Disclaimer: I do not own Gilmore Girls
A/N: Thank you as always for the kind reviews. This chapter was sweet to write because I think it was the more "real" part of family time and parenting. Trading off, give and take etc. Please enjoy
Chapter Fourteen:
Rory and Logan were sitting at the dining room table in what used to be her grandparents house, each of them with cellphones, day planners, coffee and a newspaper in front of them. Charlotte had been dropped at school an hour earlier, and Rory would pick her up shortly before 3:30. "What do you have this week?" she asked as she chewed the top of her pen.
"I have nothing." Logan laughed, "This being off work thing is strange. I think they are sending some updates by courier that I need to be aware of, but nothing major. I would like to take Charlotte out for dinner. Maybe a pre-Valentines Daddy-daughter date?" he suggested.
Rory grinned as she took a sip of her coffee, "She would love that." Rory paused as she set down her mug, "That is actually great because if you make a night out of it and keep her up past bedtime, maybe she won't notice if I have to go to Philly for a night."
"What is in Philly?" Logan asked her, closing his day planner as he did. The house had been sold and closed a week prior, she hadn't gone down for the closing. Her belongings were all in Hartford, her car was in Hartford, there wasn't much left for her in Philadelphia.
"My book is done." Rory told him with a smile, "So I am sending it to Jess tomorrow, and then I am going to head down to finish up the final bits…I just kind of like being involved in the process. Seeing where we can get it, how production is looking."
"I know the process well." Logan nodded, "It is my family business after all."
"I know, and I'm sure…well I know we haven't talked about it much, and you've been so supportive of my writing these past couple of months, but I feel like Jess took a chance on me with my first book, and we had the contract for my second book well before you came back into the picture, but I just…if I continue to write, I would like to keep it separate from HPG. I like Truncheon."
"Maybe I should buy Truncheon." Logan countered, she wasn't sure if he was serious or not.
"Logan."
"Well come on Ror, if it's as good as you're saying, it would be a business decision."
"You wouldn't chew it up and spit it out?"
"Look, mention it to Jess, how he would feel about corporate money, and we can talk. It has nothing to do with this week. You have to go, that is fine. Do you want to take the jet?"
"Aren't you on a leave of absence? Isn't that abusing some sort of power? Sending your girlfriend away in the jet?"
"Well, it's not the company jet, it's my parents, and the company jet is also at my disposal for personal use, so pick one."
"I have a commercial flight booked."
"Rory," Logan looked at her with a smirk on his face, "why would you want to go through the bullshit of an airport. Take the plane, take the chopper…" he paused, "I am wasting my breath."
"You are. Plus, I get points." Rory agreed. "I'm going to leave Wednesday after lunch and I will be home Thursday before dinner. I am going to stay at The Logan, just to keep you close to my heart, and I will have dinner with Jess, the guys from Truncheon, and some teacher friends on Wednesday."
"Well, we can't have all work and no play. You sure you don't just have a couch you can crash on? Wouldn't want to overdo it with the hotel." Logan winked.
"Just wanted to feel close to you, almost like you're watching over me in a creepy way or something." Rory laughed, "You should ask your Dad to go with you and Charlotte to dinner. Make it a special thing for him."
"You think?"
"Charlotte would love it." Rory nodded as she began typing into her iPhone, "She made him a valentine."
"I will set it up with him, and we will make it a big deal." Logan promised. "Speaking of that, Sunday is the 14th, what do you want to do?"
"Decorate cookies, order pizza, watch Hallmark movies?"
"Minus the pizza, isn't that what we did for Christmas Eve too?"
"This is what happens when you have a kid, Logan." Rory smirked as she thought back to the year prior, the first year where Charlotte could really get excited about an event coming up and enjoy in the festivities on her own. "You order their favourite food, you watch corny movies, maybe have a couple drinks, and if you're good, I'll wear my fancy sweatpants for the movie."
