A/N: I'm so sorry for it taking me so long to post this chapter. I really hope you enjoy sharing Maxie's birthday. Let me know what you think.

Chapter 26

The next day flew by and before she knew it, Maxie was running late for her date. She'd taken a few days off work to help Patrick with his surprise for Robin and it was going to be amazing. Maxie couldn't wait to see Robin's face. The nursery was going to be absolutely beautiful and nothing less then what 'Princess' Emma deserved.

The painting contractor had been true to his word the day before. Three hours after laying the first stroke against the wall, he was finishing his third and final coat of pale yellow paint. An hour later, he was finished with the white of the trim. Since baby Emma was expected to be home in a few short days, he'd used odorless paint; and Maxie had to admit that he'd done an amazing job.

The paint had been dry, when at 3 pm that afternoon Liz had shown up to do her job. Maxie had left an extra key with Liz with the instructions of leaving it with Patrick at the hospital on her way home. Maxie had taken that time to run a few last minute errands, including meeting with the movers who would be at Robin's apartment by noon the following day. There was only the furniture and a few boxes with dishes and other mementos that hadn't been brought over to the house by Maxie and Anna that morning.

If the movers were on schedule, they'd have all of Robin's furniture in the house by 3 pm and then arrive at Patrick's by 4. Maxie had laid out a schematic with Spinelli's help of the rooms in the house with furniture placement and she was all set. Or, she had been, before her birthday lunch with her father and the time she'd spent with Robin had thrown her off schedule. Now, she would have to make a few extra trips tomorrow between the movers and any other last minute emergencies that arose. But, she was putting that out of her mind tonight. Tonight she was spending an evening with Matt, her first, and she was excited about what he had in mind.

Maxie moved quickly down the hallway toward her room, stopping briefly outside Matt's. Hearing the shower go off in his room, she hurried into her own. She wished he had given her a hint as to where they were going so she could choose the appropriate outfit. Men just didn't understand how important that was. She opened her closet doors and slid hangars of clothes aside and pondered several options. Maxie smiled slyly as she pulled a sexy little black dress from her closet, she smiled thinking of how he'd react when he saw her in it. Holding it up in front of her, she knew it would have the effect she wanted. Retrieving silk stockings from her drawer and 4-inch pumps from her closet shelf, the look was complete minus a few pieces of jewelry. She was planning to knock Matt off his feet.

--

Matt stood in front of the mirror sliding his red tie around his neck. Remembering what he'd learned during the few photo shoots he'd done, Matt knew that the red would contrast well with the dark navy of his suit. He wanted to impress Maxie tonight. It was after all their first date. The first of many he hoped. While Maxie wasn't what he would consider his usual type, she attracted him like no woman ever had. She kept him on his toes and it didn't hurt that she was beautiful.

He picked up the small box at the foot of his bed and went down the stairs having grabbed his suit jacket along the way. Matt had spent the morning looking for the perfect gift and he hoped that she liked it. He had stopped short of asking Robin what Maxie's favorite things were. Now, he wasn't so sure he'd made the right decision, but Matt wanted to find out the intimate things about Maxie on his own. That was half the fun of dating . . . or at least he hoped so.

Matt was still contemplating his choice when he heard Maxie on the stairs. His breath caught. She's been lovely at the wedding, but she was literally breath taking at the moment . . . and that was all for him. He felt the smile on his face expand as she descended the rest of the steps. Matt moved to the foot of the stairs and held out a hand to take Maxie's.

"You're stunning," he said, breathing in the muted scents of flowers and some kind of fruit that floated off her skin. The blush that brightened her cheeks ran lightly down her neck.

Staring up at him, she replied, "You clean up pretty well yourself. You're very handsome."

"Thank you." Resisting the urge to press his lips to the exposed curve of her neck, he asked, "Are you ready to go? We have an 8 o'clock reservation."

"That's almost an hour from now."

"I know, but it'll be just a little bit of a ride." Matt took the shawl from Maxie's arm and draped it around her shoulders before threading his fingers with hers.

"Then let's get out of here."

--

"She is absolutely perfect," Patrick declared looking down at Emma with a look of unparalleled pride.

"You say that now. Wait until we get her home and she's crying every couple of hours wanting to be feed or changed or just held."

"Not my daughter," he claimed. "She's perfect now and she's going to stay that way."

Robin couldn't help but smile at the doting father Patrick had become in just two days. They were going to be so happy. When she'd decided to have a baby, she'd been sure she'd be doing it alone and she had been okay with that. She couldn't believe how absurd the idea had been, not that there weren't single women who raised a family everyday. But looking at Patrick, she realized that she wasn't meant to be one of them. She loved Patrick and he loved her and Emma more than anything. It had taken her a long time to realize that, but she wouldn't trade it for anything.

"What?" he asked, catching the look in her eyes.

"I'm just happy," she answered. "I have you and Emma and I can't imagine my life without either of you."

