"C'mon babe! Tell me where we're going already," Alex pleaded as Piper drove towards town. It was three days after Christmas and Chloe and Ashlin had arrived the night before after four days off to visit their families for the holidays, giving the two their first chance in almost a week to be alone together.
"As I told you last night and all morning and at breakfast when you were making eyes and puppy dog faces at me no. I love you sweetheart but no. Surprise means surprise even if you have iffy short term memory skills. Besides we're almost there. You wouldn't wanna ruin the surprise with five miles to go now would you?"
"Oh I totally would!"
"Alex," Piper yelled as she playfully shoved her wife.
"No Pipes, of course not babe, no, never," she then gave her that look that said if I could roll my eyes I so would be right now.
"Your lucky your so damn hot and the kids would notice if you disappeared."
"You'd miss me if you abandoned me in a rural snowbank or anywhere and you know it."
"Yup, like crazy baby, I might make it a mile before I turn around. Especially since your so helpless."
"Ugh. I hate me and that word being in the same phrase, even out of your beautiful mouth, even though its the horrible truth."
"I know, you didn't choose this but my goal in life is to make it suck as little as possible."
"Your pretty damn good at it. Hey, wait, is today about said purpose?"
"It might be," Piper chuckled as she pulled the car over then turned and looked at her wife, as she grabbed her hand, "You'll just have to wait, sweetheart. Patience, okay?"
"Sure, Pipes, I'll try," she responded with a kiss before Piper started the car and got back on the road.
Ten minutes later, Piper watched a puzzled look come across her wife's face as she drove onto the grounds of the main ski resort in Stowe and drove towards the slopes instead of its outdoor mall.
"Pipes, why are we here!? I know its not to ski. That's kinda on the list of things I can't do and you barely can but really shouldn't. If you wanted to spend a day tryna ski I coulda stayed home and spent some quality time with our kids while their still all too often foolish mommy tries to wreck herself!"
"Al! I think it's time for you to shush," she yelled as she put the van in park and leaned over the center console and slowly kissed her wife until she gave up trying to talk, "Foolish, I'll remember you said that. Cause I'm fucking brilliant and am bout to blow your mind. I'm not about to try to wreck myself when I'm the primary caregiver to the four most important people in the world and co-owner of a growing business. Have some faith in me, baby. Okay? You know me like nobody else."
"Okay. Can you tell me now?"
"Uhm, missing a word in there."
"Pretty please my marvelous, sexy wife! I'll make it up to you later, promise," she pleaded as she moved a hand down her arm, body and leg before turning and briefly rubbing between her legs, pushing on her pussy over her jeans.
"Fuck, God I love when you do that! But I hate that you know using sex will always work."
"What can I say, when I have a no fail strategy, I use it. Especially when," she paused to quickly kiss her, "its a win-win for both of us."
"Okay, you are forgiven but next time you get ahead of yourself I won't be so nice. We are going skiing."
"Uhm, how do you propose we accomplish that feat?"
"An adaptive ski school. They work with people of all ages with all sorts of disabilities, including multiple disabilities and even have assistants for people who can't ski without an actual person physically helping. I got us a private four hour lesson just the two of us, teachers and a mountain."
"You're fucking amazing. I sometimes forget just how clever you are. I love you, Pipes."
"And yet you were all mad at me. That, my love, is just like you to go from angry to I love you. I'm the moody one and yet you can go from one side to the other in seconds."
"I'm sorry babe. But what am I supposed to wear?"
"Hold that thought," Piper responded as she unbelted herself and hopped out of the car and pulled three boxes out of the trunk, "You still think I didn't think this through don't you? Would I take you skiing without the proper clothes? I would have given you them for Christmas but then that would have given away the surprise and what fun would that have been," Piper asked with her trademark slightly smug smirk. She came back around and opened Alex's door and handed her the boxes.
Alex just chuckled quietly and smiled back at her wife as she tore into the gift wrap and revealed long underwear meant for skiing, a black fleece and black ski pants and jacket. Then in a smaller box she pulled out ski socks and gloves along with a neck warmer. The final box had black brown faux fur lined ski boots.
"I bought everything but the helmet. We can rent one today and I'll buy you one later. I just didn't want to take a risk of it not fitting right. At least your clothes I know your sizes in everything better than my own sometimes. And of course I'll get you all changed in the locker room before our lesson. You ready?"
