Christmas morning had finally arrived. Logan woke up early, before the sun had even started to rise. He climbed out of bed and tiptoed down the hallway to the room that Rory's gifts were stashed in. Ever so carefully, he set aside the decoy boxes and reached for the large one on bottom. Moving noiselessly, Logan managed to carry the box downstairs and to the garage, where he placed it in the back of his SUV.
When he returned to the room, Rory was still fast asleep. He snuggled back into bed, lightly rubbing her shoulder with the palm of his hand. She began to move around, slowly flipping over to face Logan.
With a sleepy look, she smiled up at him. "Merry Christmas," she whispered.
"Merry Christmas," Logan quietly returned. He leaned in for a kiss before pulling back. "Just think— this time next year, we'll have a son or daughter to share this day with."
Broadly smiling, Rory's eyes took on a radiant hue. "I know. I can't wait."
"Me either, Ace. I'm anxious to find out whether we're having a boy or a girl."
"Oh, I agree. We still have about six weeks until we'll know."
"When's the next appointment?"
"In two weeks. We'll probably schedule the ultrasound for the first week of February."
Logan spaced off as he thought about what their child would look like. Blond hair like him or brunette hair like Rory? Blue eyes or brown? Would he or she have Rory's intelligence and love for book? His sense of adventure?
"Logan, I've been thinking of names."
"I have too. What are you thinking?"
The two went back and forth on names, surprising the other with their suggestions. Soon, the sun was up and it was time to shower and head to Luke and Lorelai's to begin the celebration of Christmas.
*****
Jess was awakened by the typical New York City noise outside. He had hoped that, since it was Christmas, there would be limited movement this early in the morning. Clearly, that wasn't the case.
Natalie began to stir next to him. He moved closer, putting his arm around her. No matter what was going on outside that window, Jess knew that he was lucky to be spending his first Christmas with this beauty lying beside him. And soon, he would be making Beyoncé proud by putting a ring on it.
Opening her eyes, Natalie smiled. "Good morning and Merry Christmas."
"Same to you, my love."
"I know it's only six in the morning, but what do you say we get up and make some coffee and breakfast?"
"I think that sounds like a great idea."
The two climbed out of bed and made their way to the kitchen. Jess began to brew some coffee while Natalie grabbed out eggs and bacon. They worked silently together, neither fully alert yet.
Once everything was ready, they each made a plate and sat down at the table. Without naming names, Natalie filled Jess in on some interesting things from work. Jess, in turn, was happy to tell Natalie about a few new contracts Truncheon had secured, one of which was a huge win. They talked back and forth until their breakfasts were gone.
Looking toward the living room, Jess grinned. "Want to go see if Santa left any special presents for a girl on the nice list?"
Natalie laughed as she stood up. "That sounds very interesting. Let's go take a look."
Jess reached for Natalie's hand and gently urged her toward the living room. He hoped that his excitement didn't give away what was waiting for her, nestled in the branches of the Christmas tree.
There were quite a few gifts waiting under the tree. Both Jess and Natalie had purchased one another a few things. Natalie found herself antsy to see if an engagement ring was among those with her name on them. It was an odd topic to broach with Jess, one that she was nervous to bring up. She didn't want it to seem like she only accepted his proposal to get herself some bling— because that wasn't the case at all.
As each gift was unwrapped, Natalie became increasingly confident that a ring was not in the pretty packages. She did, however, love the sweater and earrings, the gloves and the picture frames. She adored the hand painted wooden wall art that Jess carefully made. He seemed just as pleased with the items she chose for him: a new leather wallet with an interesting design, new black boots, a handful of books that Jess had read again and again, and a picture of the two of them from one of their first dates.
Jess wasn't stupid. No matter how sunny Natalie's smile was or how happy she appeared to be with the gifts she unwrapped, he could tell she hoped a ring was among the gifts. It nearly made him laugh aloud when she opened the last of the visible presents with her name on it, only to find it was a pair of cashmere gloves.
The moment had arrived. Jess leaned in to kiss Natalie, whose back was to the Christmas tree, and reached into an inconspicuous spot to produce a small red jewelry box. As he pulled away, he moved the box behind him. She didn't seem to notice his movements.
"You know, when we got engaged, it was the happiest day of my life. But I think today may trump that."
Natalie's eyebrows furrowed together. "Why is that? Because it's our first Christmas together?"
"That too, but mainly because of this." He moved the red box and placed it in front of her. "Not only are you my fiancée, but now you will wear a visible symbol of our commitment."
Natalie was surprised, her expression showed that. When she opened the box, tears sprang into her eyes. "Oh, Jess! It's beautiful! How did you know I've always wanted a teardrop diamond?"
Mischief sparked in Jess' eyes. "I have my ways." Natalie's eyebrows moved together for a second time, causing him to laugh again. "Katie."
"She knew about this?"
"I went shopping two days ago and spent hours looking at a bunch of designs when I realized I could pick any ring I wanted. The thing was, though, that I wanted you to have the ring that you wanted. So I called Katie and she met me to show me what you liked."
As Jess spoke, he removed the ring from the box and slid it onto the third finger of Natalie's left hand. It looked as if it was made specially for that very spot.