I know. I know. It's been forever. This is definitely the longest I've ever gone between updates. My apologies, but a combination of writer's block, midterms, and life kept me from working on this. Hopefully, the next chapter won't take so long.
Disclaimer: I own nothing.
Chapter 26 – Fathers Know Best
"Are we going to have this argument every time I spend the night here?" asked Logan as he tried to pry his wrist out of Rory's hands. His voice carried a serious tone, but his eyes were dancing with laughter letting her know how much he was enjoying this little game of theirs.
"Are you going to continue abandoning me every morning?" she countered her lower lip jutting out into a childish pout.
Logan's expression softened and he ran a finger over her protruding lip. "Please put this away," he begged. "You know I can't resist this pout of yours."
"Obviously you can since you always end up leaving me," she whined batting her eyelashes at him.
Logan chuckled. "You do don't play fair," he accused. He sat back down on the bed, pulled her into his lap and waited until Rory settled comfortably against him. "You know I don't like leaving you, Ace. If I had my way, we would spend the rest of the day in bed." He brushed a strand off her face and cupped her cheek. "But if you and I hope to continue these little sleepovers, I need to get out of here before Kevin or Christopher wakes up."
"But it's early."
He turned her head toward her fuzzy clock. "It's almost ten. I should have left hours ago." In fact, he'd tried to leave hours ago, but Rory had been very convincing in her efforts to keep him right where he was.
"You're no fun," she continued to tease all the while knowing perfectly well that he was right. He should have left hours ago. As it was, getting him out of the house at this point would be a bit tricky.
"Be that as it may, I still need to leave before we get caught so please go out there and see if the coast is clear."
"If I refuse to, does that mean you'll be forced to stay? Be my prisoner until I see fit to let you leave?" she asked with an evil glint in her eyes.
Logan smiled at her. "It only means that next time I'll be sure to leave even earlier, before the sun is up," he threatened. "That way I won't have to depend on you to do reconnaissance work for me."
The pout returned.
Logan laughed and kissed her cheek. "Come on, super spy. Go out there and see if it's safe for me to leave."
Rory looked over at her fuzzy clock and let out a sigh. He really should get going. "All right fine, party pooper." She got up in a huff glaring playfully at him all the while.
Logan gave her butt a light pat before betting up himself. He picked up his bag and headed for the bathroom, quickly dressing and brushing his teeth while Rory surveyed the world outside her bedroom. Not surprisingly, her parents' bedroom door was still shut and would more than likely stay that way for a couple more hours. It was a habit Lorelai's and Christopher's to spend Sunday mornings alone in preparation for their upcoming busy work weeks. The fact that her parents were still so obviously in love with each other was to Rory, romantic, but also slightly disturbing. After all, who wants to think about their parents having sex? Rory shook her head at that thought and tiptoed toward Kevin's room. His door was shut, but she could hear the faint sounds of the television letting her know he was awake. She crept quietly back to her room to find a dressed and waiting Logan.
"I think you're good to go," she informed him. "I doubt my parent's are getting up anytime soon and Kevin's awake, but he's still in his room. So I think it's safe for you to use the front door."
Logan pulled her into his arms. "Thanks, Ace." He tilted her chin up and moved his lips gently over hers. They indulged in the light kiss both knowing that anything heavier would result in a further delay in Logan's necessary departure. Still, the kiss left both parties satisfied and smiling as Logan finally took his leave.
A few minutes after his departure, Rory made her way downstairs in search of another passion—coffee. She was pleased to be greeted by a fresh and nearly full pot of her precious brew. After quickly downing her first cup, she poured herself a second and joined Joanna who was sitting poolside with a cup of coffee in one hand and a book in the other.
"Good morning," greeted Joanna, not taking her eyes off the page she was reading.
Rory returned the greeting and patiently sipped her coffee as she waited for her friend to look up from her book. The two girls had a similar love of literature and therefore, Rory knew better than to interrupt someone mid-sentence. Similarly, as anxious as Joanna was to pepper Rory with questions, she took her time finishing the paragraph she was reading before turning her gaze to the younger girl.
"So?" she finally asked a teasing smirk in place.
"So what?" replied Rory with an air of innocence.
Joanna rolled her eyes. "How was last night?"
"Last night was," she paused trying to find just the right word to describe their night together. "Last night was…lovely."
"Hmm…lovely eh?" Joanna looked her over before asking, "Did you two…?" She fixed her eyes on Rory and gave her a meaningful look.
Rory smiled and blushed, but eventually shook her head. "No…at least not technically."
Joanna's eyebrows shot up. Her interest was peaked. "And what exactly does that mean?"
Rory's blush intensified as images of their late night activities, particularly their time spent in the shower, wafted through her mind's eye. She remained silent with a dreamy look in her eyes.
"Rory? What did you mean by that?" demanded Joanna.
A still blushing Rory sent a meaningful glance Joanna's way and said, "You know what it means."
Joanna gasped and dropped her book. "Oh my God! So he…?" She made a nonsensical gesture with her hand.
Rory nodded. "Yes," she confirmed before quickly adding, "but he's done that before."
"Really?" asked a wide eyed Joanna. "Well if he's done that before why are you so…?" She stopped and let out a very, very large gasp. "Oh my God! Did you…?" She moved her hands wildly, not making any kind of obscene gesture, but Rory knew exactly what her motions were alluding to.
Rory looked away from her and nodded her head.
Joanna let out another gasp this time popping out of seat in excitement. "Oh my God! You naughty girl! That is so major! And under your parents' roof," she playfully admonished.
Rory was somewhat surprised that she was not more embarrassed about the situation. It was hard to tell just by looking at her since she was as red as a lobster, but Rory was absolutely thrilled with how quickly their physical relationship was progressing.
"I can't believe you," continued Joanna.
"I know. I know."
"I figured that the two of you would have sex before you did that."
"Really?" asked a surprised Rory. "Why?"
"Well because in a lot of ways, that," she gestured with her hands again, "is more personal than actual intercourse—especially if you've never done that before." Joanna raised an eyebrow at her before asking, "You'd never done it before right? I mean you and Tristan never…"
"No. No." Rory vehemently shook her head. "Logan was definitely the first."
"Wow."
"I know. It's just so different with him. Everything is so different with him. I'm so comfortable with him and with everything we do. It was never like that with…anyone. I just…I feel so safe with him."
Joanna took in Rory's wistful expression and smiled. "You look really happy."
Rory returned the smile. "I am." She stared off into the sky for a few seconds before resuming the conversation. "I'm sorry about yesterday. Disappearing like that. And being moody when you tried to talk to me. And then disappearing again. And then blowing you off last night."
Joanna waved it off. "No worries. You were going through a lot. I understand."
