Rory's gaze was fixated on the elaborate envelope Honour had unceremoniously slammed onto her desk not minutes earlier. The fancy stationary meant one thing, and one thing only. This was the annual Christmas party the Huntzbergers threw.
"My parents. And they demand my presence. Please tell me you'll come and be my wingman? Well, woman?"
Rory sighed. "Come on, Honour…"
"Puhleeze Rory! Logan'll be there." Honour begged, her bottom lip turned out into a pout.
Rory's heart fluttered at her new boyfriend's name but she kept her cool. It was Logan who she hoped would be calling with a personal invitation. She'd been impressed with his easy slide from her friend to her boyfriend and even more impressed that he'd been a fantastic boyfriend. It really felt like nothing had changed in their relationship, and yet everything had changed.
"Cut me some slack, Honour," Rory begged just as her cell phone chirped.
"Your grandmother has formally requested our presence at the Huntzberger's annual Christmas ball! I got the Huntzberger's invitation and a formal one from the grandparents. Can't you get us out of this?"
Rory sighed at her mother. "If the grandparents say we need to go we need to go, Mom." She could feel the headache building in the back of brain. "If it makes you feel better you can come with me and Honour to go shopping. We can all suffer through it together."
Honour squealed. "I knew Logan was the perfect bargaining chip!" With that she skipped out of the room.
Rory rolled her eyes and turned her attention back to her ranting mother. "Mom, Mom, Mom, come on. I know you don't want to go, you know I don't want to go, we both know Grandma will have our heads if we don't go. Can't we just this once suck it up?"
Lorelai was silent in surprise. "You're actually asking me to attend this thing?"
Rory knew there was no way her mother was going to go without putting up a fight. "Think of it this way: there's more of a chance for us to get out of the Gilmore Christmas shindig if we go to the Huntzberger one. And I'd rather suffer through the Huntzberger one than have to play perfect family at the Gilmores'."
"Good point. I hadn't thought about that."
"So we can go? With minimal complaints?" Rory glanced up at her door at a soft knock on the frame, smiling brightly at her visitor.
"I'm not guaranteeing the minimal complaints, but Chris, Kitty and I will be there. For your sanity if nothing else."
Rory grinned wider. "You're the greatest, Mom. I have to go, I'll call you about shopping, okay?"
"You're leaving me? Who am I going to vent to?"
"Sookie? I'll bet she'll even make you something chocolate." Rory watched as Logan shut the door behind him and slowly approached her desk. She mouthed an apology to him.
Logan only grinned back, taking his time making his way over to her. He watched her baby blues follow his every step until he stood in front of her.
"No she won't. She's still angry at me for the last time I ate one of the desserts without asking. Not even the threat of having to endure society will save me."
"You won't know until you head into the kitchen, Mom."
Slowly, bracing his hands on the arms of her chair, he leaned towards her, stopping a hair from her mouth for a split second before changing routes and pressing a lingering kiss to her cheek instead.
"Now, I really have to go," Rory said her eyes drifting closed, well aware it would take very little effort on her end to kiss him as he moved down her face to her jaw, then starting up towards her ear.
"You can't leave Mommy!"
"Bye Mom." She snapped the phone closed and turned her head, meeting his lips with her own. Logan responded in kind, allowing her to lead the kiss, cutting it off before they got too far.
"Now that's a hello," she murmured.
"Mmm," he answered, moving back to rest on the edge of her desk. "Maybe now you won't kill me when I tell you about my parents' party?"
Rory sighed. "Trust me, between Honour and my mother, I'm very much aware of your family's little get-together."
Logan chuckled. "Then it won't be too much to ask for you to come with me?"
Rory thought about it. As much as she hoped he'd ask, they'd been generally careful to keep the change in their relationship quiet. Both were well aware that letting their dating status leak to their families and society could really only lead to questions they didn't want to answer and plans they weren't comfortable discussing.
