SORRY FOLKS FOR THIS FORMATTING PROBLEMS!!! Between ffnet being down and
the screwy problem with my computer, whew! Again, my apologies.
SPOILERS - None. SUMMARY - Same as the other chapters DISCLAIMER - The WB, Amy Sherman-Palladino, et al owns it all.
A/N: Thank you Jade for your review of each chapter (and support!) and also to Lily Moon for your inspiring reviews! And Smile - have I told you lately that I love you??
This will be a LONG chapter, since you all want this proposal to finally happen!!!!
*************************************************************************** *****************
Chapter Eleven (Yup, still Thursday)
"Pie, please!" Rory said, hopping onto the stool next to her mother. Luke brought two pieces of pie and two cups of coffee over to us. Lorelai made a face at him.
"Oh, come on, you've already had two pieces of pie! You're going to eat me out of business!" he grunted.
"Dirty!" Lorelai said, flashing him a smile. Luke just shrugged his shoulders and went to get another slice of pie for her. "So, Jess, what did you do today?" she asked, looking at me suspiciously. Luke's mouth hung open in panic and his eyes got wide as he looked between her and me.
"Nothing, really. Just hung out in the apartment, watched TV, answered some emails. Just took it easy. It's a nice change of pace to just chill out for a day after doing so much traveling," I said casually.
"Hmm," was Lorelai's only response. She obviously didn't believe me either. She looked at Rory, who just looked back at her curiously and shook her head.
Rory couldn't resist. "Why? Did one of Babette's gnomes disappear again?" she grinned. Both Luke and I had to laugh at that.
"No, no, it's nothing, just…nothing. So you didn't take a drive or anything?" I shook my head not. "Okay, then, I'm heading back to the house. Luke, I'll see you soon? Goodnight Jess, goodnight Rory," she said heading out the door.
Rory looked back at Luke. "She was acting really strange. What was that about?"
"Nothing, she must be just thinking about the wedding plans or something, I don't know, she's been weird all night," he stammered.
"Oh, okay. So Jess, can we go upstairs so I can read what you've written so far?" she pleaded.
"You're writing again?" Luke asked, sounding dumbfounded.
"Yeah, I'm starting a new book, I got inspired the other day," I answered shooting a glance at Rory, then getting up off the stool and taking her hand in mine.
"Great! Good night you two," he said as we disappeared up the stairs. I guess he assumed, much like Lorelai did, that Rory wouldn't be coming home tonight, that she'd be staying with me again. And they didn't mind. I could get used to that!
We walked into the apartment and I threw my keys onto the kitchen table, right on top of my computer bag. It was in there. The ring. I took off my suit jacket and hung it on the back of the chair. She walked over and got in front of me, leaning her hands back on the table, right on the bag. I held my breath. I couldn't take my eyes off the bag. "Hey," she said quietly and I broke the stare to look into her eyes.
"Hey," I put my arms around her waist and pulled her to me (away from the bag, the most important thing).
I took her hands in mine. We stood there for a moment, just staring into each other's eyes, no words were spoken. My heart was screaming 'do it! Do it!' but my brain said 'wait until tomorrow!'
"Rory…" I started, wishing the screaming match between my head and heart would stop.
"Yeah?" she said quietly.
"I love you," I said plainly, quietly, never breaking her stare. A wave of panic washed over me. What if she doesn't feel the same way? You're moving too fast! You're pushing her! The first time in your life that you're saying it to someone and you're blowing it!
"I love you too, Jess," she answered almost without hesitation. I smiled back at her, so glad that she felt the same. I just about wanted to cry. She broke her hands from mine and pulled me into a hug. I felt so great, I thought my heart would burst. I couldn't wait until tomorrow.
I took her hand and led her towards the bed. She grabbed my tie and started to undo the knot and I brushed a stray piece of her hair behind her ear.
We slowly undressed each other and lay down in the bed together, holding each other, enjoying just being in each other's presence. We made love and it was even better than before, maybe because of what was said, I don't know. It was amazing. She lay with her head on my chest, my fingers meandering through her hair.
"You do know I didn't say it to get you into bed with me again, right?" I said tentatively.
She picked her head up to look at me and thought for a moment, then smiled. "Well, I did!" she teased, giggling.
"You're terrible!" I said with a laugh flipping her onto her back, covering her with kisses.
"Mmmm, and you're all mine," she said, caressing the side of my face.