"Are you sure? Because you have every right to be mad at me. I haven't been a very good friend the last twenty-four hours."
"Don't worry about it. I'm fine. We're fine. You don't have to worry about us." Theirs was not the relationship Joanna was concerned about. She paused before adding, "You and Kevin on the other hand…"
Rory groaned and frowned at the mention of her brother. "Don't spoil my mood. I don't want to talk about him." She let out a sigh trying to rid her mind of all thought of her brother. "New topic. Last night, you said you wanted to talk to me about something?"
Joanna grinned. She'd spent the morning thinking about how she might help mend the rift between the two siblings. With that question, Rory gave her the perfect opening. "Actually, I wanted to talk to you about Kevin."
Rory groaned again.
"Not about you and Kevin," said Joanna.
"What then?"
"Well…I kind of agreed to have dinner with him tonight."
That got Rory's attention. "Excuse me?"
"He asked me to have dinner with him tonight and I accepted."
"You're going on a date with my brother?"
"No," she said determinedly. "We're just having dinner…together."
"How is that not a date?"
"Because its not."
"Are you sure?"
Joanna sat pack in her chair and stared up at the sky. "Umm…yeah I'm sure. We talked about and it's definitely not a date."
Rory gave her a skeptical and appraising look. She knew Kevin harbored some kind of crush on Joanna, and up until that moment, she believed that crush to be one sided. Now, she wasn't sure. The far off look in Joanna's eyes was not one she recognized. "Are you interested in…?"
"No," interrupted Joanna. "No. No. No." She paused and her brow wrinkled. "At least I don't think so."
Rory chuckled at the bemused expression on Joanna's face. "What exactly does that mean?"
"I don't know." She frowned continuing to ponder Rory's initial question. "I mean…ok let's be honest, your brother is…well he's…"
"An obnoxious, loud mouthed, know-it-all jerk?" offered Rory.
"Yes," agreed Joanna. "He can be that. But deep down he is…a really nice guy."
"Only when he wants to be," said Rory.
"And he's smart and a lot of fun and he can be really sweet."
Rory knew all that to be true, but made a noncommittal noise.
"And…he's," she hesitated before admitting, "really good looking."
"Yuck," Rory uttered automatically.
"Come off it, Ror, you know Kevin's gorgeous."
Rory rolled her eyes but made no attempt to deny that claim.
"On the other hand," continued Joanna, "Kevin is unfortunately very much aware of how gorgeous he is."
At that, Rory chuckled. "So answer the question. Are you interested in him?"
Joanna's brow wrinkled again. "Hmm."
Rory eyed her friend with a new curiosity. Joanna was never unsure of anything, least of all when it came to guys. This indecisiveness was not typical Joanna behavior. "Well?"
She shrugged. "I'm…not sure. And either way it doesn't matter."
This time it was Rory's brow that wrinkled. "Why wouldn't it matter?"
"Because whether or not I'm interested, I'm still leaving next week," Joanna reminded her.
"Oh," said Rory sadly having gotten used to her friend's presence. "I forgot about that."
"Yes, so either way it doesn't matter," repeated Joanna.
Rory was silent for a few seconds before saying, "In that case, do you really think it's a good idea to go out with him tonight?"
Joanna resisted the urge to smile. It was the very question she was goading Rory to ask. "I don't know," she replied nonchalantly.
Rory was not at all satisfied with that answer. In fact, she found herself to be somewhat irritated by it. "Look, Jo, I'm still pretty pissed at Kevin for how he handled the whole Tristan situation, but he's still my brother. And I know that he's got a thing for you so if you're not really interested in him, could you not lead on him on?"
Joanna, though not at all surprised at Rory's reaction, feigned the emotion and let her eyes go wide. As she predicted, the need to protect one's sibling was not a trait exclusive to the eldest of the Hayden children.
"I didn't mean that to sound…harsh," corrected Rory who herself was surprised by her own words. "And Lord knows Kevin's ego could use a good kick in the ass, but he's my brother and I…"
"Love him," finished Joanna with a satisfied grin. "And you don't want to see him get hurt."
"Of course not," she said with a questioning look at her friend.
"And you want to protect him from getting hurt," she prodded cautiously.
"Yeah, I guess," she admitted now very wary of the strange tone Joanna's voice had taken.
"Kind of like how he was trying to protect you when he did all the stupid things he did with Tristan?"
Rory's face went from surprise, to thoughtful, and finally to annoyed. "That's not the same thing."
"Maybe not exactly the same thing," admitted Joanna. "But just a minute ago, you were ready to protect Kevin from possibly getting hurt even if it meant getting in a fight with me."
Rory's frown deepened.
"And I'm not at all defending what he did. I mean I agree with you that he handled the situation badly. What he did was disrespectful and stupid. But why he did what he did wasn't stupid."
Rory glared at her friend, not completely sure whether or not she was angry or appreciative. Joanna had an annoying way of making you see things differently, even if you didn't want to see them that way. Rory, born with the famous Gilmore stubborn gene, was determined to stay angry at Kevin for a long time, but unfortunately she found her resolve weakening at Joanna's words.
"So while I think you have every right to be angry, it wouldn't hurt to…what's the expression? Cut him some slack?"
Rory shook her head as the realization of what her friend had just done hit her. Joanna had played her beautifully. "You think you're so clever don't you?"
"Well I was valedictorian of my class too remember?" she said with a smug smirk.
"What difference does it make to you whether or not Kevin and I make up any way?"
"It makes a big difference to me. First, because you're my best friend and I love you. Second, because for as long as I've known you, not a day went by without you mentioning your brother at least once, so I know how much you love him. Third, because I'm leaving next week and someone has to keep an eye on you and what better person than your brother? And fourth, despite all his faults, I actually have grown rather fond of Kevin and he may be as reluctant to admit it as you are, but he doesn't like fighting with you either."
"Which brings us back to my original question, are you interested in my brother?"
"And I've already told you, I have absolutely no idea," she said clearly frustrated by her admission.
"That is so not like you."
"I know that. And don't even get me started on how annoying I find that, but I honestly don't know. And as I've already said, either way it doesn't matter. I'm leaving next week so nothing is going to happen." Truth be told, fixing Kevin and Rory's relationship was not what she had on her mind when she accepted Kevin's dinner invitation. However, Joanna was a great believer in seizing opportunities and if she could use this dinner as a means of reuniting the two, then so be it. How she actually felt about Kevin was still a mystery, even to Joanna herself.
"But you're still going out with him tonight?"
"Yes."
"Why?"
"Because he asked. Because I already said yes. And because it will get him out of the house and gives you a perfect opportunity to clean up the mess you made in his room."
