Logan slowly opened his eyes, wincing as the bright morning light streamed through the blinds, illuminating the peaceful scene before him. Rory's arms were wrapped tightly around him, her face nestled in the crook of his neck. He gently pressed his lips to her forehead, savoring the warmth of her body and the sense of comfort that came with holding her close.

As he lay there, a familiar sense of doubt crept into his mind. No matter what he did, he never felt he was good enough for her. He had enjoyed the past week, pushing work aside to focus on her and the kids, but The weight of his responsibilities, the pressures of his company, threatened to overwhelm him. He thought about the mountain of work waiting for him, all of the unanswered emails, and phone calls he needed to return. He sighed, and pushed the thoughts aside, focusing on the present moment and the woman in his arms.

Rory stirred, her eyes fluttering open to meet his. "Good morning," she whispered, her voice husky with sleep. A soft smile spread across her face, and Logan's heart swelled in response.

"Good morning," he replied, his voice low and gentle.

She snuggled deeper into his side, her legs intertwining with his. "I love waking up next to you," she murmured, her breath warm against his skin.

Logan's heart skipped a beat. "Lucky for you, Love falling asleep next to you."

"I love you," she whispered, her voice filled with emotion. She glanced up at him, slightly cupping the side of his face with her hand. "I mean it Logan, I love you.I don't tell you that enough."

He kissed her softly. "I love you too."

He smiled, feeling a sense of contentment wash over him. "I could lie here all day with you," he whispered, his eyes locked on Rory's.

Rory's smile matched his, and she snuggled deeper into his side. "That sounds like the perfect day," she replied, her voice barely above a whisper.

He ran a hand softly down her back. "Maybe even more than just laying here?"

But their peaceful morning was short-lived. The sound of tiny feet pounding down the hallway and the chatter of excited voices drifted up from downstairs, shattering the calm atmosphere.

Logan groaned, reluctantly untangling himself from Rory's embrace. "Sounds like the munchkins are awake."

Rory laughed, sitting up and running a hand through her tangled hair. She glanced at the clock on the nightstand. "My mom must have let us sleep in."

Logan swung his legs over the side of the bed and stood up, stretching his arms over his head. "I've always liked that woman."

Rory laughed and threw off the covers. "We better go help her before they make her regret the decision."

As Rory and Logan descended the stairs, the sweet aroma of vanilla and melting chocolate enveloped them, drawing them into the chaotic kitchen. Lorelai sat at the table, surrounded by Ivy and Jude, who were both covered in flour and festive sprinkles.

"Look who finally decided to join the party!" Lorelai exclaimed, her eyes sparkling with amusement.

Ivy jumped up from her seat, her face lighting up with excitement. "Grumps is baking us gingerbread, and we get to build houses!"

Rory poured herself a cup of coffee, flashing a teasing grin at Luke. "Aw, Luke, you big softie!"

Luke shot her a wry look. "Your mother volunteered me."

Logan ruffled Jude's hair, a competitive glint in his eye. "I'm not one to brag, but I used to build some serious gingerbread houses back in the day."

Rory puffed out her chest, a mischievous smile spreading across her face. "Oh yeah? Well, I won a gingerbread house contest in seventh grade. Mine had two stories, it's all about the structural integrity of the gingerbread design."

"I'm telling you, my gingerbread house was a masterpiece. It's not about height, it's about gumdrop placement." Logan said, his eyes gleaming with confidence.

Rory raised an eyebrow, a sly smile spreading across her face. "Gum drops? Who puts gumdrops on a gingerbread house?"

Logan raised an eyebrow. "Are you saying that your house would be better than my house?"

Rory chuckled. "I know my house would be better than yours."

Logan smirked, confident. "Care to put money on that Ace?"

Rory laughed. "We have the same bank account."

Logan glanced around the room grinning. "Hear that kids? I think your mom is scared."

"Ooooohhhhh." both kids groaned in unison.

"I'm not scared. Rory said, unwavering.

Logan's eyes locked onto hers, his voice low and teasing. "Me and Jude versus you and Ivy. Loser has to make a snow run in their underwear.'

Logan chuckled richly. "Hope you don't mind a little frostbite. You're on."

Lorelai hovered around the back of the kitchen, a cup of coffee in hand. "I'm just here for the entertainment value."

Luke grunted, his eyes fixed on the group starting to build gingerbread houses. "I've got five bucks on Rory."

Ivy placed a big dollop of icing on the roof, dragging it across the still warm gingerbread haphazardly. "Good Luck Ace" Logan whispered in her ear.

Rory bit her lip, trying to remain calm. "Wouldn't you rather be in charge of sprinkles instead?"

"I want to do sprinkles!" Jude cheered, shaking rainbow sprinkles across Logan's meticulously iced piece of gingerbread.

Rory chuckled. "Want some of that luck back?"

Suddenly Logan's phone began to ring, shrilly interrupting their playful banter. He pressed ignore, and returned his focus on building his gingerbread masterpiece.

Rory raised an eyebrow, a smirk playing on her lips. "You going to answer that?"

Logan shook his head, his eyes fixed on the gingerbread pieces in front of him. "It can wait."

