Gilmore Girls: More in the Life

Chapter 52

Christmas Eve night was tough for Luke, as he struggled to sleep. He was so ready for Christmas morning to arrive so he could give Lorelai the present he got for her. In all his years— even as a child— he could never remember being quite so excited.

Finally, he noticed peeks of the sun beginning to filter into their bedroom. Luke leaned over to lightly kiss his still sleeping wife and rolled out of bed. He decided to get a head start on making breakfast since Emily, Rory, and Logan would likely be making their way over soon.

Luke planned to make pancakes, scrambled eggs, bacon, and sausage. It was a lot, he knew, but he wanted everything to be just perfect today.

After mixing up pancake batter and turning on the burner underneath the griddle, Luke grabbed a fork and began to beat the eggs with a dash of salt, pepper, and oregano. He had bacon on the counter, ready to place into the oven once foil was spread over the baking pan. Sausage would be last, as that needed only to brown.

Soon, a stack of pancakes had been made and the eggs were done, all fluffy with bits of melted cheese. Bacon had found its way to the perfect amount of crispy and chewy while the sausage was nicely browned.

That moment, he heard the front door open, followed by what sounded like feet shuffling toward the living room. Rory's voice filled the kitchen as she addressed her step-father. "Merry Christmas Luke!"

Luke waved his spatula toward Rory as he returned the greeting.

Foot falls on the stairs indicated that Lorelai had woken up. She made her way into the kitchen and was pleasantly surprised by the amount of food waiting to be eaten.

Lorelai yawned. "Mom called a few minutes ago. She is on her way over."

"Good. The food is ready and will be cold soon if we don't start eating." Luke finished getting things in place when Logan joined them. Before long, Emily, too, had arrived. Everyone filled their plates and visited while nibbling on the delicious breakfast.

After plates had been cleaned and cleared, Emily held up her hand, wanting to address her family. "It isn't any secret that Richard's absence leaves a gaping hole in my world. I have found it hard to move on, no matter how much I've tried. This is the second Christmas that I have not woken up to feel him beside me and I fear the pain I feel daily will never fully subside. That being said, I am very thankful for this year. It has seen me make peace with my daughter, allowed me to welcome a son-in-law, as well as learn that I will become a great-grandmother. I only wish that Richard was here physically to celebrate but I know that his spirit hovers around to embrace me when I'm weak or comfort me when I'm sad. I hope that you all still feel him every day because he loved all of you very much."

Lorelai and Rory were dabbing at their eyes, standing up and moving toward Emily. The three women hugged while Luke and Logan, though both uncomfortable, were smiling.

"Okay, enough with the sadness. Let's get moving to open presents!" Emily ushered everyone toward the living room, heart fuller than it has been since the day her husband departed this earth.

*****

Logan grew more and more anxious with each gift that was unwrapped. He enjoyed seeing everyone's reaction to what they had received— Luke's surprise by the top-of-the-line fishing gear from Emily, Lorelai's excitement at the beautifully-bound journal from Rory, Emily's happiness at the family birthstone ring chosen by Logan— but he began to second guess himself with the gesture he had planned to make.

He knew in his head that Rory would likely say yes to his proposal but his heart feared she would decline with all that was going on. The talk he had with Luke and Lorelai two weeks ago came rushing back....

Logan knocked on Luke and Lorelai's front door, nervous about asking permission for a second time to propose to Rory.

Lorelai opened the door and smiled when she saw who was there. "Hey Logan."

Logan nodded. "Hi Lorelai."

She leaned out the door a little bit. "No Rory?"

"No, she's at the Gazette. I was hoping you and Luke had a few minutes to talk."

Unsure of what was this was about, Lorelai opened the door wider and invited Logan inside. She called for Luke to come into the living room.

Once the three of them were seated, Logan explained why he was there.

"I love Rory. I have for a long time. My heart broke when she rejected my proposal in 2007. Try as I might, I never could forget her. I threw myself into work and, eventually, into a relationship with Odette, but nothing worked. I am meant to be with her. I'd like to propose again, on Christmas. I am hoping that I have both of your blessings to do that."

Luke seemed honored that Logan would ask his permission. It needed no explanation why he felt it was only right to ask both, not just Lorelai.

Turning toward Luke as she reached for his hand, Lorelai smiled. They both faced Logan and agreed that it was time he ask for Rory's hand in marriage once more.

Back in the moment, Logan realized only two presents remained, though the ring wasn't one of them. Rory didn't seem to anticipate anything. Before he knew it, Rory stood to begin picking up the discarded paper.

The moment had arrived.

Reaching for an empty box to use as a makeshift garbage bin, Rory stood with the intention of beginning to clean up the mess. She turned around to see no one else had moved from their seats. She began to comment on that when she saw Logan move onto his knee beside her. Giving him her full attention, she realized what was he was doing.

Logan was proposing. Here. On Christmas Day. In front of her mother, grandmother, and Luke. She held her breath.

"Rory, there comes a point in life when you have to shed the expectations of others and just live for yourself. That moment for me was when I saw you in Hamburg. We made decisions that day that laid the path for us to finally reconnect after years of being apart. We are about to embark on a whole new adventure, one I wouldn't want to share with anyone else. I am excited to be the father of your child, Rory Gilmore, but is there any chance we can start this new era as husband and wife?" Logan pulled a diamond ring from his pocket, holding it up.

Rory felt everyone's eyes on her, awaiting her response.