Rory raised an eyebrow at that last statement. "And what makes you think I'll be doing anything of the sort?"
"Because I know you. And I know that no matter how mad you are at him, that you love him. I think I've already proved that point once this morning. I also know that you hate fighting with him and that no matter how well things are going with Logan, you won't be completely happy until you and Kevin make up." The entire spiel was stated with a degree of confidence that left little room for argument.
Rory, fighting a losing battle to maintain her anger, was glaring at her friend again. "Were you this annoying in London or this all-knowing thing something new?"
"So you admit I am all-knowing?" she teased knowing Rory was as good as convinced. "That I am right?"
"I admit nothing," Rory said stubbornly.
"But you will be doing some cleaning tonight?"
"I admit nothing," she repeated.
"But you don't deny it either," countered Joanna.
Rory responded with a chuckle giving Joanna the answer she wanted. "New topic," she demanded.
"Fine," she relented. Joanna was satisfied with all she'd accomplished that morning. "Give me the dirty details of all the making up you and your boyfriend did yesterday."
That was a topic Rory was far more comfortable with. She looked over her shoulder checking against any eavesdroppers before she filled Joanna in on the events of the previous night—from crashing the Huntzberger's dinner to the run-in with Mitchum, and everything in between. Joanna reacted animatedly to everything Rory told her particularly the details of the moonlight picnic, the sudden storm, the closet and last but not least, the shower. Rory was more than a little amused as she watched Joanna's jaw drop at least a dozen times. Her friend would soon be returning to her side of the Atlantic, but until that day came, Rory was determined to make the most of their time together.
Logan was pulled out of a pleasant dream by a light tapping. Slowly opening his eyes he acknowledged that he was in his childhood bedroom, a place he'd spent very little time in of late. A year living in the dorm immediately followed by two weeks at Martha's Vineyard left him very little time to settle into his old surroundings. While the bedroom itself was large and lavish, Logan found it stifling. This was due to the room's physical location. Any room within the confines of the Huntzberger estate was stifling. No matter how large or beautifully decorated that room was, it was still in Mitchum's house, and for that reason alone, it would never truly feel like home.
Logan buried his head in a pillow making every effort to ignore whoever it was that was knocking at his door. After leaving Rory earlier that day, he'd gone home with a smile on his face and went straight to bed. He was exhausted. The few hours of sleep he had with Rory, though restful, were not enough to satisfy his body. With everything that had happened the last twenty-four hours, what he needed was sleep. So whoever was at his door right now would be ignored.
Unfortunately, the intruder refused to take the hint. The knocking persisted growing louder with each passing second. When Logan was convinced the unwanted visitor would not leave until acknowledged, he dragged himself out of bed and shuffled across the room. He opened the door abruptly startling the person who stood on the other side.
"What?" he yelled making no attempt to hide his annoyance.
The middle aged maid was taken slightly aback and stood dumbstruck for several seconds before speaking. "I'm sorry to disturb your rest, sir, but lunch is being served on the patio," she said timidly.
"I'm not hungry," he declared and was about to shut the door in her face, but she pushed her body against it.
"Your parents are waiting for you downstairs, sir," she said her voice taking a firmer tone.
"Are they now?" he asked somewhat sarcastically.
She nodded.
"Well, please inform my parents that I will not be joining them for lunch. Now if you'll excuse me." He made another attempt to close his door, but the small yet surprisingly strong maid prevented him from doing so.
"I'm sorry, sir, but your parents are holding lunch for you downstairs and…"
"Tell them I'm not hungry," he snapped.
"I'm sorry, sir, but your father is insisting that you join them for lunch. He made it very clear that this was not a request."
Logan closed his tired eyes and groaned.
"They're waiting for you on the patio and I've been instructed to wait and personally walk you down…sir."
Logan let out a pained cry and much to the maid's dismay, began banging his head against the door.
"Sir?" she questioned the not quite sure whether she should try and stop him.
Logan looked down at the wrinkled sweats that he was wearing. He knew the right thing to do would be to change into something more presentable, but he was being dragged out of bed and forced downstairs. If his parents wanted him at lunch, wrinkled pajamas was what they were going to get. He ran a hand through his already messy hair and without bothering to even put on shoes, followed the maid downstairs.
His parents, not surprisingly, were dressed rather formally. His father was still in the suit he wore to his early morning meeting and his mother, prepared for an afternoon at the club, was clad in a pink Chanel suit. Logan mumbled a greeting before ungracefully plunking his tired body into a chair.
Shira raised a perfectly sculpted eyebrow at her son silently scolding him for his less than impeccable choice in wardrobe.
Mitchum, as usual, chose to openly voice his criticism. "Nice socks," he said sarcastically.
"Thanks," replied Logan with a roll of his eyes.
"It's past noon, Logan. Couldn't you have at least put on shoes?"
Logan met his father's steely glare and said, "I was told by your little messenger to come down immediately."
"Dressed like this?"
Logan chose to ignore the question and responded with one of his own. "Why am I here?"
"We're having lunch, dear," said Shira with a forced smile.
Logan knew better than to take that answer at face value. His parents wouldn't force him down there just so he could have lunch with them. They wanted something. "I didn't have to come down here just so you two could eat," he said eying the chicken on his plate. "What do you want?"
Mitchum put his own fork down and replied, "We need to have a discussion about your comings and goings."
"My what?" He was shocked. Growing up, his parents barely noticed where he was or what he did. Why would that matter now when he was nineteen, nearly twenty, and hardly ever home?
"Your comings and goings," repeated his mother.
"Since when do you care?" he challenged.
"What is that supposed to mean?" asked Shira. "We're your parents. We've always cared about where you are."
"Since when?"
"Since always," she defended.
"Oh yeah? Ok…where was I the weekend of my thirteenth birthday?"
His parents stared blankly at him.
"Logan, that was years ago," stalled Shira. "You can't expect your father and me to remember a weekend from almost seven years ago."
Logan chuckled at her obvious cop out. "Ok fine," he agreed. "Where did I go for spring break this year? That was only three months ago, Mother. Surely your memory stretches back that far. Where was I?"
Shira's brow wrinkled as she tried to come up with an answer. "Logan…"
"You know what, Mom, you don't even have to give me an exact city. I'd settle for a country. What country was I in?"
No response.
"A continent?" he continued to push. "That gives you a one in seven chance at guessing right. I'll even help you out a little. I wasn't in Antarctica so that drops your options down to six."
Still no response.
Logan gave a dry laugh. "I'll narrow it down even further for you, Mom. How about a hemisphere? Can you tell me which hemisphere I was in? 50/50 shot. You're not going to get better odds than that. "
"Logan…" she began.
