Disclaimer: Gilmore Girls is the creation of Amy Sherman-Palladino.
Chapter 36: Shopping with Honor
Interstate 84 Eastbound, Sunday, May 28, 2017, 1:30 pm EST
"We almost there?"
Glancing over at her, Logan saw that Rory wasn't looking at him. She was looking wistfully out the car window.
"Few more minutes. You know you could've sat in the back and watched tv."
"Ha-ha." At a buzzing sound, they both glanced at his phone where on the center console. "Honor texted you."
"Can you see what it says?"
Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Rory grab the phone.
"She says she's running late. We should stop by the house after, not before. She'll meet us at Nordstrom Baby at 3." Rory made a face. "Now we have over an hour to kill. We could've stayed with Lucas longer."
"Ace, don't worry about it. How about we get a coffee?"
Rory's lips twisted into a smile.
"Okay."
Logan exited the highway. Within a few minutes they were pulling up to the drive-through window of a Starbucks. Slipping the gear shift into park, Logan turned to Rory.
"What do you want, Ace?"
The words barely out of his mouth, Logan was mildly surprised when Rory immediately unfastened her seatbelt, scooted across her seat, and leaned over him so she could speak directly to the barista.
"Could I please get a non-fat macchiato with a dollop of caramel syrup? But do you have low in sugar syrup? But not the kind with artificial sweeteners? Maybe made with Stevia or the other low-sugar sugar made from cane sugar but not having as much sugar as regular sugar?"
"You sure about that, Ace?" laughed Logan.
The male barista's eyes narrowed into slits. "We don't have that low-sugar sugar. Either as a syrup or as a sugar. We do have Stevia. But not in a syrup. Just the packets. And I'm pretty sure we're out. Our delivery comes in an hour if you want to wait."
"Damn. No. We can't wait."
"Why not just go with the real thing, Ace?"
"Why do you think? Cause I need to lose the baby weight!"
"Rory. You look terrific. And I'm not just saying that because it was my baby."
"Oh no. I tried on my favorite pair of jeans this morning. I couldn't zip them. I'm definitely carrying around too much junk in the trunk."
"'Junk in the trunk'? That sounds dirty."
"It's not dirty. It just means I need to lose weight."
"Where do you get this stuff?" Logan chuckled. "Urban Dictionary?"
"No," she laughed. "And don't laugh at me. That one I got from my mom."
"Ah, Lorelai..."
"Yes, Lorelai."
"So…" An uncomfortable voice interrupted their conversation. "Uh, you decide on that macchiato?"
Logan, still smiling, swung back to face the barista.
"Yes. Make it two. The works."
"No! Logan!"
"Ace, come on. You only live once. And you were caffeine-deprived for eight months. Let me get my Baby Mama a super-sized macchiato." Grinning, he quirked an eyebrow. "Please."
Laughing, Rory shrugged, rolling her eyes. "Fine. Non-fat milk. Of course."
"Of course," he agreed, also smiling. Logan turned back to the barista. "Two venti macchiatos. Both with non-fat milk."
"Oh my God! That sounds so good!"
"You deserve it, Ace. The kid's got a mean toe kick. I can only imagine how it felt. You know. On the inside of your stomach."
"It wasn't pretty, Huntzberger. I'll tell you that much."
"Uh...That'll be $10.50."
"Ouch."
"Oh please."
Logan handed the young man a twenty. "Keep the change."
After a startled "thank you" from the barista, the two sat in silence waiting for their macchiatos. Playing back their conversation in his head, Logan couldn't help but smile. He loved that they could still have fun together. It had been a tough road, especially the past year, but they still knew how to make each other laugh.
As for the big bad, he knew he had to tell Rory about the latest round of Huntzberger crazy but he wanted them to be able to enjoy the day. He wanted to give her a perfect day. They'd already spent several hours with their son. Next Rory would be shopping for baby gear with Honor. Then they were going to visit with Honor and Josh and their kids in West Hartford.
Logan was really hoping a fun day in the company of the 'normal' Huntzbergers might counterbalance the truth about the dinner.
"What are you thinking about?"
"I was just thinking how much fun I was having. And I think I have an idea for more fun."
"What?"
"Patience, my young Padawan."
"Sir? Your macchiatos are ready."
Logan accepted the first drink and handed it to Rory. "Ace."
Taking the second drink, Logan turned back to the man in the window.
"Hey. Is there a toy store nearby?"
"Yeah. Up the road. Shopping plaza on left. About 2 miles."
"Perfect. Thanks." Coffee in one hand, Logan used his other to steer the car out of the parking lot. "What do you say? We got an hour. How about we put a dent in the Amex?"