"Yeah. I am," I responded. And it felt great.
We fell asleep, both content and feeling like nothing could go wrong. The next morning, I woke up around 8:00 to find the space in the bed next to me empty. I frowned and propped myself up on my elbows to look around the room. There was no sign of her. I heard footsteps coming up the stairs and Rory awkwardly opened the door carrying a tray of food and coffee. "Awww! You spoiled the surprise!" she said, setting the tray on the bed and giving me a kiss.
"Nice outfit," I said with a smirk. She was wearing my Metallica t-shirt and a pair of my sweatpants and my socks. It was quite a sight. "I bet Luke just loved seeing you in that shirt!" I laughed. But then I remembered that Luke wasn't working today, John was taking over for the next week.
"Hey! I brought you breakfast and you mock my outfit?" she said, twirling around like a model, before climbing back into bed and grabbing her coffee. "I just can't believe that you even OWN sweatpants!" she remarked.
"Well, I've taken up running in the last few years, I try to hit the gyms when I'm traveling. Anyway, why don't you just bring your clothes over here if you're going to be staying with me?" I suggested. Geez, that sounded kind of commitment-like, didn't it?
She lowered her head a little. I could tell that she was thinking about 'after the wedding'. She was probably thinking about me going back to New York and her going back to D.C. I really hadn't thought about it until now. I guess I could move to D.C., it's not like I HAVE to live in New York, I just need to go there to meet with Bill, most of what I do is on the road via email anyway. I don't think Rory can relocate, so it might work out fine. And New York is just a short flight or train ride away from D.C. I'll have to talk to Bill about it, but I'm sure it'll be fine. Wait, I can't have this conversation with him until I've actually asked her to marry me and she says yes. IF she says yes.
"Are you going to eat your breakfast?" she asked, also lost in thought.
"Oh, yeah, sorry," I said, absently grabbing a slice of toast from the plate. "So what's on the agenda today?" I asked.
"Lots. Getting the flowers all finished. Setting up the tables and chairs and stuff, decorating the inn, picking up the dresses and tuxes, all that stuff. And then there's getting the rehearsal dinner stuff ready, setting up over at Sookie and Jackson's, just lots to do," she said, sounding exhausted by the thought of it. "Fortunately, mom let me make a pretty thorough checklist, so we should have it all under control in no time!" she said triumphantly waving a piece of bacon.
"Well, little-miss-organized, if you need any help with anything, I give you permission to order me around all day, how does that sound?" I said lying back in the bed putting my hands behind my head.
"Ooo! Can I order you to do ANYTHING?" she said suggestively, wiggling her eyebrows.
"ESPECIALLY THAT!" I laughed, pulling her down to me, kissing her. As I deepened the kiss, she started to pull away.
"Hey, I've got to get ready! If we start this again, you know we won't stop for a long time, and then mom will start pounding on the door and whining, and that would definitely spoil the fun…"
"Okay, okay, I get it," I interrupted with a huff. "How about WE take a shower and get ready?" I asked seductively, climbing out of bed, waving my finger at her to follow me.
"Yeah! I've never done that before!" she answered playfully, pulling off the t-shirt and shimmying out of the sweatpants as she padded over to the bathroom. I followed right behind her and we enjoyed a long, sensual, soapy shower together.
She shut off the blow dryer and waited for me to set my razor down before smacking my ass. "We have got to do THAT more often," she smirked at me in the mirror, giving me a kiss on the cheek. I just smirked back at her and nodded my agreement, then went back to shaving. "You know, I kinda like you scruffy," she said wrapping her arms around me from behind.
"You should have said so before I started shaving, then," I teased. I liked it when Rory was being playful.
"Sorry - hurry up, we have lots of things to do today!" she said excitedly bouncing out of the bathroom. I grinned at my reflection in the mirror. 'Yeah, lots of things are going to happen today,' I thought, noticing that my eyes seem to have a lot more life in them than they did a week ago.
"Listen, why don't you run home and get that mega-list of yours? I'll be ready by the time you get back, eh?" I suggested.
"Okay! Sounds good! I'll be back in a jiffy!" she said quickly kissing me then bounding down the stairs with a burst of energy. I just shook my head and laughed. Same old Rory.
