Logan should have turned off his phone.

He could have spent the day in Stars Hollow. Had dinner with Rory at Sookie's house. Slept another night with Rory cuddled against him in her tiny bed. She may have found it cramped, but Logan would take waking with pins and needles in his arm over sleeping without her any time.

But Logan had called his mother back. Once Rory told Shira she'd pass along her message, he had no choice. He wouldn't give his mother another reason to criticize Rory. According to Honor, their mother had taken Rory's rejection of his proposal as an insult to the entire Huntzberger family, and Logan suspected the end of the feud with the Gilmores was a direct result of Shira's need to minimize the family's humiliation. He couldn't imagine Shira would ever forgive Emily Gilmore for calling her a "two-bit gold digger" unless she had something to gain from reestablishing the friendship. What better way to show the busybodies in Hartford that Rory hadn't injured the family than to make nice with the enemy—or, in this case, the enemy's grandmother? Clearly, keeping up appearances was more important to Shira than Logan's broken heart. She had yet to offer a single consoling word to her son.

When Shira picked up his call without so much as a hello, Logan knew his mother's Gilmore forgiveness had not extended to Rory.

"Logan, what are you doing with Rory Gilmore? Can't you see she's only using you? She turned you down last spring when you were estranged from your father, but now that you're doing so well, she's changed her mind? You are better off without her. In no way would she make a suitable wife. Surely you must see that the Gilmores are not our equals."

Not only were Shira's words hurtful and wrong, they were insulting. Was it so unlikely that Rory could love Logan for the person he was and not his family? And did his mother really believe he couldn't tell the difference between a girl who was interested in him for the Huntzberger name and one who genuinely cared for him?

"Mom, if you have something to say that isn't about Rory, then say it," he said. "Otherwise, I'm hanging up."

"Well, you need to come home. You know we're expecting you for Christmas dinner," Shira said. "Holidays are family times."

Logan had almost laughed at her pretense. Calling any holiday "family time" for the Huntzbergers was complete fantasy. Since high school, the only Christmas Logan had spent with his parents had been two years ago when he was in the midst of his first breakup with Rory—and that was entirely because of Honor. By Christmas, Logan's epiphany had come: he was in love with Rory and returning to his old life had done nothing to relieve his depression over losing her. Honor, however, had refused to accept that Logan wanted to be alone and miserable in his apartment for Christmas and had driven to New Haven, made Logan pack some clothes (it took her threats of rifling through his underwear drawer to get him off his sofa), and dragged him back to Hartford.

Logan figured Shira had sensed that the "family time" argument would have little effect on him because her next approach had been to exploit his relationship with the one member of the family she knew mattered to him.

"I know you don't want to disappoint your sister," Shira said. "Don't you want to take advantage of what may be your last chance to spend time with Honor before the baby arrives?"

Logan had started to waver then. Honor was the reason he had come home to Connecticut, and he did want to hang out with her, if only to share his happiness about Rory and to thank her for the role she'd played in their reconciliation. Other than Rory, he had missed Honor more than anyone since he'd moved to California.

Still, it wasn't until Shira had explained that his grandfather was demanding to be picked up in the Range Rover that Logan relented. Elias had never intimidated Logan, but he was the only person Logan had ever seen who could dominate Mitchum. Even years after his retirement from the Huntzberger Group, the old man ruled the family. Refusing the chauffeuring job would result in multiple phone calls from his mother, and possibly his father. In the end, no matter how much he resented his mother's demands, it was easier to do what she wanted.

Which is why Logan should have turned off his phone. The day had begun with so much promise when he woke up next to Rory for the first time since May, and he'd even forged some sort of truce with Lorelai. Logan was furious with Shira for ruining his Christmas and disgusted with himself for allowing her to manipulate him.

Because manipulate him, she had. Nothing his mother had said on the phone had one iota to do with the reason she wanted him home for dinner. No, Shira's true motivation was sitting beside Logan at the table. The newly enhanced Colby Ingram.

