"That must be Finn," Paris stated, walking from her living room to the door, and giving him a small kiss as she opened the door.
Finn stood at the doorway hesitantly. He'd wanted this, yet he was scared of a couple of 6-year-olds. He came without gifts, an even more daunting task, but this was what he'd agreed on with Paris.
Paris was an unyielding parent when it came to some of the main parenting principles they'd adapted from day one, like no toys as presents unless it wasn't Christmas or birthdays, but she wasn't made of stone like her own mother had been.
"So Gabriela, Timoteo, do you remember Finn?" Paris asked their kids, who were coloring at the coffee table.
"You're they man who kissed mommy at the airport," Gabriela noted.
"I am," Finn noted, smilingly.
"Dinner will be ready in five," Paris said, leaving Finn in the room with her kids.
"So what are you guys coloring?" he asked, trying to make conversation.
When Paris returned a little more than five minutes later, she encountered an unfamiliar sight. Finn had ripped out one of the pages from one of their detailed coloring books, and they were coloring the page all together.
"Mommy! Finn taught us how to color a fantasy world," Timoteo exclaimed, adding, "The sky is yellow and the water is red, like blood."
"And people are all purple," Gabriela added, demonstrating their work proudly.
"That's great!" she replied. "I think this one is for the corkboard in the hallway once you've finished," she added. "Come on, let's eat, don't forget to wash your hands, kids," she invited.
The kids, and Finn too, complied. Paris noticed this, and while she did not say anything, it made her smirk.
"Dinner smells lovely, Paris," Finn complimented, trying to be at his best behaviour, choosing his vocabulary more than usual.
"Mommy, can I have some juice?" Gabriela asked.
"After dinner, honey, you'll spoil your appetite otherwise," Paris replied.
"Timoteo, how did your piano lesson go?" she asked, before taking a bite.
"Fine," he hesitated.
"Do you need more practice or is something else up?" Paris asked.
Finn observed this dynamic as he ate quietly, being quite interested in the approach Paris would take on this. He knew she was probably a lot more strict at parenting than he ever would be, but it was another side of Paris he'd so far seen little of.
"I don't like piano anymore," Timoteo replied.
"How about we talk about this later," she suggested, adding, "but you know the rule, before quitting you'll give it some time, at least two more lessons, okay?"
Timoteo nodded, taking a bite of his roast.
"Finn, do you have any kids?" Gabriela asked.
"I do, Leah will be 2 year old in the summer," Finn replied.
"So she's just a baby," Gabriela replied disappointedly.
"You've met Leah, she's Rory's daughter too," Paris commented.
"Oh," she said, struggling at connecting the dots.
"Finn is Leah's daddy and Rory is her mommy. And just like I don't live with your daddy, Rory doesn't live with Finn anymore," she explained, making sure there would be no comparison of Finn to their father in that sentence. For the first time she realized that the fact that their kids already had an experience of their parents living separately actually made it easier for them to grasp any such joint family concepts.
"Hi grandma," Rory answered, picking up her phone.
"Rory, hi," Emily greeted, adding, "Listen, I was thinking I should come over next week. I still haven't seen your house, and I want to go take a look at the venue first hand to make sure everything is okay and while I am at it I think we can pick out a cake and some decor".
"Em.. sure," she replied hesitantly, scrolling through her calendar at the same time. It was a little unexpected and short notice, but she knew she needed to make it work, she owed her so much. "Absolutely, you should come, I just need to get you a bed first," Rory added. She still hadn't got around to it, and the room was still full of books.
"If it is too much trouble, I'm fine staying at a hotel," Emily suggested.
"Nonsense, I'll have a room ready for you," Rory replied.
"Oh, and it's Logan's birthday next week, we're having dinner at Honor's, but I am sure you can come too," Rory added.
"Only if you promise I won't be a burden," she replied.
"Of course not, I'll call Honor right away and talk to her," Rory said.
After hanging up, Rory knew she had organizing to do. Her spring semester was starting next week, luckily with just one class but she was also supposed to start with her research and a meeting with her supervisor with a notable workload to do before and after that was expected. Now she somehow needed to clear out a spare bedroom, buy a bed and other furniture to fill a bedroom Emily would approve of and help Honor with Logan's birthday planning. For a moment she was glad she was temporarily not working as well.