Logan took her hand to catch her attention again. "Ace?" He'd been nervous to ask her to go as his date because they'd been quiet and he knew that even though his dad had liked her the first time they'd met, he hadn't met Rory as his girlfriend and his mother only knew her through Honour. He knew there was a chance they'd be less than receptive because Rory worked and worked hard.
"Are you sure you're ready to plan our wedding?" Rory asked softly, interlocking their fingers.
"If you're willing to come as my date, I'll hire the planner right now," he joked in response.
"There's going to be tonnes of questions," Rory continued.
"Ace, we don't have to if you're not ready," he said softly, pulling on her hand and wheeling her chair towards him.
"No, no, Logan. We've talked about this."
Logan sighed. They had gone over whether or not to spill their secret in depth and detail. Rory had made it well known that she'd love to broadcast to the world that Logan Huntzberger was her serious boyfriend, but the consequences and repercussions terrified both of them.
"Pick me up in Star's Hollow?"
"Are you serious?"
"As a heart attack," she assured him. "We'll deal with the consequences as they come."
"We've only been seriously dating three weeks, how bad can it be?" Logan reasoned.
Rory laughed out loud. "Obviously you've never met Francine Hayden."
"On the contrary I've met the woman a number of times, I don't understand what the problem is."
"That woman is relentless, Logan. We joke about them planning our wedding – assuming your parents are accepting of me – but my grandmother will actually be doing it. In fact, she'll probably have children's names picked by the end of next week."
"Ace, breathe. Consequences as they come, remember?" he tried to soothe.
Rory nodded, allowing her worries to bleed into the background of her thoughts for now. "To what do I owe the pleasure of your visit, Mr Huntzberger?" she asked playfully.
Logan pulled her to stand, enjoying how easily she slipped into his arms. "Have I ever told you how happy I am you agreed to be my girlfriend?"
Rory chuckled. "How many times do I have to tell you that we're still in the honeymoon phase?"
Logan rolled his eyes. "When will you accept that this is just working?"
"When we have our first fight," Rory answered promptly.
Logan chuckled. "Did I hear you mention a shopping trip?" he asked, wrapping his arms around her waist tightly.
"I have nothing in my closet that I haven't worn to a function. And I'll have to call the nanny to make sure she can watch Sophie that night. I refuse to subject her to that," Rory said lifting a hand to her forehead.
Logan could see her making a mental note of everything she had to do before the party. "You'll get it all done," he promised. "But, I do have a present for you."
"Logan," she groaned. "I don't need anything."
He laughed. He'd never met a woman who complained about getting showered with gifts until Rory Hayden. "Well, technically I haven't bought it for you yet." He watched Rory's brow furrow in that adorable way she had as she tried to figure out what he was talking about.
"You ordered it?" she asked.
"Actually, I figured you could pick it out for yourself."
She sighed in frustration. "Logan, what the hell are you talking about?"
He chuckled, reaching into his back pocket to withdraw his wallet and subsequently his American Express card.
She gasped. "Logan!"
"What?" he asked innocently, going into the top drawer of her desk where she kept her purse and making sure the black card was tucked in front of her other credit cards. "God, you're purse is organized."
"What are you doing, Logan?"
"You're going to get yourself something that's going to make my jaw drop to the floor and hide you away to keep eyes off of you, okay?" He ordered softly. "And you're going to do it with my card. And before you even think about it, I'm going to get Honour to make sure you a) have the card when you go and b) use it, got it?"
"Logan, this is so unnecessary…"
"Hey, I want to," he said, replacing her purse and his own wallet. "It's the least I can do for dragging you to this."
Her finger was tracing random circles on his bicep. "You're not dragging me anywhere," she reassured him. "My grandparents have ordered me to show up anyway."
"And that makes me feel so much better," he said with a smile. "You have time for lunch?"
Rory nodded. "A quickie anyway."
Logan raised an eyebrow with a lecherous grin. "A quickie, huh Ace?"
