Disclaimer: We don't own Gilmore Girls. Implied sexual content.
Rory reluctantly climbed down from the carriage with Logan's help. The carriage ride had been such a wonderful surprise, and there was something magical about experiencing the Yale campus under the stars with her fiancé beside her. Rory had felt like a princess in a fairytale, Cinderella maybe. As Rory thought about it, she could see a lot of parallels between her and Cinderella. While Rory hadn't had a wicked stepmother or stepsisters growing up, her mother did belittle, degrade and shame her whenever she didn't do exactly what Lorelai wanted. Until Cinderella went to the ball, she hadn't realized there was a life outside her distressing circumstances. Rory hadn't thought about sharing her life and a home with someone until she'd met Logan. As they slowly walked back to the party hand in hand, Logan looked over at Rory, she'd been quiet ever since their carriage ride had ended.
"Everything okay?" he asked. Rory jumped as his voice broke her train of thought. "Everything is fine Logan, I was just thinking about the carriage ride and how magical it was to share that with you," she answered. Logan smiled at her.
"I'm glad you liked it."
"Liked it? I loved it! It was the best surprise and you made this a perfect night. Maybe we could do a carriage ride on our wedding day?" Rory suggested. Logan looked at her in surprise before he nodded.
"We could definitely do that! I think those would be amazing pictures," he said as they walked back into the party. Rory nodded enthusiastically as her grandparents approached them.
"There you are, we wondered where you went," Emily said as she and Richard offered the two young lovers a drink. Rory grinned as she accepted the glass of champagne from Emily and Logan took the scotch Richard was holding out to him. Rory took a sip of her champagne before she started telling her grandparents about the carriage ride Logan had surprised her with.
"It was amazing! I wish I'd had my camera, I never realized how beautiful the campus was at night. We could see the stars and it felt like a spell had been cast over everything," Rory finished. Emily and Richard smiled at her enthusiasm and at the way she looked at Logan. Her sparkling eyes were full of love, and Rory had a certain glow about her now. Richard raised an eyebrow at Logan in question and Logan nodded subtly as Rory sipped her champagne and started talking again. "Logan said we can see the stars from the back deck of the house in Palo Alto too. You'll have to come visit us, we can sit in the backyard and stargaze and open a bottle of wine," Rory rambled excitedly. Emily and Richard looked at each other before both nodded.
"That sounds lovely. We'd love to come see you in California. You two let us know your schedules and we'll come when it works for you," Emily said. She was touched that Rory wanted her and Richard to come to California. Emily started to make a mental list in her head of all the things she wanted to do with Rory in Palo Alto. Richard, for his part, was just as thrilled that Rory and Logan wanted him and Emily to stay with them. He started thinking about the things he and Logan could do together. He wanted to work on bonding with his future grandson-in-law, and he smiled as he thought of something they could do.
"Absolutely we'll come to visit. Maybe Logan and I could go golfing together. The four of us could go and have lunch somewhere afterwards," he suggested. Logan nodded enthusiastically.
"That sounds great! What do you think Ace?" he asked Rory. Rory grimaced and bit her lip.
"I don't know, Grandpa. I haven't touched a golf club since I went with you when I was at Chilton. Remember?"
"I do. I also remember an impressive splash from your club landing in the water," Richard said with a wink. Rory groaned and blushed as she started to laugh along with her grandfather, and Emily and Logan joined in.
"What's the story there?" Logan asked. Richard chuckled and looked at Rory, who nodded. Richard started to tell the story of how he took Rory to the golf course to teach her how to play for her physical education credits at Chilton.
Across the room, Lorelai watched jealously as Rory laughed with her grandparents and Logan. There was definitely something different about Rory, and Lorelai didn't like that one bit. Every time someone had approached her while Logan and Rory were gone, saying what a lovely couple they made, she would give non-committal answers. Somehow, some way, she had to get Rory alone and convince her to follow through on their summer plans to ride roller coasters.
Logan couldn't stop laughing as Richard finished the story. "We haven't been golfing since. Perhaps I should have taken you to the driving range first, Rory," he said. Rory shrugged.
"I probably would have hit the grass there too. Maybe Logan and I can look for golf courses in Palo Alto and find a driving range where I can practice a little," she suggested.
