Page 80 of Raising Love
I sighed, holding the ball against my hip. “I mean, sometimes I miss it, but… Ivy and I have been cool since I moved back to the city. So, I don’t know.”
“Hmph.” Jaleel nodded, his focus shifting back to the hoop.
Most of my teammates knew the basics of the situation with Ivy—how we’d become guardians to Baby Love, now Levi, and how things hadn’t worked out living together. What they didn’t know was how close we’d gotten. How intimate. That wasn’t something I’d shared, not even with Jaleel, though he was one of the few I trusted.
“Yo,” I called out. “Can I ask you something personal?”
Jaleel paused mid-dribble and turned to face me, his expression curious. “Depends. How personal we talking?”
I chuckled. “Nothing like that.”
“Oh, aight.” He let out a relieved laugh. “Go ahead, then.”
“How’d you know you wanted to get married and have kids?”
His smile grew softer, his eyes shifting as if he were looking at a memory. “When every time I thought about the future, I saw my girl in it. My wife now,” he corrected. “And our kids. Every time.”
I arched a brow. “Every time?”
“Every single time, man.” Jaleel shot the ball, the perfect arc sending it cleanly through the hoop. He jogged off to retrieve it. “Eva and I got married mad young.”
“Yeah, I know,” I said, bouncing the ball in place as I waited for him to return.
“And while for some people, it was too young, for me, I just knew what I wanted,” he continued. “Now, I won’t lie and say it’s been perfect. My woman put me out and asked for a divorce at the peak of my career. That shit was devastating.”
I stopped dribbling, my attention squarely on him.
“I was living in the city alone, going to events alone, trying to accept that we were separated and that it was what she wanted.” He shook his head, holding the ball loosely at his side. “I wasn’t in any position to give her what she needed—my time. And I hated every minute of being away from her and J.R. I’d get him on weekends, just like you get the baby, but every time he had to go back, it was like a piece of me went with him. And I wanted to go home too.”
He turned to grab the ball that had rolled a few feet away.
“It was our son that brought us back together,” Jaleel said, his voice softening as he smiled. “And every time I think about that, I’m proud. Proud of me and Eva for raising a kid who’s so damn self-aware, thoughtful, and smart as hell.”
I chuckled, shaking my head. “That’s dope.”
“Since then, I’ve learned how to make everyone happy,” Jaleel said, tossing the ball casually into the air and catching it. “The team, by showing up and giving it my all—even when we lose.”
“True.”
“My wife, by giving her enough time so she doesn’t feel like a single wife anymore,” he added with a snicker. “And, of course, my kids. I’m around a lot more now, especially with our baby girl in the picture. She’s the cutest little terrorist you’ve ever seen.”
I threw my head back, laughing.
“I make it work for a family that keeps me grounded,” he said. “They’re my foundation. See, here?” He gestured to the hardwood floor beneath us. “The fans? They only love me when I’m winning. My family? They love me for me, no conditions. That’s why they come first. I don’t ever wanna get put out my house again, bro.”
His laugh was contagious, and I found myself nodding along.
“When I was alone in that quiet-ass condo in Manhattan, every night I wanted to go back home. Feel me?”
“Yeah,” I said, my nod slower this time. “I mean, sometimes… I wanna go back to Greene Gardens, too. But…” I trailed off, shaking my head.
“But what?” he asked, turning his full attention to me.
I bit the inside of my cheek, debating for a moment before stepping closer. “I’m gonna tell you something, but you can’t repeat it to anyone.”
“Say less.” Jaleel nodded solemnly. “I’m a vault.”
I drew in a deep breath, then let it out. “Me and Ivy… we took our friendship to a whole different level after we moved into Greene Gardens together.”
