Epilogue
T he rest of Kiera’s final year of college flew past in a blur. Before she knew it, summer had come and she walked across her graduation stage to the cheers of both her family and Hunter’s. Then she went to work full-time at the teen center, alongside Garrett and Piper.
Piper had stayed true to her word, cutting off all contact with her now ex-husband and putting in a lot of hard work to restore her reputation in Kiera’s eyes and gain Garrett’s trust. She’d been a huge help at the center, and once they entrusted her to do more than empty trash cans and clean bathrooms, she started coming up with all kinds of new activities for the kids.
Josh and Andrew loved it there, too, making friends easily and spending every day after school at the center so that Hunter and Piper could worry less about afternoon childcare.
One afternoon in late June, Kiera came back from her lunch break to find Piper, Maggie and a couple of kids setting up drop cloths in her new office.
“What’s going on?” she asked with a laugh. Two adults and three kids barely even fit in the room, and they’d pushed Kiera’s desk into the hallway just to make room for their painting supplies. “A little arts and crafts project?”
“A long time ago, you mentioned wanting a mural on your wall,” Piper said. “Maggie offered to help us make it a little more scenic for you.”
“We’re going to paint a pond like the one at Abby’s house,” Andrew explained while he tied a smock around Josh’s waist.
“Hunter said that’s your favorite place,” Josh added.
“Thanks, guys. That’s going to be really nice,” Kiera said. Then, reluctantly, she added, “But I was going to get some work done this afternoon.”
“Not anymore you’re not,” Piper said with a laugh. “Why don’t you knock off early, go relax for once, and we’ll get this finished so you can be back to business as usual in the morning?”
Kiera did like the idea. Even with all the changes that had taken place in the last few months, she still found her schedule at odds with Hunter’s much of the time and it would be nice to come home early and surprise her.
“I could do that,” she said, smiling at the idea of what they could do with a couple extra hours together. “Hey, Piper, I’ve got something for you. Can you take a break?”
“Sure,” Piper said, laying down her end of the drop cloth and stepping around the mess of paint cans in the middle of the floor.
She’d become like a new woman over the last six months – a consistent and adequate paycheck coupled with a regular sleep schedule and built-in childcare tended to do that for people.
She had paid off her debt for the pawned items and Kiera had forgiven Piper around the time that her divorce became finalized and it was clear that Piper wouldn’t slip back into her old ways.
Kiera was beginning to think of Piper simply as her girlfriend’s sister, and even a friend, rather than the woman who she had to keep a constant eye on. Garrett liked her too, and that was a relief.
Even Nana had forgiven her eventually, and that was what Kiera wanted to tell Piper now. She stepped into the hall and Kiera led her to the staff area, which at the moment was unoccupied. She reached into her bag and pulled out a dark gray velvet cap, then handed it to Piper.
“Looks like you’re officially a part of the family,” Kiera said.
Piper laughed, then put the hat on. Nana had been systematically knitting caps for everyone over the last few months. Hunter got a green one to match her eyes, the boys each got navy blue ones, and now it was finally Piper’s turn.
“It’s a little out of season right now,” Kiera said. “But I’m sure you’ll get plenty of use out of it soon enough in these Grimm Falls winters.”
“I love it,” Piper said. “Please tell Abby thank you for me.”
“Why don’t you tell her yourself?” Kiera asked. “I was thinking that you and the boys could come over for dinner this weekend.”
Piper looked a little surprised at this. It was the first time that she’d been invited back into Nana’s house, but Kiera and her grandmother both agreed that it was time to extend their trust again. Piper said, “That sounds nice. I’ll bring a dish.”
“Just don’t take a dish,” Kiera said, then winked. They both laughed and it was nice to be at a point where they could laugh at a joke like that. It underscored for Kiera just how far Piper had come. “Well, I think I’m going home to surprise Hunter. Thanks for painting my office.”
“You’re welcome,” Piper said. “It’s the least I could do.”
Then she headed back up the hall to the little office and Kiera walked toward the exit.
When she got home, Kiera poked her head into the den, where her grandmother was knitting a purple cap in her recliner.