"Logan, he doesn't need toys."
"Every kid needs toys, Ace. Chances are Finn'll break whatever we come home with well before Lucas has a chance to play with it. Come on. How about we just take a look and if we see anything we like, we'll get it?"
"Okay. But nothing crazy. And I don't want to come home with tons of designer baby gear. Honor's not gonna -"
"Honor's got all sorts of opinions on stuff. You'll have to debate the merits of designer baby gear with her. But, I have to say, considering your mom's latest obsession, I think you could reconsider the embargo."
"What? Why?"
"For all that she raised a daughter whose upbringing was reputedly austere, your mother seems awfully addicted to that Reese Witherspoon site."
"She is? How can you tell?"
"Totes Y'all? In every color?"
"Oh. It's not like it's GOOP."
"Riiight. Keep telling yourself that."
"Well, it's not! Hey, look!" Rory held her cell phone out to him. "Oh, never mind. You drive. Honor sent me more baby links. Look at the baby jeans! Now, if I could get you to put on a pair of jeans, I could dress the two of you alike! That would be so cute! All those dimples and denim! Maybe for the Fourth of July in Nantucket."
"I wear jeans." He looked at her bemused.
Disbelieving, Rory looked at him. "When?"
"Maybe not recently. I'm usually dressed for work..."
"I don't remember you wearing jeans in college either."
"That can't be right."
"Yes, it is."
"So Lucas will be raised as a denim-wearer?"
"Baby Gap is at the top of the shopping list."
"And if I disagree?"
"Your opinion will be noted."
"But discarded?" Logan shook his head, chuckling. "You drive a hard bargain."
"Hey, this ain't no five and dime."
"I get that, Rory."
Rory let out a sigh. "You better."
Eastbound on Capitol Ave, West Hartford, 7:00 pm EST
"So...We all set for Junior?"
"Yeah. Should be."
"You have fun? I hope it wasn't too much. I figured Honor'd make sure you got everything you could possibly need. You won't have to shop again. Maybe not ever."
"Yeah." Rory nodded without looking at him. She continued to gaze out the car window. "She's an excellent personal shopper."
Rory fell silent again. It had been like that since they'd left Honor and Josh's house. He'd try to start a conversation; she'd shut it down with monosyllabic responses.
"Their kids are cute."
"Very."
"Lucas'll fit right in with his cousins. You know. When he does stuff other than lie down and sleep."
Rory snickered half-heartedly. "Yeah."
"I had fun playing with them while you two were out shopping. Rolling around on the floor and pelting my brother-in-law with stuffed animals. What's not to enjoy? And now I have the excuse that I need the practice." Again, Rory said nothing. "I'm sorry about Harper, Ace."
"She's five. She knew Uncle Logan was getting married. It's to her credit she's so smart."
"Yeah. She only met Odette once. Last year around the holidays. I'm surprised she remembered."
"It's okay, Logan. Your five year old niece called me Aunt Odette. She might've only met her once but she's a little girl and her head's full of princesses and brides. Honor told me she's into all things wedding-related. Even if she only met her once, she's thought about her because of the wedding."
"Still. I'm sorry."
"Stop. I wish that was the worst thing a member of your family's ever said to me."
"Got a point there."
Logan apologized for his niece because he thought maybe that was the reason Rory was acting so off. Things had been good between them earlier. Very good. She said the shopping with Honor went well. There certainly were enough packages in the SUV to support that claim.
Maybe it wasn't shopping with Honor; maybe it was something Honor had said. The night before he'd called his sister to tell her not to say anything about Shira and the phone or anything else about the disastrous Huntzberger dinner. Honor, though well-intentioned, definitely had a talent for not being able to keep secrets.
That's it. She knows. Honor told her. Even after I told her not to say anything.
Comparing Rory before shopping with Honor to Rory after shopping with Honor, Logan couldn't see any other explanation. That was it. It had to be. Would Rory tell him what was bothering her if he asked?
"Hey? Ace? What's going on in that head of yours? I can tell something's up."
Rory finally turned her head. Instead of gazing out the passenger side window she was now looking straight ahead out the windshield. Glancing over, Logan took in her profile. The expression she wore was one he'd seen many times; she looked resolute.
"What did your mom serve on Friday?"
Rory bit the words out with determination. She definitely knew.
Sighing, Logan signaled before changing lanes and steering the vehicle onto the shoulder.
"What're you doing? Why are we stopping?"
"I'm pulling over because I don't want to drive off the side of the road while we're talking." Logan put the car in park before turning to face her. "Hey. Could you look at me? Please?"