"That sounds fine. Now we should probably stop hogging you, Rory, and make a few more rounds before we all go home for the night," Emily suggested. Rory and Logan nodded and the two couples separated. Lorelai watched as Rory and Logan walked around the room, chatting with different couples. She rolled her eyes in annoyance as every time Rory stopped talking to one person and started talking to another, she missed her chance to talk to her daughter. And there was the fact that Logan wasn't leaving her side to contend with.
Rory yawned and covered her mouth with a hand as another well-wisher walked away. She was starting to feel tired and her shoes were starting to hurt her feet.
"Are you doing okay?" Logan asked as he rubbed her back. Rory yawned again before she answered.
"I'm doing okay. How soon do you think we can politely take our leave?" she asked. Logan glanced at his watch; it was 10pm. They wouldn't be able to stop and get ice cream now.
"There's only a few people left here; we've talked to everyone. I think we can probably leave now. Let's find your grandparents and tell them we're leaving. Unless you want to talk to your parents first?" Logan asked. He was annoyed with Lorelai for the dig she'd made at him and Rory earlier, but he didn't have a problem with Chris. Rory shook her head as she looked around.
"No, I don't see my dad anywhere and I don't feel like talking to Mom right now. Let's say goodbye to grandma and grandpa and then open a bottle of champagne at home. You might need to carry me, I'm not sure how much longer I'm going to last in these heels," Rory admitted. Logan nodded as they set off in search of Emily and Richard.
"I told you your feet needed a break this afternoon," he said.
"Yeah, smarty pants but I couldn't wear sneakers or flats with my dress," Rory bantered back. Logan shook his head as he spotted Emily who was saying goodbye to a couple of her and Richard's friends. As the couple walked away, she saw Rory and Logan walking toward her.
"Well, you two, did you enjoy yourselves tonight?" she asked as she met them halfway, and was pleased when both nodded.
"It was wonderful, Emily, thank you," Logan said.
"It was a lovely party, Grandma. Thank you so much for organizing it," Rory said as she stepped forward to hug her grandmother. Emily hugged her back before pulling away to look at Rory. She noted while Rory looked happy, she also looked tired.
"You're quite welcome, dear. Now, Rory, you look tired, so I want you to go home and get some beauty sleep. You have a big day tomorrow," Emily said. Rory nodded as she yawned again and leaned into Logan as he came up beside her. "Off you go, you two. Logan, will you be joining us for lunch after the ceremony tomorrow?" Emily asked. Logan nodded as he wrapped an arm around Rory.
"I wouldn't miss it, Emily. Thank you again for this evening," he said. He hesitated a moment, then let go of Rory and embraced the elder Gilmore. Emily was taken aback at first, but she relaxed and returned his embrace.
"Look after her, she looks exhausted," Emily whispered into Logan's ear before she released him. Logan nodded and put an arm around Rory as they walked out of the room. Emily watched them go with a smile on her face, she would miss Rory terribly when her granddaughter moved next week, but she would be able to sleep at night knowing Rory was safe and with someone she loved and who loved her in return. Emily's moment of peace was broken by Lorelai approaching her.
"Mom, have you seen Rory? I need to talk to her," Lorelai said.
"You just missed her, she and Logan left a few seconds ago," Emily replied. She rolled her eyes at her daughter's incensed expression.
"You let her leave with some guy? She is my daughter, not yours! I didn't get to talk to her all night because she was busy talking to your and Dad's friends!" Lorelai ranted. Emily fixed her with a glare. Lorelai glared right back.
"First of all, I did not let her leave with "some guy," she left with her boyfriend of three years. I know she is your daughter; you gave birth to her after all, but she is my granddaughter and I love her very much! The one time you talked to her tonight, you insulted her and Logan, is it any wonder she didn't want to talk to you after that? Rory got to know our friends during her time off from Yale, and I didn't hear her complain about having to talk to people who wanted to congratulate her. I'll see you tomorrow, Lorelai," Emily said before walking away, leaving a frustrated Lorelai in her wake.
Frank pulled to a stop in front of Logan and Rory's apartment building and looked in the rearview mirror. He smiled as he saw that Rory had her head on Logan's shoulder and their hands were entwined, her engagement ring glinting on her finger. As soon as they'd climbed into the car, Rory had taken her ring out of her pocket and slipped it onto her finger. Frank had immediately offered his congratulations and the young couple had graciously accepted them.