"Nervous but yeah. I miss skiing so much. It doesn't seem that long ago since we skied the Alps together but it was a lifetime ago."
"I know baby. But this life isn't so bad."
"Not at all, babe."
Piper helped Alex navigate the snow and then work her way to where they met their instructor and their three assistants, they each had one to help them physically plus one to help Alex visually navigate the mountain. They spent the first fifteen minutes figuring out what ski equipment best suited their needs and then how to move, although both women were experienced skiers it was like learning the sport all over again but when they finally reached the bottom of the mountain it was exhilarating.
"That was so fucking amazing-awesome-babe! I mean skiing sitting down was not something I knew was possible let alone something I would ever have thought I'd do. But that's up there on the list of amazing shit I've done."
"That's all it takes nowadays? So little effort."
"Don't you want to know what's number one?"
"I think I already know."
"You do?"
"He's almost two with beautiful green eyes and dark hair. And I'm going with the moment that sweet boy was born into your arms."
"Nope. Marrying you. He's a very close second. You and the kids constantly amaze me."
"Really?"
"Yes. I mean I know we talked about it but then when it actually happened, as imperfect as it was but still the moment you were truly mine was no less amazing and unbelievable."
"I know, it was pretty amazing for me too. I mean after everything getting married at all was unbelievable and then standing in front of you, pledging my life to you just seemed like both the craziest, most unpredictable and yet most perfect twist my life could have taken."
"Me too but when I was with you, I had never wanted anything more," Alex said as she squeezed her wife's gloved hand.
"You wanna grab some lunch? Maybe warm up with a Kahlua and coffee? Talk more, be sweet on each other more."
"As much as I miss the kids, you did say the magic words and once in awhile its nice to go out to a restaurant without children. We haven't been out to a real restaurant since the twins were born. I love our three month old preemies and dining in our two-day old sweats and covered in spit up but it would be nice to remind myself that restaurants exist. But I thought you liked to warm up with margaritas?"
"Fucking hilarious baby. Speaking of what are we up to in a couple weeks?".
"That sounds like something you would know, my sweet, its teen something."
"Seven. I think its seventeen. Lunch?"
"Yeah."
"Let's go over to the resort and see what we can find. I say we take our time. The girls have enough milk to keep them for an afternoon."
"And mommy having a drink or two?"
"Yes."
The two found an artisan, farm-to-table restaurant and spent two hours talking and laughing, drinking and eating and reconnecting as a couple and not as the mothers of newborn twins. Piper helped Alex up, letting her lean her weight on her in her post ski pain, and the older woman kissed her sweetly, "This afternoon was amazing."
"Thanks. I wanted you to do something we used to love. I planned this two months ago."
"Of course you did," Alex answered with a slight chuckle and a kiss to her wife's temple, "wouldn't expect anything different from you, Pipes. You are fucking unbelievable babe and I love you for it."
"You are fucking worth it and amaze me. You give me the world every chance you get and once in awhile I want to give a piece back to you cause I love you for everything."
"C'mon Pipes, before you make me cry in public."
"Cause that would really be the worst thing to ever happen to you."
"Oh but it would-"
"I call BS. You are a badass AV, a badass in love with a girl and three babies who have all her best genes," Piper whispered as she wrapped her wife in a tight embrace, "You won't be seen tearing up but yet you'll allow yourself to be held in public. I get it you push things away when your vulnerable, you forget I know you better than anyone else and I've been pushed by you more than anyone else."
"I still don't understand why you allow it. Sometimes I look at you and wonder why are you here?"
"Because I love you and you are the only person who has ever seen all of me and said I love you anyway and I feel the same way about you. I wanted my children to look like you for longer than even I knew on the surface but pushed the things I wanted down cause they were impossible. So we're both pros at pushing things down, all we can hope is we don't teach it to our kids. Besides, if I wanted to leave I would but I can't think of anywhere I'd rather go."
"Me neither. Except go back to the cabin together to our babies."
"Okay, here let me dry your eyes cause you didn't stand here crying on my shoulder and then we'll go," Piper whispered as she wiped a finger across her cheeks, kissed Alex, let go and walked arm in arm to the car.
When they got home a sticky fingered, paint covered toddler running straight at his momma.