Rory finally turned to him. Their eyes locked.
"I didn't stick around for dinner. My guess is Honor told you what happened. I'm sorry you heard it from her, not me. It wasn't that I wasn't gonna tell you. It's just that I'm still processing it. I wasn't ready to tell you. And I was being selfish. I wanted us to have a good day."
Without uttering a word, Rory's eyes continued to bore into Logan's.
"I'm sorry Ace." Logan heaved a sigh of frustration. "I wish Honor could've kept her mouth shut for once!"
"Don't blame Honor! It was a misunderstanding. She thought I knew more than I did. Because I told her you and I had talked. And I said that because stupid me thought we had talked. When you told me about the article."
"Right."
"But nothing else."
"Rory -"
"No. Was what you told me true? There's no more article? Honor didn't know a thing about it."
"It's absolutely true. She wouldn't have known about it because it was just me and my dad in the room at the time." Logan paused before continuing. "So...What exactly did Honor tell you?"
"She told me it was Shira who blocked me."
"Yeah. Shira got a hold of my phone. I left it on the table at dinner. She knew from my dad that you and I were in touch. She said she did it so I'd see you were blocked next time I went to call you. She thought I'd confront her about it and she'd tell me what a jerk I was."
"Oh."
"Yeah. Oh."
"When were you gonna tell me?"
"The only reason I didn't say anything was because I was trying to figure out how angry I was. And what I wanted to do about it."
"What do you mean?"
"I mean... You can't choose your family. But you can choose where you work."
"Oh... Honor said...You'd really leave HPG?"
"I don't know. Maybe. I'm not sure I want to. It's not even the money. I know it's nuts. All my complaining when I was younger. I've been there seven years. Paid my dues." Logan chuckled in self-deprecation. "I know you won't believe this but I'm actually not bad at what I do, Ace. I may even like it."
"I'd believe that in a heartbeat, Logan. I've seen you in action. I know." Rory bit her lip, deep in thought. "Do you really think that's the only choice?"
"I don't know." Logan exhaled; bringing his hand up, he tucked several strands of stray hair behind her ear. "I hope not. But you know those family crests. It's never easy. All that fine print."
"Did anything else happen?"
"Mitchum asked his lawyer to draft up a custody agreement."
"A custody agreement? Oh!" Logan could hear the surprise in her voice. And maybe a tiny bit of hurt. "We haven't -" She stopped. "Is that what you want?"
"Rory. You know what I want. If I got what I wanted, a custody agreement wouldn't be necessary."
"What about London?"
"Ah! The silver lining or the poisoned apple?"
"What do you mean?"
"My dad says he'll support my moving back to the east coast."
"That's great. Just like that?"
"Just like that."
"You suspicious?"
"Of course. They can't handle not calling the shots. So bring me back. Get a custody agreement. It's all to make sure they get time with their grandson."
Rory sighed. "Is that why he agreed to drop the article?"
"He agreed to drop the article because I told him I'd tell the reporter all about Shira's phone trick."
Rory laughed aloud. "I shouldn't laugh but including that in the article might actually make it an interesting read."
"Agreed."
A silence descended as each of them retreated into their own thoughts. The sound of rubber hitting the pavement created an oddly relaxing background noise. It was a comfortable quiet, not an awkward one. Yes, they had problems but it was theirs to share and resolve together. Logan couldn't help but acknowledge that there was something to be said for not keeping secrets. It was finally Rory who broke the silence.
"Logan. Aside from us getting married, you know having a custody agreement would be the smart thing to do. Lucas and I will be in Hartford for at least a month. After that, the plan was to buy the Oasis and settle in Stars Hollow for a few years. But I still haven't closed on the house, so I don't know."
The plan was to buy the Oasis and settle in Stars Hollow.
Past tense. Things could change. Now she didn't know.
He reminded himself of their track record. Maybe Rory was right and he was wrong. Maybe if they were supposed to be together, they'd already be there. That's what she said. He thought she was scared and stubborn. But maybe he was the one who was delusional.
It was with a forced grin he said his next words. "You ready for a team huddle?"
Rory returned his smile. "No Gatorade but I could dump the leftover macchiato over your head."
It was with a genuine smile Logan reached over the center console and pulled her in for a hug. "God, I love you."
"I love you, too." Logan's smile widened as he felt Rory's arms tighten around him.
Maybe this could work after all.
Logan kissed her cheek, and burrowed his face into the crook of her neck before releasing her.
"So? We continue to be 'those people' dealing with their personal shit on the side of the road? Or we drive to Hartford, wake up our son, and see if he has anything to contribute?"
