Chapter 8
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The next day at the Independence Inn, Lorelai was on the phone when Michel arrived, and he started going through some papers next to her. She finished booking a reservation and hung up the phone, and Michel immediately said, "You did not put the groundskeeping invoice in the right spot."
Lorelai smiled and cheerfully replied, "My weekend was great, Michel, how was yours?"
"It was fantastic," Michel replied dryly. "I went to the gym, I ate impeccably healthy, I slept a solid 8 hours last night, I woke up in a mood rivaling that time my grandfather gave me his pair of antique French cufflinks, and then the first thing I see this morning is the groundskeeping invoice in the wrong spot, so that sets the tone for the entire week."
"Well, I'm very sorry that my misplacement of a piece of paper has ruined your week," Lorelai said sympathetically. "What about if, to make up for it, I don't remind you about last week when you spilled your coffee on the reservation book because you got scared when you saw a spider and then we had to dry it with a hair dryer?" She cocked her head to the side. "Okay?"
Michel scrunched his nose at her and grumbled, "Fine."
Lorelai smiled and patted him on the back. "Great. Now, can you watch the desk? I have to go talk to Sookie."
As Michel started muttering under his breath about how big the spider was, Lorelai headed to the kitchen. "How's it going in here?" she asked as she walked through the swinging door.
Sookie excitedly waved her wooden spoon in the air. "Do you smell it?"
Lorelai took a deep breath. "Yes, I do, I smell it! I smell... something." She narrowed her eyes. "What exactly do I smell?"
"You smell the carrot cake muffin recipe that I've just perfected," Sookie cheerfully declared. "I was getting bored with the old recipe and decided to try to give it some more oomph, and after 10 tries, I finally got it absolutely perfect."
Lorelai gasped. "Cool! That's exciting, guests love muffins with oomph."
Sookie nodded and giggled with excitement. "And I'm making a cream cheese frosting, obviously."
"Obviously." Lorelai walked over to the coffee maker. "How was your Easter?"
"It was good," Sookie replied. "We went to Jackson's parents' house for a late lunch, and then we came home and took Davey for a walk through town and played out in the yard for awhile."
"We did that, too. The weather was beautiful."
"It was perfect. We saw a lot of people out looking for the missing eggs."
"Yeah, they made some good progress," Lorelai replied as she walked back over to Sookie with her cup of coffee. "There are only a dozen or so left."
"How was your Easter?" Sookie asked. "How was lunch with your parents?"
Lorelai set her coffee on the counter. "It was good, and something happened that I want to talk to you about... something big and important and unexpected."
"Ooh, intrigue," Sookie replied, and she sat down on the stool next to the counter. "What's up?"
Lorelai glanced around the kitchen, taking note of where the staff was and lowering her voice accordingly. "Well... what do you think about us getting a move on our own inn within the next few years?" she asked quietly. "You think that's doable?"
Sookie was surprised by the question, but replied with a nod. "I think so. Why?"
Lorelai explained the situation with Gran's money, and how it needed to be used toward the new inn within three years. "We don't have to technically open it by then, but I have to start investing in it, I have to use this money towards it in some way before I lose it," Lorelai finished.
Sookie's eyes were wide as she listened to Lorelai. When Lorelai had finished, Sookie stared at her silently for a moment before blinking her eyes a few times and shaking her head in disbelief. "Okay, first of all, your relatives are way more generous than mine are."
"Yeah, well, payoffs are how they eventually try to make up for trying to manipulate you your whole life."
"Hey, I'll take the lifelong manipulation if it ends with a cash settlement," Sookie said.
Lorelai smiled. "So, what do you think?" she asked. "You think we can do it?"
"Yeah, I think that gives us plenty of time to either try to get the Dragonfly, or look for another property," Sookie said. "And also, once we do get something going, we'll have time to let Mia know we're leaving without just leaving her in the lurch, you know?
Lorelai covered her face with her hands. "Ugh, I forgot about that part... breaking it to Mia."
"But she knows that's our goal," Sookie reminded her. "You told her yourself that was the plan someday and she was happy for us."
"I know, but it still makes me feel bad."
Sookie squeezed Lorelai's hand. "Don't feel bad. She wants this for us... think about how proud she's gonna be!"
Lorelai smiled and nodded in agreement. "Yeah, she will be proud." She glanced around them, and then leaned in closer to Sookie. "And there's one more thing that I'll fill you in on, just between us... Luke and I are gonna start trying for baby number 2. Well, 3 for me, 2 for him."
Sookie gasped. "Oh my God!" She stood up and hugged Lorelai. "That's so exciting!"
Lorelai grinned and nodded in agreement. "Yeah, it is."
Sookie's smile suddenly faded into a look of confusion. "Wait... was that another one of your grandmother's dying requests?"
Lorelai laughed and shook her head. "No, this was our decision, and no outsiders were involved in making it."
"Oh, okay, good, because that would be a little weird."
"Insanely weird," Lorelai said, and then shrugged as she added, "But hey, if the price was right..."
"Sign me up!" Sookie finished, and they both giggled.
Lorelai exhaled a breath. "So... three years," she said. "We have time, but we should also start planning things, okay?"
"A lot could happen in the next few years," Sookie said, hesitating before she added, "You know, with older people getting older and weaker, and possibly -"
"Sookie," Lorelai hissed, interrupting her. "We're not going to manifest something bad happening to any older people for our benefit."
"Okay, okay, sorry. I was just saying... things could happen."
"Yes, things could happen. But if they don't, let's have a backup."
Sookie quickly nodded. "Okay, yes, good idea."
Lorelai picked up her coffee cup. "I have to get back out there before Michel throws a fit," she said. "Your date night's still on for Saturday, right?"
"Yup. You and Luke are still available?"
"Absolutely. We've got 'watch Davey' written on the calendar in big red letters, so we're all set," Lorelai told her. "Now, question for you - can you guys do Sunday, May 2nd?"
Sookie thought for a moment. "I think so, but I'll check with Jackson. Something going on that day?"
"It's Luke's sister's wedding, so I figured we could take Josh for a little while, and then pass him off to a babysitter for a few hours." Lorelai smiled and shrugged. "We'll be all dressed up, it'll feel like a fancy date night... might as well take advantage of that. It'll be our first date where we're surrounded by people dressed in medieval wear, so that should be fun."
Sookie giggled. "It will be fun! I'm a little jealous. And I think we're free, but I'll let you know."
"Thanks," Lorelai replied, and she started walking toward the door, calling over her shoulder, "I'll see you later."
"Bye."
