"Fire & Ice" (Revised for Wattpad), Ch. 8 (PG-13, S): Sunday Family Time, August 14, 2015 Gratiana Lovelace

(An original story copyrighted by Gratiana Lovelace, 2015; all rights reserved)

[From time to time, I will illustrate my story with images of actors representing my dream cast--including Richard Armitage as Thomas Kane and Anne Hathaway as Caroline Walters, Doris Roberts as Mrs. Burns, and others as noted in the image credits.] [(1) "Fire & Ice" story logo]

Author's Mature Content Note: "Fire & Ice" is romantic thriller story with mature themes (D for drama, S for sensuality, and V for violence) of love and relationships. Most chapters will be PG or PG-13. However, if you are unable or unwilling to attend a movie with the ratings that I provide, then please do not read that chapter. This is my disclaimer.

Author's Recap from the previous chapter: Trevor delights in introducing his Daddy to everyone at church on Sunday, then he falls asleep. But Sunday's family time together--and getting ready for the start of the work week on Monday--is just getting started.

"Fire & Ice", Chapter 8 (PG-13, S): Sunday Family Time

After the coffee hour at church, little Trevor starts to wake up about 11:15am as Caroline and Thomas drive him home. They know that he will need a potty break before they start to think about lunch—and he does go potty when they get home to Caroline's apartment. This is home, for now--their new normal. And they are relishing being together.

Since there is also a park across and one block down from Caroline's apartment building, the Walters-Kane family strolls across the street to the park. It is a lovely kid and family friendly park with playground equipment, benches, and a lake with ducks. Trevor likes the hot dogs that the street vendor sells. So, Thomas and Caroline and Trevor each order a hot dog and some lemon shake ups--a super sweet lemonade with crushed ice--then they sit at a wooden bench to eat their lunch.

Thomas: "Trevor, this is a very good hot dog. How is yours?" Thomas wipes some ketchup from the corner of his mouth. He wonders amusingly why hot dog vendor tend to overdo the condiments? Caroline just smiles at Thomas.

Trevor: "Yummy, Daddy. How is your hot dog Mommy?" Trevor's face is awash with ketchup from cheek to cheek, not worrying about wiping his face off until he is done eating. Well, he is only an almost three and a half year old. What do they care for fastidiousness?

Caroline: "Mine is yummy, too." Caroline takes small delicate bites, carefully managing her ketchup drip by licking off the excess first since she only has one hand to work with.

Trevor: "Mommy, may I play on the slide after lunch?"

Caroline: "Yes Trevor, but don't run around too much just yet. You know how your tummy gets upset." She leans in to Trevor and raises her eyebrows.

Trevor: "Yes, Mommy." He nods his head knowingly. Then he says to his Daddy by way of explanation. "Daddy, I don't want to toss my cookies again."

Thomas and Caroline both chuckle at Trevor using the idiomatic phrase properly. Of course, the first time Caroline used that phrase with Trevor--about tossing his cookies--he asked, what kind of cookies?

Thomas: "Of course, Trevor. I think that I'll follow Mommy's advice, too." Then Thomas leans in and kisses Caroline's cheek and she smiles.

After all three of them are done with their lunch, they decide to walk a bit toward the duck pond [(2)]. Caroline, of course, has some needed supplies for their trip there as usual.

Caroline: Pulling some bread slices in a bag out of her purse, she hands one to Trevor and one to Thomas. "Thomas, we like to feed the ducks."

Thomas: Thomas amusingly says. "Caroline is there anything that you don't have in your bag?" They both laugh as Caroline shrugs her shoulders sheepishly.

Trevor: "Yes, Daddy, we like feeding the ducks." Taking his bread slice from his Mommy, Trevor shows his Daddy what to do. "You break off little pieces of bread and then throw them into the pond for the ducks to nibble on."

Thomas: "Right. Let's see if the ducks come to us and eat our bread, shall we?

Trevor: "Oh they will, Daddy. They know us." Trevor bobs his head up and down excitedly and smiles confidently at his Daddy.

Thomas: "Ha ha ha ha haha ha!" Thomas rocks his head back in laughter

Caroline thinks that this is another family memory they are making. They spend a good fifteen minutes feeding and watching the ducks, with Trevor squealing in delight when the ducks eat each piece of bread. After four slices of bread are given to the ducks, they all walk back to the playground area near the park's entrance.