As Logan carefully placed a gumdrop on his gingerbread house, his phone rang again, the shrill sound cutting through the festive atmosphere. He glanced at the screen, his eyes narrowing slightly before he returned to his gingerbread creation.

Rory raised an eyebrow, "They really want to talk to you."

Logan shook his head, his focus fixed on the gingerbread house. But the phone rang again, and again, each ring growing more insistent.

Logan's hands moved with increasing agitation, the gumdrops and icing beginning to blur together. He muttered under his breath, his eyes darting towards the phone. "Maybe I should just answer it."

Ivy and Jude, who had happily been building their own gingerbread creations, looked up at Logan with disappointed eyes.

"Daddy don't answer it!" Ivy pleaded.

"Yeah, we're right in the middle of the competition!" Jude added.

Logan hesitated, clearly torn. But finally, with a sigh of frustration, he pushed back his chair and stood up. "I'll just be a minute," he said, his voice tight with annoyance.

Rory's face fell, her eyes clouding with disappointment. "Okay," she said quietly.

Ivy and Jude looked at each other, then back at Logan, their faces unhappy.

Logan shot them an apologetic glance before striding out of the room, his phone still clutched in his hand.

Rory quickly put a smile on her face for her kids, masking her disappointment. "He'll be just a minute."

But the "just a minute" turned into five, then ten, and Logan was still nowhere to be seen. Rory's annoyance grew, simmering just below the surface.

Logan finally returned, an hour later, his face falling as he entered the kitchen to see only Rory sitting at the table.

"Where's the kids?" He asked timidly, trying to judge Rory's reaction.

"My mom couldn't decide who won the contest, so they both decided to run out in the snow in their underwear. They of course were freezing, so they're all bundled up on the couch with Mom and Luke watching the Grinch."

Logan glanced over at the gingerbread houses, his eyes widened as he took in the finished products. "Wow. Those are... impressive. I probably couldn't pick a winner either. I guess Jude didn't need me after all."

Rory's eyes narrowed, her voice icy. "Luke helped him."

Logan's face fell, realizing he'd missed the rest of the competition. "I'm sorry, I got held up. Work emergency."

Rory raised an eyebrow, her skepticism clear. "A work emergency that took AN HOUR to resolve?"

Logan sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. "It's complicated, Rory. Can we talk about it later?"

Rory's expression turned cold, her eyes flashing with anger. "You know, I thought we were having a nice day," she said, her voice dripping with sarcasm. "But I guess work is always more important to you."

Logan held up his hands, trying to placate her. "Rory, I'm sorry. Like I said, it was an emergency."

But Rory wasn't having it. "An hour Logan?! You should have seen the kids' faces deflate as they watched the clock." She poked at some dried icing on the table, her voice rising. "I guess you haven't changed."

Logan's face fell, feeling a sting from her words. "That's not fair, Rory," he said, his voice firm. "I've been sitting aside time for family since we got here."

But Rory was beyond reason. "But what about when we get home? I thought we were past this? Is this how it's going to be? You always putting work first?" she accused, her voice bitter. "I'm so stupid to think we could make this work. You're just like your father."

"What did you say?" Logan said, his face twisted in pain.

"You're just like Mitchum." She spat, seething.

Logan's face went white with anger, and he took a step back, his eyes blazing with hurt.

Rory's face fell, realizing she'd gone too far. "Logan, I'm sorry," she said, reaching out to him.

But Logan was already turning away, his back stiff with anger. "Just leave me alone, Rory," he said, his voice firm.

Lorelai burst into the kitchen, a big smile on her face. "Good news!" she exclaimed, not noticing the strained atmosphere.

But as she looked around the room, her smile faltered. Rory and Logan were standing stiffly, their faces tense. "Is everything okay?" Lorelai asked, her brow furrowed with concern.

Rory and Logan both spoke at the same time, their voices gruff. "Everything's fine," they said in unison.

Lorelai looked skeptical, but before she could pry further, Rory asked, "What's the good news, Mom?"

Lorelai's face lit up again. "Oh, Grandma just called from the hospital. Grandpa is awake!"

Rory's face broke into a relieved smile. "That's amazing!" she exclaimed.

Logan, too, looked relieved, but his eyes still held a hint of tension. "That's great news," he said, his voice a little softer.

Lorelai beamed, happy to share the good news. "I know, I'm so relieved. Grandma said he's a little groggy, but he's finally awake. We can all go visit him later today."

Logan nodded, forcing a smile on his face. "That's great news about Richard. I'm going to finish up some things for work, but I'm looking forward to seeing him later." with that he left the room.

Lorelai's gaze lingered on Rory's face, sensing a tension that hadn't been there before. "Rory, is everything okay? You and Logan seemed like things were better, but then he just left like that. . . "

Rory's expression turned neutral, and she shrugged. "Yeah, everything's fine, Mom. I'm just going to go tell the kids about Grandpa."

Lorelai's eyes searched Rory's face, but her daughter's mask was firmly in place. Lorelai knew better than to push, so she just nodded.

"Okay, sweetie. Go tell them the good news."