“Hi, Nana,” she said. “Who’s that one for?”
“Denise,” Nana said, surprising Kiera.
“You two buried the hatchet?”
“Not exactly,” Nana said, holding up the cap with a wicked smile. “She absolutely detests the color purple.”
“Diabolical,” Kiera said with a laugh.
She found Hunter in the kitchen making an afternoon snack for Nana. She was wearing scrubs for her evening nursing class already and Kiera went over and kissed her, then asked, “How is she today?”
“Better,” Hunter said. “She’s lucid.”
Nana’s memory had begun to falter more often over the last few months. It was to be expected, but it had still been a difficult milestone to come to terms with. Hunter had been indispensable through it all, by Kiera’s side at every moment, ready to comfort her or provide support in any way needed.
She really was perfect.
She’d started working full-time as Abby’s caretaker over the winter and they’d all agreed that having her move into the guest house would be easiest now that Hunter didn’t need to be at Piper’s house to watch Josh and Andrew every afternoon.
Not that Hunter actually spent any time in the guest house.
Kiera coaxed her into her own bedroom on Hunter’s first night and it hadn’t been a tough sell.
“I invited your sister to come for dinner this weekend,” Kiera said, wrapping her arms around Hunter’s waist and watching her slice a piece of cake for Nana. It was a rich chocolate cake that the three of them had baked together the previous evening.
“You did?” Hunter asked, surprised.
“Yeah,” Kiera said. “I think she’s earned it, don’t you?”
Hunter turned around in Kiera’s arms and kissed her, saying, “Yes, I think she has, and I’m glad you think so too. I love you.”
“I love you, too,” Kiera said, then she hooked her finger in the V-neck collar of Hunter’s scrub top and said, “Have I told you that you look damn sexy in scrubs?”
“Only every time I wear them,” Hunter said, her hazel eyes sparkling in the early afternoon sun.
“How much time do you have before class?” Kiera asked.
Hunter glanced at the clock on the wall and said, “An hour and a half.”
“Oh no,” Kiera said, feigning concern. “Whatever will you do with all that time?”
“I can think of one thing,” Hunter said, planting a playful kiss on the tip of Kiera’s nose. “Just let me give Abby her snack and then I’ll tell you what it is.”
“I think I can guess. Meet me in the guest house,” Kiera whispered with a coy smile. Then she headed for the door at the back of the kitchen, her body already beginning to crave Hunter.
She went outside, across the lawn to the small guest house, her pulse beating a little faster with every step as she anticipated Hunter joining her.
She let herself in, pulling off her shirt and pants as she walked through the small living area.
She was undressed down to her bra and panties by the time she got to the bedroom, where she lay across the bed with her head propped in one hand and her other hand draped seductively across her hip.
Hunter’s eyes went wide as she saw Kiera sprawled across the bed. The curve of her breasts rose over the top of her bra with every breath and her curves were accentuated in the pose that she’d chosen. It took Hunter’s breath away and she smiled as she quietly shut the bedroom door behind her.
“You must have read my mind,” she said. “This is exactly what I was thinking – maybe even better.”
“Come here,” Kiera beckoned, sitting up and reaching for her.
Hunter came to the end of the bed and Kiera rose up on her knees, those big chestnut eyes looking deeply into her. Hunter wrapped her arms around Kiera and held her close, kissing her and sliding her hand around Kiera’s back to release the clasp of her bra.
It fell to the mattress and Hunter put her hands on Kiera’s breasts, her lips meeting her neck and tasting the salt of her skin. She tilted Kiera’s neck back and kissed her way up to her mouth, her tongue sliding between Kiera’s plump lips.
She moved her hands down from Kiera’s breasts to her waist, then slid her palm between Kiera’s thighs.
She was wearing lacy panties and Hunter could feel the warmth of Kiera’s desire through the fabric.
It elicited an intense craving in her and she pulled Kiera to the edge of the bed, then dropped to her knees.
Hunter slid her hands up Kiera’s calves and the backs of her thighs, coming to her knees as she kissed Kiera's legs and inhaled the intoxicating pheromones of her scent.
