A/N Thanks to orbit for the beta, and thanks to Kasia for letting me steal her line about being in the same page of the same book.
Lorelai
Two weeks since D-Day
I laugh as I watch Davey try to "help" take care of Martha. It's a good thing baby wipes are non-toxic…
"So," Sookie asks, "did you and Luke actually talk after the 'miscommunication breakdown?'"
"We did." I smile as I watch Sookie patiently take away the baby wipe and guide Davey's little hand to helping her brush Martha's silky baby hair.
"And…?"
"Well, we're definitely on the same page about things."
Sookie raises her eyebrow questioningly, signaling for me to continue.
"Yes, in the same book, too. Turns out we always were. We were both so afraid we weren't in the same place, we ended up pushing further apart. Ironic, huh?"
"Really?" she asks, not even attempting to hide her surprise.
"Yeah, who would've thought – Luke wants a family." I smile and start to drift off.
I snap myself out of it just in time to see Sookie looking wistfully at me as Davey is about to step on Martha's head. I decide it is probably easiest just to grab him myself, so I jump up quickly, capture him under his arms, and toss him in the air before catching him. He squeals in delight as I put him back down.
I sit back down on the couch, and Davey starts to crawl all over me like I'm a jungle gym.
"So…?" Sookie prods.
"Sooooo? What?"
"Well, when are you going to do all this marrying and baby making and 'middle' stuff?"
"After much discussion, we decided that we would set our wedding date in about a year. We figure there is no reason to rush, and that way we can have everything the way we want. Well, Luke mumbled something about eloping, but he agreed not to hurry so things can be the way I want."
Davey grabs my cheeks and gives me a big, sloppy kiss. I laugh and tickle him. "Looks like Luke's got some competition here. As far as baby making and other 'middle' stuff, we decided that we would sit down and have a long talk right around the time of the wedding."
"Uh-huh."
"What?"
"Well, you do need to think about 'hurrying' a little more there, don't you?"
"What are you talking about?"
"Tick, tick, tick…"
"Sook, I'm not that old. If we start trying in a year or two, I don't think we will have to worry too much," I say, frowning at her.
"A-HA!" she shouts. "You have thought more about it!"
"Yeah, well, maybe the discussion wasn't quite so open-ended," I smile and start to bounce Davey on my knee.
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I wake up to clanging sounds downstairs. Luke must be making me breakfast. I take a deep breath and think about just how much I like waking up with Luke in the house. I like waking up next to him even more, but let's face it – he gets out of bed too damn early most mornings for that to happen.
I enjoy falling asleep next to him. And I don't like sleeping without him next to me. And he's been here every night for the last couple weeks…
I think I just figured out today's breakfast conversation – how to make sure I don't have to sleep without him any more.
I toss on a pair of pajama pants and walk downstairs to the kitchen. I stand in the doorway for a minute and take in the view.
Luke is standing in the kitchen, towel thrown over his shoulder, cooking breakfast with his shirtsleeves rolled up to his elbows. He looks up at me and smiles. He motions toward the table, and I notice that he's already poured me a cup of coffee. He really is the perfect man.
"How do you want your eggs?"
I contemplate for a moment. "Over-easy. I'm in a runny yolk kind of mood this morning."
I sit at the table for a few minutes, breathing in my coffee and sipping slowly while staring off into space.
Luke comes over and sets my plate in front of me, placing a bowl of oatmeal down for himself as he joins me for breakfast.
"You haven't eaten yet?" I ask, chewing on a piece of bacon.
"I slept a bit late. Someone kept me up half the damn night."
I smile at him and we continue eating our breakfast in silence. Every few moments, Luke glances at me suspiciously.
"Why are you so quiet this morning?"
"Just thinking," I mumble, hoping to buy myself a few more minutes before I bring up the topic for the day.
"About?"
Or maybe I don't get a few more minutes…
"About us." I take a deep breath, knowing that I'm going to have to continue right away. Silence won't cut it after that statement.
