Jess could not stand the sympathetic smiles and looks at the funeral.
Yes, someone he knew died.
Yes they had a baby together.
No, he was not in love.
No, he did not need her.
He had Rory.
Rory was all he would ever need. He had to hide his happiness, and for the
first time in his life, that was difficult for him.
Jess went home and showered to try and forget his day, and night for that matter. Jess changed his clothes and gathered some things he would need at Rory's for him and his daughter.
Jess showed up that evening in a red t-shirt and jeans with a backpack on his shoulders and a bag of burgers and fries in his hand.
He used his new key to let himself in and started to set the burgers on the table and get some sodas out of the fridge.
Rory's eyes were closed and the babies were lying on a blanket on the floor surrounded by toys and stuffed animals.
Jess slowly approached Rory and whispered in her ear.
"You're fired" Jess teased.
"What?" Rory opened her eyes.
"You're asleep on the job. Your wages are going to be cut." Jess continued.
"Hey! I never got a job description! I didn't know!" Rory began waking up and caught on.
"You don't get a job description."
"Well, how was I supposed to know?! I'm not a babysitter!"
"Good. You're a mom. Mommy's don't get paid." Jess smiled satisfied that she didn't have an immediate comeback. In his book, he won.
Rory smelled the burgers. "Alright, Dad," she mocked, "Let's eat."
After dinner, they bathe the kids and put them to bed.
Rory answers the phone and looks worried and says not much more than "ok" and "I understand."
She hangs up the phone and flashes a concerned look at Jess, but he knows that she is ok. It's something they can work out, and he is not one to pry. But he always wants her to know that he is there when she is ready.
Rory walks to her bed and lies down, curled up on her side, rubbing her arms. If Jess weren't there she would have started to cry. Jess just curls up behind her and puts his arm around her waist and kisses the back of her head. She rolls over so they face each other and she looks into his eyes, and continues rolling, until she is on top of him, and she begins passionately making out with him. He is surprised by this reaction. In a bit, he pulls away and takes her hand and leads her gently to the kitchen table. He pulls a chair out for her and then sits across the table.
Jess takes both of Rory's hands and starts talking.
"Next time he calls, tell him thanks for me." Jess smiles at his own cleverness.
"What? Who?"
"The guy who called and told you to make out with me."
"That's not what she said."
"Oh. Ok"
"It was the lady I'm renting from," Rory continued.
She's talking. Jess's plan worked like a charm.
"she said that I have 30 days in this apartment. I have a newborn. I don't have time to look for another place and move in. I like this place. I gave you a copy of the key. I'm gonna need that back. I'm sorry. What do you want to do?" Jess smiles at Rory's babbling.
"Babe, everything is going to be fine."
"Where am I gonna go?"
"Well, you can stay at my place until you want to leave."
"Ok, great, thank you," Rory switched into plan mode, "I can look through the paper and ads tonight and then tomorrow I can go look for a place. Maybe I can just get another one in the complex, or just down the street. Can you baby-sit?"
Jess pulled Rory's head close with his index finger and his thumb and kissed her.
"Rory, you're not going to look for a place tomorrow."
"Why not?"
"I've already found you one."
"What?"
"I think Yale made you completely oblivious. Rory, I want you to move in with me." Jess spoke slowly.
Rory's eyes lit up. Finally she got it. She kissed him.
"So that's a yes?" Jess asked.
"I don't know." Rory teased, "I'm going to have to see it first. Maybe look at other places. I should really get the value of the property assessed, and have the foundation checked before I move in. I mean I do have a baby! Have you had it checked for asbestos?"
The next day, when everybody was dressed and ready, Jess took both his backpack and Rory's freshly packed bag full of everything she will need for a night and a day at Jess's. He came back to get Rory and the kids. He drives them into his neighborhood. They pass an elementary school with a gorgeous park and kids swinging and playing. This image makes her happy. Just down the street, Jess pulls up to a white and gray two-story house with a neatly cut lawn and a little courtyard with a bench and a table.
"What's this?" Rory asks.
"It's my house"
"This is yours?" Rory says in amazement.
"No," Jess says, completely emotionless.
"Oh," Rory is slightly disappointed.
"It's ours." Jess grinned.
Rory pecked him and quickly got out of the car and got the kids. Jess unlocked the door and gave her and Mason a tour of the house. It was a perfect house to raise children in. The house, the neighborhood, everything. Downstairs had a family room, a living room/ dining room combo, a kitchen, and a den, which is Jess's office. Upstairs had a master bedroom and two other bedrooms. One for each of their kids.
The house was a great start but needed a lot of work. Jess just put his stuff in the house. Nothing really fit, there was tons of empty space that he didn't care to fill. Rory can fix this. It will be amazing when she is done.
Rory and Jess sit on his couch and Rory asks if she can invite Dave and Lane up again. They can help with the move and the redecorating.
"Redecorating?" Jess asks.
"Well, we might as well get the kids rooms ready. Y'know, painted. I don't have any furniture, besides that old crib, do you?"
"No, I guess you're right. So what are you doing to the rest of the house?"