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Two weeks later, on the last Sunday of April, Luke was at the stove cooking breakfast, Lorelai was at the kitchen table, and Josh was eating in his high chair.
They heard the front door open, and Rory's voice immediately called, "Where's the birthday girl?"
"In here!" Lorelai called from the kitchen.
Rory appeared at the entrance of the kitchen and smiled when she saw Lorelai. "Happy birthday!"
Lorelai grinned. "Thank you." She stood up from the table and they hugged tightly. They separated and Lorelai kissed her on the cheek. "You're just in time for birthday breakfast."
"It smells great," Rory said, glancing over at the stove. "Hey, Luke."
"Hey, Rory," Luke replied. "You want some coffee?"
"Sure."
"I'll get it," Lorelai offered. "I need a refill anyway." She grabbed her cup and walked over to the coffee maker.
"I'm gonna put this down," Rory said, referring to her backpack, and then took it to her bedroom. She returned to the kitchen and sat down next to Josh. "Hey, buddy, what are you eating?" Rory asked him, and then surveyed the food on his high chair tray. "Let's see... I see some blueberries, bananas, watermelon. Someone's eating healthy, huh?"
Lorelai sat back down at the table with two cups of coffee. "Yeah, Luke's trying to nutritionalize him while he's young and impressionable."
"There's no hope for you two, but he still has a chance," Luke added.
"How was dinner last night?" Rory asked. Babette and Morey had watched Josh while Luke and Lorelai went out for a celebratory birthday dinner.
"It was really nice, we loved our meals," Lorelai replied, and then she glanced over at Luke. "And dessert was amazing, too - right, hon?"
"Yup," Luke agreed.
Rory made a face. "Ugh. Stop there, please."
Lorelai smirked. "I was referring to the amazing dessert sampler platter that we shared at the restaurant, and nothing else."
Rory exhaled a sigh of relief. "Okay."
"But thanks for your constant reminder that you find just the basic idea of us being intimate the most revolting image in the world," Lorelai added.
"Do you know a single person in the world who doesn't find the idea of their parents being intimate revolting?" Rory countered. "I mean, think about your - "
Lorelai held up her hands. "Don't you dare finish that sentence," she interrupted. "That's not an image we want to conjure up ever, let alone on my birthday."
"Well, it's how you got a birthday to begin with, so it's all related," Luke chimed in.
Lorelai made a face. "Ugh, come on."
"Okay, we're dropping the subject," he said as he brought their plates to the table. "Breakfast is ready." Luke grabbed his own plate and sat down with them to eat.
"Did you get your work done yesterday?" Lorelai hopefully asked Rory.
"Yup, worked on my paper all night and finished it, so I'm completely yours all day today," Rory confirmed. "No rushing back to school to do homework."
Lorelai excitedly clapped her hands. "Yay! Okay, we'll go to the flower show in the square for a little while, grab lunch there, and then when Josh is ready for his nap, maybe Luke can bring him home while the girls go use my birthday coupons." She turned to Luke and added, "Stars Hollow Beauty Supply and Sissy's Shoes have generously offered me 10% off my purchases today. Can you stay with the boy while we put these coupons to good use?"
"Yeah, I'll bring him home while you go save ten percent off a bunch of crap you don't need," Luke replied dryly.
Lorelai grinned. "Thanks." She turned back to Rory. "Luke is totally fine with the plan."
Rory smirked. "So I heard."
"When should we do presents?" Lorelai asked.
"Whenever you want," Rory replied. "I'm kind of surprised you didn't insist on doing it before we even ate breakfast. I bet the wait is driving you insane."
Lorelai wrinkled her nose as she admitted, "It kind of is."
Rory smiled. "We'll do it after breakfast."
Lorelai exhaled a sigh of relief. "Thank you."
"So, Rory, when do you start your internship?" Luke asked.
"In a few weeks," Rory replied. "A few days after the semester ends."
"The Hartford Courant is a good paper," Lorelai said. "I'm glad you're gonna be somewhere local."
"Yeah, well, considering they're the only paper that offered me anything, I didn't really have a choice," Rory said dejectedly. "Ten applications and only one offer."
"Hey, you got one, kid, and a good one," Lorelai pointed out. "There are probably thousands of people who applied to places and didn't get any offers, right?"
"Yeah," Rory replied quietly.
"And it's paid," Lorelai reminded her. "You know how many college students would love to have an internship at all, let alone a paid one?"
Rory quickly nodded. "Okay, yes, I get your point. I should be grateful for what I got and not whine about not getting more."
"Yes. You got a good gig. You'll work hard, you'll be amazing, and next summer, you'll get another good gig."
Rory smiled appreciatively at Lorelai. "Thanks, Mom."
"You're welcome."
Rory ate a forkful of food, and then said, "Everything's really good, Luke."
"Thanks," Luke replied.
"I agree... good meal, hon," Lorelai said. She cut off a piece of her pancake and broke it into smaller pieces to put on Josh's tray. "There you go, some birthday pancake for you, dude. If you finish that, maybe I'll give you some birthday French toast." She watched as Josh delicately picked up a piece of pancake and bought it to his mouth.
"What do you wanna do after his nap?" Rory asked. "You have plans for the second half of the day?"
"I thought we could just hang out here, maybe sit outside for a little while," Lorelai replied. "And then Sookie's family is coming over for dinner and cake."
"Sounds good," Rory replied.
Lorelai took a sip of her coffee and then set it down on the table. "But let's get to the important matter at hand... we need new dresses for Liz's wedding."
Luke groaned. "Geez."
"Are you groaning at the idea of the wedding or the new dresses?" Lorelai asked.
"Both."
"What do we wear to a Renaissance wedding?" Rory asked.
"I'm not sure if this is accurate, but I'm picturing it in my head to look like the wedding from The Princess Bride," Lorelai replied. "So let's use that as inspiration."
"Ooh, Luke could be Inigo Montoya," Rory suggested.
"Not happening," Luke replied.
"Or we can dress Josh up as Inigo, and Luke can be the dude with eleven fingers," Lorelai suggested.
"Luke would be a villain?" Rory asked confusedly. "Why wouldn't Luke be Wesley?"
"Because it would be fun to make him a glove with 6 fingers on one hand and watch him wear it all night," Lorelai said.
Rory's eyes widened. "Ooh, yeah, that would be fun."
Luke shook his head slightly. "No one is dressing up like a movie character, this is not a costume party," he said. "I'm wearing a normal suit and that's it. Just wear a normal dress."
Lorelai cocked her head to the side. "Need I remind you that - "
"Today's your birthday," Luke finished for her. "Yes, you've mentioned it. That doesn't mean I'm not gonna tell you no when you suggest something I don't wanna do. For example - dressing up in a costume for my sister's wedding."
