This chapter is rated M for Mature. The last two chapters are longer than most others, so there will only be one update today and the final chapter will be posted tomorrow morning.
For the entirety of Piper's senior year at Barnard, she was either in class, student teaching in Harlem, or compiling lesson plans, all of which took 50-60 hours per week. Although Alex missed her lover's availability, she was also busy with the re-writes to an English textbook. She'd gotten a promotion and a $10,000 raise, and she and Piper had already begun talking about moving into a larger apartment as soon as the blonde landed a permanent teaching gig.
Henry and Diane were still going strong, and Alex liked him quite a bit. They still hadn't done their baking competition, but that was on the docket for the second week of April, when Piper was on Spring Break, and Alex was planning to use a few vacation days to spend in Purchase. She missed the small town feel of her hometown, but she enjoyed the hustle and bustle of the city, too.
Piper and her father talked on the phone once a week, and the three of them had brunch one Sunday morning after Christmas. The meeting went very similar to their dinner that fall, but Piper tested the waters a bit more by touching her girlfriend several times throughout brunch. Alex kept a close eye on Bill, hoping she'd have no reason to doubt his intentions. To Alex's relief, he seemed to be genuine in his desire to reconnect with his daughter and to accept her relationship with Alex.
Alex still marveled at how sexy Piper was, and she always enjoyed showing her exactly how she felt. Their sex life had never needed a boost—if given the opportunity, they would receive an A+ from Dr. Ruth. Alex wished they had a bit more excitement and variety in their lives, but they were too busy and not wealthy enough to make any major changes until Piper was done with college. There was a possibility that they'd go on a trip immediately after Piper's graduation, but it would likely be someplace along the East Coast, like crabbing in Maine or skiing in New Hampshire.
The thought of going to the Chapman cottage was always there, but neither woman thought that was a good idea until Bill fully supported them as a couple. (There was no chance Carol would change her mind about Alex, and Piper decided not to even try.)
The April sun was shining bright the morning they took the train into Purchase. Returning to the train depot that held so many memories for them was always a treat. When they got off, they always held hands and exchanged a knowing glance. Alex had never thought of herself as a nostalgic person, but perhaps that was because she didn't have many memories worth holding on to as a child. With Piper, it was the total opposite—she cherished all of the memories and mentioned them to her lover more often than she ever thought she would.
Diane picked the women up at the train station as she always did, and the three of them gabbed during the 10 minute drive to her house.
"Henry can't wait for the 'bake off,'" she said with a huge smile.
"He's going to kick my ass," she replied with a sigh. "I haven't baked in years."
"I'm sure it'll all come back to you as soon as you get in kitchen," she responded. "Remember that pear tart you made when you came home for Spring Break that one year?"
"Yeah," she said with fondness. "That was pretty good."
They discussed the plan for the competition, and Alex had an hour to do the grocery shopping for her baking items later that day. That left Piper and Diane to do whatever they wanted.
"Why don't we get some stuff for dinner? We'll make something simple," Piper offered.
"Sounds like a plan, kid," Diane replied.
Piper had promised Mr. Bounds, the headmaster at Gateway, that she'd have lunch with him when she got to town. They'd kept in touch throughout the years, and Alex knew that her girlfriend held him in the highest regard. The brunette was perfectly fine with that idea and was looking forward to some time alone with her mom—not that Piper was ever unwelcomed—but Alex couldn't remember a time over the past four years when they'd had a chance to talk, just the two of them.
She sat on the sofa, next to her mom, both women sipping homemade lemonade, and asked about how things were going with Henry.
"We're talking about moving in together," Diane confessed.
"That's a big step," her daughter commented. "Are you sure you're ready for that?"
Diane shrugged. "Who ever knows if they're ready? All I know is that I love the man, and he loves me."
"That sounds like a good reason," she chuckled.
"What about you and Piper?" Diane enquired.
She sipped her drink. "We already live together."
"You two ever discuss marriage? It's legal now, you know," she said like it was big news that she was delivering.
"I do know, thank you." She intentionally left it at that just to mess with her mom.
"Well?" Diane asked. "Do you want to marry her?"
"Like that's a question you need to ask!" She smirked. "Of course I want to marry Piper. I've known that for a very long time."
Diane smiled. "You little shit, you left me hanging on purpose, didn't you?"
"Yeah, I did," she laughed. "Well, it was a stupid question."
"I was just checking," she stated. "I never want to assume anything."
"You could've assumed that, mom." She stood and downed the rest of her lemonade. "Piper should be home any minute. I'm going to take a shower. I didn't have time to take one before we left."
"Your train left at 11 a.m.," her mom said with a confused expression. "Since when do you sleep in?"
