Gilmore Girls: More in the Life

Chapter 83

Three weeks later, Luke stood behind the counter at his diner, waiting on customers as they needed attention. He was lost in his own thoughts, anxious to get home to see how much had been accomplished on the house. Most of the outside work had been done, with the frame being completed and windows installed. Siding should be going on soon. Then it was on to the inside. It was getting there, though it seemed like quite a bit of work was left.

The bell above the door jingled. Turning to see who had arrived, Luke stopped in his tracks to find April.

"April! What are you doing here?"

"I'm back from Germany. Mom picked me up at the airport this morning. She had work to do in her new store in Litchfield so I thought I'd come over and see you."

"How was Germany?"

"It was wonderful. The classes, the people, the food. I learned so much. I hated to leave."

"I figured that when you extended your stay twice."

Laughing, April took a seat at the counter. "It was worth the cost, I promise."

Luke harrumphed. The cost meant nothing to her because he was the one who footed the bill. That's how his relationship with Anna and April had evolved. They saw him as the meal ticket for April to live extravagantly. It was frustrating in the sense that he loved his daughter and wanted the best for her but he was always being asked to fund some trip or pay some bill.

Anna had hit rough times when her mother died in Arizona a few years earlier. She moved back to Connecticut but spent more time wasting her life than trying to build a new one. It was good to hear she had opened a new store, though, so hopefully that meant Luke wouldn't be looked at as a walking, talking checkbook anymore. Especially because he was no longer willing to give April more money due to the upcoming arrival of the twins.

April cleared her throat, bringing Luke back to the present. "How are you liking married life?"

Smiling, Luke grabbed empty plates from the counter. "There isn't much change from before but I have to say I'm happy to finally have Lorelai as my wife."

"It's about time. I'm just sorry I couldn't make it back for the wedding."

"No problem. Like I told you, we ended up eloping the night before the wedding anyway."

"You looked very happy in the pictures you sent me."

"It's because I am happy."

"Are you getting nervous about the twins?"

"A little. I don't have experience with infants but Lorelai is confident that I'll pick things up quickly."

"You'll do fine. You picked things up quickly with me."

Luke laughed. "That was different. You were twelve."

The two visited for a while longer before April begged off, hoping to catch some of her old school friends.

Watching her go, Luke smiled. He couldn't wait until Gabby and Eli came so he could begin making memories with them.

*****

That afternoon, Luke called it a day and went home. It was still relatively early but he left the diner in Caesar's care so he could lend a hand with the additions. Even though Emily had paid for everything, he figured he could help when possible to speed everything up.

Pulling to a stop in front of the house, Luke spied Tom standing in front of the house with a clipboard in his hand and a pencil behind his ear. He sat in the truck for a moment and observed the changes that had taken place with the house. The siding had been started, making the project take on a whole new look.

Climbing out of the truck and moving toward Tom, Luke called out to him. After a quick conversation— because both men knew the other hated talking— Luke gathered a few tools and moved to the crew working on the siding. He threw himself into hanging the siding, anxious to get one more step in this project complete.

Three hours later, the siding was up and the outside of the house was looking finished. At that moment, Lorelai pulled in. Luke quickly made his way to her side of the Jeep to help her out. When he opened the door, Lorelai began shaking her head.

"I'm not staying. Rory's in labor. Her water broke twenty minutes ago."

"Why didn't you call me?"

"Uh, I did. You didn't answer any of my ten frantic calls."

Luke pulled out his cell phone to see that his wife had, in fact, tried calling him ten times in the last twenty minutes. "Oh, you did. I'm sorry. I was working on the house and didn't hear it."

"I don't care. If you're coming, get in. I'm heading to the hospital now whether you're with me or not."

Luke looked down at his clothing. He was covered in dirt and sweat. "Would you give me five minutes to change?"

Rolling her eyes, Lorelai reached for her phone. "Five minutes. I'm setting an alarm. You're not back, I'm leaving without you."

Luke laughed, knowing full well that his wife would do just that.

Four minutes and twenty-three seconds later, Luke was climbing into Lorelai's Jeep and the two were on their way to await the arrival of Lorelai Gail Huntzberger.