"You two have never paid attention to my…what did you call it? Comings and goings? You never bothered to concern yourself about it before. Why do you care now?"
Mitchum sat back in his chair and crossed his arms over his chest. He was sick of this—beating around the bush and Logan's constant insolence. "Where were you last night?"
That got Logan's attention. "Excuse me?"
"Where were you last night?" repeated Mitchum. "And before you even think about lying, I know for a fact that you didn't spend the night here."
"So?" he asked making no effort to dispute his father's accusation.
"So? Where the hell were you?"
"What difference does it make?" asked Logan curious about where they were taking this.
"I want to know where you were."
"I was out," said Logan raising his voice.
"Out? Out where? And more importantly, with whom?"
Logan chuckled. "Ah…so that's what this is about. Apparently, Dad didn't completely believe all the garbage I was feeding him last night." His relationship with Rory had just gotten back on track and he wasn't about to let anything get in the way again. His parents finding out about them, and the meddling that was sure to follow would definitely get in the way—not to mention be completely annoying. It was why he and Rory wanted to keep the elders in the dark about their relationship for as long as possible. "I was out with a friend, Dad."
"Which friend?"
"I'd rather not say."
"Why not?"
"Because I'm really not one to kiss and tell," he replied with a smirk aimed to annoy both his parents.
Shira gave a disgusted snort and was about to speak when Mitchum silenced her with a look. "Who were you with?" he asked.
"No one you know," he said with an angry glare. "She's not exactly a society girl." He hated to do it—to even suggest he spent the night with some random girl. They were just words. They were lies, but even as he said them, he felt as if he was somehow betraying Rory. However, he knew it had to be done. He had to throw them off his scent. And the fact of the matter was, his parents, especially Mitchum, always believed the worst in him anyway. Why not perpetuate their demeaning and inaccurate view of him? If it would keep them out of his and Rory's relationship, he was happy to do it.
Mitchum met Logan's angry glare with one of his own. "Logan, I don't understand your behavior."
"My behavior?" By now, he was yelling.
"Your mother and I have given you everything," he began the all too familiar speech. Logan rolled his eyes and let out a groan. "The best education, vacations, cars, clothes, access to unlimited funds, your new sailboat—just to name a few. There isn't anything you've wanted that you've been denied."
"Except a life of my own," he muttered under his breath.
Mitchum couldn't make out what he mumbled, but wasn't interested in what he said either way so he continued. "All we've asked from you in return is your respect and for you to uphold the family name, to act the way a Huntzberger should. Instead what do we get? A disrespectful, insolent, smart-mouthed brat who spends more time drinking and partying with his friends than preparing himself for his future."
Logan shot out of his seat and was prepared to bolt.
"SIT DOWN!" ordered Mitchum his eyes blazing.
Logan looked into his father's face and sank miserably back down into his chair. He was nineteen years old and still, Mitchum had a way of making him feel like a child.
"I'm sick to death of having the same conversation over and over with you. You are a Huntzberger, a member of one of the oldest and most powerful families in the country. You are the heir to one of the largest media empires in the world. You are the grandson of Elias Huntzberger. And you are my son. You will not embarrass me, your grandfather, or this family. Your mother and I have let you get away with a lot, too much. Much too much. But it ends here. I'm drawing a line, Logan." He stood and leaned his hands on the table, bringing his face to within inches of Logan's. "And that line is going around Rory Hayden."
Logan's eyes went wide with surprise. At this point in his life, he's become very good at schooling his face to blank expressions around his father, but that last sentence caught him completely off guard.
"What?" asked Shira surprise evident on her face. "What does Rory have to do with any of this?" She was under the impression that this conversation was Mitchum's monthly 'I'm-very-disappointed-in-you. It's-time-to-clean-up-your-act' lecture.
Mitchum sat back in his chair, never taking his eyes off Logan's, and said, "Your son seems to have developed a bit of a crush on Rory Hayden."
Shira's face took on an expression of shock, but once the news sank in, she smiled brightly. "Really?"
Mitchum rolled his eyes at his wife's obvious happiness. "That's not a good thing, Shira," he informed her.
"What do you mean? Of course it's a good thing. It's a great thing," she declared her smile growing wider and wider. "The two of them would make a perfect couple. They would be the envy of all of Hartford, the entire east coast even. Can you imagine how amazing they would look together?" she asked loving the idea of Logan with Rory more and more. "Can you imagine how beautiful their wedding would be? Can you imagine how gorgeous my grandchildren would be?"
Mitchum shook his head at his wife's naivety and countered with, "Can you imagine how Emily and Francine will react if your son were to break the heart of their only granddaughter?"
Shira's imagination came to an abrupt halt.
"Your son's reputation in that department is hardly exemplary," he reminded her.
Logan sat in silence, his anger brewing, as his parents discussed him in much the same way they always did, as if he wasn't sitting right there, as if he were an object. He was gripping the sides of his chair so hard that his knuckles had lost all color.
"Do you remember what happened when he dated the Winston girl?" Mitchum asked his wife.
Logan couldn't stop himself from chuckling. Technically, he never dated Sophia Winston. The pretty young debutante had a reputation of being one of Hartford's most aggressive scheming socialites and was known throughout the circle of elite eligible bachelors as an easy lay. She'd set her sights on Logan a few years back and he, being a typical teenage boy, indulged himself. However, Logan quickly tired of her and moved on to the next girl. Sophia did not take that rejection well and as a result caused some tension between the families. The Winstons, though wealthy, were at best third tier when it came to social standing. As such, Sophia's family could hardly hope to challenge a family like the Huntzbergers. Still, rumors of Logan's ungentlemanly behavior circulated at the club and at parties for weeks much to Shira's dismay. She certainly did not want something like that to happen again. On its own, either the name Gilmore or Hayden was enough to cause irreparable damage to the Huntzberger's social standing. Having both families turn against them would have been disastrous.
"You think this funny?" Mitchum asked his son enraged by Logan's laughter.
"I think you're reaction is a little funny, Dad. This is a bit extreme even for you. I've already told you that there's nothing going on between…"
"Don't insult my intelligence, Logan," he cut him off.
"I could care less who you're 'dating' or whatever the hell it is you kids are calling it these days. I've done my best to stay out of that part of your life. For years now, I've kept my mouth shut about your reputation."
Logan threw his head back and laughed at the hypocrisy of that statement. His father's own reputation as a philanderer was Hartford's worst kept secret. He itched to remind him of that fact and had his mother not been sitting right there, he would have done just that.
