Luke POV

I pulled out the little box that I had hidden behind the counter to show Rory, "Do you like it?"

She smiled, "It's really pretty."

"It was my mother's," I told her, "And I plan on using it tonight to propose to your mother."

I almost held my breath, but the look on Rory's face told me I didn't need to, "Finally!"

I laughed, "I've got it all planned, just make sure you don't need us tonight. Only call us if you're bleeding."

She beamed up at me, "I'm staying with Grandma and Grandpa, I'll be fine. If Sookie was watching me, then I'd be concerned."

I hugged her, "They're picking you up from school, be good for them, and I'll pick you up tomorrow lunchtime."

I paced in the apartment above the diner. While it had been redecorated and styled to fit Liz and Jess (who had left last week, as expected), I would still hide up there when I was nervous.

Before Liz left, she kissed my cheek and told me to marry Lorelai, that Lorelai was perfect for me, better than Rachel or Anna had ever been, and she wanted to see me happy. She also told me that I really was Rory's father in all senses of the word, and even though I didn't have any rights to her, I could adopt her.

Christopher had written to Rory a few times since going to prison. In some letters, he'll apologise for what he did, and in others, he'd threaten her and scare her. The last letter didn't even get opened and we burnt it instead. She'd be 16 by the time he gets out of prison, and we're hoping that it'll be enough time for him to move on.

I pulled the ring out of my pocket and looked at it again. I had the feeling she'd say yes, everyone was saying that we were acting married, but it didn't stop me from being nervous.

I looked at my watch as it turned 5, and I headed downstairs to go and pick her up from work. I could feel my heart beating the entire time, my nerves making themselves known.

"Hey, love," She said as she got in the truck, kissing me softly, "Are you going to tell me where we're going?"

"It's a normal restaurant, Lorelai, it's not a big deal," I said, only the last part being the lie. The date was a very big deal, just not the place.

She sighed and put on her seatbelt, resting her hand on my thigh as I drove. I knew she was doing it to drive me insane, but I managed to ignore her as we drove.

"This is where we had our first date," She said as I pulled in, "And that alleyway over there is what caused me to walk home looking like I'd been fucked."

I laughed, "Actually, it was my hands that did that."

"My mistake," She said sarcastically before kissing me, "So why are we here?"

"They do good food, it's no big deal," While they did do good food, that wasn't why we were there. I'm not sure she brought it, but she dropped the subject.

We got out of the car and walked into the restaurant, my hand in hers, "Reservation under Danes."

We were led to a little booth at the back, something I had specifically arranged. I didn't want to do the whole 'get down on one knee' thing, I wanted to be level with her and I definitely wanted a bit of privacy.

I rested my hand on her inner thigh as we looked through the menu together, discussing our options. She was torn between the largest steak available or the sharer platter for herself, and I was looking at the vegetarian options, remembering how good they were. While I wasn't a vegetarian, they did have good food.

We ordered and started talking about our days. She told me how Sookie had somehow set herself on fire and how Michel accidentally offended someone because he cursed a French person in French. I told her how her parents had come into the diner and immediately stuck their noses up at it, causing Rory to dissolve into a fit of the giggles. And once they tried a piece of pie, they were suddenly approving, which was even funnier.

As we ate, we slipped into a comfortable silence. We no longer felt like we had to fill every little gap with talk and could comfortably sit together without saying a word.

She somehow finished her meal before I did and picked at some of the food on my plate, making her strange comments. I ignored her in favour of eating because I knew making a comment on it only encouraged it, but when I finished, I gave her my full attention, wrapping an arm around her.

She started people watching and telling me what she thought each person was talking about, making me laugh with her weird guesses. I added my own comments, used to this by now, but let her get on with it while I thought about the ring in my pocket.

"You're distracted tonight," She murmured, looking up at me, her eyes showing concern, "Is something wrong?"

I smiled at her, realising this was as good of a time as any. I pulled the ring out of my pocket and opened it, "Will you marry me?"

Her eyes brightened and she grinned, "I knew there was a reason you brought me back here."

I scoffed, "Of course you can't give me an immediate answer, you have to focus on that instead."

I wasn't really complaining and she knew it. She kissed me softly, then deeply, "Yes, I'll marry you."

I slid the ring on her finger before kissing her again, my hands immediately travelling. I wanted her then and there, so I tore myself away from her long enough to pay, and then we got out of there.

AN: One more chapter to go! I've updated my profile with details of the sequel (title, rating and summary) so go and have a look. I'll be posting the first chapter to it next week, immediately after the last chapter of Piece by Piece. I'm nervous, but also very excited, so I hope you are, too.