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Piper wasn't feeling well enough to walk at the graduation ceremony, and while her father was disappointed that he didn't see her in a cap and gown in person, she'd at least taken a few headshots that he could place in a frame on the mantle next to the dusty photo of Danny in his regalia.
Alex was thrilled to have her girlfriend back full-time, but she knew Piper had mixed feelings about being in her father's house. One thing that the brunette had done to make Piper feel like she was living in a house other than her father's was completely redecorated Danny's old room into their bedroom. She only hoped that her lover would approve of her thrift shop finds and feel worlds away from her younger years in that house.
Alex had spent two months scouring Goodwill, Salvation Army, and another local second-hand store for the perfect dressers, nightstands, lamps, rug and headboard. She'd bought new sheets, throw pillows, and a duvet cover from the clearance rack at Macy's the week prior to Piper's arrival, and once it was all assembled, the bedroom looked like a page out of the West Elm catalogue.
Piper arrived back at her childhood home to a decent amount of fanfare from Diane, Cal and Alex. The older Vause had baked a chocolate cake and bought 10 helium balloons that read, "Congratulations Graduate." Cal presented her with a bouquet of flowers and bought her a card. Bill gave her a quick hug and peck on the cheek with a rather cold, Welcome home, honey. She didn't expect anything more from him, and if she had to guess, Piper assumed he was just as icy to Alex.
"I have a surprise for you," the brunette announced, squeezing Piper's hand.
"A surprise?" She put her hand on her hip and arched her back, wincing at the discomfort of her oversized belly.
Alex nodded. "Yeah." They walked down the familiar hallway hand-in-hand until they reached the last bedroom on the left. Alex opened the door and stood to the side. "Welcome home, babe."
She'd painted an accent wall the color of denim, while the others remained ivory. The straw-colored wooden dresser complimented the antique brass nightstands, and the bedding was a colorful zigzag comforter and throw pillows that added a pop of brightness to the room.
Piper stepped onto the plush, taupe rug with her mouth hanging open as she scanned the redesigned bedroom. "Who did this?"
"I did, silly," she let out a low, almost shy laugh. "There's this one really cool thrift store about a block away from my college, and I got most of it there, but I hit a bunch of second-hand stores to get a few things here and there." She stepped behind Piper, wrapping her arms around her shoulders. "Believe it or not, I furnished the entire room for less than $600."
"I can't believe you did this for me!" Piper turned in her arms, doing the best she could to hug her lover around her waist. She was a mere five weeks from her due date, and hugging was definitely a challenge.
Alex pulled back, hands on her girlfriend's upper arms. "I wanted you to come home to a place that felt a little different—more grown up."
"That was so thoughtful of you, Al. I love it." She gave her a long peck on the lips before turning around and admiring the space again.
Alex couldn't help the proud grin that covered her own face.
"Perhaps we should christen the room right now?" Piper said between kisses.
They did just that, Alex making sure the bedroom door was latched, before making sweet love to Piper. She noted that the blonde's orgasms were still incredibly powerful and hoped that would carry on past Piper's pregnancy.
As they laid in bed, Alex rubbing Piper's protruding belly, the brunette sighed. "I wish I made more money to help with stuff."
Piper rotated her neck on the pillow to face her. "We'll be fine with my salary."
"Yeah, as long as we live in this house." After giving the blonde a peck on the temple, she sat up, dangling her legs off the bed. "If I would've gone to college straight out of high school, I'd probably have a good job by now." Alex stood and threw on her vintage Eiffel Tower t-shirt. "Even if I would've stuck with modeling—that would've been a lucrative career for at least another year."
"And you'd be 3,000 miles away, Al!" Piper complained. "You can't change the past." She accepted the shirt that Alex handed to her and tossed it over her head. "Is this something you've been worrying about? Money, I mean."
"I guess." Alex stepped into a pair of worn jeans. "I have plans for the future, but plans don't come with a fucking paycheck."
Piper struggled to pull on her maternity jeans, and Alex assisted her. "At least you're thinking about the future." It was the first time that Piper had ever heard her lover talk about the future with a positive outlook, and it was music to her ears, but she dared not make a big deal about it.
The brunette ran a hand down the back of Piper's head and placed a kiss on her forehead. "There will be a time, Pipes, when I can help more financially, but for now, I want to at least help by taking care of the baby when you go back to work."