Lorelai tapped her finger to her chin, pondering something, and then asked, "Okay, but what if I'm able to find some sort of Renaissance costume that involves plaid? Then would you go for the idea?"
Luke sighed and pointed to her plate. "Eat your breakfast."
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A few hours later, after they'd spent some time at the flower show, Luke took Josh home, and Lorelai and Rory headed to the shoe store.
As they walked through the aisle collecting shoes to try on, Lorelai said, "You should start bringing home some of your stuff from your dorm. You know, the smaller things you won't be needing over the next two weeks. And then we'll come up with the SUV to get the bigger stuff."
"Okay," Rory agreed. "I'll bring some stuff next weekend."
"Okay." Lorelai paused a moment before casually adding, "And if you wanted to bring home any of your college pals for a visit, that's okay, too."
Rory smiled. "You'll meet him soon, Mom, I promise."
"How soon is soon?" Lorelai asked. "Like a few hours soon, or more like a few weeks soon?"
"Somewhere in between. I am waiting for the right time."
"Any time is a good time. I'm very flexible, I'll work around your schedule for the highly important parental introduction."
"I know, but I don't want it to be a situation where I'm bringing him home specifically to meet the parents and then we have a 3-hour inquisition over dinner," Rory said. "I need to bring him to an event or something so the introduction part happens naturally but it's not the main focus of the day."
"A 3-hour inquisition? You're confusing the parental meeting with the grandparental meeting, hon," Lorelai pointed out. "Luke and I won't do that."
"I know you won't, I just don't want Mark to be nervous. I want it to be pressure-free for everyone." Rory shrugged and added, "I'm probably overthinking it."
"You? Never," Lorelai joked, and then she suddenly gasped. "Ooh, I know...you should bring him to Liz's wedding! I'm sure she wouldn't mind, and then you have an actual event to bring him to."
Rory looked pained at the thought. "Come on, I don't want to scare him away."
Lorelai laughed. "What? There's no better way to let him know what he's getting into with you than by bringing him home to meet your super friendly mother, adorable brother, and overprotective stepfather at a Renaissance-themed wedding in the middle of the most charming, gossipiest town in Connecticut."
Rory smiled and rolled her eyes. "Uh, yeah, I think I'm good."
"All right, fine," Lorelai said, giving up on the idea. "I'll meet him when I meet him, I'm not gonna bug you about it."
"Thank you."
"Share some more information, at least. I know he grew up in the Providence area and comes from a big family, that's about it. What's he doing for the summer?"
"He has an internship at this financial company outside of Norwich, for like 6 weeks or something," Rory replied. "His oldest brother's family lives in Norwich, so he's gonna stay with them, and then when his internship is over, he's gonna work at their veterinary clinic a few days a week."
"Veterinary clinic," Lorelai repeated. "Interesting."
"Yeah, his brother's a vet and his wife's a nurse who helps run the office," Rory explained. "Mark has been helping out there since they opened a few years ago."
"Very cool, and it's a plus that he likes animals," Lorelai said. "It shows a nurturing side."
"Yeah, so absolutely under no circumstances should you tell him the hamster story," Rory warned her.
Lorelai smiled. "I promise."
After they tried on some shoes and decided on their final purchases, they spent some time at the beauty supply store.
Afterwards, as they were walking through the square to head home, Lorelai heard a voice call, "Lorelai, hey!"
Lorelai and Rory both turned around and saw a guy walking toward them. "Who's that?" Rory asked.
Lorelai squinted a little, and tried to block the sun with her hand to see him better. "Oh, that's Luke's friend, John. You remember, he was in the wedding."
"Oh, right," Rory said.
"Hey, John," Lorelai greeted him as he reached them. "You remember my daughter, Rory?"
"Definitely. How are you guys?"
"We're good," Lorelai said, and held up the shopping bag in her hand. "Successful day."
John smiled. "I see that. Happy birthday, by the way... is it today? Or yesterday?"
"It's today, and thanks," Lorelai replied, smiling. "Did Luke mention it?"
"Yeah, I asked him last week if he wanted to go camping this weekend and he said he couldn't, that it was your birthday," John replied. "So I told him to let me know when he was free. He said maybe sometime over the summer."
Lorelai frowned. "You guys haven't been camping in forever, I feel bad."
"It's okay, life gets busy," John said with a shrug.
"Wait, let me think," Lorelai said, and she glanced up toward the sky, trying to picture the next few weekends in her head. "Next weekend is his sister's wedding, and then it's Mother's Day weekend... but I think the next weekend is free." She looked at John. "What about the 15th, does that work for you?"
"I think so, I'd have to double check," he replied.
"Okay, double check, and if it works for you, call and invite him, and I'll make sure he goes," Lorelai said. "And see if you can get him to go to a baseball game or something sometime, too, will you? He's been busy with the house and with the baby, but he needs to get out and do some manly stuff before he goes insane, seriously."
John laughed. "Okay, got it - I'll try to lure him out of the house more often."
"Thank you." Lorelai nodded toward the direction of her house. "We better get going. It was good to see you."
"You, too. Tell Luke I said hi," John said. "And happy birthday again."
"Thanks," Lorelai replied. "See you later."
"Bye," Rory added.
As Lorelai and Rory walked away and continued toward the house, Lorelai let out a heavy sigh. "I can't even remember the last time Luke went out and did something fun for himself. He spends all his free time doing stuff for the house, or for me, or you, or Josh... what does he ever do for himself?"
"That's what he likes, though," Rory said with a shrug. "Making the people he loves happy... that's Luke. That's always been Luke."
"I know, but it feels so uneven," Lorelai said. "He spoils us, he takes care of everything we need, he supports everything we do... and I don't know if we reciprocate enough."
"Okay, so, how do we start reciprocating better?"
"Well, baby steps," Lorelai said as she abruptly turned and headed toward Weston's. "Luke loves the raspberry iced tea from Weston's. Let's go get him some."
"Ooh, he also loves those peanut butter oatmeal cookies," Rory added. "We could get one of those, too."
Lorelai smiled. "Yes, good. See how thoughtful we can be when we try really hard?"
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. . . . .
When Lorelai and Rory walked into the house, they heard Josh crying in the living room. They dropped their shopping bags in the foyer and walked toward the noise, and found Josh crying in Luke's arms on the couch.
"Is he okay?" Lorelai asked.
"I think so, he just woke up from his nap crying," Luke replied. "I changed him, but he's still upset."
Lorelai frowned and sat down next to him. She gently rubbed Josh's back. "Are you okay, baby?"
