HARRY STYLES
I used to wake up between 4:00 and 5:00 in the morning without an alarm easily, and I thought that was because my body was just used to getting up at that time, but now I realize that it was stress. The combination of Lana and pure physical exhaustion was the only thing that helped me sleep, but waking up earlier than I would have liked to was a whole other situation.
Now, I'm waking up before the sun because I can hear my baby crying down the hall and I can't quite explain how nice that feeling is. I've never been so happy and eager to get out of bed before I have to just so I can see his little smiling face. Besides, if I get up with him in the morning, that's another hour or two that Lana can sleep. I figure that she carried him for 9 months and gave him life, so the least I can do is wake up a little early and feed him with a bottle until she's ready to get up.
"Hi, bud," I pick him up out of his crib, laughing to myself at his dramatic pout and watering eyes until he's held.
Magically, he instantly calms down as I lay him down on his changing table to exchange his dirty diaper for a new one. He's preoccupied with the mobile above his head, following the little moving stuffed animals with his eyes until I'm finished. For just a minute, I leave him safe on the table so I can wash my hands before carrying him in one arm downstairs to make myself a cup of coffee and thaw out a bottle of his milk. He's not crying, but he keeps making various noises and sounds as if he's trying to talk to me.
To check the temperature of the milk, I squeeze a little bit out onto the sensitive skin on the inside of my arm before guiding the bottle into his mouth. His green eyes are wide on me as he blinks with long lashes, pursing his lips to drink while I pour my mug of black coffee.
"You know what today is?" I walk him over to sit down on the couch with me. "I have my first interview for the restaurant with The New York Times today. Cool? Or no?"
In response, he nearly goes cross-eyed, holding the bottle and trying to drink from it as if there's a ticking time bomb about to go off if he doesn't finish it fast enough.
"Not as cool as breakfast, I guess," I sip my coffee and turn my attention to the stairs when I hear them creaking.
Lana comes down in a black silk robe tied around her small waist with a matching little black nightdress underneath. Her hair is in a claw clip and her face appears to be freshly moisturized, as does the rest of her body, but she has sleepy eyes. She says she hates the way she looks in the morning, but she looks like a wet dream to me.
"What are you doing up?" I try to focus on her eyes but my gaze lingers to her legs as she sits next to me with her mini dress riding up her thighs.
"You were gone," she pivots to face me more, kissing my cheek before she smiles down at Mason. He starts squeaking until I hand him over to her.
"We were bonding," I mumble as if I'm upset, but selfishly, I'm relieved to be able to have some time with her this morning before I have to leave.
"I'm sorry," she laughs as Mason reaches up to hold the heart pendant hanging from the necklace on her sternum. "Good morning, baby."
Just like me and Jane, Mason smiles at the sound of her voice and the sight of her face saying that to him. It makes her laugh as she leans over to kiss his cheek three times, and then she goes in for another three until he coos and touches her face. Meanwhile, I'm staring at her profile and wondering how one woman can be so perfect from the inside out.
"So, how are you feeling about the interview this morning?" She asks.
"Honestly, I'm really excited to talk about it," I answer. "It'll be a lot easier to talk about than L'Éclatant because it's my own, y'know?"