She lifted her eyebrows. "Really?"
"Not that I'm a qualified caregiver and all, but I thought I could take a CPR class and maybe do sort of a trial run while you're on maternity leave." She combed a hand through her dark locks. "I've watched my mom with kids over the years, you know, and she's really good with babies. I'm sure I can learn a thing or two from her."
The blonde smiled. "We both can."
"So, you'll let me do that—take care of him…or her a couple days a week?"
She kissed Alex square on the mouth. "That would make me incredibly happy."
"Good." She returned the kiss, and they were this close to having sex again, when Diane knocked on the door hoping to see the redesigned bedroom that her daughter had kept behind closed doors.
During the blonde's first week back, Alex helped Piper unpack as they discussed logistics of the baby's arrival as well as Piper's work schedule. She had no time to waste before she'd have to commute into the City for her job.
It was determined that Piper and her dad would carpool so that if she went into labor, he would be with her and able to deliver her to the nearest hospital. (It was Alex, not Bill, who'd made the suggestion, but weeks later, he acted as if he'd devised the plan and was quite proud of it.)
Diane was committed to working part-time after Piper's maternity leave was over, which meant that two days a week, she'd take care of the infant. Alex would watch the baby another two days when she didn't have morning classes. That left one day a week when they wouldn't have childcare, and the blonde was hoping beyond hope that her own mother would volunteer. The couple knew the arrangement was temporary until they could save enough money to afford daycare, which Alex assumed would be about six months after the child was born. The other hope was that they'd be able to move into a place of their own a year later.
Truth be told, Alex was nervous about everything from Piper's actual delivery to caring for the baby to what it would do to their relationship. She also remained concerned about Bill's coldness and hoped that he'd lighten up once the baby was in their lives. The one thoughtful thing that he'd done with Cal's assistance was clear out Piper's old bedroom. Bill had stored his children's old baby bed and dresser in the attic, and Alex & Piper were thankful that they at least had some furniture for the child. They bought the rest of it from one of Alex's old high school friends who'd gotten knocked up right after high school and was looking to offload a diaper changing station, play pin and rocking chair.
With July just around the corner, Piper's doctor confirmed that her baby was healthy and ready to announce his or her presence to the world any day. Piper hadn't wanted to know the baby's gender, but as her delivery date approached, she became increasingly worried that she didn't have enough clothes for the infant. Alex promised that they'd buy another ten onesies just to be safe.
On a rainy, warm Saturday morning two weeks after she'd arrived in Greenwich, Piper decided that they should paint the nursery. The couple spent an hour at Home Depot, looking at paint samples and settling on a pale green.
Alex laid a plastic dropcloth across Piper's old bedroom floor. The blonde helped her lover tape the doorjamb and outlets as best as she could, but bending down proved difficult, so Alex had to do most of the prep work.
"Have you thought of any baby names?" The brunette asked, coating a rolling brush with green paint.
"A few have been rattling in my mind over the past couple of months." Piper plugged in her iPod so they could listen to the labor playlist while they worked. "I thought we could come up with some together."
Alex grinned, touched at her lover's thoughtfulness.
She took the rolling brush from the brunette. "Have you thought of any?"
She had, though she didn't want to admit it since she was unsure if Piper wanted her to take part in such a major decision. Over the past month, Alex had fallen asleep every night, thinking of baby names. Truth be told, she wanted Piper to choose the name so that the blonde would have no regrets months or years down the line if the name lost its original umph.
"Not really," Alex lied. "There are some that I like more than others."
"Like what?" She rolled the brush against the white wall.
"Tell me your list first—you've obviously thought about naming your kid more than I have."
Piper gave her a look, but Alex concentrated on painting the trim around the door.
"Well, if it's a girl, Sophia, Emma, Charlotte, Chloe or Ava." She paused to stretch her back. "If it's a boy, Jackson, Aiden, Riley or Noah."
Alex dipped her brush into the can. "Those are good names."
"But?" The blonde baited, handing the rolling brush to her girlfriend for another thick coat of paint.
"I don't know; they're all pretty traditional." She handed Piper the brush. "What about Petal or Sheba?"
"I'm sorry, what?" Piper raised her brows and a you-must-be-kidding-me look formed on her face. "Sheba, as in Queen of?"
