CHAPTER 40: Yes… Yes!

Tuesday night, while Lorelai and Rory took part in their monthly Willy Wonka night, Luke found himself walking into Sniffy's alone for the first time in a while. As soon as he entered the door, he was met with a loud, "Lucas! What a surprise!"

Enveloping Maisy in a hug, Luke chuckled as she squeezed him tightly. "Hey Maisy. It's good to see you too."

Grabbing his arm, she led him over to his usual booth that happened to be open and sat down with him. "So, son, what's brought you in tonight? Where are those beautiful girls of yours?"

"They were having Willy Wonka movie night, so I thought I'd let them spend that together..." He grimaced at the thought of them stuffing themselves. "There's enough sugar in that living room to last me two lifetimes, and they're gonna have it cleared within a few hours."

"Ohhh, it's junk food night. Well, let me go tell Buddy to fix something better up..." Before she could get far, she stopped at the edge of the table. "Would you like some company, or were you planning on dining by yourself?"

"You are welcome to join me if it's not too busy," Luke smirked, having known coming in that he wouldn't be allowed to eat by himself.

"Well, that's a kind offer. I think I'll accept," Maisy answered with a cackle. "I'll be right out with something for you to snack on in the meantime."

A few minutes later, he found a bowl and both Buddy and Maisy in front of him. "I figured since Lorelai wasn't here tonight, you would want to indulge yourself in a salad."

"Hey, Buddy," Luke stood up and greeted him with a hug. "You would be right." As he sat down and stirred the dressing through, Luke found himself under the older couple's gaze. Sure enough, as soon as he went to take the first bite, Maisy spoke up curiously. "So, is there anything new going on in your life?"

Swallowing quickly, he shook his head. "Not really. The diner is good, Lorelai and Rory are great, and the town is as crazy as usual."

"So, Lorelai and Rory are great, but how are things with you and Lorelai?" Buddy pressed

Putting his fork down, Luke dabbed at his mouth before reaching in his pocket. "Things are good."

"Just good?"

Shaking his head, he wore a small grin. "I actually have something I want to show you both." He answered him, placing the velvet box on the table.

A wide smile immediately grew on both of their faces as Buddy reached for the box and opened it. "Well, I'll be... this is beautiful, Lucas."

"The diamonds are from Mom's ring..."

"And that makes it even better." Buddy eventually handed it over to Maisy, where she ran her finger over the diamonds.

"I remember when your father was picking the ring out... you kept it pretty similar."

"I didn't want there to be too big of a difference." Luke ducked his head. "Now all I've got to do is plan everything... I want it to be special."

"Well, Lorelai is a special girl," she agreed, sliding the ring back over to him. "Do you have any ideas?"

"Not really..."

Both of them thought on it for a second before Buddy leaned forward onto the table. "Say, is there one of those fancy festivals coming up? I remember Lorelai going on about how much she loves those."

A lightbulb immediately went off in Luke's head. "Uh, yeah, actually there is. There's the stupid "Bid-A-Basket Auction" next week. I think it's ridiculous, but Lorleai's all for it. I'm sure she'll try to convince me to do it sometime soon."

"Katherine always loved those and Will hated them. Somehow, she always drug him into them." Maisy smiled knowingly. "You know, if you wanted to, you could buy Lorelai's and propose then."

Immediately frowning, he shook his head. "I'm not proposing in front of the rest of the town. All hell would break lose."

"No one said you have to. Take Lorelai somewhere else away from everyone...propose during the picnic. That seems like something she'd love."

To his surprise, Luke could actually see the look on her face now, and he couldn't help the grin that tugged at his lips. "She would..."

"Don't give in too easily though," she reminded him, her finger pointing directly at him. "If you agree to do it, she might realize something's up. It's probably best if you let her think you aren't buying her basket."

Thinking on it for a second, he eventually nodded. "You're right... but she's going to put me through hell until then. Between her hair flip, pout, and flippy skirt, I might stroke out before I can event propose," he grumbled.

"As long as you know what you're up against," Maisy laughed

"Oh, believe me. I do," He rolled his eyes, though there was no malice to his words. Unable to help himself, his mind wandered to a vision of Lorelai acting just as he described. After a moment, he was pulled out of his thoughts, and saw the couple looking at him with knowing grins.

"See, Bud, I told you... He's a smitten kitten."

Ducking his head, Luke avoided their gazes bashfully as Buddy spoke up. "Congrats, son, I have no doubt she'll say yes." He spoke strongly placing a hand on his shoulder, squeezing it before standing up from the booth. "Now eat your salad while we get the rest of your meal, and when we come back, I'd like to hear an explanation for that fruity blue hat your wearing."

"Please, please, please, Luke!" Lorelai begged, dragging out his name in a whine as she followed him to the counter.

Sure enough, Luke noted the flippy skirt when she walked in, so he knew what he was up against. Knowing he would crack if he looked back, he didn't bother to turn around or break stride. "Nope, not gonna happen."

"But, why? Just this one time! That's all I want!"

