The next morning, Logan went down to the kitchen to grab a bottle of water. All of the wine from the night before had left him feeling a little dehydrated. He rummaged around in the fridge and finally found one stashed in the back of one of the shelves. When he closed the door and turned around, he saw his son. A feeling of panic swept over him and his cheeks flushed with embarrassment. He tried to keep his lower half hidden behind the island, but feared it was too late as Richard had likely seen him.
"Oh, hey, I didn't think anyone else was up," Logan said trying to disguise the awkwardness. "Sorry, if I woke you."
Nothing like a little reality check first thing in the morning, he thought. Guess I should have thrown on some pants. Then again, I've never really dealt with anything like this. It's always been hotels because I was on the road. I've kept all of my liaisons very discreet and away from Viv.
Richard was surprised to see his father standing in the middle of the kitchen clad in only his underwear. It was obvious that he'd spent the night. Oh, gross, he thought. Now, my mom's hooking up with my dad!
"No, you didn't," he replied. "What are you doing here?"
Fuck, Logan swore silently. What am I supposed to say? Hey, son, I slept with your mom last night. Don't mind me!
"Ummm....well....uh....." Logan stuttered without forming a coherent thought. "I, uh, had too much to drink last night and crashed in the guest room."
He didn't want his son to discover that was a lie. At the very least, he hoped it would pacify him, saving them both from further awkwardness. Why am I explaining this to him? he wondered. It's none of his business.
Lie! Richard thought. The guest room door was open, and it was plain to see there was no one in there.
"Sure," Richard replied not wanting to discuss his parents' potential sex life anymore. "I've got to hit the gym. Bye!"
Then again, I really don't want to know, he thought. Ew!
He grabbed his bag and helmet near the door to the garage and left. Logan heard the garage door open and a motorcycle start up. He watched his son drive off, and couldn't help but wonder why Rory let him ride it. He knew he wasn't in a position to say much of anything but still didn't like the idea. Right now, it was the least of his worries.
Thank, God, he left without too many questions, Logan thought.
He stood in the kitchen for a moment, trying to wrap his head around what had just transpired. Opening the bottle, he took a huge drink. Logan decided not to dwell on it too much longer and went back upstairs to Rory. He snuck into the room and carefully crawled back into bed. He snuggled up behind her and tried to fall back asleep to no avail. All he could think about was the strange interaction with his own son, and he knew that she was likely crossing some long-established boundaries.
Adjusting himself a bit, Logan looked at Rory, who was sleeping peacefully and looking more beautiful than he remembered. Her eyes began to flutter causing him to move back a bit. He smiled and watched her open her eyes. His fingers gently caressed her arm as he got lost in her gaze. At first, she was confused, and after a moment, a slight smile began to show.
"Morning, Ace," he said softly.
"Hey, you," she replied and tried to wet her mouth, but it was useless because her tongue felt as if it were covered in cotton balls. "Oh, wow, I need some water."
Logan reached over to the nightstand, grabbed his bottle, and handed it to her. She moved the hair out of her face in an attempt to look more presentable.
"Are we a little hungover?" he joked.
"What would make you think that?" she replied sarcastically and took a large drink.
"Because I have the same one after all of the wine last night," he confessed.
Before he realized what he was doing, Logan wrapped his arms around Rory and kissed her sensually. He didn't know what had come over him, but he didn't want to let her go. He'd spent far too much time regretting letting her go, and now, that she was back in his life, he wasn't about to let this chance slip away.
"What was that for?" she purred as he pulled out of the kiss.
"I've just missed you so much," he admitted and held her a little closer.
Rory was brought out of her romantic daze by the buzzing of her phone. She picked it up to see a message from her son.
Richard: Mom, the next time Dad....ummm....'spends the night', could you make sure he knows the no pants, no pop tarts rule?
At first, she chuckled but quickly realized what had happened.
"Did you happen to run into our son in the kitchen this morning?"
Logan blushed. He had hoped his son wouldn't rat him out, but he had underestimated the closeness of their relationship.
"Yes," he grumbled. "Can't believe he'd tell you about that awkward run-in."
"You broke a cardinal rule," she explained.
"What rule is that? No Logans in the kitchen?"
"No, the No Pants, No Pop Tarts rule," she elaborated. "When Richard was hitting puberty, he had a tendency to wander around the house clad only in his underwear. I had to instate the rule because it was a little uncomfortable for me. I abide by the same rule, and it's got some flexibility. For instance, I could wear a robe into the kitchen without violating the rule."