"Mr. Logan, Miss Rory, we're here," he said. Logan nodded and looked down at Rory, her eyes were closed but she wasn't asleep. At least he didn't think she was.
"Thank you, Frank. Rory?" he said. Rory moaned and opened her eyes, focusing on Logan.
"Where are we?" she asked.
"We're home. Come on, let's get you upstairs," Logan said as he unbuckled his seatbelt. Rory followed suit and looked at Frank.
"Thank you for the ride, Frank," she said. Frank smiled at her and at Logan, he would miss driving them when they moved away.
"You're very welcome, Miss Rory, and congratulations to you both on your engagement. May your love grow with every passing year," Frank said warmly. Logan and Rory smiled and thanked him as they climbed out of the car. After wishing him a good night, the two of them headed into the building and watched as he pulled away. Rory yawned again and leaned into Logan.
"Okay Cinderella, come here," he said. Rory looked at him puzzled and squeaked with surprise as he lifted her into a bridal carry and carried her to the elevator. Rory pushed the button and rested her head on Logan's shoulder as they waited for the door to open.
When it did and they stepped inside, Rory pushed the button for their floor and looked at Logan.
"Bridal-style, huh? You trying to tell me something Huntzberger?" she asked.
"Hey I have to practice, we'll be doing this again a year from now," he replied as the elevator dinged and the doors opened to their floor. He carried her down the hallway to their door and unlocked it. Logan set Rory down after they'd crossed the threshold and he'd kicked the door shut behind them. Rory slid her aching feet out of her heels and sighed in relief.
"That feels much better. Sorry we didn't get our ice cream," she said. Logan shook his head as he led her to the kitchen, where a bottle of champagne was chilling in a bucket of ice and two glasses sat next to it.
"It's okay. I knew when we walked into that party and saw all those people, we wouldn't be getting out of there in time to go get ice cream. Hopefully this makes up for it," Logan said as he removed the champagne from the bucket and opened the bottle. Rory watched him curiously.
"How did you get the champagne on ice? We left a few hours ago, the ice would have been melted by now," she said. Logan smiled sweetly at her as he filled the two glasses.
"I texted Colin to come over half an hour ago. I told him I wanted to have a glass of champagne with my girlfriend to celebrate her graduation from Yale tomorrow and he offered to come and put the champagne on ice. We can't drink lukewarm champagne on the night of our engagement," Logan said as he offered her one of the glasses. Rory shook her head as she accepted the glass.
"No, we can't. What should we toast to?" she asked. Logan put a hand on one of the curves of her waist and looked into her eyes.
"How about to new beginnings?" he suggested. Rory nodded.
"To new beginnings," she said softly.
"New beginnings," Logan echoed before he touched his glass to Rory's. The two of them drank their champagne before Logan grabbed the bottle and the two of them headed over to the couch. They sat down and Rory swung her legs up to rest them across his lap. He shrugged out of his jacket and tossed it haphazardly towards the direction of their bed before loosening his tie. He put a hand on Rory's shin as he took a drink of his champagne. "So how does it feel to be the future Mrs. Huntzberger?" he asked. Rory raised her eyebrows as she took a sip.
"It feels pretty great, how does it feel to be my fiancé?" she asked. Logan looked at her tenderly.
"It feels amazing. Rory, you made me the happiest man in the world today and I know I'm not the only man to say that but it's true. I -I didn't know what true happiness was until I met you. Happiness, true love, neither of those exist in my parents' marriage. They have a loveless marriage and I'm so relieved ours won't be like that," he said. Rory smiled sadly at him as she thought about what it would have been like to grow up in a home where your parents didn't love each other. The only person she'd seen truly express any affection and love towards Logan was Honor. Shira and Elias were as cold and unwelcoming as the Huntzberger mansion. It was an impressive house, but it wasn't a home.
"I don't think I knew what happiness and true love looked like until I started seeing my grandparents regularly. It was just me and Mom when I was growing up, so I didn't see what a happy, healthy relationship looked like until I started going to Chilton and having weekly dinners with them. Grandma actually told me last night that we remind her of her and Grandpa when they were our age," she said. Logan looked at her in surprise.
"Really? Did she say anything specific?" he asked. Rory shook her head as she took another sip of her champagne.