Grabbing the coffee pot, he filled her a mug before looking back at her. "Lorelai, I've gone to town meetings, I've walked through every town festival, and I've attended every town production since we got together... I think you'll live this one time that I don't participate."

"Ughhh!" She groaned in exasperation. "Please Luke? This is the first bid-a-basket that I actually have a boyfriend to bid on me!"

Leaning back against the counter, he crossed his arms in front of him, giving her a no-nonsense look.

Huffing dramatically, she slid off the stool and walked back over to her table to reclaim her seat.

As much as he tried to ignore it, Luke could feel her gaze following him. Quickly delivering an order and dropping a ticket at a finished table, he walked back to her. "What? I can feel your eyes on me. What are you looking at?"

Tapping her cheek contemplatively, she grinned. "Hmmm... I don't know. I haven't figured it out yet." She answered sassily.

"Cute." He deadpanned with an eye roll to accompany it. "Are you gonna be like this all day, or is this mood going to disappear sometime soon?"

"I'm not the one causing this mood... All you have to do is say yes to buying my basket, and poof, it's gone!" She answered with a frown, crossing her arms and legs dramatically.

Before he could answer, Rory returned from the bathroom and plopped down into her chair. "Good morning Daddy Luke!"

"Good Morning, Rory," he answered her.

Noticing her pout, Rory looked at her mother curiously. "Are you sad, Mommy?"

Immediately wiping the look from her face, Lorelai sat up. "No, sweets. I'm just frustrated with Daddy Luke because he says he won't buy my basket:"

"Lorelai..." he groaned. In his mind, he knew she wasn't afraid to tell Rory almost anything, but with her being so young, he didn't think she needed to be involved in their arguments. "Keep talking about the basket, and you get decaf."

"I'll buy your basket! I have money in my piggy bank. We can go on a picnic!" Rory answered happily, the smile on her face clearly showing she was content with herself for coming up with a solution.

Lorelai couldn't help the smile that tugged at her lips to match. "You hear that babe, Rory will buy my basket," She laughed emphasizing the word basket provocatively. Leaning over, she grabbed Rory's hand and squeezed it before shaking her head. "You don't have to do that. You save your money, and we'll go on a picnic anytime you want for free."

"See, you can go on a picnic with Rory and not participate all together." Luke smirked at her immediate scowl. "That's enough about that. What can I get for you?"

"Pancakes, bacon, and eggs. And I want chocolate chips." At his frown, she raised her eyebrows. "It's the chips or the basket, your choice."

"Fine... for you, Rory?"

"I want chocolate chip pancakes too!" She exclaimed with a wide grin.

"Look what you started," He spoke gruffly, looking at Lorelai. "I'll have them out in a few."

Sending Rory to wash her hands of the syrup before they headed out, Lorelai sauntered up to the counter.

"Heyyy, Luke?" Dragging out his name flirtatiously, she batted her eyes as she approached.

"What?" He answered hesitantly as he looked up from the till in the register. Seeing the look on her face, he closed the drawer and walked over to her. Staring directly into her eyes, he lowered himself on to his elbows and whispered a quiet, "No."

She immediately frowned "I hope you realize that I know your decaf threats are empty and I'm gonna keep bugging you until you say yes."

Looking at her with a smirk, he countered, "Well, you can bug me all you want, but I'm still not doing it...Maybe Kirk will buy your basket."

"Who knows, maybe well have a great time then and I'll leave you for him." She retorted quickly then immediately grimaced. "Ugh, I can't even joke about that."

"I don't know, I'm sure he'd love it." Leaning closer he whispered loudly, "Word on the street is that he has a crush on you."

"Don't even imply that..." A shiver ran through her body before she shook her head adamantly. "See, now I have that visual in my head, and you have to make sure that it doesn't happen."

"Sorry, not happening." Taking the money that she had slid over to him to cover her bill, he slid it back with a grin. "Why don't you go buy something nice for your date with Kirk tomorrow."

"I hate you." She glared at him.

Leaning over the counter, he grabbed her hand, squeezing it. "I'm sure there's a club out there that you can join that feels the same way."

Unable to help it, her lips pulled upward. "Fine... I don't hate you, but I don't like you at the moment."

"You'll get over it..."

Running back out, Rory appeared at Lorelai's side. "I'm ready Mommy!"

"Alright, sweets" Standing up, she handed her the jacket she left at the table. "Put your jacket on and we'll head out." After making sure Rory put it on right-side out, Lorelai turned back to Luke. "We're going out with Mia for a while, but we'll probably be in for dinner... I know you are gonna change your mind about the whole auction thing while we're gone."

"Just keep telling yourself that." Seeing her tilt her head up for a kiss, he easily complied. "I'll see you guys later."

Seeing the girls out, Luke walked back behind the counter to sort through some receipts. It wasn't long before he heard the sound of someone clearing their throat, and he couldn't help but look over to see Patty staring at him.

"Can I help you?"

"You were a little harsh with her over that basket, dear, don't you think?" She spoke up, nursing her cup of coffee.