She blushed bright crimson at the unconscious innuendo. "I can change my mind, you know."
"Not necessary, Ace. Come on, I'm down to forty five minutes before I think I have to get back to the office." He barely allowed her time to grab her coat and scarf before he pulled her to lunch.
Rory was running late and it was driving her nuts. Her alarm hadn't gone off and Sophie had let her sleep an extra half hour before coming to wake her and Honour and her mother were going to be there any minute. Rory had promised Sophie she could come and help pick out her dress after Sophie had begged and pleaded to go. Rory was pretty sure the begging had to do with a conversation her adopted daughter had had with Logan and she made a mental note to whack him when she saw him the next day.
"Rory, Lorelai's going to be here any minute," Sophie called from the kitchen, sitting comfortably and going over the paper. Sophie had been pretty much ready to go when Rory tore down the stairs to gulp down a cup of coffee before racing back upstairs to have a shower.
"I know, I know! Are we meeting Honour?"
"And Stephanie. Who's Stephanie?"
"A friend of mine I met through Logan," Rory called back, finally stepping into the kitchen dressed, pretty and ready to go. "Decent?"
"Always. Coffee?"
"You have to ask?"
Rory had enough time to gulp down half of her third cup before Lorelai came breezing through the door, Honour close behind and Steph bringing up the rear.
"Good morning Fruit of my Loins!" Lorelai called cheerfully, wrapping her arms around Rory from behind, then moving to kiss Sophie's head.
Rory groaned. "In front of the girls, Mom?"
"Number one rule of motherhood: always embarrass your daughter at every chance," Lorelai listed, going directly to the cupboard with mugs and pouring herself a cup. She took her first gulp and sighed in relief. "Why did you have to leave my house? I miss your coffee-making abilities."
Rory chuckled. "If I remember correctly, you and Dad made sure I moved out when Honour and I started the Foundation because you didn't want me commuting all the time?"
Lorelai sighed. "Your father cannot make coffee. You'd think after marrying me he'd learn to make a proper cup, but no."
Honour had taken one of the empty seats at the kitchen table where Steph stood in the doorway. "Now what is this I hear about a certain card in your wallet?" she inquired innocently.
Rory groaned, waving Steph into the kitchen and ordering her to make herself at home like her mother and best friend had already done. "I tried to tell him not to worry about it, but—"
"Wait a second, I'm missing something," Lorelai interrupted.
Honour's mouth curved in an evil grin. "Logan left me with strict orders to make sure whatever Rory bought today she charged to his Black Card."
"He did what?!" Steph and Lorelai exclaimed at the same time.
"Gave Rory his prized Black Card," Honour repeated. "And he called me deliberately to tell me she was to spend his money today."
"Tell me he asked you to go with him," Steph begged. "Put me out of my misery."
"He asked me to go with him," Rory said easily, sipping from her coffee. "That make your life easier?"
It took a second for Steph to recover from the shock of how easy she'd said it. "He did?" Then she squealed. "Finally!"
"Hey, you just told me to tell you he asked me. You never said anything about the truth," Rory replied with a grin.
"You, Hayden, are horrible."
Sophie and Rory exchanged a grin. Sophie was the only one that knew for sure that Logan and Rory were seriously dating. "I try," Rory said. "Now, are we going shopping?"
Sophie and Rory were browsing through dresses when Rory's phone chirped. Her eyes still on the fabrics in front of her she clicked it on. "Hayden."
"Testing the limits of that card yet?"
Rory couldn't stop her smile, blushing when Sophie mirrored her happy grin. Apparently she knew exactly how her face changed when Rory interacted with Logan.
"Isn't the whole point of the card that it doesn't have a limit?" she replied smartly. "And I've heard about nothing but the damned card all morning. You couldn't have sworn Honour to secrecy?"
"Where would the fun in that be? Find it yet?" The latter was in reference to her dress.
