Author Note: This has been written since about a week after the revival, and I am so happy to finally be able to share it with you! Thank you all for such lovely and amazing reviews on the last chapter. It really motivated me to get this one out quickly.
I do not own any characters.
Logan's inner thoughts in italics.
January 2017
"Jean," Logan says, standing as the older man enters his office. "I… I've been meaning to-"
"This is my letter of resignation. I'm giving it to you first."
"You don't have to do this. We can work this out," Logan says.
"I have never been so disrespected in my life, and I won't stand for it!" Jean declares.
"I never meant to disrespect you, and I'm sorry," Logan says. "I care about Odette, and I know you do too. She does not want to marry me either. This is what's going to make us happy."
Jean stares at Logan silently.
"I will not accept this resignation, and I'm sure my father won't either. You are invaluable to this company, and we can't let a personal difference keep us from being the biggest media company in the world. Please… Please accept my apology, and…"
Logan trails off as Jean turns around and strides out of his office.
Shit. He is not happy. Odette told me that, but…
I thought she was exaggerating. Even Mitchum isn't taking it this hard.
The last few months have taught Logan a few things, so he chases Jean back into his office. He walks in and closes the door behind him.
"Okay. Yell at me as much as you want," he tells Jean. "Get it all out of your system. You and I have had a great working relationship for years. I'm not letting that crumble because you're mad at me personally."
Jean unleashes a torrent of insults, only some of which Logan can understand, as he slips in between French and English.
"I know. You're right," Logan agrees over and over.
I am a selfish, spoiled enfoire. Whatever that means...
He continues to sit and ingest everything Jean says to him. He swallows his pride and takes his lumps.
I did a lot of stupid things last year, and this is my punishment. But I'm not going to let him leave. He has strong connections and an intense negotiating style that can't be matched by anyone else here.
And maybe I can get him to forgive Odette.
Eventually, Jean tires of berating him, and dismisses him coolly.
Embarrassed and ashamed, Logan slinks out and heads back to his office to collect his things.
I'm going home.
He opens the door to their flat to find Rory putting her books up in the new bookshelves that Logan put together after Christmas.
"Hey, babe! How was your day?" she asks.
"Tough."
Seeing the expression on his face, she drops the book in her hand back into the moving box and comes over to him.
"What can I do?" she asks, wrapping her arms around his waist.
He instantly relaxes. "Nothing. It's just enough that you're here."
February 2017
"Hi!" Logan says to Honor when she answers the phone.
"Hey. What's going on?" she responds.
"I just wanted to call and see how you guys were. You know, checking in…"
"Logan, I've already told you this is not necessary. I'm not mad at you," she says.
"No, I know… I just wanted to say 'hi', because I love you, and you are a very important part of my life."
"Oh, come on. What do you really want?" she asks, laughing.
"I just wanted to reiterate that I didn't tell anyone about Rory, not just you. The only people who knew were people who caught us together. And as soon as it was out in the open, you were one of the first people I called."
"Logan, I'm not mad anymore. You don't have to give me this speech every week."
"Okay. But I love you, and I'm never trying to leave you out of my life. And on that note… I want to run something by you. I would like to still come in April to visit you guys like I normally do. And I want Rory to come with me."
"Sure," she says curtly.
"Because you used to love her too. And I just think, if you guys talk… maybe…"
"Okay."
"Because this time is it, Honor. She's going to be around for the rest of my life, and I don't want-"
"Logan, I said it was fine."
But your voice is so…
"And… I'm thinking about maybe asking her to marry me. Maybe when we're there, and I would love it if you would help me plan it," Logan says. "I want you to be a part of all of the things going on in my life."
There is a distinct pause.
"Have you talked to her about it this time? Made sure she is in the same place as you?"
Ouch.
"Um… yes, but not so much as… We talk about the future a lot. We laughed at Dad demanding a pre-nup."
"But she hasn't said 'Logan, I want to get married'?"
"Not in those exact words. No. But she has said… many times… that she wishes she had said yes the last time. So I'm pretty confident here. You know that I would not even fathom this if I weren't sure," Logan says.
There is, again, a distinct pause.
What if she's right? Would she say no?
No. She definitely wants to get married. I can tell. She said she regrets saying no the first time.
She's been dropping all kinds of hints.
"What are you not saying?" Logan asks.
"I just want you to be sure. This seems like it's going really fast. What's the harm in waiting a little while? Just have the baby and then see where you are. How you feel."
"Honor, I've been waiting to marry her for years. I know how I feel. And how she feels. And, I promise that she's all in with me."
Since December, we have not left words unsaid. She loves me, and she loves our life together.
"If this is what you want…"
"It is."
"Okay, bring her in April," Honor says. "I promise to have an open mind, and I'll work at it. I used to think of her as a sister, and I can get there again."
"Thanks, Honor. I gotta go, but I'll call you soon."
He hangs up and turns his attention back to his lunch.
I hope she comes around. It's hard enough with Mom and Dad…
Within a minute, he gets a text message from her.
What if we do an escape room and at the end, you're waiting there with the ring. Do you need help with a ring?
Logan smiles.