"I was supposed to be." At her raised eyebrows, he looked around the diner to make sure no one was paying attention before continuing. "If I gave in, she would find out what I have planned." He tossed out his words casually to gauge her reaction

"What you have planned? How..." Patty faltered off as a knowing smile grew on her face. "You wouldn't happen to be planning anything special, would you?"

Though he felt weird about asking Patty for help, knowing just how easily she could get word around town and ruin the surprise, he decided that she was the best one to turn to since she was working with Taylor to organize the basket bidding. "I heard that if I did, you would have to be the first one to know... if I was, do you think you could help?"

"It depends on what you need done..."

Wanting to continue, but afraid someone would be listening in, he cleared his throat and spoke a little quieter. "So, I have those things in the back if you want them..."

Confused, she frowned, but it wasn't long before she caught on and stood up from her stool. "Oh, yes, of course."

Trying not to make the situation more awkward than it needed to be, he led her back to the storage room.

"You know, Luke, in all my years, I never thought you would ask me back here unattended."

"Just keep your hands to yourself, Patty," Luke griped, stepping away from her and leaning back against the table.

Speaking smoothly, Patty looked at him curiously. "So, how can I help you, dear?"

Shoving his hands in his pockets, he was suddenly uncomfortable and nervous. "I'm coming to the basket thing tomorrow, but I also don't want to poison myself by eating what Lorelai puts in hers... do you think you could put some stuff in it when she's not around."

"Of course." In her mind, Patty could tell what was coming, but deciding to dig a little deeper, she searched for confirmation. "Is there a reason you are keeping your attendance at the auction a surprise... is there a special question that you are going to discuss on tour date?"

Looking down at his feet, Luke shuffled for a second before looking up straight at her. "I'm going to ask Lorelai to marry me."

Though it was what she expected, she couldn't help but gasp and clap. "Oh, this is so exciting! Stars hollows power couple is finally getting ready to tie the not!"

"Aw, jeez, Patty..." Knowing she could get louder and let the whole world know his plan, he walked over and closed the door quickly. "I know this might be difficult for you, but if you could keep it a secret until Lorelai and I give you the okay to tell everyone, that would be great."

"Of course! I would never do such a thing!" At his arched brow, she chuckled. "I promise, I will wait, but if somehow Tilly gets word before I do, you're going to be in trouble."

"We'd never think about telling anyone else first."

"Good. Ill drop by the diner in the morning for whatever you want me to put in the basket... I'll keep an eye out for which one is hers."

"Thank you."

Satisfied with the conversation's end, Patty made her way to leave but stopped at the door. "By the way, congratulations. Your parents would be proud."

Nodding his acceptance, he answered with a quiet, "Thanks." Despite the busybody-ness she always had, Luke had to admit that she and the rest of the town had really been there for him since everything happened, and if going through her would make his proposal to Lorelai successful, then he was willing to do it.

The following Saturday, as the bidding on her basket climbed higher, Lorelai cast her eyes dejectedly towards the diner window. Luke was nowhere to be seen, probably in the kitchen, and the bozos in front of her were bidding on her basket for what she knew would end up being the worst "date" of her life.

"$48.50!" She looked back up to see what was clearly a tourist, and she shook her head with a sigh. "He's probably a Dungeons and Dragons dweeb or something. I'm going to have to spend my afternoon listening to him cast spells or whatever the hell they do." Plopping down on the gazebo steps, her chin fell in her hands as she waited for the horror to ensue.

"$51.00 going once, $51.00 going twice..." Taylor called, looking around the crowd.

Before he could call out "sold", a voice boomed from the back of the crowd. "$100.00."

Everyone turned to the back and Lorelai's eyes shot up to see Luke standing with his hands in his pockets. Unable to believe the sight in front of her, she jumped up and her jaw dropped before she gained her voice and yelled out, "$100 going once!"

"Hey, that's my line," Taylor glared at her

"Well, then get your lips moving, or I'll keep going." She countered quickly, her eyes still on Luke

"$100 going once...$100 going twice..." With the bang of his gavel, Taylor yelled out, "Sold to Luke Danes for $100!"

As "sold" came out of Taylor's mouth, Lorelai squealed, scrambling down the stairs of the gazebo, and threw her arms around Luke's neck. "You're the best boyfriend ever!"

"You better think so," Luke chuckled as he planted a kiss to her hair. "I just doubled the bid for your basket. You're expensive."

"I thought you weren't coming." Pulling back from his neck, she smiled. "What changed your mind?"

Playing it off, he shrugged and tried his best not to hint at anything to come "I saw when the bidding started and all the guys started raising their hands... you looked worried."

"I think you were jealous that some other man was going to get to bask in all of my wonderfulness."

"Yeah, that's it," he answered with an eye roll.

"Well, whatever it was, I'm glad you're here." She pecked his lips quickly. Moving his arms from her waist, she took his hand in hers. "Come on! Sookie's got Rory helping her until the basket date is over, so we get to spend the whole afternoon together. That never happens anymore."

Walking up to the gazebo to Miss Patty, who was handing the baskets out to the winners, Luke took Lorelai's basket, or what she thought was her basket. Knowing she hadn't put much in it, he made sure not to let her know it was heavier than a few stale pop tarts and slim jims.