"Well, don't overdo it Ace. I wouldn't want to set the bar too high." Logan wasn't sure if she was serious or not but he had a sinking suspicion that she was.
Rory took another long sip of her drink, it had been so long of just her and Charlotte. She wasn't really used to having someone else along for the ride yet. Logan had been around for about 8 months and he had been perfect in every way. Charlotte loved having him around, and he was an amazing Dad. Since they made the decision to move beyond coparenting, it had been better than Rory could imagine, but she also knew that they needed to set some time aside for themselves as a couple. "I have an idea."
"What is it?" Logan was intrigued, he could see that her mind was going a million miles an hour.
"Why don't you and I go away for a weekend?" Rory suggested. "Charlotte will have her break coming up, she can spend a few days with my Mom…you and I can go somewhere?"
"Skiing?"
"I don't ski." Rory made a face, "I get it, some things have changed since the first time we were together, but athleticism is still not my strong suit."
"Well is staying in the mountains a strong suit of yours?"
"That is something I could agree to." Rory nodded, "Not for Valentines, but sometime in March, the two of us will go. Valentines is too…commercial, it's weird. It's not my thing."
"I know." Logan nodded, "So other than you going away, we haven't got much going on this week. Can I come with you to pick up our girl from school?"
"Sure." Rory stood up and put her phone in her pocket, "But right now, I need to go get groceries, so that you can cook them, and we don't starve."
"You make it sound like you might need me or something." Logan laughed as Rory walked over to him, she put her hand on his chest as she kissed him gently, "You're beautiful." he told her, keeping her close to him for just another second.
"I love you, Logan Huntzberger."
"I love you too, Rory Gilmore."
xxx
Rory stepped out of the terminal and immediately noticed that it was somehow colder in Philadelphia than it had been in Hartford, she wrapped her too thin jacket a bit closer to her body and checked her phone.
I'm just pulling up the text from Jess read. Rory smiled as she saw his car approaching. Rory smiled as he got out of the car and pulled her into a friendly embrace. "Hey you." she squeezed him a little bit tighter. They hadn't really been together as friends since she spoke with him about her plans to leave Philly. She knew it had stung, but he had stepped up. He had continued to show up and call Charlotte at least twice a week, he would visit once a month and on holidays. Anything that girl needed, Jess was there.
"Hey yourself." Jess kissed the top of her head before taking her carryon suitcase from her. "How was the flight? Come on, get in, it's freezing!" he laughed as Rory stepped to the front seat and he put her bag in the trunk.
"Flight was good. Quick."
"I'm surprised you didn't take a jet or something? You rich people, can't you just teleport yet?" Jess winked as he got in the car.
"Teleporter is broken." Rory shot back with a grin, "I know you like to pretend that Truncheon is still this tiny little publisher, but this car which…I believe is new suggests otherwise?" Rory gestured to his newly purchased Acura.
"It's an Acura not a Bentley."
"I still have my Jetta." Rory countered.
"Give the girl a medal." Jess handed her the coffee he had picked up on the way to the airport, "Extra hot."
"You know me well." Rory smiled, she was glad that they seemed to be back to a quasi-normal state. She sipped her coffee and looked out the window as they drove, "Truncheon first?"
"Yes, I figured we should get down to business." Jess told her, "Everything is really good, we just need to make some final selections and then we should be good to go to print. Can you believe it? Publishing your second book?"
"I can't believe that when I started writing this, over a year ago, I was a single-ish Mom, and now I have a completely different life." Rory admitted. She had started this book touching on the difficulty of being a single parent, but having an amazing support system. Not a guide to parenting, but just her own experience with it, and by some miracle, the final chapters included the fact that Logan had returned to her life. She had given Logan a nickname in her books in an effort to keep his anonymity, and so here she was, telling the world that maybe she had a chance at a happy ending. She felt a bit like a walking cliche.
"A lot has changed." Jess agreed, "Are you happy?"
"I know you don't like him," Rory sighed, "but Jess, he…he is such a good Dad to her, and he is a good man, and I love him. He makes me think that I can walk on water."