She came back 15 minutes later, completely out of breath, apparently running in both directions. Lorelai and Luke were already at the Dragonfly decorating, so we decided to take on the rehearsal dinner prep at Sookie and Jackson's. We walked over to their house and Rory helped Sookie decorate and cook while I helped Jackson setting up tables and stringing lights on the trees. Around 11 am, Lorelai came roaring up to the house in her jeep. "Hey!" she called out, and we all turned to see her jumping out of the car and heading for them. "Okay, major flower crisis! Help, please!" Rory ran over to her.
"What flower crisis?" she asked.
"Can you come to the inn for a while to help me?" Lorelai said, out of breath.
Rory looked at me questionably and I shrugged my shoulders as if to say 'whatever'. Hell, there was plenty of work still to be done here. "Okay, I'll be back in a little while," she said giving me a kiss.
"See you later, I love you," I said as she ran toward the jeep.
"Love you too!" she called out, getting in.
"Okay, did I just hear what I thought I heard??" I heard Lorelai say with surprise. Rory said something back to her with a wide smile and they both squealed loudly and hugged each other. Oh geez, here it starts. "Bye, Jessie-poo!" Lorelai shouted out with a wave. Rory smacked her arm. Then they were off.
As soon as they were out of sight, I came over to Jackson. "I have to run a quick errand, I'll be back in a half hour or so, don't tell Sookie,"
"Okay, I'll see you in a few," he said and went back to work.
I walked back to the diner and dug the book out of the computer bag. I took the ring box and slipped it into my suit jacket, taking another look at it before putting it away. I ran down to the bridge and looked around for a spot to stash the book. I put in under the first plank at the entrance to bridge, then made my way back to the house to keep working.
As soon as I got back Sookie made an amazing salad and the three of us had a quick lunch and went back to work.
Lorelai, Luke and Rory came back around 4:30. They all looked exhausted until they had seen what we had done to the place. It looked magical with all the decorating and arranging we had done. "Wow" they all said in unison.
"Wait until later!" Jackson gushed. "It was all Jess's idea!" he added. I rolled my eyes and shoved my hands in my pockets. They all looked at me with surprise.
"It was just something I saw at a wedding in Greece," I said, feeling embarrassed to get all the attention. "So, the party starts when and where?" I tried to change the subject.
Rory chimed right in. "Okay, the rehearsal itself will be at 6:00 at the inn, then we head over here for dinner at 7:00," she said checking over her list.
"Well, then, I'd better get back to the apartment and take a shower. Jackson, don't forget about those timers," I said as I headed down the driveway.
Rory fell in step along side of me. "Can I come along?" she asked sweetly and I put my arm around her.
"I was hoping you would," I smiled. When we got back to the apartment, her suitcase and dresses were all sitting outside the door. I raised my eyebrow at her.
"Oh, we dropped by the house and I figured…" she looked at me hopefully.
"Great, come on," I said grabbing the suitcase as she took the dresses. "Geez, what do you have in here, rocks?" I joked.
We took showers and got dressed. I checked my jacket pocket for what seems like a thousand times. We drove over to the inn and the reverend put everyone through their paces as to where to stand, when to move, etc. When Luke and I were standing with Randy and Jackson at the chuppah, Luke kept grinning at me like the cat that ate the canary. "Will you stop it!?" I warned him.
He just laughed. "When are you going to do it?"
"When we get to Sookie and Jackson's. Now shut up about it, already!" I said again, and he knew that Lorelai would sense there was something going on if she saw his face.
We got through the rehearsal and headed for the dinner. When we pulled up, Rory sucked in her breath. "Oh Jess, it's beautiful!" she said mesmerized. There were tiny white lights everywhere, candles were lit all throughout the yard, and it really did look nice. We got out of the car and went over to the bar that was set up. Kirk was bartending.
"What can I get you?" he asked.
"Champagne sounds good," I said and Rory nodded in agreement. Jackson kicked in the CD player and soon music filled the yard. Luke and Lorelai walked around talking to the guests as Sookie ran from the kitchen to the yard, trying to be both chef and bridesmaid. "Let's take a walk," I said, taking her hand.
"But, the party, um…" she said, looking around, confused.
"They'll be mingling for a little while, come on," I said, leading her off. I caught a glance of Luke who gave raised his glass to me and gave me a nod. Lorelai barreled over to him. Uh oh. He wouldn't be able to get off the hook this time, Lorelai must know something's up. We walked through the town and ended up at the bridge. The lights on the bridge made the dark water sparkle. I stopped mid-span and took her glass from her and set them both down on the bridge. I took both of her hands in mine and we kissed.
