After eating a large serve of homemade lasagne with tater tots on the side, Rory sat by the fire and flicked on the TV. She was thrilled to see that there was an excellent DVD collection which contained many of her favourites. Selecting The Holiday, she was glad to lay back in the comfortable armchair with her feet up. She felt incredibly tired but was determined to watch this movie. Rory had always loved watching movies where people fell in love and had their 'happily ever after' ending. As she listened to the waves pounding on the rocks outside, she wondered if she would ever have her happy ending.
With her hand on her tummy, Rory wondered what it was going to be like to feel her baby move. She was kind of excited but scared at the thought that something was growing inside of her and very soon she would be growing too! Her body already felt different and she couldn't believe that all of this had happened so quickly. She just wished that she could share everything with Logan!
Again Rory ran through the different scenarios that involved telling Logan that she was carrying his child. Her thoughts were all over the place!
"If I tell him now," Rory thought out loud, "it will cause such a drama because of the 'Dynastic Plan' ....it would be in the media and be a catastrophe for his family and Odette's, not to mention mine! Also it's not fair when their wedding is only weeks away.....if Logan had wanted me, he would have fought to be with me! This marriage means so much to him and his family, I can't be the one to bring it undone.....all because I skipped a couple of birth control pills!
".........If I wait and tell him later, he might be really angry with me for keeping something like this from him.....I remember Luke was hurt when he found out he had a daughter and he had missed so many years .....so maybe Logan shouldn't ever find out and then he won't be hurt.....
"If I never tell him he's the father, he can live his life, have children with Odette and be happy....I can bring this child up like Mom brought me up.....we were okay....the only problem would be if it were obvious the baby was a Huntzburger....then we would need to move far away.....I really don't have any options left but I guess I'll just take one day at a time and be grateful I have this place to live in....at least for now....
"I really won't be able to go on living here too long....In spite of my feelings, I have to do the right thing and let him go....it's the only way.....All of this spoiling is lovely but it's very confusing ......I'll find somewhere to rent once I get some income...I really must apply for that job in the morning....My priority is to provide well for this little one...."
Not realising how tired she was, Rory fell asleep on the couch and was upset that she ended up missing the end to her movie. Waking in time for the closing credits, she turned out the lights and went upstairs. Rory quickly prepared herself for bed, feeling like royalty as she used the well appointed en-suite then jumped into her luxurious bed. She didn't recall ever feeling so relaxed as she listened to the gentle rhythm of the waves and quickly fell asleep.
Waking late, Rory recalled the special time she had with Logan over the phone, when she had moved in the previous day. His thoughtful gifts had really touched her heart. She realised that it would possibly be many years before a man might spoil her again, remembering that she was in her teens before her mom tried dating.
"The only problem is that I will be old by then...Mom was 16 years younger than me so she was still attractive....but I can't think about that now....I have to live in the present!" Rory concluded before getting out of bed to check out the view.
The sun was shining and the water was a brighter shade of blue than when she had arrived the previous day. She wasn't feeling too affected by morning sickness, so Rory decided to dress and go for a walk around the grounds and along the oceanfront. Stopping by the kitchen, she grabbed some pastries that Bella had left and headed out in the cool morning air.
The smell of the sea was invigorating and as Rory walked she felt herself having greater clarity than ever.
"I can do this....I can be a working mom and even work from home....it will be easier for me than what it was for my mom because I am qualified and basically there are so many journalistic jobs that can be done online....there are other things I could do too....maybe run some writing workshops for the oldies up here....that would be a great money maker! Retirees are always looking for new things to do....and they probably wouldn't mind having a baby in the class! .....I like that idea and then there's my book ...I really hope Jess might be able to publish it for me in parts so I can get paid while I'm writing the rest!....I'll have to have a chat with him about that....."
Rory felt better than she had since finding out she was pregnant, now that she had pretty much decided to go it alone. She knew that it was a long road ahead in terms of being ready for the baby and all that motherhood entailed but it actually felt good to have direction in her life —something that had been absent the last couple of years.
"I'll also have to find an obstetrician up here and go for my first appointment....I just want to know that everything is going well with the pregnancy...." Rory thought as she typed some reminders into her phone.
As she headed back in the direction of the house, she noticed a car pulling into the driveway. She presumed it was probably just Bella. It was great to have the help and all the spoiling but Rory was determined that as soon as she was able, she would leave the Huntzburger mansion and take care of her own little place.
"Hello....Bella?" Rory said as she entered the kitchen where a middle aged woman of possibly Italian descent was pulling out a tray of cookies from the oven. "I'm Rory Gilmore....wow those smell amazing!"
"Oh welcome Miss Gilmore, lovely to meet you! Hope you enjoyed your first night here. Was everything okay in your room?" Bella asked while making a start on her next item for the oven.
"It was more than okay," Rory replied enthusiastically, "I've never slept in such a comfortable bed! I really enjoyed the delicious lasagne you made for me....I feel very spoilt!"
"That's good....very good to hear because Mr Logan said to 'go all out' and spoil you! You must be a very good friend of his!" Bella surmised as she continued to assemble ingredients on the bench. "He says you love to eat and that's great because I love to cook! Cleaning this big place is okay but cooking is my favourite thing in the world! There have been very few overnight visitors here in the past year so this is such a treat for me to know you are staying for a while!"
"Yes I'll be here a little while...just until I get back on my feet...Logan is truly very generous and I really appreciate how much effort you put into your cooking. I hope to learn something from you while I'm here!" Rory said trying to take note of how Bella was cutting up the vegetables.
"I'm making some minestrone for your lunch. Mr Logan said you would be writing and you would need good hearty meals to keep you warm! A good bowl of soup with some freshly made sourdough will help you think too!" Bella promised, not knowing how very special it was for Rory to hear Logan's plans and how thankful she felt knowing his baby would be getting all the nutrients it needed to grow.
Sitting in the study, Rory stared out the window for quite some time before she opened the new laptop and turned it on. The view was almost a distraction at this point but she was sure she would get used to it. Glancing at the screen she smiled as she realised that everything had been setup and somehow, the screensaver was a picture from the city of Hamburg where she and Logan had met again and reignited their relationship.
"If only I hadn't suggested the no strings attached 'Vegas Agreement'.......it was a disaster waiting to happen because I always needed more of Logan....he might have been open to something more but he had Odette and he thought I had Paul so even though there definitely was plenty of passion when we were together, when we were apart, there was nothing for me! He had to give his attention to Odette and I supposedly was building a relationship with Paul but my heart was never in it because when I fell in love with Logan, I never stopped loving him! ....I guess I never will because this baby will be a reminder of him forever!" Rory thought as she watched an unexpected tear splash onto the desk.
In London, Logan was resisting the urge to call or message Rory again. He had loved hearing how happy she was with the house but he knew he couldn't risk being in touch regularly because Odette might find out and that would not go down well at all! He was already in trouble for missing his appointment with the tailor and the first thing Odette said when she returned from Paris was that he looked terrible and needed a haircut!
Logan hadn't realised just how much his relationship with Odette had relied on having time with Rory every few weeks. It kept him sane and brought much needed joy to his life, making it easier to bear the burdens of a life centred around the family business. Now that it was no longer possible to spend time with her, he had tried to throw himself into a full time relationship with his fiancée but she was not at all like Rory and would never fulfil him like she did. His constant thoughts of Rory only made him more and more unsettled with Odette! Logan resented his family for getting him into this position in the first place. He felt like a prisoner and sadly knew there was no way out!