"Well, it's a good thing, because we aren't going anywhere." Patrick leaned over and nibbled Robin's ear as she laughed softly.

"That's what I like to hear," Noah said, looking around the door, Anna's head just under his.

"Do you guys know how to knock?" Patrick asked, with a hint of a smile.

"We do, but we knew Emma was in here with you and figured there wouldn't be any sex or other such activities going on, so why knock?" Anna asked, moving into the room.

"Mom!"

"What? We did." It was clear from her expression that she had no idea of the reason for Robin's displeasure.

Robin shook her head and rolled her eyes at Patrick who was clearly amused at Anna's frankness.

"What are you two doing here?" Robin asked, as she watched her mother gather Emma into her arms.

"Visiting our granddaughter, of course," Noah answered. Emma wrapped her little fingers around one of her grandfather's, as he smiled down at her.

"And a healthy granddaughter she is," Patrick interjected.

"What are you talking about?" Noah asked as he continued playing with Emma.

"Her first HIV test came back negative."

"That's wonderful news," Anna cried to Robin, then she looked down at Emma. "You are such a lucky girl. You have such a bright future ahead of you."

"That's amazing news, kids," Noah added. To Emma, he said, "You're such a beauty. You are going to have all the men wrapped around your little finger."

"As long as they're family, that's fine," Patrick grumbled. Robin broke into a grin. She didn't know what Patrick was going to do when Emma went on the first date, or rather she did know and she felt sorry for Emma already.

"She already has her dad and her uncle Matt wrapped around her finger. I'll add you to the list," Robin replied.

"Matt was taken with her as soon as she was born. I'm surprised he isn't here, as well," Noah commented.

"Matt comes by to see her everyday. He was here earlier, but he had to be somewhere," Patrick noted.

"Where?" Noah asked offhandedly.

"He and Maxie are on a date," Robin answered excitedly.

"Who and Maxie are on a date?" Mac asked having walked into the room without anyone noticing him. The hush that came over the room was palpable. Mac was clearly waiting for an answer and no one wanted to spoil the moment, but Mac was having none of that. "Someone answer me."

--

'Out of the way' turned out to be about 30 miles outside Port Charles, which wasn't extremely far, but was getting farther by the minute.

"How much farther is it?" Maxie asked for the tenth time since they'd gotten into the car.

"Another ten miles," Matt answered patiently as if speaking to a small child.

"When you said you wanted to take me to dinner, I thought we'd be going to the MetroCourt or something."

"The restaurant is in Carson. We'll be there shortly." He glanced at her briefly, as she watched the scenery roll by, before returning his attention to the road.

"I hope it's good."

"Me, too."

"You've never been there?" she asked, turning her head to look at Matt.

"No, but it comes highly recommended," he assured her.

"Who recommended it?" Maxie shifted in her seat turning her whole body toward him.

"Patrick," Matt answered immediately, without thought.

"You told him we were going out?" she asked incredulously, concern obvious in her expression.

Seeing that the conversation could go very wrong, Matt attempted to change the subject, "Was it supposed to be a secret?"

"No . . . but do we want him and Robin thinking that we're dating?"

"We are dating," he said glancing at her. Pointing between the two of them, he added, "This is a date."

"I know that, but do we want them to know?"

"They already know," he said, pulling into a parking space outside the restaurant and liking what he saw. The restaurant looked like a charming Italian villa with arched doorways, white curtains in the windows and bold red flowers in planters along the pebbled path to the door. Matt turned to Maxi and continued, "Besides, why wouldn't we want them to know?"

"If this doesn't work, they could end up in the middle. We're all family and you and I could just fake our way through family dinners and parties, but they're married and I don't want them to have to choose sides."

"We won't make them. They know I'm taking you to dinner for your birthday. That's all. We decide where we go from here and what happens to us. We'll tell them what we want them to know and the rest we'll play by ear." He pushed a tendril behind her ear and added, "Right now, we're not going to worry about Robin and Patrick or even where this is going. We're going to enjoy celebrating the anniversary of your birth."

She smiled tenderly at him.

"Happy birthday Maxie," he whispered and pressed a soft kiss to her lips.

--

"Matt took Maxie out to celebrate her birthday," Robin answered tentatively.

"Great," he growled, looking at Patrick, "now I have to deal with two of you."

"Three," Noah added with a smirk, knowing Mac was referring to the Drake men.

Mac rolled his eyes and said, "I'll let Robert handle you. He won't need any help."

Robin and Patrick chuckled as they watched the two older men rib each other.

"Well, I guess I should get used to them together. They were pretty . . . comfortable with each other here at the hospital and . . . after."

"What does that mean Uncle Mac?" Robin asked seeing that something else was going on behind his eyes.

"Nothing. I guess it's a good thing Matt is moving out."

"Matt's moving?" Noah asked, having heard nothing of these new developments.