From the moment the Ingrams arrived at five, Logan had been forced to listen to Colby's tiresome babble. During pre-dinner cocktails, Honor had tried to act as a buffer between her little brother and his admirer, but Logan could not escape Colby once they reached the dining room. She talked about her friends at Sweet Briar. She talked about her upcoming ski trip ("You know, Logan, Aspen is on your way back to California. Why don't you join me and my friends? It's going to be an awesome time."), her new iPhone, the party she'd gone to Sunday night, and her plans for a post-graduation trip to Europe. The only thing she didn't talk about was her plastic surgery, although the plunging neckline of her tight satin blouse took care of announcing that for her.

Having inherited his father's ability to appear engaged in a conversation while his mind was elsewhere, Logan was able to tune out most of Colby's blather during dinner. Instead, he thought about the girl who had never left his consciousness in over three years. For the first time in seven months, he could think of Rory without the soul-crushing unhappiness and regret. She loved him and wanted to be with him again.

Yet Logan couldn't deny the atmosphere had been strained between them when he left Stars Hollow. It was natural that they were disappointed about not spending the rest of the holiday together, but Rory had wrongly interpreted his somber, Shira-induced mood to mean he was upset with her, and Logan wasn't sure he'd eased her doubts in the few minutes they'd had before he left for his grandfather's house. He also couldn't stop Rory's words to Lorelai from replaying in his head.

"Of course I don't want to be her daughter-in-law."

Logan didn't believe Rory had meant what she'd said, at least not in the way it sounded. He had no doubts about her feelings for him, and while he understood why she hadn't been ready for marriage when he proposed, he was confident that someday Rory would be his wife. At the same time, he realized his mother would always be a problem. Other than his mother's charity event last winter, Rory had avoided the Huntzberger house since the night of the dinner from hell, and he couldn't blame her. Both his mother's and grandfather's behavior that night had been appalling. On their rare meetings since then, Shira had been nothing but courteous to Rory, but Logan knew Rory could recognize feigned society politeness when she saw it.

A public meeting at a social gathering and a private phone call were very different things, and Logan assumed his mother had been rude to Rory on the phone, a fact she seemed to confirm with her hesitation when he asked about their conversation. While it was likely that Rory, ever the peacemaker, wanted to protect his fragile relationship with his family, he couldn't shake a nagging feeling of apprehension, particularly after they'd just promised each other open lines of communication. Almost every problem they'd ever had—from his father's critique of Rory on the day of the yacht heist to his job offer in California, with every Bobbi confusion and Marty debacle in between—had happened, not from blatant dishonesty, but from their failure to reveal important details.

The touch of Colby's hand on his sleeve snapped Logan from his thoughts. His dinner companion had been liberal with her physical contact all night, beginning with the hug she had launched at him when she arrived. When she wasn't placing her hand on his arm or "accidentally" tapping his leg with hers under the table, Colby was leaning toward him to provide a clear view of her new cleavage. Her come-ons might have been comical had they not seemed so desperate and orchestrated, and Logan wondered how much coaching she'd received from their mothers.

Thanks to their parents' friendship, Logan had known Colby since she was ten and had always found her rather dull, both in personality and intellect. Insipid, Mitchum had called her yesterday. Shira had never considered Colby the only possibility for Logan (who could forget the Fallon girl?), but she had never been shy about hinting what a suitable match she would make when she was older. With an age difference of more than four years between their children, Shira and Annabelle had been forced to delay any obvious matchmaking until Colby turned 18, which happened just before she left for Sweet Briar. Logan had met Rory later that fall, but even if he hadn't, he would not be remotely interested in Colby. She had grown into a young woman who possessed the type of bland prettiness all too common in the society set, which was to say it resulted more from the skills of stylists at expensive salons and plastic surgeons than from any inherent attractiveness.

The society side of Logan's brain registered that Colby had asked him about a best-selling novel she had finished reading on her flight from Virginia.

"It's really the most amazing book," Colby said. "You should totally read it."

"Uh, not really my thing," Logan said. "But I'm pretty sure my girlfriend read it when it came out a couple of years ago."

"Well, I bet she loved it," Colby said. "It's so totally romantic."

"Actually, I think she hated it," Logan said. "She thought the writing was bad and that the heroine was an airhead. I remember her saying something about it 'setting feminism back at least five decades.'"

"What? No way! It's a beautiful love story. Logan, you must have it confused with another book."

Logan shrugged. "Yeah, okay, maybe so," he said, knowing that he didn't.

