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“Yes, while you take a little minute to yourself,” I mimicked, using his line.
“Oh yeah?” His tittering was almost as cute as him.
“Yes.”
“I’ve been up since five, baby. Ran a mile with the guys, showered, and read a few pages on this new joint that Laike forcing us all to get into because Baisleigh got his ass reading it. I’ve had plenty of time to myself.”
“Awwww, you guys are just so stinking cute.”
My heart swelled with pride as I listened to Ledge speak. He and his family had gotten so close over the last few months. Each weekday morning they met for a mile run at a minimum. It was often complicated dragging Lawe out of bed, but he’d been much better about everything the last two months. His long nights sometimes spilled over into the morning just so that he didn’t have to worry about waking up or missing the wake-up calls from the guys.
“Cute?” He hissed.
“And, you’re reading. I want to read this one with you. The last one, you didn’t even tell me about.”
“Nah, I meant to. It was just too good. I looked up and I was finished. That was an accident.”
“Umm. Hmm. You have to start this one over so we can read it only when together.”
“Bet. I’d love that.”
“Okay. Let me go get cleaned up. Lailah and I will be down soon, okay?”
“Aight. I love you, pretty lady.”
“Immensely.”
With that, Ledge was out of the door. My heart melted watching him turn back by the threshold and purse his lips up at me. The love that he harbored for me was restless inside of him, demanding to be shown in every single thing he did and said to me. Love poured from his body in large doses and it was all for me. I felt extremely blessed.
Immediately, I closed my eyes.Thank you for giving my heart exactly what I needed exactly when I needed it. Thank you, God.I prayed for the millionth time. Ledge was everything to me and everything for me. To have him in my life could only be a result of the grace God had for me after the turmoil I’d experienced throughout my life.
I brushed my teeth, cleaned my face, and emptied my bladder. The baby was making it harder and harder to stay away from the bathroom. They were growing rapidly. As I walked past the mirror, I couldn’t help but take a final peek at my altering frame.
What are you?I turned to the side and ran a hand across my stomach.A boy? A girl?I thought of the envelope that sat on the counter of our kitchen, waiting for us to open it. Inside was the gender of our second child that neither of us was quite ready to know. The element of surprise was both of our motivations.
“Alright, Princess Lay. Mommy is on duty this morning.” I started for her nursery.
Princess Lay?Ledge had officially rubbed off on me. The entire eight months of her life, I’d managed to avoid falling into the nickname trap. However, this morning proved differently. With a shake of my head, I flipped the light switch in the bedroom and made my way down the hallway.
The sun had the room lit almost completely, defeating the purpose of using additional light. As I rounded the corner where her crib was located, I noticed her chubby cheeks as they grew peaks. Her body bounced up and down. The babbling began while she tried expressing her happiness for that very moment. Though she was most likely expecting her father, she was pretty excited to see her mother.
“Hiiiii, pretty baby. You’re awake, mommas. Oh goodness. How long have you been up, sweetie?”
I rushed to her side and stuck my hands out. She tried her hardest to climb out of the crib and into them. It was comical watching. When I leaned in and scooped her up, she jumped into my arms.
“Good morning. Good morning, sweet babywith the mushy diaper.”
The mushiness of diapers was a source of my insanity. They drove me insane. We went through so many diapers because of my obsession with dryness. While I preferred the cloth diapers, they weren’t a preference of Ledge’s. We both did what was best for us without stepping on one another’s toes or denying the other their preference.
I got Lailah onto the changing table and began deconstructing the diaper we’d put her to bed in. Because she was getting older and her bladder was a bit stronger, her diapers lasted through the night as she slept. I replaced it with a cloth diaper and waterproof liner before scooping her into my arms again. Together, we headed down the stairs.
The smell of fresh food roamed the air, making my stomach churn. When I made it to the dining table, Ledge was serving us. I took my seat next to his and rested Lailah on my right arm. Before I was able to remove my breast from my nightie, she’d assisted me. I let her prepare her meal while I watched in amazement. It was the most precious thing, so was she.
Her skin was like silk, smooth and soft to the touch. The hair that we’d seen on her first ultrasound was true to it’s nature, growing like wild weeds each day. I was learning to care for it, but she was still so small that there wasn’t much that I wanted to do with it. For the most part, moisture and ultra-hydration were my focus. Styling would come with time.
“Shit, I guess we’re all hungry,” Ledge joked, sitting freshly squeezed orange juice in front of me.
“It seems that way,” I agreed, still watching as Lailah settled herself.