"Alright... you won the bid, so you get to choose. Where do you want to go?"

Looking around, Luke found Taylor staring at him, still in shock over his participation. Rolling his eyes, he started to walk away from the square. "Anywhere where no one will see us."

Thinking on it for a second, she perked up. "Oh! What about the lake at the inn? There's a really nice shady area that no one can see from the inn, plus, Rory's already there, so we can pick her up after."

"We can eat by the lake, but I'm not sitting on the ground."

"Well, of course not. That's why there is a blanket with the basket." Lorelai grinned, a teasing glint in her eyes as she looked up at him.

Knowing it was a fight he'd lose, Luke didn't even try to put up a fight and just shook his head. "Come on."

Wrapping his arm around her, they walked to the truck, and, as per usual, he opened her door and helped her inside. Once he was seated with the basket in his lap, he listened as she started to ramble on about how she thought the Jenkins's kid or the "Dungeons and Dragons Dweeb" was going to get her basket. Tossing his gaze to her every once in a while, Luke hoped his "mhmm" responses were enough, as his mind was only focused on one thing...

Grabbing Luke's free hand as soon as her feet hit the ground, Lorelai closed the truck door with her hip and looked up at him. She hadn't stopped smiling since he bid. "Thank you for doing this."

Opening his mouth to tease her, Luke caught sight of the look of love in her eyes and stopped. Planting a quick peck to her lips, he pulled back with a grin. "You're welcome."

Unsurprising to him, she made quick work of spreading out the picnic blanket. Dropping down, she took the basket from his hands, and immediately frowned at its weight. As it rested in her lap, she lifted the lid to see more than just pop tarts and slim jims and quickly looked up at him with eyes filled with panic. "Luke! You got the wrong basket! We have someone else's lunch!"

Pretending to look inside, he shrugged nonchalantly. "Well, that's the one Patty gave me. I'm not going all the way back to town now."

"But Luke..." She protested

Cutting her off, he shook his head. "Let's eat it, and when we get back to town, we'll find out whose it is and go from there. I'll pay them back if I have to."

Looking down, she eyed the basket warily. The food did look good, but it wasn't her basket.

"Fine..." Lorelai sighed. "At least you don't have to eat a pop tart." Reaching inside, she began pulling out things. After a moment, stopped as she reached in to find apple pie. Holding it up, she frowned at him. "This looks a lot like your pie..."

"It probably is. People put my pie in these things every year..." Sitting down across from her, Luke stretched out his legs and watched as she continued digging, waiting for her to put two and two together.

Taking his answer at face value, she dug out the rest of the food, but before she could set a bowl down, she noted the mismatched Tupperware. "Hey! This is all my bowls and stuff. I'm the only person in the world who could pair a pretty purple lid with the ugliest brown bowl known to mankind..." Turning to him with knitted brows, she cocked her head. "Did you do this?"

At his ducked head, she immediately softened. "Luke, you did this?"

Shrugging, he looked her straight in her eyes. "You wanted me to participate, right?"

"You had this planned the whole time?" At his nod, a smile grew widely across her face. "I cant believe you tricked me and let me annoy you, and you were planning this!" Crawling across the blanket, she pecked his lips.

Moving back, she grabbed the rest of the food from the bottom of the basket and handed him his. Taking a few bites in amicable silence, she wiped her mouth before she spoke with a grin. "You know, your cooking actually tastes better outside."

"Good. Next time the roof in the diner's leaking, I'll just rip the stupid thing off."

Laying out, she flipped onto her stomach and propped her chin up with her hand. Grabbing a chip from one of the bags, she took a bite and looked out at the lake. "So this is nice, huh? Come on, admit it."

Stopping a grin from appearing on his face, he grumbled, "never," before quickly popping a carrot in his mouth.

Mocking offense, Lorelai threw a chip at him. "What? Admit it! you would much rather be sitting out here than inside working."

"The diner's probably on fire by now."

Shaking her head, she pointed at him knowingly. "You are stubborn."

"I'm stubborn?

"Yeah, you're stubborn."

With an eye roll, Luke deadpanned. "Because You're Miss Flexibility over here."

Affronted by his accusation, she frowned. "Hey, I can be flexible."

"Please."

"I can." She spoke haughtily, raising her chin in the air. "As long as everything is exactly the way I want it, I'm totally flexible."

"Ah, well, my mistake." Reaching for another carrot, he paused as she held her hand out to him.

"Do you want a chip?"

"You want a carrot?" He countered quickly

"Impossible." She smiled, biting into the chip with a smirk.

Tossing back a carrot of his own, he winked. "Right back at ya."

Catching the sight of one out of the corner of her eye, Lorelai grabbed a rock from the ground. "How about this, I will eat one of those horrid carrot sticks if you can make this skip 8 times across the water," she bartered with him.

Taking the rock, Luke looked at her with a confused look. "All I have to do is skip this rock 8 times?"