Caroline: "Thomas, Trevor likes to play on the slide and other playground equipment. But, he needs someone close by spotting him since he's still so young." Caroline smiles at Trevor and then at Thomas.

Thomas: "I can do that." Thomas revels in being the spotter for his son at the playground. Thomas may have missed out on Trevor's first three and a half years of life, but Thomas is not going miss any of the rest of it. Thomas smiles at Caroline and then at Trevor.

Trevor: "Come on Daddy, let's play." Trevor smiles [(3)] at his Mommy Caroline and then his Daddy Thomas.

Caroline sits on a nearby bench to watch them as she cradles her broken hand on her lap—resting her hand on an ice pak that she also retrieved from her bag. First Trevor climbs up the small four foot slide—with Thomas standing behind him—and then Trevor slides down. Then Trevor wants to 'hand walk' across—swinging really—the lower bars and Thomas spots him there. Then, Trevor climbs up the jungle jim tower and pretends he's in a ship's crow's nest. Thomas is standing nearby, watching Trevor carefully, ready to catch him if he falls. Finally, Trevor walks over the bridge of rope tethered planks that make the bridge swing when you walk on it, goes to the top of the big slide, and then he slides down—with Thomas catching him at the bottom.

Trevor: "Whoopee!" Trevor says gleefully.

Thomas: "Well, it looks like you had fun playing on all of the jungle jim."

Trevor: "Yes. But, I'm done now." Trevor says a bit sleepily walking over to his Mommy sitting on the bench. Caroline and Thomas smile at him.

Caroline: "Food and play always tucker him out." Looking at her watch and seeing that it's about 1:00pm, she says. "It's about time for Trevor's nap." She says smiling coyly at Thomas who is now sitting next to her.

Thomas: "Hmmm. That sounds like an excellent idea! " Thomas leans over and gives Caroline a lingering kiss, sucking on her lower lip a bit.

Trevor: Not noticing his parents temporary shift if focus from him--because little ones are only ever interested in themselves--Trevor acknowledges that he is tuckered out. "Yes, Mommy and Daddy. I'm getting tired." Trevor, then leans over into Thomas waiting arms. Thomas picks up the now very sleepy Trevor and carries him to their car, with Caroline walking beside them. Then, they drive back to Caroline's apartment--to their apartment.

***

Trevor sleeps the whole way home from the park. Thomas and Caroline walk into her apartment and take Trevor straight back to his bedroom and lay him on his bed.

Caroline: Leaning over Trevor, and kissing him trying to wake up him a bit. "Trevor Sweetie. Let's see if you can go potty before your nap."

Trevor: "Uh huh." Trevor says sleepily. But he's too tired to walk to the bathroom so Thomas picks him up and carries him there. Thomas pulls down Trevor's play pants and pull ups and sets Trevor on the small potty then says.

Thomas: "Trevor, hold your pee pee down like Mommy told you before."

Trevor does that and pees into his potty chair. Then, Thomas and Caroline wipe him, pull up his pull ups, wash their hands, then wash Trevor's face and hands—all the while, Trevor is fast asleep in their arms. Then, they gently lay Trevor in his bed with just his pull ups on and covered in a blanket against the chill of the room.

***

(PG-13, S)

As Thomas and Caroline quietly walk out of their sleeping Trevor's bedroom, Thomas brings Caroline's right hand up to his lips and kisses it. They know that they will have at least two hours of uninterrupted time just for themselves while Trevor is napping.

So, Caroline and Thomas go into their bedroom and change into their jammies. For Thomas, he just strips down to his briefs after washing up in the bathroom. Caroline puts on a palest pink sheer silk organza negligee ending just below herknees that is very romantic with its delicate lace embellishments and empire waisted and a pale pink silk ribbon bow closure in the plunging back.

Thomas: Admiring Caroline's pretty negligee as she walks toward him, Thomas smiles with a hint of recognition [(4)]. "Caroline, you look exquisite in pink. ... Hmmm." He growls desirously. "Your negligee looks familiar." Thomas' eyes widen in wonder while affectionately holding her loosely in his arms.

Caroline: Smiling up at Thomas remembering her nightgown, Caroline says. "Yes, I've had this nightgown since we were together before. You see, I couldn't bear to part with it ... I was wearing it--briefly anyway--the night we conceived Trevor."

