AN: I love this chapter. It feels very normal; so I hope you love it too. I'm putting out a warning, probably 5 chapters left in this baby soooo enjoy. Please read, review, enjoy.
Disclaimer: I do not own Gilmore Girls
Chapter Eighteen
Rory stood in front of the full length mirror in the bedroom and gave herself a quick once-over before grabbing her purse. They were going for dinner, and some shopping because Logan needed some new clothes and apparently he didn't know how to shop for himself. One of the many things Rory had learned since moving in with him and finding out that he had people to do everything. Rory had pointed out how ridiculous it was to pay someone extra just to pick out clothes when he was more than capable of doing it for himself.
"You ready?" Logan came into the bedroom from the kitchen where he had been eating a pre dinner snack which was at least something that Rory could get behind.
"Almost," Rory reached into her purse and pulled out her wallet, grabbing a couple of bills and following him out of the room. "Em," she called to her daughter who was sitting on the couch.
"I'm going to call Noah," Logan nodded to the kitchen.
"Noah will be here soon," Rory told her, "you aren't go to anywhere. I will put pizza money on the counter, please wait until Noah is here to order it so he can choose what he wants too. A couple of friends is fine," she added even though she knew that Emma didn't have any friends in Manhattan. She would need to set up a weekend where some of her friends from Long Island could visit, or maybe where she could visit her friends back home…but that became complicated because of Dean not being allowed to be with Emma alone. The paperwork had all been signed and filed, with the promise of custody being reviewed in six months. It was a relief for Rory, to not have to think about it, and she hoped that it would stick and they could all move forward. "We won't be home too late, but call if you need me, ok?"
Emma nodded her head, "what if we don't want pizza?"
"There is more than enough money for food, and there is a kitchen full of food, so get whatever you want but wait for Noah."
Logan stepped in a second later, "he should be about half an hour," Logan explained. "I've told him not to leave and a couple friends can come over. But if he does anything…just call, ok?" Logan told her. He didn't think Noah would do anything particularly irresponsible, but after their argument the weekend before, he did have some concerns. "You're sure you don't want us to stay until he comes?" Logan asked. Their reservation wasn't for another couple of hours because of the shopping plans, so they weren't exactly in a rush.
Emma shook her head and Rory smiled as she took him by the hand, "there is a doorman, and a security system, I think she's ok."
"I stayed by myself at my other house when I turned ten."
"Of course you did," Logan laughed. He didn't even realize he was doing it. Being over protective. Maybe it was just that he wanted to make sure that nothing else happened to Emma. That there wasn't more trauma that she would need to unload eventually. "Well then I guess you're good?"
They made their exit and Rory could tell when they got in the elevator that Logan was questioning if they should have left her alone. "Would you be this worked up about leaving Lily? Because if the answer to that is no, then relax. She is a good kid."
"I know she's a good kid," Logan sighed, "I just…I don't know. I guess I worry about her differently."
Rory nodded, she did understand. She also worried that Logan was being too hard on Noah. He was a kid going through a big change, and even if Logan could justify his choices because in the long run they believed it would be better for everyone, the affair being out in the open, the divorces, the new relationships…it didn't mean that for Noah it was simple. It was still hard, and he was just a child acting out. "Noah is also a good kid. They're going to do kid stuff… something tells me you weren't exactly a mother's dream in your teenaged years…"
"That is what worries me," Logan admitted. "The stuff I would've done…"
"He's not you. Give him a chance." Rory squeezed Logan's hand as they walked through the lobby. "So tell me, when is the last time you truly shopped for yourself?"
Logan shrugged, "couldn't tell you."
Rory rolled her eyes. She understood why her mother had often found how out of touch her grandparents were more and more by the day when she saw some of the things that Logan paid to have a service do. She had tried (unsuccessfully) to convince him to start doing his own grocery shopping. His excuse was that he didn't want to impact Linda's wages, but Rory had slowly started taking on more and more of the household tasks. She wasn't looking to push Linda out of a job, but she just wanted to know where things were and to take care of things on her own when she was more than capable. She also appreciated that after a particularly stressful day, there was often dinner ready for her…it was a balance. "You know, some people buy their shirts and their toilet paper at the same place," she smirked, "the horror!"
"Well now you're just mocking me," Logan laughed, his smile reaching his eyes. "So where are we headed? You made the plans…" he asked as they got in the car.