"No and I didn't think to ask because I was too occupied worrying about what my life was going to look like after I graduate tomorrow and Grandma was busy comforting me. She did say she realized how much you love me when Grandpa had his heart attack and you dropped everything to be there for us. I don't think I ever thanked you for coming and being there for me so thank you," Rory said. She swung her legs off his lap and moved to sit next to him. He wrapped an arm around her shoulders as she leaned into him, tucking her legs under her.
"Of course, I would be there for you, Rory. How could I not be after you took care of me when I had my accident in Costa Rica? You're everything to me, I wasn't going to stay at work the moment you needed me most," Logan said softly. He hesitated, and then spoke. "I need to tell you something. The carriage ride tonight? That wasn't a graduation surprise," he confessed. Rory looked at him.
"What do you mean?" she asked, confused. Logan took a deep breath; he and Rory were finally communicating better and he wasn't about to screw it up.
"I was going to propose to you at your graduation party. I hired the carriage for after I'd proposed because I was sure you'd say yes. When we were at your grandparents' last night and your grandpa and I were in the study, he helped me realize those big grand gestures aren't you. He came up with the idea of proposing in the library at Yale," Logan finished. Rory was looking at him with an expression he couldn't quite decipher.
Rory was speechless as she processed everything Logan had told her. She'd had no idea Logan had thinking about proposing for a while, and she was even more stunned her grandpa had been the one to help Logan plan the perfect proposal. As she thought about it, she realized she really shouldn't be surprised. She loved both her grandparents dearly, but she always felt her grandpa understood her more than Lorelai or even Emily, though the latter had been wonderful the previous evening as she helped Rory put her fears to rest. Rory looked at Logan who was watching her apprehensively. She set her glass on the coffee table and took his face in her hands.
"Are you angry with me?" he asked. Rory's heart broke as she looked past the man and saw a boy who had grown up without knowing what it was like to be loved by his parents. Who only heard putdowns and negative judgmental comments instead of positive and constructive criticism. She shook her head before she leaned in and kissed him. Logan kissed her back before he pulled away to set his champagne glass on the table and lifted her into his lap so that her knees were straddling his hips. Rory shivered as one of his hands slid up her back and into her hair. When they broke apart for air, Logan looked into her eyes.
"Rory are you angry?" he asked again. Rory stroked his cheeks with her thumbs.
"No, I'm not. How could I be? My grandpa helped you plan the perfect proposal in a place that had meaning for both of us. You could have canceled the carriage ride but you didn't and we got to experience a part of the day of our engagement in the most beautiful way possible. I told you last night I knew you were the one for me, Logan, you're it for me. I've known that for a long time," Rory said before she kissed him. Logan kissed her back and groaned as he felt her shift on top of him and her hands moved to his chest. He felt her loosen his tie the rest of the way and slide it out from under his collar before unbuttoning the first two buttons on his shirt.
"Rory," he whispered, loving the way her name rolled off his tongue. Rory pressed kisses to the corner of his mouth as she gave him butterfly kisses with her eyelashes. Logan kissed her back as his hands moved to the front of her jacket and unbuttoned the two buttons before guiding it off her shoulders and down her arms. Rory broke away from him as she helped him remove her jacket and she tossed it somewhere behind her. She brushed her hair back over her shoulders and shivered at the look Logan was giving her.
Logan studied his fiancée as he moved his hand to her pantyhose clad thigh. He took in the redness of her lips from being kissed, the way her blue eyes were dark with desire and her flushed cheeks. He noted that one of the straps of the dark blue dress she was wearing had slipped off her shoulder. Before he could do anything else, Rory climbed off his lap and stood in front of him. Still holding his hand, she tugged gently until he stood up and allowed her to pull him into her arms. Rory rubbed her nose against his before covering his lips with her own. Loan kissed her back as he put his arms underneath her thighs and lifted her, causing Rory to gasp and tighten her legs around his waist and cling to his shoulders. They continued to kiss as Logan carried her over to their bed and laid her down on top of it.
After, when their clothes were scattered about the floor and they were tangled in the sheets, Logan ran his fingers through Rory's hair as she looked at her ring, her head pillowed on his arm.
"It's crazy to think this morning I woke up as your girlfriend and I'm going to sleep as your fiancée," Rory said softly as she turned her head to look at Logan. He smiled and kissed her gently before taking her left hand and looking at the ring.