March 2017
Logan rubs Rory's feet as he sits on the couch watching soccer. She is reading a book, only glancing up occasionally.
"I can't believe how into soccer you are," she muses.
"I've lived here a long time now. There's just no escaping it. I tried, believe me."
"It just seems like such a silly game, with the- ooh!"
"What's wrong? Are you okay?" Logan asks.
"He's kicking! Oh my God! He's kicking! Here… Give me your hand," she says.
Sure enough, after a moment, he feels the faintest push against his hand.
"Holy shit… That makes it feel so real. There is actually a person in there. Kicking… inside your belly. A little soccer player, Ace!"
The baby kicks again, causing both Rory and Logan to smile. He leans down to kiss her, whispering "I love you" before sitting up, pulling her feet back into his lap, and turning his attention back to the game.
He feels her eyes. Turning to glance at her, she is staring at him intently.
"Hey, are you okay?" he asks her.
She nods, then pulls her legs back to sit up. She takes his hands and pulls them into her lap.
"Logan, I love you."
"Ace, I know."
"No, I mean… I love you more than I thought I could, and I've always loved you a lot… even when I haven't been able to say it," she says, her voice breaking.
Okay. She's being really serious here.
He clicks the television off and turns to face her.
"You give me everything," she continues. "Unconditional support, both emotional and financial. You literally put a roof over my head. You love me fiercely, unafraid… and I know you're going to be the same kind of dad. I just feel like I don't offer you… nearly as much."
Where is she going with this?
"Rory-"
"No, I'm on a roll. Let me finish. You are the king of romantic gestures. You never let anything get in the way of letting me know how you feel about me... and I need to take a chance too. So that you know that I love you and the little guy just as fiercely. It's my turn to be the brave one."
She gets off the couch and sinks to her knees in front of him, still holding both of his hands.
"Logan, will you marry me?" she asks quietly.
His mouth literally drops open.
Little minx. She's stealing my thunder. I had this all planned for next weekend.
"You're not saying anything."
He closes his mouth. Does she think I'm going to say no?
Her face flushes, and she looks so adorably nervous, that he can't help but tease her a bit.
"Wow… Wow…" he says sarcastically.
Rory rolls her eyes. "Cute."
"I might need to take the night to make a pro-con list," he says, continuing the farce.
She smiles. "Well, I can't offer you an avocado tree, but I can promise to let you wake up next to me and the kid every day."
"Wow… That sounds amazing. Can I talk to my mom and get back to you?"
"Lo-gan! I am almost six months pregnant here! And I'm on my knees. Put me out of my misery," she begs.
"Almost," he says. He lifts her up and sets her back onto the couch. "Give me one second."
He races over to his sock drawer where he has been hiding the ring. He brings it back to the couch, opens the box to her, and says "I want nothing more than to marry you, Rory Gilmore."
Rory takes in the bright blue center stone, and a tear escapes her eye, rolling down her cheek.
"Is that the ring from…?"
"It is. I bought it all those years ago at the same time I got… the other ring. I had thought it would be the perfect gift for you for the next Christmas. And… well, I obviously didn't give it to you then, but I always held on to it. It's the exact same color as your eyes, and I could never part with it. Last month, I had the band changed out so that it would look more like an engagement ring. I had the whole thing planned for when we were in New York next weekend."
"Oh, I had no idea. I'm sorry I ruined it," she says.
"This was even better," he says, kissing her. "Can I put it on you?"
"Yes, of course!" she says, and he slips the ring on her finger.
He kisses her again, and then leans down to talk to her belly.
"Did you hear that little guy? Your parents are getting married. You're going to be legitimate."
"Well, we would have to plan a wedding really quickly for that," Rory says.
Logan is quiet for a moment. "What if we do it next weekend in New York? Justice of the peace. Whoever can be there will be there. We have plans with Josh and Honor for my birthday, and we can just make that the reception."
Rory's eyes widen. "But there's stuff to plan!"
"All I need is you and the kid. I know that you need Lorelei, but… We've wasted so much time already. I just can't wait anymore until you're Mrs. Logan Huntz-"
He pauses at her raised eyebrow, and changes course.
"I can't wait until you're Ms. Rory Gilmore, wife of Logan Huntzberger."
She smiles tightly before sitting for a moment in pensive thought. "You know what... The old me would hem and haw and finds ways to say no. But the new me… the me that I want to be… I think you're right. We have wasted too much time. Let's do it!"
April 2017
Logan is pacing Honor's living room in his favorite navy suit. He stops to check his reflection in the entry hall, straightening the periwinkle and lavender striped tie that Rory had picked out for him.
Honor approaches him, with Charlie on her hip. "You look great. Just try and relax," she says.
"It is about time to go," Luke interjects. "I'll go see what's keeping Rory and Lorelei."
"No, I'll go get them," Logan says, heading toward Honor's guest room.
Gotta keep moving. Get all the nervous energy out.
Logan can hear their voices from behind the bathroom door. He is about to knock when he hears Lorelei.
"Hon, are you sure about this?"
He knows he should make his presence known, but he wants to hear Rory's response.
"About Logan? Yes, I'm sure."