Alex walked down the hallway and smirked. "Who said anything about sleeping in?" She proceeded into the bathroom and shut the door before she could hear her mom's response.
She and Piper had incredible sex that morning. Alex attributed it to the fact that she was on vacation for four days, and Piper had just started her last Spring Break in college. It had felt like they had all the time in the world, which was a rarity for them over the past couple of years.
Piper arrived back at Diane's house minutes after Alex had gotten into the shower.
She tapped on the door. "Al?"
"Yeah?"
The blonde walked in. "Can I join you?"
"You've never asked before." She smiled.
Seconds later, Piper was under the warm spray with her girlfriend.
"Hey, babe," Alex whispered with a kiss.
The blonde put her arms over Alex's shoulders and moved in for a more intimate kiss. "I love when you're wet."
She smirked. "You're making me wet as we speak."
"We haven't had shower sex in a long time," Piper added, kissing a line down her lover's neck.
"That's because one person hardly fits in our shower." She ran her hand down the blonde's arm. "My mom is in the other room."
"No, she's not," Piper offered, sucking one of Alex's nipples into her mouth. "She had to run an errand. It's just the two of us."
Alex moaned at the sensation. "That's the best news I've heard all day."
Piper ran her finger through Alex's folds, causing the brunette to moan again. "Fuck, Piper."
"Just being in this town makes me horny," she said, kissing her lover on the mouth again.
"Then maybe we should move back," the brunette teased.
Piper got on her knees and spread her lover's pussy, wasting no time shoving her tongue inside.
Alex had to place one hand on the shower wall and one foot in the corner of the tub to stop herself from crumbling at the sensation. The other hand was on the back of Piper's head, fingers scrunched in her wet hair.
"That feels so good, babe…yeah, right there." She started bucking her hips. One look down at Piper's face between her legs sent her over the edge. "I'm cuming, ohGodfuckme…Ungh, Piper!"
The blonde licked her lover's juices as best she could before the shower spray cleaned her. Both women had confessed to the other years ago that they loved the way each other tasted, and lapping up each other's juice was a treat.
Piper swallowed as Alex helped her back to her feet. She raised her face towards the spray, washing her chin.
"That was amazing," the brunette said. (She was the one who had gone down on Piper that morning.)
"I have something to tell you, babe." She rubbed her girlfriend's back in long, slow strokes.
Alex put her hands on her lover's hips and kissed the column of her neck. "What?"
"It's pretty monumental," Piper prefaced.
The brunette laughed somewhat nervously. "Ok, spit it out."
Piper grabbed Alex's face and looked directly at her. "Mr. Bounds wants me to teach at Gateway."
Her eyebrows shot up. "What?"
The blonde nodded. "After Mrs. Rankin passed, they hired a substitute, and the kids apparently hate him, and he's not an effective teacher. He's going to finish out the school year, but Mr. Bounds is looking for someone to teach senior-level English, starting this fall."
"Wow, that's…" Alex couldn't believe her ears. "Piper, that's flattering if nothing else. Are you considering it?"
She shrugged. "I wouldn't consider anything without talking to you first, but it's appealing."
"Talk about full circle," she let out a small laugh.
Piper bit her lower lip. "I know; it's crazy."
"There's a lot to think about," Alex replied.
"Al? Piper?" Diane called from the hallway. "You two in the bathroom? I really gotta pee."
The younger women laughed, still wrapped in each other's arms.
"Yeah, we'll be out in a minute," Alex offered. She fused her forehead against Piper's. "Let's discuss this later. My mom has a small bladder."
She smiled. "I want this to be between you and me for now. No sense in getting your mom all excited if it doesn't work out."
"True." Alex kissed her gently on the lips. "Congratulations, babe. You're fucking awesome."
By the time they'd both cleaned up and got dressed, Henry had arrived with a bag of groceries and a Kitchen Aid mixer.
"Hi, Henry," Piper said, giving the tall man a hug. "I know you're a professional baker and all, but if you beat my girlfriend in this little contest, I'm going to have to mess you up."
Henry laughed. "Should I put up my dukes?"
"You'd better!"
Alex rubbed her back and chuckled.
"She's a feisty one," Henry greeted the brunette.
"You have no idea." She gave him a hug. "You ready to do this?"
"Been ready for, what, three years?"
"Has it really been that long?" Alex asked, escorting him into the kitchen.
"Yeah, I think it has," he said.
Diane laid out the rules, and she and Piper were going to be the taste testing judges. They each had one hour to prep, and then an hour to bake. Meantime, she and Piper were going to the market to pick up something for dinner.