"Even if I did, I wouldn't tell you," she said, rolling her eyes at Sophie's face when she pulled out a black dress.
"You know, I'll never understand how you women can shop all morning without being exhausted."
"It's a skill and talent," Rory agreed. "But I'm working on the requisite eight cups of coffee so I think I'll be good for at least another hour."
"Then what?"
"Then lunch. After that it's back to the dress shopping."
"If it makes you feel any better about the card, Colin handed his over to Steph last week when she mentioned going shopping for her dress. If I'm not mistaken, they're going together tonight."
"And Finn?"
"Does Finn ever bring a date to these things? He's too crazy for his parents to really try and set him up with someone else from society until he settles down," Logan replied.
"So Steph and Colin have admitted they're better together?"
He laughed. "Not a chance. They're very good at the game, Ace. They've been dancing around each other since probably middle school."
Rory's jaw dropped. "Middle school? I knew it was a long time, but seriously?"
"Seriously."
Rory looked at the pink ruffles Sophie held out for her and shook her head adamantly. "Is there anything we can do?"
"We've tried.'
"Never leave the matchmaking to the guys," Rory said wisely.
"Then I bow to your superior skills," he quipped.
"Rory, I found your dress!" Stephanie called excitedly from across the store.
Rory rolled her eyes at Sophie, taking the eight-year-old's hand and heading to where Steph's voice had come from. "If this dress looks like Swiss cheese I'm going to kill you when I get my hands on you," Rory said sweetly into the phone.
Logan just laughed. "Steph picked one out?"
"And every dress she has it would make your jaw drop but because it's so far from me."
"I'll let you go then. I'll pick you up at 6:30? Then we're fashionably late and all the guests will be there."
"Ah, distractions. You've got yourself a deal, Mac."
He chuckled like he always did the rare times she pulled out that nickname. "See you, Ace."
"Bye." Then she turned quickly to Sophie whispering furtively. "You and I are going into Barnes & Noble when we're done and I promise I will buy you whatever books you want."
Sophie grinned. "You don't have to apologize you know."
"For putting you through this? You're here to make sure I spend Logan's money, I think we can spend his money on you too."
Sophie just grinned.
"Who was on the phone?" Steph asked, shuffling through the dresses on the rack.
"Logan," Sophie piped up immediately.
"Checking up on you? God, will you two just admit you're attracted to each other already?"
Rory blushed, thankful Steph's preoccupation with the dresses. "When you and Colin can do the same thing," she answered sweetly.
Steph gasped. "Colin and I are no where near where you and Logan are, hon. Now, here's the dress I was looking at."
"Rory!" Honour squealed, "Look here! This for sure will make Logan squirm and hopefully speed up the idiot in asking you out."
Rory rolled her eyes looking at the skimpy dresses her friends had pulled out for her. "I'm not going to this party looking like I'm missing half of my dress," she admonished.
"Walk on the wild side, Ror," Honour said.
"Hey, hon?" Lorelai was standing at a rack a few feet down from the bickering girls, her eyes locked on a dress and Sophie standing wide-eyed beside her. "This is it."
Rory stood beside her mother, looking at the blue satin that there was no doubt would make Rory's eyes shine brilliantly. "Well, let's try it," Rory suggested easily, taking the dress into the dressing room. When she slid the fabric on, her heart was set on it. The blue did bring out her eyes brilliantly and the dress hugged her supple curves until the skirt flared out at her hips. The fabric brushed her knees. The v-neck wasn't her usual style, but she loved the short vee in the back that ended half way down her back.
"Come on, let's see!" Honour called.
Rolling her eyes, Rory stepped out of the dressing room.
"That's it," Stephanie said authoritatively. "You're buying that dress."
"Honour?" Rory asked.
"I agree," she answered. "I'm going to drag Steph to look for ours, you're okay?" If there was one thing Honour knew it was the tight relationship between the Lorelai's. At Rory's nod she hooked arms with Stephanie and led the blonde back out onto the floor.