"It's such a beautiful night," she sighed as we parted.
"Yeah, it sure is," I replied. "I have something for you," I said mysteriously. She cocked her head at me with curiosity. I walked to the end of the bridge and retrieved the book and handed it to her.
"A book?" she asked with surprise. I stood before her with a nod. I pressed my hand against my jacket pocket for the millionth time to be sure the ring was still there. She untied the bow and ripped the paper off the book. "From This Day Forward," she said reading the cover, she leafed through the pages. "Poems about the wedding day? Shouldn't you be giving this to my mom, not me?" she said, her brows furrowed in confusion.
"No, I wanted to give it to you. Rory, I'm so lucky that I got a second chance to be with you. And I never want to let you go. I never want us to be apart again," I knelt down on one knee. "I love you Rory Gilmore, and I'd like you to be my wife, that is, if you'll have me," I said sincerely and pulled out the ring.
She stood there for a moment, completely stunned. She stared at the box in my hand. She stared at me, frozen. For a moment I thought she was going to turn around and run. "Oh my god!" she squealed. She took the box and opened it and her eyes were wide. I took the book out of her hand and set it on the bridge. "It's the most beautiful ring I've ever seen, oh my god!" she repeated. I smiled, caught up in the moment. She stared at the ring.
"So are you going to answer me, or do I have to stay kneeling here until my leg falls asleep?" I said with both humor and sarcasm.
She reached down for my hands and I stood up. "Yes, yes, yes!! Of course I'll marry you! I love you so much, Jess Mariano!" she said with excitement, pulling me into a hug. I picked her up off her feet and swung her around and we both laughed. When I set her down she brought the box in front of her to look at the ring again. I took the box, removed the ring and took her left hand. I placed the ring on her finger and kissed her hand. Looking up at her, she had tears in her eyes. "I can't believe this is happening, Jess, you're amazing," she said full of emotion.
"No, you're amazing. But I have another surprise, are you ready?" I asked, her eyes grew wider.
"Another surprise?? What?" she asked excitedly.
"Well, I told you that I have to leave on Sunday night for my next assignment, right?" she nodded and looked disappointed. "Well, I did know where I was being sent. And I asked my editor if I could bring someone with me, and he didn't have a problem with that." I hesitated and she stomped her foot in impatience. "So, how would you feel about take a few extra days off to go to St. Lucia with me to check out the island weddings scene? We'll only be a few miles from your mom and Luke, as an added incentive," I smiled.
She didn't say anything. "Do you mean…?"
"If you want to. I don't want to rush you into this or anything. We can wait. It's just that I'm going there to do a write up on couples who are going there to get married, and it would definitely put a different slant on it if the writer of the piece was one of them! Plus I already told Luke and they could come and be our witnesses." I paused, picked up the two glasses of champagne and held one out to her. She gulped it down in one swallow. I could tell her mind was whirling as she was trying to process all that was happening. "Rory, I'm sorry to hit you with all of this at once, we can just wait and get married later, it's…"
"Yes! Oh my god, yes!" she interrupted.
"What?" I was surprised by her reaction.
"Jess, this is the most amazing day of my life! I can't believe this. I came here for my mom's wedding, and then you show up out of nowhere, then we, us, then you love me, and now we're going to get married, a few days from now in St. Lucia, I'm…overwhelmed! I guess I never thought I'd see you again. I thought you had forgotten about me. I thought you didn't want me, and then there was that amazing book dedication, but I wasn't sure if you were just being kind, but…"
"Rory," I said with a warning tone, trying to stop the rant.
"Huh?" she broke the rant.
"Shut up and kiss me," I said with a smirk, putting my arms around her. She complied, and we kissed, passionately and deeply, oblivious to the world around us.
"Does my mom know?" she asked suddenly as we broke the kiss.
"I think that she's pried it out of Luke by now," I laughed. "She's been pretty suspicious of me lately, and not in a bad-boy mischief kind-of way," I added.
"Let's go tell her!" she said, picking up the book and taking my hand.
"Okay, Mrs. Mariano-to-be, let's go tell everyone," I said with a wink. She looked at me, beaming.
"I'm going to be Mrs. Mariano!" she said excitedly, breaking into a run, dragging me along behind her, laughing.
…to be continued? Do you want to hear about the reaction at the rehearsal dinner? Luke and Lorelai's wedding? The trip to St. Lucia? The beach wedding? Review and inspire me, please!