She hooked her fingers in the waistband of Kiera's panties and dragged them down, revealing the glistening wetness that was waiting for her.
Hunter wrapped her arms around Kiera's hips and pulled her to the edge of the bed to meet her mouth, tasting her and groaning her own desire.
Kiera's thighs quivered as Hunter rolled her tongue up and down over her wetness.
Kiera put one leg up on the mattress and Hunter looped the other one over her shoulder, burying her face between Kiera's thighs while her hands crept up and found her breasts again.
Kiera let out an involuntary moan and grabbed a small throw pillow from the top of the bed, burying her face in it while Hunter grinned proudly.
Then she turned her attention back to Kiera's body.
She knew every inch of it by now, how she would react to a lick here, a kiss there, and she never grew bored of the shivers and moans that she could produce with her tongue, her hands, her body against Kiera’s.
Hunter didn’t have the luxury to tease her for too long today, though, and when she hit the right spot, Kiera put her hand on top of Hunter's head to keep her in place. Hunter alternately licked and sucked on her clit and Kiera let loose a stream of muffled cries into the pillow.
Her thighs began to shake against Hunter and Kiera bucked her hips as she came, her whole body shaking its way through a powerful orgasm. She let out one last, long sigh into the pillow, then tossed it aside.
Her face was red, her expression euphoric.
Hunter smiled as she crawled onto the bed, gathering Kiera in her arms.
“Is that what you wanted?" she asked, and Kiera smiled, nodding emphatically.
Then she reached for Hunter.
Hunter helped her, quickly undoing the drawstring of her scrub pants and shimmying them down around her knees, along with her underwear. Then she took Kiera’s hand, pressing her fingertips to her lips first and kissing them, then placing them between her thighs.
As Kiera slid her fingers up and down, Hunter felt every nerve in her body coming alive. Every time they made love, it was like every cell in Hunter’s body was reaching for Kiera – needing to be close to her on a molecular level.
Hunter closed her eyes and put her hand on the back of Kiera’s neck, holding her close and kissing her hungrily with every stroke of Kiera's hand up and down between her thighs. She moved her hips in time with those strokes and pressed Kiera’s palm more firmly against her.
When she came, Hunter pressed her mouth to Kiera’s and moaned against her lips, the sound vibrating between them as she moved her hips in ecstasy.
They lay together for a few minutes after, Hunter’s arms wrapped protectively around Kiera while she caught her breath. Kiera looked into Hunter's eyes, all the gold flecks in her pupils clearly visible.
“I love you so freaking much,” Hunter said, and the words came out almost a growl, she felt them so intensely.
“I love you, too,” Kiera said, moving her body against Hunter’s in a way that made her want to love her all over again.
Hunter kissed her forehead, holding her tight.
She’d been counting the days recently, wondering when was too soon to ask Kiera to be hers forever.
They’d been together nine months now and that seemed too soon, but then again, Hunter had known the moment she saw Kiera that she could never feel this way about another woman.
She looked over at the bedside table and checked the time, then groaned and released Kiera from her grasp. It was such a hard thing to do, but she needed to get to the university for her evening class.
They got out of bed and even though Kiera was just on the other side of the room, Hunter missed her already.
She pulled her scrub pants back up, then watched as Kiera disappeared into the living room to retrieve her shirt and pants from the floor where she’d left them like a trail of clues for Hunter.
She checked the time again – thirty minutes before class and she ought to get going soon. Then she dove at Kiera, pulling her back onto the bed and showered her with kisses.
When Hunter finally let her get up, Kiera extended her hand and helped Hunter off the bed. As they walked back across the lawn to the main house, Hunter looped her arm around Kiera’s waist and kissed her temple, then asked, “What should we make for dinner with my sister?”
“I bet Nana will have some ideas about that,” Kiera said.
She walked Hunter to the foyer, kissing her and telling her to enjoy her nursing class. Then as Kiera went into the den to check on Nana, Hunter lingered for a moment so she could enjoy the view as she watched her walk away.
She checked the time once more – she’d be late, but then some things never change.
Keep reading the Sapphic Fairy Tales with Fairest