"Don't worry about it. You'll be able to find all of your Burberry and Tom Ford and whatever other fancy brands you wear," she told him playfully. Of course she was just poking fun at him. She knew that she was just as guilty of spending too much on clothing and having the finer things in life, especially over the past few years. The car started to move and Rory put on her seatbelt. As soon as it was clicked she felt Logan take her hand in his and the immediate feeling of calmness washed over her. "What is Lily doing this weekend?" Rory asked. They had asked Lily if she wanted to join for the weekend as well, but she had declined. Rory hadn't bothered to ask Logan why yet.
"She has plans with friends tomorrow," Logan explained, "and I think a part of her might just want some downtime with her Mom. You know?"
"I should make myself scarce in a few weekends," Rory told him, "Em and I can go see my Mom or my Grandma…give you some one on one time with the kids."
"You don't have to leave," Logan shook his head. "They need to understand that."
"Sweetheart," Rory gave him a motherly smile, "this isn't about that. They know I'm here. Noah of all people knows I'm here. And I feel like we are getting along but that doesn't mean that I have to be with them all the time that they are here. My Grandma would be thrilled to have some time together. Hell, if you want we can have dinner together before they go home, or maybe they come on Friday and we leave Saturday morning…but this isn't bad. It isn't a slight. I'm not their parent…I'm their father's girlfriend…and whether or not they seem fine with that, I was sleeping with you when you were married to their mother. It is complicated and we owe them the space to process that."
"I just don't want them to think they can push you out," Logan explained as they sat in traffic, "are we seriously going somewhere we couldn't have walked?"
"Hush," Rory admonished him, "they aren't pushing me out. I'm offering. Plus I would like to see my Grandma."
"On that note, I would like to see her as well," Logan admitting. He hadn't seen any of Rory's family since they had gotten together officially. Not that he had seen them when they weren't together, but he had known Richard and Emily Gilmore most of his life. He recalled hearing about Rory going to Harvard when he was at Yale. He wasn't sure what Rory's hesitance was, but he felt that maybe he should meet her mother and step-father now that they were living together and her daughter was living with them as well. "Maybe meet your parents…"
Rory squeezed his hand, "soon," she assured him.
"How soon?" Logan pressed. He wasn't sure why it bothered him. His parents knew her…it helped that she had worked for his Dad, but still.
"I was thinking for my mom's birthday in April," Rory told him. "But I haven't wanted to push it…I love you, and she will love you, and my Grandma loves you…Luke…well…he doesn't really love anyone. But I just haven't wanted to rush It. With everything going on with Dean…my family didn't really know we weren't happy, so when I just called one day and told them we were getting a divorce, it was more than a bit shocking. To then find out that I was sleeping with my boss and moved in with him…"
"And fell in love with him," Logan added firmly. They didn't just have sex. This was far beyond just sex. They had fallen for each other. It wasn't lust, it wasn't an itch to scratch. Logan would take the heat for the fact that they had gone about it the wrong way, but he wasn't prepared to accept a world where his their loved ones couldn't accept that they had fallen in love. He hoped it didn't come to that. It didn't seem to be coming to that, but it was still a thought that nagged him sometimes.
Rory wasn't sure how to behave in the car. She didn't know who knew. And so she just sat completely still. Just as she had on the flight over. Logan got out of the car as they pulled up at the house he had rented for the weekend. Of course he hadn't rented it. He asked his friend Colin to rent it, just as he had asked Colin to book a jet for the quick flights, and book the car. It wasn't lost on him just how hard it was to get away for a weekend, but as he offered Rory his hand and she took it with a smile and a blush it was all worth it. The discrete money transfers he was going to have to send to Colin over the next few months, the NDA's that had been signed and drafted by everyone from the people working at the terminal to the man who was now unloading their luggage from the car.
"When is the last time you were at the Vineyard?" Logan smiled as they walked to the front door and he pulled out the key to open it. It wasn't a small cottage by any means but it was 2 bedrooms with an obstructed water view, plenty of privacy and just what they needed for what he had planned for them.
Of course when Logan had called Rory to make the suggestion, she had balked. She had told him all of the reasons that they shouldn't but Logan had set it up anyway. He told her that if she didn't think she could make it happen, she didn't have to come, but he was going to book it in case she changed her mind.
