And now, with my arms wrapped around him and the astonished look on his face, I realized that I loved him more than I thought possible. Niles was the most handsome man I'd ever seen.
And so, even though I'd gone to so much trouble to plan this wonderful dinner at a restaurant that I certainly couldn't afford (but one that he was extremely fond of), I realized that I wasn't really hungry after all.
So I leaned over and whispered seductively into his ear;
"Wanna skip dinner?"
At first I wasn't sure that he heard me. He stood perfectly still and I started to worry that this was all a dream; a wonderful dream of which I was going to wake up any second and find myself with Donny. I cringed at the thought, for that would be a nightmare.
"Niles, are you all right?"
"I love you, Daphne." He whispered hoarsely.
His sweet words made me gasp, and I had to fight back tears. It was the most wonderful thing anyone could have ever said to me. But his sudden nervousness also made me laugh.
"I love you, too. Now, we'd better get out of here before they throw us out for taking up a reservation that could be used for someone else."
I took his hand and attempted to lead him out of the restaurant. But he stopped me just before we reached the exit.
Oh God, this is all a dream, please God, this has to be real... please...
His hand cupped my cheek and tilted my face toward his. And then we were kissing. I melted against him as I had done before and planned on doing for the rest of my life. The tears that fell onto my cheeks were a mixture of happiness and relief that he loved me as much as I loved him. I don't know what I would have done if-
No... I refused to think about the "what if's".
When the kisses ended, I took his hand and led him out of the restaurant. He paused for only a moment, whispering something to the maître'd'.
I couldn't hear what he said but from the way the man smiled and nodded I knew that Niles good reputation at his favorite restaurant was safe.
Outside alone for the first time, we stood facing each other; our fingers entwined.
Now I was the one who was nervous.
"What should we do now?"
He swallowed hard, indicating that he was just as nervous as I was. He had a tendency to be nervous at times and now I realized just how often I'd seen him this way;
It happened nearly every time he'd come over to see his brother.
That shy grin, the laugh that wasn't quite steady. The way he'd always managed to find something about me to compliment, even if it wasn't necessary.
It all fell in place now like a soft rain; the kind that's a welcome sight. The kind of rain that makes everything more beautiful.
"Well... It doesn't seem right to go back to Frasier's." Niles said after a long silence. "Perhaps we should go to a place where we can be alone. What do you say?"
My heart filled with love for him again, as it had done so many times before. Only this time I was staring into his deep blue eyes.
"I say... Yes."
The ridiculous answer tumbled out of my mouth causing us both to laugh.
"Come on."
I took his hand and we walked to my car. But when we arrived I stopped and looked at him worriedly.
"Oh..."
We'd come in separate cars but after the blissful evening we'd shared-the one where we didn't have dinner-I couldn't bear the thought of leaving him.
"We'll take my car." He said, placing a gentle kiss on my cheek.
The fact that he'd read my mind made me smile.
"I"ll drive you back to get your car later." He said, as though finishing the thought.
No words were spoken as we climbed into his car and drove off. I had no idea where we were headed, nor did I care.
I just wanted to be with him.
Minutes later we were pulling up in front of a very familiar building. I'd been here many times before but now I found that I was a bit nervous; as though everything was different.
And it was.
"This is all right, isn't it?"
I smiled at the unsteadiness of his voice and gave him a reassuring kiss.
"Of course it's all right."
"Well, okay. Because if it's not, I'd be more than happy to take you home."
My fingers brushed against his cheek.
"It's fine. I love being here. But where we are doesn't matter. I just want to be with you."
He kissed me then, a deep searing kiss. The kind of kiss that needed no words or explanation. And there was no one around to see us this time. We were completely and blissfully alone.
All too soon he drew back and when I gazed into his eyes, I could feel my lips burning with desire for him. His hand cupped my cheek and I practically melted against him.
"Let's go inside." He whispered.
I kissed him again. God, how I loved this man. He was everything I'd ever wanted. If only I'd seen it before.
But as we made our way into the Montana, I realized that nothing else mattered.