Chapter Two
"It's not that I am in love with him. I can't be in love with him, you know? I mean it was ten years ago, a decade is a long time and we aren't the same people we were before you know. But I mean I just didn't expect to walk into my mother's house and find him there. Which is stupid considering you know, he's Luke's nephew and all but it just never even crossed my mind that he would be there. I mean, I haven't seen him in years, nor have I thought about but it just threw me for a loop." Rory finally takes a deep breath after what is her five minute monologue.
Lane nods, "I know."
Rory sighs deeply, "all right. I think I'm good. I just had to get that off my chest."
Lane smiles warmly at her friend, "you going to be OK?"
Rory's expression darkens slightly, "you're starting to sound like my mother. I'm fine."
"I'm just worried, you're pregnant and everything, stress isn't good for you."
Rory shakes her head knowing that that wasn't all Lane had meant, "bye Lane."
"Bye Rory." Lane calls as Rory is all ready heading out the door with Shaya.
"How do I look Mommy?" Shaya asks turning around fulling in her flower girl dress.
"You look beautiful sweetie." Rory can feel tears well up in her eyes as she stares at her daughter. Shay looked adorable in the white A-line dress, with a shear layer over the white silk and flowers adorning the waistline. Shaya wraps her arms around Rory's waist and Rory gently kisses her forehead.
"Will you be wanting to pick up your dress also Ms. Gilmore?" The woman who owned the small bridal boutique questioned.
"Yes, please. And my grandmother, Emily Gilmore." Rory responds.
"Now would you like a final fitting?" The woman questions.
Rory glances at her watch, she had to pick up Sookie's kids in a little over 10 minutes past the time it would take her to get back in Star's Hollow. On the other hand, while she had barely gained any weight in the seven months of her pregnancy she didn't want to run the risk of not fitting into her wedding dress.
Standing in front of the mirror the owner exclaims, "I had no idea you were pregnant."
Rory places her hand on her stomach, only when she wore tighter shirts could you tell she was pregnant and the dress even hid that fact slightly. It was light blue and strapless, the waistline fell low and the bodice material was sort of bunched.
"How far along are you?" The owner questions.
"Seven months." Rory responds.
The woman's reaction is the one Rory seems to get often, surprise at the fact that she was so small. But Rory had been the same size when she was pregnant with Shaya, and she had been even smaller when she was pregnant with Austin.
"Well the dress seems to fit perfectly." The woman states cheerfully, "I hope your mother's wedding day is beautiful."
Rory nods, "thank you."
Rory pulls into Sookie and Jackson's driveway exactly on time and ringing the doorbell, she'd left Shaya in the car, she can hear all of the noise coming from inside. Sookie suddenly appears holding her youngest, one-year-old Kylie, with the rest of the children gathered around her.
"Do you want to borrow my minivan?" Sookie asks handing Rory the diaper bag.
"No, it's fine. I figured we would just go to the park for the day and then get dinner at Luke's, so we'll walk as soon as I get everything dropped off at my house."
Sookie nods, "thank you so much for doing this Rory. There was no way Jackson could have watched them all day and your Mom and I still have so much to do, but if you get overwhelmed let me know and I can take some of them off your hands."
Rory smiles at Sookie, "I'm sure we'll be OK, so is everyone ready to go to the park?"
Sookie's four older children, Davy who was now nine, twins Madison and Riley, 6, and three-year-old Scarlet all cheer as Sookie urges them to be good for Rory. Once they have promised they load into Rory's car.
By the time they actually reach Luke's that evening it is much later than Rory had expected. The kids had enjoyed the park, doing different things and spreading themselves out through the park, going only as far as Rory would let them. And by the time they sat down at a large table at Luke's everyone was exhausted, and Kylie was all ready asleep having eaten, from the food Sookie had prepared for her, earlier.
"Mommy look, it's your friend from Grandma's house." Shaya exclaims as Jess walks down the steps from Luke's apartment. Jumping up Shaya runs to him and asks, "do you want to have dinner with us, Mommy's friend?"
Jess looks back and forth between Shaya and Rory, not wanting Jess to think that she didn't want him to stay she adds, "yeah Jess, join us."
Jess shrugs, "if it's not a problem."
Madison shrugs, "the more the merrier."
Rory can't help but smile at Madison, she seemed to take the most after her mother. "Exactly."
By the time dinner is finished and paid for Scarlet and Shaya have joined Kylie in her sleep and Jess offers, "I can help you take them home if you want."
Rory shakes her head, "I couldn't ask you to do that. Besides it's not far to my house."
"So, you what, expect to carry two toddlers and a baby?" Jess asks, "it's not a problem really. Otherwise I would be sitting in Luke's apartment watching the paint peel."
Rory shrugs, "if you don't mind."
It really wasn't all that far to Rory's house but Jess had been right she never would have made it on her own. Jess follows Rory into the house and tucks gently sets Scarlet and Shaya in Shaya's bed and Rory finds places for the rest of the children.
By the time they meet in the hallway again Jess is looking at the pictures of Shaya, sometimes with a slightly older boy, "Shaya is really sweet."
Rory smiles, "thank you. She's my everything."
"I can tell." Jess responds, "who's the little boy."
Rory looks away so that she is no longer facing Jess, "that's my son Austin."
Knowing immediately that Rory doesn't want talk about her son for some reason Jess drops the subject and changes to a worse one, "so where's your husband, what's his name? Michael or something..."
Rory's voice is soft and barely audible, "he's not in the picture any longer."
With the uncomfortable silence surrounding them now Jess states softly, "I'm sorry I brought it up." And then he adds, "I should be going. I guess I will see you later, lot's of wedding stuff coming up."