SPOILERS - None. SUMMARY - Same as the other chapters DISCLAIMER - The WB, Amy Sherman-Palladino, et al owns it all.
A/N: Thank you Jade for your review of each chapter (and support!) and also to Lily Moon for your inspiring reviews! And Smile - have I told you lately that I love you??
This will be a LONG chapter, since you all want this proposal to finally happen!!!!
*************************************************************************** *****************
Chapter Eleven (Yup, still Thursday)
"Pie, please!" Rory said, hopping onto the stool next to her mother. Luke brought two pieces of pie and two cups of coffee over to us. Lorelai made a face at him.
"Oh, come on, you've already had two pieces of pie! You're going to eat me out of business!" he grunted.
"Dirty!" Lorelai said, flashing him a smile. Luke just shrugged his shoulders and went to get another slice of pie for her. "So, Jess, what did you do today?" she asked, looking at me suspiciously. Luke's mouth hung open in panic and his eyes got wide as he looked between her and me.
"Nothing, really. Just hung out in the apartment, watched TV, answered some emails. Just took it easy. It's a nice change of pace to just chill out for a day after doing so much traveling," I said casually.
"Hmm," was Lorelai's only response. She obviously didn't believe me either. She looked at Rory, who just looked back at her curiously and shook her head.
Rory couldn't resist. "Why? Did one of Babette's gnomes disappear again?" she grinned. Both Luke and I had to laugh at that.
"No, no, it's nothing, just…nothing. So you didn't take a drive or anything?" I shook my head not. "Okay, then, I'm heading back to the house. Luke, I'll see you soon? Goodnight Jess, goodnight Rory," she said heading out the door.
Rory looked back at Luke. "She was acting really strange. What was that about?"
"Nothing, she must be just thinking about the wedding plans or something, I don't know, she's been weird all night," he stammered.
"Oh, okay. So Jess, can we go upstairs so I can read what you've written so far?" she pleaded.
"You're writing again?" Luke asked, sounding dumbfounded.
"Yeah, I'm starting a new book, I got inspired the other day," I answered shooting a glance at Rory, then getting up off the stool and taking her hand in mine.
"Great! Good night you two," he said as we disappeared up the stairs. I guess he assumed, much like Lorelai did, that Rory wouldn't be coming home tonight, that she'd be staying with me again. And they didn't mind. I could get used to that!
We walked into the apartment and I threw my keys onto the kitchen table, right on top of my computer bag. It was in there. The ring. I took off my suit jacket and hung it on the back of the chair. She walked over and got in front of me, leaning her hands back on the table, right on the bag. I held my breath. I couldn't take my eyes off the bag. "Hey," she said quietly and I broke the stare to look into her eyes.
"Hey," I put my arms around her waist and pulled her to me (away from the bag, the most important thing).
I took her hands in mine. We stood there for a moment, just staring into each other's eyes, no words were spoken. My heart was screaming 'do it! Do it!' but my brain said 'wait until tomorrow!'
"Rory…" I started, wishing the screaming match between my head and heart would stop.
"Yeah?" she said quietly.
"I love you," I said plainly, quietly, never breaking her stare. A wave of panic washed over me. What if she doesn't feel the same way? You're moving too fast! You're pushing her! The first time in your life that you're saying it to someone and you're blowing it!
"I love you too, Jess," she answered almost without hesitation. I smiled back at her, so glad that she felt the same. I just about wanted to cry. She broke her hands from mine and pulled me into a hug. I felt so great, I thought my heart would burst. I couldn't wait until tomorrow.
I took her hand and led her towards the bed. She grabbed my tie and started to undo the knot and I brushed a stray piece of her hair behind her ear.
We slowly undressed each other and lay down in the bed together, holding each other, enjoying just being in each other's presence. We made love and it was even better than before, maybe because of what was said, I don't know. It was amazing. She lay with her head on my chest, my fingers meandering through her hair.
"You do know I didn't say it to get you into bed with me again, right?" I said tentatively.
She picked her head up to look at me and thought for a moment, then smiled. "Well, I did!" she teased, giggling.
"You're terrible!" I said with a laugh flipping her onto her back, covering her with kisses.
"Mmmm, and you're all mine," she said, caressing the side of my face.
"Yeah. I am," I responded. And it felt great.
