Match made in a boardroom

Chapter 40

Logan's POV
The elevator stopped to let us off at our flat and I bent down and swept Rory into my arms.

"Logan!" Rory squealed as she laughed, and my heart soared.

"Hey, it's tradition.  I'm pretty sure I even snuck it in my wedding vows somewhere – to love, cherish, and carry over the threshold," I teased.  "Now, help a guy out and open the door."

Rory reached down and turned the doorknob.  "Anything for my husband," she whispered just before her lips met mine. 

I carried her into the flat, completely immersed in our own little world until I heard someone clearing their throat loudly.  I set Rory down on her feet and wrapped my arm around her protectively.  "I love you, Ace.  If he gets out of line I'll handle him, I promise," I whispered to my wife.  She nodded and curled further into my side.

"Dad, we didn't expect to see you here.  To what do we owe this pleasure?" I asked.  I'd learned at a young age never to confess to Mitchum Huntzberger until you knew what he wanted.

"Son," he nodded toward me as he sat the newspaper down in front of him.  My eyes traveled to the page and I instantly knew why he was here.  We'd intentionally not looked at any media or press yet in order to preserve our sanity a bit longer.  It looked like that was long gone at this point.  "Anything you and your bride care to tell me?" he asked smugly.

"It looks like you already know." I nodded toward the paper.  "But yes, Rory and I got married yesterday evening with a few close friends and Rory's parents in attendance."  I braced myself for the worst as I watched for his reaction.

"You know damn good and well that isn't how things are done in society.  There are certain protocols and expectations, which I'm sure I'll be hearing all about from your mother and the Gilmores as soon as they find out what you've done.  If you have any sense at all you'll have your marriage annulled, let me leak a story that somehow spins this in another light and makes it look as though the two of you didn't actually marry, and wait until after you've graduated to get married properly," my father scolded us both. 

"I'll do no such thing," I insisted.  "Rory and I married on our own terms.  Frankly, you should expect that from us given our relationship thus far.  Neither of us wanted a big, stuffy society affair."

"Yes, well it's time for you to grow up and think about other people instead of making reckless, half-thought-out decisions," Mitchum ranted.  I was bracing myself to go to battle with my father one day after the happiest day of my life when I heard my wife's calm, firm voice.

"Mitchum, regardless of proper protocols or how you planned for this to happen, you need to accept that Logan and I are married.  And no, we will not have the marriage annulled or divorce quietly in order to pacify your antiquated ideas of how things should be done.  We will, however, be gracious and ask that you continue to lead HPG until Logan and I have both graduated from college," Rory informed my father sternly, and I could only smile.  She was going to be a formidable opponent in the board room; I was grateful that we'd be fighting for each other because I would hate to face her.

I laughed as Mitchum's face turned red and he sputtered.  "Young lady, I may have supported your relationship and encouraged you to marry, but I demand respect!" he bellowed.  "You will do as I have asked and make this problem go away so that you can marry at a more socially accepted time and in a manner more becoming to your status."

"Our status is that we're married, Father," I replied tersely.  I relished the thought of the next bomb I got to drop on him.  He would be angry, but it would assure that we won the war.  "Rory and I are equal partners in everything, and as such we did not sign a prenup.  As I'm sure you can imagine, even a quiet divorce with the intention of remarrying later wouldn't be beneficial to either family."

Rory and I were both quiet as my father stormed out of the apartment and slammed the door behind him.  As soon as he was gone we both started laughing hysterically.

"When are they going to understand that they don't dictate the terms of our lives?" Rory asked with a laugh.

"In all fairness, Ace, I'm pretty sure they've never met a woman like you before.  Now, I suggest we turn our cell phones off and enjoy the peace and quiet before my mother and your grandparents show up to talk some sense into us or start planning a huge society wedding back at home."

Rory groaned and nodded.  "You're right.  Come on, I want to watch some television with my husband."  She pulled me down next to her on the couch and curled into my arms as I flipped the TV on.  I stopped at a rerun of The Office and tossed the remote onto the coffee table.

We sat there in a comfortable silence as we laughed at our favorite show, and I marveled at how natural this all felt.  When the show ended Rory leaned forward and picked up the remote and then hit the mute button.

"Logan?" she asked softly.

"Hmm?"

"How would you feel about trying to get pregnant right before I graduate?" she asked softly, and my eyes snapped up to meet hers.

"Are you sure you would want that?" I asked.  "I don't want you to feel like you have to hurry up and produce an heir, or like you're being tied to the house.  Of course, you can still work after that, too."  My thoughts were a bit jumbled; I'd honestly not seen this coming.

"I'm sure.  I don't want us both to get super established in our careers and build our lives around work and then try to work kids into it.  I think it would be easier to have a family earlier so we don't become workaholics in the first place," she answered.  "Plus, it would be really cool to have a little you running around."

I chuckled and leaned over to kiss her.  "You don't want a little me running around here – I was a handful and constantly in trouble.  A little you, though, that would be good."

"So you're okay with it?" she asked hopefully.

"I'm more than okay with it.  In fact, I think we should start practicing right now."  I stood up and threw Rory over to my shoulder and took off to our bedroom at a sprint amidst her giggles.

"Mmm...practice sounds perfect!" she agreed.