Rory headed to her car, confused and unsettled. She could not reconcile herself to what she had just learned. How did they think this was normal? She unlocked her car and sat for a moment thinking, automatically starting the engine. She was startled when the passenger door opened and Logan slid in to the passenger seat.
"Rory, I know that this is a lot to process. I'm sorry. I didn't intend to dump all this on you like this." Logan sighed.
Rory stared at Logan for a moment. Finally she found her voice. "Odette loses her inheritance if she doesn't marry you. What do you lose?"
Logan leaned back in his seat. "It doesn't matter. Rory, I'm serious, I am going to be a real father to our child." Logan began before he was cut off.
"Tell me, Logan." Rory demanded.
"I lose my shares in HPG." He admitted.
Rory sat back, stunned. This was worse than she imagined.
"You should marry her." Rory whispered.
"Yeah, I probably should. But I'm not going to." Logan answered, reaching out and taking Rory's hand. "I have something far more valuable to me to worry about. Our child may be unplanned, but is deeply loved and is the best thing that has ever happened to me."
Rory began to cry softly. Logan reached over and pulled her into his embrace, whispering softly into her hair that everything was going to be alright.
After a few minutes, Rory began to pull herself together. "I'm so sorry for imploding your life like this."
Logan squeezed her closer. "I don't ever want to hear you apologize to me for this again. I imploded my own life. I stupidly agreed to this arrangement, and now I will have to either find a way out of it or live with the consequences."
They sat wrapped in each other's arms for several minutes until Rory's cell phone rang over the Bluetooth of her car. They both startled and began to laugh. Rory reached out and accepted the call.
"Hello?"
"Hey kiddo! How did your appointment go?" Lorelie's voice filled the car.
"Hi Mom. It was ..." Rory trailed off.
"It was magical." Logan supplied.
"Blondie?" Lorelie was surprised both by Logan's voice and his words.
"Hi Lorelie. We got to hear the baby's heartbeat. It was the most amazing thing I've ever heard in my life." Logan responded.
"Oh wow! Yes, that is really special. I'm so glad you got to hear that. Makes it all real, doesn't it?" Lorelie said.
"Everything changed for me today." Logan admitted. "I thought I knew... I don't know what, but the whole world shifted for me at that moment."
"Get ready for it- it only gets more bizarre from here on out! Wait until you get to the ultrasound!" Lorelie laughed.
"Actually, mom, that is next month!" Rory said.
"Would you like to come with us?" Logan quickly asked.
Rory smiled at Logan, pleasantly surprised that he thought to ask her mom along.
Lorelie was silent for a moment. "Logan, you don't need to invite me. This is your baby, you and Rory should have that moment together."
Logan shrugged. "I'll leave the final decision up to you and Rory, but be clear here - I asked you because I feel that it's the natural thing to do. I know how close you two are, I guess I just assumed that you would be there with us throughout the whole pregnancy and you know, the child rearing and stuff!" He laughed.
Rory rolled her eyes. "Mom, it's up to you, but I think we both would be happy if you came to our ultrasound appointment with us."
"Yes," Logan continued, "it's important that our child has a strong relationship with his or her grandma!"
"We don't use that word!" Rory and Lorelie shrieked in unison.
Logan laughed again. "Ok, I'm going to head out. Robert has a strategy session planned for the rest of the day. I should go supervise. Lorelie, I'll see you next month. Rory, I'll talk to you later. Drop by Robert's after your chat with Emily. Keep our little kumquat safe." Logan turned to get out of the car and quickly leaned back and gave Rory a quick kiss on the lips as he left. "Love you!" He called over his shoulder.
Rory sat silently, watching him walk back to the cafe. She was shocked by both the kiss and the statement.
"Loinfruit? Did he just say what I think he said?" Lorelie asked.
"Yeah. And he kissed me goodbye." Rory said.
"Well. I guess that's progress!" Lorelie enthused.
"Oh, mom, you have no idea how crazy this morning has been!" Rory exclaimed. She gave her mother a brief run down of all she had learned, her introduction to Odette, and the damn betrothal agreement.
Lorelie listened without interruption. When Rory finally finished, her mother was uncharacteristically quiet. "Isn't it the most insane thing you've ever heard of?"
Lorelie sighed. "Nope. Not by a long shot. Kid, this is exactly what Strom and Francine wanted for Chris and I. Like, they had the papers drawn up."
"You are punking me!" Rory exclaimed.
"I wish it was all a joke. Dad didn't make me sign them, mostly because he and Mom thought that having an actual contract was tacky. Dad preferred a 'gentleman's agreement'. Basically the same thing, but over cigars and scotch instead of on paper." She elaborated.
"But it's so... misogynistic!" Rory complained.
"Yes, but the world of the wealthy WASP is. Rory, this is why I left that world behind. I couldn't reconcile myself to the pressure. And there is an amazing amount of pressure to go along with this stuff." Lorelie said.
"But mom, this is so much worse! If they don't marry, Odette loses her inheritance. And Logan loses his shares on HPG. It's extortion!" Rory was upset again, over the injustice of the situation.
"Rory, honey. Didn't you ever wonder why I didn't have a cushy trust fund?" Lorelie asked.
Rory was momentarily confused. She had never considered this. She had received a trust fund once she finished university, and a second sum of money when she turned 30. She hadn't questioned it.
"You didn't get a trust fund." Rory said aloud as she realized it.
"No. It was reinvested for you when I left. I walked away from it in order to have control over my own life. And I didn't regret it for an instant. But this is nothing new, hun." Lorelie agreed.
Rory shook her head gently. "I don't think it's a good idea for me to go see Grandma right now. I need to process this."
"Okay, sweetie. But don't let it go to long. You need to tell her eventually." Lorelie warned.