"I saw our whole future in this ring. I saw you saying yes to being my wife, I saw you walking towards me in a white dress, I saw you pregnant with our baby. Dance recitals, baseball games, whatever else our kids want to do, I saw it all. That's when I knew this was the ring. We have a whole life ahead of us, Rory." Rory smiled through her tears and nodded.
"I know, and I can't wait to see all of those things unfold," she said. Logan smiled at her and kissed her one more time before looking at the clock. It was after eleven now and they had a long day ahead of them tomorrow. Looking over at Rory, he saw her eyelids had started to droop. She snuggled in closer as he moved his arm to around her waist, her left hand resting on his chest.
"Go to sleep, Ace," he whispered. His response was a yawn and a moan. Smiling in the dark, he kissed her forehead before drifting off to sleep.
"You amaze me Rory Gilmore, every day. Everything that you do, everything that you are. This past year I realized I don't know a lot more than I thought I knew, if that makes sense. I'm sorry I'm a little bit nervous I didn't think I would be. What I'm trying to say is that, I don't know a lot, but I know that I love you. And I want to be with you, forever." Rory watched as Logan pulled out the ring he had proposed to her with only yesterday, but this time he was proposing to her in front of her parents, grandparents, and the party guests. "Rory Gilmore, will you marry me?" Yes, Rory wanted to scream, but she watched as her dream self tripped over her words, finally asking Logan for a moment alone outside. There was the carriage they'd taken the magical ride in only a few hours ago, and Rory watched as she and her mother took the carriage ride around campus. What was happening, why wasn't she with Logan?
The scene changed. Now she was in Paris and Doyle's apartment with a bowl of cereal, surrounded by boxes. She watched as she tried the ring on and smiled as she looked at it. The scene changed again. She had just graduated, and Logan was waiting for her. Rory watched in horror as she turned down Logan's proposal and held out the ring box to him. "Goodbye Rory." She was watching Logan walk away from her, from their whole future they'd happily been planning out. She wanted to scream at her dream self to run after him, to say yes, but he was already gone. She wanted to wake up, why wasn't she waking up?
The scene changed again. She didn't have a steady job and her grandfather was dead. Logan was engaged to someone named Odette and she was back in Stars Hollow. They were sitting in some kind of nightclub, a dance club maybe? "Are you really going to marry Odette?"Rory felt her heart clench as she uttered those words. She watched as a shutter came down over Logan's face. "That's the dynastic plan."
She watched as she said goodbye to him at an inn in New Hampshire. Her heart was screaming No! I don't want to say goodbye! I love him and want to stay with him forever.
The scene changed for what she hoped was the final time. She was sitting with Lorelai at the gazebo in the town square and Lorelai was telling her she would find someone she loved and be with them forever. I already did! I already do! Rory thought frantically. She wanted to wake up, but she couldn't tear her eyes away from the scene in front of her. Nothing could have prepared her for the words that she heard come out of her mouth: "Mom?""Yeah?""I'm pregnant."
"Ace! Ace! Rory!" Logan exclaimed. He'd woken up with a start when he'd felt Rory begin to tremble uncontrollably beside him, tears spilling from under her eyelids. He took her by the shoulders and shook her gently. "Rory, wake up!" Rory's eyes shot open and she sat bolt upright. She looked around blindly before realizing she was home with Logan, who was looking at her with a mixture of concern and terror. Rory felt a weight on her hand and looked down to see her engagement ring sparkling in the light Logan had turned on.
"It was just a dream," she whispered. She turned to Logan, who put an arm around her and gently pulled her back down, holding her against his chest as he stroked her hair.
"Take some deep breaths, Rory. You're here, you're with me. You're safe," he said soothingly. Rory rested her head against his chest and focused on matching her breathing to his heartbeat. As she concentrated on breathing, she felt her heart rate begin to even out. She entwined her fingers with Logan's and gripped his hand to reassure herself that he was real. That this was real. Logan rubbed her back as he felt the tension begin to leave her body.
"Rory, what happened? I woke up and you were crying and moaning," he asked. Rory sniffled as she moved back onto the pillow and Logan turned to lay on his side so he was facing her. "What happened, Ace?" he asked again. Rory swallowed hard before she began to tell him about her dream. As he listened, Logan felt cold all over. How close had they come to that reality? If he hadn't confided in Richard and followed the older man's advice, would they be laying here right now? Rory's voice pulled him out of his thoughts.
