There was a knock at Rory's bedroom door.
"Hey, Ace, " called Logan from the other side of the door. "Charlie's up."
Rory groaned in response as she rolled over in bed. She grabbed her phone from her nightstand and begrudgingly got out of bed.
"You don't have to get up," commented Logan as Rory stumbled out of her room. "I just didn't want to mess up your baby alarm clock system."
"Coffee. Now," pleaded Rory as she collapsed into a chair at the kitchen table. She noted the ring from last night was missing from the table, but chose not to ask about its fate. She rested her head on the table, watching Charlie in his highchair. Simultaneously, she scrolled rapidly through her phone.
"Decaf?" asked Logan, noting the open container of coffee grounds on the countertop.
Rory's eyes narrowed and she made a face at Logan. "Top shelf. Today's a caffeine type of day."
"Top shelf non-decaf coffee it is," agreed Logan, opening all the cabinets in order to find what the container Rory was referencing. She didn't offer any further assistance.
"After breakfast I was hoping to go run some errands. Get some clean shirts. Look into a few things. It can wait if you need me to watch Charlie, though?" continued Logan as he put together a pot of coffee.
"I have to go into the city," complained Rory, motioning toward her phone. "My editors want to meet with me this morning concerning 'urgent business.'"
"Then I can watch Charlie," volunteered Logan immediately.
"No, no," disagreed Rory. "Go run your errands. Maybe they will go easier on me with Charlie there."
"That bad, huh?" asked Logan. He handed Charlie a bottle and sat across from Rory at the table.
"No idea," responded Rory. She offered her phone toward Logan to read the e-mail. "It's all very vague."
Logan skimmed the e-mail quickly. Logan slid Rory her phone back. "Well, we can always dress Charlie up in some rags if you think that would help."
Rory silently took the phone back and began rereading the e-mail.
"How long do you think you'll be gone?" continued Logan.
Rory shrugged. "Depends on traffic and what they want to talk about. I'm going to see if Jess can meet too."
Rory picked up her phone and began to text Jess asking if they could meet at their standard spot to go over notes. She felt that she needed to be prepared to fight for her book today after just meeting with the editors three days prior.
"Oh, Jess?" The words were out before Logan could stop them. He busied himself by getting up and pouring each of them a mug of coffee.
"Yeah," agreed Rory, choosing to ignore the underlying question. "I haven't been able to get through all his notes yet. He may have something major that could help."
"I'd love to read your book sometime," offered Logan.
Rory shook her head. Awkwardly, she joked, "Top secret confidential information."
"You know, I do have some experience with writing," pressed Logan with his characteristic charming smile.
Rory sipped her coffee. "Oh, caffeine. How I've missed you."
"Seriously, Ace."
"It's just very... not done," explained Rory thoughtfully.
"You let Jess read it," countered Logan strategically.
"Maybe when it's closer to finished," responded Rory dismissively.
Logan nodded slightly. "I'll hold you to that."
"We can add it to the list."
"The list?" asked Logan.
"Of things we'll talk about later," responded Rory, acknowledging that they had been choosing to simply ignore a lot of their problems lately.
"We'll figure this out." Logan reached across the table and squeezed Rory's hand gently. Rory made a skeptical face. "Tonight. When you get back from the city tonight, we'll hash out the details."
"Logan?" asked Rory, her voice shaking slightly.
"Yeah, Ace?"
"About last night," awkwardly began Rory, unsure of exactly what to say. After Logan's drunken return, they had stayed up late watching movies and making small talk. It had been wonderful to be able to just talk with Logan, but Rory couldn't help but feel that there was tension in the air. She waited for Logan to interject, to say something to make it all feel easier. He remained silent and waited. "I'm just – I'm sorry."
"I know," he responded simply.
This time, Rory beat Jess to the coffee shop. She staked out the normal table and strategically spread her various materials across it. She prioritized the sections that she thought needed the most work. She wanted to be ready for whatever the editors threw at her today.
Charlie sat contently in the highchair next to Rory. He mouthed at his hand, trying to get the Puff stuck to his palm into his mouth. Silently, Rory thanked the world for giving her such an even-tempered son.
The coffee from that morning mixed with her anxiety over the sudden meeting made Rory feel jittery. Ever since she stopped drinking caffeine because of Charlie, she hadn't been able to transition back fully to the stuff that had gotten her through the first thirty-two years of her life.
She tapped her pen rhythmically on the table as she tried to figure out what section the editors would want to call a sudden meeting for. Was the beginning too slow, too impersonal? Was her college drop out years too racy? Was the ending too ambiguous? Were they suddenly dropping the project?
Jess sat silently at the table with a coffee cup in hand. "I have to get back to work soon."
It suddenly hit Rory; she had pulled him away from his job without even a second thought. She was flooded with guilt, a feeling she was becoming all to familiar with. "Jess, you didn't have to come. I wasn't even thinking. Sorry, I was in full panic mode."
Jess shook his head. "What's the problem?"
"I don't know," groaned Rory. "I just woke up to an e-mail asking for a meeting with the editors immediately. Immediately. That can't be good, right?"