"The place looks good," Emily commented, observing the first floor of Rory's house.
Rory had been lucky that she'd bought the house with much of its original furnishings, picked out by a designer some years earlier, only leaving the bedrooms and the study for her to decorate. Those had been fairly simple - adding a bedroom set from her room in Hartford, grandpa's office set and some for Leah's room. It made her a little sad, she'd have to soon do it all over again in the house Logan was planning on building. But she'd grown to understand it's benefits, not having to constantly worry and look over her shoulder was reason enough.
"Your room is upstairs, I'll take your things up and show you," she offered. She'd actually called Mrs. Kim for the new guest room bedroom set and gotten a new mattress, knowing too well that some simpler IKEA stuff would not have been delivered and assembled by the time she needed. She'd almost forgotten what it was like to haggle with her, ending up probably paying more for the set than it was worth but for her getting an entire set at once place and delivered quickly was more vital.
"Mom's coming by soon and then we can go out for dinner," Rory added after showing Emily her room.
"And Leah is at Finn's?" Emily asked.
"Coming back tomorrow evening," Rory replied.
"And Logan?" she continued.
"He's picking her up," she added, "I have some school tomorrow as well, so that'll leave you on your own for a while, and then we can go see the venue and do all the wedding stuff the day after tomorrow and Thursday, if needed, and Friday we'll go to Honor's," she explained the itinerary.
"Alright, I am sure I can manage. They're bringing over my rental car tomorrow morning, so I can go catch up with some friends as well," Emily commented.
"Hi, mom!" Lorelai said, walking through the door without knocking. She'd been around these past few weeks enough for therapy that she was finally also beginning to feel at home.
"Lorelai!" she greeted, giving her a hug.
"You guys all set?" she asked.
"Almost, I just need to find my phone," Rory began, glancing over the room, finally found it in the study.
"I didn't know you kept all this," Emily asked, viewing the study.
"I just couldn't part from it, I still feel like he is in there with me," Rory explained.
"I know what you mean," Emily sighed. Even the scent of the armchair was still the same, as if it had been in their house in Hartford.
"So, mom, how have you been?" Lorelai asked, taking a sip of her martini at an Italian restaurant down town.
"It's been quiet, winters always are out there, but Rory's wedding has been interesting to plan, almost forgot how much fun these things can be," she explained. "And I've gotten to know some people who also live there throughout the year. The crowd is a little eccentric, but who am I to judge these days," she laughed.
"What about you guys? I hope you sorted out whatever you guys were discussing at Christmas," she added, remembering their argument.
"We're working on it," Rory added, not wanting to go into too much detail about her panic attacks and therapy.
"We are," Lorelai agreed.
"How's the new inn?" Emily inquired Lorelai, cutting a piece of chicken.
"Fully booked until June, it's actually doing even better than the original," Lorelai said.
"That's excellent, I knew it'd be a good idea to add the spa option," she replied.
"Logan is building me, well us, a house. As a wedding present of sorts," Rory said, feeling she needed to get it off her chest. She felt somehow safer doing this around Emily rather than just with Lorelai.
"The man always was good with gifts," Emily commented, recalling the Birkin bag.
Rory could see from Lorelai's face that she wasn't happy to hear the news. But luckily she kept her thoughts to herself, replying only with a, "That's cool."
"And also I've been thinking maybe I should have a prenup made with him. As in I still hate the idea that some may think I am only with him for the money. Grandma, do you think you can refer me to someone competent who can give me some advice on that," Rory asked.
"Well, it's a little unconventional, especially coming from your side, but sure I can look you up some contacts," Emily replied. "But have you talked to him about it?" she added.
"Not yet, but I will," she promised, taking a bite of her ravioli.
"He might be a little offended at that idea, you know," Emily advised.
"I hope not. I'll try to explain it to him the best I know how. And if he truly is against it, I won't push it," she replied.
"So Lorelai, how's Luke?" Emily continued.
The evening passed peacefully, discussing their common friends, the wedding and just overall the life in Nantucket, giving them a pleasant opportunity to catch up. Lorelai, however, remained constrained.
