"Logan?" Lorelai called as she approached the gazebo where Logan was sitting.
Logan lifted his head up from his hands at the mention of his name. He glanced up to see Lorelai walking towards him and smiled hesitantly. "Lorelai."
She was taken aback by stumbling across him in Stars Hollow. "I thought that was you. Jess said you were in town. "
Logan shrugged. "In the flesh."
It had been years since she had last seen him, seeing only a glimpse of him at Rory's Yale graduation. She had checked his facebook sporadically over the years, slowly watching him age little by little through his profile pictures. She had always seen him in Orie, but in person the resemblance was uncanny. Orie was all Logan. "What are you doing out here?"
He shrugged. "Just waiting for the sunrise."
"Never pegged you for one of those natural kodak moments kind of guys." Lorelai joked.
There was an awkward silence,Logan ignoring Lorelai's attempt at humor.
"Sooo. . . Where ya staying?"
Logan grimaced. "It was the only Airbnb available in Stars Hollow on such short notice. . ."
Lorelai gasped. "No that means you're staying at . . . "
"Kirk's" They said in unison.
Lorelai winced. "I'm so sorry"
"It's not so bad once he gets past his third night terror.. . . his mom even folded the hand towels into these deranged swan like things." Logan said, forcing a fake smile onto his face.
Lorelai crossed her arms in front of her. "You do know I own an inn right? We have open rooms."
Logan hesitated, unsure of how to navigate the conversation. "I didn't know where we stood. . .I know you kind of hate me."
" I don't hate you. I never hated you."
"I know I've never been your favorite person. Your face when I asked for permission to propose said it all. I'm sure the affair with Rory just put the nail in the coffin for you. "
"It wasn't just you. . . Rory was a just as willing participant in that affair as well. Logan, I never hated you. It's just. . ." Lorelai sighed. She climbed up the steps, and sat down next to him. "It's just, all my life, I've tried to distance myself from your world. The money, the privilege, the rigorous tradition. . . I never wanted anything to do with that. So when Rory actively pursued it, I was at a loss. I had sheltered her from that her whole life. spork city all the way remember?"
For the first time during the whole conversation, Logan cracked a genuine smile. "I remember."
"Looking back now, I realize that I may have started to equate you to Christopher, but showing up here? Fighting to see Orie? Chris would never do that. You are not Rory's Christopher and I am so sorry."
There was a slight pause, where neither of them knew exactly what to say. The gazebo was beginning to be bathed in golden rays of sunlight as the sun began to rise, the dark hazy purples transitioning slowly into warm hues of orange and gold, welcoming a new day.
Lorelai turned to Logan. "You know, this gazebo, right here on these stairs is where Rory told me she was pregnant with were watching the sunrise just like this."
Logan smiled once more. "Yeah?"
"Yeah. It was right after Luke and I's wedding. . . Oh crap! Luke!" Lorelai glanced at her phone, checking the time. "Luke stayed over at the apartment above the diner last night. I was bringing him a change of clothes when I ran into you.. I'm sorry Logan, but I need to scoot on out of here before the diner opens."
Logan made a flourish with his hands, dismissing her apology. "Please, don't let me keep you."
Lorelai stood up, grabbing her bag. "I'm serious though. Come by the Inn a little later and I'll set you up with a room. No charge."
"Aw you don't have to do that." Logan replied, modesetly.
"Nonsense. It's not a big deal. 214 Third Street. I'll be there all day. But I'll warn you, our hand towels are just towels, not deranged swans."
"I think I can manage."
Lorelai waved goodbye. "Ok see you later today." She began to walk off towards Luke's diner, but stopped, turning back to Logan. "Logan?"
He looked up. "Yeah Lorelai?"
"What she did to you was absolutely not ok, and just know if I had known the circumstances. . ."
Logan nodded. "I know."
...
Logan hesitated, his hand on the door knob. He was unsure that he even wanted to do this. Taking a room from Lorelai meant slowly becoming entangled with Rory and her world once again and he wasn't sure that he was ready for that. He paused, thinking of what Honor had said about Orie. From here on out, he and Rory's worlds would always be entangled because of her. He drew in a deep breath and pushed open the door to the inn. It was late evening, and the Inn was quiet. He had deliberately waited, trying to stay out of the way, avoiding as much of the townspeople as he could. He knew word traveled fast in Stars Hollow, and it was only a matter of time before he would be recognized as Rory Gilmore's MIA baby daddy.
He walked in, admiring the vintage charm of the inn. He had stayed in some grand hotels in his days, but the quaint inn had something they didn't. It was warm and cozy, very welcoming. It felt like home, not his home, but the home that people pined about in feel good Hallmark movies.
"Logan! I didn't think you were coming!" Lorelai chirped as he approached the front desk.
He stretched his arms behind him, trying to release some tension. "Better late than never?"
"Unless you're going to Christmas at my mothers!" She cracked, hoping he wouldn't realize that she was covering her awkwardness with humor.