"What's wrong with that?" Alex shrugged, the corners of mouth turning upwards. "It's powerful."
Piper let out a singular chuckle. "You're trying to be funny, right?"
"A little, yeah. Look, Pipes," she sighed and stood. "This is your child, and his or her name has to be meaningful to you—no one else matters."
"That's the second time you've referred to it as 'my child'." The blonde had trouble bending over to put the brush back in the paint tray, so she sort of tossed it in, making paint splatter. "And you matter."
"I know, but…"
"Alex, this is our baby," she interrupted, hand resting on her stomach. "It's impossible for us to get pregnant naturally, so to me, this is our chance at being parents to a child who we'll share."
Alex's eyes flicked away at the weight of Piper's stat. She nudged her glasses higher on the bridge of her nose.
The blonde took a step closer. "Tell me that's what you want."
"I want you," Alex said in a low, honest voice. "Right now."
Piper jutted her head back, confused by the turn of conversation. "Are you high on paint fumes?"
"No." She shook her head. "I want…" Alex paused, looking down before lifting her eyes to look directly into Piper's. "I want to pretend that we made this baby."
"If we could, we would." Piper stepped into her lover's space. "This child is as much mine as it is yours. I mean that."
Alex nodded, and Piper could sense her girlfriend grappling with the statement.
"Let's go to our room." Alex tugged her wrist.
Piper's eyes were that familiar stormy blue. "No, make love to me right here in our baby's bedroom."
"Our baby?" Alex repeated with a cautious smile.
Piper nodded. "Ours."
The brunette put both hands on either side of Piper's face and leaned forward to lock lips. After a moment, Alex broke the kiss and attempted to lighten the heaviness between them. "You want to do it on the plastic dropcloth?"
Piper nodded, lowering her body to the crinkly material.
The blonde's libido had been on overdrive for the duration of her pregnancy and showed no signs of letting up despite her oversized stomach and aching back. It didn't take much to turn her on instantly. Ever the one to please, Alex gave her lover what she wanted, diving between her legs to make Piper cum. It was that sort of soul-connecting kind of sex that happened only once in a blue moon, nearly bringing tears to each woman's eyes.
As Piper belted out her lover's name as well as unintelligible orgasmic sounds, the brunette had to reach up to cover Piper's mouth as the forceful and piercing orgasm rumbled to the surface.
A minute later, the blonde's breathing returned to normal, and Alex kissed her way up Piper's body until they were eye to eye. "I love you."
Piper smiled and placed her fingertips gently on her lover's cheek. "I love you, too."
They stared into each other's eyes for a moment before the brunette broke the silence. "But you have to be quieter, babe."
"It's so hard." She ran her hand through dark hair, kissing Alex on the forehead. "Especially when you do that sucking thing."
Alex knew the move her girlfriend was referring to and loved that there was always one particular thing that she did with her lips and tongue that would get Piper off every time.
"You like that, don't you?" She craned her neck to kiss the blonde on the mouth.
"Yes." Piper held her lover's chin with three fingers and leisurely kissed her full lips.
Alex combed Piper's hair out of her face, eyes looking off in the distance as if she had a profound thought. "What about Persephone?"
The blonde snorted. "I don't think so."
"Nile? Apple? Echo?" she tried.
"That's it—I'm convinced you're high on paint fumes," Piper replied through a thick chuckle.
The two remained in that position on the plastic covering, going through a list of male names, most of which Alex invented herself, until the dark haired woman finally pulled Piper to a standing position to go to their bedroom to take a nap.
Naming their child was an important task, but holding each other as they slept that afternoon was top priority.
Rather than alarming Piper with every shred of fear that surfaced, Alex reserved discussing her distress & apprehension about being a parent for her therapist. It wasn't until mid-June when she admitted to herself, I can do this. When those words finally hit home and felt good, she'd made love to Piper and reassured her that they were in this together. It'd brought tears to the blonde's eyes, and Alex knew that her lover needed that kind of reassurance in her last trimester.
Alex decided that working 60+ hours per week until Piper had the baby would be a good way to earn extra income to pay for things like diapers, bottles, and baby clothes. Even though she was technically on the clock as the valet supervisor, she spent almost as much time in the kitchen with Chef Accardo. He'd welcomed her input on several dishes that he wanted to tweak on their lunch menu, and that month, he'd given her the opportunity to create one new, healthy dish for their weekend brunch menu.