"Doesn't sound great." Jess shrugged. Gauging her reaction, he sighed heavily. "It's probably nothing, Rory. Just some idea they had."
Rory tugged at her hair, flipping through the pages laid out in front of her. "What do you think?"
"Maybe the ending?" stated Jess thoughtfully. He leaned over the table and directed her toward the end of the binder. "I put some notes on it. Readers want closure and it doesn't offer much."
"It's my life. What closure is there to offer?" countered Rory as she flipped through the pages of the binder.
"Insight then? You're the writer."
Rory smiled graciously. "Thanks, Jess."
"So you're bringing Charlie to the meeting?" asked Jess nonchalantly, noting Charlie in the highchair.
"Yeah," agreed Rory. "He's been to most of them."
"Babysitter fell through?" pressed Jess, leaning across the table to close the space between them.
"He usually comes with me," deflected Rory.
"Logan bail again?" Jess stared intently at Rory.
Rory swallowed hard. She didn't want to talk to Jess about this. "He's still here."
"For how long?" continued Jess.
Rory met his gaze.
"I don't know, Jess," sighed Rory. "He wants to be part of Charlie's life."
"And you're just going to let him?"
"It's his son, Jess."
"He's been gone, though. You and Charlie don't deserve that," insisted Jess, growing visibly irritated at the situation.
"It's complicated," responded Rory vaguely. "I don't want to get into it."
"He was too busy gallivanting across Europe to be there for his kid?" criticized Jess, ignoring Rory's request for privacy.
"He didn't know," snapped Rory. She felt the sudden need to defend Logan. Charlie began to fuss, growing upset with the rising strain on the conversation. Rory turned her attention to Charlie, bribing him with a pacifier and more Puffs.
"Charlie deserves more than that jerk," insisted Jess, continuing his offensive attack on Logan. "You deserve more, Rory."
Rory shook her head. "You don't know him."
Jess focused intently on Rory. "Go to dinner with me."
"What?" Rory paused in shock.
"Do you want to go to dinner with me? This week," asked Jess. He leaned back in his chair. His eyes never left Rory.
"Jess," began Rory slowly. "Can we talk about this later?"
"It's just dinner, Rory."
"You want to go on a date with me?"
"Yes," answered Jess simply, finding a sudden confidence that had been missing.
"Is this because Logan is in town?"
"Dinner, Rory. It's just dinner. You pick where."
"Let me think about it," Rory responded vaguely. A week prior she would have said yes, but now everything seemed to be in flux.
"Think about it," insisted Jess. He stood up. "Good luck at your meeting."
Rory entered the apartment with Charlie in her arms. The day had been a whirlwind. She was exhausted and it wasn't even past five yet.
"Ace!" Logan jumped from the couch. "How was your meeting?"
Rory shook her head slightly. She put Charlie in his pack and play that was still up in the living room from the day before. He began to cry at being put down, but quickly grew happy when Logan offered him his stuffed soccer ball. Rory directed her attention fully toward Logan.
"You'll never believe the day I've had," stated Rory. She collapsed dramatically on the couch.
"Good or bad?" asked Logan.
"Good," replied Rory vaguely. "Very good."
Logan smiled nervously. "You first. I have news too."
"They're pushing up my publishing date. They want to expedite everything."
"What?" exclaimed Logan, his smile growing. "That's great news!"
Rory nodded. "There's still a lot of editing to be done. A lot of it still needs to be rewritten. It needs a lot of work."
"That's fantastic!" Logan wrapped his arms around Rory. Rory pressed into Logan, allowing herself to be completely wrapped in his arms. She wrapped her arms around Logan's waist. Rory smiled, enjoying the moment.
After basking in the moment, she added, "I have Odette to thank."
Logan pulled away quickly. He quickly grew somber at the mention of her name and his face scrunched in confusion. With his hands on Rory's shoulders, he asked, "What do you mean?"
"When she went to the press – the story has apparently been picked up by other places now. It's quite the scandal, Mr. Huntzberger," she teased, trying to make light of the situation.
"She shouldn't have dragged you into this," Logan apologized. He ran his fingers through his hair, obviously irritated.
"Logan," began Rory, closing the space between them and hugging Logan once more, "It's out of your hands. Besides, publicity is publicity."
Logan made a face. "I still don't like it."
"What's your news?" Rory asked, switching the subject. It bothered her to think that the last year's events were being broadcasted across the Internet, but she could recognize that this was one instance where getting upset about it was pointless.
A smile crept onto Logan's face. "I have to show you."
"This is it," proclaimed Logan, putting the car in park. Rory stared out the window of the car. A large house was directly in front of her.
"It's yours?" guessed Rory. The house was beautiful. It appeared to be three floors with a large garage and a fence surrounded what Rory could only assume was a large backyard.
"Let me show you," insisted Logan. He jumped out of the car before Rory could protest and ran around the side of the car to retrieve Charlie. Rory slowly exited the car, gawking at Logan's new home.