"Maybe another tooth?" Luke suggested.
Lorelai quickly nodded in agreement. "Yeah, maybe. I'll get him a teether from the fridge." She stood up from the couch and headed toward the kitchen.
Rory set the iced tea and bag from Weston's down on the coffee table. "We got you something," Rory told Luke. "Raspberry iced tea and a peanut butter oatmeal cookie, which don't exactly go together, but those were two things we knew you really liked, so..."
Luke smiled up at her, surprised. "That was nice... thanks."
Rory smiled. "You're welcome. I'm gonna go put my things away." She stopped in the foyer to grab her shopping bags and headed to her room.
Lorelai returned from the kitchen with a cold teething ring and sat back down next to Luke. She took Josh from him, sat him on her lap, and placed the teether to his lips. He immediately starting chewing on it and his whimpering subsided.
Lorelai looked at Luke warily. "Someone's in a new teething phase."
"Looks like it," Luke agreed. "Poor guy."
"You know, Sookie was mentioning we can make healthy homemade popsicles to help soothe his gums," Lorelai said. "I think it's really simple, too, like you just blend up some fruit and freeze it in a popsicle tray."
"We can try that, we have plenty of fruit in there," Luke said.
Lorelai heard a cell phone ring, and she called, "Rory, your cell!"
"I got it!" Rory confirmed, and she came out from her bedroom to grab her phone from the living room desk.
"Ooh, maybe it's your boyfriend," Lorelai teased in a singsong voice.
Rory smiled and stuck her tongue out at her, and glanced down at the phone. "You're wrong, it's Lane," she said, and she walked back toward her room as she answered the phone, "Hello?"
Lorelai's eyes fell on the coffee table. "Did Rory give you the treats we got you?"
"Yeah, thanks," Luke said, and he reached for the iced tea. "That was nice." He took a sip and then offered it to Lorelai, who also took a sip, and then he set the drink back on the coffee table.
"We ran into John while we were out," Lorelai said.
"Which John? My John?" Luke asked.
"No, John Mellencamp, he came to serenade me for my birthday," Lorelai replied.
Luke rolled his eyes. "I asked a simple question."
"Yes, your John," Lorelai replied. "He said to tell you hi, and he mentioned he asked you to go camping this weekend but you turned him down."
Luke nodded in confirmation. "I assumed there was some basic rule that you don't go away on your wife's birthday unless she's going with you."
Lorelai smiled. "That's correct, thank you. But I told him to call you and reschedule, and you are definitely going. You haven't been camping in forever, you never go fishing, you barely do anything you like anymore."
"I do what I like," he countered.
"No, you have been neglecting your hobbies and your friends, and you are going camping with John," Lorelai told him. "End of story. This is not open to a discussion."
Luke smirked. "You're demanding that I go, I have no say in it?"
"Pretty much, yes," Lorelai replied. "You need to do things outside of work besides being a father and a husband... things for you, things to help you relax. You need a balance of family time, friend time, and alone time, and if I don't force you, you won't do it. I know you."
"Well, what about you?" Luke countered. "It's not like you're running around doing a ton of non-family-related hobbies either."
"My hobbies are movies and television and eating, all of which I do constantly," she pointed out. "Plus, I spent 10 days in Europe... I think that counts as me doing something for myself."
"That was a special trip, but it's not like you regularly go out with Sookie or Miss Patty or Babette or anyone else to just relax and have fun," Luke said. "Your last night out alone was probably a town meeting, so if I'm going to be forced to do things with friends, so are you."
Lorelai smiled. "So, this will be a mutual forcing of fun?"
"Yup. It's only fair."
"Fine, but you have neglected your friends and hobbies much more than I have, so you're being forced first."
"Fine."
"Thank you," Lorelai said. She shifted Josh in her arms to get him more comfortable.
Rory walked into the living room and sat down in the armchair across from the couch. She looked back and forth from Luke to Lorelai. "So... I have some news," Rory said.
Lorelai raised an eyebrow. "Oh, yeah? What's up?"
"Well, Lane's band has a gig in Meriden on Thursday night, and she invited me to go."
"Oh, that's cool, good for them," Lorelai said. "Are you gonna go?"
"Yeah. And then I thought, well, the gig isn't far from here, maybe that's the type of event I was waiting for to have a non-stressful introduction," Rory said, referring to her conversation with Lorelai in the shoe store. "So I called Mark to see if he would wanna go with me, and he said yes, so I was thinking we could stop by here first to say hi before we go see the band."
Lorelai gasped. "Really?"
Rory nodded. "Yeah. Does that work for you guys? Will you be home Thursday night?"
"Yup," Lorelai said, and then she turned to Luke. "Hon, does that give you enough time to either purchase or borrow a shotgun for you to be cleaning when he walks in?"
"Plenty of time," Luke confirmed.
Rory covered her face with her hands. "Oh, geez."
"No, we'll be good, I promise," Lorelai assured her. "Best behavior."
"Will you be coming around dinner time?" Luke asked. "Should I make something?"
"We'll probably just grab some dinner at the gig, it's at some sort of restaurant with a bar area and stage," Rory replied. "But I'm sure we'll be up for some coffee."
"Okay, coffee it is," Lorelai replied, and then got a giddy smile on her face. "I'm excited. This is like another birthday present."
Rory smiled. "Yeah, I thought you'd be happy about it."
"Does he know you're stopping here?" Lorelai asked.
"Yeah, I mentioned it, he was on board," Rory replied. "He already knows you guys are cool and laid back and not intimidating, so... you know, try not to make a liar out of me."
Lorelai laughed. "We won't, I swear." She nudged Luke. "Right?"
Luke made a show of cracking his knuckles before he replied, "Yup. We'll be completely unintimidating."
Rory smiled and shook her head slightly. "Great, thanks." She exhaled a breath. "So, what's next on the birthday itinerary?"
"Well, we have a little while before Sookie gets here," Lorelai said, and nodded down at Josh. "And he seems like he might be going back to sleep soon, so it may be movie time."
"Okay." Rory stood up and walked over to the shelf of videos. "Anything in particular?"
"Breakfast at Tiffany's," Lorelai replied.
"Good choice," Rory said.
Luke stood up from the couch. "I'll go make some popcorn."
. . . . .
. . . . .
On Thursday evening, Lorelai and Luke were in the kitchen getting ready for Rory to stop by, while Josh sat on the floor playing with a couple of Tupperware containers. Lorelai was making coffee and Luke was putting some homemade cookies on a plate.
"I'm nervous, why am I nervous?" Lorelai asked. "He's the one that should be nervous, not me."