Rory turned to her mom. "Look as good as you thought?"
Lorelai smiled. "Better," she promised. "You look absolutely gorgeous. I know you too well."
"See, now why couldn't we find this hours ago?" Sophie whined childishly. "How come you always find the best dresses at the end?"
"Because then it's the end," Lorelai replied childishly. "There's no point in looking further if you already have the dress you want."
Sophie rolled her eyes before turning the Gilmore-learned Bambi eyes on her adoptive mother. "Books?"
"Am I buying this dress?" she teased.
"You'd better. And I'm so taking pictures of Logan's face when he sees you."
"You won't be there," Lorelai said logically.
Sophie smiled mischievously. "I know."
"You have ins!" Lorelai gasped. "What do you know that I don't? Come on, tell, tell. I'll buy you a book…"
Sophie smirked. "Logan's already buying me a bunch of them. Rory promised I could exercise his card in Barnes & Noble when we're done."
Lorelai pouted as Rory stepped back in the dressing room. "You know, that boy is ruining all of my fun."
"You'll get over it," Rory quipped through the door stepping out a few minutes later, the dress in hand. "Now, let's go pay for this. I need coffee and Sophie needs a book."
As per the Gilmore Girl's handbook on Preparing for Society Parties, Honour and Rory made the trek to Star's Hollow, this time Steph in tow. It had been a whirlwind couple of hours, but between the four of them – Lorelai included – they'd managed to get almost everything done.
"Hey, Rory, you never mentioned whether or not you had a date," Steph said, putting the finishing touches on her make up. Rory had been ready for ten minutes, but Steph, Honour and her mother were still finishing up.
"No I didn't," Rory agreed. What she really wanted was to see the look on their faces when Logan showed up to get her in… "You're aware you have five minutes right? Even by Gilmore time?"
"I can't believe you're so calm. I mean, maybe Logan'll jump you in the hallway of his parents' place. He could be ready to admit his undying love for you and you're not nervous in the slightest," Honour teased. "I'm nervous, and these are my parents."
"Exactly, they're your parents. You know what kind of a scene they could create, just as I'm very much aware of the scene my mother will definitely make arriving half an hour late," Rory responded, locking her gaze with her mother's and sticking out her tongue.
"But I thought you were ready, Lorelai," Honour protested.
"Since my attendance has been requested by my mother, I will be taking whatever avenues I can to piss her off but good," Lorelai responded as she stood shoeless at the front of her closet, technically already dressed.
Rory sighed. "You know Mom, you almost sounded formal."
Lorelai scoffed. "Now why would I do that. Remind me why I can't wear the 'I'm with stupid' shirt? Your father will love it."
"Grandma won't," Rory answered. And as much as I love you I want to make sure my first impression as Logan's girlfriend is an absolute brilliant one, she added to herself.
Suddenly, Lorelai squealed, making all three of the younger women jump. "There's a limo in our driveway! Why is there a limo in our driveway?"
Rory stood, smoothing out her dress and heading for the stairs. "Probably because we're heading to a society party and the boys wanted to arrive in style," she called back.
"He's picking you up, isn't he?" Honour yelled, Steph squealing at the prospect.
Rory could almost see all three women with their faces pressed against the glass of her mother's window watching the guys get out of the car. Upon the sound of the doorbell, she pulled open the front door. "Why hello gentlemen."
"And a good evening to you too, fair lady," Finn replied with a mock serious face as he pressed a kiss to Rory's cheek.
"Steph and Honour are upstairs with Mom putting the finishing touches on their outfits. You guys can head up if you want," she offered.
"We can wait down here," Colin responded, pressing the requisite kiss to her cheek before following Finn inside.
Logan got his first good look at Rory when Colin stepped out of his way and around his girlfriend. His breath caught at the brilliance of her blue eyes but he made sure he dragged his eyes over every inch of her body before returning it to her eyes. "Good evening, Gorgeous."