He breathes a sigh of relief and again raises his arm to knock when he hears Lorelei continue.
"It just seems so quick, kiddo. He was engaged to someone else four months ago."
Logan backs away from the door, but their voices carry.
I should not be listening to this.
"Are you serious, Mom?"
"Is there something about me that seems not serious right now?"
Her tone makes Logan flinch. He still feels like he should leave, but he can't drag himself away.
Rory replies. "I'm going to tell you what you told me when you married Dad. In some ways, it is quick. And in other ways, it's been years in the making."
"And you know how well that turned out," Lorelei says.
"Well, I'm not you. And Logan is not Dad."
"I can see a couple of similarities," Lorelei says.
Logan feels his anger creeping up, and he does his best to tamp it down. You've always known that Lorelei is not your biggest fan.
"What? Besides having money. Logan is responsible and dependable and loving and… he's the one. Mom, I'm totally sure about this, and I'd like for you to be happy for me."
"I want to be," Lorelei says. "I've just… I've never trusted him."
"Well you're not marrying him," Rory says, opening the bathroom door and stopping in her tracks when she sees him sitting on the bed. He gives her a tight smile, and she beams back. "I'm marrying him."
Logan stands as Lorelei moves past. "I'll wait for you guys in the living room," she says quietly, disappearing down the hall.
Rory walks over to him, taking his hands and interlacing their fingers.
"How much of that did you hear?" she asks.
"Um, I think all of it," he replies.
"I'm sorry."
"No, it's okay. As long as she didn't change your mind."
"No way. You're stuck with me, Huntzberger."
"Lucky me. You look gorgeous," he says, taking her in. She is wearing a light blue fitted dress that shows off her bump. A purple polka-dotted cardigan sits atop her shoulders, and her sapphires sparkle from her ears and hand.
"So do you," she says stretching up to kiss his lips. "I have a gift for you before we leave." She reaches into her bag and retrieves a small box.
"We're doing this so fast that we don't have a ring for you. I thought you might want this," Rory says.
Logan opens it to find a simple gold band.
"It was Grandpa's," she continues. "He always liked you, and he wanted us to get it right. Grandma gave it to me last night. She wants you to have it."
Logan doesn't know what to say. "Are you sure?"
She nods. "We had our first kiss at their vow renewal, and they were married for fifty years. I can't imagine anything more perfect."
Logan puts the box in his inner breast pocket and says "I love it. And I have something for you too. It's not as good as this, and it's in London."
"That's okay. You can give it to me later."
"But I want to tell you what it is. I hope it's okay. I should have asked you about this first."
"Okay, now you're making me nervous."
"So you know the Everlys? Next door? They're moving full time to their country house in Cardiff, and… I bought their flat. I got board approval, and it's being renovated as we speak. It'll just be one big place. That way you'll have a room to write, and there will be places for your mom and Emily to stay when they visit. And we'll finally get a bedroom door. And now that I'm saying this out loud, I realize I should have consulted you before I did something so grand in scale and cost. I was just excited."
"Babe, it's your money."
"No. It's our money."
"It sounds amazing. It's the perfect wedding gift. We absolutely need a bedroom door, especially now that we won't be the only people there. But are you sure you're going to want my mom to visit after what she just said?" Rory asks.
"How can I convince her she's wrong if I don't let her see how great I am?"
"Man, I love you," she says, kissing him again.
"Mmm. Me too. Now can we go get married?"
Logan stands up in front of his friends and family and taps his glass with a spoon.
When the talking dies out, he says "I'd like to say something if I could."
"Your day, mate," Finn shouts.
Logan nods, swallows his nerves, and begins.
"My sister, Honor, got married ten years ago, and I remember listening to her and Josh recite their vows. I distinctly remember thinking that when I married Rory… that I wanted to write my own vows. Although the timing is not exactly what I had planned, my sentiments are the same. So I wrote down some thoughts.
But as it turns out, when you get married by a judge in a courtroom on a busy Friday afternoon in New York City, they don't allow any time for heartfelt vows. So… I'm going to do it now."
Rory's eyes are wide as Stephanie hands him his journal. Logan smiles to reassure her, then flips open to the page where he has written down his most personal thoughts.
"There were twenty-two years of my life before I met you, Rory Gilmore. My parents will tell you that I was a handful. My friends will tell you that I was the life of every party. But honestly, I don't have many concrete memories from that time. Looking back on it, my world looks out of focus.
But Rory, while we know that I don't actually remember the first time, I very clearly remember the second time I met you. Obviously, I thought you were hot, but you were also funny and witty and confident. And completely unimpressed by me. You were different than any girl I had ever met, and I was instantly intrigued.
And because this was all new to me, I was a little slow on the uptake. It was a few months before I realized I wanted to be your boyfriend, and several months after that before I realized I loved you. And almost a year after that before I knew I wanted to marry you.
But it didn't all go according to my plan, and in the intervening years, although I faked it as best I could, I was miserable. My world was again out of focus.
Because from California to New York to London, no matter where I lived or who I met, I could not shake the feeling that I was supposed to be with you, Rory."
Logan pauses to look at Rory, who is beaming up at him.