"It's not that I am in love with him. I can't be in love with him, you know? I mean it was ten years ago, a decade is a long time and we aren't the same people we were before you know. But I mean I just didn't expect to walk into my mother's house and find him there. Which is stupid considering you know, he's Luke's nephew and all but it just never even crossed my mind that he would be there. I mean, I haven't seen him in years, nor have I thought about but it just threw me for a loop." Rory finally takes a deep breath after what is her five minute monologue.
Lane nods, "I know."
Rory sighs deeply, "all right. I think I'm good. I just had to get that off my chest."
Lane smiles warmly at her friend, "you going to be OK?"
Rory's expression darkens slightly, "you're starting to sound like my mother. I'm fine."
"I'm just worried, you're pregnant and everything, stress isn't good for you."
Rory shakes her head knowing that that wasn't all Lane had meant, "bye Lane."
"Bye Rory." Lane calls as Rory is all ready heading out the door with Shaya.
"How do I look Mommy?" Shaya asks turning around fulling in her flower girl dress.
"You look beautiful sweetie." Rory can feel tears well up in her eyes as she stares at her daughter. Shay looked adorable in the white A-line dress, with a shear layer over the white silk and flowers adorning the waistline. Shaya wraps her arms around Rory's waist and Rory gently kisses her forehead.
"Will you be wanting to pick up your dress also Ms. Gilmore?" The woman who owned the small bridal boutique questioned.
"Yes, please. And my grandmother, Emily Gilmore." Rory responds.
"Now would you like a final fitting?" The woman questions.
Rory glances at her watch, she had to pick up Sookie's kids in a little over 10 minutes past the time it would take her to get back in Star's Hollow. On the other hand, while she had barely gained any weight in the seven months of her pregnancy she didn't want to run the risk of not fitting into her wedding dress.
Standing in front of the mirror the owner exclaims, "I had no idea you were pregnant."
Rory places her hand on her stomach, only when she wore tighter shirts could you tell she was pregnant and the dress even hid that fact slightly. It was light blue and strapless, the waistline fell low and the bodice material was sort of bunched.
"How far along are you?" The owner questions.
"Seven months." Rory responds.
The woman's reaction is the one Rory seems to get often, surprise at the fact that she was so small. But Rory had been the same size when she was pregnant with Shaya, and she had been even smaller when she was pregnant with Austin.
"Well the dress seems to fit perfectly." The woman states cheerfully, "I hope your mother's wedding day is beautiful."
Rory nods, "thank you."
Rory pulls into Sookie and Jackson's driveway exactly on time and ringing the doorbell, she'd left Shaya in the car, she can hear all of the noise coming from inside. Sookie suddenly appears holding her youngest, one-year-old Kylie, with the rest of the children gathered around her.
"Do you want to borrow my minivan?" Sookie asks handing Rory the diaper bag.
"No, it's fine. I figured we would just go to the park for the day and then get dinner at Luke's, so we'll walk as soon as I get everything dropped off at my house."
Sookie nods, "thank you so much for doing this Rory. There was no way Jackson could have watched them all day and your Mom and I still have so much to do, but if you get overwhelmed let me know and I can take some of them off your hands."
Rory smiles at Sookie, "I'm sure we'll be OK, so is everyone ready to go to the park?"
Sookie's four older children, Davy who was now nine, twins Madison and Riley, 6, and three-year-old Scarlet all cheer as Sookie urges them to be good for Rory. Once they have promised they load into Rory's car.
By the time they actually reach Luke's that evening it is much later than Rory had expected. The kids had enjoyed the park, doing different things and spreading themselves out through the park, going only as far as Rory would let them. And by the time they sat down at a large table at Luke's everyone was exhausted, and Kylie was all ready asleep having eaten, from the food Sookie had prepared for her, earlier.
"Mommy look, it's your friend from Grandma's house." Shaya exclaims as Jess walks down the steps from Luke's apartment. Jumping up Shaya runs to him and asks, "do you want to have dinner with us, Mommy's friend?"
Jess looks back and forth between Shaya and Rory, not wanting Jess to think that she didn't want him to stay she adds, "yeah Jess, join us."
Jess shrugs, "if it's not a problem."
Madison shrugs, "the more the merrier."
Rory can't help but smile at Madison, she seemed to take the most after her mother. "Exactly."
By the time dinner is finished and paid for Scarlet and Shaya have joined Kylie in her sleep and Jess offers, "I can help you take them home if you want."
Rory shakes her head, "I couldn't ask you to do that. Besides it's not far to my house."
"So, you what, expect to carry two toddlers and a baby?" Jess asks, "it's not a problem really. Otherwise I would be sitting in Luke's apartment watching the paint peel."
Rory shrugs, "if you don't mind."
It really wasn't all that far to Rory's house but Jess had been right she never would have made it on her own. Jess follows Rory into the house and tucks gently sets Scarlet and Shaya in Shaya's bed and Rory finds places for the rest of the children.
By the time they meet in the hallway again Jess is looking at the pictures of Shaya, sometimes with a slightly older boy, "Shaya is really sweet."
Rory smiles, "thank you. She's my everything."
"I can tell." Jess responds, "who's the little boy."
Rory looks away so that she is no longer facing Jess, "that's my son Austin."
Knowing immediately that Rory doesn't want talk about her son for some reason Jess drops the subject and changes to a worse one, "so where's your husband, what's his name? Michael or something..."
Rory's voice is soft and barely audible, "he's not in the picture any longer."
With the uncomfortable silence surrounding them now Jess states softly, "I'm sorry I brought it up." And then he adds, "I should be going. I guess I will see you later, lot's of wedding stuff coming up."