We fell asleep, both content and feeling like nothing could go wrong. The next morning, I woke up around 8:00 to find the space in the bed next to me empty. I frowned and propped myself up on my elbows to look around the room. There was no sign of her. I heard footsteps coming up the stairs and Rory awkwardly opened the door carrying a tray of food and coffee. "Awww! You spoiled the surprise!" she said, setting the tray on the bed and giving me a kiss.
"Nice outfit," I said with a smirk. She was wearing my Metallica t-shirt and a pair of my sweatpants and my socks. It was quite a sight. "I bet Luke just loved seeing you in that shirt!" I laughed. But then I remembered that Luke wasn't working today, John was taking over for the next week.
"Hey! I brought you breakfast and you mock my outfit?" she said, twirling around like a model, before climbing back into bed and grabbing her coffee. "I just can't believe that you even OWN sweatpants!" she remarked.
"Well, I've taken up running in the last few years, I try to hit the gyms when I'm traveling. Anyway, why don't you just bring your clothes over here if you're going to be staying with me?" I suggested. Geez, that sounded kind of commitment-like, didn't it?
She lowered her head a little. I could tell that she was thinking about 'after the wedding'. She was probably thinking about me going back to New York and her going back to D.C. I really hadn't thought about it until now. I guess I could move to D.C., it's not like I HAVE to live in New York, I just need to go there to meet with Bill, most of what I do is on the road via email anyway. I don't think Rory can relocate, so it might work out fine. And New York is just a short flight or train ride away from D.C. I'll have to talk to Bill about it, but I'm sure it'll be fine. Wait, I can't have this conversation with him until I've actually asked her to marry me and she says yes. IF she says yes.
"Are you going to eat your breakfast?" she asked, also lost in thought.
"Oh, yeah, sorry," I said, absently grabbing a slice of toast from the plate. "So what's on the agenda today?" I asked.
"Lots. Getting the flowers all finished. Setting up the tables and chairs and stuff, decorating the inn, picking up the dresses and tuxes, all that stuff. And then there's getting the rehearsal dinner stuff ready, setting up over at Sookie and Jackson's, just lots to do," she said, sounding exhausted by the thought of it. "Fortunately, mom let me make a pretty thorough checklist, so we should have it all under control in no time!" she said triumphantly waving a piece of bacon.
"Well, little-miss-organized, if you need any help with anything, I give you permission to order me around all day, how does that sound?" I said lying back in the bed putting my hands behind my head.
"Ooo! Can I order you to do ANYTHING?" she said suggestively, wiggling her eyebrows.
"ESPECIALLY THAT!" I laughed, pulling her down to me, kissing her. As I deepened the kiss, she started to pull away.
"Hey, I've got to get ready! If we start this again, you know we won't stop for a long time, and then mom will start pounding on the door and whining, and that would definitely spoil the fun…"
"Okay, okay, I get it," I interrupted with a huff. "How about WE take a shower and get ready?" I asked seductively, climbing out of bed, waving my finger at her to follow me.
"Yeah! I've never done that before!" she answered playfully, pulling off the t-shirt and shimmying out of the sweatpants as she padded over to the bathroom. I followed right behind her and we enjoyed a long, sensual, soapy shower together.
She shut off the blow dryer and waited for me to set my razor down before smacking my ass. "We have got to do THAT more often," she smirked at me in the mirror, giving me a kiss on the cheek. I just smirked back at her and nodded my agreement, then went back to shaving. "You know, I kinda like you scruffy," she said wrapping her arms around me from behind.
"You should have said so before I started shaving, then," I teased. I liked it when Rory was being playful.
"Sorry - hurry up, we have lots of things to do today!" she said excitedly bouncing out of the bathroom. I grinned at my reflection in the mirror. 'Yeah, lots of things are going to happen today,' I thought, noticing that my eyes seem to have a lot more life in them than they did a week ago.
"Listen, why don't you run home and get that mega-list of yours? I'll be ready by the time you get back, eh?" I suggested.
"Okay! Sounds good! I'll be back in a jiffy!" she said quickly kissing me then bounding down the stairs with a burst of energy. I just shook my head and laughed. Same old Rory.
