Thomas Forrester (then Pierson Fodé) had never gotten over Caroline Spencer II (Linsey Godfrey) after she chose his uncle and father over him. In September 2015 he came to visit her at her hotel room where she was staying after a disastrous fight with Ridge Forrester. In a controversial storyline, Caroline had been mixing alcohol with anti-anxiety medication, and Thomas took advantage of her inebriated state and slept with her, per Daytime Confidential. Though he later said he believed Caroline had wanted to be with him, she was horrified by what had happened.

Caroline soon reunited with Ridge (Thorsten Kaye) and then discovered that she was pregnant. Unfortunately, Ridge informed her that he had gotten a vasectomy so she had to come clean about what happened with his son (via CBS). Ridge was furious with Thomas but decided that he and Caroline should raise the baby as their own and keep its paternity a secret. However, after baby Douglas was born and Caroline saw Thomas interact with his "brother," her feelings of guilt grew. Later, Katie Logan (Heather Tom) discovered the truth about Douglas' paternity and convinced Caroline and Ridge to tell Thomas the truth, according to Soaps in Depth.