"Other than fruit, what in the fuck is healthy at brunch?" She complained. "It's all about the Eggs Benedict, if you ask me."
"That's the challenge." Chef Accardo stopped the blender and stuck a spoon inside to try his walnut pesto sauce. "We're putting it on the menu on tomorrow, so you better figure something out in the next 24 hours."
She hung her head and tried to get into a mental space that would allow her to think creatively about what would work, first, as a healthful option and second, at an Italian restaurant. Alex scanned the pantry and refrigerator, pulling items here and there until she had somewhat of a concept of where she wanted to take the dish.
She grabbed a cast iron skillet, and began sautéing onions & garlic. While that was cooking, she chopped fresh spinach and slow poached an egg. As her direction became clearer, Alex diced a tomato and layered the spinach in the skillet, followed by the tomatoes and three paper-thin slices of prosciutto. When the egg was done, she slid it on top and baked the dish for 10 minutes, and then put a generous amount of salt and pepper on top.
The brunette presented the dish to the chef. "What do you think?"
"Spinach and poached egg bake?" He cut into the egg with a fork. "The yoke is perfectly runny. Poaching an egg isn't as easy as it looks. Nice work." Chef Accardo tasted it. "Mmm. The tomato was a nice addition. I think it could benefit from more acid; maybe a little crunch. You're headed in the right direction."
She spent the next hour trying different combinations until it hit her: instead of dicing the tomato, she cut a thick round of a yellowish Heirloom and used that as the base for the spinach and egg. For crunch, she pan fried the prosciutto and used one slice instead of three, positioning it like a sailboat mast on top of the spinach.
"Try this." She scooted the plate towards Chef Accardo. "It's visually stunning." He picked up the prosciutto and bit into it, nodding his approval. The next bite, he cut into the tomato, dragging some spinach and egg along with it. Before popping the forkful into his mouth, he broke off another crunchy piece of pork. "Fuck, this is good."
Chef Accardo gave Alex a high five and called the line cooks over to try it. She got equal amounts of praise from them, which made her feel great about the way her dish turned out.
"Alex, um, I might've clipped the fence with this dude's car," came a shy voice from the swinging kitchen door. She recognized the kid as one of their newest valets.
"Fuck, back to reality." She washed her hands, and then turned to head out of the kitchen. "Hey, chef, thanks for letting me do this."
"My pleasure—you're a fast learner." He smiled.
She returned the smile, nervous about diners ordering her dish for brunch that weekend. What made butterflies swarm in her stomach even more was that her entire family was going to brunch the next day. Alex decided not to tell them about her creation, but she'd make sure that at least one of them ordered it.
The next morning, Piper realized that brunch at Salvatore's was probably the last opportunity she'd have to dine without needing a highchair next to the table. She wore the one fancy, green maternity dress she owned, hoping she didn't get indigestion the way she had the last time she ate rich, brunch food.
The entire crew piled into Bill's new Range Rover (which, he'd declared, was more for Piper's comfort than his own) and headed to the restaurant that held many, many memories.
Although Alex would need to work the evening shift, she'd taken the morning off to have brunch with her mom, Cal and Piper—the fact that Bill was there (and would pay) was only a minor annoyance.
"I don't think I've been to brunch here since the menu was update," Diane said, sipping a mimosa. "What's good, hon?"
"I've tried the Buckwheat pancakes with almond butter and the smoked salmon Eggs Benedict, and both are really good, but rich," Alex offered, hand wandering habitually to Piper's thigh. "But if you're looking for something healthier, the baked spinach with soft poached egg is ok. It's served on a juicy chunk of Heirloom tomato."
"That sounds perfect," Piper said, closing her menu and grinning at her girlfriend.
Cal shut his menu, too. "I'm having the Belgian waffle."
"Don't you ever want to branch out—try something different?" Piper asked.
He grinned. "Yeah, sis, that's a great idea. Let's add a side of Applewood smoked sausage."
Two weeks prior, Cal had graduated from high school and was headed to U Conn in the fall. He wasn't eager about studying in college, but he had grand plans to join the paintball team and crash frat parties.
