Chapter 29

This had been a banner year for Lorelai. She experienced a nearly 6 month estrangement from her daughter, got engaged, found out she was pregnant, and now, she found out her fiancé had a child he didn't tell her about. This stress was like nothing she had experienced before.

She mulled it over for hours. She rarely got up from her seat at the kitchen table. Only her dog's whines broke her out of her trance. Later, her daughter came home. Rory's day had apparently been much better than Lorelai's. The letter Lorelai had written had been a big hit. But once her daughter saw the hurt on Lorelai's face, she changed emotions immediately.

"Luke has a daughter," Lorelai finally said out loud.

She voiced to Rory all that she had thought about the situation that day. She couldn't understand why Luke hadn't told her. She'd been there when Anna showed up; clearly she was just as involved with this as he was. Well, maybe not as involved, since it wasn't her kid. But she felt that they were equal partners in this. April would be her stepdaughter. That had to count for something. Her son not only had Rory as a sister, but April as well.

"If you remember mom," Rory reasoned. "You weren't so quick to tell Luke about the baby."

"I didn't wait two months." Lorelai argued.

"But you should understand how it feels to have something big that's scary to tell people," Rory said. Lorelai knew her daughter was right. She tried to remember that, when they left to go to the carnival. She knew Luke would show up eventually.

When Luke did show up, they went on a walk. Lorelai was more understanding and calmer than she'd been earlier. But that didn't mean this situation didn't still bother her.

"It's just all so much right now," Luke said, after they'd gotten past things.

"What all?" Lorelai asked.

"Well I've got a kid, she's here," Luke said. "June 3rd," he added.

"What about June 3rd?" Lorelai asked.

"It's just so soon," he told her.

"It's months away," she said.

"Well it feels close," he told her. "It's everything. It's piling up, it's happening so fast."

"Well," Lorelai said. "If it's all happening too fast we can postpone the wedding."

"Really?" Luke asked.

"Yeah, it's changeable," Lorelai said. "That date made sense, but having more time would be good."

"Are you sure?" he asked.

"Who could argue me having more time to get my figure back?" Lorelai half-heartedly joked.

"Yeah," Luke said. He seemed to think her idea made perfect sense. He of course, hadn't remotely noticed how much she hated suggesting the change.

"But that's all we can do," she told him. "If you want to postpone the baby's birthday, you're gonna half to take that up with him." Luke laughed. It seemed like the two of them were over the problem.

"And I'm not talking about the baby," Lorelai joked. "You're going to need a written proposal to God. And he's not known for his flexibility." Luke laughed some more, Lorelai joining in this time. They ended up embracing, Luke far more into the kiss than his fiancée.

If Luke were an angle, he'd be obtuse. Lorelai was definitely not okay with all of this. But if she could help it, she wasn't going to let Luke know.

"'Think it might be a health code violation, kissing this closely to the cotton candy booth," Lorelai joked.

"Meet me back at my place later?" Luke asked. He was in full on romancing mode. He didn't care that his fiancée was almost full term; he was going to show his love for her some way that night.

"Yeah, see you there," she told him. He gave her a swift peck on the lips, and he was gone. Lorelai stood there for a moment, her face officially betraying the emotions she'd claimed she'd had to Luke. She walked away from the cotton candy booth, asked Rory to officially take over the Doggy Swami, and she went home. She'd call Luke and tell him to meet her there.

*I've been in full writing mode today. I can't promise it will be like this every day, but I'm trying my best to write daily. I can't thank you enough for reading and reviewing. It means so much to me. Keep it coming. –DD *