CHAPTER ELEVEN / JESS / SEVEN YEARS LATER

[YES, AGAIN(: WHAT CAN I SAY I LIKE FUTURE JUMPS AHA]

oh & just a quick author's note; two things. one; thank you so much if you're still reading, for staying with me as long as you have! it makes me so happy think of fellow gilmore fans reading and hopefully, fangirling over my writing(: and two; rory and jess' daughter's nickname is pronounced 'del-a, i got the idea for the name from the age of adeline,which is a movie staring blake lively and harrison ford — i highly recommend it if you haven't seen it yet. so if you're wondering how to pronounce their daughter's name, just give that film a watch(: okay ily gilmore fans!

The day was a Tuesday and it had snowed overnight. our daughter comes running into our room, leaping up onto the bed at around the same time the sun comes up. how Rory and i had birthed an early riser, i have no idea, considering we've both always been people who sleep in late.

and are happy to spend Saturday night binge watching movies until 3/ maybe 4am and sleeping it off Sunday, getting up around noon to spend the whole day about the house in pyjamas and old sweaters — one of us reading, curled up on the couch together while the other writes, or vice versa. it's safe to say, those kind of weekends went out the window when Adeline was born. but i wouldn't trade our girl for the world. she's made us happier than we ever thought possible. she's made us a family — i've found the family i always needed in Rory and our daughter.

"MAMA, DADDY!" She falls down into our duvet and i laugh, pushing myself into sitting up and reaching out to scoop her away from getting lost in our blankets. "good morning, dela. how did you sleep?" "i slept good, daddy. how did you sleep?" she looks at me with child-like interest layering her face as she pokes at my cheek and giggles.

i smile. "pretty good, princess." "it's snowing!" she blurts, suddenly remembering and clambering out of my lap to run her little legs over to the curtains, pulling them back.

they're heavy drapes since we have floor to ceiling windows, so i push back the blankets, standing to help her. "oh, well would you look at that, i guess it is." i remark in an excited voice, trying to match her tone and peering at the view outside the glass.

she presses both her baby palms outstretched on the window and leans against her, squishing her nose into it, her eyes wide and almost going cross eyed. "LOOK AT IT, DADDY! IT'S SO WHITE AND FLUFFY! I WUV SNOW!" I laugh, kneeling down and pull her gently back from the window.

"don't do that, dela, the glass is so cold." i rub her little hands between my own, trying to warm them. she giggles as i blow on them and then rushes back over to the bed where Rory moans softly. i stand and help dela climb back up, only for her to collapse on Rory's back. Rory groans this time. "whoops, sorry, Mama."

dela does this adorable little face where she gaps and then covers her mouth with her hand as though something absolutely shocking has just happened. i laugh and lean back against the pillows i've propped up, reaching out to stroke Rory's hair that's covering her pillow and which has grown well past the middle of her back now.

she keeps saying she's going to get it cut but it hasn't happened yet and i don't think it actually is going to. since she's always saying how it keeps her warm and that she's gotten used to hiding behind it and would feel naked if she went back to it being short.

Rory rolls over, causing Dela to fall into me since she was trying to sit on top of Rory. i sit her up in my lap again and ask if she's brushed her hair yet. "no, here you can do it for me, Daddy." she replies, standing up to reach for the brush which was left on our bedside table from last night when Rory combed Dela's wet hair after her bath in our room since Dela wanted story time in our bed.

"oh, how very kind of you." i say as she passes me the brush all importantly, as though my brushing her hair is an honour she's granted me. she nods, and drops back down into my lap. i draw her hair back from around her shoulders and start brushing. Rory rolls over to face us, rubbing at her eyes. she blinks.

"morning, you two." she mumbles and Dela looks down at Rory from where she sits on my knees. "hello, mama." "hello, sweet girl." Rory props herself up on her elbows for Dela to lean forward and hug her, bringing her little arms around Rory's neck. "kiss?" Rory asks and Dela obliges, pecking her mama's cheek.