Logan smirked. "Do we have the same mother?"
"Ohh good one Huntzberger." She said as she turned around retrieving a key from the wall. "You'll be staying in suite eight. Breakfast is from seven to . . ."
A picture on the wall caught his eye. The wooden frame enclosed a picture of Emily, Lorelai, and Rory sitting on the steps of the Dragonfly Inn. A blonde pigtailed little girl sat on Rory's lap. She looked to be about two, but Logan wasn't sure,he had never been any good at guessing children's ages. She had the trademark Gilmore icy blue eyes and a smile that was slightly crooked, upturning ever so slightly more on one side than the other. Logan knew that smile very well. It was the same smile that smiled back at him when he looked in a mirror.
"Is. . . Is that Orie?"
Lorelai turned to the picture. "Yes, that's her. That was at the grand opening party for the Dragonfly's Annex. Orie was almost two."
"She. . . she looks a lot like me." Logan replied, absolutely astounded at the image of his daughter. He couldn't take his eyes off of the photo.
"You. . . you've never even seen a picture of her have you?" Lorelai gasped, covering her mouth with her hand.
Logan shook his head. "This is the first one."
Lorelai's heart broke for Logan, dumbfounded at the amount of hurt that her own daughter had imposed on him. "Would you like to see more?"
Logan's brown eyes sparkled, an authentic smile lighting up his face. "I would love to."
She motioned towards the small seating area in the adjoining parlor. "Let's have a seat."
She pulled a tablet from her bag, entering a passcode. "We have to keep it locked. Orie found youtube videos of people skydiving and tried to skydive out of the big oak tree in my front yard. She broke her arm in two places and was in a cast for months."
Logan chuckled. "Sounds like quite the adventurer."
"She's . . . spunky." Lorelai opened the gallery, flipping through albums. "Ah, here we go." She pointed to a picture of a squishy pink faced infant, bundled tight like a burrito, in a clear hospital bassinet. "Lorelai Larisa Gilmore, one hour old."
"Lorelai Larisa? I really like that." Logan said.
"Lorelai to carry on the Gilmore tradition and Larisa is a mash-up of Lane and Paris."
Logan cringed a little. "She's named after Paris?"
Lorelai giggled. "She loves giving auntie Paris a hard time."
She flipped to another picture, This one of Rory and Orie standing incredibly close to a man wearing a safari hat sitting on top of an alligator. Rory looked utterly terrified, while Orie couldn't have been happier. "This is when we took her to Florida. My mother wanted to take her to Disney World for the Disney Princess ball. Orie begged to go to Frank's Alligator Emporium."
The thought of his parents finding out that their granddaughter had been to Frank's Alligator Emporium before meeting them crossed Logan's mind, causing him to let out a hearty chuckle. Lorelai swiped back and forth, showcasing various moments throughout the five years of Orie's . A picture of Orie with pureed green beans all over her face. Pictures of wobbly baby steps on chunky legs, and tutu clad dance recitals. One of her up high in a tree, waving. Another of her on a pink bike with sparkly streamers flowing from the handlebars, a look of sheer determination on her face. Logan couldn't wipe the smile from his face, soaking in all that he could about his daughter.
"This is from Halloween last year. Orie had a really cute witch costume but she got into a fight with Benji Marcum at the annual halloween festival and ripped her dress. She was so upset because she insisted that you couldn't trick or treat without a costume. So Rory and I rushed home and pieced together this look. Not sure what exactly it was, but Orie loved it."
Logan glanced at the picture, and his heart stopped. Orie smiled eagerly for the camera, clad in a royal blue puffy gown. On top of her head sat a very familiar black top hat. It had gold steampunk style hardware fixed onto the blue crushed velvet ribbon that tailed off the back. It was the same hat that Rory had on when he thought of her, recalling the mental picture he took of her at the bed and breakfast in New must have kept it. Logan's happiness dissipated as quickly as it had appeared.
"Did you really think I would turn my back on my own child?"
Lorelai blinked rapidly, taken aback by his brash question. "I. . . I . . . deep down I knew you wouldn't. Maybe the cocky kid who was undressing my daughter at her grandparents' vow renewal would, The butt faced miscreant that left her crying on the bathroom floor. . . but not grown up Logan. Not the mature man who apologized to me profusely in my kitchen, and then bonded with me over pie. Not bought a house with an avocado tree Logan. No, I guess not. I guess I just wanted to trust her."
"I shouldn't have pushed her. I should have made some guacamole from the avocado tree and just waited for her."
Lorelai sat the tablet down. "If you would have done that, You and Rory wouldn't have London. Without London, We wouldn't have Orie, and Logan I wouldn't trade her for the world."
"She sounds pretty amazing."
Lorelai stood up. "You know what? Where is my phone?"
Logan glanced at her quizzically.
She dialed Rory's number. "She's kept you from your daughter long enough. I'm having Rory bring her over. Logan, It's time you met your daughter."