"He's moving into your old apartment, right?" Mac replied looking at Patrick.

"I forgot in all the commotion. When I bought the house," he said, glancing at Robin momentarily before continuing, "I offered my old apartment to Matt. At the time, he said he'd think about it. I guess he's decided to take it."

"It's probably for the best. I'd hate to have to kill him if I found him and Maxie in a compromising position."

"That wouldn't be good . . . for you or my marriage," Robin teased. "What would the papers say, 'Police commissioner kills niece's doctor brother-in-law.' Nothing about that sounds good."

"I guess you're right," Mac conceded. "The fact of the matter is that I think Matt's a good guy. I guess Maxie could do worse."

"He's my son. What do you expect?" Noah's resident arrogance shone clearly through his statement.

"You don't really want me to answer that," Mac deadpanned, as the room burst into laughter.

--

The restaurant had lived up to Matt's expectations. It was extremely intimate with only a few tables, each covered in a stiff white linen tablecloth and graced by a single white rose. Softly glowing candles added to the romantic atmosphere. Pieces of fine art were sprinkled across the whitewashed walls and soft music was piped throughout the restaurant, giving it the feeling of a night designed for romance.

Maxie was enchanted and had said as much when they'd walked into the restaurant an hour ago. Throughout dinner, Matt and Maxie had teased and laughed about any and everything. When Matt had ordered Veal Marsala, Maxie couldn't resist giving him a hard time.

"How can you eat animal flesh?" she'd asked, having ordered the Eggplant Parmigiana for herself.

Matt had replied simply, "I'm a man, it's what we do."

From there, the topics of conversation had moved to work and childhoods and things they loved doing in their spare time . . . when they had spare time. The food had been fabulous and their conversation had only complimented it. Now, the two were enjoying each other's company while they waited for an order of Tiramisu that they planned to share.

"So, what are your plans for your new apartment?"

"I'm not really sure," Matt admitted honestly. "I hadn't really thought about it except that I want your help in decorating it."

"Really? Why?"

Toying with her fingers that lay on the table, he answered, "I figured you might be spending quite a bit of time there and I want you to be comfortable."

"You know for the arrogant, irritating, obnoxious man that you can be, you're a softy," she claimed with a smirk.

"Shhh. Don't tell anybody," Matt said conspiratorially, "I've got everyone else fooled." His eyes twinkled in the candlelight as he smiled at Maxie.

Just then, the first notes of live piano filled the room and without a moment's hesitation, Matt stood holding out a hand to Maxie. She gently placed her hand is his and allowed him to lead her to the dance floor that was tucked into a corner of the restaurant.

More and more she realized she could be herself with Matt. Maxie also realized he was becoming very important to her and she still wasn't sure that was a good thing. She'd been serious before when she'd been worried how their relationship could and would impact the rest of their family. That Matt didn't appear to be concerned at all, frustrated Maxie. She wanted him to share her concerns, but that didn't seem likely.

"Stop thinking so much," Matt whispered. "Everything's gonna be fine."

Resting her head on his shoulder, she allowed herself to relax into Matt and let all her concerns and reluctance go. She felt free for the first time in a very long time. Tightening her fingers around his was her only response and then she felt his lips in her hair. They glided across the dance floor to three different songs before returning to the table where the Tiramisu awaited them. As Maxie took the final bite, she saw Matt nod his head.

"What?" she asked as the piano player began a familiar tune – Happy Birthday. Maxie's eyes widened as Matt's smile did the same.

"Happy Birthday," he said, sliding a small box across the table to her.

"You didn't have to get me anything. You brought me to this fabulous restaurant for dinner and dancing. You've done enough," she gushed.

"Well, I wanted you to have something to remember the night by," he countered.

"How could I forget?"

"I didn't want to take any chances," he teased, then encouraged, "Open it."

Taking the top from the box, Maxie sighed awestruck. The charm bracelet inside was a delicate yellow gold with three charms attached. The gift was one of the most thoughtful she'd ever received.

"It's beautiful," she said, then asked, "What are the charms for?"

"The high heel is for your love of fashion," Matt answered fingering the tiny pump. Moving to the next charm, he said, "The tiara is because you're such a diva." He chuckled as Maxie rolled her eyes at him, then turned his attention to the last charm. "Although I don't believe in reading palms or psychic phenomena, I thought the crystal ball was appropriate. We don't know the future, but I'm hoping we'll find at least a part of it together."

At Matt's words, tears flooded Maxie's eyes. How had she gotten so lucky? Taking the bracelet in her hand, she moved around the table and took a seat in Matt's lap. Not saying a word, she handed the bracelet to Matt and held her wrist for him to place it there. Once the bracelet found it's resting place, Maxie admired it for a moment and then slid the fingers of her other hand into Matt's hair. Holding his head in place, she pressed her lips to his. As the kiss got heated, she pulled back, rested her forehead against his and whispered, "This is the best birthday ever."