching to get out on that court.”
“Well, that chapter’s over,” he said easily. “And I like this one way better. It’s nice and soft and warm on this page.”
I exhaled a quiet laugh.
“And wet and sweet.”
I smirked. “Ain’t it, though?”
“Mmm-hmm.” He squeezed me tighter.
A beat later, Jaleel was back to kissing my shoulder, slow and deliberate, trailing his lips up my neck like he had nowhere else to be. Spoiling me. And I loved every second of it.
They say if you let someone go and they come back, it’s real.
For me, that had never felt truer.
Because Jaleel was back and better than ever. All these years later, he was still showing up, still choosing us, still somehow the best husband in the world.
Sometimes, I was jealous of me.
I giggled softly at the thought.
That familiar stir—the one only Jaleel knew how to awaken—was blooming warm and sweet between us when the door handle jiggled.
Jaleel froze behind me.
“Mama, Pops,” J.R. called through the door, knocking lightly now. “Y’all up or nah?”
Jaleel and I snickered quietly.
He pressed one more kiss to my shoulder and leaned in to whisper, “Later tonight. You and me?”
I nodded, lifting his hand to my lips.
“Always,” I whispered against the back of his hand, kissing him there once. “Every Christmas. Every day.”
THE END.
Author’s Note – I hope you loved catching up with Eva and Jaleel as much as I did. This short story takes place after the alternate ending my Brookelynite Daily subscribers received. If you’d like to read that one, you can find it linked below.
If you’re new to Eva and Jaleel and want their full story, start with Home for Christmas, then continue with Home Before Midnight. And if you’re still craving more of them, be sure to check out their couples update in Glimpses, Vol. 2.