"I'm not going to do anything to the rest of the house. Stop freakin' out hunny."
"Alright, invite whoever you want. Do what you want. You're the woman. That's your job. Do as you please."
Jess went home and showered to try and forget his day, and night for that matter. Jess changed his clothes and gathered some things he would need at Rory's for him and his daughter.
Jess showed up that evening in a red t-shirt and jeans with a backpack on his shoulders and a bag of burgers and fries in his hand.
He used his new key to let himself in and started to set the burgers on the table and get some sodas out of the fridge.
Rory's eyes were closed and the babies were lying on a blanket on the floor surrounded by toys and stuffed animals.
Jess slowly approached Rory and whispered in her ear.
"You're fired" Jess teased.
"What?" Rory opened her eyes.
"You're asleep on the job. Your wages are going to be cut." Jess continued.
"Hey! I never got a job description! I didn't know!" Rory began waking up and caught on.
"You don't get a job description."
"Well, how was I supposed to know?! I'm not a babysitter!"
"Good. You're a mom. Mommy's don't get paid." Jess smiled satisfied that she didn't have an immediate comeback. In his book, he won.
Rory smelled the burgers. "Alright, Dad," she mocked, "Let's eat."
After dinner, they bathe the kids and put them to bed.
Rory answers the phone and looks worried and says not much more than "ok" and "I understand."
She hangs up the phone and flashes a concerned look at Jess, but he knows that she is ok. It's something they can work out, and he is not one to pry. But he always wants her to know that he is there when she is ready.
Rory walks to her bed and lies down, curled up on her side, rubbing her arms. If Jess weren't there she would have started to cry. Jess just curls up behind her and puts his arm around her waist and kisses the back of her head. She rolls over so they face each other and she looks into his eyes, and continues rolling, until she is on top of him, and she begins passionately making out with him. He is surprised by this reaction. In a bit, he pulls away and takes her hand and leads her gently to the kitchen table. He pulls a chair out for her and then sits across the table.
Jess takes both of Rory's hands and starts talking.
"Next time he calls, tell him thanks for me." Jess smiles at his own cleverness.
"What? Who?"
"The guy who called and told you to make out with me."
"That's not what she said."
"Oh. Ok"
"It was the lady I'm renting from," Rory continued.
She's talking. Jess's plan worked like a charm.
"she said that I have 30 days in this apartment. I have a newborn. I don't have time to look for another place and move in. I like this place. I gave you a copy of the key. I'm gonna need that back. I'm sorry. What do you want to do?" Jess smiles at Rory's babbling.
"Babe, everything is going to be fine."
"Where am I gonna go?"
"Well, you can stay at my place until you want to leave."
"Ok, great, thank you," Rory switched into plan mode, "I can look through the paper and ads tonight and then tomorrow I can go look for a place. Maybe I can just get another one in the complex, or just down the street. Can you baby-sit?"
Jess pulled Rory's head close with his index finger and his thumb and kissed her.
"Rory, you're not going to look for a place tomorrow."
"Why not?"
"I've already found you one."
"What?"
"I think Yale made you completely oblivious. Rory, I want you to move in with me." Jess spoke slowly.
Rory's eyes lit up. Finally she got it. She kissed him.
"So that's a yes?" Jess asked.
"I don't know." Rory teased, "I'm going to have to see it first. Maybe look at other places. I should really get the value of the property assessed, and have the foundation checked before I move in. I mean I do have a baby! Have you had it checked for asbestos?"
The next day, when everybody was dressed and ready, Jess took both his backpack and Rory's freshly packed bag full of everything she will need for a night and a day at Jess's. He came back to get Rory and the kids. He drives them into his neighborhood. They pass an elementary school with a gorgeous park and kids swinging and playing. This image makes her happy. Just down the street, Jess pulls up to a white and gray two-story house with a neatly cut lawn and a little courtyard with a bench and a table.
"What's this?" Rory asks.
"It's my house"
"This is yours?" Rory says in amazement.
"No," Jess says, completely emotionless.
"Oh," Rory is slightly disappointed.
"It's ours." Jess grinned.
Rory pecked him and quickly got out of the car and got the kids. Jess unlocked the door and gave her and Mason a tour of the house. It was a perfect house to raise children in. The house, the neighborhood, everything. Downstairs had a family room, a living room/ dining room combo, a kitchen, and a den, which is Jess's office. Upstairs had a master bedroom and two other bedrooms. One for each of their kids.
The house was a great start but needed a lot of work. Jess just put his stuff in the house. Nothing really fit, there was tons of empty space that he didn't care to fill. Rory can fix this. It will be amazing when she is done.
Rory and Jess sit on his couch and Rory asks if she can invite Dave and Lane up again. They can help with the move and the redecorating.
"Redecorating?" Jess asks.
"Well, we might as well get the kids rooms ready. Y'know, painted. I don't have any furniture, besides that old crib, do you?"
"No, I guess you're right. So what are you doing to the rest of the house?"
"I'm not going to do anything to the rest of the house. Stop freakin' out hunny."
"Alright, invite whoever you want. Do what you want. You're the woman. That's your job. Do as you please."