"It's been a while," Rory admitted. She had only come a few times, most of which had been with a guy she had dated before she and Dean got back together when she was at Harvard, and for a couple of weeks over the course of her marriage, her grandparents had rented a place and they had all visited. She had never really frequented Martha's Vineyard as a regular. "Where is your house?" She asked him. She knew of course that Logan and his family had a home in the area, but she wasn't quite sure where it was…not that she really knew where she was at that particular moment. She had told Dean she was going away for a vague work retreat. She supposed in some ways that was true…she was here with a coworker…and they were holed up in a secluded cottage…but beyond that she would keep the details to herself.
"It's a few miles away," Logan waited a moment and then tipped the driver before confirming when he was returning to pick them up in two days time. "So," Logan walked back to Rory and took her by the hand, "do you want a tour or…"
"Do you know where everything is?" Rory asked, "have you stayed here before?"
"No," Logan laughed, "but I am more than capable of opening a few doors and pointing to what is in each room."
"Cute," Rory stopped for a moment and held his gaze. She could see a smile creeping over his face as she leaned forward and kissed him quickly. "This is nice."
"I'm glad we did it," Logan put his hands on her hips. "No work, no interruptions…we don't have to leave all weekend…"
"And this view," Rory giggled like a child as she looked around and caught the partial water view, "is this all deck?"
"It is," Logan gestured to the sliding glass door. He smiled as Rory was basically giddy as she walked to the door and swung it open. There were no other houses in site, "I thought we could make dinner…read…"
"Oh tell me more," Rory dramatically put her hands over her heart and her heart fluttered as Logan settled his chin on her shoulder and his arms around her body. "This is amazing. Thank you Logan."
"I'm not entirely selfless," Logan admitted, his lips brushing her neck, "but I just wanted to be with you. For this weekend…just us."
Rory relaxed into his body, "are there groceries?"
"There are," Logan murmured. "Don't move," he told her.
Rory turned herself around in his arms and put her hands on his cheeks, "Logan, what is going on?" She asked him quietly. He had seemed a bit off the last few days. Not off as in bad…but there was something about him that had been different over the last week especially.
"Nothing is going on," Logan assured her, he brushed a stray hair out of her eye, "you're beautiful."
"I'm going to get us a glass of wine," she told him, "and see what we have for dinner."
Logan looked at his watch. It was nearly dinnertime, "why don't you go unpack?" He suggested, "I will start dinner and then you can help."
"Why do I feel like you have a plan that I am not privy to?"
"Because I do have a plan that you're not privy too," Logan winked. Rory smiled and walked back inside, Logan just a few steps behind her to get inside.
Rory took the suitcase down the stairs to the lower level which was a walkout and found the room with the king sized bed and opened their bags. She pulled out the small amount of clothing they both brought, it seemed they had both erred on the side of comfort as Rory pulled out her own yoga pants and t-shirts, and found Logan had packed a couple of pairs of jeans and casual shirts. She wasn't used to seeing him casually. Sure she saw him at his most casual when they were in bed, he frequently slept in boxers or just sleep pants, but seeing him just as a normal guy in jeans and a t-shirt was uncommon. It only took a few minutes and then Rory returned to the main floor where Logan was in the kitchen. He had produced two glasses of wine and pulled food out of the fridge. And it looked as though he had turned on the barbecue, "how can I help?"
"Well," Logan pulled a couple of things out of bags, "how are you at making salads?"
"There haven't been any complaints recently," Rory told him. "What are you making?"
"Lobster," Logan told her as he held up a pot of water, "I'm just going to go put this on to boil outside."
"You have to put them in…"
"I will put them in," Logan smiled as he walked back to the deck and returned just a moment later after turning on the burner. "I'm really, really glad we did this…" Logan looked at her as she searched the kitchen for a salad bowl.
"I will be happier when I'm fed," Rory joked as she secured the bowl and then found a spot next to Logan at the counter. These were the things. These were the things they never got to do. As she caught a glimpse of him out of the corner of her eye, she felt the familiar feeling in her stomach. The butterflies, the sensation in her stomach when she saw him. When she saw him looking at her. She longed for these moments where they weren't sneaking around and they could just be normal for a day or two. "And," she started washing the lettuce that Logan had pulled out, "I'm hoping that you own't steal all the blankets tonight."
"I don't steal the blankets," Logan grinned. "I just like to be close to you. Bruschetta ok?" He changed the subject as he pulled out a baguette and took a sip of his wine.
"Perfect," Rory nodded as she focused on the lettuce and then moved on to cutting cucumbers to add in.