Logan had tried to drop references to his girlfriend into his conversation with Colby, hoping she'd get the hint, but either she didn't notice or had decided to ignore it. Certainly Colby was aware of Rory's rejection of his proposal, but he imagined Shira had assured Annabelle that Logan was over that and available.

With dessert finally on the table, Logan's time with Colby was nearly over. The minute he could get away, he intended to call Rory and tell her he was returning to Stars Hollow. He'd come up with a plan during his drive home, something he hoped would make her happy. After discussing it with Honor, who gave her approval, Logan had made the arrangements, although not soon enough to call Rory without interrupting her dinner. The plan had some risk. It might have been better if he'd talked to Rory first, but he hoped she'd view it as a surprise (like an unannounced visit from London) rather than another case of Logan's making decisions for them (like an out-of-the-blue marriage proposal).

"Excuse me, Mr. Huntzberger?"

Logan heard the voice of one of the maids behind his chair and turned around. "Yes?"

"I'm sorry to interrupt, but you have a visitor in the front hall."

"Oh, thank you. You'll have to excuse me, Colby."

As Logan stood up, he felt his mother's eyes on him, but he didn't meet her gaze before hurrying from the dining room, puzzled by his unexpected guest. If Finn hadn't e-mailed that morning about the "lovely Sheila" he was taking surfing on Bondi Beach, Logan might have expected to find the crazy Australian waiting for him. Then again, it wouldn't be out of character for Finn to make up an elaborate story to pull off an ambush, and while Logan was always happy to see his old friend, there was only one person he truly hoped to find waiting for him.

And there she was, standing beside the large, professionally decorated Christmas tree that dominated the front hall. She was wearing the burgundy dress they'd bought last December in London, and her chestnut hair was gathered in a low ponytail of soft waves.

"Nice dress, Ace," he said.

When Rory whirled around, Logan saw the worry in her eyes. "I hope it's okay that I'm here," she said. "I probably should have called first instead of showing up like this. I did call, twice, but you didn't pick up, and then Mom said I should just come since you invited me, but I almost didn't ring the doorbell. I think I stood out there for ten minutes in the freezing cold, worrying about what your mother will—"

Logan placed his hand on her face and silenced her rant with a kiss.

When he finally released her lips, she said, "So you're not mad at me?"

Logan looked at her like she was crazy. "Mad at you? Why would I be mad?" They both turned when they heard voices and the sound of chairs moving in the dining room. "Come with me."

Grabbing Rory's hand, Logan pulled her across the front hall to the wing of the house away from the dining room. She followed him through a set of double doors, which he shut behind them as he flipped on the light. Rory looked around the small room, taking in the plush upholstery, the glass coffee table, the tasteful artwork, the carefully selected accent pieces. On her last visit to the Huntzberger house, Rory had explored much of the first floor, and every room appeared to have been lifted from the pages of Town and Country or Architectural Digest. This room reminded her of the 1920s historic estate, now a museum, she had toured last month in Des Moines, lovely and impeccably decorated, yet lacking a sense of warmth or feeling that anyone lived in it.

"What's this room?" Rory asked. "I missed it the last time I was here."

"One of the many pointless rooms in this house," Logan said. "Mom calls it the rose room because there are huge rose bushes surrounding the patio outside the French doors."

"I bet it's nice in the summer," Rory said. "So are you hiding me? Oh, did I interrupt dinner? I thought you'd be finished by the time I got here."

"We were just finishing dessert, and of course I'm not hiding you. You seemed a little upset, so I thought we'd take a few minutes before we go in there." He motioned for Rory to sit beside him on the sofa and put his arm around her waist. "I'm really glad you're here." He leaned in and kissed her.

"I was afraid you might be mad because I didn't come to dinner," Rory said. "Or because you, maybe, um, overheard something I said—"

"You mean when you said you didn't want to be my mother's daughter-in-law?"

"I am so sorry, Logan," Rory said. "I didn't mean I wouldn't be her daughter-in-law, just that it wouldn't be, you know, an easy position to hold."

"Ace, relax, I knew what you meant."

"You did?"

Logan nodded. "I get it. Look, I was disappointed you weren't coming with me, but I understood, and I certainly wasn't mad. Not at you."