"Are you worried you won't make a good impression?" Luke asked.
"No, I think I'm worried that he won't," Lorelai replied. "And that I won't like him and Rory will get mad at me for not liking him."
"She won't get mad. She'll just encourage you to get to know him better," Luke said. "Plus, Rory has good judgment... I think if she likes him, we're probably gonna like him."
"Yeah, well, Rory liked Dean but that didn't stop you from having reservations about him," Lorelai pointed out.
"I'm gonna have reservations about any guy she's with no matter what, especially now that she's in college," Luke said. "Those guys are after one thing and I dont trust 'em."
Lorelai smiled at him. "You really do wish you had a shotgun to be cleaning right now, don't you?"
"Kind of."
They heard the front door open, and they stared at each other for a second before they heard Rory call, "Mom?"
"Coming!" Lorelai picked up Josh from the floor, and the three of them walked to the foyer.
Rory was standing by the front door with a young man that Lorelai and Luke both gave a quick once-over. He stood just a few inches taller than Rory, with short brown hair and a friendly smile, and was casually dressed in jeans and a black t-shirt. He was carrying a small white box.
"Hey guys," Rory greeted them. "This is Mark."
Lorelai smiled warmly and offered her hand. "Hi, I'm Lorelai."
"Nice to meet you," Mark replied, shaking her hand.
"That's my mom, obviously," Rory said, and then she gestured to Luke. "And my stepfather, Luke."
"Luke Danes," Luke said, and he firmly shook Mark's hand. "How're you doing?"
"I'm good, thanks," Mark replied, and then he smiled at Josh in Lorelai's arms. "And this must be Josh, right?"
"It is," Lorelai replied, and then said to Josh, "Can you say hi? Say hi... you wanna say hi?" She looked at Mark. "Okay, he can't exactly say hi yet, so just pretend that he did."
Mark smiled. "Okay." He held up the small box he was holding. "I brought some chocolate espresso brownies from this great bakery near campus." He glanced at Rory and then back at Lorelai. "Someone mentioned you like caffeine and chocolate."
Lorelai smiled. "Like is an understatement." She took the box from him. "They sound amazing, thanks."
"You're welcome," Mark replied.
"Here, I'll take that," Luke offered, taking the box from her. "Let's go sit in the kitchen."
"I just made some coffee," Lorelai said. "That'll go perfectly with those."
They walked to the kitchen. Lorelai put Josh in his high chair with some Cheerios, and the adults sat at the table with coffee and snacks.
After a few compliments exchanged about the food and some general discussion about their evening plans, Luke asked, "So, Mark, what are you studying?"
"I've been focusing on economics so far," he replied. "But next year I'm planning to go for the ethics, politics, and economics program because that's a good way to really learn a lot about all three fields."
"It's this special program at Yale you have to apply for in your sophomore year," Rory explained. "Only a certain number of people are accepted into the major."
"That sounds intense," Lorelai said.
"Oh, yeah, I've heard about that program," Luke said.
Lorelai narrowed her eyes at him. "You have?" she asked, surprised. "How?"
"They did a profile on some professor in the Yale Daily News a few weeks ago, and he was talking about it," Luke replied, and then he looked pointedly at Rory and added, "I read all of the articles... your mom only reads yours."
"Hey, that's my way of protesting that she doesn't have more articles in there," Lorelai argued.
Rory smiled. "Yup, that'll show 'em... thanks."
"You're welcome," Lorelai replied, and she suddenly snapped her fingers. "Oh, I remembered something I wanted to ask you, Mark... do you have a track nickname?" Lorelai glanced over at Luke. "Because Luke did when he ran track back in the day, so I didn't know if that was a common thing."
Luke groaned slightly under his breath. "Geez."
Mark shook his head. "No, not that I'm aware of, unless the others are calling me one behind my back."
"Luke's nickname was Butch in high school," Rory told him. "And ever since my mom found that out, she has taken an unhealthy amount of delight in teasing him about it."
"Because I can't even picture Luke having any sort of nickname, let alone one that reminds me of a Paul Newman movie," Lorelai pointed out. "Albeit a classic, but still... it just surprised me."
"I don't even remember where it came from or who started it," Luke said, and then looked pointedly at Lorelai. "But we can move on to a new subject, please."
"Sorry, no more teasing," Lorelai said, and then asked Rory, "Speaking of nicknames, did you tell him Rory's not your real name?"
"Yes, I did," Rory replied. "And he said it was the first time he'd met someone with the name Lorelai."
"That's true," Mark said. "Not my first time hearing it, but first time meeting one."
"We're a rare breed," Lorelai said, and before she could add more, Josh squealed and slapped his hands on his now-empty high chair tray, grabbing everyone's attention. "Oh, someone's feeling left out of the conversation. Are you ready to get out of that chair?" She stood up from the table to get a wet paper towel, and wiped Josh's face and hands. "What time do you guys have to leave?" she asked Rory.
"In a few minutes," Rory replied. She stood up from the chair and patted Mark's shoulder. "You wanna see the books before we go?"
"Oh, yeah, let's check 'em out," Mark said, standing up.
"He apparently thinks I'm exaggerating about the size of my collection," Rory told Luke and Lorelai.
"Trust me, she's not," Lorelai said as she lifted Josh from his high chair.
"It's right in here," Rory said, gesturing to her bedroom door. She opened it and Mark followed her through the doorway.
When they were out of sight, Luke looked at Lorelai and inhaled a sharp breath. "He's in her bedroom," he hissed. "Shouldn't one of us go in there with them?"
Lorelai smirked amusedly. "It's fine, hon," she said, and handed Josh to him. "Here, distract yourself with this."
Luke smiled at him. "Hi, buddy. You ready for bed? You look tired."
"He didnt have a long nap this afternoon, he'll probably go down early," Lorelai said. "We should go get him changed into pajamas."
Luke stood up with him, and then glanced toward Rory's bedroom. "I'll do it. You stay here."
Lorelai patted him on the back, urging him toward the living room. "Let's go," she said, and then called toward the bedroom, "We're going to the living room to change Josh."
"Okay, we'll be right out," Rory replied.
Luke cast an uneasy look toward Rory's bedroom, but obligingly went with Lorelai to the living room.
A few minutes later, Rory and Mark joined them, and Lorelai asked Mark, "Well, what did you think?"
"It's an impressive collection, for sure," Mark agreed.
"I told you I wasn't exaggerating," Rory said.
"I was sort of hoping your room would have floor to ceiling bookshelves with one of those rolling ladders you have to climb to get to the books on the top shelf, like in a library," Mark said, using his arms to mimic climbing a ladder. "That would've been really impressive."
