The next evening as we're getting ready to go to my parents' house for dinner, I'm a bundle of nerves. I'm hoping the evening goes smoothly without any yelling or accusations, but I've been on the other side of my parents' scorn too often to be foolish about how they'll likely act. There's a slight chance my mom will be somewhat accepting of my relationship with Alex, but I don't think my dad will budge. I'm shocked he'd allow us to even come to his home as a couple.

Alex pokes her head into the bathroom. "Didn't you say we have to be there by six?"

"Yeah."

"Well, it's six."

"Fuck." I quickly brush my hair, straighten my blouse and look at myself one last time in the mirror. "Do I look ok?"

She kisses me. "Always."

Despite Alex trying to make conversation, I'm mostly quiet on the short drive to their house. We park in the driveway, and I'm thankful to see Cal's car there and hope he joins us. He has always had my back and been a good buffer between me and my parents.

Alex squeezes my hand before getting out of the car. "If at any point, you want to leave, just say the word."

I nod. "Thank you."

We enter through the side door and into the kitchen just like we did a year ago, and my mom is busy at the stove while my dad is getting glasses out of the cupboard.

"We're here." I wipe my palms on my jeans. "Hi."

"Hello, Piper." She greets me with a kiss on each cheek.

"You're late," my dad says as he comes in for a hug.

"Sorry." I look down and take a deep breath. "You remember Alex?"

My father nods his hello and my mom shakes her hand.

I glance at my girlfriend, who looks as cool and collected as ever. She isn't afraid of my parents, though she might be scared of treating them like the assholes they are when she's around them. I know she wants this to go well because it's what I want, but she has nothing to gain from my parents' approval other than my peace of mind.

"Is Cal here?"

Just then, my brother enters the kitchen with a roll of paper towels. "This is the last roll in the basement." He notices my presence. "Hey, sis!" He hugs me, and then moves to Alex. "Welcome home."

"Thanks," I reply.

We make small talk that's almost as uncomfortable as silence. They ask about my classes, the weather in San Diego, the plane ride up here, and what I might do this summer. I haven't yet shared with him the fact that I might be moving back to Darien in June. We move to the dinner table, and the first question they address to Alex is if she'd like a glass of wine.

"Do you prefer red or white?" my dad asks.

"Whatever you have open is fine."

I squeeze her hand under the table, and then try turning the conversation to her. "Alex's next job will be at a rehab clinic in Las Vegas."

"She should be very busy then," my mother comments. It's not lost on me that she's referring to Alex in third person as if she isn't sitting two feet away.

"Plenty of drunks and addicts there," my dad responds. "I'm sure you'll have your fair share of clients."

"I hate to see anyone become addicted to alcohol or drugs, but from a therapist's standpoint, working in a community that has significant substance abuse issues keeps me on my toes," Alex says. "I like helping them get on a path to recovery."

"Have you always worked with substance abuse patients?" my mom asks.

I'm thankful she's at least including Alex in the conversation.

She nods. "That's my specialty, though when I travel to clinics across the country, I usually do more general counseling."

Predictably, my dad switches the conversation back to me. "What kind of counseling are you hoping to go into, Piper?"

"It's too soon to know." I pass the salad to Cal. "I'm only halfway through my first year of grad school."

"You said you were thinking about coming home for the summer," my mom notes.

I glance at Alex before responding with a simple, "That's what I'm hoping."

"Alex, did you do any internships when you were getting your master's degree?" At least Cal is interested in my girlfriend.

She tells them about her clinical experience as we finish the salad and move onto the main course. I watch her and my parents carefully. While Alex has no problem talking about her professional life, my parents seem disinterested. They continue trying to redirect the conversation to me, but I turn it back to Alex. It isn't until the dessert course when our relationship surfaces.

"The reason I'm here—why we're here—is because it's been a year since I've been in this house," I begin. "You told me that you might be more accepting of my relationship in that amount of time, and I'm hoping that's the case."

"Your mother might've said that, but I didn't." My dad sets his fork against his plate and steeples his hands. "I come from a long line of conservative Protestants. In fact, my grandfather was a United States Senator back in the 40s. As you might imagine, I don't support homosexuality."

"Bill…" My mom tilts her head as a way of admonishment. "What your father is trying to say is that same sex couples are against biology—against how God made us."

"I'm not going to bring God into this," I state firmly, folding my hands in my lap. "We already went down that road last time I was here."

She pleads with me. "Why can't you two just be friends?"

"We are friends," I respond. I don't want this to be another pointless argument, so I go on. "And we're more than that. We love each other; it doesn't matter if that's in spite of or because of our gender."

"How can you…" A look of disgust registers on his face. "Do that with each other?"

A hot wave of irritation washes over me. "Why do you have to think of our relationship in terms of sex?" I raise my voice, and then I feel Alex's hand on my thigh, silently encouraging me to calm down. I take a deep breath before continuing. "That's such a small part of our relationship. Alex is thoughtful and funny and crazy smart. She wants the best for me even if that means living apart. Isn't that what love is supposed to be—unselfish and kind?"

"I think it's cool that you found someone, Pipes," my brother responds.

I give him a gentle smile.