Logan managed to coax Rory outside after he had put the lobster on to boil and they sat. They sat and enjoyed a glass of wine. Rory told him about Emma and how she was starting to get into competitive swimming which while Rory didn't understand, she could appreciate that Emma was excited about. Logan told Rory about his childhood memories in the Vineyard and how he loved his time there. He loved just being away. He loved being able to disconnect from the rest of the world while he was here and that is why he had brought her.
They sat outside at the table with Logan giving Rory some direction on how to successfully eat her lobster and all Logan could manage between bites of his food was to stare at Rory. Rory found it concerning. She thought this weekend was supposed to be a fun getaway. A chance to relax and decompress…but increasingly as she caught him watching her prep vegetables and pull bruschetta from the oven…she wondered if there was another reason for the getaway.
"Can I ask you something?" Rory asked as she put her fork down. Logan nodded as he took a bite of his salad. "It might be a downer…"
"And so early in the weekend," Logan smirked as he finished chewing. He nodded for Rory to continue.
"Are we…" she inhaled, she almost didn't want to put it into the universe. What did she want for them? "Did you bring me here as like…a last hurrah? Are we…stopping this?" She asked. The words came out slowly, she didn't want them to end…but something about this romantic, cozy, holed up weekend felt like a bit of goodbye considering their circumstances. She supposed if it were a goodbye, it would be the time to do it. She knew that with each week, with each late night visit, with each business trip in a shared hotel they were growing more and more attached to each other. She tried to deny it to herself…but that feeling in her stomach made it hard to deny.
Logan put his fork down and shook his head immediately. Rory thought she almost caught a look of fear in his eyes. "You think I brought you here to end this?"
Rory shrugged, her eyes wide. "I just…I don't know. I just want to know if this is it before Sunday. If I'm saying goodbye…I want to say goodbye."
"I didn't bring you here to say goodbye, Ace. Do you want to end things?"
Rory shook her head slowly. "No," she whispered.
"Then we're on the same page."
Rory gave him a reassuring smile and changed the subject, "how is your sister doing?" Logan had mentioned that his sister was having some sort of procedure done a few weeks earlier. He had actually gone to Hartford to pick her up from whatever it was.
"She's good," Logan told her, somewhat surprised that Rory had even remembered such a small detail from weeks earlier. "I think she's going to meet me for lunch next week."
"Oh," Rory nodded.
"Maybe you could…stumble upon my office or something? Say hi? You've met Honor…"
"I have met Honor," Rory nodded, she had met Honor a handful of times at parties and events for the company, "I haven't seen her since…"
"She uh…" Logan rubbed his chin and bit down on his lower lip, "she knows I'm…seeing someone."
"Ohhh," Rory nodded. "But not…"
"She doesn't know it's you."
"Maybe I'll stop by and say hello," Rory told him quietly, she wash't sure it was a great idea, but she could tell by the look in his yes that he wanted her to come and say hello, and it was hardly difficult or unusual for her to pop into his office for a few minutes. They ate the rest of their meal quietly. Discussing a few work projects that were coming up, and Rory mentioned some movies that she wanted to see. She couldn't help but feel excitement when Logan had so casually declared that he would love to see a couple of them with her, and she supposed if he had made all of this work for a weekend…he could probably find a way to see a movie with her too.
Together they brought the dishes inside and as if they had been doing it for decades started tidying up. Rory rinsed the plates while Logan put them in the dishwasher and when they were done, he topped up her wine.
"Ace," Logan looked at her. She was standing in front of him with an old Harvard sweatshirt that she had changed into when she was cold and a pair of black leggings. Her hair was up in a bun on the top of her head and had been since they started doing the dishes, and he thought she was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen. There was something about her effortlessness. She could command attention in a boardroom, but she was also happy curled up on the couch with a book. She had read everything and anything, she loved travel even if she didn't do it much outside of work. She could have an intellectual conversation, but she could also be goofy and erupt into a fit of laughter over asinine celebrity gossip or a stupid story about Colin or Finn. Rory Gilmore fit into every part of his life with ease and she hadn't tried to change anything about him. They both took a sip of their wine and stayed where they were. "I love you."
She leaned forward instinctively and pressed her lips against his like it was the only thing she could do. She remembered the first time Dean had told her he loved her and how terrifying it had felt, followed by the emotional gut punch of losing him for not sharing those feelings. But those days were behind her. Gone was the girl who didn't know what she deserved and what she wanted and so as their tongues meshed for a moment and Rory put her hands on his shoulders, she had no doubts about what came next. "I love you too."