"You know, she begged for a room like that when she was ten years old," Lorelai told him. "I told her it would be cheaper to just go sleep in the town library."
"And I was all excited to go do that until you told me you were just kidding," Rory recalled.
Lorelai smiled. "Yeah, you started to pack an overnight bag and everything."
"I can definitely picture her doing that," Luke said, smiling.
"Ooh, you should see if any of the Yale libraries offer an overnight stay, you can finally live out your childhood dream," Lorelai suggested.
"I've grown out of that dream, thank you," Rory said. "I've removed it from my bucket list."
"Is that code for... you already checked on it with Yale and the answer was no?" Mark teased.
Rory grinned and nudged into him with her shoulder. "No, it's not." She glanced down at her watch. "Oh, we should go."
They walked to the foyer, and Luke extended a hand toward Mark. "Good to meet you," Luke said.
"You, too," he replied, and then shook Lorelai's hand. "Both of you." And then he looked at Josh nestled in Luke's arm and added, "You, too, little guy."
"Thanks for stopping by," Lorelai added. "Tell Lane I said break a leg."
"We will." Rory gave each of them a quick hug. "Bye, guys."
"Have fun," Lorelai said.
Rory pulled open the door, and she and Mark stepped out onto the porch. As they started to walk down the steps, Luke noticed the tan sedan in the driveway. "What kind of car is that, a Honda?" he asked from the doorway.
Mark turned around to answer him. "Yeah, it's my mom's old Accord," he replied. "She got a new car and this one was passed down to me. It's a few years old, but runs really well."
"Yeah, those are reliable if you take care of 'em," Luke said with a nod of approval. "Drive safe."
"We will. Goodnight," Rory replied, giving them a wave.
As they walked down the front porch steps, Lorelai closed the front door and looked at Luke. "Well, first thoughts?"
"He seems okay," Luke said.
"I like him," Lorelai said. "He was really nice."
"Yeah, he was, but of course he's gonna be on his best behavior when he's meeting the parents," Luke pointed out.
"True, but he came across as friendly without seeming suck-uppy or fake, you know?" Lorelai said. "And even though I wouldn't expect Rory to go for some preppy, pretentious dude, that's what I keep picturing all Yale guys to be like. But this guy wasn't... he was down to earth, polite, funny... he even has a normal name."
Luke narrowed his eyes. "As opposed to what?"
"You know, some rich-sounding name like Preston or Sterling or something," Lorelai replied, and then made a face. "I've never met a Preston that wasn't a jerk."
"And I've never met a Preston," Luke said.
"Consider yourself lucky," Lorelai said.
"They seem very comfortable with each other already," Luke remarked. "The way they interact and talk to each other. You notice that?"
Lorelai nodded. "Yeah, I did. I think that's the benefit of starting out as friends," she said, and then gestured between the two of them. "Like us... we know how that goes. Friendship is a great base for a relationship."
"Yeah."
Lorelai looked at him for a moment. "So... in summary, our first impressions are positive?"
Luke shrugged. "Yeah, so far. He hasn't given me a reason to dislike him yet."
"Yet," Lorelai repeated with a laugh. "You're just waiting for him to screw up, huh?"
"Basically, yeah, because I know how guys are."
"Yes, I know how guys are, too, but I also know Luke," Lorelai said, poking him on the chest. "And Luke is different from a lot of guys, which is an indication that not all guys are the same." She cocked her head to the side. "Right?"
"Yeah, I guess," Luke agreed, and then he leaned down to kiss the top of Josh's head. "Bedtime?"
Lorelai nodded. "Bedtime."
. . . . .
. . . . .
The following Sunday was Liz and TJ's Renaissance-themed wedding in the town square. After the ceremony, Luke, Lorelai, Rory, Josh, and Jess all posed for some family pictures with Liz and TJ.
There was a break between the ceremony and the reception. Rory went to visit Lane, Jess went back to his apartment with Liz and TJ so they could freshen up, and Lorelai and Luke brought Josh to Sookie and Jackson's house so they could watch him during the reception.
After Josh was settled, Luke and Lorelai started to walk across Sookie's yard to head back to the square, and then Luke suddenly stopped walking and checked his watch. "Wait, hold on."
Lorelai turned to face him. "What's wrong?"
"We don't have to rush back, the reception doesn't start for a little while," he said.
Lorelai glanced at Sookie's house. "What, do you wanna go back inside?"
Luke shook his head. "No... let's go home."
Lorelai narrowed her eyes. "Home?"
"Yeah, think about it... Rory's at Lane's, the baby's with Sookie... the house is empty. When's the last time we had the entire house to ourselves, just you and me?" He nodded toward Sookie's house behind them. "Everyone will just think we're still dropping him off. No one will think twice if we're not back right away."
Lorelai cocked her head to the side as a surprised smile appeared on her lips. "Luke Danes. Are you suggesting we leave your sister's wedding to go have sex?"
"No, I am suggesting we temporarily excuse ourselves during the break in my sister's wedding to go have some alone time," he corrected her. He stepped closer to her and ran his hands up and down the sides of her dress. "Because my wife looks really good right now and I'd really like to be alone with her."
Lorelai placed her hands against his chest beneath his suit jacket. "You mean, your wife always looks good and you always want to be alone with her."
Luke leaned in and kissed her gently. "Yes, exactly." He moved his lips to her neck and kissed it below her ear. "What do you say?" he murmured before pulling back from her.
Lorelai glanced toward the town square where people were still setting things up, transitioning from the ceremony to the reception. She brought her gaze back to him, and her hands moved up to cradle his neck.
He was looking at her hopefully, and she kept him in suspense for a few seconds before she finally gave him a smile and a nod. "Let's go. Short cut," she told him as she took his hand and led him toward the bushes on the side of Sookie's yard.
A few minutes later, they arrived at the house, both out of breath from jogging the whole way home.
As they closed the front door behind them, Luke pushed her up against it and pressed his lips against hers. She started pushing his suit jacket off as they kissed, knowing they didn't have much time. She blindly dropped it on the foyer table before moving her hands to the buttons on his shirt.
Luke's hand found the zipper on the back of her dress and pulled it down. "I have a special request," he muttered against her lips before kissing her again.
Lorelai pulled back a little and looked up into his eyes. "Oh, yeah? What is it?"
"I want you to be loud," he told her. "I can't remember the last time I heard you at full volume."
Lorelai smiled. Luke had always loved hearing her moans and groans in bed, they were a huge turn-on for him. But now they were always stifling themselves because either the baby was sleeping or Rory was home. "Probably Valentine's Day weekend at the inn. I remember being worried about the rooms next to us, but I think we were a little louder there than at home."