"So you're moving out?" asked Rory. She followed Logan up the sidewalk toward the front door. The news hit a chord with Rory, but she wasn't sure why. It was ridiculous to think that Logan would sleep on the floor of her living room forever, but it did put them in a difficult situation with Charlie. Rory dreaded the idea of being apart from her son, even for just a weekend. She could only imagine that Logan would want days with him, and, with everything she had put him through the last year and all the effort he had put in since realizing he had a son, Rory wouldn't take that away from him.
"I'm sure you'll be happy to get your living room floor back," replied Logan, opening the door to the house. "I still need to get some furniture, but I should be able to get the bulk of it tomorrow."
The news disappointed Rory.
The front door opened to a large living room. There was a door off to the side and another hallway toward the back of the room. A staircase began to their left and spun around the backside of the living room.
"Let me show you," continued Logan, grabbing Rory's hand. With Charlie nestled against his waist, Logan pulled Rory up the stairs toward the second floor.
He opened a door immediately on the left to a large room. It was completely empty.
"It's an small upgrade from the floor, huh?" asked Logan, grinning from ear to ear.
"Don't insult my floors," joked Rory, intentionally forcing a light tone. She crossed her arms in front of her chest. She was happy that Logan was moving back to be with Charlie; she knew that he was going to get a place of his own. It just all felt so sudden.
"And this," continued Logan as he opened another door in the hallway, "is going to be Charlie's room."
The room was also empty. There was a large window to the back yard that confirmed Rory's previous suspicions; the backyard was large with a complete fence. It was complete with a swing set and what looked to be an old tree house. Toward the back of the yard, there was an old tree swing.
"Promise to keep an open mind?" pressed Logan, anxiously trying to read Rory's expression.
"This is all perfect," Rory responded, her tone strained. This was everything she had wanted for Charlie and had been unable to give him. The thought grated on her.
Logan led the way back down the stairs and through a hallway. Rory was astounded at how large the house was. Logan opened another door and motioned for Rory to enter.
It was a modestly sized room with bookshelves built into one of the walls. In the center was a large wooden desk that Rory immediately recognized. She gawked at Logan as her fingers traced the corners of the desk.
"How did you get this?" demanded Rory in awe. Her eyes didn't leave the desk as she circled it, taking it all in.
"Your grandmother had it in storage. She wanted you to have it," explained Logan.
Rory raised her eyebrows with curiosity. "You spoke to my grandmother?"
"This way you'd have somewhere private to work on your book. You can finish it where you started writing it – on your grandfather's desk."
"This is too much," whispered Rory, still in awe.
"You promised to keep an open mind."
"No, Logan, it's wonderful," agreed Rory. "It's amazing. Thank you."
"This isn't everything," Logan said slowly.
"What more could there be?" responded Rory in astonishment. "The house really is beautiful."
"I want you to move in too," blurted Logan, his words tumbling from his mouth in a single breath. He looked relieved to finally have it out in the open.
"What?"
"There's a room for you too. I want you to live here too."
"Logan," began Rory, but she didn't know what to say. Finally, she added, "I don't know."
"It would be perfect," encouraged Logan. "We could both be with Charlie. You'd have your space. You'd have a quiet place to work. I want you here."
"You want me to move in with you?" repeated Rory.
"It wouldn't be the first time," teased Logan.
The idea seemed foreign to Rory. Five days ago she assumed Charlie would never know his father and now he was trying to move them into a beautiful home.
"Charlie doesn't make the best roommate," deflected Rory. She chewed on her bottom lip. The events of the day were starting to build. Her mind spun rapidly; she was unable to hold onto a thought for longer than a moment.
The book was pushed up. Logan was here. The book needed to be finished. Logan wanted to help raise Charlie. Logan wanted to be a father. Jess asked her on a date. Charlie could have a backyard. Charlie could have a mom and a dad. Logan bought a house. The intimate details of her life would soon be read by thousands of people. Logan wanted her to move in. Jess wanted to restart something they hadn't openly discussed in over a decade. What would her Mom say?
It was all too much.
Logan shifted Charlie to his other arm, buying time as he gathered his thoughts. "Move in, Ace. Let's do this together."
"Jess wants to get dinner," blurted Rory suddenly. Hesitantly, she added, "With me."
Logan's smiled faltered, and his brow furrowed. He recovered quickly, plastering a smile on his face.
"Are you going to?" asked Logan. He tone was friendly, encouraging even. He pleaded, "Just move in, Ace. We can figure out the rest."
Rory chewed at her bottom lip. Gathering her courage she asked, "Will you get dinner with me, Logan?"
Logan exhaled, and his smile grew. "You'll move in?"
Rory nodded. Everything went quiet for a moment in her mind. Briefly, the gears stopped spinning; she could hardly believe what she was agreeing to.
"You hear that, Charlie? Mommy's moving in," cooed Logan happily, tickling his son in his own excitement.
"Are you sure about this?" pressed Rory.
Logan moved forward and wrapped his arm around Rory's waist. He stepped closer toward her while simultaneously pulling her closer. Slowly, he leaned toward her, bringing his lips close to hers. She closed her eyes and closed the distance between them.
A/N: Thanks to everyone who has shown their support! I love reading everyone's thoughts. Happy New Year!