"Yep!" Looking out at the lake for a second, Lorelai resealed the chip bag and sat it down beside her. Jumping up, she grabbed another rock for herself and extended her hand out to Luke, pulling him up with her. "Come on...Rory and I used to come out here and do it all the time. She was a master skipper by age four,"

Grinning as she tossed the rock she found, she called out the skips dramatically. "1,2,3,4,5..." As the rock plopped into the water, she looked back at Luke with a shrug. "No matter what, we were never able to make it past 7 skips."

"So in order to get you to eat a carrot, I have to do what you consider impossible... I've been skipping rocks my whole life. This should be no problem."

Grabbing his wrist tightly before he could toss, she scolded him. "Ah, ah, ah. Don't get too cocky. Every person I've done this with has never made it to eight. Me, Rory, Mia, Sookie, even Morey and Babette. None of us could do it"

Bringing her hand to his lips, he placed a light kiss before bringing it back down to her side. "Then allow me to be the first." With a quick flick of his wrist, Luke sent the rock skipping.

"1,2,3,4,5,6... ah so close!" Lorelai narrated dramatically. "That's right, folks. Butch Danes was unable to complete the challenge! Will he try again or will he submit to the fact that I'm right?"

Rolling his eyes, he mumbled, "I have to warm up."

Despite the warming up by the both of them, 7 more rocks each and many laughs later, Lorelai chucked a rock into the water without even trying to make it skip. "I'm telling you! This place is cursed! It hates rock skippers."

"Or it could be that we suck at skipping rocks,"

"Hey! What happened to 'I'm Butch Danes, I am a professional at skipping rocks'," she imitated him.

"Normally I am," he squeezed her hand as he chuckled. "Maybe we're just using the wrong rocks or something."

"Ooo, let's go to the other side of the lake and try those rocks! I've never skipped with rocks from that side... I mean, if that's alright with you."

"Sure… Why not."

Walking slowly around to the other side, Lorelai found herself leaned into his shoulder. "Hey Luke?"

"Hmm?"

"This has been a great date..." Planting a kiss to his flannel, she grinned at his grunt of agreement. "See, not all town things are bad. Some of them let you spend more time with me. What could be bad about that?"

Feeling the conversation growing serious, Luke's heart immediately skipped a beat and he realized that his window might be coming up. Looking back at her with a smile, he planted a soft kiss to her lips. "Nothing at all." He answered softly

Returning his kiss, she pulled back with a sigh and they fell into comfortable silence. As Luke's hand began moving up and down her back, she slipped her arms under his jacket and burrowed into him, the early spring weather giving her an excuse to cuddle closer. "Hey, Luke?"

"Yeah?"

"Let's not skip rocks... can we just walk a few minutes?"

Pulling her even closer, he planted a kiss to her temple. "Sure."

"I don't know if you realized, but we've officially known each other for one year." She spoke up quietly as they reached the back of the lake but kept walking "Around this time last year, you were giving Rory a free coffee... You were supplying my caffeine addiction and you didn't even know it."

"And I've been supplying it ever since. Sometimes I wonder if you're with me for the coffee."

Laughing softly, she smiled. "And I plan on letting you wonder that for the rest of our lives."

"The rest of our lives, huh?" He inquired, squeezing her side.

Tensing for a second, she looked up at him and couldn't help but shiver under his gaze. "Yeah... I plan on having you around for a while if that's alright with you."

"This is it." He thought. Taking a deep breath, he pulled her closer. "I've actually wanted to talk to you about that..." He answered, his face not giving away anything

His words stirred something in her, causing her heart to race. "Really?"

"Yeah..."

"Well, by all means, talk." By this time, she wasn't sure she was breathing, but she was definitely smiling.

Taking her hands from around him, he took a step back from her, falling to one knee.

Her breath hitching in her throat as she gasped, Lorelai's hand flew over her mouth as she realized what he was doing. "Luke..." she managed to get out, her voice barely above a whisper.

Seeing tears immediately beginning to pool and escape, he smiled, "Please don't cry yet. You know I can't handle it when you cry."

"Sorry," She beamed brightly, wiping the tears that fell.

Holding her hands in his, Luke spoke simply. "I had more planned than just the picnic if that's okay with you." At her nod, he placed a kiss to her hand before he continued. "I'm not good with words, and you know that, but I thought today would be a good day to give it a shot... I love you, and I mean it in every sense of the word. I know that you're a lot of work," he spoke with a small grin, "but I love you for it. I knew from the first time I saw you that I wanted to get to know you better, but I never thought that I would be lucky enough to for you to be the woman of my dreams. You are crazy, passionate, unpredictable, and a whole lot of other things, Lorelai Gilmore, but I wouldn't have it any other way. If you'll let me, I want to spend the rest of my life with not only you, but Rory too, in this crazy place we call home..." Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out the box. An audible gasp escaped her lips as he opened it and she caught sight of the ring. "Lorelai, Will you marry me?"

It was as if she was dreaming. No way was this real. The man she loved was right there in front of her on one knee, and only one word came to mind...

"Yes!" Lorelai whispered hoarsely. Regaining her voice, she spoke a little louder as tears rolled down her cheeks. "Yes, Luke, I will marry you!"

