For the next few days, we immersed ourselves into everything the city had to offer.  We visited museums, studied architecture, and took horse-drawn carriage rides through the park.  I even managed to get a couple private tours at castles in the area.  I wanted Rory to feel as if the whole world were revolving around us.  Romance was in abundance, as was the food.  In the eyes of my beautiful wife, the latter far outweighed the former due to the baby's growing appetite.

Earlier in the week, I came up with the harebrained idea to whisk Rory away to Paris for the weekend, but I needed to make sure that she'd be ok with this slight change in plans.  I had already made some tentative plans with the guys if she agreed.

"So, I was thinking that, maybe, we check out tomorrow morning and fly to Paris for the weekend.  What do you think?" I proposed the potential change.

"Oh, wow.  I hadn't even considered.  They do have some great food in Paris.....why not?!" she replied.  "After all, Paris is the romantic city in the world.  It should definitely be a part of our honeymoon."

"I'll make the necessary arrangements," I said with a sneaky smile.

"What are you grinning about?  Do you know something I don't?"

"Guess you'll just have to wait and find out." My Cheshire cat-like smile grew bigger.  I couldn't wait to surprise her with a wonderful weekend in Paris.  Colin, Finn, and Robert had already been making special preparations.  I think the guys love scheming and taking her on adventures.  I was also hoping to make up for the rough start to our week.  At this point, I think she enjoys my surprises as much as I enjoy her reactions.

The next morning, we checked out and went to the airport.  We had done so much shopping in Hamburg that our suitcase count had doubled.  Traveling first class certainly has its perks, specifically being we didn't have to worry about our luggage.  All we needed to do was pack our bags and be on our way.  We boarded for the short flight to Paris.

Rory must have been feeling inspired to write because she pulled out her laptop and lost herself working on her book.  I loved seeing the look of determination and commitment on her face while she worked, tediously typing away.  I managed to check in with the office and everything was under control.  Once she put her computer away, I took my cue and sat next to her.

"How's it going, Ace?"

"I just had a great writing session.  I couldn't believe how much I got done!  It feels great to make some forward progress on this project, you know?"

"That's great to hear!  You are going to rock this book!  You and Lorelai have an amazing story," I replied and got a bit more serious.  "Now....how's our little Ace doing?  I know we've been focusing on us, but I seem to have a case of baby on the brain and I can hardly think about anything else today."

"I guess there's not much to report.  The baby is still tiny, so it's not like I feel anything except uncontrollable hunger, and that's not that much out of the ordinary.  That's how I know this baby is full blown Gilmore!"  Both of us laughed.  "After the early bouts of morning sickness, things seem to be much smoother.  At times, it's still not really real to me, even though we saw the baby at the doctor's office."

"I'll admit it's not quite real to me either, yet this is the scariest thing I've ever faced, and I've had a lot of scary Mitchum moments in my life!" I confessed.

"But you've seemed so calm, cool, and collected about all of this!  I'm so glad I'm not the only one freaking out about this!" she said, and she seemed relieved that we were on the same page.  "I can't believe we are going to be someone's parents!"

I laughed.  "I know, it feels completely wrong, but, as a team, we're going to figure this out together."

"As a team....we will," she replied, moving to kiss me.  I put my hand under her chin and pulled her lips to mine, and kissed her.

When we landed in Paris, we deplaned and headed for the car.  I had managed to get us The Penthouse at the Four Seasons.  I wanted our weekend to be unforgettable and that included our accommodations.  I led her to our room and the views were breathtaking.  It had a 360 degree view of the city.  I knew this would be extremely romantic as Paris was gorgeous at night.  After the short flight, I knew we'd be hungry by the time we'd gotten settled in our room.

"How about a little walk to find something to eat?"

"You read my mind, Logan," she replied.  "Let me change first!"

She found some casual clothes in her suitcase.  It seemed no matter what she wore, she looked beautiful.  I also changed into something more comfortable as well as finding my jacket.  I knew it was going to be a little cooler outside if we were walking.

"I'm ready," she announced on her way into the main room where I was waiting.

We started toward the Eiffel Tower.  I knew there were a few little cafes around there.  The towering iron structure wasn't much to look at during the day, but was still an amazing feat of architecture.  After a short walk, we arrived at a little café.  Later, we took the Metro to Sacre-Coeur and Moulin Rouge.  It was a little touristy, but Paris in November is fairly quiet.

We rode back toward the hotel and shopped along the Champs-Elysees.  I found the dress shop I'd planned to take Rory to.  I wanted her to have something special for our dinner tonight.  I picked out a few dresses online, but a royal blue dress caught my eye.  I handed her my choice.