"So I could not believe my luck when fate dropped you on the sidewalk in Hamburg… right in front of me. Suddenly my world felt sharp and crisp again with all of the fuzziness falling back to the periphery. This time it did not take me so long to realize that I wanted to be your boyfriend, that I loved you… That I wanted to marry you.
Rory, we have spent the last year trying our best to ruin this. But it turns out… you just can't fight destiny. Because, what I'm saying, Ace… is that we're lobsters."
Rory throws her head back in laughter, and Logan smiles at her before continuing.
"You are my best friend, my true love, and soon to be the mother of our son. So, Rory, I stand here today to swear to you that I will always love you. That I will honor and cherish you and our family. For better or worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, until I take my last breath.
I stand here before you today on the day when I finally, finally get to marry you, and it is the best day of my life."
He closes his journal, and looks down at Rory, who is wiping tears away. She stands and kisses his lips longer and deeper than she ever has in public. She finally breaks away to the cheers and whistles of their family and friends to bury her face in his neck and whisper "I love you, too. So much."
He squeezes her tight before turning back to the group.
"And while I'm up here, I want to acknowledge all of you who have been on this roller coaster with us. I want to thank you, Lorelei. And Luke, Christopher, Emily… and Richard… for raising Rory into this amazing woman."
Oh my God. I've made Lorelei cry.
"I want to thank my parents and Honor and Josh because I know I can be a huge pain in the ass, but I… I do love you guys."
And I appreciate that you've somehow stayed civil this weekend.
"And to our friends…"
He looks over to Paris, Lane, Zach, Stephanie, Colin, Finn, and Andy. "Thanks for all of the years we've counted on you. And for being here today. I know it was short notice."
"To Rory and Logan," Finn calls as the group collectively raise their glasses.
Rory waits for the din to die down before she speaks. "We all know that I am normally a woman of many words. But in my current hormonal state, I'm not sure I can get through anything. And I can't say it better than Logan just did. I'm so happy you were all able to be here with us today. To help us finally get it right. And I also especially want to thank Honor for putting all of this together in nine days. It's just been perfect… And I guess there's nothing left to do but eat cake!"
As the group turns towards the cake, Logan kisses his wife again. "Let's get you some cake."
An hour later, Honor hands him his bag and shoos them to the door. "You guys need to go. It's your wedding night."
"But… we were-" Logan starts.
"St. Regis. It's in my name. And you both have spa services booked for tomorrow," Honor says.
Logan hugs her tight. "Thank you. For everything."
"Logan, can you give us a second?" Rory asks.
"Um… Yeah, okay. I'll just… go say goodbye to everyone."
Logan circles the room, saying his goodbyes, all the while keeping a close eye on Rory and Honor.
I hope they don't get into an argument here in front of everyone...
They seem to be talking in earnest, and their smiles ease his nerves.
A few minutes later, he heads over to collect her. "Everything okay over here?" he asks.
"Yes," Honor says. "You guys go. I'll see you tomorrow."
"What was that about?" he asks Rory in the elevator.
"I wanted to thank her again. And to make sure she knew that I know I haven't been perfect when it comes to you, but that… I love you more than anything."
"What did she say?"
"She's very protective of you," Rory deflects.
"Was she nice?"
"Perfectly. Logan, we're fine. And I'm going to prove to her that you made the right choice when you picked me."
He kisses her right there in the elevator. On the sidewalk… in the cab… in the lobby of the hotel… in the elevator… at the door… He can't stop kissing her.
"Logan, this will progress faster, if you stop kissing me, and open the door," she laughs.
They push into the suite to find rose petals covering the bed. Sparkling grape juice is chilling in a champagne bucket, and Rory picks up a gift with her name on it.
"Honor told me what this is, so… I'm going to go to the bathroom and put this on. You just… get comfortable. Get naked," Rory says with a grin.
A few minutes later, she emerges wearing white lingerie.
"This is not what I envisioned looking like on my wedding night," she says, rubbing her belly.
"You're beautiful," he assures her.
She comes to him and sits next to him on the bed. "But… You... You are always who I envisioned looking at on my wedding night. And that's much more important."
Logan feels his heart melt. Over the last few months, he has had to readjust to Rory saying things like that again.
It will never get old. And I will never take it for granted.
June 2017
"We're five weeks away, Rory. We've got to seriously talk names," Logan begs.
"I know, but it's such a huge responsibility," she says. "We get it wrong, and it sets him up for failure for the rest of his life."
Logan laughs. "And we certainly can't have that. So let's start with what we know. You want to use Richard somehow, right?"
"Yes, but I think it has to be the middle name. Richard just doesn't work for a baby. And Ricky sounds like a trouble-making teenager from a cheesy eighties movie."
"There is always Dick," Logan offers, grinning.
She ignores him. "So I would like Richard to be the middle name if it sounds good with the first name we choose. And you're still saying no to Caden?"
"I just think it's too close to Aiden," he says, referencing Honor's oldest.
"Ugh. Why did Honor get to choose?" Rory asks.
"Because she said yes the first time Josh asked," he quips.
