"For the love of god, hurry back, love," Finn called after Paris, who'd just popped outside his bedroom door to answer her phone.
"Just apologize to your sister Timotoe, it is not okay to call her that," she lectured, a few seconds later.
"Fine! I'll be home in an hour," she said, finishing the call, and stepping back into the room. Her pencil skirt already lay on the floor alongside with her boots.
"Now where were we?" Paris said, climbing back into Finn's iron-framed bed.
"I believe somewhere here?" Finn replied, pulling her down.
They lay on their sides kissing, his hands hastily unbuttoning her dress shirt, while she unbuckled his belt. His palm traced her back as he continued to kiss her neck and breasts hungrily. Her fingers ran through his rough hair, pulling on it gently, as her other hand ran over his chest. He tugged her tropical leaf print panties off swiftly, descending his tongue on to her, teasingly. She ran her fingers through his hair, and over his neck, gasping, before pulling him up again to kiss him on the lips, tasting herself on him. He craved for her. She rolled a condom over him skillfully, allowing him to delved inside her. Waves of warmth rolled over them, placing them somewhere in between euphoria and ecstasy.
Later, as they lingered, slightly out of breath, her arms still grasping on to the headboard, she said, "Damn, I don't want to go home. They were brawling again," returning to reality.
"I wouldn't mind you staying either," he replied, kissing her clavicle gently.
"Next week I'll be in California," she said, hating the very idea of having to go to Doyle's wedding just because her kids should go.
"And I will miss you painfully, my dear," he replied gallantly.
"Alright Aussie," she began, dragging herself out of bed to get dressed, "parenthood awaits," she added.
He got up as well, knowing as well, that he too needed to go drive to New York that night, he had an early meeting in the morning.
Rory woke to Leah's patter, as Leah walked into her bedroom, asking to climb to bed with her.
"Good morning, honey," Rory said, peeking what she was up to with just one eye.
"Mommy!" Leah exclaimed as Rory pulled her onto the bed, tickling her. Ten minutes of cuddles and morning bliss later Leah declared she was hungry by saying, "Food mommy!".
Rory dragged herself up reluctantly, pulling on her cotton waffle robe, dropping her phone into her pocket without looking. Leah already waited at the baby gate, anxious to go downstairs, where she most often played.
It took her at least another ten minutes to make herself a cup of coffee, and handing Leah a tube of smoothie and some cereal. She looked at her phone as she finally sat down, a cup of coffee in her hand.
Logan's message left her feeling hollow. Logan certainly had a history with things like this. They'd gone through this before, in a way, and she fought hard to let those feelings resurface. After all this was not the same Logan, and this was not the same situation. Did she have any reason to doubt his words? She fought against checking the news until Leah finished her breakfast. But as Leah settled in her play nook, she caved. The woman in the picture looked young, her blonde long hair styled perfectly, and her red dress left little room for imagination. She certainly looked like she wanted him. She shut her phone, there was no point in dwelling on it and she even regretted having looked. Now her mind kept going back to the look in her eyes.
"Hi, Ace," he said as he picked up with Facetime.
"Morning," she replied, with a slight yawn.
"I'm sorry for the mess," he began, adding, "she basically invited herself to my table, we ate, I put her in the taxi," Logan explained.
"Who is she?" Rory asked.
"An old acquaintance that hadn't seen her since January. I met her through Honor," he added.
"She certainly looks good, a little too good," she stated.
"She was supposed to be on a date, got stood up," he explained.
"And you ate, talked and you put her in the taxi," she repeated blandly.
"Yes," Logan replied. He was upset he even had to explain this to her. It was nothing he'd planned. And there wouldn't have been anything to tell, if the vultures had better things to do.
"You'd tell me if there was anything more to it?" she inquired.
"Ace," he began, "I am not going to lie to you, she did ask me to join her," Logan added. "I refused, told her I had a fiance back home," he continued, hoping this would suffice.
"Were you involved with her before?" Rory asked, resentfully.
"Very briefly," he replied, "It's ancient history," Logan added.
Rory sighed. "What are you going to do?" she asked.
"I'll figure something out," he added, having already contacted the Sun and requested an apology.
The whole ordeal, however minute, had left a bitter aftertaste in Rory's mouth. While a guy like Logan was bound to run into women he'd been with, whatever the degree, but he also could still be wanted by others. And while he was away, in New York or abroad, there was always going to be a chance that someone might tempt him enough for him to give in if the circumstances were right. He'd done it with her, after all.