"A little bit," Luke agreed. He took her wrists in his hands and pressed them against the door, and leaned in to kiss her passionately. When he pulled back, both of them were panting for breath. "You gonna be extra loud for me today?"
"Depends on how good you are," she countered, a sly smile on her lips.
. . . . .
. . . . .
A little while later, when it was time for the reception to start, Rory left Lane's apartment and headed back to the square.
As she was making herself a plate of appetizers at the food table, Jess walked by the table and stopped when he saw her. "Hey, I'm getting a drink, you want something?" he asked her.
"Sure. I'll take a Coke, thanks," Rory replied.
When he returned a minute later with two cans of soda, he grumbled, "One of Liz's friends was just hitting on me and she's not even drunk yet. It's gonna be a long night."
Rory grinned. "You let her down nicely?"
"No, I bolted from her the second she turned to get a drink, so let's hope she doesn't track me down. Here." Jess handed her a soda, and then started piling some food for himself onto a plate.
They walked over to a table and sat down. "Where's Luke?" Jess asked.
Rory glanced around, looking for him. "I don't know. He and my mom took the baby over to Sookie's, they must not be back yet," Rory replied, and then she popped an appetizer into her mouth. "So, Luke said you might go visit your dad?"
Jess nodded as he bit into some food.
"You haven't seen him since you were little?"
Jess chewed his mouthful of food and then replied, "I don't know if I ever actually saw him or not. But yeah, he hasn't been around since I was a baby. No idea what he even looks like."
"It's good that he finally decided to reach out," Rory remarked. "Better late than never, right?"
Jess opened up his can of soda and took a sip. "That's what I thought, but Luke doesn't see it that way... he kind of freaked out when I told him."
Rory thought about that as she poked at the food on her plate for a moment, then she looked at Jess and said, "You know, Luke got into a yelling match with my dad once."
Jess raised an eyebrow. "Really? Why?"
"He hated that my dad would just wander into our lives whenever he felt like it," Rory said. "He wasn't consistent, he wasn't reliable, it was like he would show up when it was convenient for him and not care how it affected us. And if there's one thing we can say about Luke... he's protective of the people he cares about and wants them to be treated right."
"Yeah," Jess agreed.
"So maybe he's just worried that it'll be like that with you and your dad, that you won't be treated right," Rory continued.
"I told him he doesn't have to worry about that, I can handle it."
"Yeah, but Luke's still gonna worry." They ate in silence for a few seconds before Rory asked, "Are you nervous to meet him?"
"Not really," Jess replied. "If we get along, great; if not, no biggie."
Rory looked surprised. "Wow, you're more nonchalant about it than I would be, but it's probably a good way to go into it."
"Having low expectations is the best way to go into anything," Jess told her. "Little life tip for ya."
Rory smiled. "Thanks."
Miss Patty suddenly appeared in front of their table and leaned down in front of Rory. "Rory, honey, a little birdie told me you've got a new gentleman friend," she said in a singsong voice. "And that you brought him home to meet your mom and Luke."
Rory smirked. "Let me guess... is that birdie's name Babette?"
"I can't reveal my sources," Miss Patty replied. "But it was dark outside so the birdie couldn't get a good picture. I don't suppose this mystery gentleman will be making an appearance tonight at the reception, hmm?"
"Uh, no, he couldn't make it, sorry," Rory replied.
Miss Patty frowned. "Shame. Well, be sure to bring him around town sometime."
"I'm sure I will eventually," Rory told her.
As Miss Patty walked away, Rory looked at Jess. "Do you think she could tell that 'he couldn't make it' was code for 'I need to mentally prepare him more before I bring him to a town event'?"
Jess smirked. "Nah, she's oblivious."
"Okay, good." Rory saw some activity at the food tables. "They're starting to put out the main food, I think."
"Crap. I told Liz I'd help bring the turkey legs over from the diner," Jess said, and he stood up with a sigh. "I thought I had more time. I better go see if they need help."
"Okay."
Jess walked away, and Rory finished up her food. As she carried her plate to a trash can, she saw Luke and Lorelai approaching. "There you guys are," Rory said to them. "Everything okay with Josh?"
Lorelai quickly nodded. "Yup, he's fine, we took him over to Sookie's, and we knew we had some time before the reception, so... you know... we took our time getting him settled before heading back over."
Luke nodded in agreement. "Yup. Got him all settled at Sookie's... so he's over there, nice and settled." He rubbed his hands together and asked Lorelai, "You want a drink? I'll get us some drinks." He looked at Rory. "You need a drink, too? I can grab you a drink."
Rory gestured to the table she'd been sitting at. "I'm good... I have one over there, thanks."
"Okay. Be right back." He spun in a circle trying to figure out where the drinks were, and then walked away. "Drinks over here, got it."
Rory watched him walk off, and then smiled at Lorelai. "Is he okay? He seems very... relaxed."
"Oh, yeah, he's fine," Lorelai said, waving it off. "Just happy for Liz, you know how it is." She put her arm around Rory's shoulder. "Let's go sit."
They sat down and chatted while they waited for the food to be ready. Luke returned with drinks and appetizers, and Jess came to sit with them when he was done helping out.
When the buffet was ready, they all went to make their plates and sat back down at the table to eat. Liz and TJ made the rounds during dinner to greet their guests, and stopped at the table to chat with them for a few minutes.
When they were finished eating, Luke gathered the plates and went to throw them in the trash. Rory left to head back to Yale since she had an early class the next morning.
When Luke didn't return right away, Lorelai assumed he'd gotten caught up in a conversation with someone and she scanned the crowd for him. She saw him cornered by Crazy Carrie, who was running her hand along his arm and unsubtly pushing her cleavage as close to him as she could
Lorelai exhaled a sigh. "Do you see that?" she said to Jess, pointing toward Luke.
Jess followed the direction of her finger, and cringed when he saw the scene. "He should run. She was hitting on me earlier."
Lorelai shook her head in disbelief. "Unbelievable. Excuse me."
She stood up from the table and headed over to Luke. He saw her coming and uncomfortably stepped back from Carrie. "Sorry, I got held up," he said to Lorelai.
"Yeah, I see that," Lorelai replied, and then calmly said to Carrie, "Seriously, woman to woman, I have to know... how are you possibly not tired of flirting with a man who has shown no interest in you for like 20 years? Because that's some intense dedication that I can't even wrap my mind around."
Carrie was clearly a little drunk, and she took a sip of her drink before she replied, "It's all about the long-game, sweetie."