"Good morning," Salvatore's son, Antonio greeted them. "Always lovely to welcome the Chapman family to our restaurant." He shifted his eyes to the brunette. "Alex, it's nice to see you not working for a change."
She smiled. "It's nice to not be working this morning, Antonio, though I'll be here for evening service."
Piper grabbed her hand under the table and braided their fingers together.
Antonio and Bill made small talk while a server took their order. Both Diane and Piper ordered the special, Bill got the Eggs Benedict, and Alex chose a simple fruit bowl with homemade honey yogurt & blueberry granola.
After his second Bloody Mary, Bill raised his glass. "I'd like to propose a toast…To changes."
Although Piper didn't think it was the best toast, it wasn't offensive, and that was a victory in her mind. She clinked her flute of sparkling apple cider against her girlfriend's. "Cheers."
The family talked mostly about Cal's plans for the summer, and only once in a while did the conversation turn to Piper's impending delivery. The blonde looked like she could pop at any moment, but she was still working and having only a little difficulty getting around. Bending was the hardest task, and fortunately, she didn't have to do that often.
Their breakfasts came, and Piper raved about the spinach and poached egg. She loved the thick slice of tomato and the way it was seasoned, and Diane loved the crispy prosciutto on top. She gave Bill a bite, and even he thought it was appealing.
"You're right," he said, wiping his mouth. "That pork on top makes the dish."
Alex didn't participate in the conversation or want a bite, which the blonde found odd; instead, she sprinkled the blueberry granola on her fruit and yogurt.
A man in his chef whites came out the greet the family. "Hi, everyone. I'm Trevor Accardo. Not sure if you know this, but Alex here spends copious amounts of time in the kitchen with me."
The brunette's cheeks developed a rosy tint. "Chef…"
"It's too bad she doesn't want to be a cook, because she's got great technique," he interrupted, patting her on the shoulder. "In fact, this spinach dish is one that she created yesterday for our brunch menu."
All eyes turned to her, and she took a long sip of sparkling apple cider.
"Alex!" her mom gasped.
Piper put a hand on her arm. "Why didn't you tell us?"
"That's pretty cool." Cal smirked.
"If you didn't like it, I wasn't about to fess up," she replied, sliding her girlfriend's hand down to link with hers. "But I'm glad you do."
"It was quite good," Bill commented. "And now that I know you can do stuff like this that means more delicious food for me."
Alex smiled, but Piper could tell it was mostly fake. Her father and Alex still didn't gel, and the blonde didn't know if that would ever change.
Cal scratched his stubbly chin. "If you don't want to be a chef, what do you want to do?"
"I'm not exactly sure." The brunette turned to him. "But I've been talking to one of my professors about becoming a nutritionist."
"One of my friends who graduated with me at the CIA works for a nutritional consulting firm in Manhattan." The chef flung a towel over his shoulder. "She agreed to take Alex on as an intern as soon as she completes her four basic nutritional science courses."
"What else have you been hiding from us?" Her mom said with a slight grin.
"I need to make it through Piper's delivery before I can concentrate on me," she replied, still blushing at the attention.
The blonde leaned over and kissed her on the cheek. "As soon as this baby is out, I want you to focus on your career—if that's what you want."
Her father looked away—he hated public displays of affection between the lovers. That never stopped Piper and Alex from giving him a show.
"We'll see." Alex smiled.
"Why don't you introduce Piper to the cooks? I know they'd love to meet your other half," Chef Accardo said.
The blonde looked at her lover with an eager expression.
"Yeah, ok. As soon as we're done with our meals."
With that, the chef returned to the kitchen, and Bill surprisingly congratulated Alex again on such a successful dish. Diane went on and on about how skilled her daughter was in the kitchen, and Piper could tell that her girlfriend was not entirely comfortable with the praise.
Immediately after brunch, Alex took Piper into the kitchen to meet the cooks. They "ooh'd" and "ahh'd" over her pregnant belly. Most of the cooks spoke very little English, but Alex could communicate with them quite successfully in Spanish. Hearing her lover speak another language turned Piper on. She was already turned on by Alex's career plan and imagined what she'd look like in business attire.
There was no doubt what they were going to do the minute they got back home.
Note: The story ends at Chapter 28, and it can't be soon enough for me. I'll post the rest of it between today and tomorrow.