Rory smiled and stepped towards him, ignoring the heat his thorough examination had invoked and straightening his tie absently. "Good evening yourself, Handsome," she responded, her voice quiet. She rested a hand on his chest, patting his tie into place before asking, "A limo?"
Logan shrugged. "I figured this way we could get as hammered as we wanted and not have to worry about driving home later. Your parents are welcome to join us if they're ready."
Rory chuckled. "They're ready, but Mom is fighting back by showing up half an hour late. I left strict instructions with Dad to make sure she doesn't change before leaving."
Logan nodded, pulling her further out onto the porch and off to the side so he could kiss her 'hello'. "I needed that," he commented when he pulled away.
"Frazzled nerves?" Rory asked, having learned that one way Logan dealt with built up tension was to release it in a show of passion. While she found kissing him was much more productive she knew he was just as likely to throw or punch something for a release.
"I'm introducing my parents to my girlfriend tonight. Yeah, I'm a bit nervous."
"I'm sure you have nothing to worry about."
"You're not nervous?"
"Terrified, but we're going to do it together, so I know I have someone there with me. You jump, I jump, remember?"
"Vividly," he replied, recalling the words that had started their relationship in the first place. He lowered his mouth to hers again, this kiss slow and gentle.
Eventually, she pulled away. "I'll go hurry the girls along," she said softly.
He groaned. "You sure we can't just stay here?"
"On my front porch? When my neighbours are looking?" Sure enough, she looked over to Babette's and saw the curtains fall back into place. "This is going to be all over town before we leave."
"Gossip?" Logan asked, perching his hands on her hips and drawing his thumbs in circles.
"Competition is between her and Miss Patty," Rory responded. "Plus, the faster we get out of here the faster we leave, remember?"
Logan nodded, indulging himself in one more kiss before pulling away completely. "Go get the girls. Though I do maintain that the easiest way for us to spill about our relationship is to allow them to catch us."
Rory laughed softly. "I'll be back in five, ten max," she promised, reaching up to kiss his cheek and he realized for the first time that she was still shoeless.
"And get some shoes," he called after her as she took the stairs two at a time.
Colin looked at Logan curiously as the blond took a seat on the couch. "What was with the private chit chat?"
Logan shook his head. "None of your business, Colin," he responded promptly.
Colin raised his eyebrow at he quick answer. "It didn't seem like nothing."
"Don't read too far into it, buddy," Logan suggested with his trademark smirk.
"Read into what?" Finn questioned. "Why is there no alcohol in this house?"
"Because Mom got rid of it," Rory shot back leading the way down the stairs.
"Blasphemy!" Finn exclaimed. "Why would she do such a thing?"
"The why isn't important, it's the how that is," Rory pointed out watching Colin's jaw drop from the corner of her eye. She exchanged glances with Honour, both having known the generally modest halter that Steph had eventually decided on would look brilliant. "I believe she donated it to the Founder's Day Punch."
"Ooh," Honour said with a nod. "A worthy cause. Now can we go? I want to get through the gates of hell then back out again before I turn into a pumpkin."
Rory cocked her head at Logan. "We ready?"
"No Lorelai or Christopher?"
Rory shook her head, grabbing her coat and purse. "Half an hour, remember? Plus, we're late as it is."
"My parents won't care. Well, actually, they might care that Logan's late."
"Thank you Honour," Logan said sarcastically, placing a hand on the small of Rory's back and bringing up the rear as they all filed out to the limo.
Honour wasn't blind. She'd noticed how overly affectionate and comfortable Logan and Rory were and, if she was honest, was slightly surprised by it. Logan had given Rory his Black card with strict instructions that she use it, and now they were sitting as close as they possibly could, his arm wrapped around her shoulders. They were both grinning constantly. She almost squealed when Logan reached over and took Rory's hand, resting it on the thigh pressed against hers but managed to restrain herself.
