"Marry me," Jess murmured drowsily as he kissed her forehead and rolled off her.
"What?" Rory sat up suddenly. "Wow, I must have been awesome," she remarked, half-laughing and flabbergasted.
"That was a very inspiring performance," he conceded with a small smirk as he pushed up with his palms to sit beside her. "I'm not proposing," he clarified, gesturing to the air. "Don't have a ring. All I want to know is what you think. About us. Getting married."
Rory shook her head in disbelief. She felt Jess tense at her reaction and quickly reached for his hand, lacing her fingers through his to indicate that she wasn't telling him no. Who would have thought this day would have ever come? Five years ago, at Luke and Lorelai's wedding, she and Jess had mutually decided to reconcile as friends—just friends—in an attempt to avoid the awkwardness of being exes in the same family. They began to talk on the phone, discussing everything and everyone in their lives, no holds barred, as if dissecting each other's respective sex lives with brutal honesty would prove they were totally and completely over each other. Then, Jess had fiercely maintained that he wasn't the marrying kind, didn't want to have kids ever, and dumped every girl that suggested that she might be interested in being more than friends with benefits. But that was before…
Inhaling his scent, Rory kissed Jess lightly on the shoulder before peering up at him. "Sorry, it's just a little unexpected, considering what happened two years ago… but I'm happy we're talking about it now." She squeezed his hand in reassurance.
Jess rolled his eyes skyward, "Oh right, when your grandfather threatened me with certain death because I refused to marry you before the baby came."
"You said you didn't believe that a piece of paper guaranteed anything. You wanted to wait until we were ready," she finished for him.
He ran a hand through his hair and took a deep breath "I'm ready now. Are you?" The question hung in the air, and she could feel him tremble ever so slightly as he asked.
Rory scooted closer to him, a little unsure. Did Jess really want this, after all his rants against divorce rates in the US, or was he just trying to make her happy? She gave him the most honest response she could at the moment. "Jess, I'm fine with the way we are right now. Honestly. I know we love each other, and we have a beautiful daughter together. I couldn't ask for anything more. You don't have to do this for me."
"Lori could be in the wedding," he mused, lifting her hand to kiss each of her fingertips. "She'll be old enough to walk down an aisle and scatter flower petals or whatever it is kids do at weddings."
"I can't believe you're thinking about our wedding," Rory giggled, letting go of his hand to trace circles on his stomach as they slid back down under the sheets. She still couldn't quite trust what she was hearing: Jess, fantasizing about their wedding day. "You are aware it'll have to be in Stars Hollow, right? And all the members of our dysfunctional families and all the townspeople will have to be invited?"
"Yes, I'm resigned to that fate," Jess sighed. His hot breath sent shudders down her body as he turned on his side to kiss her ear. "I want them all to know that you're with me. Every single person who thought we'd never make it. Even if it means standing up in front of over a hundred people who all probably hate me for corrupting their sweet, small-town princess and dancing to Celine Dion songs in a penguin suit."
"I would never choose Celine Dion for our wedding," she argued, turning so that they now faced each other.
"And that's why you're the woman I want to marry," he responded, all teasing affection as his eyes danced with merriment. Suddenly, his voice dropped to a murmur, and his eyes were serious again, "So will you?"
Rory pressed her entire body against Jess, enjoying the heat of their skin-to-skin contact. She could feel his pulse throbbing, how his shoulders tensed as he waited for her response. She tilted her head up and smiled against his jawline. "Okay," she whispered.
"Okay," he repeated, sounding dazed. His muscles relaxed, and he kissed her temple while winding his arms tightly around her. "Good night, Ror."
"Hey you," Rory staggered into the kitchen, dressed in a white button-down blouse and blue pencil skirt. She had her makeup on but was still very much bleary-eyed, sniffing at the caffeine in the air. "Is that my coffee?" She thanked her lucky stars every morning that Jess had long ago learned how to brew coffee exactly like it tasted at Luke's. He could cook a mean breakfast too.
Jess handed her a mug from behind the kitchen counter, "Considering neither Lori nor I drink coffee, it's safe to say that it is."
"I don't have time for your smart remarks," she said, sticking out her tongue. "I'm going to be late for work. Thanks to someone who kept me up late last night. Someone who gets to stay home and write and probably take a nap while I go to work," she grumbled, sipping her morning caffeine fix.
Jess snorted, "You can be rest assured your daughter will not be letting me take naps during the day. She's been as wired as you are on three cups of joe lately."
"Good girl," Rory said approvingly, patting the soft, wispy hairs on their daughter's head. She set her coffee down on the countertop and sat in the chair next to Lori's booster seat and across from Jess. In her high chair, Lori smiled a wide, gap-toothed grin at her father as she splashed mashed peas around. Meanwhile, Rory scarfed down the plate of pancakes Jess set in front of her with one hand while rifling through the Times with the other, leaving the pages scattered with crumbs.
"No fair," Jess complained, looking at the mess, "two against one."
"Just be glad my mom's not here," Rory commented, "then you'd be outnumbered by three Lorelais."
Jess chuckled, "I better enjoy the quiet while it lasts and get some writing done. When Lori learns more words I can only imagine what it will be like with the three of you chatting away."
"Yeah, and she's going to be the only toddler in town throwing words like 'proletariat' and 'nihilism' around." Rory shook her head. Leave it up to Jess to read the books they read to their child.
"Hey, I'm just trying to educate our daughter," Jess shrugged.
Rory leaned forward, elbows on the counter, closing her eyes and imploring for a long, slow kiss that was readily given, "I know, and I love you," she whispered breathlessly when they were done.
"Love you too," Jess replied softly, watching as Rory kissed their little girl goodbye for the day.
"Don't get daddy in too much trouble," Rory instructed her one-year-old with great solemnity before turning to Jess for a quick half-hug, "See you later."
Jess straightened up and grinned at her as she picked up her suitcase to go, "Go knock 'em dead, Gilmore." He always called her by her last name when she was leaving for work, as if he were prepping her for a day at the office of being called nothing but Gilmore. She always laughed in response before she headed out the door.
Today, however, she hesitated, "Jess? Did you mean what you said last night?" She hadn't wanted to disrupt their easy morning banter earlier but felt the need to check one more time that she hadn't dreamed it. That he'd really asked her to marry him.
"Did you?" he peered at her from under hooded eyes. The mischievous sparkle was gone, and he looked almost shy waiting for her affirmation.
"I asked you first," she countered.
He let out a deep breath before meeting Rory's eyes again, "Yeah."
She couldn't stop the corners of her mouth from turning up if she tried, "Then I guess you better start practicing calling me Mrs. Mariano from now on."