"But you said you'd call, and when I called you this afternoon, you didn't pick up. I called you again right before I left Stars Hollow—"

"You didn't think I was screening your calls, did you? I left my phone in my room. I don't know why I missed your first call. Maybe I was in the shower, but if I'd known you called, I would have called you back right away."

"But things were kind of, well, weird when you left."

"It wasn't you," Logan said. "I was pissed off that I had to go get my grandfather, and my mother...well, she said some things I didn't like."

"Like how I'm only using you because you're successful again? Oh, and I'm trying to trick you. Not sure how, exactly. Maybe she thinks I'm going to get pregnant."

Logan snorted. "She should know all about that."

"Is that why your parents got married?" Rory asked.

"Not really. They were engaged for almost a year, but Honor arrived six months after the wedding," Logan said. "Honor's theory is Mom didn't want to give Dad a chance to change his mind."

"Or maybe it wasn't intentional. Not all babies are planned, you know. Like me."

Logan smiled and shook his head. "That's my girl. Always wanting to believe the best about people, even people who aren't very nice to her. Whatever, it doesn't matter, but you should have told me what Mom said to you, Ace. No secrets. Open lines of communication, remember?"

Rory nodded. "I'm sorry. I didn't want to cause problems between you and your mother."

"Hey, you're the one who matters," Logan said. "You don't need to worry about my fucked-up relationship with my parents. I will always take your side over my family. Always. I love you. Nothing my mother says or does is going to change that, okay?"

"Okay."

"Okay." Logan pulled her closer, and she snuggled against him. "You look gorgeous, by the way."

Rory looked up and grinned. "You don't think this dress is so last year?"

"No way, Ace. It's timeless. Perfect."

The dress had appeared so ordinary on the hanger in the tiny shop near Covent Garden that Rory had walked past it, but the deep burgundy silk caught Logan's eye. When she came out of the dressing room, the saleswoman raved about Rory's "ethereal beauty" and how the color complemented her "lovely, azure eyes." Logan was rendered speechless. The sleeveless fitted bodice had a low, sweetheart neckline, but a silk organza overlay draped beneath Rory's collarbones and formed fluttery cap sleeves, then cascaded in soft ruffles from the waist to the hem that barely skimmed her knees. Logan wasn't certain how the elegant dress could be both modest and sexy, but that was its overall effect as it hugged Rory's curves and revealed her beautiful long legs.

Rory saw the desire in Logan's eyes. "Geez, Logan, what is it with you and this dress? Would you like me to leave you two alone?"

"Funny," Logan said. "I was just remembering when you wore it last Christmas Eve. Every guy in that restaurant wanted you. But I got to be the one who took you home."

"Logan." A deep blush spread across Rory's cheeks. "Stop exaggerating."

"I'm not. You look amazing in this dress, absolutely stunning. Not that you don't look stunning in everything." He winked at her. "Or nothing."

Rory, still blushing, rolled her eyes. "Stop it." She reached up and straightened Logan's tie. "You're not so bad yourself, you know. Very handsome in your suit."

"Well, you were with me when I bought it, and you picked out the tie. It'd be pretty bad if you didn't like it."

"So we're okay?" Rory asked.

"We're better than okay. I was going to call you as soon as I could escape the dinner party. I was planning on driving back to Stars Hollow tonight. I have a surprise for you."

"Oh, yeah?"

Logan smirked. "You know, maybe I should wait," he said. "Keep you in suspense for a little while."

"You're about to take me in there to face your mother and your very scary grandfather."

"And my parents' friends."

Rory cringed. "Oh, great. I just barged in on your family's Christmas."

"You didn't barge in. I invited you. Besides, everybody will be leaving soon."

"Well, I think you should tell me your surprise."

"You do, huh? Let me think. I suppose I could tell you part of it."

"Logan!"

"Okay. I changed my flight. I'm not going back to California until Saturday."

Rory gasped. "Really? I thought you had to get back to work."

"Not until January 2. I just had no reason to stay here. Honor and Josh are going home this evening, and even if I wanted to spend time with my parents, which I don't, they're leaving for the house on St. Croix early tomorrow morning."

"But you're staying for me." Rory kissed him.