"This is probably not going to come out as respectfully as I'd like, Carol and Bill, but I'm just going to say it." Alex pushes her dessert plate away. "For some reason, your approval means the world to Piper. She's terrified of disappointing you, and even worse, of losing her relationship with you. If we walk out the door tonight without even the tiniest bit of acceptance, you're going to sever all ties with your daughter." She pauses and glances my way. "My number one priority is to ensure Piper is happy, healthy and well-respected. Anyone who fucks with her will upset me and destroy her." She adjusts her glasses. "I'm sorry, but I won't let that happen even if you're the people who raised her."

Cal's eyes are bugging out of his head, and my mom seems taken aback. My dad's stoic expression hasn't changed.

"It's clear that you love my daughter," my mom replies even though her tone makes me believe she's not really sure her statement is true. "And I'm grateful that someone besides us is looking out for her."

My father leans forward, directing his full attention to me. "I don't want to lose you, Piper."

"Neither do I." I grab his hand as my eyes well up with tears. "Alex is right, I hate the thought of disappointing you." I shake my head. "But I can't make myself unlove Alex. I love her—really love her—and I hope tonight you could see a glimmer of why my feelings are so strong."

"The thought of you two sleeping together upsets me greatly," he begins stiffly, pulling his hand away. "But maybe we can work around that. If we don't talk about that kind of stuff and you don't show public displays of affection, I might be able to support you."

"I'm going to hold hands with Alex and even kiss her on occasion," I reply, unwilling to cave to his archaic demands. "But maybe for the first few times we're in each other's company, we can refrain from doing those things in front of you." I turn to Alex. "Would you be ok with that?"

She shrugs. "If that's what we need to do for now, yeah."

"I'll try," my dad offers.

"That's all I ask." I scoot my chair out and hug him, feeling the sting of tears in my eyes. My mom and brother join us.

We sit back in our chairs, and my dad turns to Alex. "That was some speech."

Sometimes Alex's singular brow lift signifies that she's turned on, but other times like now, it's her don't fuck with me look. "I meant every word."

The evening ends with more general conversation about life in San Diego and the ins and outs of my parents' friends in Darien. We help clean up, and then we leave their house just before nine. I'm not prepared to tell them about our move to Darien, because it isn't a done deal. If I get into U Conn, Stamford, and Alex still wants to move back here, I'll let them know our decision.

"That wasn't too bad," Alex says as we reach the car.

"Are you kidding? It went far better than expected." I buckle my seatbelt. "Thank you for saying those things about me."

"Like I told your dad." She leans over to kiss me. "I meant every word."


As we fall asleep in Nicky's spare bedroom that night, I think about how far Alex and I have come. From her being my therapist, to four years of yearning, to being separated with my move to San Diego, to getting semi-approval from my parents, we've been through our fair share of ups and downs. Even at our lowest point, I never doubted our love for each other. As I watched her stand up to my parents tonight, I realized more fully than ever that I want to spend the rest of my life with Alex Vause, and that might begin sooner than I thought as we contemplate a move back to Darien.

I find out the first week of April that I got into U Conn's graduate program, and I didn't realize how happy it would make me. They accepted all of my credits from UCSD, so I'll only have one more year of schooling followed by a semester of interning and taking one evening class. Two weeks after this good news, Alex signs a contract with the Peterman Clinic to begin working full-time on May 1. Her salary will be 10% more than she makes now, and we're both over the moon. Nicky is excited to welcome her back to her old digs, and the plan is for me to move in with them when I return to Darien on June 4.

Now it's time for me to fill my parents in, and I have to hope they're as excited as I am even if it means living with Alex.

"Hi, Dad. Is Mom around?"

He ducks the phone under his chin and calls for her.

"I have some good news," I say.

"What is it, dear?" my mom inquires.

"I didn't want to tell you before it happened, but I've been admitted to U Conn in Stamford. I'm transferring."

"You're moving home?" she asks.

I nod. "Yeah. I'll start classes in late August."

"This is certainly good news," my dad says. "But I thought you loved living in California?"

"I do, but not without Alex." This will be the tough part to relay to them. "She's been trying to get a job in San Diego for a year, and nothing has come up. It's like people don't leave the area," I begin. "I want to be with her, and she wants to live in Darien, so we're coming home…together."

They're silent at first.

"If she's what it takes to get you closer to us, so be it," my mom finally offers. "When are you moving?"

I let out a breath I didn't realize I'd been holding. I'm pleased with her response—it's the best I could've hoped for. "As soon as I'm done here, which is in early June."

"That soon?" my dad asks.

"We've turned your old bedroom into an office," my mom confesses.

"Good. I mean, I'm not moving home as in back in the house with you." I swallow hard, hoping not to come across as ungrateful. "Alex and I are going to live with her friend, Nicky, until we find an apartment together."

"Did she get a job here?"

"Yeah, she…" I was going to tell them where she'll work, but that might bring back memories that I'd rather not resurface at this time. "She did…and she got a raise."

"We can put your old room back the way it was," my dad offers.

"No, thanks though." I hope he doesn't take this any further, demanding that I live at home in exchange for the tuition they'll pay on my behalf. Even if they refuse to pay, I'm committed to taking out loans. "I'll be fine living with Alex; it's what I want."

"I'm just glad you're moving back," my mom says.

"Me, too." I touch my hand to my heart, hoping this marks the beginning of a new relationship for us with Alex squarely in the picture.

The End


Author's Note: Well, that's 23 chapters in the books! I'll post the Epilogue tomorrow. Thanks again for all of the wonderful reviews. They go a long way especially in light of the quarantine situation right now.