Warnings: None.
Ashley sighed as she walked in the door, rubbing the back of her neck tiredly. She was glad to be done with work for the day; her job was finally grating on her last nerve, and she really needed to find a new one. She'd put in a ton of applications and was hoping for some calls.
Of course, none of them would come tonight, and it was her birthday, so she was trying to relax.
She wandered into the kitchen, stopping when she saw Patrick leaning against the table with his hands behind his back. "Hi, babe," he said happily, giving her one of his ridiculously big smiles. She couldn't help smiling back; Patrick's joy was often addictive. "Long day at work?" he asked. She nodded.
"Ready to get off my feet." She raised her eyebrows. "You have any ideas for how I might be able to do that?" Patrick blushed and looked at her bashfully.
"I might have a few," he quipped. "But first, I want to give you your present."
"Patrick, I told you you didn't have to get me anything," she protested. He took one hand out from behind his back and stepped forward so he could cup her cheek. He ran his thumb gently over her lips and kissed her forehead.
"I know, but I wanted to." He moved his other hand and showed her the small white jewelry box. It had a purple ribbon wrapped around two of the corners. Ashley watched as he carefully removed the ribbon and lifted the lid to show her what was inside.
She gasped as she saw the pendant. It was a deep purple crystal heart in a silver setting. The top of the setting was a castle with multiple turrets. "Patrick," she breathed. "It's beautiful."
He beamed at her, clearly proud of himself, and picked the pendant up by its chain. "Look at it in the light," he suggested, holding it up so that the sun shining through the window hit it just right.
The heart exploded into a brilliant array of blue, purple, and white as the light shone through it, and Ashley's eyes grew wide. She felt tears pooling in them as Patrick set the box on the table behind him and clasped the pendant around her neck.
"You are my queen," he whispered. "So I got you a kingdom. And a heart, because mine belongs to you."
"Patrick…" she trailed off as tears started to fall down her cheeks. He wiped them away, wrapping one arm around her waist and pulling her close so he could put his other arm around her shoulders and kiss her.
She leaned up into his kiss, twining her arms around his neck. When the kiss finally ended, Patrick leaned back and touched the pendant where it rested on her chest. "You really like it?"
"I love it, Patrick. And I love you," she assured him, resting her head on his shoulder. He kissed her forehead again.
"I'm pretty sure that's why you married me," he joked. He paused and then added, "I love you too."
They stood together in the center of the kitchen, just holding each other. Finally, Ashley wondered, "So what now?"
"Well," Patrick started, "I got Chinese food from your favorite place and red velvet cake with cream cheese frosting from the really good bakery, so I thought we could eat and then take a hot bubble bath together. And then… maybe you could show me what your new pendant looks like with that lacy purple thing?" He winked down at Ashley and she chuckled.
"Okay, big man. All of that sounds good to me. Can I help with anything?" Patrick firmly shook his head.
"No, you cannot. It is your birthday and I will be doing everything. Go sit on the couch, pick something to watch, and I'll bring in the food."
Before he could move, Ashley pulled his head down and kissed him again, tangling their tongues together this time. Patrick panted into her mouth and let his hands roam all over her body. Their lips parted for a moment and he ventured, "Maybe you could put on the lacy purple thing now…"
Ashley giggled. "Anything for you, Patrick. But only if you carry me to the bedroom like the queen that I am."
He nodded, slipping his arm under her knees and lifting her up into his embrace. "Your wish is my command," he murmured, kissing her temple. "Happy birthday, baby."