Mitchum chose to ignore his laughter and continued with his tirade. "Logan, the world is full of all types of girls. There are regular girls, there are college girls, and there are society girls. Take your pick of any of those. As long as you don't make me a grandfather any time soon, I could care less who you're with. But then there are the girls in the social elite. Rory Hayden falls in that category. Girls like her are off limits. So, unless you're prepared to give up every other kind of girl there is out there and commit yourself fully," he challenged almost laughing out loud at the thought of Logan doing so, "stay away from her. Do I make myself clear?"
Logan balled his hands into fists, fighting the urge to punch his holier-than-thou, total hypocrite, asshole of a father. "God I hate him," he thought.
"Answer me. Do I make myself clear?"
Logan closed his eyes and nodded his head in response. He was too angry to trust himself to speak.
"I trust you to keep your word, Logan. There is nothing more important in the business world than your reputation and as head of this family it's my job to protect our reputation. I'm only telling you this because it's what's best for our family. I've gotten as far as I have in the business world not just because I know how to handle tough situations, but because I know how to put out a fire before it starts. You have to learn to think ahead, Logan. You have to learn how to spot a problem before it even becomes a problem. If you want to make it in the business world, son, you have to understand that sometimes it doesn't matter what you want. You have to do what's best for the family, what's best for the company."
"That's the problem with you, Mitchum. You treat your family like a business. You treat your wife and your children like employees, like pawns who exist only to further the name and reputation of the 'Great Mitchum Huntzberger.' Why can't you ever just be my father? Why is it so hard for you to believe I might have real feelings for her? That I could actually have a real relationship? For once, can't you just expect me to get it right? Why do you automatically assume I'll fail? Rory believes in me. Why can't you?" That's what he wanted to say to his father. It's what he should have said. But instead he just nodded.
"I'm trusting you, Logan."
Logan looked his father in the eye and said, "I would never hurt Rory."
Mitchum heard the sincerity in his voice as he made that claim. "I believe you mean that," he affirmed. "And I believe you wouldn't hurt her."
Logan nodded almost pleased with his father's words.
"At least not intentionally," Mitchum added.
Logan fisted his hands again. "Damn, Dad, can't you ever leave things on a good note?" he thought.
"I know you care for the girl, son, so do what's best for her and just stay away."
Logan wanted to beat his head against the table, so great was the frustration he felt toward his father. "Can I go?" he asked through gritted teeth. He didn't think he could stomach any more.
Mitchum nodded and dismissed him with a flick of his wrist before picking up his fork and returning his attention to lunch. Logan eagerly took the opportunity to flee. He wanted to get as far away from his parents as possible practically sprinting to his bedroom for sanctuary.
Once he was gone, Shira turned to her husband and asked, "Did you really think that was necessary?"
"You didn't see what I saw last night. Trust me it was necessary."
"Do you really think there's something going on between them?"
"I think Logan's more interested than he's letting on," answered Mitchum. "I doubt anything has gone on that we need to worry about, but with Logan, you never know." At the doubtful look in Shira's eyes, he added, "Trust me, Shira, it was the right thing to do."
"But would their getting together be so bad?" she asked still picturing blond haired, blue eyed babies.
"It wouldn't be so bad if Logan wasn't…Logan. Or if it they were five years older. In fact, I would love to see them get together in a few years. Rory would be great for him. She would be great for the family, for the company. But Logan is nineteen years old. He's young and full of hormones. Trust me, if he pursues her now, it won't be because he's following his heart. Or his head. At least not the head above his shoulders."
"Mitchum!" yelped a horrified Shira.
He ignored the disdain in her voice. "Oh stop it. Don't pretend to be surprised or offended, Shira. You know I'm right. The boy's too wild. His philandering has gotten out of hand. That's the problem. A few years from now, after he's gotten enough out of his system, I would love to see him get together with Rory. It would be a great match. But not right now. Logan's too immature. He would only screw it up and then we'd have a real problem on our hands. I don't know about you, but I for one do not want to have to clean up that mess. I have no intention of going up against Chris, Richard and Straub, and that's exactly what would happen if we don't put an end to this now." Mitchum resumed eating his lunch not wanting to discuss the matter further.
Shira sighed and wished she could disagree with him. However, she knew enough about Logan and his reputation to know that Mitchum had a valid point. The thought of not being on good terms with Emily Gilmore and Francine Hayden was too frightening to contemplate. Still, the idea of her son with Rory had been permanently planted in her head. She made up her mind that while she agreed with Mitchum's reasoning, it wouldn't hurt to lay the ground work for, what she now considered to be, an eventual pairing between her only son and Lorelai Leigh Gilmore-Hayden III. She smiled widely knowing what an amazing match that could be. And if she had anything to do with it, it would most definitely be a match.
Rory and Joanna spent the majority of the morning gabbing poolside. It was past noon when they reentered the house to find that Lorelai and Christopher had finally emerged from their bedroom.
"Good morning, ladies," greeted Christopher.
"Good morning, Christopher, Lorelai," said Joanna with a smile.
Rory met her mother in front of the coffee maker and gave her hug. "Morning, Mommy," she said in a cheerful and childish tone that made her mother smile. She purposefully avoided making eye contact with her father who at this point, was still on her shit list.
"Morning, sweetie," said Lorelai. She caught Christopher's eye and motioned him to say something.
"Good morning, Rory," said Christopher a bit louder than necessary.
Rory responded by raising an eyebrow at her father, but she did not speak. Instead, she took a sip from her coffee cup.
Lorelai made about a half dozen faces while she mouthed instructions to her husband urging him to continue.
"Rory, sweetie," he began, "can I have a word with you in my study please?"
Rory looked from her father to her mother and after the latter gave her a reassuring smile, she walked off in the direction of her father's study, still not having said a word.
"Just say you're sorry. Beg for forgiveness," instructed Lorelai as Christopher turned to follow his daughter out the room. When he entered his study, he found her sitting in his chair behind the massive desk looking very intimidating. It was an interesting power play and Christopher had to marvel at how much of Lorelai Rory had in her. In the same situation, his wife would have done the exact same thing, claiming the seat of power to gain as much of the upper hand as possible.
"Rory," he began.
Rory held her ground, not saying a word, but merely raising an eyebrow at her father.
"Sweetheart, I'm sorry for what I did, for how I handled the situation with Tristan. I…I shouldn't have lied to you. I was wrong and I'm sorry."
Rory nodded, but remained silent.
"It's just…when your brother told me about what happened between you two, all I could think was keeping Tristan away from you—killing him slowly and painfully and keeping him away from you. It's just…look, sweetie, it's really hard for me to accept that you're not a little girl anymore. You're an adult now and you can take care of yourself. You don't need me or Kevin to make decisions for you. I was just…I…I don't know what I was thinking. I just wanted to protect you, kid, but I went about it the wrong way. I realize that now and I am very sorry." He looked at his still silent daughter. "Please say something."