"I guess I'm not ready to be away from you yet."

Rory smiled. "I'm not ready for you to be away from me, either. Oh, this is great! So what's the other part of the surprise?"

Logan stood up and held out his hand. "That, my dear, needs a lot more discussion, so it will have to wait. Come on, let's go find Honor. I know she'll be excited to see you."

"Hold on a sec." Rory removed her lipstick from her handbag and applied a light coat to her lips. "Do I look okay?"

"Fishing for compliments now?" Logan asked. "I already said you look gorgeous."

"Yeah, well, you say that when I'm in my tattered sweats with no make-up and uncombed hair."

"Because it's true," Logan said. He couldn't help but compare Rory's subtle make-up to the layers he'd noticed on Colby's face. Colby couldn't come close to Rory's natural beauty, no matter how hard she tried. "Nobody in that room will think anything except how gorgeous you are."

Rory snorted. "Yeah, right. I'm sure your mother will be thinking something more along the lines of what the hell is she doing here?"

Logan didn't tell Rory how right she was about that. Shira would not be happy about the failure of her latest matchmaking attempt. "Come on."

"Wait. You've got a little lipstick." Rory laid her hand on Logan's face and gently rubbed her thumb across his lips. "There. That's better." She didn't remove her hand immediately, but continued to feather Logan's lips while they stared into each other's eyes.

"Keep that up, Ace, and I'm taking you upstairs," Logan said, his voice barely above a whisper.

Rory removed her hand. "Let's go." When Logan raised his eyebrows, she added, "To see your family, I mean. Not upstairs. Like I would agree to that."

"Can't blame a guy for trying."

As he led the way from the rose room, Logan nearly walked into his sister.

"Oh, there you are," Honor said. "Mom sent me to find you...Rory! You're here!" She sidestepped her brother to embrace Rory.

"Merry Christmas, Honor," Rory said. "Congratulations on the baby. I hear it's a boy."

"Oh, thank you. We're very excited," Honor said. "I love your dress. You look fantastic."

"Told you," Logan said.

"Thanks," Rory said. "How are you feeling? You look great."

"Better now that I'm over the morning sickness. The first trimester kind of sucked." She hugged Rory again. "I'm so glad you're here! And you." Honor turned to her brother and smacked his arm. "Why didn't you tell me Rory was coming tonight? Josh and I might have left without seeing her."

"I didn't know."

"He didn't," Rory said. "I crashed the party. I decided I had to see him again tonight since he was supposed to leave tomorrow, but now I found out he isn't."

"Finally, he did something that made sense," Honor said. "Guess he's not as dumb as he looks."

"Excuse me," Logan said. "Standing right here."

"Did he tell you the rest of his plan?" Honor asked.

"No, so stop talking, Honor," Logan said. "I know how difficult that is for you, but please try."

Honor smiled. "Okay, okay. I won't say anything else. Oh, it's so great that I got to see you before we head back to the city. And that you're giving my idiot brother another chance."

"Hey!" Logan said.

"I'm kidding," Honor said. "I'm really happy for you both. Logan has been a miserable boy without you, Rory, and California was too far away for me to kick his ass."

"If you tried to kick me now, you'd fall over," Logan said.

Rory smiled at the affectionate banter between the siblings. She had always enjoyed the time she and Logan spent with Honor, even though it made her envious of what she'd missed as an only child.

"I guess we'd better rejoin the group before Mom sends out a search party," Logan said, taking Rory's hand.

As they neared the living room, the sound of Shira's voice triggered butterflies in Rory's stomach, and she tightened her grip on Logan's hand.

"Don't worry. I'll protect you," Logan whispered.

"Look who I found," Honor announced when they entered the room.

"Rory! Nice to see you," Mitchum said. He left the fireplace where he'd been standing with a man Rory didn't recognize and walked over to greet Rory with a kiss on the cheek. "Merry Christmas."

"Merry Christmas," Rory said. "It's nice to see you, Mrs. Huntzberger. Your holiday decorations are lovely. Mr. Huntzberger." Rory nodded in the direction of Rory's grandfather, who was scowling from his chair at the far end of the living room. Rory wondered if the expression was permanent or if he only looked that way when she was around. She had never seen him smile.