"Charlie! No!"
"Pipes, baby, its okay. I'm sore as he-ll but nothing can stop me from holding my boy. Come to momma, gentle though okay?"
"Yes momma."
"What did you do today?"
"Fier pa-ing. Maked chokit cubcaes. Wached Mickey. Wha you-u?"
"Mommy surprised me with a ski date and then we went to lunch, took a walk. Did you make momma a cupcake?"
"O-curse, ma-ma. Dobe siwe!"
"Well let's go see," Alex shifted her son to her better side and hobbled into the kitchen as Piper went to check on the twins chilling in their baby seats.
"Hi girls. Mommy's home. We were gone longer than I thought we would, sorry my loves. But you like happy mommies right? Bound to learn it eventually, happy mommies don't stop dating-ever."
They laughed and smiled at their mommy as she smoothed a hand along their tummies and little cheeks. She first unbuckled Mila and then Dela and held both girls in her arms as she hummed to them as they cooed until Mila decided to try to convince mommy to give her a snack.
"Is my big baby girl hungry," She put Dela back in her seat and carried Mila over to the couch and got her latched, "So what did you do today? Have some bottles? Can tell you spent some time rocking in your seat. Did you take your nap like a good little girl? Did your mean nanny and her evil girlfriend make you do tummy time? It sucks now and I'm sure its uncomfortable and frustrating but you'll thank me when your sitting, rolling and crawling and one day I hate to think of it walking and running. Mommy's little angel," She cooed as Dela kicked and screamed as if to ask what about me, "There's my little troublemaker. Don't even try to convince me your an angel. You are your mother's daughter one thousand percent. But your still my sweet little Lovebug, mommy's little princess. Did you do anything your sister didn't? Like be difficult and fiery? It's okay. I wouldn't expect anything else from you. I'll feed you in a minute."
Not long after she switched babies as Alex and Charlie entered into living room, Charlie with a cupcake in hand.
"Fou Ma-me."
"Thanks. After I'm done feeding your sisters I'll eat it. You wanna sit next to mommy?"
"Yeah!"
She put out a hand to help the boy who watched as his sister had a snack and laid against her side.
Minutes later she put her younger daughter in her seat, next to her sister and grabbed her cupcake, "That's really yummy, bud. But we gotta get you changed."
"No wan!"
"You wanna go to your room?"
"No."
"Then you gotta get changed. I'll let you pick your own clothes, whatever you want no matter how silly it looks."
"Opay," he finally huffed as he followed his other mother to his room.
Minutes later he came running down the hall in a Batman outfit, screaming "I Bamin" and taking a flying leap at the couch and making his moms laugh.
"You wanna get your Batman toys, Hot Wheels and Legos and play Gotham City," Alex asked him as she caught him for the second time since coming home.
"Yay! Ma-me pay-oo!"
"Of course, why dress like Batman without a family game of pretend?"
"O-dink sies wike pay Bamin?"
"They might. Would you play Barbies if they asked you to?"
"Maywe."
An hour later Alex's phone rang out of nowhere and she left the room and answered it on the deck.
"Hey bud, you keep playing, I'll be right back I'm just gonna make sure everything's okay with momma. If the girls cry then come get me okay?"
"Opay."
"Chloe!"
"Yes," she poked her head out of her room.
"I'm gonna go outside with Alex real quick, keep an ear out for the kids, please."
"Of course."
Piper left the room and joined her wife, "Who is it baby? Everything okay," she asked as she came up behind her and wrapped her arms around her hips.
"Hold on for a sec, Piper just came outside," she put the phone on her shoulder and reached a hand out,"Hi, babe. It's Logan," she told her as she pulled her around.
"From Canine Angels?"
"Yes, silly. Do we know any other Logans?"
"Uhm, no. So what does she want?"
"We've, I've been matched!"
"Tell me everything! What breed? Girl or boy? How old-" Piper kept going on until Alex put her finger up to her lips.
"Babe, I can't answer her questions and yours. So shush a minute and when I get done with her I will tell you everything I know. Okay?"
"Okay. I'll just think up crazy questions while you finish."
"Remind me why I stay with you?"
"Cause I'm the cutest woman in the world."
"For about eighteen more years and then Dela is so taking over."
"Even she will probably manage to not be so cute at eighteen."
