Ready for Anything?

Chapter 6

A few mornings later, I walked out of my room and Luke was cooking breakfast. "I didn't expect you to still be home, I figured you'd head to the diner as soon as mom left for work" I said to him.

"Your mom thought you'd be hungry and so I offered to make you some breakfast before heading in" he said.

I smiled. "Thank you, but you know I could've just walked to the diner" I teased him.

"I know, but we're going to be family soon, and I wanted you to know that no matter what, I'll always be here for you. Even if it's just to make you breakfast before work" he said.

"That's really sweet. You try to pretend you're tough, but you're really just a closet softie" I teased him.

"Don't push it, or this will be the last time I do this" he muttered, handing me a plate with eggs and bacon.

"Thank you, Luke" I said, kissing him on the cheek. "Have you eaten yet? I'd like the company" I said.

"What the hell. Caesar will be good for another twenty minutes" he said, making himself a plate.

We sat in silence - not really what I would call an awkward silence, but a comfortable one. We both enjoyed that we could be close enough to not have to worry about conversation.

"I'm going to get some orange juice, you want some?" He asked, getting up from the table.

"Sure, thanks" I said. And as soon as he turned his back, I couldn't help the words coming out of my mouth. "Luke... Do you ever wish Anna would've told you about April when she was pregnant? So you could be there for it all? I mean, even if you never got back together?" I asked.

He froze in place and hesitated for a moment before closing the refrigerator door. "Absolutely, but you already knew that, didn't you? Why did you ask?" He said, coming back to the table with two glasses and the carton of juice.

"Well, I just wonder if you were happy in the time that you didn't know. Like, would knowing about April have made you happier during that timeframe?" I asked.

"It's hard to say whether or not it would've made me happier..." he trailed off, still not sure of the reasoning behind the questioning, "but no matter what it would've made me feel, I wish more than anything I could have been there to watch that girl grow up - be there for her when she needed me. Seriously, Rory, what's going on?" He asked.

"I'm just trying to decide if I should tell him or not..." I whispered.

"Tell him - who!? Tell who what!? What's going on!? Rory, are you - does your mother know!?" He stammered.

"Mom knows I am, but she's the only one who knows - and she doesn't know with who. I can't bring myself to tell anyone he's going to be a father before I tell him, but I don't know if I should.... I mean, he and I were never in a relationship.... and this very well might ruin his life..." I said.

"You have to tell him, Rory. You can't keep him from having the opportunity to know his kid, no matter the circumstances. You saw the aftermath of me finding out about April. You have to give him the choice" Luke stated firmly.

"I'm trying, Luke. I really am. I've called twice and left one message. How many times do I try to make contact before I realize that he's not going to be there with us?" I asked with tears in my eyes.

"If I was talking to Anna, I would tell her that she should have stood in the middle of my diner and yelled it at me with all of the crazies that live in this town watching if that was what it took."

"That's...extreme," I whispered.

"Yeah well, so is finding out you have a kid when she's almost a teenager. You have to do whatever it takes, and if he chooses to walk away then your mom and I will support you one hundred percent, but you can't decide it's easier to let us help you raise this kid and just cut him out of your lives."

"You're right. God, of course you're right. I guess I'll keep trying to get in touch with him, and I'll go stand in the middle of his office if I have to."

"That's the Rory I know" Luke said proudly. "You'll get in touch with him somehow, and then we'll all figure this out after you've talked to him. You don't have to make any decisions right now. Well, unless you're thinking about not keeping..." he trailed off.

"No! God, no! I'm keeping the baby, that was never a question" I stated firmly.

"Good. Everything will work out for you one way or the other."

"I hope you're right" I whispered uncertainly.

"You know who you should talk to about this, and get another opinion from, is your dad. He was on the other side of the situation than I was, so maybe he has some insight different than mine that could help. But I still stand by what I said - you can't not tell the guy. You have to give him a chance to make his own decision to be in or out" he suggested.

I nodded. "Yeah, I know you're right. I'll give my dad a call and see if he can meet with me soon. In the meantime, please keep this between mom, you and me for now. I don't want a spectacle - yet. I know it will be eventually. I just want to buy myself some time" I said.

"Your secret is safe with me, Rory. Always" he promised.

I smiled and he stood up from his seat and put his plate in the sink. "Alright, well, I need to head into work. I'm glad you were able to confide in me, Ror. I'm always here" he said, and walked out the kitchen door.