She'd been amused when Steph so smoothly brought up Rory's lack of mention of a date but was almost even more surprised at the easy way Rory deflected the question. Seeing Logan comfortable in the Gilmore-Hayden living room had made her grin madly, but there was no guarantee either of them had managed to spill their feelings. However, from the behaviour she was observing, she was pretty sure they were officially more than friends.
"How long have you been keeping your little secret?" she asked, her eyes fixed on Rory.
Rory allowed a little smile to play about her mouth as her fingers linked with Logan's. "What little secret?"
Honour rolled her eyes. "Please, you guys are so transparent. How long have you been dating my brother?"
Conversation in the limo ceased at Honour's words. Steph and Colin's attention was definitely peaked as they fixed their eyes on the blond and brunette.
Rory looked up at Logan who shrugged.
"Three weeks," he answered, frowning down at Rory playfully as if unsure.
Rory nodded. "After I got sick."
"Ha! I knew there was more behind your sudden desire to watch over a sickie," Finn exclaimed, tipsy, but not quite drunk yet.
"You helped," Logan pointed out.
Honour reached over and slapped Rory's thigh, a sting that Rory felt through her dress. "What was that for?" Rory exclaimed.
"Three weeks!? You said nothing!"
"It's not like I could slip it into conversation," Rory responded, rubbing the spot Honour had made contact with. "What was I supposed to say? Honour, we're going to have to start turning down clients. Oh, and I'm dating your brother?"
"It's better than me finding out three weeks later! Who all knows?"
"Sophie," Rory volunteered, looking up at Logan to see if he would add anyone.
"I think that's it. Unless you've told your mom."
Rory shook her head. "She's going to throttle me when she finds out tonight."
"So you are each other's dates tonight?" Steph asked, her eyes shining with excitement. "It's about time!"
"Easy for you to say, you won't have Emily Gilmore planning your wedding," Rory replied dryly.
"I can see it now," Honour said, the perfect imitation of a dreamy Emily Gilmore. "The Vineyard! And can you imagine their children? With her blue eyes and his blond hair…"
Logan chuckled as he watched Rory blush a bright red. "Okay, Honour, we get it."
"I'm surprised that's the most of your worries," Colin said honestly. "The Gilmores are nothing compared to the Huntzbergers."
Rory's gaze darted between the suddenly dark faces of Honour and Logan. "What is he talking about?"
Honour spoke up, "Logan's the heir and apparently that means there are certain responsibilities for his wife."
Rory rolled her eyes. "What is it with everyone and the getting married thing? We've been dating for three weeks, that's it."
"Do you think that matters to Hartford's Elite?" Honour shot back. "Of course it doesn't. If you're going to date a guy, you'd better be very, very prepared to marry him."
"Okay," Rory said on a sigh, turning to Logan for the answer to her next question. "So, hypothetically speaking, if we do get married, what's the problem?"
"As the Huntzberger heir, my wife should be responsible for running the household, that's it. No work, nothing other than the DAR and planning parties."
"So the bimbos you dated," Rory said trying to hide the huge weight she'd just felt settle on her shoulders.
"In theory," Logan agreed. "But they aren't half as interesting as you are and God if my parents try and set me up with another one of those trophy-wives-to-be I swear to all that's…"
"Logan!" Honour admonished sharply. "Don't you dare finish that. Now, we're here, so let's put on those famous society smiles and suffer through this together, okay?"
Reluctantly, they all piled out of the limo and stood in front of the Huntzberger mansion. Though Rory had been here before, never had the structure seemed so imposing. "Okay, nerves kicking in," she said, her voice shaking along with her knees.
Logan wrapped his arm around her slim waist to ensure she stayed upright. "Breathe. Remember, marriage pressure is stupid. Right now, we're not even considering it."
Rory nodded, her breathing starting to stabilize. "Get in, get out, right?"
"You jump, I jump."
Rory smiled. Apparently there was going to be a motto to their relationship. She looked around at the others. "To hell we go!"