"alright, Daddy. you can go back to brushing my hair now." she announces as Rory laughs. "hear that, Daddy? you've got your orders from her majesty." Rory jokes as i laugh. "don't i get to say good morning to your mama?" i ask Dela. she thinks about it for a moment, twisting her body around so she can look at me while she considers.

i laugh and tickle her. Delia erupts into giggles, toppling over into the bed again. "good morning, beautiful." i say to Rory, leaning down to peck her lips. she puts a hand on my neck, pulling me back down when i start to pull back again. she kisses me more deeply. "hello, husband."

even though we're not technically married, Rory's been calling me her husband for years now. i think it started shortly after Dela turned two..though i can't remember the first time. and if things go to plan, it's going to be for real soon and i'm going to be able to call her my wife back.

i smirk as we go to kiss again but Dela suddenly sits up, shoving us apart and throwing herself excitedly on top of Rory again. "MAMA MAMA, GUESS WHAT?!" Rory laughs, shooting me a sympathetic look as i admit defeat and lean back into my pillows, sighing but still smiling. you learn to sneak pashes in the small nameless moment when your child's busy playing or drawing, after you become a parent.

"what is it, dela?" Rory matches her excitement easily, despite being fast asleep only seconds earlier. she amazes me, this girl. she's taken being a mother completely and entirely in her stride. she still works five days a week and is one of the two official editors for The Daily Telegraph. how crazy is that? my soon-to-be wife, the editor of one of the biggest globally recognised British papers. she also writes the occasional front page, y'know no biggie or anything.

we spent our first two years in London, constantly travelling across Europe, wherever and whenever her work demanded us to. and it was incredible. those first two years were among the most exciting and adventurous either of us have ever experienced.

we explored castle ruins in Scotland and she wrote and reported in Ireland. we spent time in France, in Spain, Italy, you name it and i guarantee, Rory's work took us there. this was when she was still working for the Huffington Post.

i remember we had been back in London for about two days when she come home from work with a paper bag, telling me she'd stopped by the chemist on her way home. "okay," i remember saying. "is something wrong? do you not feel good?" "no and yes." she replied before pushing past me to puke in the sink. "sorry, baby, i didn't mean it." she whimpered, realising she'd hit me into the fridge with more force than she'd intended.

she gave me only one clue, but that had been enough. "baby?" i repeated, reaching out for the paper bag. she passed it over and i pulled out the box inside. sure enough, i found myself staring at a box of pregnancy tests. we stopped travelling then, after only one more trip; back to Stars Hollow to break the news to Lorelei and Luke in person. they were overjoyed. in fact, overjoyed doesn't do their reaction justice. they were overjoyed, ecstatic and elated all rolled into one and times a thousand.

she landed the job at the Daily Telegraph shortly after Dela was born, and since i'd been mainly working from home anyway, we agreed it made more sense for me to be the full time parent. we both weren't willing to put her in day care. we wanted to be hands-on parents, dedicated and in this 100%, because otherwise what's even the point of having kids if you're not around to raise them.

"SNOW!" Dela's voice brings me back to the present day. "oh my." Rory smiles wide and lets Dela drag her out of bed and across the room to peer out at the white coated streets below. "why don't you go and put your boots and coat on, Dela, and let Mama have a warm shower? then we'll go down to play in the snow, okay?" "OKAY!" Dela practically jumps up and down on the spot with complete ecstasy before racing back across the hallway to her room.

Rory laughs and comes back up onto the bed with me, sitting on her knees. "hi." she says. "hi." i grin as we go back to kissing. "i should shower." she mumbles eventually, pointing out that Dela never has a lot of patience when snow is involved. "okay. i'll get dressed too." i reply, as she pushes herself off the bed and goes to our walk-in wardrobe to choose some clothes.

since it doesn't take me even five minutes to get dressed, i go to fetch Dela from her room and find her wrestling her yellow rain coat off it's hanger in her little mini wardrobe. "Daddy, can you help me, it won't—" she tugs harder and i nod, leaning down to help. "c'mon, dela, let's go make some breakfast." i say, carrying her coat for her and taking her little hand in mine, leading her from her room. "you can put this on after we eat."