"Hi, Rory. Good to see you," Josh said, as he rose from the chair next to Elias. Honor walked over and took the seat.

Rory smiled. "You, too, Josh. Congratulations on the baby."

"I wasn't aware you were joining us tonight, Rory," Shira said.

"I invited her, Mom," Logan said.

"You're always welcome, Rory. Have a seat," Mitchum said. "Can I get you a drink?"

"Oh, no, thank you. I'm fine."

"Have you met the Ingrams? These are our friends, Annabelle and Winston, and their daughter..." Mitchum's eyes scanned the room. "Well, she's around here somewhere. This is Rory Gilmore, Emily and Richard's granddaughter."

"It's nice to meet you," Rory said, smiling at the blonde woman sitting beside Shira on one of the sofas. Annabelle appeared to be about a half-decade younger than Shira's 51, although thanks to Botox it would be hard for anyone to identify either woman's true age.

"Hello, Rory. I've heard a lot about you," Annabelle said, sporting a sour expression that matched the one on Shira's face. Rory was certain that nothing Annabelle had heard was good if it had come from Shira.

After she shook hands with Winston, Rory followed Logan to the sofa opposite his mother and Annabelle, thankful to have his reassuring presence beside her. She allowed her leg to rest against his as they sat.

"So, Rory," Mitchum said. "I didn't get a chance to speak to you at your grandparents' party the other night."

"Oh, I wasn't able to stay very long," Rory said. "My father left for Paris on Sunday, and I wanted to spend some time with him."

"I didn't realize your father lived nearby," Shira said.

"He bought a house in Hartford last fall," Logan said.

"Rory's father is Francine Hayden's son, Christopher," Shira said. "Lovely woman. How is your grandmother, Rory? Do give her my regards."

"Oh, um, she's spending the winter at her house in The Bahamas," Rory said.

Logan reached for Rory's hand when he felt her tense at the sound of Francine's name. While the story of Lorelai's pregnancy was well known in Hartford society, many had forgotten the Hayden connection to the scandal, and it wasn't something Rory liked to advertise. In fact, Logan had learned about Rory's paternity by chance, shortly before they started dating. His mind drifted back to that January night, nearly three years ago.

Logan had rushed over to Sterling to pick up a book for his economics class, but as he was returning to his dorm, he noticed Rory Gilmore at a table on the library's main floor. After the prank in her philosophy class the previous semester, Logan had downplayed his interest in the quiet brunette, deflecting his friends' questions and denying any attraction to her, despite the fact that she occupied his thoughts more than he cared to admit. There was no question that Rory was beautiful, but she was nothing like the girls who normally caught his attention, and somehow Logan sensed she'd complicate his life in a way he wouldn't like. As a result, he had gone out of his way to avoid her, something that was easy to do as she never frequented campus parties, the pub, or other Yale hangouts.

On that particular night, however, Logan had wandered into her natural habitat. She was sitting alone, a stack of textbooks on her left, oblivious to the activity around her. He watched her for a moment, just enjoying the view, until he realized his staring was verging on stalking. Either he needed to leave or go talk to her. He walked to her table.

"Hey, Ace." Logan plopped down in the chair beside her. She started at the intrusion, and when she looked up from the newspaper she was reading, he saw the sadness in her eyes. "Wow, who died?"

Rory made a sound that was somewhere between a sigh and a snort, then seemed to hesitate before sliding the newspaper toward Logan. When he saw she'd been reading a long obituary for Straub Hayden, he said, "Oh, shit, Ace, I'm sorry. I was joking. I didn't—"

"It's okay," Rory said.

"Was he a friend of your grandparents?" Logan asked. He knew the Haydens were a prominent Hartford family, but he didn't recall a connection to the Gilmores.

"Not exactly."

"But you knew him?"

"Not exactly."

Logan looked puzzled. "You didn't know him, but you're upset that he died? Fill in the blanks."

Rory sighed. "Read the last sentence."

Logan picked up the paper and read aloud, "In addition to his wife of 39 years, Mr. Hayden is survived by his son, Christopher Hayden, and his granddaughter, Georgia Hayden." Logan shrugged. "What about it?"