Rory was getting ready to take Leah to her playgroup, trying to push the bitterness out of her mind. Usually it was Lauren who took her, but she felt she needed some alone time with her as well. What she hadn't factored in was the fleet of press waiting at the gate. The moment the gate opened her car was surrounded by them. She tried to stay focused enough to reverse the car out calmly, which was increasingly difficult. The noise and cameras were scary, making Leah cry.
"It's okay, Leah, let's go," she tried to sooth her with one hand.
The gate closed behind her, as she drove off, calling Logan, Leah still crying in the background.
"We'll they're at the house again," she said.
"The press?" Logan replied
"Yeah," she sighed.
"Go to your mom's, or Paris'" he suggested, "while I'll get you some guards,"
"Mom has the flu, Paris is just about to take her kids to California," she replied.
"Finn is working today right?" he asked.
"Yes, in New York actually, and I told Lauren to take the day off," Rory explained.
"Honor should be home," he suggested, "I'll let her know you are coming," he added.
"I'll at least try to go to the playgroup first, there is no reason this should disturb Leah's day more than it has," she said.
Luckily the playgroup passed uneventfully, tiring Leah out like a rock. She fell asleep in the car, as Rory drove Shelton. A mansion after another flashed at the side of the road, as she finally found one with the right number.
She called the gate, hoping it wouldn't wake Leah. She was too tired to try to get her to go to sleep again, and it was unlikely she'd do so in an unfamiliar place as it was.
She drove up the landscaped front yard up to the pink brick Custom Colonial.
"Rory, hi," Honor greeted.
"Hi, thanks for letting me come here. I hope I am not disturbing," she apologized.
"Nonsense, what else is family for?" she said.
"Leah's asleep," Rory added.
"You want to try to carry her inside, there's a guest room," Honor suggested.
"I just might," she replied.
Honor opened the doors for her, closing them behind her quietly. As a mother she knew how important those small things were sometimes. Rory laid Leah down on the king size bed, making sure she had her elephant with her, before sneaking back out but leaving the door ajar just a little, so she'd hear if she woke.
"How are you holding up?" Honor asked.
"Well it's not nice to be ambushed at my home, but I guess I'm okay," she replied.
"You know he'd not be dumb enough to actually do anything, right?" Honor said, pouring herself a glass of water, "You want some?" she asked.
Rory nodded, it had been a tiring morning already. "I know, but I also know that it isn't always enough," she replied with a sigh.
"He waited for you a long time, Rory, sure there were some in between, but that was just fun, never anything like with you," she confirmed, handing her a glass of water.
"It's just frustrating, you know. I can't with him every step of his day, go with him every time he travels. There are bound to be similar situations. And I don't want to be scared to be in my own house, because they have nothing better to write about. They really scared Leah today," she said, sounding defeated.
"I know you love the house, and if you don't run, I guess you'll just need to go back to body guards temporarily. You've seen this blow over before. It's a few weeks tops. It's more fun for them if you try to hide, and even the fact that you live the life of a normal person, makes you more interesting to them - you're relatable," she explained, sipping her water.
Rory heard a whimper from the guestroom, and she returned with Leah in her arms, still a bit sleepy, but clearly upset she'd woken in a strange new place. She sat back on the couch, Leah's little head resting on her chest and patting her back. Her eyes closed again.
"She's adorable, you know," Honor whispered.
Rory kissed the top of Leah's head gently.
"Any news about the wedding plans?" Honor began, trying to lighten the mood, still speaking in whispers.
"Emily's on it. The save the date cards were sent out a few days ago, you should be getting them soon - June 12th," Rory said.
"Got the venue set yet?" she asked.
"The hotel we were thinking about got snatched up last minute so it'll be at the Lace Factory, maybe you know it?" she replied.
"I do, I think it's very you, a welcome change from the country clubs," Honor laughed, forgetting herself for a moment, before correcting her volume. Luckily Leah was still asleep.
"I'll go dress shopping sometime in January, probably, I wish you could come too," Rory said.
"Send me the time, I'll make it happen," she agreed.
Honor knew his brother well. She had witnessed him go from girl to girl to Rory, then to who knows and don't really want to know how many, in between and to Odette and then clearly back to Rory in his head. She'd even known about them while they had their agreement, and she had secretly hoped her brother would come to his senses sooner. Honor had no doubt that Rory was his end game, whatever came in between or whatever temptations he had, she knew it'd be the ones he knew too that he'd regret. She only hoped Rory realized it too.