He raises his eyebrow, signaling for me to continue.
"What is with the eyebrow raising? I mean, yesterday I was talking to Sookie about some things, and she did the same thing. Am I that easy to read?"
"Yes," he says impatiently.
"Okay, okay, I'm sorry. Luke, you know that I love you, right?"
"Yes."
"And you know that I want to spend the rest of my life with you?"
"Yes," he says, his voice a mix of irritation and curiosity.
"And I'm incredibly happy we've decided we should get married next year. By the way, I've decided that the wedding should be in either May or July, because that way we won't loose a perfectly good paying wedding at the Inn in June."
"Lorelai."
"What?"
"You're rambling."
"We should move in together." There, I said it.
Luke is quiet. Very quiet. He takes a sip of his juice and eyes me. It bothers me that I can't figure out what he is thinking.
"Are you sure?" he asks, smiling, "I was hoping we would have this discussion soon."
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As I go through the mail for the day, I notice a letter for Lorelai Leigh Gilmore from the courts of Fairfield County. I sigh, remembering that her court appearance is Friday the 3rd.
I guess I should call her. It has been a week. She did call to tell me about the new job, and I shouldn't wait to tell her about Luke moving in.
I grab the phone and call her cell. When she answers, I say in my best cheery voice, "Hey, kid."
"Hi Mom. What's going on?" Dammit, she's talking in her best cheery voice, too. She must have checked the caller ID. I guess we'll both pretend everything is normal.
"Hey, got a letter here for you from the Fairfield County Court. Do you want me to open it?"
"Yeah, go ahead. I'm guessing it's a reminder. Grandpa's lawyer said they would send one."
"Well, Grandpa's lawyer must know his stuff, 'cause that's exactly what it is."
"Was that all you wanted?" she asks. I can tell she is straining to feign that this is a pleasant conversation.
"Uh…How's the new job?"
"Very different than I had expected, but I've really been enjoying it. It is a lot of work."
"Good, that's good," I say, keeping the pretense of being upbeat. I still can't believe she actually took i that /i job.
"Anything else?"
"Well, actually there is one thing you should be aware of."
"What's that?"
I suck in a breath before plodding forward, "Luke and I talked about it this morning, and he's going to be moving into the house soon."
"Really?" she says, not sounding very surprised.
"Yes. We decided it is time. And it would make planning the wedding easier."
"That's great, Mom. Look, I have to go. Grandma and Grandpa are waiting for me for dinner. I'll see you Friday morning."
"Okay, see you Friday," I mumble, hanging up the phone. You can't really call what we've been doing communicating, but I guess passing back and forth pieces of information is better than nothing. I toss the letter in the trash with a heavy heart.
-----------------
As I sit at the counter removing the salad from my burger, Luke walks by and smiles at me.
"Hey," he says cheerfully, touching my shoulder on his way by.
"Hey," I mutter, continuing to pick at my burger.
"Well that was enthusiastic."
"Sorry. I had to call Rory earlier and…."
"She didn't take it well?" he asks, his voice laden with concern.
"Oh, hon, no. She took it fine. She just wasn't particularly chatty."
He eyes me suspiciously, but apparently decides it isn't worth prying – here, at the counter in the diner. "Okay. Hey, did you ever call Mike Armstrong and to tell him what you decided?"
"No, that's on my agenda for this afternoon."
"What are you going to tell him?"
"The same thing I told you, Luke. I'm not selling the Inn." I smile as I remember our discussion and Luke's insistence on compromise.
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"Mike Armstrong please. Lorelai Gilmore. Sure, I'll hold."
I tap a pen on my desk as I wait for him to pick up the phone.
"Hi Mike. I'm doing fine, how are you? Yes, actually, that's what I wanted to talk to you about."
"Sookie and I have decided that we're not interested in selling the inn right now. It's our baby – and it's only a year old."
"Well, that's very nice of you. Consulting? Well, maybe on a limited basis. Oh, 2-3 projects a year might be workable."