Alex had decided to bake an old-fashioned strawberry shortcake, and Henry was baking lemon meringue. She could tell that the man was just going through the motions of this silly contest to spend time with her, a fact that she found endearing.
They made small talk during the first 30 minutes, and then Henry's face became serious.
"Alex, there's something I want to ask you," he stated as he squeezed several lemons into a measuring cup.
"Ok…" she trailed.
"You know I love your mother. I think she's the nicest, most caring, and grooviest woman I've ever met," he began, turning to face her. "And I want to marry her."
Alex was taken aback. "Wow, Henry, I didn't expect this."
"I'm not going to ask her without your blessing, kid, so I'm asking for it now." He scratched his face. "And if you can't tell, I'm nervous as all hell."
"Of course you have my blessing! Get over here!" She pulled him in for a sincere hug. "My mom is so lucky to have met you."
"Not half as lucky as I was to meet her," he replied.
They released each other, and Alex could see tears in Henry's eyes. She was touched.
"So when are you going to pop the question?"
"Oh, probably in the next month or two. Gotta get the ring first," he replied, going back to his pie filling.
"She's not big on jewelry, so don't stress about the ring," Alex offered, looking up at him. "I'm thrilled for you. I really am."
"That means a lot, kid."
Alex felt a silly smile on her face for the rest of the baking competition, and there was nothing that anyone could say or do to erase it.
While the pies were in the oven, Piper and Diane whipped up a quick pasta dish and a Caesar salad. The conversation at dinner flowed effortlessly, and Alex was struck by how comfortable she was in that setting. She knew how much Piper adored her mother, and now Henry, and began reflecting on what their life might be like if her girlfriend took the teaching position at Gateway.
The biggest discussion would be where they'd live. On the one hand, Alex loved living in Manhattan—it was close to work, there was every kind of food imaginable, there was always something to do, and it was easy to get back to Purchase when necessary. On the other hand, she loved the charming small town life in Purchase, and she craved being closer to her mother.
"Alex?" Piper nudged her. "Henry was talking to you."
"Oh, sorry," she said. "Lost in my thoughts."
Henry repeated his question, and then the conversation flowed again.
By the time they cleaned the dishes, the pies were done. Henry and Alex brought each of their masterpieces to the kitchen table, not giving away whose was whose.
Piper and Diane oohed and ahhed at each bite, and both women said that it was difficult to choose. In the end, Piper picked Alex's, and Diane chose Henry's. All four of them laughed at the outcome and swore there was no cheating going on.
They all ate the baked goods with a scoop of vanilla ice cream, and then Henry announced that it was time for him to leave. They said their goodbyes, and then the women decided to turn in for the night, too.
In bed that night, Alex rolled over and brushed Piper's hair off her neck, and then put one arm under her pillow and the other around her waist. "Guess what?"
"Hmm?" Piper answered groggily.
She smiled. "Henry is going to ask my mom to marry him."
The blonde turned onto her back and looked at her girlfriend with amazement. "Oh my God! That's incredible!"
Alex issued a full smile. "I know, right?"
"When is he going to propose?"
"In a month or so; he has to buy the ring." The brunette rubbed her lover's bare stomach as her tank top had slid up. "He wants it to be a secret, so…"
"My lips are sealed." She made a locking motion over her mouth. "Your mom is going to be so surprised and happy."
"Yeah, she will," she chuckled lightly.
Piper pulled Alex's head down to kiss her lightly. "Are you ok with this?"
She locked hands with her lover. "Yeah. Henry's a good guy; my mom lucked out with him."
"I agree." She ran her hand down Alex's cheek and then returned to her original spooned position.
Alex snuggled closer, bending her legs to allow Piper's to fit with hers like two pieces of a puzzle. "Has the job offer been on your mind?"
"Of course it has," Piper sighed. "But it wasn't really an offer. It was more like an exploratory conversation."
She kissed her girlfriend's ear. "If you took it, where would we live?"
"I was thinking that we could keep the studio in the city, and possibly move into one of the faculty houses at Gateway." Piper squeezed her lover's hand.
"I forgot about the housing at school," Alex said. "That could work. I could stay in the city a couple of nights a week, and I'd commute on the train the other days."
"Plus, we'd have a place in Manhattan to escape to if Purchase seemed too small, you know?" She turned again in Alex's arms.
"True." Alex kissed her on the lips. "Are you and Mr. Bounds going to have a more formal conversation soon?"
Piper rubbed her lover's cheek with her thumb. "Yeah, I asked him to contact me later this week so that we could set up a time to talk before the end of April."
Alex smiled. "I think you should do it, babe."
She returned the smile. "Yeah?"
The brunette nodded and kissed her girlfriend soundly. "Yeah."