Ronee was grateful when Martin announced that he was going to take a nap. It gave her an opportunity to put into motion an idea she'd had recently concerning his upcoming birthday. Her heart broke when she saw the sadness in her new husband's expression lately. She knew he was happy with her. The cause of his depression was Frasier. His new life in Chicago wasn't quite settled yet, and he wasn't sure if he'd be able to fly back for his father's birthday. Niles and Daphne were planning to have a small party at their house. Martin had thanked them for the offer, but it hasn't really done much to improve his mood.
But, hopefully, what she was about to do would change things for the better. She sat down at the dining room table, with a pen and paper in front of her. Picking up the pen, she began to write, Dear Niles and Daphne... She smiled to herself, wishing she could see the expressions on their faces when they received this letter.
Niles walked into the Montana, glad to be through with hearing other people's problems for at least a night. Before going up to his apartment, he stopped to get his mail. He knew Daphne had probably been too busy taking care of David to pick it up. As he flipped through the bills, catalogs and other unimportant papers, he saw something that made him curious. An envelope addressed to him and Daphne, with a return address label belonging to 'Mrs. Ronee Lawrence-Crane' in the upper left. Why would his former baby-sitter turned stepmother be sending him a letter, when she lived less than ten minutes away?
He took the pile of mail and got an elevator. Minutes later, he was greeted by Daphne. Her kiss made him entirely forget the strange letter. "David's down for a nap. It's just the two of us for now." The mischievous grin she wore made Niles' heart race.
"My love," he whispered, taking her in his arms. "I've been looking forward to this all day. I'll never get tired of coming home, knowing that you and David are waiting for me."
After a few more minutes of blissful kisses, Niles remembered the letter. "I got the mail on my way in." He handed her the envelopes. Like him, she quickly flipped through the bills, stopping when she saw Ronee's letter.
"What's this?" she asked.
Niles shrugged. "Don't know. Guess we should read it, though. Maybe it's an invitation to hear her sing."
Daphne opened the envelope. It wasn't an invitation. She read the letter aloud to Niles.
Dear Niles and Daphne,
I know it's strange to get a letter from me, considering we talk to each other nearly every day. But I figured this way I wouldn't have to worry about your father overhearing. You see, I've been thinking about his birthday. I know he's looking forward to dinner at your place. He just loves David, of course, and I have to admit he's growing on me a bit, too! But I think he's more upset about Frasier not being here than he's letting on. I know that you and Frasier usually go nuts trying to top each other's gifts, but I think I've found a solution. I know how much your father means to both of you. So, maybe you could each write a letter, letting him know how much you love him. Daphne, Marty's told me all about how you've taken care of him all these years. I know he'd love a letter from you, too. He may not show it very often, but he really does think of you like a daughter.
So, anyway, I hope you guys will take a few minutes to jot some things down. It doesn't have to be long. In fact, knowing Marty, shorter is probably better! But, of course, we've got to keep this a secret, because he'd never go for something like this if he knew about it ahead of time!
By the time Daphne finished, tears were filling her eyes. Ronee's idea was perfect, and the fact that she had thought to include Daphne touched her a great deal. She had a feeling that when she sat down to write this letter, it would easily fill more than just a page or two. It would take much more than that to let Martin know just how happy she was to be a part of this family.