"Just like her other mother, tendency to be not so cute sometimes but she's got my whole heart and soul and she needs me more than anyone in the world," Alex teased as she kissed her wife quickly.
"You know me too well."
"Yup, if I kiss you I can say whatever I want, my love."
"I'm just gonna stay here and snuggle up to you."
"Never gonna stop you."
"That's how I'd know you really did loose it, if you ever did."
A few minutes later she got off the phone and pulled Piper closer, tightened her grip and kissed her, softer and sweeter this time, "So what do you want to know?"
"Everything!"
"Of course you do, my sweet baby. So she's just over two. She's a Mastador-"
"Is that like a mastodon?"
Alex laughed and kissed the blonde, "Sometimes I question your intelligence Ms. Smith grad but kinda. Mastiff-Labrador mix. She's coffee colored so they named her Kona. She goes to level two training in two weeks so in six and a half months she will be ours, well after handler training. Logan should be texting me some pics soon. Get this, this should be entertaining as hell. Her breeder bred dogs for police and military and she washed out of DEA training, she did well with the training and obedience but she didn't have a nose for it. Our dog is ours cause she couldn't smell drugs."
"Here's a suitcase. What's in the lining, girl? She gives them a puzzled look. They try again same thing. They have her smell it again, nothing. We coulda used her in Chicago."
"We? I thought it was me. But I get it, partner."
"Did the time, right? But yeah it's hilarious poetic justice. She was a bad heroin dog, you were bad with heroin at the end, so she went to prison, we went to prison."
"Point taken, babe. Back to playing Batman, maybe a little coloring?"
"One of us has to make dinner."
"I guess your right. Even Batman needs to refuel."
Six Months Later
They waited around all morning for the doorbell to ring, it was finally the day Kona was arriving to her forever home. The night before they had gone to a trendy pet boutique in Manchester and then to Petco, since neither one of them had ever had a pet they totally overbought and needed help navigating the aisles.
"Do you really think she needs toys," Piper asked as she looked around the living room, "I mean we already have enough of a problem keeping a handle on three kids' toys taking over this room and here's more."
"What's she supposed to do after work? She's still a dog, vest off she's our pet, part of the family. And yes she needs a big comfy giant dog sized bed, even though it means there's no floor left in our room. She needs a coat and boots cause you know it gets cold out here. You know how I am, only the best for my girls and my little man and she's my newest girl."
"I'm with you. I just hope the kids can understand. I mean I think Charlie did when we explained to him."
"It's gonna get confusing sometimes but it'll be okay, babe. There will be some growing pains but we will all get the hang of each other. She seems like such a sweet girl."
"So sweet she ended up on the wrong side of the war on drugs."
"So you two will have something to talk about then, sweet girl."
Piper just laughed and kissed Alex, pulling her so close there was no space between them, "What can I say to that?"
Before Alex could come up with a witty comeback the doorbell rang.
"Finally! Go get her!"
"Come with, babe."
"If that's what you want," Piper joined her wife who had opened the door and was looking at two women and a dog the size of a pony.
"Hi Logan!"
"Hi ladies. This is Kona," she made a motion and the dog approach Alex and leaned down to be petted, "and this is her foster mommy and trainer Mariya."
"Wow. She's a huge dog, I didn't imagine she'd be so big."
"110, 32 inches tall. But for Alex's needs for help with balance and her height we had to match her with a larger dog. Typically we don't match such a big dog with a woman but in this case we had to. She's a gentle giant. Mariya here has four year old twin boys and a two year old niece, she's great with toddlers. She's on the protective side but I thought that might be a plus for you guys."
They sat in the couch, Piper made the women tea while they began to teach Alex the basic commands to handle Kona.
"How's it going baby?"
"Awesome, its weird how in sync we are already. She's perfect."
"We got lucky or Logan is the best or both. What would you think if I took her for a short run?"
"I'd be worried like crazy but I know that's important to you. I lost reading so I know how you feel. Don't overdo it babe."
"Oh I promise I won't. I'll be careful. Love you."
"Even though it seems like your life's goal is to give me a fatal heart attack I still love you more babe."
"I swear it's not just like turning my world upside down isn't yours," Piper teased as she sat next to Alex and smoothed a finger across her cheek and slowly kissed her.