"You promise you won't do anything so stupid again?"
"I can't promise I'll never act that stupid again," he said in a teasing, self-deprecating voice hoping to lighten the mood, "but I can promise never to lie to you or invade your privacy like I did ever again."
Rory smiled at his attempt at humor. During his apology, she couldn't help but remember Mitchum's advice from the night before. "You'll set Kevin straight the next time he comes up with another harebrained scheme like this?"
"I will smack him in the head if he ever tries anything like this again," replied Christopher with a smile.
That made her laugh. "And you swear you're sorry? Really, really sorry? You're not just apologizing now because Mom told you to?"
Christopher was relieved to hear the slight teasing in her voice and responded with, "I swear I'm sorry. Really, really sorry. From the bottom of my heart sorry."
"Sorry enough to but me a car?"
This time it was Christopher that laughed. "Yes, I am that sorry. Tell me what to buy and in what color and it's yours. You just have to get yourself a United States driver's license. No more of this driving without a license, missy," he teased alluding to her brief run-in with the law yesterday.
Rory smiled and nodded. "Are you sorry enough to take me and Mom shoe shopping?"
"I'm happy to pay for all the shoes you want."
"And stay with us the whole time while we try them on?" she added.
Christopher groaned. In his opinion, shoe shopping with his wife and daughter fell under the category of cruel and unusual punishment. "The whole time? Come on, Rory."
"You said you were sorry."
"I am, but…" He looked into her face and knew he'd have to agree to whatever punishment she chose if he wanted his happy home back. "Ok fine, you win. I'll take you and your mother shoe shopping."
"At Bergdorf's?"
"Oh come on!" he whined.
"You said you were sorry."
"I am, but….arghh…fine. I'll take you and your mother shoe shopping at Bergdorf's," he said through gritted teeth. He felt a shudder of fear go through his body as he said the words. If he knew his wife, she would extend his suffering that day as much as possible and insist on trying on every shoe in the store. Even if she didn't want the shoe, Lorelai would insist on trying it on just to torture him. That day would be a very, very long one and Christopher made a mental note to buy a big bottle of aspirin.
Rory smiled victoriously. "Will you buy me a pony?"
That made Christopher smile. "Say you forgive me and I'll start work on the stable today."
"A pink stable?" she said with wide eyes.
"The pinkest stable in all of Connecticut," he replied.
"And you'll be nicer to Logan?" she asked wondering how far she could take this.
"Don't push it," answered Christopher. He had to draw the line somewhere.
Rory smiled. "Ok. You're forgiven."
"Thank you." He walked around to her side of the desk and gave her a hug. He kissed the top of her head before asking, "So, what kind of pony would you like?"
She laughed and looked up at him with smiling eyes. "I'd settle for you being nicer to my boyfriend."
"I'm nice to Logan," he defended.
"Not as nice as you were before," she pointed out.
"Before I opened my front door and found him defiling my daughter? No, I don't imagine I am that nice to him anymore nor will I ever be that nice to him ever again."
"He's a nice boy."
"He is nice, but still a boy and worse a boy dating my little girl."
Rory laughed at his reasoning. "He's really good to me, Daddy."
"He better be," quipped Christopher.
"And he makes me happy."
Christopher kissed her head again. "I know he does, Ror."
"So what more could a father ask for in his only daughter's boyfriend?" she pointed out.
"That he was a quiet homebody who thinks drinking is a sin and has taken a vow of celibacy?" offered Christopher.
"Daddy!"
"I know. I know. Wishful thinking."
"I know how much he likes you, Dad. You're like a second father to him and considering how his real father treats him…"
"Mitchum is a bit hard on him," agreed Christopher.
"More than hard. Downright mean sometimes."
Christopher nodded his head. "I don't disagree you with you there. Mitchum is a friend of mine but he and I have very different approaches when it comes to parenting. I don't think Logan would have acted up as much as he did if Mitchum were a little easier on him, but he is grooming Logan to be CEO of one of the largest media empires in the world. That's a lot of responsibility. And Mitchum's doing it the only way he knows how."
"By being mean?"
"No," insisted Christopher. "He's doing it the way Elias did it with him. Mitchum wasn't always this hardnosed you know. In fact, he was a lot like Logan is at that age—fun-loving, spontaneous, a little crazy."
"Really?" she asked trying hard to picture that.
"Oh yeah. Mitchum fought Elias for years. The two used to butt heads in much the same way he and Logan do now."
"So why is he so tough on Logan if he knows what its like?"
Christopher shrugged. "Because as much as he hated Elias' method, it worked. It made Mitchum grow up. I mean look at him. He's Mitchum Huntzberger—one of the smartest, shrewdest and most respected business men in the world. I think he's hoping the same thing will happen with Logan."
"Makes sense I guess," muttered Rory. "Speaking of Mitchum…"
"What about him?"
"He's kind of been nosing around about me and Logan. He's getting a little suspicious."
"What do you mean?"
"I mean Logan and I didn't want to keep us a secret from Kevin or you and Mom, but Mitchum and Shira…"
"They don't know?" questioned Christopher. "It's a good thing I haven't run into one of them or I may have let it slip. I mean I understand keeping it from your grandparents. They would make way too a big a deal out of it. Emily would have you two picking out china before the end of the week, but Shira and Mitchum…"
"Are not like you and Mom. And Logan's relationship with them is nothing like ours. They already butt into his life more than they should. Letting them know about us at this point doesn't make sense especially since this relationship is still pretty new. Logan and I will tell them eventually, we just…"
"You want it to be yours—just yours, the relationship I mean. You don't want to share it with the entire world just yet. I get it. As soon as Logan tells his parents, they will get involved and then it won't be just yours any more."
"Exactly," confirmed Rory. "I knew you'd understand. See this is why we told you and Mom. Because you're the cool parents."
"We are aren't we? I tell you, you and your brother are so lucky to have us," he said with a smug smile.
"So you don't mind keeping your mouth shut about this until Logan and I decide it's time to spill the beans?"
"If you don't want me to tell anyone, I won't, but take my advice and don't wait too long before you tell them. Trust me, if I know Mitchum, you do not want him to hear about this from someone else."
"We'll tell them," she insisted. "Just...just not yet. When Logan is ready, we'll tell them. It's just that…that house…I never realized how cold it was over there."
"Cold?"
"Yeah, it's cold. I mean I've always liked Mitchum and Shira, and I always knew they were hard on Logan, but I guess I never noticed how bad it was or how much it affected him. I don't know, maybe it's gotten worse since I've been gone, but Logan hates it over there. I can tell he's never been as comfortable there as he is here. I can see why he was over here so much when we were little. I don't want to take that away from him now that we're together. I want him to be as comfortable being in this house as he's always been. I don't want things to be weird between him and Kevin or him and you just because he's my boyfriend now."