"Logan," Rory brought him out of his thoughts after a moment, "I'm not diminishing us. I'm not questioning us, but I'm asking you to look at this like a kid. There was a moment," Rory continued, "when I was a teenager where my parents were…well, they were going to be together, and then his ex got pregnant, and they gave it a go…and I mean… I love my sister, but the emotions you go through when you are seeing your parent start a family with someone else…those aren't simple emotions."
"It's also not simple to watch your parents be miserable but together," Logan countered.
"I know that," Rory agreed, "but I'm asking you to cut him some slack. You are their Dad, and nothing is ever going to change that, but they might need to see you solo. Until a couple of weeks ago, Emma did not consider me the parent. I was the in and out parent. I was the working parent…to make this transition work," she moved her hands in a circle between the two of them, "I took time for just her and I too."
Logan nodded his head, he understood what she was saying. "So I guess if you do a bit of time with your Grandma and maybe I'll take the kids to see my parents or something. It's been a bit."
"Ask them what they want. Do what they want to do, not what you think they want to do…you saw how much fun Lily had at the movie last weekend."
"I hate that you're right," Logan leaned over and kissed her cheek, "but thank you."
xxx
They had decided to walk home from dinner. It was a long walk, but not insufferably so and even though it wasn't new anymore, there was still something Rory loved about being able to walk down the street holding hands, or to have his arm draped over her shoulder, steal a kiss when they were waiting for a crosswalk. They felt like novelties that would never really wear off. She imagined being that couple in their seventies who still loved to dance and steal kisses when they could.
"So I think we either need to move into a giant house where our kids rooms are nowhere near us, or we buy two apartments side by side. Kids in one, us in the other," Logan laughed, his arm was draped around her shoulder and her left hand was playing with his fingertips as they walked. "Then I don't have to try to schedule sex…I think this is a sign that we're old."
"I think it's a sign that we have been living in la la land," Rory laughed. She understood his point though, it had been… different for their relationship having kids in the house, even if they were mostly self sufficient. "But I also don't think we're going to find that in Manhattan…"
"Probably not."
"And we want to stay in Manhattan, right?" Rory asked him. "We kind of need to officially decide…is Emma going to change schools…"
"Is she ok with that?"
"I think so," Rory nodded. "I mean, I don't think she loves the commute, but I also don't want to uproot her mid year when everything is a mess with Dean still…by September we should know where we stand with him…"
"Beginning of the year is probably best," Logan agreed, "then she can start fresh at the same time as everyone else. It's too bad there isn't a way for her and Lil to go together…they seem to be getting along."
"Lily is happy where she is," Rory leaned up and kissed his cheek while they waited for the crosswalk. "Did you text Noah and say we were on our way?"
Logan shook his head as they began to walk, trying to avoid some of the chaos of the busy street, "no. I told him what time we'd be home."
"So," Rory didn't want to spend the entire walk home talking about their kids. She loved their kids, but she too missed some of their carefree time spent on getaways and secret meetups after work. They were a block away from home and Rory veered them into a small, dimly lit alleyway. "About all the sex we've been missing," she leaned up and kissed him passionately.
Logan was pleasantly surprised as her body pressed against him and he pulled her as close as he could. "All the sex," he repeated as he placed a series of kisses on her lips, "what do you propose?"
"I propose that on our next kid free weekend, I have my mom come and stay with Emma, and you and I," she kissed him again, "get away for a weekend. Maybe we can go to the Vineyard, rent that house again…"
"We could," Logan nodded, "or…we could stay at the house."
"The house?"
"My house…" Logan leaned his forehead against hers, "I'm hoping one day you might think of it as our house…"
Rory smiled. Logan was a softy. Not many people knew that he was a man with a heart of gold. He was smart and professional, he was cutthroat when he needed to be, but with her…with her he was just a man who wanted to share everything he had with her, "that sounds perfect," she kissed him. "But until then, it'll have to be the quiet sex."
"I like you loud," Logan winked and Rory smiled, "can we just stay out here?"
Rory smiled as he caught her lips once more. "Kids…we have to go…"
Logan agreed and once again draped an arm around her shoulder as they continued on the remainder of their short walk. A quick greeting to the doorman and a trip up the elevator, Logan unlocked the door to their oddly loud and dimly lit apartment.
"Noah?" Logan took off his shoes and followed the music which led him to the family room. "Emma?" He turned the corner with Rory a few steps behind him and caught the image of his almost 13 year old, quasi-stepdaughter sitting far too close to one of Noah's friends, Wes, on the couch. "Where the hell is Noah?"