"I thought you could use a little something special for dinner tonight," I said with a smile.

"Oh, I could, could I?" she retorted with a little laugh.

"We are going somewhere very special for dinner and I thought you might like a little something new to wear...."

"Well, if that's the case...." she replied, smiling.  "It's not like I'll be able to wear cute things like this dress for very much longer.  I might as well take advantage of it while I can."

She came out of the dressing room, and I felt the butterflies invade my stomach.  She was stunning and I knew the dress was meant for her when I saw it.  It was refreshing to know I hadn't lost my eye for dresses.

"Are we going shoe shopping next?" she asked with a smile.

"If I've learned anything from Honor it's that no outfit would be complete without a great pair of shoes," I said with a wink.  It was as if she'd read my mind.  I was hoping to get her into a jewelry store after that.

While I have an eye for dresses, Rory's definitely got an eye for shoes.  She found some to perfectly match her dress.  I couldn't wait to see the entire ensemble tonight for dinner.  Although, we may not make it out of the room if I don't control myself.  Upon exit, I noticed her upbeat demeanor begin to fade.

"Logan, perhaps we could go back to the hotel?  I could really use a nap before going out for dinner tonight."

"I think that could be arranged.  We have done a lot today.  I wasn't sure how long you'd hold out, knowing you've been pretty tired lately," I replied.  This was perfect because I could sneak out and pick out the jewelry for her myself.  I loved spoiling this woman, and she deserved every bit of it.

Within minutes of her head hitting the pillow, she was asleep.  I located the jeweler my father had recommended, and it wasn't too far from the hotel.  I debated between diamonds and sapphires.  I finally settled on sapphires to match her dress and eyes.  I chose a necklace and earrings.  Since this hadn't take much time, I returned to the dress shop and picked up a should wrap, just in case.

When I returned, I made some real coffee.  The smell wafted through the suite.  It had been a while since Rory fell asleep, so I figured she'd be up soon, and we still had plenty of time before our reservation tonight.  As if on cue, she came padding into the main room in her robe.

"That smells wonderful, Logan," she said as she continued to take in the scent she loved dearly.

"Thought you could use a little bit of coffee before we go out, and yes, it's real coffee," I replied.  She wasn't very along in her pregnancy, but I think reducing the amount of regular coffee she consumes might be her biggest challenge to date.

"Oh, this is wonderful, Logan.  You are the best," she said with a little squeal.  "What time is our reservation tonight?"

"It's in an hour, so you have plenty of time to get ready," I replied.  I loved seeing her giddy like a kid on Christmas who got the one thing they'd been begging Santa for.

I walked into the bedroom after a few minutes.  She'd already managed to put on her dress and had her hair up.  She was seated at the vanity, and I stood behind her holding the box containing the jewelry I'd found earlier.  I set it in front of her.

"Open it," I directed.

She took the box, untied the bow, and opened it.  "Logan.....this is beautiful!  You didn't have to....when did you do this?"

"I snuck out while you were taking a nap.  I want to give you everything.  That's all I've ever wanted, Ace," I replied from behind her.  I took the necklace out and put it on her.  She put on the earrings and looked at herself in the mirror.  I felt like I was standing behind my very own princess.  She was beautiful inside and out.  I was, by far, the luckiest man on earth.

I disappeared into the next room and reappeared with the black wrap I'd bought earlier.

"We should get going if we want to make our reservation," I warned.

She slipped on her shoes and moved toward me.  I placed the wrap around her shoulders.  She didn't know we were going downstairs for dinner.  When we got out of the elevator, she tried to head toward the front entrance of the hotel.  I redirected her to Le Cinq.  I placed my hand on the small of her back, guiding her toward the entrance where they were waiting to seat us.  I'd reserved a romantic table for two in the corner.  I didn't want us to be caught in the middle of the restaurant, lost in the crowd.

I watched her as she drank in the details of the restaurant.  She'd been much more observant lately.  Something, or someone, must have caught her eye.  She was locked onto someone.  I wasn't sure who she was looking at because there were so many people in here.

"Who are you looking at, Ace?"

"I can't place that blonde-haired woman over there," she said nodding in the woman's direction.  "She looks kind of like.....Shira," she finished her thought as my mom faced us.  "But who is the brunette?"

I felt the color drain from my face.  What.....the......hell.....I thought.

"What is it, Logan?"

Are you fucking kidding me, mom?!  I thought this mess was over, but I was wrong.  I didn't want to deal with my mom or my ex on my honeymoon.  I certainly didn't want to put any extra stress on Rory.

"That's......Odette....."