"Fair point. So should we circle back to Beckett, Callum, Kellen? All of the Irish names we like for our British baby?"
"I mean… I like all of those," Logan says. "And you and I have Irish names. They just don't mean anything to me. Which is fine, I guess. Richard means something."
"No, let's keep thinking. There has to be something that we like and means something," she says.
"Should we get one of those books?" he asks. "With all the names and what they mean."
Rory looks over at the floor to ceiling bookshelves that are filled to overflowing. "Like we need another book." She waddles over to the shelf, running her hands along the spines until she finds one that catches her interest.
"What about Jay?" she asks, handing him The Great Gatsby. "It's your favorite. And he's so romantic, just like you are. He changed his whole life for Daisy."
Logan smiles. "Until she rejected him and got him killed. He is my favorite, but maybe his story is too tragic."
I do like where she's going with this.
Suddenly, inspiration hits, and he joins her at the bookcase.
He finds Pride and Prejudice, pulls it off the shelf, and hands it to her.
"Oh my God! Is this mine?" she asks.
"I've had it for ten years, Gilmore. I think it's common-law mine."
"Do you ever read it?" she asks.
"I've re-read it every year on your birthday since you gave it to me. And yes, I know how pathetic that is. After a few years, I could just skim it, I knew it so well."
"See. You're so romantic." She sits back down on the couch and smiles as she finds the note she wrote so many years ago. "You have pages dog-eared."
"On my favorite parts," he says sitting down opposite her.
She flips to the first one and reads for a moment.
Logan quotes. "My feelings will not be repressed. You must allow me to tell you how ardently I admire and love you."
"She is so harsh when she refuses him," Rory comments.
"I have to tell you, Ace. There is no nice way to reject a man's proposal."
She looks up frowning. "I'm so sorry."
It's not important anymore.
He shakes his head, and she flips to the next marked page. "Ooh. This is when Darcy comes back to Longbourn, and she…"
She looks up at him, and Logan begins to quote again.
"I believe I thought only of you. You are too generous to trifle with me. If your feelings are still what they were last April, tell me so at once. My affections and wishes are unchanged."
Rory comes over and sits in his lap, tucking her head into the crook of his neck.
He wraps his arms around her and says quietly "I always hoped you'd change your mind and realize that I was the right man for you."
"I'm sorry it took me so long," she whispers.
"It's okay. We're here now. And I know Fitzwilliam is a little old-fashioned. But what do you think about naming the baby William? After a guy who refused to give up on his girl, even though he probably should have."
"Oh, sweetie. It's perfect!" she says.
"William Richard Gilmore-Huntzberger," he says, trying it out.
"I've been thinking about that too. You know all of the reasons that I didn't change my name, but hyphenating is really going to be a lot on the kid. I mean… it will never fit on the back of a soccer jersey."
Logan smirks. "Please. Like you care about his sports prospects."
"No, but you do. I care that it will never fit on a magazine subscription label," she says with a laugh.
"So are we settled? William Richard Huntzberger?" he asks.
"I love it," Rory says. "I love you."
July 2017
They wake up the morning of Rory's due date with nervous anticipation.
"I've got to run into the office for a little bit today, but I won't be away from my phone. Call me if anything happens," Logan says.
He checks in with her multiple times throughout the day, but everything is quiet.
That night as they lay in bed, Rory says "I know it's just an arbitrary date that my OB picked forty weeks ago, but missing it really makes me feel like a failure."
"I know. It's been nine months of buildup. But it's gonna happen any day now, baby."
"Ten months. It's ten months," Rory says with a sigh.
Four days later, Rory calls him at work. Logan ducks out of a meeting to answer.
"Hey! Anything?"
"No," she says glumly. "I'm losing my mind here. The flat is so clean I could lick the floors. I ate eggplant parmesan for lunch again today. And I don't like eggplant."
"Well, what else can we try?"
"I'm going to go out for a walk, I guess," she says.
"Okay. Take your phone and be careful. I'll try and come home early, okay?"
Logan walks in the door around four o'clock that afternoon to find Rory sitting at the kitchen table reading on her tablet.
"Nothing?" he asks, planting a kiss on the top of her head.
"No, but I just read something else we can try."
"What?" he asks, taking off his jacket.
She stands up and pulls him close by the tie. "We can have sex," she whispers before kissing him passionately.
Oh, hell yeah. We haven't had sex in weeks.
She loosens his tie enough to pull it over his head before moving her hand down to his crotch. She pulls back slightly and says "I know it's been a while, and I'm not that attractive right now…"
"Ace, I always find you attractive. That's not an issue… But we can't hurt him, can we?" he asks nervously sitting down in a kitchen chair.
I don't want him to come out with a big dent in his head.
"No, but maybe we can get him moving." She unbuckles his pants, gets down on her knees, and pulls all of his clothes off. She puts her hands and tongue everywhere.
"So aggressive. I like it," Logan says, chuckling.
"I'm desperate."
"Just what every man wants to hear," Logan quips.
"Hush."
A few moments later, she pulls off of him. "Is this helping?"
