Gilmore Girls: More in the Life

Chapter 3

Not that anyone expected differently but the second wedding went off without a hitch. Luke and Lorelai were pronounced husband and wife once more and everyone joined in the wondrous celebration of their union. Taylor, being Taylor, tried to corner guests to discuss a contingency plan in the event the couple divorced but Luke put a stop to it by threatening to raise the rent at the soda shop. Taylor conceded quickly but not before committing to addressing the issue at the next town meeting.

Guests began to leave, one by one, after expressing congratulations to her mother and step-father. Exhausted and ready to get off her feet, Rory sat at an empty table and watched the party continue to wind down. For the last few hours, she had been able to live in the moment and not worry about the pregnancy or telling Logan about the baby. Now, though, the worries began creeping back in. How will Logan react? Will he stay with Odette? Will he be a part of the baby's life or be like my father and only come around when it's convenient for him?

"A penny for your thoughts?" Jess whispered in Rory's ear. He pulled out the chair next to her and sat down, facing her. His heart swelled at the mere sight of her. No matter how much he tried to convince himself he had moved on, he doubted that any girl he dated would compare to Rory.

Rory grasped for an answer that revealed nothing about what she had really been thinking. "Oh, not much. Just watching my mom and how happy she is."

Jess followed her gaze and laughed, "Who would have thought there would be a woman who would voluntarily marry Luke?"

"Hey!" Rory protested. "Luke is my stepdad now. He may be lucky to have married my mom but she is just as lucky."

Jess held up his hands in mock defeat. "Okay, I give. Luke is a good guy. One of the best."

"Agreed."

Rory and Jess sat in silence, watching as Luke and Lorelai talked with a small group of the remaining guests. Lorelai said something and Luke laughed while holding tightly onto her hand. The sight made Rory's heart ache for Logan. I could have had that if only I realized exactly what I was giving up when I didn't marry him. Though it felt right at the time, the searing pain that followed—almost immediately—could not have been expected. At that moment, a tear fell from her chin and onto Rory's hand. She did not realize she started crying. She turned away from Jess, hoping that he didn't notice.

"You'll have this one day. Some lucky man will waltz into your life and sweep you off your feet. I promise you that, Rory." Jess avoided eye contact, for he didn't want Rory to see that he desperately wanted to be that man. However, he feared he had lost his chance.

Were her emotions written all over her face? Rory had to think quickly. "Oh, I'm not crying because I want this," Rory lied, gesturing to the scene in front of her. "I'm simply tearing up because my mom is so deserving to finally be married to the only one she ever really wanted to marry."

"Okay. Didn't know if you were getting soft in your old age, Gilmore."

Rory laughed. "Nope, I'm still tough as nails."

"Want me to walk you home?" The question was out before Jess could stop it.

Rory considered his offer but ultimately, she didn't think she was ready to leave. While the party was no longer in full swing, she felt like going home would only advance her worries and she wasn't ready for that. "No thanks, I think I'll stay a bit longer."

Jess awkwardly stood in silence for a minute as he gazed down at Rory. "I guess I'll be seeing ya then." He turned and started for the diner, unable to resist a backward glance to see if she was watching him leave.

She wasn't.

Jess' heart broke a little more.

******

It took nearly a week for Rory to bring herself to reach out to Logan. She pulled up his number probably fifty times in those days but she never followed through with calling him.

Lorelai wasn't around to nag her to make the call because Luke surprised her with a short, five-day honeymoon to Cancun. He said they could take a longer vacation the following year when they could each plan ahead for a couple weeks off from the diner and the inn. Rory could still hear her mother's comment about being excited to eat authentic tamales.

Enough delays and distractions! Rory was terrified but she couldn't wait any longer. It was time to let Logan know he was going to be a father. She sat on her bed, hoping the comforting surroundings would put her more at ease. She peered at the clock on the dresser, noting it was nearly 4:00pm. It would be close to 9:00pm in London.

Her heart racing, Rory looked through her contact list and found Logan's number. Taking a deep breath, she tapped the green button and held phone to her ear.

Ring.

Ring.

Ring.

"Rory?"