"Logan!" Rory hissed as she watched her daughter put some distance between the teenaged boy she was sitting with.
"Why are all of the lights off?" Logan stepped back and flipped the switches, he wasn't yelling but he also wasn't happy. Logan looked around and saw pure mortification on the face of Emma while he had a strange feeling of deja vu over his own antics as a teenager. Looking around his eyes focused on Wes who was now staring at Rory with a deer in the headlights kind of look explaining that no one had done anything and they were just talking. He scanned the room slowly looking for his son. His son…his son who was supposed to be with Emma for the evening. But instead, Wes was with Emma and where the hell was Noah?
"Logan," Rory repeated calmly and shot an apologetic look at her daughter. "Em can you turn off the music?" Emma nodded her head in response and Rory could see Logan starting to spin. She had seen this level of rage from him only at work, it typically wasn't directed at anyone who couldn't cost him millions in some way or another.
"Noah!" Logan shouted, partially to announce himself as he walked to his sons bedroom, immediately noticing that the door was closed. He felt his blood boiling as he thought about what could have been doing in there, "Jesus," Logan grumbled as Rory stayed a few steps behind him, she was talking, trying to convince him to cool it but Logan was seeing red as he tossed the door open. "NOAH!" Flipping on the lights Logan managed to catch the image of his son on top of the blankets on his bed with a young, blonde girl. His hands immediately darted out of the jeans the girl was wearing as he sat up in bed and the girl cowered behind Noah. "Out. Now."
"What the fuck Dad!" Noah growled at his father.
"Now." Logan repeated, trying not to scream as he turned on his heels and walked back to the living room where Wes and Emma were sitting on opposite sides of the sectional now and Rory had lingered for enough back from Noah's room that she didn't quite see whatever he just had. A few steps behind him, Logan noticed the girl scrambling from the room and standing in the space between the living and dining rooms. Logan made a beeline for the scotch he kept on a bar cart and poured himself a glass before pouring one for Rory and immediately tossing it back and enjoying the burning sensation on his throat, thankful for the fact that Rory was blocking him from their view.
"Babe," Rory whispered, she took his hands in hers in an attempt to get him to calm down, "do not embarrass him."
"Embarrass him?" Logan hissed. "He has a girl, in his room…he is still in his room!"
Rory raised an eyebrow at him, "and something tells me that when you were his age…"
"He was supposed to be watching your daughter!" Logan told her as he considered pouring a second drink but ultimately chose not to. "Anything could've happened." Logan turned around to see that Noah wasn't out yet, "I said OUT Noah!" Logan bellowed, sounding more like his father than he had intended.
"Wes is his friend, right?" Rory tried to distract him.
"Yes."
"Does Noah hang out with good kids…"
"I mean, mostly…"
"Emma is fine. They are kids Logan…they are going to do…"
"Do not finish that sentence Ace. I know full well what kids will do. I was a kid and I just saw my kid with his hands down some girls pants and…I'm going to have to tell his mother…NOAH! Come on!"
The sound of Noah emerging from his room interrupted the pair as they stood by the floor to ceiling windows. "I was washing my hands," Noah mumbled under his breath.
Rory handed Logan a glass of water and he begrudgingly took a sip. "It's getting late," Rory spoke first, "why don't you guys wrap it up for the night? Emma, say goodbye to your friend and then come find me, ok?"
"Sure," Emma nodded, her first audible word since they had come in a few moments earlier.
Rory looked at Logan pointedly and walked to their bedroom.
Logan swallowed as he made eye contact with the girl who had left Noah's room, she looked mortified and Logan felt bad for her, he had on many occasions enjoyed an awkward moment with his parents or sister with a girl who hadn't know what she was getting into. He didn't know who she was, that was a problem in and of itself, but he also imagined that it hadn't been easy for her to walk out of that room and face him. "I'm sorry for barging in," Logan looked past Noah and to the girl, "I'm Noah's dad, Logan."
"I'm Chloe," the girl gave him a weak smile.
"She's my girlfriend," Noah added confidently. He wasn't trying to be smug, but he did want his dad to know that he didn't just have some girl in his room.
"Why don't you go walk her to the lobby?" Logan suggested. "Do you have a ride? Are you from here? Or do you two know each other from home?"
"I uh…my Dad lives in Manhattan."
Logan exhaled, "why don't I drive you home then?" He suggested, much to the shock of his son who gave him an appreciative smile. "Wes do you need a ride too?"