"I wanted to wake up but I couldn't. It was so vivid I thought it was real. But it wasn't, was it? You proposed to me yesterday and we went for that carriage ride, right?" she asked. Logan nodded and kissed her cold fingers.
"No, your dream wasn't real, and yes, those things happened. You don't have to worry about me leaving to marry someone else, Rory. We're in this for the long haul," he said. Rory nodded and snuggled into him again.
"I'm sorry I woke you," she said. Logan reached behind him to turn out the light before pulling her into his arms.
"It's okay. Go back to sleep, I've got you," he said. Rory yawned and let the sound of Logan's heartbeat lull her to sleep.
Rory yawned and stretched as she opened her eyes to see the morning sunshine greeting her gently. She felt a weight on her finger and smiled when she saw her engagement ring. Her dream had been just that, a dream. She looked over at Logan's side of the bed and frowned when she saw he wasn't next to her. As she slipped on her nightgown, she noticed the smells coming from the kitchen and her stomach growled loudly. A moment later Logan appeared wearing sweatpants and a t-shirt carrying a laden breakfast tray.
"Good morning fiancée," he said as he set the tray down on the bed and climbed back into bed.
"Good morning handsome. This looks great," Rory said as she leaned over and kissed him.
"Of course, what kind of man and fiancé would I be if I didn't make you breakfast in bed on the morning of your graduation?" Logan asked as he handed her a mimosa. Rory smiled at him.
"You're a pretty amazing man and fiancé. Thank you," she said. Logan clinked his glass against hers.
"Happy graduation babe. Do you want to eat or open the other part of your present first?" Rory's stomach growled loudly in response and they both laughed.
"Eat first and present after it is," Logan said. Rory's mouth watered as he lifted the silver covers off the serving trays. Waffles with all the fixings, fruit salad, bacon and eggs, granola and yogurt.
"This looks wonderful, Logan, thank you so much," Rory said as she fixed them both a cup of tea.
"Of course. It will be a while before we go to lunch with everyone, I wanted to make sure we had a good breakfast," he said as he took a bite of his waffle. Rory nodded as she scooped some fruit salad into her mouth. This was bliss, having breakfast in bed with her fiancé. Her fiancé. She loved the way that word sounded. She looked down at her ring again. Logan followed her gaze and focused on her finger. "Are you going to wear your ring today?" he asked. Rory nodded enthusiastically.
"Yes of course! I want to tell Paris and Lucy and Olivia; I'm meeting them before the ceremony. And . . . I want to tell grandma and grandpa and Mom and Dad today too, if you're okay with that? Well, I guess Grandpa already knows but Grandma and my parents don't," Rory said, her nerves about today suddenly coming back full force. Logan nodded.
"I'm good with telling your family today. We agreed we would be there when we told our families, remember?" he said. Rory nodded and leaned back against the pillows.
"Yeah," she said softly. Logan looked at her in concern. She sighed and asked, "Are you worried about telling our families?" Logan nodded and set his teacup down.
"Yeah, I am. I'm so nervous to tell your mom and my parents and grandpa too," Logan admitted. Rory bit her lip and twisted her ring around on her finger.
"You're, um, you're not going to ask for this back, right?" she asked him, hating how weak her voice sounded. Logan's eyes widened.
"What?! No! God, Rory no of course I'm not going to ask for the ring back! I love you more than anything in this world and seeing you wearing that ring reminds me just how lucky I am to have you and how grateful I am you said yes. I don't know for certain how our families are going to react but I do know there are people who will be on our side. Emily and Richard, Honor and Josh, the guys, Lane, Paris, Lucy and Olivia, Steph, Rosemary, Juliet. Hell, even Doyle," Logan said. Rory giggled at that last one and Logan joined her before continuing, "As long as we have people who are supportive, we can take whatever the naysayers throw at us. We've got each other Rory, we'll be okay. Okay?" Rory leaned into Logan's hand on her cheek and closed her eyes before opening them again.
"Okay," she whispered. Logan wiped her tears away and picked up the card and gift that was resting on the breakfast tray. He handed them to her silently and Rory carefully opened the envelope before pulling the card out.
Dear Rory (Ace),
Happy Graduation! I am so, so proud of you. It feels like yesterday we were in the hallway of Branford bickering outside your dorm room, and now you're graduating. Thank you for letting me be part of your university chapter and your life for the last three years, with many more to come. There are so many chapters and days in our lives together waiting to be written, Rory, and I can't wait to start.