In one smooth motion, he slipped the ring onto her shaking finger. Standing up, Luke enveloped her in his arms, planting a kiss to her hair. "I love you."

Pulling back, she looked at him with bright eyes. Wrapping her arms around his neck, she knocked cap off his head, running her fingers through his hair. "I love you too... so much," she whispered, bringing her lips to his in a demanding kiss.

The world around them fell away and passion flowed between them as Luke tightened his grip around her, angling his head and taking them deeper. Feeling her start to move against him, he pulled his lips from hers, enveloping her in a tight embrace.

They stayed like that for a while, neither knowing how long, relishing the monumental decision they just made. When Lorelai finally pulled back, Luke found her smiling brighter than he thought he'd ever seen.

"We're getting married," she said, her hand caressing his cheek, still in awe. "Me and you. You and Me. Lorelai I'm-sorry-can-i-get-a-forklift-for-my-emotional-baggage Gilmore and Luke table-for-one Danes are getting married,"

Chuckling softly, he turned his head and kissed her palm. "We are."

"I can't believe this..." she whispered. Finding her eyes drawn to the ring now on her finger, she trailed the details of the beautiful piece. "Luke, this ring is beautiful... When did you have time to get this?"

"The diamonds are from my mom's ring." At her smile, Luke took her hand and ran his finger across the band. "I had them reset when I got your present at Christmas."

"Well, you picked perfect." Her eyes stayed locked on the ring as she ran her own finger over the diamonds. Out of nowhere, her gaze was broken when she perked up suddenly. "Oh my gosh, Rory! We've got to tell Rory! She'll be so excited!"

She managed to turn in his arms, but he stopped her from pulling away, tightening his grasp on her waist. "Wait."

"What?" She turned back to him curiously.

"I'm pretty sure I just fixed a whole pie for you to celebrate with that you haven't even touched." Running his fingers through her curls, he smiled. "Let's finish this. Rory will still be up at the inn when we're done."

Realizing that they could keep this to themselves for a little while, she didn't have a problem with it. Stepping to him, she leaned into his shoulder and rested her arm around his waist. "You're right... It's not every day that I get to go on a date with my fiancé." She tested out the title with a grin.

Tightening his grip on her, they began to walk back to their blanket. "God, that sounds good."

"I know, doesn't it," she spoke softly. "Just imagine how much better it will be when we get to call each other husband and wife."

Unable to help it, and not wanting to stop it, a full-blown smile appeared on Luke's lips as he placed on last kiss on hers. "I can't wait."

As they strolled back to the inn, Luke's free hand found Lorelai's, squeezing it tightly, and his thumb ran over the diamond. He did it; he really proposed... and she said yes.

Deciding to keep it a secret until they got back home, Lorelai hid her hand from Rory the whole drive, but she was unable to really keep her excitement in, as Luke saw her out of the corner of his eye bouncing in her seat.

Opening the door to the house, Rory scrambled in to take all of her stuff to her room. Before she could get too far, Lorelai stepped in the house and spoke up "Oh Rory! Come to the living room. I need to see you," She said in a sing song voice.

Immediately reversing her course, Rory ended up by the stairs. "Here I am, Mommy!"

"There you are! We've got something we want to talk to you about sweets. Daddy Luke w—." She started but was cut off by a loud gasp from Rory.

Unbeknownst to Lorelai, she caught sight of the ring on her finger. "You did it, Daddy!" She exclaimed, running over to Luke and throwing her arms around him as soon as he picked her up.

"I did." Looking over at Lorelai, he noted the suddenly curious look on her face. "What?"

"What does she mean, "You did it"?"

Before he could answer, Rory shouted out excitedly. "He asked you to marry him!"

"I know that, sweets," she answered smiling, "But how do you know that? I haven't even told you yet."

Pointing to her finger, she explained, "You're wearing the ring he got you!"

"You knew about the ring?" She looked at her curiously, then up to Luke who was suddenly looking down at his shoes. "Luke?"

Clearing his throat, he spoke a quiet, "She did..." Putting Rory down, he looked at Lorelai and shrugged his shoulders. "I might have asked her to see if I could marry you."

A small, quiet gasp escaped her lips, and her hand flew up to her mouth to cover it. Letting it down slowly, she spoke softly. "You asked Rory for my hand in marriage?"

"Well, yeah. If she didn't want us to be married, then there's no way I could go through with the proposal until she did... She comes first."

Bouncing on the balls of her feet happily, Rory said, "Now I finally get a real daddy, Mommy! A real daddy who lives with me!"

As much as her heart broke at the words, at the same time, Lorelai was overcome with such happiness that tears filled her eyes. "I know, Rory." Crouching down she brought her daughter into her arms and kissed her head. "So, you're okay with me marrying Luke."

"Mhmmm!"

Feeling the tears escaping again, she smiled. "Do you mind running and getting me some tissues from my room upstairs, hon?"

"Okay!"

In all reality, she couldn't have cared less about the tissues. She just wanted to have Rory out of the room before she could scar her for life.

