The Gilmore-Grey Union
By Michael Weyer
POV: Vincent
I'm packing my bag, I have no idea why. My flight isn't until tomorrow so I guess the fleeing instinct has kicked in my brain somewhere. I don't want to leave Rory high and dry with all this but I don't know how else to handle it. Not that there's exactly a right way to handle a situation like this.
When the door knocks, I'm there and opening it, figuring it's Rory. Instead, it's that guy, Logan, who's got a sour look on his face. "Hey," he says. "I want to talk to you."
Now, I try not to instantly judge people but I don't like this guy. I don't. He's a rich kid, I can already tell and one of the ones who likes being a rich kid to boot. He may be smart but he's also cocky and I didn't quite like how he seemed to take the news of the marriage. Then again, Mom and Amy didn't take it well either so maybe that's understandable.
I step back to let him enter. He's wiping his hands on his pants and I can tell he's got some energy. I'm really hoping this doesn't come to a fight because I'm pretty sure the last thing Rory needs is her husband and her boyfriend coming to blows.
"Okay," he starts as he paces. "Let's get this out of the way right now. Did you get her drunk on purpose?"
"No!" I deny. "I mean…I barely remember last night. Any of it." I emphasize the last part, which hopefully will cut off a few of his questions.
He nods at that as he keeps pacing. "Okay. Look, this is…well, it's a tough situation but we can handle it. My dad's a big publishing guy, maybe you've heard of him?"
"I have, actually," I say. "I used to work at a newspaper in Hartford before I did my book."
He nods again. "Well, between him and Rory's grandparents, I'm pretty sure we can handle this and get it swept under the rug fast. Now, I don't know how much money you'd want but my dad and I will try to make it worth your while. We'll probably have to get some disclosure agreements set up and…."
"Wait, wait, hold the phone," I say, holding up my hand. "Are you saying…you want to pay me to end this marriage? You think I want money?"
He frowns as he looks at me. "Well…I just figured that, yeah, you would want some sort of compensation."
My dislike of this guy grows even more. I can tell he honestly believes I'm after money. It's the upbringing, he just assumes people want an angle and he can pay his way out of anything. Well, time to give boy wonder here a piece of the real world.
"I don't know what we're doing," I say, waving a hand to cut him off. "I didn't want this to happen at all and neither did Rory. I don't care about money right now. In fact, I'm more worried about her and how she's going to deal with it." Which is more than you're doing, I silently add.
"I can handle Ace," Logan continues in an offhand manner. "She'll realize how good it is to get rid of this fast and she can move on with her life. If we have to grease some wheels to do it, so much the better. I can afford it."
I am really starting to get annoyed by this punk. I try to keep my temper in check as I speak. "Shouldn't you be talking this over with Rory? She has as much a say in this as I do."
"Hey, she was an unwilling participant in this."
"So was I," I point out. "You care about her so much, you should be able to give her consideration for such a huge decision."
"There's no decision," he snaps. "She doesn't belong to you, she doesn't want you, so you're going to be gone before you know it."
The 'belong' comment really hits a chord with me and I'm moving toward him when the door knocks again. I glare at him before moving to open it. "Rory," I say.
"Hi," she says as she enters. She's now in a nice pair of slacks and red blouse, her hair combed and she really looks a lot better now than before. She glances at Logan with surprise. "Logan? What are you doing here?"
"Oh, your boyfriend was just trying to see how much he'd have to bribe me to get me to leave you alone."
Okay, so I could have phrased that better but this asshole pissed me off. Besides, number one rule of marriage (even a drunken one) is to be honest with your spouse.
She stares at him in amazement. "You…what!"
"Ace, I was just trying to…."
She cuts him off and points a finger at him. "We…will talk about this later. Right now, Vincent and I have something to discuss so could you wait back at our room?"
"Ace…"
"Logan." There's a flash in her eyes as she speaks and she seems older than her years. He opens his mouth and then closes it before marching off. He throws me a last nasty glare and I know this isn't quite over yet.
She sighs as she turns to me. "Sorry about that. He…well, he can be a bit difficult sometimes."
"Easy way to put it," I remark. "So, um…what's going on?"
She sighs deeply and crosses her arms. "I think things just got a little more complicated."
And my day continues its downward slope. On the bright side, this may make one hell of a book someday. I just hope it doesn't end up a horror story.