Caroline can pinpoint the night Trevor was conceived because they had been apart for a month on separate assignments four and a half years ago. And they had come together for only one night as they were each leaving completed assignments for new assignments that kept them apart for another month after that.

Thomas: "Oh my darling Caroline." Thomas wraps her in his arms in a loving embrace and he kisses Caroline sweetly, then tenderly, then adoringly and then passionately. And Caroline responds to Thomas sweetly, then tenderly, then adoringly, and then passionately. "I love you with all of my heart."

Caroline: "And I love you Thomas, with all of my heart." Caroline [(5)] looks up at Thomas with trusting eyes, loving eyes. He sees that her hair is beguilingly swept to one side and falling in soft waves over her shoulder.

Then Thomas lifts Caroline up in his arms and lays her gently in their bed. Thomas walks around to his side of the bed and removes his briefs before sliding naked into bed next to Caroline's right. Thomas and Caroline lie on their sides facing each other and cuddling and kissing and embracing and caressing each other for some time. Thomas then pulls Caroline to him as he leans toward her. He kisses her lips, her neck, and he shoulder as he lovingly unties the pink satin ribbon closure at the back of her negligee.

Thomas: "So beautiful." Thomas whispers in hushed awe of the gift of having his love, Caroline back in his life.

Thomas savors Caroline's soft and creamy skin as he eagerly undoes her ribbon bow closure at the back of her negligee and slides his hand inside her gown, him delighting in the softness of her skin from the nape of her neck to her round little rump. Caroline strokes Thomas' muscular back and shoulders as she sighs pleasurably with Thomas' intimate and loving touches of her.

Caroline: "Hhhh!"

Caroline runs her fingers through Thomas' hair as she kisses him adoringly--encouraging him, to let no barrier separate their bodies from each other. Then Thomas carefully rolls onto his back and guides Caroline to lie on top of him--and then for her to sit up, so that he can gently remove her negligee, him being careful not to jostle her injured left hand. Thomas lowers the fabric of Caroline's negligee to reveal her womanly loveliness to his gaze and then to his touch as she trembles with his tenderness.

Thomas tosses her lovely negligee to the end of the bed. Then Thomas sits up and kisses Caroline slowly and lovingly--not wanting to leave any part of her bereft of his tender ministrations. And Thomas and Caroline's naked bodies mold themselves to one another.

Then, Thomas gently rolls Caroline onto her back again, with Thomas lying partially on top of her as their legs and bodies intertwine with each other--the hairs upon Thomas' legs tantalizingly rough against Caroline's smooth legs. Thomas' passion for Caroline is unbridled now as he kisses and caresses her with loving abandon.

Caroline is lost within the lovely sensations that Thomas' intimate touches inspire. Caroline also lovingly kisses and caresses Thomas' lips and neck and head and his muscular shoulders and back. Then, when Thomas returns to kissing her lips as his hands caress her loveliness, Caroline caresses Thomas ... there, sending shivers of heightened excitation throughout his body as he moans in pleasure.

Thomas: "Hmmm."

Thomas' ardor increases in anticipation of joining his body with Caroline's body. Thomas moves to gently caress Caroline more intimately and she trembles and sighs with the pleasure of Thomas' cherishing her.

Caroline: "Hhhhhh!"

Then when neither of them can delay their sensuously loving desires any longer, Thomas covers Caroline with his body and and they join their bodies together as one--loving each other with adoring abandon. Thomas and Caroline kiss and caress each other as their bodies move in harmony with each other as their lovemaking intensifies until their bodies tremble in raptures of ecstasy and love and healing and joy--in their being together for now and for always as lovers and soul mates.

Caroline and Thomas quiver with the power of their love to give them such pleasures and joy as they cuddle and kiss sweetly, tenderly, lovingly, and adoringly as they drift off to sleep in each others' arms. And though they do not know it yet, their lovemaking this afternoon conceives a new life in Caroline's womb—a child made from Thomas and Caroline's renewed love and faith and commitment to each other--their child, their daughter, a sister for their son Trevor.

***

Thomas and Caroline sleep lovingly in each others' arms until a little visitor wakes them up around 4:00pm. Trevor walks over to his Mommy and Daddy's bed and sees them lying together, spooning, with his Daddy's arms around his Mommy under the covers. Though, of course, Trevor doesn't know that their sleeping position is called spooning. Thomas and Caroline had each turned on their left sides at some point during their slumber—still lovingly naked with each other after their beautiful afternoon lovemaking. However the bed sheets are covering their bodies for warmth and for modesty--but only just.