When Luke looked into Lorelai's eyes as she stood back up, her gaze was intense, borderline dangerous. For a second, he thought she was angry, but before he could speak up, she strode over to him and threw her arms around his neck, covering his lips with hers in a hungry kiss. Luke responded immediately, his hands gripping her sides and drawing her as close to him as humanly possible. Her lips were demanding, the force behind them stronger than he expected. She plundered his mouth greedily, and he responded with a low moan. Before the fog could take over his brain, she released him, stepping back a little as she heaved. "I love you so much." She spoke quietly and intensely. "You think you have an idea, but Luke, there's no way you do... Asking Rory, that is the most amazing thing, and I couldn't love you any more for it if I tried."

If he didn't know that Rory was going to appear back in the room soon, Luke would have gone in for more, but at risk of Rory walking in, he kept his lips at a distance. Unwilling to break contact though, he brought her into his arms, and she could feel his heart still racing from the intense moment they had shared. "I do know, but I'll take your word for it... I love you beyond words, Lorelai. I know I don't tell you enough, but I do," he whispered into her ear and planted a kiss to her temple.

Still trying to catch her breath, he heard her murmur quietly a second later. "Did she just call you Daddy?"

Pulling back to where he could see her, he pushed a stray curl from her face. "That also may have come up when I talked to her. She asked if I would be her dad, and I told her no, that I would be her stepdad but I love her like she's mine. So, she asked if she could call me Daddy instead of Daddy Luke, and I told her she could call me whatever she wants," he explained entirely.

Opening her mouth to respond, she shut it and shot him a small smile. Shaking her head, she nuzzled into his neck, planting a kiss there and spoke the only words that had seemed right for the past few hours. "I love you, Luke."

Running his hands lazily up and down her back, he answered with a firm, "Ditto."

They stayed locked together as long as they could until the finally heard Rory approaching.

Skipping happily into the room, she held out the box of Kleenex. "Here, Mommy!"

"Thank you, Rory," She answered, taking one and dabbing at her eyes

"What do you do now? Are you married?" Rory asked questioningly

"Not yet. We're engaged. We have to have a wedding, and then we will be married. This ring just means we promise to marry each other."

"Oh! Do I get to go to your wedding?" Rory pressed further. "Do you wear a dress like on the movies? Do I get to wear a dress?"

Laughing softly before shaking her head, Lorelai smiled. "Woah, woah, woah, sweets. One thing at a time... How about this. We'll answer all the questions you have when we plan it, but yes, you do get to come."

"When do you plan it?"

Knowing Rory's questioning was nowhere close to ending, she placed a hand on her shoulder and answered, "How about this? You go put your stuff up, and then we will sit on the couch with some chocolate milk, and we will talk all about what you get to do."

"Okay!"

As Rory scurried off with her bag, Lorelai turned back to Luke and wrapped her arms around his waist. Finding his quickly around her, she pulled him closer, pecking his cheek. "Are you gonna stay around for Rory's interrogation, or do you have to head back to the diner."

Running his hands up and down her lower back, he shook his head. "I took the rest of the day off, so I don't have to be back until the morning."

"Oh good! We can have a Gilmore-Danes night in…" Thinking on her words for a second, she laughed and shook her head in self-deprecation. "Boy, we're sounding like an old married couple already..."

Watching as Lorelai slipped her top over her head later that night, Luke admired the woman before him.

Feeling his gaze on her, she stopped and looked at him over her shoulder. "Are you gonna come in or are you just gonna stand there and be a perv watching me while I dress."

Chuckling, he shook his head. "No offense, but I'm not looking at you." At her furrowed brow, he walked over and turned her to face the mirror, wrapping his arms around her from behind. Taking her left hand, he laced his fingers through hers and brought her ring into the light. "I was looking at this."

"Still can't believe it huh?" At his nod of confirmation, she smiled. "Me either... the town is gonna be thrilled though. I just don't know how we're gonna tell them all."

"Oh, about that..." He looked at her reflection with a smirk. "I may have told Patty that she gets to be the first to know. She helped with the food in the basket so she gets the inside scoop."

Turning in his arms, Lorelai eyed him with a grin. "You got Patty to help you propose to me?"

Rolling his eyes at the taunting look in her eyes, he nodded. "Yes."

"Well, if this ring doesn't prove your love for me, then that definitely does."

"Exactly..." Remembering the promise he made to Richard, Luke took a reassuring breath before continuing. "I think there's one more group you need to worry about telling first, though."

Narrowing her eyes at him, she hesitantly asked, "Who?"

"Your parents..."

"Luke..." Sighing, she pulled away from him and walked over to the bed. Sitting down on the edge, she looked up at him warily. "I don't know how... I know they aren't gonna approve, and I don't what them to ruin this moment for me."

Watching her pick at the quilt on the bed, he realized he could maybe ease her mind by repeating her father's words from when they spoke, but he wasn't sure how she'd react. "What if I told you I know that they approved." He spoke up cautiously.

"What do you mean..."

"I mean that I talked to them before I proposed..."

"You what?" She exclaimed, standing up quickly and walking back up to him. "You can't be serious."

Hearing the combative tone in her voice, he placed his hands on her shoulders and answered her directly before she could rant. "I asked them, and your dad gave me his approval."