Christopher had to respect that. "You really care about him don't you?"
She nodded and blushed, slightly embarrassed at having been asked that question by her father. As close as she and Christopher were, they never really had heart-to-hearts about boys before. "I mean if anything, he should be more comfortable being here now."
"I don't think I agree with that. I certainly don't want him to get too comfortable over here," said Christopher, half-kidding and half-serious.
Rory laughed and playfully slapped her father's arm. "You know what I mean, Daddy."
Christopher let out a sad sigh as he acknowledged for the first time just how serious Rory and Logan's relationship was. True, it had only been a few weeks, but he could already see that his daughter was falling in love with the boy. "All right, Rory. I promise I'll be nice to Logan."
"Thank you."
"Now, what do you say I whip us up some lunch and then we'll go out and pick up your pony?"
She laughed. "Sounds good, Daddy." Christopher kissed the top of her head and savored the moment. He missed her calling him 'Daddy.' They linked arms and headed back to the kitchen.
As they entered the room, Lorelai smiled at them both, relieved to see that father and daughter had made up. "Thank God you're back," she screamed. "I'm starving. Feed me," she ordered Christopher.
Christopher laughed at her, relieved himself that he was no longer fighting with any member of his family. "It's a beautiful summer day, let's gas up the grill and eat outside."
"Burgers!" shouted Rory and Lorelai in unison.
"Burgers it is," agreed Christopher. He opened the freezer and pulled out a package of frozen patties.
"Can I help?" offered Joanna.
"Yes, please," answered Christopher. "Keep these two from picking up any sharp utensils and make sure they stay far away from the grill while I cook," he said pointing to Lorelai and Rory.
"Why is that?" she wondered.
"Because the women in this family do not cook," answered Kevin with a smirk as he joined his family in the kitchen. "And they really shouldn't try, especially that one," he said pointing to his mother.
Lorelai was about to defend herself against the insulting, though accurate accusation, when the phone rang. "Hello, Hayden residence, Queen Lorelai speaking. How can I help you?"
Logan chuckled at her greeting. "You majesty, Queen Lorelai," he said playing along. "How are you today?"
Recognizing his voice, she responded with, "Sir Logan, what a pleasant surprise! We are very well today."
"Always good to hear, your majesty. May I please speak to Princess Rory?"
"Of course," she replied. "Princess Rory, it's for you" she said handing the phone over to her daughter. "It's your night in shining armor."
"Thank you, Queen Lorelai," she said laughing at her mother. "Hello, Princess Rory speaking."
"Hey gorgeous," he said smiling the instant he heard her voice.
"That's Princess Rory to you, mister."
He laughed already starting to feel better. His first and only thought after walking away from his parents was to call Rory. "My deepest apologies, your majesty."
"Are you all right?" she asked. There was something strange in his voice.
"Not really," he answered honestly.
"What happened?" she walked out of the kitchen in search of some privacy.
"Mom and Dad, they…" He stopped not quite sure how to describe the encounter he'd just had with his parents.
"They what?"
"I…I can't even…They just…I mean it doesn't make any sense…Not that my parents ever really made much sense, but…They're so…"
"Get out of there," said Rory. She could hear just how upset he was. "Get out of there right now and come here."
It's exactly what he wanted to do. "Are you sure that will be ok?"
"Logan, if you're not here in the next ten minutes, I'm going to hijack another car and come get you myself."
He laughed knowing she wasn't kidding. "Would you really?"
"Yes, I would," she confirmed. "So get your butt over here now."
"Is that an order, Princess Rory?"
"It's a royal decree."
He laughed. "Well I would never disobey a princess. I'll be over in a few minutes."
"Ok."
"And Rory…"
"Yeah?"
"I…umm…thank you."
"For what?" she wondered.
"Just…just thank you."
"I'll see you in a little bit, Logan."
Rory didn't know what happened, but based on the tone in his voice and the fact that he'd actually called her Rory, she was pretty sure that whatever it was, it was bad. That's why she was waiting outside when Logan's Porsche pulled up. She ran over to the driver's side of his car and threw her arms around him before he was even out of the car.
"Hello to you too, Ace."
"What did they do?" she asked running her fingers up and down his neck soothing his tense muscles.
Before he could go into it, Logan cupped her face and pulled it into his. He nibbled at her lips indulging in a series of light kisses. He kept his eyes closed as he kissed her, wanting to feel, taste, and smell nothing but her. Rory placed her hands over the hands that were cupping her face. She surrendered herself to him, letting him take what he needed from her. She opened her eyes every so often and even as he kissed her, she could see the pain on his face. She could feel that his body was slightly tense. She wanted to take all that way—the pain, the tension. Rory wanted him to feel nothing but comfort. He slowly pulled away but continued to hold her close to him. "You are so beautiful, Ace."
Rory couldn't let herself be caught up by the moment. This wasn't about her. "What did they do, Logan?" she asked.
He sighed before giving her a brief summary of the conversation he had earlier. When he finished, Rory pulled him back into her arms.
"Oh, Logan. I'm sorry that your parents…"
"Suck?"
"I wasn't going to use that exact word, but ok sure. That works."
He smiled.
"And this is kind of my fault. If I hadn't just showed up last night, they…"
"No," he interrupted not wanting her to feel any blame for the situation he was in. "This is not your fault, Ace. My parents are just…well they're just…them. Whether it was about you or not, they would have found a reason to yell at me about something. It's what they do. They're psychotic. When you showed up last night, I was probably the happiest I'd ever been in that house. This has nothing to do with you. This is about them and their…I don't even know what to call it…their crazy, distorted view of the world. Trust me. Mitchum would be telling me how many ways I'm a disappointment whether you were in the picture or not."
"I just can't believe them," she complained.
"Believe it, Ace."
"I can't believe they think that about you. And how could they talk to you like that? You're their son."
Logan chuckled loving her innocence. "I'm not their son, Ace. I'm their heir."
"Logan," she said sadly.
"No, it's true. I know it. I know that's how they see me. I'm used to it and it doesn't bother me."
Rory brought her hand to his face and stroked his cheek. "Yes, it does," she whispered softly.
She was right. And Logan knew it. Still, it had been so long since he'd admitted that it bothered him. With Kevin, Colin and Finn, it was easy to pretend he didn't care. With Rory, it was hard to hide anything. "I wish it didn't bother me," he admitted. "I don't know why I let it. They're never going to change. Why do I let them get to me?"
"Because they're your parents."
He responded by pulling her closer. He just needed to hold her.
