February rolls around and Piper reminds me that it's been a year since we met with her parents. Back then, her mom told her that if we were still together in a year, she might come around to accepting our relationship. I wasn't holding my breath for that to happen, but apparently Piper was. She has three days off for mid-winter break, and I have a week before my next stint in Henderson, Nevada, so we decide to meet up in Darien so she can tour U Conn in Stamford and meet with a couple of professors in the psychology department.

We chose to take connecting flights to Dallas, and then fly home together from there.

"Do your parents know I'm coming?"

"Of course they do," she says around a sip of ginger ale. "I didn't ask if we could stay with them though. I assumed we'd stay at Nicky's." Her expression shifts and she grabs my arm. "Should I not have assumed that?"

"No," I chuckle. "I mean, yeah, we'll stay at Nicky's. I checked in with her a couple weeks ago."

"Good."

I grin. "Do you really think I'd be comfortable staying in your childhood bedroom with your parents next door?"

"No."

I pinch her thigh under the seat tray. "Now that I think of it, the childhood bedroom thing might be a turn on…"

She slaps me, knowing full well I'm joking.

"Would you be interested in having dinner with them one night?" Piper asks.

"Did they agree to that?"

"They were going to discuss it." She pops a pretzel into her mouth, and then changes the subject. "Do you want to tour U Conn with me?"

"Not really," I admit. "It's your decision if you want to go there. Isn't there another college in Stamford that you could check out?"

She nods. "Sacred Heart University, but they don't offer a master's in psych."

We spend the rest of the flight talking about Piper's college options and my timeline for joining the team at the Peterman Group.

"How soon would they want you to start?" She trades me her second bag of pretzels for my chocolate bar.

"As early as April 1, but I'll still be in Nevada," I explain, opening the little bag. "When will you hear if you've been admitted to U Conn?"

"First week of April," she says. "Would you want to move back to Darien before I do?"

"I could take another short-term job with my company." I eat the corner of a pretzel. "But I'm kind of done with the whole moving thing."

She breaks off a piece of the chocolate bar. "Then I think you should move back home when you're done at the clinic in Henderson."

"I could live with Nicky until you're done with school," I muse. "I'm sure she wouldn't mind."

"Are you kidding?" Piper smiles. "She'd love it."

"She'd probably love it if we both moved in," I say.

"What if…?" She blinks a few times. "What if we did that—moved in with Nicky for like a month or two, nothing long term? That would give us a chance to find the perfect apartment or even buy a house."

"You want to buy a house together?" I've never given any thought to buying a home mostly because I've had this traveling job for nearly five years.

"I love the thought of owning a home together, but I couldn't afford to pay for part of the mortgage, so maybe that's not a good plan for now."

"Maybe not for now," I say. "But it's something we should consider in the future."

She leans over and kisses my temple. "Speaking of the future…"

I eye her. "Yes?"

"We've never discussed if we want children." She takes a sip of ginger ale, and I wonder if she's trying to hide the blush on her cheeks.

"No, we haven't," I respond.

"Have you thought about it?"

Truth be told, I have thought about having kids with Piper, but I've shoved those thoughts to the back of my mind. There's no way we'd start a family while she's still in school, so I figured why bother even discussing it until she's done with her master's degree?

"Yeah, I mean, it's not something I dwell on, but…" I trail off.

She pours the rest of the can of ginger ale into her cup. "But what?"

I lift my shoulders. "But I've thought about it."

"And?"

I let out an awkward laugh. "Why do I have to be the first one to answer all these questions?"

"I'll go first if you want," she replies with a quick shrug. "I've thought a lot about having a family with you—one or two kids, maybe a dog."

"No dogs."

She smiles. "Fine. No dogs."

I link our fingers together. "I want that, too…and maybe a cat."

"A cat and two kids?" she laughs.

I nod. "Yeah, but the cat comes first. We have to see if we can take care of an animal before we bring little human beings into the world."

She looks exuberant. "Are we really discussing this?"

"We are." I grin. "But we're putting the cart before the horse."

She wrinkles her brows.

"Wouldn't you want to get married first?" I ask.

"Oh. Yes, definitely."

I lean over to kiss her. "Is that a given?"

"Pretty much." She kisses me, and the man next to us clears his throat. "But you have to ask."