"Meaning?" Lorelai prompted her.
"Eventually all men get tired of their wives and look for someone else to meet their needs, and they'll remember who was patiently waiting for them all along," Carrie said, and then tapped her thumb to her chest, pointing at herself.
"Okay, well, solid plan," Lorelai said, and then reached for Luke's hand. "Let's go dance."
As Lorelai started to pull him away, Carrie squeezed his bicep and breathily said, "Bye, Luke, see you around," before she licked her lips seductively.
Lorelai stepped between Luke and Carrie. "Oh, just so you know," Lorelai said to her, "if you were looking for Luke about half an hour ago so you could do your flirty thing and touch him and shove your chest in his face, and were wondering why you couldn't find him anywhere, it's because he was at home with me in our bed, naked, with my chest in his face and my hands all over his body, and it was pretty damn spectacular. If our windows had been open, you probably would've heard our moans from here." Lorelai shook her head slightly as she let out a soft, content sigh. "You can't even begin to imagine how good he is in bed. Seriously, the things he does to me... mind-blowing." She leaned in a little closer and added, "And I don't wanna brag, but I do some pretty mind-blowing things to him, too, so he doesn't need you on standby, okay?" She pulled back and smiled brightly. "Have a good night."
Lorelai spun around before she could even see Carrie's reaction, and started pulling Luke to the dance floor.
Luke was shocked. His eyes were wide and there was a smirk on his lips as he looked at Lorelai. "That was kind of hot."
Lorelai smiled. "That wasn't what I was going for, but thanks." She placed one hand on his shoulder and he placed one on her back. As their free hands clasped together, they started slow-dancing.
Luke was still smirking at her. "Was that some building jealousy finally coming to fruition?"
"No. It was building annoyance that finally came to fruition. It's ridiculous that we can't go to any of these events without her trying to seduce you. And we don't get many date nights, so I'm not gonna spend one of them watching her shove her boobs in your face."
Luke cocked his head to the side. "But there was a little bit of jealousy mixed in, right?"
Lorelai shook her head amusedly, and then admitted, "I don't know, maybe a little. If there was a guy who constantly flirted with me in front of you, I'm sure you'd feel the same way."
"Probably," he agreed, and then he leaned in to kiss her. "And I wouldn't be satisfied with just calmly telling him off, so you handled it better than I would have."
They stayed out on the dance floor for a few slow songs before deciding to take a break. They walked off the floor and sat down on a bench.
Luke noticed goosebumps on her arms and immediately took off his suit jacket. He held it open behind her back. "Here," he said, and she smiled as she slipped her arms into the sleeves.
"Thanks," she said, pulling the jacket tight around her. She moved closer to him and rested her head against his shoulder, and he put his arm around her. "This is nice."
"Yeah." He kissed the top of her head. "It's been a fun day."
"The wedding was interesting... unique, but beautiful, and sweet," Lorelai said. "They seem happy."
"Yeah, they do," he agreed, and he squinted into the distance. "And I don't think you have to worry about Carrie anymore tonight... she's over there getting handsy with some other guy."
Lorelai looked up at him and then followed his gaze. "I think that's the minister."
Luke looked again. "Oh, yeah." He glanced in the other direction and saw Liz and TJ walking toward them. "Hey, guys."
"Hey. We're getting ready to cut the cake," Liz told them, and then she playfully nudged Luke's shoulder with her fist. "But I heard you guys already had dessert, and it was pretty delicious, if you know what I mean."
Luke shared a confused look with Lorelai, then looked at Liz. "No idea what you mean."
"Carrie said that Lorelai told her you snuck off earlier to attend to some personal business," Liz said, giving them a sly smile. "Except she used much cruder words."
"I gotta tell you, I'm a little jealous," TJ said. "I wanted to do that same thing between the ceremony and the reception, but Lizzie told me it wouldn't be appropriate."
Liz slapped his arm. "We were in Jess' apartment! That's creepy. We're not doing that in my son's place."
Luke groaned and rubbed his temple. "Look, Lorelai was just kidding about that."
"Yeah, I was just trying to get her to stop flirting with Luke, that's all," Lorelai said.
TJ eyed her carefully. "Are you sure? Because your hair definitely looks different than it did earlier, like it got a little mussed."
Lorelai quickly ran her hand down the back of her hair, then quietly asked Luke, "Is my hair mussed?"
"No, it's fine," Luke replied, and then told Liz, "We took the baby over to Sookie's house after the ceremony and got him settled, and now here we are, back at the party enjoying ourselves. We were just joking with Carrie."
"She was drunk, she probably didn't realize it was a joke," Lorelai added.
"Yup, very drunk," Luke agreed.
Liz was smiling. "Hey, it's no big deal. I don't care if you did or didn't sneak off. You can go ahead and sneak off again if you want, that's your business." She wagged her finger at both of them. "Just make sure to say goodbye before you leave for good."
"We will," Luke told her.
"We're gonna go get ready to cut the cake," Liz said. "Come over to the cake table in a few minutes."
"Okay," Lorelai replied.
As Liz and TJ walked away, Lorelai and Luke looked at each other. She wrinkled her nose apologetically. "Sorry. I didn't think that would spread around. I should've known better."
Luke was smiling as he shrugged it off. "It's okay."
Lorelai looked surprised by his nonchalant reaction. "The Luke Danes I know usually gets mortified when I imply to anyone that we have sexual relations in our marriage, and now suddenly it's okay? Does this mean I can start bragging about your bedroom skills in public more often?"
"No, it doesn't," he said firmly. "You get a free pass this time because, like I said, it was hot, and also... she deserved it."
Lorelai smiled. "So I can only imply sexual relations when I'm taking down a flirty trollop, got it."
"Yup, that's the rule." Luke leaned in to kiss her, and then added, "And by the way, I agree with what you said... it was spectacular, and you are a mind-blowing partner."
Lorelai smiled against his lips before kissing him again. "Why, thank you."
"You're welcome."
Lorelai put her hand on his knee. "Okay, game plan... let's have some cake, another drink, mingle a little, squeeze in another dance or two, say goodbye to people, and then go pick up the boy and head home."
"Sounds good." They stood up, held hands, and started walking toward the cake table.
. . . . .
. . . . .
To be continued...
Author's Note: Just to give you a better idea of where this story is going, I'd like to follow Luke and Lorelai over the course of a decade or two, so it will continue a little more at this current pace, and then will eventually start jumping forward.
I apologize that it's taking longer than I'd like to post new chapters due to work/life getting in the way, but I am thankful for those of you still following along! Feedback is appreciated. :)