"But you didn't n-"

"I know I didn't need to, but I did. It's the right thing to do."

Moving his hands away, Lorelai stepped back and clapped her hands on her hips. "The right thing to do? Luke, my parents have no business telling you whether or not we can get married! It's not their call!"

Reaching up and rubbing the back of his neck, Luke realized his instinct was right… she wasn't happy. Sighing, he stepped back and leaned against the dresser, giving her space as he reasoned with her. "It's not, but they've been pretty good lately. Don't you think it was good for me to at least give them a heads up?"

"Giving them a heads up is saying 'Hey, I'm proposing to your daughter. I thought you'd like to know.' Asking permission is something completely different!" She countered fiercely.

"Well, I did it anyway!" Throwing his hands out at his side, Luke continued frustrated.
"What are you going to do? Break it off because I asked their permission?"

"What? No!" Immediately softening, she cocked her head. "Do you think that?"

Shaking his head, he stepped back towards her and grabbed her hand. "Of course not, but why else would this be an argument? If we're going to stay engaged whether or not i asked, then why the hell are you upset?"

Running a hand through her hair, Lorelai bit her lip before deciding to answer. "Because, Luke, this thing, me and you, is one of the only really good things in my life, and in the past, whenever I had anything good, they always found a way to destroy it."

"Is telling them we're engaged going to change your mind?"

"No..."

"Then tell them." Walking over to her nightstand, he grabbed the phone off the hook and held it out to her. "Maybe they'll surprise you, and if they don't like it, they'll just have to suck it up and deal with it. I got their permission, so everything should be fine, but if not, they can get over it."

"Fine... but if my mother puts me in a bad mood, you have to deal with it,"

Raising his hands in surrender, he nodded. "Noted."

Grabbing the landline from his hand, she slowly dialed the number. "Hello, could I speak to Mr. or Mrs. Gilmore... It's their daughter, Lorelai... yes, that's fine. I'll wait." As the maid went on a search for one of her parents, Lorelai took a shaky breath and shot Luke a nervous look. Walking over, he put a reassuring hand on her shoulder right before she spoke. "Hi, mom."

Surprised by her daughter's voice on the other end, Emily froze. "Hello, Lorelai... is something wrong?"

Cocking her head, she cast her narrowed eyes back to Luke as she answered. "Uh, no. Nothing's wrong. Should there be?"

"Well, the only time you ever call is to schedule dinner, and since we just recently had that, an emergency is the only other reason I can think of for your call."

"No, mom, it's not an emergency..." Taking a breath, she leaned back against Luke's chest, wanting to feel his support. "Is dad there?"

"He is..."

"Well, could you get him? I want to talk to the both of you."

"Okay... give me a moment."

Though it felt to Lorelai like she waited forever, after a short moment, Emily spoke up again. "Alright, he's here, Lorelai, and I had the maid put the phone on speaker mode so we could both hear..."

"Okay. I just wanted to let both of you know that I had some news... Luke asked me to marry him, and I said yes." She spoke hesitantly. As soon as the words came out of her mouth, she scrunched up her face in concern and held her breath, waiting for their answer.

"Well, that's wonderful, Lorelai," Richard answered, happiness evident in his voice. "Congratulations."

"Thanks, Dad." She answered genuinely. "We're pretty excited about it... Mom are you still there?"

If she hadn't had the phone up to the ear herself, Lorelai never would have believed the words she heard. "Yes, Lorelai. I'm here... Best wishes to you and congratulations to Luke. I'm very happy for you."

Inhaling a sharp breath, her eyes widened. "Uh, thanks, mom… So, I guess I'll let you guys go, but I just wanted to share the news."

"Very well, Lorelai," Richard spoke up. "Thanks for calling. Have a good evening."

Pressing the end button, Lorelai dropped the phone on the bed and sat down slowly herself. "Did that just happen," she spoke quietly into the room.

Sitting down beside her, Luke took her hands in his. "What happened?"

"Mom didn't freak. She just said congrats and that she was happy for us." Looking at her feet with an emotionless face, she continued as she reprocessed her mother's reaction in her mind. "I don't think she's said she was happy for me in my entire life."

Unable to read her, he reached out and pushed a curl out of her face, causing her eyes to meet his. "And how do you feel about that?"

"I don't know…" Laying back on the bed, she crossed her arms over her chest and stared at the ceiling. "Luke, I really don't know."

Meanwhile, at the Gilmore Mansion…

Not bothering to set the phone back down on its dock, Emily looked back at Richard with an unreadable expression

"Emily?"

"She told us. She told us about her engagement." Unable to hide it, her voice revealed her disbelief.

Nodding, Richard eyed her carefully. "She did. She's opening up to us… Now that she's told us, how are you feeling about this whole situation?"

"I'm not sure…" Realizing her lapse, Emily reached back and set the phone correctly and tidied the rest of the table. Standing back up, she tried to straighten as much as possible, but the shock in her eyes broke through her societal façade. "Richard, I'm honestly not sure."

A/N: Well, what do you think... :)