"I didn't make you feel that way?" Jess gave her a look, his brows creasing.
"You were different Jess, we were different. We…you had me on this pedestal and I was afraid of falling off, of being someone who disappointed you." Rory admitted, "It's hard to explain, I don't want to diminish what we had. When I told you I was taking time away from Yale, you just looked…you looked like I had let you down. What we had was something I loved, and something I needed. But Logan is…different."
"He's the one?"
"He's the one."
xxx
"I don't like the yellow." Rory stated simply as they looked at book cover options.
"I thought you did like yellow?" Jess countered, he had sent her photos of all of the cover options weeks prior.
"I thought I did." Rory shrugged, "Can someone bring a copy of the last book over so I can see these two together, please?" she asked as she picked up the black option, "I think this is it. I just want to see how it contrasts with the other cover."
"Do you have your dedication done?" Jess asked as a colleague passed him Rory's first book, "Thanks man." he nodded at him.
"Almost." Rory told him.
"Last thing we need to go to print."
"And a colour choice."
"I've got a meeting," Jess stood up, "I need an answer on this by the time I'm out, just tell Tom," he nodded to once of the staff members, "and I'll see you tonight?"
Rory nodded, "I'm going to Uber to the hotel and then head over after I freshen up."
"I should tell you," Jess paused for a moment, shuffling awkwardly on his feet, "I'm bringing my…"
"Your…"
"My girlfriend. I'm bringing my girlfriend tonight."
"The girl from New Years?"
Jess nodded, "Her name is Kelsey, she's pretty great." he explained, "I hope you are alright with it."
"I'm happy for you Jess. Does she know about…us?"
"She does, she knows about Char, she is comfortable with it all." Jess assured her, "And I mean, it helps that I can tell her that you're dating a billionaire now who I'm pretty sure has been on a few most eligible bachelor lists before."
"You're a catch Jess, she is lucky to have you. I can't wait to meet her." she told him honestly.
xxx
"Pops, can we have lots of ice cream?" Charlotte grinned at her grandfather.
"Well, how much do you think you can eat?" Mitchum had decided to sit in the back seat with his granddaughter as Logan drove them to dinner, Logan had refused to tell him what the plan was for the evening.
"I can eat TWO scoops." Charlotte declared, "One chocolate, one green."
"Mint." Logan corrected her from the front seat.
"Mint and green." Charlotte shrugged. "Pops, do you have a valentine?"
"I'm not sure…do I?" Mitchum played along.
"At school, Benny says he is going to be my valentine, and my teacher says I can have LOTS. So maybe you can be my valentine too?"
"Well I think that would be perfect." Mitchum smiled. Logan noticed that he turned his head to face the roadway, seemingly to hide his reaction from the little girl. "I think you will be the most beautiful valentine I have ever had, and the smartest."
"Here we are."
"Daddy." Charlotte crossed her arms, "This is not a restaurant - this is HOME."
"I know it is," Logan winked from the front seat, "Dad, can you get her out and then I will see you at the front door?" Logan got out of the car and walked to the front door. He had been staying with Rory and Charlotte for about a month now, he couldn't even say the last time he stepped foot in his own house. "Alright, you two hold hands." Logan instructed his father and daughter, "close your eyes and walk slowly." he added as he opened the door. "Ready…" Logan paused as he took in the scene around him. He had asked Sookie to set it up, she had set up a picnic in the living room, twinkle lights and cushions on the floor, a projector on the wall and all sorts of treats. Pizza for dinner and a cupcake decorating setup for dessert as well as ice cream in the freezer. "Open."
"IT'S A VALENTINES PARTY!" Charlotte squealed with delight as she took in the sights around her. "Daddy you got me and Pops a PARTY!"
"We're going to have so much fun." Logan smiled and helped her pull off her coat. "Your coat, Dad?" he put a hand out to his father.
