YOU & I - LaMelo Ball

37

MELO
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I open my eyes as the alarm on my phone goes off.

I sit up and check the baby monitor camera that was for the nursery, and Leo was still sleeping.

Mariah turns over and I smile to myself. I cut the alarm off and check the time seeing it was 10:30 a.m.

"Mamas, wake up. We gotta get on the road a lil early." I whisper as I tap Mariah awake.

She moves her hair out of her face before sitting up and looking at me.

She smiles tiredly and lays back down.

I shake my head and get up out of bed. "I'm gonna go get Leo ready while you get ready."

I open the door and walk across the hall to the nursery.

"Buddy, you gotta wake up." I walk over to his crib and just stand there for a second.

If you told me two or three years ago that I would be madly in love with Mariah and have a child with her, I would've definitely laughed in your face.

I laugh at everything.

Looking at Leo makes me feel very proud that Mariah and I made it though thick and thin.

He's a daily reminder, along with Mariah herself, that everything me and her have is worth it.

I pick Leo up and he starts to whine.

I lay him on my shoulder and pat his back. "I'm sorry buddy, but you gotta get up."

I go into the bathroom and start running bath water.

I put a little bit of soap in the water so there could be bubbles and suds, since I know he likes playing with them.

I take his onesie and diaper off before cutting the water off and sitting him down in the tub.

I bathe Leo and hum "Get You" by Daniel Caesar and Kali Uchis to myself and Leo, if he was even listening.

Once I'm done rinsing him off, I drain his bath water and lift him up outta the tub and wrap a towel around him.

I carry him back into me and Mariah's room just to see what she was doing.

"Where's mommy Leo?"  I look at him as I walk around the room looking for her.

uShe was in the closet sitting on the little counter.

"Hey boys." She smiles at us and rubs her eyes.

Underneath her eyes were a reddish tint, which is how they usually look when she wakes up.

"Do I have to pack multiple outfits or is this a one day thing?" She asks and I readjust Leo's towel so it wouldn't fall off.

"Multiple outfits, about like 2 or 3, and stuff to sleep in, bathing suits too."

I say before placing a kiss on her forehead and going back to the nursery to get Leo dressed.

After I was done getting him dressed, I packed him a bag of clothes and the things he needs for the trip.

"Alright daddy's gotta shower, so you're gonna go sit with your mother." I tell Leo as I walk back into the bedroom.

I sit him in Mariah's lap as she's doing her hair in the bathroom.

•••

"Can I be for real? This is how I feel! I'm in need of love, so let's dip up outta here!"