"I will, when the time is right." I kiss her again, ignoring the discomfort of Mr. Spreadsheet in the window seat.


We arrive at Nicky's house close to midnight, so rather than waking her, we decide to go to sleep and catch up with her in the morning.

The next day, we listen to Nicky's latest dating escapades over a breakfast of sunny side up eggs, bacon and toast. Being with Nicky has always been easy and fun. I miss her and need to be better about staying in touch even when it feels like I'm too busy to breathe. If Piper and I can make it happen, Nicky will be a part of my daily life sooner rather than later, but it's best to keep this news to ourselves right now in case somehow it doesn't all come together.

Piper gets a text from her parents around 11 a.m. asking if we want to join them for dinner the following night.

I pull the phone closer to read the text. "She actually wrote 'we'?"

She nods.

"You don't seem as surprised as I am."

"I'm a little surprised," she replies. "But they know how serious I was about our relationship a year ago, and now that we're still together, they have to understand this is real."

"From what little I know of them, I didn't think they'd give an inch." I pull a sweater over my head. "Maybe your mom, but not your dad."

"It might be a disastrous dinner, but I'm willing to give them another chance." She puts on her boots. "Will you go with me?"

I grab my jacket and open the bedroom door. "Yeah."

I'm not sure what to expect from Bill and Carol Chapman, but I love Piper and hope they give us a chance if for nothing else than to save the relationship with their daughter. I couldn't care less if they like me or not—I'm not the one seeking their approval.


Alex and I take the train into Manhattan the day after we arrive and enjoy the beautiful though chilly day in and around Central Park. We have dinner at Marea, and then get last minute tickets to see Kinky Boots at the Al Hirschfeld Theater. It's rare that we have days like this. We've lived apart for so long that usually we end up spending much of our time behind closed doors, catching up, having sex, and planning our next trip to see each other. I can count on one hand the number of actual dates we've been on, and today feels like one of those infrequent but special times.

After the show, Nicky texts Alex to say she and her flavor of the month are heading to a club in New York and asks if we want to meet them there. It doesn't take much to convince me.

I string my arm through hers as we turn down Hudson Street. "Do you remember the last time we went to a bar?"

"When you almost got us arrested for public intoxication?"

"What about indecent exposure?"

"The sex was hot; I'll give you that." She arches a single brow. "But the cops showing up was kind of a mood killer."

We arrive at Henrietta Hudson's, and I read the marquee above the entrance: Dyke Disco Tonight – $20 cover.

"This is the longest running lesbian bar in Manhattan," Alex mentions. "Nicky and I used to come here like once a month in our glory days."

I can hear the 70s music echoing in the street. "I wish I knew about these bars when I lived in Darien."

"You turned 21 two years ago," she chuckles and leans over to kiss the side of my head. "It's not like you could've been partying for years and years."

I shrug. "Still."

"Greeting gals and pals!" I turn to see Nicky walking towards us. "Ready to show off your dance moves?"

Alex looks down at her own pants. "I'm not really dressed to go clubbing."

I grin. "Neither am I, but I wouldn't mind seeing Alex's disco moves."

She strings her arms around my neck and thrusts her pelvis against me. "Would you?"

"This is more of a bump-and-grind." I say as I match her shimmying hips. "John Travolta would not approve."

"Break it up, kids," Nicky says. "I want to introduce you to Lorna. We met at a slam poetry thing a couple weeks ago."

We both shake her hand. "Nice to meet you."

"I've heard a lot about you," Lorna says in a thick Brooklyn accent. "It's nice to finally meet."

Nicky places a hand on each of our shoulders. "Are we going to stand out here or get our asses on the dance floor?"

Since we took the train into the city, neither of us has to drive tonight, so we can drink as much as we want without having similar consequences to the last time we went to a gay bar. It only takes one gin and tonic before Nicky convinces me to join her on the dance floor, but Alex isn't quite ready. As I shimmy to some 70s disco song, I watch Alex watching me. Something about the way she's leaning against the bar and staring at me through hooded eyes turns me on—it's like I'm putting on a show exclusively for her.

