Page 26 of A Lapse in Time

I plated the food, poured some orange juice, and brought everything to the table. I looked at Carsyn as she watched me. She had her hair down, framing her face. The ends were slightly curled from the shower the night before. She wore one of my T-shirts to bed, and I knew she didn't have anything on underneath. Before the accident, I would have put her on the table and had her for breakfast, but I was still trying to be careful with her.

"I figured you needed the sleep.” I had to stop thinking about burying my face between her legs.

"I was tired, but I wouldn't have been mad if you woke me up." She bit her bottom lip and looked up at me.

"I wanted to make you breakfast first. My dad called, and he invited us to come over later. Your mom and them will be there too. How does that sound?"

She looked off to the side and twisted her wedding band.

"We don't have to if you don't want to," I told her before she got too deep in her head. I didn't want her to feel obligated to go.

"No, it's okay. I think it's a good idea. I guess my parents will bring Nia there."

"Yes. We can kinda chill out until it's time to go."

"Okay. I might want to go back to sleep." She yawned.

I knew the night before had taken a toll on her emotionally and physically. It was the first time she had taken pain medicine in days.

"That's fine. I can do some stuff around the house while you rest."

I needed to cut the grass and do some other yard work, as well as some light cleaning.

"Okay."

We ate our food, and I gave Carsyn some pain medicine when we were done. She went upstairs to shower and rest until it was time to go. While she was gone, I cleaned the kitchen and notified my dad that we were good to go. I made sure to check in with her parents, and they assured me Nia was fine with them until we met up at my father's house. Evander let me know he would swing through as well. Supposedly, he was bringing some chick with him. Hopefully, she was cool.

It took me a few hours to complete everything, and by the time I was finished, it was time for Carsyn and me to get ready to head out.

Everyone wasat my dad's house, including Evander and the chick. She'd been cool and didn't do too much when she saw Carsyn, even though she said she was a fan of hers. She talked to her about the skincare line she had and said she would send Carsyn some samples. Other than that, she pretty much stayed to herself.

My father made burgers, hot dogs, steak, and chicken on the grill. We had corn, potato salad, and a bunch of other shit for sides. There was also plenty to drink, from water to beer and wine. Conversations flowed as we sat around the yard. Everyoneasked Carsyn how she was but didn't make a big deal out of anything.

It was Carsyn's mother's idea to show her pictures, so we grabbed the ones my dad had and the ones her mother brought.

"Mom, remember that time you fell through the front door?" Carlie asked as she cracked up, holding her stomach.

Carsyn laughed, but it didn't seem like she remembered it.

"Jesus, I don't even know how that happened," my mother-in-law said as she wiped a tear from her eye.

"Or, remember that time that dog jumped on Dad, and he acted like it was attacking him?"

Everyone laughed again. My father-in-law could spar with the best of them, but he didn't fool with dogs.

Carlotta passed her daughter a photo and said, "Look, Carsyn. This is from when you went to the prom."

"Wasn't his name like Larry or something like that?"

"Laray," Carlie said.

"Oh yeah." Carsyn looked at the picture and smiled.

Nia had been on the swing while my aunt pushed her, but she got off and ran over to Carsyn. When she lifted her arms, Carsyn picked her up and put her on her lap. Nia rested her head against Carsyn and put her little arms around her waist. I knew it would be a matter of time before she fell asleep because it had been a long day. She'd eaten plenty of food and played her little heart out. My father had a playground built in his yard for her. She was the only grandchild, so she was spoiled as hell.

"Here's a picture of you and Noah's first date," Carlie noted as she passed Carsyn another picture.

Carsyn took the picture from her and studied it. I noticed her brows squished together the longer she looked at it.

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