"Fine," he admitted defeat. "I promise to wear pants next time."
"Next time?" she asked curiously. "Are you getting a little ahead of yourself?"
"Are you saying there won't be a next time?" he countered.
"I'm not saying that but I think it awfully presumptuous of you to think there will be more encounters like last night," she replied cheekily.
"If there's one thing I'm sure of, it's that I'm not letting you go again!"
With that being said, Logan gently leaned over Rory and began kissing her passionately. She returned his passion, drawing him close, for a few moments before suddenly stopping.
"Wait," she ordered. "We really shouldn't do this again."
"Why not?" he wondered.
"Richard," she replied calmly as she sat up in the bed. Logan followed suit.
"I know," he sighed. "I just feel like we need to make up for lost time."
"I'm sure we'll have plenty of time for....you know," she laughed and turned slightly more serious. "I think, maybe, we moved a little too fast."
"You didn't want to?" he asked.
"Oh, I definitely wanted to, but it's not like it's just us anymore. There are others to consider in all of this, and I'm not just referring to Richard," she explained.
"Obviously, there's Finn and Colin to consider," he joked.
"Logan, I'm being serious," she said sternly. "I'm talking about your daughter."
"I know. I just felt something that I hadn't felt in over eighteen years last night. Didn't you feel it, too?"
"I did. I can't deny that," she agreed. "How about we discuss this more over breakfast?"
"I could go for some coffee," he replied with a smile.
"I'll go down and get it going. If you put on some pants, you can join me," she quipped. "Unless you've got somewhere else you need to be."
"I do have a meeting, but it's not for a while, so I've got a little time," he said with a wink.
Once Rory left the bedroom, he reluctantly got out of bed. He started thinking about her words. They resonated in his head, and he knew that he needed to talk to his daughter. She'd been in the dark for too long, and he knew that she'd be happy to know that her best friend was actually her brother.
After he put on his clothes from the night before, Logan went downstairs to join Rory. He could smell the coffee mixing with warm pop tarts and it immediately brought him back to Yale. The carefree weekend mornings they spent together in his New Haven apartment flashed through his mind. It's nice to see nothing has changed, he thought with a chuckle. Wrapping his arms around her from behind, he nuzzled her neck, inhaling her scent. She was a little startled but relaxed into his arms.
"Coffee?" she asked.
"Yes, please," he replied and moved over to the table.
He saw the paper on her table and was happy to see he wasn't the only one who still got an actual printed copy of the paper. He glossed over the front page headlines while he waited. Rory set a cup of coffee in front of him as well as one for herself adjacent.
"Aww, you cooked," he joked.
"Well, you are wearing pants," she retorted with a smile.
He took a sip of his coffee. "Oh, my god! Is it me, or does this taste better than I remember?"
"Years and years of practice," she laughed.
"So, I was thinking," he started, "about what you said earlier, and you're right. This is moving really fast, and it's more than just us now."
"It's not that I don't want this, but it's just all so new. I mean, for Richard, obviously not for us. To be perfectly honest, I haven't really dated anyone in years," she said sounding a little nervous about her admission.
"Well, I was thinking," he said.
"About what?"
"I'm going to talk to Viv today. I've been putting it off for way too long, and she deserves to know," he revealed part of his plan.
"I think that's a good idea," Rory agreed.
"And," he emphasized and paused.
"And what?" she asked, her curiosity piqued.
"Maybe we can go out for dinner tomorrow night to talk about all of this?"
"Like a date?" she wondered.
Breaking the mood, Logan's phone buzzed at him. He saw it was a reminder for the meeting he had in just over an hour.
"I hate to do this, but I've got to run. I have that meeting in about an hour, and I haven't prepared anything for it," he said excusing himself.
"Wait," she ordered. He turned back to her. "Is it a date tomorrow night?"
He smiled, knowing the suspense was killing her. He knew it was a date, and he wanted to back up a bit, slow things down. He liked to give her a bit of mystique mixed with anticipation. He also knew that she'd likely assume it was a date, and the details would confirm her theory.
"I'll message you the details later, but I've really got to get going," he said with a flirty smile before giving her one last sensual kiss. "Bye, Ace!"
With a wink, he was headed toward the front door. Rory quickly followed after and called to him, "You didn't answer my question! Is it a date?"
Only flashing a million dollar smile, Logan got into his car and drove off.