You've made me a better man and a better person, and I can't thank you enough for that. If you get nervous when you're walking across the stage, look for me and I'll give you a sign. Or you can imagine me in my underwear too, if that helps. That's a thing, right? Rory giggled at that and kept reading.
Whatever's coming our way, we'll face it together. Side by side. You are my always and forever. Know I love you and I have always belonged to you. Heart, body, and soul.
All my love and more,
Logan (MAC)
Rory finished reading and accepted the Kleenex Logan was holding out to her. "Thank you," she squeaked out. Logan leaned over and kissed her.
"You're welcome. I meant it Rory, every word," he said. Rory nodded and set the card down and dried her tears.
"I know you did. You always write from the heart," she said. She picked up the gift and pulled off the wrapping paper to find a blue velvet case. She lifted the lid and gasped at the diamond set he'd picked out for her. The necklace was a single teardrop pendant on a silver chain and the earrings and bracelet were also teardrop-shaped. She looked back up at Logan who smiled at her.
"Do you like them?" he asked.
"I love them! They're beautiful, thank you so much!" Rory said as she leaned over to hug and kiss him.
"You're welcome. I was going to give them to you at lunch but then I thought you might like to wear them for the ceremony," Logan explained. Rory nodded as she set the case down and climbed out of bed.
"I will definitely be wearing these. Speaking of which, we should shower and start getting ready," she said. Rory walked around their bed and towards the bathroom. She paused and looked over at her shoulder at Logan who was still sitting in bed. "Are you coming?" she asked. Logan nodded and hopped up. He took Rory's outstretched hand and let her lead him to the bathroom.
Rory slid her feet into the low-heeled pumps she'd chosen to wear today and studied her reflection in the mirror. Her navy-blue lace dress was made of light enough material she wouldn't be sweltering outside while they were waiting to line up and then sit down for the ceremony and her shoes wouldn't kill her feet either. Logan came out of the bathroom dressed in a light blue dress shirt and dark trousers. He smiled as he saw Rory in front of the mirror.
"Look at you, you look gorgeous," he said. Rory turned and smiled at him as he picked up the jewelry case with her diamonds and walked over to her.
"You look pretty handsome yourself, you could get away with not wearing a tie," she said. Logan chuckled as he lifted the necklace out of the case and Rory lifted her hair off her neck so he could fasten the jewelry.
"I could, but your grandpa and your dad will be wearing ties. That necklace looks beautiful on you. Want me to help you with the bracelet?" Logan asked. Rory nodded and held out her wrist so he could clasp the bracelet around it. When she'd placed the earrings in her ears she turned around and studied the two of them in the mirror. Keeping one arm around her waist, Logan reached around to adjust the pendant before gently kissing her on the cheek.
"You look gorgeous, and the diamonds go perfectly with your ring," he said. Rory smiled as she leaned into him and wrapped her arms over his.
"Thanks. You have an eye for jewelry, Master and Commander," she said. Logan chuckled and squeezed her before releasing her. Rory checked her appearance one more time and headed into the kitchen for some water. She filled the glass and stood at the window with one arm across her chest. Logan watched her as he finished with his tie and straightened it in the mirror. He noted the tense set of her shoulders and the way her hand tightened around her glass.
"What's wrong, Ace?" he asked. He walked over to her and put a hand on her shoulder. Rory exhaled before taking a large sip of water and setting her glass on the windowsill.
"I'm just anxious, the dream I had last night freaked me out. I thought the dream I'd have before my graduation day would be falling in front of everyone or not wearing anything. Instead, I got an alternate reality dream of our lives," Rory said. Logan sighed and drew her into his arms, tightening them around her waist. She rested her head against his shoulder as she wrapped her arms around his neck.
"Your dream scared me too. I feel panicked just thinking about it, but we have to remember it was only a dream. Is anything else bothering you?" Logan asked. Rory shook her head as she pulled back to look at him.
"No. I think it's a mix of nerves about graduating college and excitement about announcing our engagement and moving away. I've already thought of five different reactions Grandma is going to have when we tell her," Rory confessed. Logan threw back his head and laughed, Emily would be over the moon, that was for sure.
"Well, we're not going to find out her reaction if we stay holed up in the apartment all day. Let's go!" Logan said. Rory nodded and helped Logan with his suit jacket before they headed out the door.
