Finding Rory

Chapter 58: Double Celebration

"Where are my babies?" Rory squealed, running through her mom's house at breakneck speed. Romeo and Juliet came bounding over, happy to hear their mom's voice.

Rory sat down on the floor and pulled the puppies into her lap, laughing as they nipped at her fingers and yipped happily. Tristan walked in and laughed as he saw Rory on the floor. He sat down next to her, rubbing behind Romeo and Juliet's ears.

"There are our babies. Were you guys good for Grandma and Grandpa while we were gone?" Tristan asked.

"Whoa - stop right there, mister. I'm far too young to be called Grandma. You're going to have to figure out something else," Lorelai teased, watching her daughter and possible future son-in-law play with the puppies.

"Well, I'll happily take suggestions, Lorelai," Tristan said with a laugh.

"Luke's out in the backyard, getting ready to grill. Do you guys want to take the puppies outside? We could all head out there," Lorelai offered.

"Yeah, that sounds great," replied Rory, grateful that her mom seemed to be playing nicely. She and Tristan stood up and scooped up the puppies before following Lorelai outside.

"Hey, guys. How was your trip?" Luke asked as he put the barbecue chicken on the grill.

"It was fantastic," Rory replied, exchanging a look with Tristan. He nodded at her and she turned back to her mom and Luke. "Tris asked me to marry him, and I said yes," she told them, smiling happily. Tristan wrapped his arm around Rory's waist, wanting to keep her close in case Lorelai didn't react well.

"That's amazing! Congratulations, you two," Luke offered, hugging Rory and shaking Tristan's hand. "I'm telling you - there's something about these Gilmore girls. Once you fall in love with one, you never get over it."

"You can say that again," Tristan said with a laugh.

Lorelai walked over to the younger couple, taking time to notice how happy they both looked. Luke had been right about everything he'd said. "Congratulations, Sweets. I think you've found a good one here," Lorelai said quietly. She was nervous to see how Rory would react to her kindness.

"You...you do?" Rory asked in shock. "I mean, I know that I have an amazing man, but I didn't expect you to say that."

"I think I've probably not been very fair to you or Tristan, and I'm sorry about that. Luke helped me to realize just how my actions were affecting you. I want to apologize to both of you. It's obvious that you two love each other very much, and I don't want to be one of those things that keeps you apart. I hope you'll forgive me," Lorelai said, fighting tears.

Rory flew into her mother's arms and hugged her fiercely. "Of course I'll forgive you, Mom," she whispered.

Lorelai held Rory a moment longer and then moved and offered her hand to Tristan. "I hope you'll give me another chance as well?" she asked tentatively.

"I'm just happy to have your support now, Lorelai. I love your daughter so much, and it killed me to feel like I was the reason for you two being on rocky ground," Tristan said, bypassing her hand and hugging her lightly.

"I just want you to know, I still reserve the right to inflict bodily harm if you hurt her," Lorelai warned with a laugh as she stepped out of Tristan's embrace. "Alright, let's see the ring, Sweets," she finished, turning toward Rory.

Rory held out her hand and then began squealing and jumping when Lorelai reached out to take her hand and examine her ring. "Oh my god, is that...?" Rory asked.

"It is - just before you guys got here," Lorelai replied. Suddenly, she and Rory were both squealing and dancing in the middle of the backyard. Tristan and Luke exchanged a look and laughed at the spectacle that the Gilmore girls were making.

"I guess congratulations are in order for you two as well?" Tristan asked Luke.

"Yeah, twenty years later, they finally are," Luke confirmed with a smile.

Rory finally broke from her mom's embrace and flew into Luke's arms. "You're finally officially going to be my step dad, Luke! This is amazing - I couldn't be happier for you two if I tried," Rory whispered as she hugged him.

"You know that you and your mom are my world, Rory," Luke replied warmly.

Tristan grabbed the bottle of wine they'd brought outside with them and poured four glasses. He handed them out and then held up his glass to make a toast.

"To loving a Gilmore girl. If Lorelai makes you even half as happy as Rory makes me, you're a lucky man indeed. To love and finally getting forever with our Gilmore girls - it may have taken us a combined thirty-seven years, but good things obviously come to those who wait," Tristan offered. They all returned his toast and took a sip of their drinks.

"So, have you two given any thought to when you'll get married yet?" Lorelai asked as they all sat down a little bit later with their dinner.

"Sort of - we know that we want to get married by the end of the year, but we haven't made any plans beyond that. We have made another decision, though. I'm going to go ahead and move into Tristan's house. It's important to both of us," Rory shared, looking over at her mom hesitantly. She still felt like she was waiting for the other shoe to drop.

"Well, let me know if you need any help, Sweets. I could come over and help you pack in the evening, if you'd like. I know I wouldn't want Luke and I to live in separate houses," Lorelai said with a smile.

Rory exhaled deeply and smiled. "Thank you so much, Mom. That really means so much," she said gratefully.

"Well, like I said - my support is long overdue.. Between my bias against society and some other stuff going on, I haven't exactly been a ray of sunshine," Lorelai said with a smile.

"What kind of other stuff?" Rory asked curiously.

Lorelai gave Rory a pointed look before answering evasively. "Just some...personal stuff. I'll tell you about it later, Sweets."

"Okay, sure," Rory answered, getting the feeling that it wasn't conversation for their present company. "We'll talk later."