"Of course. Thank you." Mitchum shrugged his jacket off, "Logan this is.." he didn't quite have the words to say how he felt in the moment. "you have gone out of your way, and I cannot thank you enough. For everything. I know that…when I'm gone everything will be alright."
"Dad, you're here." Logan put a hand on the older mans shoulder, "So lets just enjoy the time we have."
"Pops! Dad! Dad! Come see!" she pointed to the screen where Frozen was waiting to start on the projection screen. "We can watch Frozen!"
"You know, I haven't seen Frozen." Mitchum admitted.
"You HAVEN'T?" Charlotte looked at him with a certain amount of horror in her eyes.
"I suppose we will be rectifying that tonight." Mitchum told her, "Where should we sit."
"That pillow." Charlotte stated simply and pointed to the overstuffed pillows like it was the most obvious thing in the world.
"Ah, yes." Mitchum laughed, "Well, Logan, why don't you get us a chocolate milk or something? Seems appropriate?"
"One sec." Logan smiled as he saw his father plop himself down on a pillow and wrap an arm around Charlotte. Logan wasn't sure he could recall a moment where Mitchum had shown that much interest in him as a child. He would be a liar if he said it didn't sting, but he also was glad. He hoped that these were memories that Charlotte would hold dear about her time with her Grandfather as she got older. He quietly pulled his phone out and took several photos of them curled up together before he went and got the requested chocolate milk. "Dad, did you need a cup with a lid or do you think you can handle it?" Logan interrupted the duo by sitting on the opposite side of Charlotte.
"I should be able to manage, thank you."
"Thanks Daddy." Charlotte smiled sweetly.
xxx
Rory was glad to be back in Philly, even if it was just for a moment. It was nice for her to be able to spend time with her old friends without having to worry about rushing home to a family member who was babysitting, knowing that her daughter was in the very capable hands of her father was a relief.
"So, you've got to tell us…this guy…" Christine looked at Rory. Christine and Rory had worked at the same school together and had become somewhat close. They celebrated promotions and birthdays, end of the school year together and had always tried to go for drinks once a month to catch up. If she was being honest, Christine had always thought that Rory and Jess would end up together, but once Logan had come into the picture, it was clear that ship had sailed.
"Charlotte's Dad?"
"Yes, who is he?" Christine rolled her eyes, "Like you make it sound like he's a married congressman or something. Does he have a name?"
"Ror you have got to be kidding me?" Jess called over the group with a laugh, his arm was slung casually around his date, Kelsey for the evening. "They don't know?"
"Don't know what? Fill me in!" Christine giggled as she sipped her drink.
"Charlotte's Dad, he is kind of…well known." Rory exhaled, discussing Logan with people outside of Yale and her family had always been awkward. She knew that on paper, people looked at her and didn't understand how she and Logan could have ended up together. "Logan Huntzberger?"
"He is the paper guy, right?" Christine looked at her trying to recall where she had heard the name.
"The paper guy. Yup." Rory nodded, downing another sip of her drink.
"Chris, he isn't just a regular guy. This guy runs like the biggest media conglomerate in the world. They own major papers, publishing houses, a television network, a streaming services…" one of the other owners of Truncheon, Brett chimed in.
"Rory, THIS is your baby daddy?!" Christine had pulled out her phone and googled his name. "It says here that he is wor-" she began.
"Enough!" Jess interrupted strongly. "Guys, come on, he's a guy. He and Rory are together, do you talk about how much I'm worth when I'm not here? Cut her some slack. Maybe this is why she doesn't run around shouting it from the rooftops."
Rory was thankful for the interruption, "Thank you Jess." she smiled, "I know, it's a lot. Logan and I…we were together in college, and had a thing in the years after. I know it seems really juicy and salacious, but it's just…he's a guy, and I love him, and Char loves him. So google might tell you all sorts of other things that Logan is or isn't but what he is to me is just my best friend."
"Rory, that is the sweetest thing I have ever heard." Christine swooned, "And you said he is good to our girl Charlotte?"