I dance by myself for a few minutes, and then a butchy looking woman starts moving with me. I am disinterested in dancing with anyone other than Alex, but when I glance at her, she gives me a look like she wants me to continue. The woman puts her hands on my hips, but I quickly remove them and lean closer so she can hear me say, "We can dance, but no touching." She removes her hands and steps close enough to move with me without touching, and I run my hands through my hair and close my eyes, feeling the rhythm and knowing Alex is enjoying this.

The next song is a familiar one: More Than a Woman by The Bee Gees. I keep dancing, opening my eyes every so often to watch Alex finish her cocktail, and then she disappears. Maybe she went to get a round of drinks. Nevertheless, I keep dancing. Not a minute later, I feel someone grind against my backside as her hands glide down my thighs. I don't have to turn around to know who it is. I smile as I back into her, moving in time with every sway.

"How come she gets to touch you?" the butchy woman asks.

"She's my future wife," I respond, realizing that's literally the first time I've said those words aloud.

The woman makes a face and dismisses me with the flick of her wrist. I turn in Alex's arms.

"You looked good out here," she says in a husky voice that I have to strain to hear. She places her hands on my hips, tugging me impossibly close. "Too good."

We remain on the dancefloor through two more songs, partly dancing but mostly making out. We're not alone—there are lots of couples kissing, including Nicky and Lorna. It brings back the memory of fucking in the bathroom at the last bar we went to together, and I'd be lying if I said the thought didn't cross my mind.

"Want another drink?" Alex eventually asks.

"Maybe some water," I respond, allowing her to lead me off the dance floor. "I'm all sweaty."

Alex tightens her jaw, and I know I'm turning her on. "I can see that."

She gets us a couple bottles of water, and we sit in a dimly lit corner of the bar.

"I'm glad we did this." I squeeze her hand. "We don't go out enough."

She strings a piece of hair over my ear. "No, we don't."

"Let's change that."

She kisses me. "Let's."

We stay at the bar for another hour, dancing to two more songs and having one more drink before I start yawning.

Alex rubs my back. "Wanna get out of here?"

I nod.

"I'll let Nicky know." She disappears onto the dancefloor in search of her friend who hasn't stopped dancing the whole night.

I love all sides of Alex—her professional side, fun side, intelligent side, and sexual side. I love how she looks after me. I especially love watching her eyes change to a darker shade of green when we're in the throes of passion. I have a feeling I'll get to witness that tonight.

She stands in front of me. "Ready?"

"Yeah."

Alex puts her hand at the small of my back and escorts me into the refreshingly cold night air.

"What time is it?"

She glances at her watch. "Just after midnight."

"Are they staying at the bar?"

She nods. "Nicky can dance all night."

I smile.

"Do you want to get a hotel room?" she asks.

I turn to her. "A hotel room? Tonight?"

She raises her shoulders. "Why not?"

"Won't that be expensive?" I ask. "I don't even have a change of clothes."

She turns onto Greenwich Street. "You'll sleep naked, and we can wear the same clothes tomorrow to take the train home."

It's little moments like this when I wish I knew Alex in her adventurous days. Did she do stuff like this often? Did she take women to bed in some foreign city at an expensive hotel?

She pulls out her phone and searches for nearby hotels. "Looks like there's a four-star property around the block."

We turn the corner and spot The Dominick on our right. Alex holds the door open for me.

The lobby is sleek and modern, and I could easily see wealthy hipsters staying here on a business trip to New York.

"Do you have any availability tonight?" Alex asks the front desk clerk.

He punches something into the computer. "Would a room with a king-sized bed work?"

She looks at me, and I nod.

"Perfect." She hands him her credit card.

"That'll be $318 plus tax," he says, taking the card.

"Ok."

I lean closer. "Are you sure you want to pay that much?"

She grins. "Positive."

We check into our room on the 19th floor, which has floor-to-ceiling windows with unparalleled views of the Manhattan skyline.

"This will do just fine," Alex comments as she saunters over to me.

There was never a question that we'd have sex tonight, but I much prefer doing it in a private hotel room than in Nicky's spare bedroom. Tonight's sex is slow and lazy; even our kisses are sloppy and lack finesse. It's exactly what I want from her after a long, exhausting day. I taste whiskey on her tongue and can't get enough. We don't sleep much that night, but we get our fair share of shut eye well into the morning before having to check out by 11 a.m.


Author's Note: One more chapter, and then the Epilogue. Thanks for hanging in there with me and for all the positive reviews!