She came back 15 minutes later, completely out of breath, apparently running in both directions. Lorelai and Luke were already at the Dragonfly decorating, so we decided to take on the rehearsal dinner prep at Sookie and Jackson's. We walked over to their house and Rory helped Sookie decorate and cook while I helped Jackson setting up tables and stringing lights on the trees. Around 11 am, Lorelai came roaring up to the house in her jeep. "Hey!" she called out, and we all turned to see her jumping out of the car and heading for them. "Okay, major flower crisis! Help, please!" Rory ran over to her.
"What flower crisis?" she asked.
"Can you come to the inn for a while to help me?" Lorelai said, out of breath.
Rory looked at me questionably and I shrugged my shoulders as if to say 'whatever'. Hell, there was plenty of work still to be done here. "Okay, I'll be back in a little while," she said giving me a kiss.
"See you later, I love you," I said as she ran toward the jeep.
"Love you too!" she called out, getting in.
"Okay, did I just hear what I thought I heard??" I heard Lorelai say with surprise. Rory said something back to her with a wide smile and they both squealed loudly and hugged each other. Oh geez, here it starts. "Bye, Jessie-poo!" Lorelai shouted out with a wave. Rory smacked her arm. Then they were off.
As soon as they were out of sight, I came over to Jackson. "I have to run a quick errand, I'll be back in a half hour or so, don't tell Sookie,"
"Okay, I'll see you in a few," he said and went back to work.
I walked back to the diner and dug the book out of the computer bag. I took the ring box and slipped it into my suit jacket, taking another look at it before putting it away. I ran down to the bridge and looked around for a spot to stash the book. I put in under the first plank at the entrance to bridge, then made my way back to the house to keep working.
As soon as I got back Sookie made an amazing salad and the three of us had a quick lunch and went back to work.
Lorelai, Luke and Rory came back around 4:30. They all looked exhausted until they had seen what we had done to the place. It looked magical with all the decorating and arranging we had done. "Wow" they all said in unison.
"Wait until later!" Jackson gushed. "It was all Jess's idea!" he added. I rolled my eyes and shoved my hands in my pockets. They all looked at me with surprise.
"It was just something I saw at a wedding in Greece," I said, feeling embarrassed to get all the attention. "So, the party starts when and where?" I tried to change the subject.
Rory chimed right in. "Okay, the rehearsal itself will be at 6:00 at the inn, then we head over here for dinner at 7:00," she said checking over her list.
"Well, then, I'd better get back to the apartment and take a shower. Jackson, don't forget about those timers," I said as I headed down the driveway.
Rory fell in step along side of me. "Can I come along?" she asked sweetly and I put my arm around her.
"I was hoping you would," I smiled. When we got back to the apartment, her suitcase and dresses were all sitting outside the door. I raised my eyebrow at her.
"Oh, we dropped by the house and I figured…" she looked at me hopefully.
"Great, come on," I said grabbing the suitcase as she took the dresses. "Geez, what do you have in here, rocks?" I joked.
We took showers and got dressed. I checked my jacket pocket for what seems like a thousand times. We drove over to the inn and the reverend put everyone through their paces as to where to stand, when to move, etc. When Luke and I were standing with Randy and Jackson at the chuppah, Luke kept grinning at me like the cat that ate the canary. "Will you stop it!?" I warned him.
He just laughed. "When are you going to do it?"
"When we get to Sookie and Jackson's. Now shut up about it, already!" I said again, and he knew that Lorelai would sense there was something going on if she saw his face.
We got through the rehearsal and headed for the dinner. When we pulled up, Rory sucked in her breath. "Oh Jess, it's beautiful!" she said mesmerized. There were tiny white lights everywhere, candles were lit all throughout the yard, and it really did look nice. We got out of the car and went over to the bar that was set up. Kirk was bartending.
"What can I get you?" he asked.
"Champagne sounds good," I said and Rory nodded in agreement. Jackson kicked in the CD player and soon music filled the yard. Luke and Lorelai walked around talking to the guests as Sookie ran from the kitchen to the yard, trying to be both chef and bridesmaid. "Let's take a walk," I said, taking her hand.
"But, the party, um…" she said, looking around, confused.
"They'll be mingling for a little while, come on," I said, leading her off. I caught a glance of Luke who gave raised his glass to me and gave me a nod. Lorelai barreled over to him. Uh oh. He wouldn't be able to get off the hook this time, Lorelai must know something's up. We walked through the town and ended up at the bridge. The lights on the bridge made the dark water sparkle. I stopped mid-span and took her glass from her and set them both down on the bridge. I took both of her hands in mine and we kissed.