"If you don't mind Mr. Huntzberger," Wes nodded.
"I'm just going to go tell Rory that I'm taking her car, you guys get your coats, ok?" Logan received a couple of affirmative responses and then went to his bedroom, closing the door behind him and letting out a lot exhale. "What the fuck?"
"Are you calm?" Rory asked him as she popped her head out of the closet where she was getting changed.
"I'm getting there," he laughed, "I feel like my father so that is something I need to digest separately."
Rory finished changing and then came out and wrapped her arms around his waist, "he's just a kid. This is the safest place for him to be. You want your kids to want to hang out with me," Rory remembered Madeleine, Louise and Paris being shocked that Rory chose to hang out with her mother when they were teenagers. "Make this a safe place."
"I'm going to drive them home." Logan went to the closet and retrieved his set of keys for her BMW SUV. "Can I take this?" He dangled the keys out in front of him and Rory nodded her head in response, "on the drive home I'll talk to him…calmly."
"Good," Rory gave him a quick kiss, "I'll talk to Emma, make sure she's all good."
"I should probably apologize to her…the yelling…"
"It might be a bit for her, but I think if you talk to her when you get home if she's still up, or tomorrow, she'll be fine. But you need to think first, react second…"
"I'm sorry," Logan exhaled. "I just…this is a first. I mean, not the first time Noah has been caught with a girl, my Dad caught him at the company barbecue you ghosted me at last year," he smirked, "but I got the fallout, not the immediate aftermath."
"Go," Rory pushed him towards the door.
Logan and the three teenagers silently rode in the elevator down to the parking garage. Of course Logan could think of plenty of things he would rather do than be driving around Manhattan, but he would be furious if he ever found out someone told his daughter to walk home this late at night, so he would drive Chloe home. Wes was an easy drive and he knew the boy could've walked but once he was driving Chloe…it didn't really make a difference.
"Dad can I play my music?" Noah piped in from the back seat where he was sitting beside his girlfriend, leaving Wes awkwardly sitting in the front.
"Sure," Logan shrugged, as far as the battles he was going to pick, this wasn't going to be it. He tried not to cringe as he heard the pop music start to come through the speakers. He certainly wasn't familiar with he female vocalist but he saw that Chloe in the back seat leaned over and whispered something to Noah who smiled in response. He didn't want his son to be afraid to have people at their house. He wanted Noah to feel safe there…but it also didn't mean his behaviour that night were appropriate. Logan dropped Wes off first and the boy mumbled another apology for the evening to which Logan simply told him he would see him the next day for the hockey game. The next drive was to Chloe's which Logan expected would take another fifteen to twenty minutes. Logan remained mostly silence until he couldn't ignore the feeling in his chest that he had to say something. "Look, Chloe," he turned back at a red light, his right hand gripping the passenger side head rest, "I'm sorry about what happened at the apartment. You are always welcome in our home…"
"Dad," Noah hissed, although it was to no avail as Logan kept talking.
"Maybe the next weekend that you and Noah are both in Manhattan, you can come over for dinner?"
"I would like that Mr. Huntzberger," Chloe nodded shyly. "I'm…I'm sorry for…earlier."
"We never need to talk about it again," Logan gave her a charming smile before fixing his eyes back on the road. He gripped the leather fabric of the steering wheel. It still smelled new in there, probably because Rory didn't drive it often, but in that moment as he glanced through the rearview mirror and caught a glimpse of his son and his girlfriend talking in the back seat, Logan felt more like a father than he had in recent months. When they arrived at Chloe's, Logan said his goodbye and encouraged Noah to walk her inside which on one hand was again to ensure the girl got in safely, but also because he wanted Noah to sit in the front so that they could talk on the drive home. It took longer than Logan had expected for Noah to return, but Logan had some idea of what they had been up to from his own experiences. "So," he breathed as Noah close door and clicked his seatbelt in.
"Save it, Dad," Noah grumbled. "I cannot believe you would do that!"
"Do what?" Logan asked, he truly wasn't sure what Noah's complaint could possibly be. Surely Noah had to know that it was his decisions that had resulted in this awkward mess. Logan thought back to the first time he had been caught with a girl in his bedroom. Sure, he was a little bit younger, and he had been caught by the housekeeper, not his father. But even now he could still hear the click of the bedroom door followed by 'Mr Logan,' while Chelsey Davies had her head in his lap and her lips around his dick. It was a memorable morning, much more memorable than the English class they had skipped…but he never would've dared to blame the housekeeper. Logan knew better. Logan knew when she cleaned the upstairs rooms just like Noah knew when Logan and Rory were returning. Noah hadn't been thinking…just like Logan hadn't been thinking all those moons ago…or maybe they were both thinking, just with the wrong head.
