We arrived at the restaurant before Lorelai and Luke. I ordered some champagne, sparkling cider, and beer for Luke on Rory's request. I stood up when I saw Lorelai come to our table, and Luke followed behind closely. I offered my hand to Luke, who took my hand and shook it in return. To my surprise, Lorelai hugged me. I had not expected this type of greeting. Maybe, I've moved to the 'pro' column in her book? I'd better not get too excited just yet.
Before we ordered, I poured the champagne and cider. As Rory predicted, Luke passed on the flute of champagne, and stuck with the beer I ordered for him. I gave a toast. I wanted this to be a celebration, so I made sure to include Lorelai and Luke's recent marriage. This was for all of us, not just me, Rory and the baby. We got right down to business, and started laying out our plans for the future.
"Have you told my mother about any of this?" Lorelai queried. "She's going to blow a gasket when she finds out you are pregnant. You know that, don't you, Rory?"
"I'm hoping that the wedding will help appease her in that sense. We want to have it at the big house," Rory replied.
"Lorelai, I think it would be in our best interest to go see Emily in Nantucket as soon as this weekend. Would you like to come along?" I suggested to Lorelai.
"Oh, I want to be there when you tell her Rory's pregnant. Her only grandchild is knocked up just like me! I will be sitting in the front row with popcorn for this show!" She replied, jokingly.
I had no idea how Emily would take any of this, and Lorelai's response indicated things could definitely get messy. Emily's reaction was more unpredictable than Rory's and Lorelai's. I could see the apple didn't fall far from the tree with these ladies. Whether or not they'd admit to it is a different story. I'm sure the hint of unpredictability drew Richard to Emily, much like me to Rory.
"Mom! I hope she doesn't take it like she took your news 33 years ago! Logan and I are getting married and I'm not 16!" Rory retorted, smiling at Lorelai. She paused for a moment. "So, you two will come with us? There's strength in numbers...."
Lorelai looked at Luke, who nodded in agreement. "Of course we'll be there. Now if you'll excuse me, I need to powder my nose."
"I'll come with you, Mom," Rory replied.
Luke and I stood up as the two women left the table, heading towards the loo. Dammit! I have to remind myself I'm not in London anymore. By the look in her eye, Rory was up to something. It's true that yesterday Lorelai seemed less than thrilled with our sudden change in circumstances, and now, she seems calm with it. She's not one to hide her feelings, and has let her true feelings be known to me on more than one occasion. I respect that, even if it's not in my favor.
I realized I was sitting at the table, alone, with Luke. Oh, great! I thought. I'm sure he's pissed off about all of this, too. He practically helped raise Rory. He was really the only father figure she knew growing up. Christopher was in and out, but never a stable influence. I had no idea what to say to him. This was a rare situation for me. I was the king of smooth and could handle myself in most situations. Sometimes, the challenge is just to get people talking. I tried to think of things we had in common, and I had nothing, so I attempted some small talk.
"You like the beer?" I asked.
"Yeah, it's good. Rory must have told you I'm not a fan of champagne," he replied.
I couldn't get a read on his expression or attitude toward me.
"She did suggest that I order you a beer instead," I replied with a small smile. "It's one of my favorites, but I'm not much of a beer drinker. I prefer scotch."
"Never been much for the stuff," he said, awkwardly.
God, this is painful! It's going nowhere, fast! I rack my brain for some memories of Luke: Emily and Richard's vow renewal - NO! Martha's Vineyard for Valentine's day...maybe....YES! Lobster! He liked the lobster, maybe this was my jumping off point since the beer conversation didn't seem to spark anything.
"So, I've been thinking, and I'd like to invite you and Lorelai up to my family's place in Maine," I started.
"Oh, yeah?"
"After the baby's born, we could all go for a long weekend. It's right on the beach, so we could catch our own lobsters, and I could teach you how to prepare them," I offer. I had just thought of the idea, but I remembered how much he loved the lobster. We are going to be in-laws soon enough, so why the hell not?!
"Oh, that sounds great! You know, I still haven't found a place that does lobster as good as you did! Are you sure you'd be willing to share the family secret?" he gushed, in his own way.
"High praise, Luke! Well, we're going to be family, so you should know the right way to prepare lobster," I replied, smiling and genuinely appreciative of his compliments.
"That's right, we are," he said. Luke paused for a moment, looking at me. He leaned in a little. "How are you handling this? I know I'd freak out if Lorelai had told me she was pregnant. I mean, we're married now, but, you know, before we got married."
"I'm still trying to wrap my head around it, but I love Rory very much. It's not going to be easy, but I know we've got a lot of people who love us and support us," I replied, a little stunned at his honesty. He doesn't seem like the type to delve too deep into things, but I may be wrong in my assumption.
"You do. All of this makes me think about my own daughter, April. Her mom didn't give me the chance to know her, not like Rory's doing with you. You are very lucky to have this opportunity, Logan! I'd give anything to have know my kid from the beginning. We'd already broken up when she found out she was pregnant. I was not the 'kid type' and she knew that, but it doesn't mean I didn't want to know," he confessed. His emotion was sincere and raw. I'd never seen this side of Luke, and may not ever again.
"Luke, I had no idea. I'm really sorry you didn't have that chance," I said. "I know how lucky I am to be given this opportunity. She could have easily not told me and raised the baby on her own. Rory and the baby mean too much to me. I'm not going to screw this up!"
"Good," he replied, simply.
"It seems the two most beautiful women are headed our way," I said, nodding in the direction of Rory and Lorelai. Perfect timing, I thought.
Rory was laughing so hard, she was nearly in tears. I smiled at her. I loved seeing her so happy. She sat down next to me, and put her hand on mine. She gave it a little squeeze, and smiled at me. Without saying a word, she just told me things were good with Lorelai.
After the meal ended, we parted ways. I offered Luke and Lorelai a night at the Plaza, but they turned me down. Both had early days tomorrow, so it was easier to head back to Stars Hollow tonight. We planned to meet on Friday to go out to Nantucket together. We were going to need all the support we could get to face Emily.
We arrived at the apartment a short time later. Rory seemed to be slightly energized by our successful dinner. Rory made her way to the bedroom, and I followed her. I had managed to control myself, but I wasn't sure I could anymore. I slipped my arms around her waist from behind, and kissed her neck. She turned around to face me. She put her arms around my neck and drew my lips to hers. I felt the current surge through my body, reaching every last part. We began undress each other hungrily, moving toward the bed. We moved in perfect sync. I rediscovered my Ace that night, and was reminded of everything I had been missing in my life. After these last few days, I felt more connected to her than ever. I finally felt complete.