A/N: Many thanks to Lindannylove for her help with this chapter!
It takes Linda twice as long as usual (and "usual" is already too long, in Danny's mind) to decide what she wants for dinner, between the tears and the words that are still flowing from her mouth like the best beer Danny has ever drunk.
He kisses her when both of them have finally placed their orders. "I didn't understand a word you said, babe."
"I ordered the veal marsala."
He kisses her again. "Wasn't talking about your dinner order."
"Oh." She sniffles, plays with the ring that is now adorning her right ring finger. "I…I know you don't like Wendy, and you went to all the trouble of going to her house, and talking to her, and convincing her to give you back my ring and bracelet from my grandma…O, Danny. I love you."
"Love you more," he says, simply to see her reaction.
"Love you most. How…how'd you do it?"
"Well, when you were at work last week, I called her, told her I wanted to do something special for you."
"This is…beyond special, Danny. This is…wonderful and amazing and thoughtful and…"
He kisses her. "You're welcome, babe. Now, drink some water before you get a headache from all those tears, or else we won't be able to celebrate when we get home," he says gently.
She takes a sip of her ice water. "You know I don't get a headache from happy tears."
"Yeah," he mutters, even though he's not entirely sure that's true… He could remind her of times… But he's not going to argue with her about something that trivial. Not tonight.
He takes his tie off when Linda's locked the front door. "Do you trust me?"
"Always. Danny, what…?"
"There's a surprise upstairs for you, and I don't want you to see it yet. Now, I don't know if the crippled leading the blind is such a good idea, but…will you let me blindfold you before we go upstairs?"
She kisses him. "If you trip and injure yourself again…"
"I won't. I'm going to be holding the banister and you, and we'll go very slowly."
She tilts her head up, closing her eyes. "Blindfold as much as you want, Danny Reagan."
He ties it loosely, shuddering as he remembers rescuing her from Salazar's men. She hadn't been blindfolded then, but the gag…
Her hand comes to rest on his hip. "I'm not going anywhere, Danny. Just make sure you don't land us both in the ER."
He nods, sets his crutch down, and together they hobble up the stairs.
He pushes the door open.
Erin had done exactly what he'd asked her to do.
The lights are dimmed, there are rose petals scattered on the floor, a vase of twenty red roses on Linda's nightstand, and (unlit) candles line the tub.
He removes his tie from her eyes. "You can look," he says, and begins searching for the zipper that is supposedly somewhere on the back of Linda's little black dress.
"O Danny. This is…I can't…I love you…" and then she hugs him, and her hands go…lower than a proper hug…and he's definitely not thinking about her zipper anymore.
Some considerable time later, they're both up to their chins in steaming-hot water in the tub.
His ankle's killing him now, but he hadn't even noticed in during their "romp in the hay," drunk as he was on his wife of twenty years. If they could just do this twice a week, he'd be a teetotaler in a hot second.
He groans as Linda works out the knots in his shoulders.
"What were you saying earlier?" Linda asks suddenly.
"When?" he frowns, sleepy and satiated and blissfully happy.
"Right before you broke the zipper on that little dress in your eagerness to get it off me."
O. That.
He's not sleepy anymore, all of a sudden.
He turns as best he can, captures her lips. "I said…well, actually, I want to hear what you were trying to say."
"Danny, no teasing!"
He smirks. "Ladies first, or you won't get that backrub later."
She groans and closes her eyes.
Judging by her smile, she's seeing their decorated bedroom in her mind's eye.
"I said…that I was sorry for ever doubting that you had a romantic streak, that I was obviously… wrong when I said you…we…had gotten complacent."
Sometimes he hates how she remembers every little detail of little conversations.
"You weren't wrong," he says, and stands, trades places with her so he's holding her in front of him, and starts giving her…well, it's not a backrub.
She gasps in feigned surprise…or that could have just been a reaction to where his hands had gone. "Did you just say I was right, Danny Reagan?"
"I did. You better memorize it."
"O, there are a lot more things I want to memorize about you."
"Such as?"
"This," she says huskily, and lets the water out of the tub, and drags him and his ankle back to bed.
He's gonna have to start thinking now if he wants to outdo this on their 21st anniversary next year…