It was Rory's turn to look puzzled. "Huh. You really don't know," she said. "I gotta say the Hartford society gossip mill? Quite the disappointment. I should probably file a complaint."

"What are you talking about?"

"You know about my mother, right?" Rory asked. "How she had me when she was 16?"

"I might've heard something about that." Everyone in his social circle had heard about Lorelai Gilmore. It had been a big surprise when Logan discovered the girl with the amazing blue eyes he had argued with outside her dorm room was the product of the most famous teen pregnancy in Hartford society history.

"Well, it takes two to tango, and Christopher Hayden was my mother's dance partner."

"Oh. So he's your...and that makes Straub...wow, I'm so sorry. Wait. You said you didn't know him."

"I didn't," Rory said, frowning. "I met him once. Supposedly I saw them when I was a baby, but I don't remember that. No, just the night when I was sixteen and, let me tell you, what a fun night that was."

Logan didn't know what to say, so he glanced down at the newspaper. "Your name isn't here."

"Nope."

"I don't understand."

"What's to understand? Straub and Francine Hayden never acknowledged me, Logan. I'm the mistake that ruined their son's life and stole away his Princeton legacy. The stain on the family name. The bastard child to be ignored."

"Ace, I'm sure that's not—"

"Look at the paper!" Rory snapped, then realized she'd raised her voice. "I'm sorry. I don't know why I'm yelling at you."

"It's okay. I'm the one asking the nosy questions," Logan said. "And, remember, I am a butt-faced miscreant."

As intended, Logan's last remark coaxed a smile out of Rory. He couldn't believe how cruelly the Haydens had treated her, and he wanted to lighten her mood, even for a moment.

"It doesn't matter," she said. "I'm sorry for my dad. He's grieving, even though they had a really horrible, complicated relationship, but Straub was nothing to me."

Logan knew all about complicated father-son relationships. "Still, he was your grandfather."

"No, he was my father's father. My grandfather is Richard Gilmore," Rory said. "I was sitting here reading what a great man Straub was with his accomplishments in international law, his generosity, and it seemed so, I don't know, contrary to what I knew about him. He gave millions to charity, but he couldn't give me the time of day. He blamed me for being born, like my mere existence was my fault. I mean, come on, even I'm not smart enough to mastermind my own conception."

"Well, I don't know. You did figure out an awful lot about the Life and Death Brigade all by yourself," Logan said. "Look, it sounds like Straub Hayden was a real asshole."

Rory scoffed. "He was a respected member of Hartford society. I read it in the Hartford Courant."

"Ace, I hate to burst your bubble, but some of the most respected members of Hartford society are also the biggest assholes you could ever meet." Like my father, Logan thought. "Besides, you get that it was the Haydens' loss, not yours, right? They're the ones who missed out by not being in your life."

Rory turned bright red and looked down at the table. "What are you doing here, anyway?" she asked. "Did you get lost again?"

Logan had been pleased when Rory confided in him that night. Pleased and confused. Before Rory, his interactions with girls were about one thing: fun. Anything beyond the superficial smacked of a relationship, which was Logan's cue to move on. But Rory was different. He liked talking to her, getting to know her. He couldn't explain why, but he didn't mind that she had shared something personal with him. And, like the night her boyfriend had dumped her outside the Gilmore house, he felt the urge to shield her from pain. From that point on, he couldn't ignore the fact that Rory Gilmore was affecting him in a way no other girl ever had.

She still did. Logan glanced at her. To a stranger, she may have looked calm and composed, but Logan saw the tightness of her lips that betrayed her anxiety. Few people understood how deeply the Haydens' rejection had wounded Rory, and Logan resented his mother's callous mention of Francine's name. He knew Shira was aware that Rory had no relationship with Francine, and he was incensed by his mother's deliberate—and, yes, mean—attempt to rattle her. Under different circumstances, he wouldn't let her get away with it, but it would upset Rory to prolong the conversation, particularly in front of the Ingrams. His reproach would have to wait.

Before Logan could think of a new subject for conversation, his eye caught movement over his mother's shoulder, and he saw Colby returning to the living room.

"Oh, Logan, there you are," Colby said. "I wondered where you disappeared to." Colby gaped when she spotted the girl sitting next to Logan. "Rory Gilmore?"