Finn jogged around the corner and jumped immediately into the SUV, where Logan, Colin and Robert were sitting inside.
"Okay mate, here's the deal. I'm staking my allegiance right now. I'm firmly in the team Rory and Logan forever camp. I think you should marry that girl, and hold on for dear life. She's the ying to your yang, and all that bollocks. You two belong together. But, if you're not ready to go for it right away, fine. But I'll be pushing for a true reconciliation as hard as I can." Finn rushed out the minute he entered the vehicle.
Logan turned from the front passenger seat to stare at Finn with his jaw slack. Colin began to giggle and Robert rested his head on the steering wheel and sighed before he started to softly curse.
"Nice to know how you feel, mon ami." A feminine voice replied over the Bluetooth system in the car.
"Odette. Sorry, mon cherie. But you know it's the truth." Finn replied unabashed.
"Oui, I do not disagree. But this is an unpleasant complication." Odette stated matter of factory.
"You agree?!" Logan whipped back around and stared at the dash.
"Oui. We both know our arrangement was going to end eventually. We had our contingency plans for exactly that. Your heart has always belonged to Rory. I had hoped that it would not happen so soon, but it certainly is no surprise. I am shocked at Finn's devotion, but only due to his vehemence." Odette replied.
"You are a gem, Mademoiselle Renard." Finn responded. "And any man would be lucky to have you in his life. But I do believe that Logan and Rory are destined to be together. His heart has been hers for over a decade, and hers his for at least as long. It was a coup de foudre, in both their eyes."
"I'm pleased to hear you say that, Finn. You are, of course, always my backup plan." Odette teased.
"Anything you need." Finn joked back.
"Okay, before you two declare your intentions, can we get back to the problem at hand?" Logan asked with a smile on his face.
"Absolument. I have a copy of the betrothal agreement on my hard drive. I will send it to Robert to review. It was very well crafted, if I recall correctly. I'm not sure how we can get around the penalty clauses." Odette offered.
"I know. That's the kick in the teeth. I hate to do this to you, but I don't see any way around it." Logan groaned.
"There is always a way to get out of this type of agreement, they are not strictly speaking all that enforceable." Robert opined.
"Easy for you to say." Logan shook his head. "It's couched in a merger agreement. Louis and Mitchum are crafty that way."
"Oui. Papa based it on the agreement that he used for Genevieve, but spent a great deal of time to close all the loopholes when she got out of it." Odette replied.
"How is Vive?" Asked Colin.
"Still single, working in Geneva for the WHO. Still refusing to settle down or get married." Odette answered with a laugh. "Although, if you remain interested, I can let her know that you were asking about her."
Colin smiled. "Just tell her is said hi when you speak to her next."
"D'accord, beau-frère!" Odette laughed. "I will send the contract immediately. I will also call Vive and ask who she and Henri used to get out of their contract. And pass on your message, of course."
"Thank you, Dette." Logan replied.
"Although, I am still puzzled as to why you agreed to sign it, Logan. Clearly you have very strong feelings for your Rory. What has changed your mind? And only a couple of months after you finally signed. Papa was very surprised when you did agree. He had thought you were adamant about not signing a contract." Odette asked softly.
The four men exchanged glances and Logan shook his head. He was not ready to tell Odette the whole story, not over the phone. "I will explain it all when I see you in person, I promise." Logan responded.
"D'accord. Au revoir, mon frères dans mon coeur. I will arrive tomorrow evening. We will discuss this more then." Odette ended the call and the three men turned to look at Finn.
"I'm sorry. I didn't know that she was on the phone." Finn started.
"Do you know how bad it could have been? What if it wasn't Odette on the phone?" Robert started the vehicle and began to drive back to Hartford.
"Yes, it was very lucky that she was the only person on the other end of the line." Colin agreed. "It could have been Mitchum, or worse, Shira."
"I will work on being more discreet and ensuring that our conversations are private from here on out. But I was worked up. I needed to get my opinion off my chest." Finn folded his arms over his chest and turned to look out the window. He was sorry that he had not realized that the phone was in use, but felt deeply that Logan was making another mistake in his relationship with Rory.
Logan turned to speak. "Finn, I'm not angry. I'm surprised by your outburst. I just need some time to figure out what all this means. It's not as easy as you seem to think to just go back into a relationship with Rory. There are a number of other people that I have to consider. Odette is just one of them, but more importantly, I have to think about the baby. What happens if Rory and I don't work out again? The last time it took years for us to be able to be in the same room together."
Finn shook his head. "I refuse to believe that would happen. You two are the real deal. I've watched you both and I know that you both are it for each other. Why are you so afraid of it not working out?"
"Because it never has before." Logan replied.