"okay." she grabs a toy off her carpeted floor and comes with me easily. we got lucky with this kid, Rory and i have told each other on multiple occasions. she is one of the most well-behaved, tantrum-free, fun-loving, easy-going, sweet-natured kids on the planet. i attribute all of this to Rory, of course, though she insists it's credit of me since i'm the one who spends the most time with Dela when she's at the office.

after Rory's ready, she comes into the kitchen and kisses Dela's forehead, who sits in her booster chair at the table, eating some chopped fruit and yogurt that i made in two seconds flat for her but which she loves. "now, dela, d'you think maybe you should get dressed?" Rory looks at Dela's flawless combo of pyjamas with gumboots. i grin as Rory taps her chin, letting Dela making the decision.

"well…okay." Dela surrenders and Rory claps her hands. "good choice, baby girl." she walks over to Dela's chair to help her down. "carry me, Mama!" Dela holds her arms out, reaching for Rory. "alright." Rory laughs and heaves her onto her hip, taking her off to get dressed. i make some toast and eat it, bringing in a piece to Rory about ten minutes later. "thanks, 'hon." Rory bites into it straight out of my hand and finishes pulling up Dela's pants. "hey! what do you say?" i call after Dela as she races out of the room, shouting "TIME FOR SNOW! NOW, SNOW!"

"THANK YOU MAMA!" She replies as i shake my head, smiling. "she sure is something." "sure is." Rory agrees, hugging me. "thanks for the toast, by the way." "you're welcome." i say. "i got my coat igotmycoat!" Dela reappears, tugging at our legs. "Mama, here 'ya." she presents her coat and Rory lets go of me to hold the coat's sleeves out for Dela to slip her little arms into.

"yay! now we're all ready, all three of us!" Dela makes three fingers, carefully folding back her pinkie with her thumb and looking proud as she holds this up to us. "smart girl." Rory strokes our daughter's hair back from her face. "LET'S GOO!" Dela takes one of our hands in each of hers and yanks us back out into the hall.

"hang on just a second, princess. you and mama go ahead and i'll meet you down there, okay?" i say, pulling my hand free as gently as i can and backing away. Rory frowns. "what are you—" "okay, daddy! mama, come onnn!" Dela starts towards the door but Rory stays still.

"i'll be right there, 'promise!" i call, turning around and disappearing into our room. "we'll wait by the door!" Rory calls. "okay!" i rush to our walk-in and pull open the first of the chest of drawers, rummaging around in my sock drawer. "ah! bingo!" i mutter under my breath, slipping a velvet ring box into my coat's deep pocket.

i bolt to the door where Dela is trying desperately to reach the handle and pull it open for her, taking Rory's hand in mine. "snow, here we come!" i announce as Dela claps and squeals, starting down the stairs which are right outside our front door since we live above a coffee house. pretty relevant, huh? it's safe to say, Lorelei loves coming to visit.

"hold onto the railing, dela!" Rory warns and dela listens, quickly gripping the railing, going slower down the stairs, as if only just now realising she could fall and hurt herself. i lock the door behind us and follow my family downstairs, dropping the keys into my other pocket. Rory unlocks and pushes the door open once we reach the bottom of the stairs and tells Dela to wait before dashing across the road.

"SNOWWW!" she squeals, kicking up at the sidewalk and spinning around. Rory smiles as we watch our little girl. i hold out my free hand and dela takes it. "now, Adeline, what do we do when we cross the road?" Rory asks, as we pause at the curb. "look both ways and wait." Adeline recites, looking up at Rory eagerly. "yes, that's right." "good girl!" i praise as we all look left, and then right and pause, before crossing.

we walk down the street to Dela's favourite park and swing her back and forth, each holding onto one of her hands and lifting her up and then back down again, a bunch of times. she loves it and keeps asking for it again and again. Rory pulls out her phone and films a quick video for Lorelei of us as we walk.

