Fire And Ice

13

Two weeks passed. It was the same routine day by day for Layla and Logan. Parker came every three days like clockwork. Each night when he would be there, once Logan was asleep, he tried to convince Layla to take him back. But his efforts were to no prevail; her mind was set.

She wasn't mad anymore. She was disappointed in him and hurt. She had told him that no amount of time or anything else would heal her and make her get over it. In her mind, if he had loved her as much as he had claimed then the thought would have never crossed his mind. She knew that it had never crossed her mind, even since being separated from Parker. All she thought about was Logan's and her life. Pursuing other relationships and people was the furthest thing from her mind.

Layla had decided that her and Logan would travel to California for three weeks. They would make the trip back on Christmas Eve, because she didn't want to deprive Parker of seeing his son actually get to open Christmas presents for the first time. No matter what anyone said, she wasn't heartless. He was still Logan's dad, after all.

Parker objected to them being gone for that long, remembering what happened the last time Layla went back to California when they were split up, or rather before they professed their love for one another. He missed those days, the days when it was just him and her, and everything was new and exciting when they were falling in love. He often thought about their time on the show, Thailand, the night he saved her in the hotel room, the day he showed up in California. He also thought about the days they spent together at the mine, back home, traveling all over, and when he proposed to her in Europe. He would reminisce about their wedding and that night, the day he found out she was pregnant, the day Logan was born, and the long nights the three of them spent together when he was a newborn. He couldn't get the memories out of his head. It saddened him to think of her as only a memory.

Layla also thought about all the memories, often crying at sporadic moments when she'd think of his hugs or when she remembered all the good times. In her eyes however, Parker wasn't the man she fell in love with anymore. She didn't know who this person was that she had come back to after being asleep. She thought it was the same, but she was mistaken. How she wished she could start over from the beginning with him, if only to experience it all again.

If only.

"Hey beautiful." Parker said as he walked into the bedroom where Layla was packing her suitcase. "Anybody ever tell you how hot you look in those jeans?"

Layla scoffed, rolling her eyes.

"You know ima do this every day till the day I die, you might as well let me come back home." Parker smirked as he crossed his arms and leaned against the doorway.

"Only in your dreams, Schnabel."

"You're in my dreams every night, Mrs. Schnabel." Parker smirked again.

"I might have your last name but that doesn't mean anything anymore, Parker. You broke those vows." Layla stated as she zipped the luggage.

Parker sighed as he leaned his head back and closed his eyes. "This is harder than when we were doing the show."

"Shoe's on the other foot now, huh?" Layla smirked.

"Well does that mean I can still get sex like you were getting?" Parker smirked slyly.

Layla scoffed, chuckling. "That's funny."

"Well I know you're damn sure not sleeping with anybody else; we're still married." Parker stated seriously as he crossed his arms, looking at her.

Layla mirrored his image, looking at him also. "We were married when you were sleeping with somebody else."

"Oh my fuckin god you're never gonna stop bringing that up." Parker groaned as he leaned his head back and banged his head on the doorframe.

Layla clicked her tongue as she tilted her head slightly before looking at her phone. "Maybe you'll give up at some point."

Parker scoffed. He stood there looking his wife over for a minute. She had gained a little weight since she had gotten out of the hospital, he realized. He concluded that it was because she had obviously been eating more; she was always a petite woman before. She still was, but the tight sweater she was wearing made her stomach look bigger than he had remembered it was the last time he was in bed with her. Her breasts and bottom looked bigger too, but that he thoroughly enjoyed looking at.

At that moment, a thought popped in his head and he pressed his lips together in a smile, slightly nodding his head. "Well just let me know when you and Logan land, alright? And I'll see you when you get back."

Layla glanced over at him, a little surprised he didn't have a comeback after waiting forever to say something. "I will."

Parker nodded again. "Ima go say bye to Logan sleeping in there and then I'll leave."

Layla nodded without looking at him as she put on her shoes. When she looked back up, he had already left the doorway. That was the first time he had left in two weeks that he didn't tell her he loved her. It was odd to say the least.

A few minutes later, he walked past the doorway again. He backtracked his steps until he stopped in front of the doorway, putting his hand on the frame and leaning against it.

"Ima stay here while you're gone if that's alright." He said.

"Doesn't matter to me." Layla shrugged as she started to pick up her suitcase.

Parker stopped her from picking up the bag, insisting that she let him take all the bags down to her truck. Layla shrugged as she let him take the bag.

Thirty minutes later, everything was in the truck and Layla was ready to start to the airport. It was still early in the morning, and Logan slept soundly in his room. She walked in his room, and smiled as she looked down at her sleeping little boy. She picked him up gently, trying not to wake him up as she placed him on her shoulder. Parker had walked in, and he immediately helped Layla by putting Logan's blanket over him and handing her his stuffed bear.

Layla thanked him quietly, and turned around to walk away.

"Hey wait." Parker said as he walked in front of her and stood facing her.

He moved the blanket and kissed Logan's head before putting the blanket back over him. He put his arm around her side and kissed her forehead. Layla sighed.

"I know, I'm sorry." Parker said. "I just said that I'd never let you go anywhere without me again, and here you are going somewhere without me and I can't—"

Layla almost fell for his words and actions again, but instead she replied, "It's your own fault."

"Just be safe, okay? I don't want something to happen to my babies."

"We'll be fine." Layla said before she started walking out of the room.

Layla and Logan made the drive to the airport, and Parker laid in his own bed again, wishing he was with his wife and son instead.