"It's such a beautiful night," she sighed as we parted.
"Yeah, it sure is," I replied. "I have something for you," I said mysteriously. She cocked her head at me with curiosity. I walked to the end of the bridge and retrieved the book and handed it to her.
"A book?" she asked with surprise. I stood before her with a nod. I pressed my hand against my jacket pocket for the millionth time to be sure the ring was still there. She untied the bow and ripped the paper off the book. "From This Day Forward," she said reading the cover, she leafed through the pages. "Poems about the wedding day? Shouldn't you be giving this to my mom, not me?" she said, her brows furrowed in confusion.
"No, I wanted to give it to you. Rory, I'm so lucky that I got a second chance to be with you. And I never want to let you go. I never want us to be apart again," I knelt down on one knee. "I love you Rory Gilmore, and I'd like you to be my wife, that is, if you'll have me," I said sincerely and pulled out the ring.
She stood there for a moment, completely stunned. She stared at the box in my hand. She stared at me, frozen. For a moment I thought she was going to turn around and run. "Oh my god!" she squealed. She took the box and opened it and her eyes were wide. I took the book out of her hand and set it on the bridge. "It's the most beautiful ring I've ever seen, oh my god!" she repeated. I smiled, caught up in the moment. She stared at the ring.
"So are you going to answer me, or do I have to stay kneeling here until my leg falls asleep?" I said with both humor and sarcasm.
She reached down for my hands and I stood up. "Yes, yes, yes!! Of course I'll marry you! I love you so much, Jess Mariano!" she said with excitement, pulling me into a hug. I picked her up off her feet and swung her around and we both laughed. When I set her down she brought the box in front of her to look at the ring again. I took the box, removed the ring and took her left hand. I placed the ring on her finger and kissed her hand. Looking up at her, she had tears in her eyes. "I can't believe this is happening, Jess, you're amazing," she said full of emotion.
"No, you're amazing. But I have another surprise, are you ready?" I asked, her eyes grew wider.
"Another surprise?? What?" she asked excitedly.
"Well, I told you that I have to leave on Sunday night for my next assignment, right?" she nodded and looked disappointed. "Well, I did know where I was being sent. And I asked my editor if I could bring someone with me, and he didn't have a problem with that." I hesitated and she stomped her foot in impatience. "So, how would you feel about take a few extra days off to go to St. Lucia with me to check out the island weddings scene? We'll only be a few miles from your mom and Luke, as an added incentive," I smiled.
She didn't say anything. "Do you mean…?"
"If you want to. I don't want to rush you into this or anything. We can wait. It's just that I'm going there to do a write up on couples who are going there to get married, and it would definitely put a different slant on it if the writer of the piece was one of them! Plus I already told Luke and they could come and be our witnesses." I paused, picked up the two glasses of champagne and held one out to her. She gulped it down in one swallow. I could tell her mind was whirling as she was trying to process all that was happening. "Rory, I'm sorry to hit you with all of this at once, we can just wait and get married later, it's…"
"Yes! Oh my god, yes!" she interrupted.
"What?" I was surprised by her reaction.
"Jess, this is the most amazing day of my life! I can't believe this. I came here for my mom's wedding, and then you show up out of nowhere, then we, us, then you love me, and now we're going to get married, a few days from now in St. Lucia, I'm…overwhelmed! I guess I never thought I'd see you again. I thought you had forgotten about me. I thought you didn't want me, and then there was that amazing book dedication, but I wasn't sure if you were just being kind, but…"
"Rory," I said with a warning tone, trying to stop the rant.
"Huh?" she broke the rant.
"Shut up and kiss me," I said with a smirk, putting my arms around her. She complied, and we kissed, passionately and deeply, oblivious to the world around us.
"Does my mom know?" she asked suddenly as we broke the kiss.
"I think that she's pried it out of Luke by now," I laughed. "She's been pretty suspicious of me lately, and not in a bad-boy mischief kind-of way," I added.
"Let's go tell her!" she said, picking up the book and taking my hand.
"Okay, Mrs. Mariano-to-be, let's go tell everyone," I said with a wink. She looked at me, beaming.
"I'm going to be Mrs. Mariano!" she said excitedly, breaking into a run, dragging me along behind her, laughing.
…to be continued? Do you want to hear about the reaction at the rehearsal dinner? Luke and Lorelai's wedding? The trip to St. Lucia? The beach wedding? Review and inspire me, please!