"hey, Mum. we just wanted to say hello. it snowed here last night so we're taking Dela to the park to play in the snow. she loves it so much, Mum, just like you. it reminds me of all those times you'd pull me out of bed first thing when it snowed." Rory smiles at the memories. "say hi to nana, Dela!" she tilts the camera down to our daughter who grins at the phone. "hii nana! hi grandpa Luke!"

Rory laughs and films us again. i wave and smile. "hey Uncle Luke, hey Lorelei." "we can't wait to see you guys when you come visit for Dela's sixth birthday next week!" Rory waves, shutting off the camera and sending the video through, before slipping her iPhone back into her pocket.

once we get there, we let her run off and play, keeping our eyes on her while she climbs the playground equipment, carefully avoiding the ice patches. she comes back only minutes later, bored since the slide is too wet to go down and that's her favourite thing at the park. "let's make snow mans!" she jumps up and down on the spot and i laugh. "sure thing, dela."

so together, Rory and i built a snow man with dela. i buy a carrot from the shop across the road and lift dela up to shove it in his face for his nose. as she searches the ground for twigs for the arms with Rory, i take a deep breath. fishing the velvet box out of my pocket, i kneel down in the snow, getting my jeans wet but not caring. when Rory turns back around to face me and the snowman, i'm ready.

Rory gasps and cups both hands over her mouth in surprise. "Daddy, we found his arms!" our daughter comes over, darting around Rory's legs and presenting two sticks to me. "they look perfect, Dela. why don't you put them on him?" i suggest and she nods happily and does just that. while she's concentrating, i look back up to Rory.

"i've been waiting for just the right moment..have had the ring stashed at home for weeks, taking it out with us wherever we go, just in case." i pause, as she draws her hands away from her face, and notice she has tears pooling in her eyes, overwhelmed by emotion.

"but then i realised something, maybe there never is such a thing as the right moment, or the perfect time to propose. maybe, life is full of mismatch moments, of happy times and not so happy, of simple lazy Sunday mornings and of surprising you in bed with coffee from the place downstairs on Mondays because i know you'll wake up hesitant to leave Adeline and me." she smiles at this and i go on.

"and maybe that's what makes life so great and so fleeting..is the beauty in the nameless minutes we spend side by side, talking or planning dinner or watching a show with dela or when you read an article you've written out to me from the kitchen table while i fold the washing on the couch and dela plays with her dolls on the rug. because those times, days like today Rory, they are equally as special to me. they mean just as much as the planned ones, as the birthday and christmas and easter occasions."

"so i'm proposing to you, here, now, in this park down the road from our home. in the snow, because it's our daughter's favourite thing, and when you have to go to work in less than half an hour. because i love you now and i loved you yesterday, i'll love you tomorrow and the next day after that and then every single one which follows.." i open the box and Rory's eyes don't even flicker down to the ring — they stay glued right on mine.

"i know we did it all backwards, we dated in high school and then i ran away from us and then we fought and then i told you i loved you when we weren't even together and then we fought some more.." she laughs, starting to cry happy tears and i smile. "but we got here eventually and moving to London, starting anew with you..has got to be the best decision of my life. you've given me the most amazing last seven years." i say as our daughter dances around the snowman, talking to him.

Rory looks over to her and then back to me, unable to stop smiling. "and you've given me the greatest gift in the world, Rory…in our beautiful daughter. she has the second kindest heart and truest soul i have ever known, with her mother having the first."

Rory takes a step closer to me, her hands twitching at her sides. she wants that ring on her finger, i know she does and it makes me say the next part really quickly because i want it on her finger too, so badly.

"and i know we've been parents together for almost six whole years now and that we're still saving to buy our flat above the barista house, but i wouldn't change a single thing about our life, about how things have unfolded. who cares if we didn't get married first? who cares if we have to dip into our house savings to plan our wedding? we can elope, for all i care! i just want to marry you, Rory. i want to be your husband."