"Barge in there and start yelling."
Logan thought back to what Rory had said. Her suggestion that he needed to remain calm. "I was a bit worried when I came home and found Emma snuggled up on the couch with some guy…"
"It was Wes," Noah fired back as the car started moving.
"Well when I came in and the lights were off and the music was blaring, all I could see were shadows, so for that moment he was some guy, and like it or not, it didn't become a much better feeling when I realized it was Wes. Emma is not even 13 yet. She is a kid, and what the hell was she doing with Wes?"
"They were just talking Dad," Noah assured him, like Logan didn't know what talking was to guys like Wes. "I told him not to do anything with her."
He fought the urge to respond sarcastically, it reminded him of how Colin would try to talk his way out of things when they were younger. "Noah, you need to look at Emma the way you look at Lily. She is the same age as Lily. Would you leave Wes and Lily alone? Because I'm telling you, when I got back, they looked mighty cozy…"
"I wouldn't leave Lily with him if I thought he was going to try something, and I didn't think he would try something with Emma… I like Emma. She's nice."
"She is nice," Logan nodded, "and she's been through a lot, so she doesn't need to be screwed around by some boy who just wants to get into her pants."
"Wes didn't want to get in her pants," Noah protested. "God, is she really all you worry about? You don't care about me in this situation?"
"As far as I can tell son, your biggest concern is that you might've needed a cold shower. You left a kid in a vulnerable situation. So if you want to pivot this conversation to the importance of contraceptives and making sure you don't get a girl pregnant, I can flip over to that and we can return later to the topic of making sure you are being a brother to Emma."
"Take me home."
"We're going home," Logan answered abruptly.
"No. I want to go home. I don't want to stay here tonight."
Logan exhaled. They were at a red light and again he found himself gripping the steering wheel, his knuckles turning white as he did. He had assumed this moment would come, but it had stung more than he expected. "Look, Noah…I get it. I know what it is like to be young and to have a girlfriend, and…god I'm going to sound like your Grandpa, but the hormones and the feelings. I get it, that is all normal, and natural. I want you to think of our house as a safe place for you…always. But Noah, you have to be safe…and that doesn't just mean safe sex. And I will add that thinking of the house here as a safe place does not mean thinking of it as a place for you to bring all your friends without supervision. You wouldn't pull this crap with your Mom."
"Dad, please," Noah groaned once more, seemingly having gotten over his request to return to Great Neck. If he really thought that request through, Logan returning him at this hour would simply cause more questions and then likely his father repeating the story of the evening go his mother, and another lecture ensuing…he would rather just deal with one.
"Noah I know you don't want to have this conversation with me. But the truth is…and Chloe seems nice, very nice, but…there is a lot at risk in our family, and you have to make sure that you are always on top of protection. If a girl says she is on the pill or the shot or the patch or has an IUD, great, but you still need to wear a condom because you can't put it all on her. If you…if you have a kid with someone, you are going to be stuck to that person for the rest of your life."
"You got a divorce…"
Logan nodded his head as he flipped on his turn signal and scanned the intersection for pedestrians. "I did get a divorce, and your Mom and I are still there for each other. We still talk, we are still going to see each other, we still love you and your sister…so when you are ready to have kids, no matter how that relationship might turn out - you are stuck with that person forever."
"Rory doesn't talk to her ex. Emma told me."
"The situation with Rory and her ex is a bit more complicated than Mom and I," Logan conceded, "but they still have to communicate. Noah, the point here is that you can't just think with your dick. You need to think with the head on your shoulders. Am I clear?"
"Can I still go to the game tomorrow?"
"Am I clear?" Logan repeated.
"You're clear."
"Good," Logan exhaled. He knew that Noah was just being a kid. He knew that Rory was right, but it wasn't going to stop him from trying to keep Noah on the straight and narrow as best he could. "Now the Emma thing…"
"I don't think Wes was trying to make a move on her Dad."
Logan chuckled under his breath, "I'm sure you didn't think that, but I'm telling you, as someone who was once your age…they looked mighty cozy and I want you to keep that from happening again."
"I would kick his ass if he ever did anything with her," Noah admitted softly. "Like you said, she's like Lily…and I mean…you keep saying we're all family or whatever."