A little over two hours later, Caroline and Kate were snuggled up together in their bed, enjoying the well-deserved afterglow. Caroline was beginning to feel complete for the first time in maybe forever and Kate was feeling absolutely boneless.
Caroline melted into the pillow they were sharing. Their proximity to each other enabled her to gently run the fingers of her right hand across Kate's belly. She always thought of makeup sex as being more urgent and perhaps more intense than usual but she found being on this side of the baby bump mesmerizing and a little intimidating.
While they were making love, she wanted to take Kate to new heights in an effort to erase the embarrassed fumble comment from her lexicon, but remembering the scare Kate had a few weeks before, she was more gentle and tender than she suspected Kate might have wanted. Thanks to her hormones, Kate was so ripe for the picking that it didn't take as much of a touch from Caroline as it used to do to send her over the edge and she found Caroline's deliberate and almost reverent actions to be a huge turn on.
"Pinch me Kate so I know this is real and I'm not dreaming," Caroline finally said to cut the comfortable silence that fell down between them. Her heart rate was finally returning to normal and the sheen of sweat that over took her during her last orgasm was making her skin feel a little cold so she inched even closer to Kate to feel the warmth of her skin along the length of her body.
"I thought I just did that a little bit ago," Kate teased in response as she contemplated getting up to use the loo but not wanting to for fear of disturbing the closeness they were reestablishing. As a silent compromise with herself, she shifted a little to get into a position where the baby wasn't laying directly on her bladder. It was in that moment that Kate realized how amazing her lover's caresses felt. She'd been alone since becoming pregnant and hadn't had anyone stroke her protruding belly like Caroline was doing; she sensed the baby being more relaxed than she normally was at this time of night as a result; that growing realization made her appreciate Caroline's willingness to forgive her even more. Before she had a chance to verbalize her gratitude, Caroline beat her to it.
"I can't believe you came back. I honestly thought you'd never forgive me and give me the chance to prove to you how much I need to be with you and be part of your daughter's life." Caroline was so overcome with emotion at the prospect that all her Christmases were coming at once that she started to shiver.
"You're the amazing one," Kate responded before trying unsuccessfully to contain a yawn. "That was not a commentary, merely the result of a long day and night starting to catch up with me," she explained. "I'm afraid I'm not going to be able to keep my eyelids open much longer and I'm in need of the loo."
Understanding the expectant mother's need for a proper rest, Caroline gave her one last deep kiss before suggesting they call it a night. Coming to the rescue of Kate who had no luggage with her, she said, "There's a new toothbrush in my cosmetic kit as well as a bottle of that makeup remover and one of the moisturizer you like. Be sure to use whatever you need while I get you a glass of water for your nightstand."
"The whole way back all I could think about was being back in your arms so I hate to leave them for even a few minutes," Kate confessed as she gave Caroline a grateful peck before sitting up.
"That works out then because I intend to hold you all night long just to make sure you're still here when I wake in the morning," she responded honestly as she watched Kate rise up off the bed and slowly streak into the bathroom. Even though the door was closed, she admitted out loud that she intended to never let her go again but Kate couldn't hear her over the running water. It did not matter as it was the last thing a contented Caroline whispered to an equally blissful Kate before they drifted off to dreamland for the night.
Just as the sun was breaking through the grey early morning clouds, Kate woke to the feeling of Caroline's arm draped over her naked torso. She smiled as she looked down at the freckled pale arm that was the only part of Caroline she could see at that moment. She only slept in the altogether when she was with Caroline and loved the familiarity of waking up beside her after the desolate months they'd been apart.
Feeling a cramp in her leg beginning, she unsuccessfully tried to stretch without waking Caroline. Within seconds, Caroline awoke with a broad smile quickly overtaking her face.
"So last night wasn't a dream after all," she said in greeting as she snuggled into Kate's back and wrapped both her arms around her, kissing her on her shoulder and across her back in the process.
"Good morning," Kate said quietly as she turned over to embrace Caroline in return and to give her a thorough good morning kiss. Her next words were, "I can't tell you how much last night meant to me."
"Happy Christmas. You're the best gift I could have ever imagined receiving," Caroline said as she rubbed her nose against Kate's and gave her a smug smile.
"Happy Christmas to you too but let's see if you still feel that way after breakfast with your family," Kate teased. Caroline laughed out loud although inwardly she felt an instant sense of panic at the thought of having to face the scrutiny she knew awaited them. She was desperate not to disappoint Kate again but just hoped her mum and Lawrence would go easy on them, particularly since it was Christmas morning.
"Caroline, before we go down to the dining room, I need to say something to you and to know you forgive me for the way I behaved at breakfast the last time we were here. If not, I'm not sure I can face that dining room again."
"Kate, you don't need to say anything. We've forgiven each other and we're here now. That's all the matters." Although her words were reassuring, Kate sensed Caroline tensing up.
"No Caroline. I have to say this before we go back down there. I hated myself for what I said to you that morning and I need you to know that it was never just an embarrassed fumble between us." Seeing the same pain flash across Caroline's eyes as she did that morning, Kate kissed Caroline on her forehead to try to ease it. "I hated myself for trying to hurt you with those words. Even though your booking two rooms really cut me, you deserved better than that. Despite that cock-up, I honestly saw us as on our way to a happily ever after until you mentioned selling your house. I took it as an intentional shot at me over pushing you to have a baby and knew those words would feed your insecurities. It was wrong of me and I promise I'll never intentionally hurt you like that again. You must believe me when I say that nothing we've ever shared has come anywhere close to being just a fumble." When Caroline didn't readily respond, Kate pleaded, "Please tell me you forgive me for being so cruel and heartless."
"Oh Kate," Caroline managed to say before choking up. Kate's words had cut her so close to her core that she had all but given up on even thinking about romance with anyone else after their split. She told herself it was because no one could compare to Kate and what she thought they had together, but it was also because she saw herself as an abject failure in the bedroom. "I'm sorry too for all that I got wrong but thank you for saying that. I think I needed to hear that more than I realized. Of course I forgive you, I'd forgive you for anything."
The relieved couple resumed kissing for a few minutes until Caroline's alarm on her phone interrupted them. "Sorry about that," she said as she reluctantly let go of her partner to reach for it to turn it off.
"How much time have we got before we need to go face the masses?" Kate asked with a disappointed tone in her voice.
"We have about an hour. That should give us enough time for a short, unembarrassed fumble," Caroline responded with a coy smile as she lifted the sheets over her head and resumed her worship of Kate's body, kissing her way down, inch by inch until Kate was crying for mercy.