You're blowing me in the kitchen so it's definitely not hurting…
"Yeah, come here," he says pulling her up and removing the rest of her clothes. He runs his hands all over her new curves and whispers "Let's go upstairs. You'll be more comfortable in bed."
Once in the bedroom, they awkwardly look at each other.
"How do you want to do this?" he asks.
"Missionary should still work, right?" she says as she heaves herself onto the bed. "I do have to prop up just a little… Okay, come here."
He joins her on the bed and makes an attempt. "I can't… Can you tilt your hips up a little bit…? Um… I can't get in there, babe. Your belly…"
"Maybe I can still get on top. My stomach won't be in the way then," she offers.
"Sounds good." He lays down beside her and smiles. "Climb on, Ace."
She straddles him and lowers herself down. "Yeah?"
"Oh, yeah," he replies.
She puts her hands on his chest and tries to lean forward a little. "I can't move," she whimpers.
"Don't worry. I'll move you," he says.
He grabs her hips, but her body is situated on him like dead weight, and he can't move her either. "Um…"
Fuck…
"Let's spoon," she says.
"Yep."
They reorient themselves, and Logan enters her from behind where all the movement is up to him.
Finally… This'll work.
He thrusts forward and hears Rory gasp "Oh!"
"Oh- good? Or…"
"No, it's fine. Keep going," she says.
He moves inside her again.
"Uhnnnn."
"What?"
"It's just… I think you're hitting my bladder, and it's making me pee," she says.
Logan sighs. "I don't think this is going to work, Ace."
"Logan. We are not quitters, and for the sake of my mental health… I am asking you to find a way to fuck me."
Normally I would die for talk like that…
He racks his brain. "Okay… Okay… What if… Okay let me stand, and you scoot here. Right here on the edge of the bed." He enters her once again. "Can you wrap your legs around me?"
She tries, and it's kind of working, but…
It's gotten so technical. I'm not really feeling this anymore.
Rory is looking up at him expectantly. "All good?"
"Oh… yeah. All good," he fibs.
"And… I need you to come inside me," she says.
What? I don't know if…
"Why?"
"It's acidic… or something. I don't know. You know I'm not good with science."
"I'll try," he says, continuing to pump in and out of her. "That's just a lot of pressure."
"I'm counting on you, honey," she says through gritted teeth.
That helps with the pressure.
He slows down. "It's hard. You don't even look comfortable. I know you're not enjoying this, and I don't like to come if you can't."
"Even though I'm telling you to?"
"I'll try," he says, speeding up again.
"Ooh, yeah. Right there," Rory coos, and he looks down at her. She reaches up to touch her breasts and pinch her nipples. "Fuck me, Logan. Harder."
His eyebrows raise as she moans, but he does what he's told.
"Oh God! Yes!"
Oh… She's…
"I know you're faking," he says. "But it's really hot. Grab your tits again."
She kicks it up a notch, touching herself and talking dirtier and dirtier until he comes hard inside her.
He lies on top of her, panting for a moment, before giving way to laughter. "Are you going to kiss our kid with that filthy mouth?"
"I can't kiss him until he's out of my body. Thanks for doing that."
"Thank you. I'll kiss your dirty mouth," he says leaning in for a kiss. "Now… Do you require any off my other services?"
"Maybe some water? I'm just going to lay here and let your magic sperm go to work," she says.
That night, Logan is awakened by Rory rolling out of bed to pee for the third time
"Logan! Logan!" she calls from the bathroom. "I think my water just broke!"
He races into the bathroom to find her standing in a puddle. She raises her arms triumphantly over her head. "Magic sperm!"
Nine hours later, the doctor informs them it is time to start pushing.
Holy shit. This is happening. I'm about to become a father.
He kisses her forehead and steps away to take his place with the nurses.
"Where are you going?" Rory asks anxiously.
He looks at her quizzingly. "To… watch you give birth."
Is that what I say? What is the correct term here?
"No, come back up here," she says.
He returns to her side. "I'm just going to be-"
"No, I want you to stay up here by my face."
"Rory, I wanna-"
"No," she cuts him off again. "A lot of terrible stuff is going to happen down there. I want you to always think my vagina is beautiful and perfect."
Logan glances around at all the nurses, doctors, and techs in the room.
I guess modesty and privacy go out the window when you're having a baby.
"Ace," he whispers. "I will always think your vagina is beautiful and perfect."
"Not if you see something scarring that you can never un-see. Just stay up here with me, okay?"
He nods, and kisses her forehead. "Okay. Whatever you need, baby."
He holds her hands and wipes her brow, and forty-five minutes later there is a screaming baby boy. A nurse hands him the scissors, and he moves to cut the cord.
Jesus Christ. It's like the red wedding over here. She was probably right.
He moves back up to Rory, who is trying to breast feed Will with a nurse's help. He watches in awe.
"I'm so proud of you, sweetie. That was amazing," he says.
She smiles back at him, then suddenly flinches. "Ow!"
"That means he's latched on," the nurse says. "Feed him for a few minutes, then switch him to the other side."
"Mother fucker!" Rory says when the nurse has walked away. "Normally I like you to be rough with my nipples, but…wow, that hurts."
