Page 14 of A Lapse in Time

She looked around like she was trying to piece things together. "Noah." Her eyes watered when she said my name. "I don't know what to say. I hate that I can't remember it." Her gaze traveled around us again.

"Don't worry about it. Let's go eat, then we'll take a walk near the lake."

I led her into the restaurant and gave the hostess my name. After she grabbed two menus, she led Carsyn and me to our table. When I booked the reservation, I requested a table near the window. It was the exact table we had the night we got engaged.

Once we were seated, Carsyn and I looked over our menus.

"So, how long were we together before you proposed?" Carsyn asked as she placed her menu on the table.

"We were only together for a year or so. However, it didn't take long for me to know I would marry you. I only waited as long as I did because I didn't want to rush you. I knew you were special from the moment I met you."

"But you were with someone."

I laughed when she rolled her eyes. Carsyn couldn't stand Robyn. Robyn didn't care for Carsyn either because she noticed how I looked at her. I didn't realize it until she called me out one day. I knew Robyn wasn't the right one for me, but I was young. She was the hottest girl in the school. Well, she was until I noticed Carsyn. Carsyn was pretty without trying. She was just always her authentic self.

"None of that mattered, though. My heart skipped a beat every single time I saw you. When I had the chance to ask you, I took it."

"And when did you get the chance?" She put her arms on the table and leaned forward.

I loved how she seemed eager to hear our story, and I would tell her a million times if I needed to.

"You would come into the gym all the time with your pops. One day, we were sparring, and I just asked. It wasn't a big to-do or anything. It was just the right moment. You agreed, and we went to the movies that weekend. I was saving up to open a gym with Evander, so I wasn't balling like that, but we still had a good time. After that night, we spent a lot of time together. Most of it was sparring or training. I didn't care what we were doing as long as I spent time with you. I just loved being around you and your energy. That hasn't changed either."

For the second time, her eyes watered. She reached across the table and grabbed my hand. "Whatever you do, don't give up on me. I know this road won't be easy."

I squeezed her hand and looked into her eyes. "I will never give up on you, Care Bear."

Her face flushed when she smiled.

"Hi, my name is Angie, and I'll be your server this evening. Can I start you guys off with something to drink?"

I glanced up at Carsyn so she could order first. I couldn't take my eyes off her while she told the server what she wanted. I was so caught up in her beauty that I didn't realize when it was my turn to order. Carsyn blushed when she noticed me staring at her.

I cleared my throat, focused on the server, and gave her my order.

"So, did you propose here or somewhere else?"

"It was after dinner. We went for a walk by the lake, and I asked there. To be honest, I wasn't sure if I would ask that night because I was nervous. I always knew I would ask, just hadn't planned when. I carried the ring around for a while before I finally built the courage just to ask. You said yeah with no hesitation, and it was one of the best days of my life. The other two were our wedding day and when you gave birth to Nia."

Her face instantly lit up when I mentioned Nia.

"Can you tell me more about her?"

"Of course. She's the smartest three-year-old I know. She has a lot of your personality, but some of mine as well. She's already taken a liking to boxing like you."

The smile on Carsyn's face dropped, and sadness filled her eyes.

"I hope she doesn't want to do it. I don't know anything about my career, but I wish I had never boxed. I wouldn't be here trying to figure out what my life was like before I got hit."

My heart broke for Carsyn. All she ever wanted to do was box, and for her to regret it didn't seem right. I understood why she felt like that, but I still didn't like it.

"Hey, listen. Don't do that. Things happen, and unfortunately, we can't control when it does. All we can do is make the best out of every situation. Don't regret anything in life because we can't go back and change it. You are an incredible wife and mother, and that won't change. Things might be a little awkward right now, but I'm certain things will get much smoother the more time we spend together. Let's not worry about all that stuff right now. We will have a good night and let whatever happens happen naturally. I just need you to tell me what you need. Can you do that for me?"

Carsyn sat up with her back straight, and the light in her eyes returned. "Yes."

"Good."

While we waited for the food, I continued to answer any questions Carsyn had and told her stories about our life from the time we started dating until the day of the fight. It was mostly funny stories because I wanted to keep the mood light. I could see Carsyn getting into her head at times, but I did my best to pull her out of it.

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