Chapter Twenty

Rory was once again sitting on her bed, alone in the room she had grown up in. Glancing around, she smiled in satisfaction. Everything she owned was now neatly packed into several large, brown boxes waiting to be taken over to the new house she was going to share with Logan.

It was still hard for Rory to comprehend how much her life had turned around in the last two weeks. Just one short year ago, she had been single and homeless with no real job or any form of motivation. Then Jess had given her the idea for her book, which had restored some of her old brilliance. Smiling slightly, Rory's eyes fell up the now half-finished manuscript. I seriously owe Jess for this one, she thought as she wondered how she would ever be able to repay him. Not long after that, she had discovered she was pregnant and everything else in her life had changed so much.

The diamond on her finger caught her eye, and Rory felt the now-familiar swell of joy as she thought of the fact that she was marrying the love of her life in three short weeks. So much has changed, and all for the better.

A sudden knock on the door brought Rory out of her reverie. A familiar voice called through the wood. "Are you decent in there?"

A huge smile lit Rory's face. "Lane! Come on in."

"Hey, bride-to-be. Are you excited?"

Rory grimaced as she thought of the afternoon that lay ahead of them. Emily had organised for Miss Celine to come so they could get the wedding outfits chosen. "I'm not sure. I'm just getting so big, so fast. I'll look like a big fat cream puff." Rory gestured towards her stomach and sighed.

"You're glowing, Rory. You couldn't look like a cream puff if you tried."

"Thanks, Lane."

Lane grinned. "I still can't quite believe your grandma managed to move back here so fast, much less organise half of your wedding already."

"That's Emily Gilmore for ya. She always was good at the planning."

"Well, Emily Gilmore still scares me, so we need to get a move on."

Two hours later, Rory was sitting on the couch next to her mother in her grandmother's house, staring in awe at the endless racks of dresses surrounding her whilst Miss Celine was raving on about her amazing skin.

"It's simply perfect, darling. Divine. Now, are we accentuating the bump or hiding it?" This was said to Emily, causing Lorelai and Rory to share a look of amusement.

Lane was looking at the rack of brightly coloured bridesmaids dress with an expression of horror written across her face. She turned to Rory. "Do you- um- like any of these?"

Emily stood to one side, staring intently at Rory. "Stand up, Rory, please."

Rory did as she was told. After a few minutes, she began to feel self-conscious. "Is something wrong, grandma?"

"Hide it." Emily said decisively to Miss Celine, completely ignoring Rory.

"Wonderful. You know, I did the same thing for Gwyneth a few years ago. Oh, she was radiant. Her skin wasn't nearly as good as yours, my dear."

"Rory, do you actually like any of these?" Lane asked again, sounding apprehensive. Rory wandered over to the rack that had captured Lane's attention. Clouds of multi-coloured lace and tulle were poking out haphazardly. Rory shook her head discreetly at Lane, and stifled a giggle at the relieved expression on Lane's face.

"Miss Celine, do you have any black dresses for bridesmaids?"

Both Emily and Miss Celine turned from a bridal gown they were examining to stare at Rory. Lorelai smiled encouragingly.

Emily was the first to speak. "Black?"

Rory could never understand how her grandmother managed to convey so much in just one word. Her voice just dripped with disdain. Rory swallowed. "Yeah… I just thought, you know, we could go for a black and white theme?"

Emily turned to Miss Celine and frowned. Lorelai stepped forward and smiled. "It's a thing now, mom. Um, that singer did it- oh what was her name? Fergie! Fergie did it!"

Scowling at her daughter, Emily opened her mouth but Miss Celine cut her off. "What a fabulous idea! I simply love it. And I have the perfect dress for both of your bridesmaids right here."

The doorbell rang, announcing the arrival of Logan and his groomsmen. Miss Celine was also providing them with suits for the big day. Rory felt her heart do a little flip as Logan walked in, his gorgeous smile lighting up the room.

Reaching Rory, he leaned in and kissed her lightly on the forehead before bending down to whisper hello to her stomach. Rory giggled as Logan straightened up. "Hey, ace. How's it all going?"

"Hey to you too. Ok, I think?" Rory looked around Logan for Finn and the boys. "Where is everyone?"

"Well, Finn, Colin and Robert are too afraid to come in. I think they pissed off both Emily and Lorelai a while ago-" Logan cut off as his cellphone began to ring. Smiling apologetically at Rory, he answered it. "Hello?"

Rory turned to ask Lorelai a question when she heard Logan's voice harden. "What do you want?"

She looked back at him, and felt her heart plummet. His smile was gone, replaced by a cold stare. Something serious is going on, she thought.

"Fine. I'll be on the next plane." Logan abruptly shoved his phone back into his pocket.

Rory gave him a questioning look. Logan grabbed her arm and pulled her away from the others in the room. He spoke quietly. "Rory… I have to go to London."

"Is everything ok?"

"No. That was Odette. She's pregnant."