A Different Life

thirty one

"Ladies and Gentlemen. Thank you all for coming tonight to help celebrate my granddaughter's engagement. I have been watching this young couple as they grew closer, and worked their way towards this moment. In all my years on this earth, I have never seen a couple as well matched as these two, everything fell into place quickly for them, allowing them to build a strong foundation. I am sure that this foundation will help them as they take over the business world as they run their companies together. Just watching them together you can see the love and the strength of the bond between them. Please join me in congratulating Finnegan Thomas Morgan the third with his fiancee Lorelai Leigh 'Rory' Gilmore-Hayden the third."

"Did she say Lorelai Leigh Gilmore-Hayden?" Shira paled as she asked her husband, looking around as Rory and Finn made their way to the front. "Oh My God! She did! Mitchum, did you know that girl was a Hayden?"

"No, I had no idea." Mitchum said with a tight smile, he was aware of the many glances towards them. "We need to listen."

"Thank you Grandmother for that introduction, I have no idea how to respond to that."

"Yes, thank you Francine, you have rendered my lovely fiancee speechless, I think we all know how rare that is!"

"Hey!" Rory gave his arm a playful punch.

"What I believe Rory is trying to say is, thank you all for coming this evening. We appreciate everyone who is here to support us. As I'm sure you all know Rory and I reconnected at the beginning of last summer. I have never been so glad that we both chose to fly commercial for that trip. Rory came back into my life and quickly became the most important person in it. Rory, everything is better with you by my side. I love you." Finn said, giving his fiancee a quick society approved kiss.

"I'm still a little speechless here, I better get my voice back by Monday or Colin McCrae will have an easy day in court against me. As Finn said, thank you all for coming to celebrate with us tonight. And thank you especially to all the strong couples around us who have shown Finn and I how to do it, Grandma and Grandpa, Charlotte and Finnegan, Mom and Luke. If everyone would like to join us in a toast towards love. To quote George Sand - 'There is only one happiness in life: To love and to be loved.' Thank you Finn for filling my life with happiness." Rory gave Finn a longer than appropriate kiss while everyone toasted with champagne.

"Mitchum, we told a Hayden that they had no breeding and weren't good enough to associate with us." Shira hissed at her husband, trying to look casual.

"I know, I also know that I managed to tell one of the most successful young lawyers in the country right now that she would never amount to anything and would only be good to be an assistant." Mitchum replied.

"We need to act like we knew who she was all along. Let's get back to mingling, work towards Honor, see if she knew." Shira said, talking one more drink before starting to move again.

Meanwhile Logan had been frozen since Francine uttered the words Lorelai Leigh 'Rory' Gilmore-Hayden the third. Lorelai was positioned at the bar with her phone out capturing his reaction for Rory and Finn. The rest of the group knew this and were trying to maintain a clear shot for her. Logan woke up a little when Finn leaned over and kissed Rory, and by the time Rory leaned over and kissed Finn at the end of her speech, he was bright red and obviously struggling.

"Rory's a Hayden?" Summer asked.

"Finn is with Rory and no one bothered to tell me?" Logan hissed angrily, his hands balled into tight fists by his side.

"It wasn't our news to share," Colin started.

"Bullshit! What about the bro code? I should have been told, she was meant to be off limits."