"You don't think it's too late?"
"I'm pretty sure his schedule's clear, Ace. You okay with your schedule?"
"I took care of my boobs at your sister's so I'm good for now."
"Let's go. The NICU crew'll run out of gossip if the Gilmore-Huntzbergers are away for too long."
Hartford, Connecticut, St. Joseph's Hospital, 8:15 pm
"Look. Asleep."
"You know he's only faking. His eyes'll open as soon as he realizes you're here."
"That's sweet but I think you're wrong."
Standing over the baby, they watched their son's chest rise and fall with his breaths.
"I can't blame Mitchum and Shira for not wanting to be excluded from his life."
"No. I can't either. But they can be blamed for just about everything else. I'm not gonna put you in a position where they treat you like crap and you feel like you have to suck it up. Cause you don't."
"So we didn't turn a corner, huh?"
Logan chuckled. "No. We did. They haven't. We're a team. We present a united front."
"You. Me. And Lucas."
"Team LoRoLu."
Rory laughed. "You're nuts."
"Hey, if I'm nuts, then sanity's over-rated. I think we've proven a little crazy is good."
"A little crazy is good." Rory's hand caressed Lucas's hand. "Wanna hear something else crazy?"
"Paris want her stuff back?"
"No. It does have to do with baby gear." Rory's eyes met Logan's. "I bought two of everything. Two. Except for the changing tables. I ordered four of those. And even that may not be enough according to your sister."
"Okay," he nodded. "Ace, I'm not worried about the credit card bill if that's what you're concerned about. I really don't think that's that crazy."
"No. It's not that. It's just I got two of everything for a reason. One for Hartford and one for Stars Hollow. I didn't buy things for your apartment."
His apartment. Not their place. His. They were not together. They were separate.
"Oh. I can get whatever we - I - need. Don't worry about it. I'm not even sure I'm gonna go through with buying that place."
"No. I didn't not buy stuff for your apartment because I didn't think of it. I did. Think of it, that is. It was all I could think about while I was shopping with Honor. I didn't buy it because I figured we wouldn't need it."
We wouldn't need it. Logan felt his heart unclench.
"We wouldn't?"
"No. We wouldn't. I figure I bought enough. For wherever we are."
Logan laughed, his eyes watering.
"Okay. I get your point. We have enough. For wherever we are."
"I mean the apartments are right next to each other. It's like it's one apartment. It didn't seem necessary to have doubles for right next door."
"I agree, Ace."
"And if Lucas and I are in Stars Hollow, I expect you'd stay with us."
"Yeah...?"
"And if you're done with London, then we don't need anything there."
"Makes sense."
"Just. One thing."
"Whatever you want, Rory."
"I want - . No, I need you to tell me everything. Even if you're still processing it. Even if you don't know what it means. It's like that first dinner when you took off. I thought we were done. I thought you'd reconsidered and split. When it comes to your parents, keeping things from me gives them the upper hand."
"Rory. That's not what I intended -"
"It doesn't matter what you intended. That's how it is."
Logan nodded. She was right.
"You're right. I'm sorry. I'll tell you everything. Anything. Even if I have no idea what it means."
"Maybe I can help you figure out what it means."
"Maybe." He sighed. "I told myself I was protecting you."
"You're not. You're trying to protect yourself. But it doesn't work that way."
"I know."
"And he's the one we need to protect."
"You're right. Again."
Logan and Rory fell silent once more. Practically speaking, they knew their hushed tones wouldn't disturb the infant's sleep. At the same time, being near him, watching him sleep so peacefully, was in it's own way calming for them. They were both lulled into a meditative state as their eyes focused only on their son's sleeping form.
Eventually, Logan's gaze moved to Rory. It wasn't the first time and he was certain it wouldn't the last time that watching her would inspire within him an overwhelming surge of pride. He'd always been proud of her. She'd always been able to tackle anything she'd set her mind to. Motherhood was no different. No matter how much it wasn't planned, or included on any list.
"Rory?"
Rory brought her eyes away from their son. Meeting Logan's gaze, she waited for him to speak.
"I think you're gonna rock this mom thing."
Rory grinned. "You think?"
Logan's grin matched hers. "You better believe it, Ace."
AN: Whew! So glad they were able to get through that. This way they get to have the fun they deserve. And we get the fun we deserve. There'll be more drama but not between them. Did you vote on the next fic? Post-college meet-up wins! New Poll. Arguing SH residents for St. Jess to "fix." Thank you so much for the reviews and faves and follows for ITMH. This has been a blast. I love what's coming up but I'll be sad when it's done. But then I get to focus on WITS.
10/21/2017