"Do you think it would help if we told them about us?" wondered Rory.
Logan pulled back and looked at her as if she were insane. "Are you crazy? Telling them now would be a disaster, especially after I've basically spent the entire time denying it. It would just give my dad more ammunition against me and trust me, he's got plenty already. Plus I just want it to be about us right now. Telling them would…"
"Ruin that," she said completing his sentence. "I know. I just…I want to make this better for you and…"
"You're doing that already, Ace," he informed her. "Just by…this. Listening to me. Talking to me. Letting me hold you like this. This makes it better. You make it better."
"You gotta love those girlfriend perks," she said with small smile.
"I do love the perks," said Logan before stealing a kiss.
"I've got another perk for you," she whispered seductively against his lips.
Logan felt a surge of lust shoot through his body. He ran his hands down her body, grabbing her ass and pressing her body against his. "What kind of perk?"
She pulled back and gave him a teasing smile before asking, "How would you feel about a burger?"
It suddenly occurred to him that he hadn't eaten yet. He'd been forced to sit through that awful lunch, but hadn't taken even one bite. Frankly, he didn't have the stomach to eat during his parents' attack. "A burger would be incredible, Ace. I'm starving."
"Well then you've come to the right place. My dad's grilling. Come on." She began pulling him toward the house.
"Are you sure Chris won't mind?" asked Logan still slightly apprehensive of being around Christopher.
"Positive. Daddy and I actually had a little heart-to-heart about you earlier and he promised he would be nice…well at least as nice as he was to you before he caught you defiling me."
Logan chuckled at her choice of words. "Defiling huh? Is that what we're calling it now?" He took the opportunity to let his hands wander down her body pausing at a few choice locations because once inside, he knew he'd have to behave and keep his hands to himself.
"Come on, I'm hungry too," she whined and the two walked hand in hand to join the rest of the group.
"You have a date with Joanna tonight?" asked Logan.
Kevin shook his head and swallowed a mouthful of food. "No…I'm just taking her out to dinner."
Logan chuckled and pointed out, "You're taking a girl, a hot girl, out to dinner. I don't know how to break this to you, Kev, but that's the definition of a date."
"It's just dinner, man," he insisted.
Before Logan could argue, Christopher put a plate of food in front of him. "Hey, Logan. Medium-well right?"
Logan looked down at the burger in front of him before meeting Christopher's eyes. "Uh yeah…thanks, Chris."
Christopher sat in the seat across from him and said, "It's good to see you, Logan. I never got to ask you how second semester went."
"Umm…it was ok," he began wondering if Christopher had an angle. "Those business classes my dad signed me up for were a little painful, but I took a philosophy class and I really enjoyed that."
"That's good to hear. I took a couple of philosophy classes myself. It was a lot of reading, but I remember liking enjoying them."
"It was a lot of reading," agreed Logan, "but my professor was great and surprisingly funny for a philosophy professor. His lectures were one of the few that didn't require me to drink massive amounts of coffee in order to stay awake."
Christopher smiled and nodded. "But don't let the business classes get you down. We all have to suffer through them."
"Straub made you take them too?"
"He insisted, yes. And I hated him for it. But they did turn out to be pretty useful," informed Christopher.
"Yeah, but you started your own business, Chris. You chose to do what you're doing. I don't have that luxury."
Christopher seemed to think abut that for a moment before saying, "I'm not going to pretend to understand how you feel. My situation was different. What your father is expecting from you must seem…impossible. But I think you're capable of it. And I think you know you're capable of it. And I think that Mitchum knows you're capable of it too."
"My dad doesn't think I'm capable of anything except screwing up," muttered Logan.
"Not true," insisted Christopher. "Mitchum Huntzberger is one of the most brilliant business minds of his generation. He's got incredible instincts and knows a good thing when he sees it. And I know he sees it in you. That's why he pushes, Logan. If he didn't think you were capable, if he didn't think you could do it, trust me, he wouldn't bother and he certainly wouldn't be planning to turn the reigns over to you one day."
Logan sat back and let those words float around his head.
"His methods may be a little…"
"Deranged?" offered Logan.
"Cruel?" suggested Kevin.
Christopher laughed at both boys. "I was going to say outdated, but those work too. The point is, Logan, you are smart kid. And your dad knows it. He may not know how to show you, but I know he's proud of you."
Logan looked into Christopher's kind face not knowing what to say.
"And I'm proud of you. Kevin sent home the articles you wrote for the Yale Daily News. Very nice—especially that piece on the NCAA."
"That one was actually a lot of fun to write," he said smiling at the memory.
"Well it showed. You did a great job."
"Thanks, Chris."
Christopher nodded. "So…uh Rory says you're going out tonight?"
"Umm…yeah. We were going to grab some dinner and then head up to the park. There's a free concert so I thought we'd go check that out."
"Sounds fun," said Christopher. "Look I know that its summer and you two don't have school tomorrow, but please have her home at a decent hour."
"Yeah, of course. I'll have her home by midnight."
Christopher couldn't believe what he was about to say. "Look, Logan, I trust her. And I trust you. More importantly, I trust you with her. So midnight is fine, but I won't be waiting up and I promise I won't hunt you down or kill you if you don't get her home at exactly midnight."
Logan was shocked. "Thanks, but I'll have her home early. I promise."
"Good man," he said reaching over to pat Logan on the shoulder. He then spotted his wife and daughter poking around the grill and decided to intervene before anyone got hurt. "Now if you'll excuse me I need to guard my grill." He started walking briskly toward them and called out, "Lorelai, get away from there."
"What was that about?" Logan asked Kevin.
Kevin, who was a bit surprised himself, shrugged in response. "I'm going to get another burger." He got up and left.
"You're not eating," said Rory claiming Kevin's recently vacated chair.
Logan picked up his burger and took a bite. "Mmmm…that's good."
"That's better," she said taking a bite of her own burger. "So…did I see you talking to Daddy? Was he nice?"
"He was actually. Really nice."
"Good," she said with a nod thrilled that her father had kept his word.
"What did you say to him?" asked a curious Logan. Just a few weeks ago, Christopher was yelling and shoving Logan out the door. Today, he told him he trusted him with Rory.
She swallowed the food in her mouth and took a sip of her soda before answering. "I told him that you mean a lot to me and that it was important to me that you and him get along."
"You mean a lot to me too, Ace," he said with a small smile as he moved his chair closer to hers.
"I do?"
He responded to her question in a manner that he would have been afraid to just a few minutes ago—before the enlightening if not surprising conversation with her father. With Kevin and Christopher not even twenty feet away, Logan leaned over and kissed her, softly, gently, but passionately. "Yeah, Ace. You do."