Author's Note:This story was inspired by my re-reading Melinda (carylfan10)'s "He Gave Her His Name," and so I consider this a companion to her wonderful story, but it doesn't have to be. In any case, I hope it lives up to the original!
Niles turned to kiss Daphne before unlocking the door. "Welcome home, Mrs. Crane." He smiled. He loved being able to call her that. They'd only been married for a little over an hour. And this wasn't exactly home. It was a hotel in Reno. Several floors below, people were gambling their fortunes away in a casino. Like Vegas, Reno was well known for its nightlife. But right now, they didn't care about any of that. It was just the two of them. Together.
Daphne grinned. "I can hardly wait!"
Niles gasped. "I just remembered. I'm supposed to carry you over the threshold!"
Daphne laughed as he bent to try to lift her. "It's really isn't necessary." She kissed him.
"As you wish, my love." Without further ado, he used his room key to unlock the door.
It was a rather nondescript hotel room. Hardly the sort of place where one would expect to find romance. "Well, this is..." Niles trailed off, unable to think of a word.
"Darling, it's all right. I don't need anything right now, except for you."
Niles put his arms around her. "Do you know how beautiful you are right now?" He felt like he could get lost in her brown eyes and never find his way out. He might never want to.
She hugged him, feeling the warmth of his chest on her cheek. She felt unbelievably safe here. Niles held her in silence for a moment. Then he gently kissed her hair. "So, what would you like to do?" His grin left no doubt as to what he'd like to do next.
"Before we get into that, could we order some room service first? I could use a bite to eat."
"Certainly." He looked around and quickly found a menu. Even if this hotel was far short of four stars, it did have a wine selection which wasn't half bad. He selected a bottle. Daphne decided on pasta. Niles declared that he wasn't hungry, at least not for food. He dialed room service and placed the order.
"Do I have time for a quick bath before our food arrives?" Daphne asked.
Niles nodded. They had barely had time to breathe since they'd left Seattle, so he well understood that his own plan for their wedding night might have to wait. But he didn't mind. They had their whole lives to enjoy each other's company.
"I'll be right back," Daphne said, kissing him. When she let go, Niles knew that he missed her already. She disappeared into the bathroom. To kill time, Niles absently flipped through brochures that had been left in the room. There was no shortage of things to do around here. But at the moment, he wasn't interested in anything outside of these four walls.
For the first time in the past few minutes, Niles remembered that he and Daphne were now married. It seemed as if all the odds had been stacked against them. They had gone through an incredibly long ordeal, with Maris, Mel, and Donny. Even the very state of Washington wasn't on their side, insisting that they wait three days just to get a license! They had already waited years to take this step, and they just couldn't wait any longer.
Suddenly, Niles felt as if he couldn't go one more second without seeing her. He looked at his watch. Had she really only been gone for a few minutes? Just then, the bathroom door opened, and Niles forgot his impatience. For Daphne emerged, wearing one of the hotel's robes and nothing underneath. Niles went to her, kissing every visible inch of skin. Yes, this was how he'd wanted to spend tonight.
Daphne laughed, seeing how caught up in the moment he was. Niles was usually such a shy, reserved man, but right now he seemed to be stopping just short of undressing her.
A moment later, there was a knock at the door. "Room service."
Niles reluctantly tore himself away from his new bride. He opened the door to see a man with a cart carrying a plate of spaghetti and a single bottle of wine. "Thank you." Niles handed the man his tip and took the cart, nearly closing the door on the poor hotel worker. He brought the cart over to the small table for two. He carefully set the plate on it. Then he placed two long-stemmed glasses across from one another. He poured wine into each. "Your meal, my love." He pulled out her chair for her.
"Thank you," Daphne said. She'd never had treatment like this before.
"My pleasure." He kissed the back of her hand as she sat.
Niles took the chair opposite her. "To my beautiful wife, and the wonderful future we have ahead of us." He lifted his glass.
Daphne smiled. When she'd walked into this room just a few moments ago, she'd been anxious to get a bite to eat and then get some well-deserved rest. But now, looking into Niles' eyes, she felt a sort of love she'd never felt before. It was true; they had their whole lives in front of them now. She could hardly wait. This was beyond anything she'd ever dreamed of. She might never be able to put all she was feeling into words. But she could at least say this: "To us."
The End