"you are my husband, Jess. a ring and our names signed on the dotted line doesn't change that. to me, you've been my husband ever since the day our daughter was born, ever since we brought her home to our place, to the home we've made together. you are my husband already." she reaches down to pull me up into standing.

"will you marry me, Rory?" "YES! of course, i will. i love you more than anything else in this world. yes!" she kisses me and i wrap my arms around her, still holding the ring box and then remembering. "except maybe our daughter." she adds as i take the ring from the box.

i frown, confused until i realise she's talking about how she loves dela and i equally and then i smile. "of course. that goes without saying." i tell her, slipping the ring on her finger. she holds her hand up, admiring the ring. "do you like it?" i ask.

"are you kidding me? i LOVE it, Jess. it's the most beautiful, breathtaking ring i've ever seen in my entire life." i laugh as she doesn't tear her eyes away from the rock. "which do you love more? me or the ring?" i joke and she gives me a look, throwing her arm around my neck, bringing me against her again.

"ooh, that's a tough one. i'd have to say the ring." she says before i scoff, faking offence and we laugh into another kiss. "MAMA, DADDY!" Adeline exclaims. "look at my snowman!" "it's an extremely rad snowman, dela." i tell her, as Rory and i move closer to the snowman.

totally oblivious to the fact that Rory and i — that her parents are now engaged, Adeline asks her Mama to take a photo of her with the snowman. Rory takes out her phone and snaps some photos and then asks a mother pushing a stroller past to take a photo of all three of us — four including the snowman.

"thank you." Rory tells her as the women nods and then walks off. "aw, don't we make a cute picture?" she coos, passing me the phone. she leans down to play with Adeline as i text it through to my own phone. "can you send it to Lane too?" Rory asks.

"sure, what should i say with it?" i bring up Rory's conversation with Lane. "tell her that we miss her and Zack and the boys. oh and ask if she's free to FaceTime tomorrow since i have some really big news." i smile as i type out the text and then read it back to Rory before hitting send. i slip her phone back inside her pocket for her.

"what's the time?" she asks, biting her bottom lip. "we've still got a little while." i tell her, hugging her from behind. she tilts her head back on my chest, leaning back into me. "i don't think i've ever felt as happy as i do right now." she tells me as Adeline starts making a snowball to throw at us.

after the snow fight, we walk home together with just enough time for Rory to gather her papers and put on some makeup. just like that morning in the Surrey Hotel in New York, i still tell her everyday that she doesn't need the makeup and she still laughs it off and kisses me before putting it on anyway.

as she kneels down to hug our daughter goodbye, her phone buzzes and she checks it out, bringing up her texts. "OH MY GOD!" She squeals, kissing Dela's cheek and hugging her close before standing up and rushing over to me, her heels clicking on the floorboards. i'm standing behind our bench top, spreading butter on our daughter's sandwich, packing her lunch for school.

"what is it?" i ask as she shoves the phone under my nose. i laugh and pull it back a bit so i can actually read it. "it's a message from Lane. she told me she's happy to FaceTime anytime tomorrow and that…" Rory's voice trails off as my eyes skim the text. "is the big news that you and Jess are engaged?!" i finish for her. i look from the phone to Rory. "how does she know?!" Now i understand Rory's freak out. "i don't know! see, that's what i was squealing about!" she studies the message again just as the phone buzzes once more.

"ohhhh." Rory clicks into the picture of us that i sent Lane earlier because she asked me to and double taps on her hand resting on Adeline's shoulder. "look! you can see my ring right there in the photo!" she shows me. "ohhh." i say myself this time and we both start laughing.

"i'm going to ring her on the tube, on the way to work and make sure she doesn't tell Mum since i want to see her reaction with Luke in person." "okay." i say, kissing her cheek as she starts towards the door. "love you, Marianos." she calls to us. "love you too, Mama!" Adeline's voice comes from her room as i laugh, opening the fridge, to get a juice box to add to her lunch box. "love you too, soon-to-be Mrs Mariano." i call. to that, Rory squeals once more and then leaves for work.

THE END