Logan again glances around to see who all is listening to their private business, but no one is paying them any attention.
I guess they hear a lot worse…
Logan laughs as he looks proudly at his family.
My family.
August 2017
Rory puts Will down in his bouncy seat and buckles him in as Logan peers over her shoulder.
"Can you believe he's six weeks old today?" she asks.
"No. Everyone tells you how fast it goes, but the time really just flies," he agrees.
Logan continues to watch his little man for a moment before leaning into Rory's neck and putting his lips on her.
I want her so bad.
"You know," he says with a gentle kiss, "The nurse said that at six weeks, we could…"
"We could what?"
He continues his assault of her neck. "You know…"
He feels her body tense as she slowly turns around to face him.
"I'm not ready, Logan. I'm sorry… I'm just… scared," she says.
Shit.
"Okay, no problem. What exactly are you scared of though?' he asks.
"I had thirteen stitches, and you're not small. I mean, do you remember how scared I was to poop?"
That's a boner killer.
He backs away from her. "Okay. Whenever you're ready," he says.
"Just give me a little more time."
Two weeks later, on a night they only get up once with the baby, Rory catches him right as he's heading out the door for work. She pulls him by the lapels toward her until she is kissing him deeply.
"Tonight, okay? Be ready."
He pulls back to look into her eyes. "I'm ready now. I can call in sick," he says.
She laughs.
"Babe, I'm serious. It's been two months. And it was only once the month before that."
She pushes him out the door. "Go to work."
She lives in the back of his mind all day.
His last meeting runs late, and he doesn't walk into their flat until 7:00.
"Ace?" he calls out. "I'm sorry I'm so late. Did I miss him?" He drops his bag and rushes up the stairs.
She comes out of Will's room, closing the door behind her. "Yes. I just got him down. He was fussy today… Hi," she says, kissing his lips.
"I hate days when I don't get to see him much. I'll get up with him tonight," Logan says.
She ignores his words and kisses him again, sliding her tongue into his mouth.
Well that didn't take much.
He puts his hands on her hips and pulls her close so she can feel how hard he already is.
"Down boy," she laughs. "Give me a minute to change. There's spit up on my shirt."
"Sorry. I've just been thinking about you all day."
"That's okay. Have some wine," she says, pouring two glasses.
She downs hers quickly and pours herself another glass.
"You need to be drunk for this?" he asks, grinning.
"Of course not. Just loosening up. Hopefully, literally. Give me a few minutes and then you can come in, okay?" She disappears with her wine glass into their bedroom.
Logan takes off his jacket and tie before moving through the flat, closing blinds and drawing shades.
He's so hard, he's not sure he'll even make it to her, so he concentrates on counting his breaths and not touching himself.
A few minutes later, Rory calls to him from the bedroom. He enters to find lit candles everywhere. She is standing nervously in front of the bed in a black bra and panties.
"I know it doesn't fit at all," she says.
And she is still thicker than normal, but Logan doesn't notice. All he can see is the curve of her hips and the slope of her breasts.
"You look so sexy," he whispers, unbuttoning his shirt before walking over to her and kissing the line of her cleavage.
"I'm busting out of this bra," she giggles.
"So hot," he murmurs, running his tongue along the edge.
I'm dying to get to the good stuff, but she's nervous. I need to foreplay the hell out of her.
He unhooks her bra and lays her down, spending a lot of time with her breasts.
God, I've missed them. The kid just monopolizes them.
Suddenly, he tastes something oddly sweet.
"Oh my God!" she cries. "My milk just let down."
"Relax, Rory. I don't care," he says, not stopping what he's doing, though there is, in fact, milk spraying everywhere.
Eventually, though, he has to stop. He reaches for a burp cloth off the bedside table to wipe his face, but accidentally knocks a candle over in the process.
"Shit!" he yells, jumping off the bed to set it back up. Nothing seems to be on fire, and he takes that as a sign to carry on.
"Maybe this isn't a good idea," she says.
"No, baby, it's fine."
If I don't have sex soon, I will lose my mind.
He lays her back down on the bed and whispers. "Everything's going to be fine. Let me just ease you back in, okay? Try and relax."
Logan kisses his way down her body to settle in between her legs. He tries to start slow and gentle, but she holds her legs tight against his head, and she will barely let him in.
"Ace."
"I'm nervous. Is everything normal?" she asks.
Is sex ever going to be sexy again?
"Rory, your vagina is even more perfect and beautiful than I remembered."
Dear Lord. Please just let me go down on my wife.
She finally eases up and lets him do his thing. She gives that contented sigh that he has always loved, and he realizes that he has missed getting her off more than anything.
He crawls up the bed to her, where she is breathing deeply.
She looks comatose. She hasn't been sleeping much. I bet she's exhausted.
I can manage for another week.
He kisses her cheek. "Go to sleep," he tells her.
"But what about you?" she murmurs.
"I got me. You go to sleep."
"But…
"Rory, go to sleep. Will will be up in few hours."
He pulls the covers over her before heading into the shower.
Our life has become this completely new routine of feeding, changing, and sleeping.
And for me, masturbating in the shower.
Every day blurs into the next.