Trevor gently touches his Mommy's face and her eyes flutter open. Caroline smiles at Trevor and moves her right hand from covering Thomas' right arm across her breasts to touch Trevor's cheek. Then, she puts her index finger up to her lips to remind Trevor to be quiet while Daddy still sleeps.

Trevor: Whispering as his Mommy requested. "Mommy, I'm awake." He says smiling, stating the obvious expectantly.

Caroline: Whispering also. "Yes, I see. Trevor honey, why don't you go back to your bedroom and I'll join you in a minute to get you in your jammies before we make dinner? Hmmm?"

Trevor: "Yes Mommy." Trevor says compliantly and walks out of his parents' bedroom and back into his own.

Caroline turns toward Thomas behind her as she lays on her back and she kisses his lips. Thomas now stirs awake with Caroline's movement from their spooning position and her kisses. He instinctively pulls her to him.

Caroline: Caroline caresses Thomas' face with her right hand and runs her fingers through his hair as she kisses him, remembering their beautiful lovemaking this afternoon. "Thomas, I love you so."

Thomas: Keeping his arms around Caroline, Thomas kisses her sweetly back. "Caroline, I love you so." Then he nuzzles her neck, which she enjoys, but she has to break their loving reverie due to the practicalities of having a toddler.

Caroline: "Thomas, I would love nothing more than to make love with you again right now." She kisses Thomas adoringly. "But, little Trevor just came in and woke me up because he's awake. So, I told him that I would be in to help him get into his jammies."

Thomas: Thomas smiles at Caroline and asks. "What time is it?"

Caroline: "A little after 4:00pm."

Thomas: "Well, at least Trevor let us have a three hour nap." He says this amusingly since they both know that they weren't napping for the first part of that three hours. Thomas kisses Caroline back. "I'll get dressed, too, and help you with him."

Thomas and Caroline rise naked from their bedsides and walk toward each other as they go to the bathroom. They embrace and kiss each other lovingly at the end of the bed, their bodies molded to each other such that not even a whisper could pass between them.

Then, they hear a tiny knock at their slightly open bedroom door. Trevor pokes his head in to see his Mommy and Daddy in their naked loving embrace. But, little Trevor doesn't think anything unusual about it—since toddlers are more interested in themselves than other people. He just says to his Daddy and his Mommy as Thomas and Caroline continue to embrace—now to keep their naked bodies covered from Trevor's view.

Trevor: "Mommy and Daddy, I put my jammies on already. See?" Trevor says proudly as he opens the door a bit more and he stands just inside their bedroom.

Caroline: "That's very good Trevor." Caroline says trying to sound natural, even though she is standing naked with her body molded to Thomas' naked body. "You go back into your bedroom while Daddy and I put on our jammies and we'll be there in a minute.

After Trevor nods his head and leaves, Thomas and Caroline look at each other in slight embarrassment for having been caught in their loving pose by their toddler son—another family moment—and they laugh.

Thomas: Exhaling as he chuckles in slight embarrassment, he says. "To quote Trevor, that was a close one. We'll have to lock the bedroom door in the future." They both laugh again.

Caroline: "Yes, indeed." Caroline smiles and she kisses Thomas warmly. Then Thomas and Caroline swiftly get dressed in their jammies—so as not to have a repeat interruption by Trevor.

***

Since it is still only 4:00pm, it is not quite time for Caroline and Thomas to start dinner. So, they decide to play another child's game—one of picking an object in the room, giving one clue about it such as color or shape or size, etc.--and then the other person has to guess what the object is. Fittingly for Caroline and Thomas, the game is called I Spy. Thomas chuckles. Then, Caroline starts them off.

Caroline: "I spy something with my little eye that is round." Now there are lots of round things in a home and Trevor gives lots of guesses.

Trevor: "Mommy, is it the light?" He points to the ceiling.

Caroline: "Nope. But you're on the right track." That tip is still a bit vague because it could be another light in the room, or something on the wall.

Trevor: "Mommy, is it on the wall?"

Caroline: "Yes, Trevor. Ooh, you're getting close." Then she purposely looks in the direction of the object.

Trevor: "Oh, Mommy, is it the clock?"

Caroline: "Yes! Trevor guessed it right!" She kisses Trevor and gives him a hug that he gleefully accepts.

Now it is Trevor's turn to pick