Page 32 of A Lapse in Time

I saw a post on social media where this group of authors gave their publisher a blanket with pictures of her loved ones, and I thought it would be a good idea to get Carsyn one. Each picture was from a different stage in Carsyn's life that she couldn't remember. From her first fight to our first date, our engagement party, and our wedding. Different stages in Nia's life so far. There were multiple random occasions and candid pictures I took of her just because I was captivated by my wife.

Tears fell as Carsyn studied each picture. When she got to the last picture, she held the blanket close to her chest.

"Noah. I don't know what to say. This is beautiful." She held the blanket up and looked at the pictures again.

I grabbed one of her hands when she put them back in her lap.

"There's nothing you need to say. I wanted to do what I could to help fill in the blanks."

Nia sat on the side of Carsyn, watching her, but said nothing. She ended up putting her head on Carsyn's arm, and that caused Carsyn to cry even more.

"I'm going to cherish this for the rest of my life."

"And I hope I can give you more memories to fill up another blanket." I leaned over and kissed her.

Nia popped her head up. "Mommy sad?"

"No, sweetie. Mommy is so happy with the gift you and daddy got me." Carsyn pulled Nia onto her lap and hugged her. Nia snuggled up against Carsyn but looked at me.

I ruffled her hair, which was all over the place, before I kissed her forehead, then did the same to Carsyn.

Carsyn picked up the blanket and draped it over her and Nia.

"How about we chill tonight and watch some movies? I'll order pizza and wings. Does that sound good to you?"

"That sounds perfect. I'm sure the little one wants to watch thePaw Patrolmovie."

As soon as the words left Carsyn's mouth, Nia's head popped up.

"Yay!"

I chuckled and shook my head. "I think we should get ourselves comfortable first," I suggested. We weren't leaving the house for the rest of the day, so I figured the three of us should put on our pajamas and relax.

"That's a good idea. I'll take Nia upstairs to give her a bath and stuff, then get myself together," Carsyn declared as she tossed the blanket off them.

"Okay." I leaned over and kissed her.

"Let's go upstairs, Nia," Carsyn instructed.

"Okay, Mommy." Nia hopped down off Carsyn's lap and ran toward the stairs.

An idea popped into my head when Carsyn stood.

"I think you should wash her up, get her pajamas on, then let her play with her toys while you and I take a shower together."

I silently hoped Carsyn understood what I was getting at. We wouldn't have that much time, but Nia would be good for a few minutes while we had a quickie.

Carsyn smirked, then glanced at Nia, then back at me. "I think that is a great idea." She kissed me, then got up from the couch.

I watched them walk upstairs, then went into the kitchen to ensure we had popcorn for our movie night. Once I confirmed we had everything we needed, I went upstairs to wait for Carsyn in our bedroom.

I hadan extra pep in my step as I walked into the therapist's office. Carsyn and I had a quickie in the shower, and I felt great about it. I would have done it again, but by the time we finished our movie night and put Nia to bed, we were tired.

Once I checked in and filled out the paperwork, I was called to the back.

"Hello, Mr. Ross. I'm Dr. Mitchell."

I was surprised the doctor came and got me and not someone else.

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