But I've got my girl and my little guy… And they make it all worth it.
It's all worth it to feel this wanted, this needed.
This loved.
October 2017
Logan finishes tightening his tie before heading down the stairs for coffee. Rory and Lorelei are at the table sipping mugs as Rory intently reads something on her laptop.
I should have known they'd be up together on her first morning here.
"Morning," he says, leaning down to kiss the top of Rory's head. "Is that your HuffPost article?"
"Yes. I'm almost done. I'm going to send it to Eli this morning."
"Who's Eli?" Lorelei asks.
"He's my agent," Rory says. "That's how I've been getting so many freelance articles this last year."
"How did Will do last night? I didn't hear him," Logan says.
"Not well. I ended up falling asleep in there with him, which is probably why you didn't hear anything. I'm exhausted."
"Well, Kay is coming tonight, so just get through the day, and then you'll be able to get a good night's sleep," Logan says.
"Who's Kay?" Lorelei asks.
"She's a night nurse," Logan says. "She came in to help when Rory had mastitis, and it was so helpful, that she comes two nights a week now."
"Yeah. I pump around eight, and then she stays with him until five or so, when I nurse him again," Rory adds. "He sleeps through the night mostly, just not consistently. This guarantees us two nights that we sleep well."
Lorelei laughs. "So there's a driver, an agent, and a night nurse. When do I get to meet Carson and Mrs. Patmore?"
She's laughing, but that sounds…
"Mom…"
"I can stay up with him tonight. You don't need this Kay here," Lorelei says.
"We're all going to Cursed Child for Rory's birthday tomorrow night. She's been waiting since… August?" Logan says.
Rory nods. "I want us all to be awake, Mom. Kay is great. It'll be fine."
Lorelei raises her eyebrows, seeming poised for a rebuttal, when they hear Will over the monitor.
"I'll get him," Lorelei says.
"Let me come with you. I want to see him before I leave for work. I can show you where everything is," Logan says following her back up the stairs.
Logan lets Lorelei lift Will out of the crib, handing her a diaper and some wipes at the changing table.
"His clothes are in these drawers, unless you want to put him in something other than onesies. Real clothes are in the closet." He opens the closet door to her.
"Wow. His closet rivals mine."
"Yeah," Logan says with a laugh. ""Between Emily and Shira, this kid will never want for anything."
"I can see that," she says.
Again, that tone is…
I should let it go, but I can't take a chance on ruining any of the progress that we've made.
"Lorelei… Other than Will, you are the most important person in Rory's life. She has… we have…"
"Spit it out, Logan," Lorelei says, cooing at Will.
Here goes.
"I don't think it's any secret that Rory has had some problems in the last few years with her… self-doubt. But we've really gotten her back to a happy place. Having a baby throws everything a little out of whack, and we've had to make a lot of adjustments. I know you know what that's like."
Lorelei picks Will up and nods her agreement at him.
"So… being the most important person in her life… Just please think about how everything you say is going to affect her. I know the way we are doing things is not the way you did them with Rory. But we are older, and there's two of us, and we have money."
"I can see that," she says.
That's what I'm talking about, and- fuck it.
"That's what I'm talking about. Your tone. It's judgmental. I hear it, and I know she hears it. And I'm asking you to please try and reign it in. Rory is an amazing mother. And she's working. And she's trying not to lose who she is in the midst of all that. This is what works for us, and I would appreciate it if you would respect that," he says.
She stares at him for a moment.
Crap. Now she will never like me. I couldn't keep my mouth shut for one goddamn second.
"You're right," she says. "And… I'm sorry. I don't mean to… I'm just sarcastic by nature. But I'll try not to do it in regards to your parenting. Obviously, I also know a thing or two about your parents judging your parenting, and I do not want to do that."
Logan breathes a deep sigh of relief. "Thank you. Now I do have to run out to work. Can I hold him for just a second? Then he's yours all day."
That night after dinner, Rory and Logan say good-night to Will and Lorelei and retire to their bedroom early.
"I am exhausted," Logan says. "And I know I'm not as tired as you are."
"Take off your clothes."
"What?"
"Take off your clothes," she repeats, stripping off her shirt.
"Babe."
She comes over to him and begins unbuttoning his shirt. "I just pumped, Kay has the monitor, and thanks to the renovations, it feels like my mom is on the other side of town."
"But this is your night to sleep, and I know you need it."
She reaches down and rubs her hand over his crotch. "I want this more. And I only need like five minutes. Take. Off. Your. Clothes."
He kisses her deeply. "I'm gonna give you more than five minutes."
Later as they are snuggled up naked, Logan feels the exhaustion taking over. He is almost on the verge of sleep, when Rory speaks.
"You know… you were wrong earlier."
"You're going to have to be more specific, Ace," he mumbles.
"This morning. When you were talking to Mom."
His eyes pop open. "She told you what I said? Baby, I'm sorry. I know it wasn't my place, but-"
"Logan, relax. She didn't say a word. I heard you over the baby monitor. And it was your place. Because the thing you were wrong about… She isn't the most important person in my life. You and Will are. And it's not even close."
A/N: One chapter left!