"He's pretty remarkable with her." Jess acknowledged.
"So, there is something," she turned in the direction of Jess and the fellow Truncheon owners, "that I wanted to bring up, and it might just take some liquid courage."
"Shoot." Brett nodded.
"Logan was wondering if you guys might have any interest in…joining a corporate umbrella." she paused to consider her words, "He just … like you said, he is very involved in publishing and he will be running the show soon. So if it's ever something you are interested in, I could get you a meeting."
"No." Jess shook his head and stated firmly, receiving a couple of glares from his partners. "Guys, come on, no, not right now. Rory, please tell him we appreciate it and we will keep it in mind in the future. But right now, we are making some money. We'll never be on a Forbes list, but we're doing well enough, we are in control of what we do, our talent. I mean, Rory, you don't owe us anymore books, you can go and work in the family business whenever, but I just…I like being in control."
Rory knew that would be his reaction but she also felt compelled to ask, "We'll see where I stand when I publish again." Rory nodded, "But I get it, you guys know it's on the table."
xxx
"I don't want Pops to go!" Charlotte crossed her arms in front of her chest after Frozen 2 was over.
"Charlotte, we watched two movies." Logan tried to bargain with her, he noticed that his Dad clearly wasn't in a rush to leave, "How about Pops helps put you to bed, he can read you some stories, and then after you are asleep, Pops will go home."
"Can I show him my Frozen toothbrush?"
"He'll love it." Logan winked and turned to his father, "I figured you wouldn't mind. She'll put her PJs on, brush her teeth, read a couple stories and give her a kiss."
"I would love to." Mitchum nodded, "Come on Charlotte, you give your Dad a kiss and then show me where your room is."
Charlotte sprung to Logan and wrapped her arms around his neck, telling him how much she loved him and then turned to run up the stairs. Mitchum smiled as he continued a few steps behind her, his age and physical condition showing just ever so slightly as he did. He caught up with her in her bedroom putting on her pyjamas and smiled as she showed him her toothbrush, which somehow was a contraption that not only lit up, but sang Let it Go to indicate when to stop brushing.
"I pick two stories." Charlotte explained, "And you sit in my bed and read them to me, okay?"
"I was thinking," Mitchum pulled the pillows off her bed and pulled back the blankets, "that I could tell you a story. Would that be alright?"
"Is it about Elsa?"
"It's about a Prince." Mitchum explained, this seemed to please her as Charlotte nodded her head and hopped into the bed. Mitchum sat down beside her on top of the covers and she snuggled into his shoulder. "Once upon a time in a kingdom called Hartford-dom, there was a King and a Queen, and they were grumpy."
"Why were they grumpy?" Charlotte asked.
"Sometimes people just don't understand what matters the most." Mitchum kissed her head, "And so the King and the Queen had a baby, they had a little Prince, and he was a handsome little boy, but he didn't listen and he got into lots of trouble with his friends."
"Why didn't he listen?"
Mitchum smiled, "Shhhh," he told her and she simply snuggled in closer, "this little boy acted silly and got in trouble because his Mommy and Daddy didn't tell him how much they loved him. They didn't tell him how special he was and what a good Prince he was, until one day, the boy met a beautiful princess."
"Is that Elsa?"
"Sure honey." Mitchum grinned, "The Prince met a beautiful Princess, Elsa, and they fell in love, and when the King saw how happy the Prince was, he knew he had to tell the Prince what a good son he was and how much he loved him, and they all lived happily ever after."
"Do you love my Daddy?" Charlotte asked, trying to stifle a yawn.
"I do." Mitchum promised her, "I maybe don't always tell him how I should, but I love your Daddy and you, your Mommy is something really special. I love your Auntie Honor and Uncle Josh and the boys, and I love my wife. Always remember Charlotte, when you love someone, you tell them, ok? Promise to remember that?" he knew the conversation was a far over Charlotte's head but he needed to say it.
"I love you Pops."
"I love you too, sweetheart."