"Oh don't worry, I got the bags - they're not heavy at all!," he yelled after her retreating frame as he dragged their luggage up the front steps and into their townhouse.
"I told you I had to pee!," she called back, scampering down the hallway and into the house.
He didn't respond, just continued to maneuver the luggage through the narrow entryway, a smile spread across his face because he knew in any second she would...
"Oh my god!," he heard her screech from the living room, his smile growing wider as he hurried to join her.
"Did you know they'd be here?" she asked him as he entered the living room, gesturing to Mike and Rachel, who were sitting on the couch. He didn't respond, but flashed her a shit eating grin that told her all she needed to know.
"Bastard," she mumbled under her breath as Rachel stood up and pulled her best friend into a hug, Harvey and Mike shaking hands and clapping each other on the back as they did.
"Mike has a couple meetings here this week, and since I'm still on maternity leave, I figured I'd tag along," Rachel explained. "Plus, this one," she paused, reaching into the bassinet on the other side of the couch and picking up a sleeping, six-month-old baby, "really wanted to meet her godparents," she finished, smiling down at the baby in her arms.
Donna had been so surprised to find Mike and Rachel in their living room that she hadn't even noticed the baby until Rachel picked her up. Upon seeing her though, a huge smile spread across her face as she took a step closer to get a better look.
"Oh my gosh," she cooed, looking between Rachel and the baby, running her hand softly over the top of her small head, "she's beautiful!" She felt Harvey behind her, placing one hand on her waist, his head looking over her shoulder to take a look at the baby.
"Hello, Nina Michelle," he said softly as Rachel transferred her to Donna's arms. Mike and Rachel exchanged a glance as they watched Donna's eyes light up as she looked down at the baby in her arms. Harvey's eyes were equally sparkly, but they were mostly trained on Donna.
The foursome spent about an hour laughing and catching up and, when Nina woke up from her nap, passing her around and playing with her. Eventually, Harvey offered to take Mike out for a drink so the girls could catch up in private, which he could tell they were itching to do.
As the guys left, Rachel started to feed Nina, who had grown fussy in Donna's arms. As she did, a smile spread across Donna's face as she looked at her friend, and the tiny human in her arms, in utter amazement.
"Rach, you're so good with her," she breathed.
Rachel glanced at her friend and smiled as she saw that same glimmer in her eyes she'd had an hour before when she held Nina for the first time. "And you'll be just the same," she said, the tone of her voice reassuring.
Donna didn't respond, but she felt a slight blush rise to her cheeks as she continued to gaze at Nina, who was now suckling away happily on her dinner.
"Oh come on Donna," Rachel said with a laugh, "I saw the way Harvey was looking at you when you were holding her. You guys want kids."
"Yeah," Donna admitted with a breath, as a smile spread across her face, "I mean, we've barely started talking about it, but we do," she said as her grin grew wider; it felt good to say it out loud.
"I wouldn't be surprised if you were already pregnant," Rachel said nonchalantly, "you're practically glowing from all that relaxing you did in Ireland," she quipped.
"Rachel no," she said, shooting her friend a serious look, but laughing at her comment nonetheless, "we're really careful about that," she explained.
"I'm just saying," Rachel continued, "it gets really fun when you don't have to worry about any of that," she finished with a laugh.
"I'll take your word for it," she said, her own laugh echoing Rachel's, "for now," she added with a smirk.
"Ok so," Rachel began, standing up with Nina and pacing around the room to lull her back to sleep, "tell me everything about the trip!"
Donna sunk back into the the couch, letting out a satisfied sigh as a huge grin spread across her face, recalling one wonderful memory after the next from the past week.
"Oh my god, Rachel, it was amazing," she gushed, "It was perfect, everything I imagined and more, I can't even explain it. Every day, I had to take a step back and remind myself that it was real, that this is my life now, that Harvey and I really are this happy," she continued, the grin on her face growing wider with each word. Rachel noticed, and she couldn't help the smile that spread across her own face.
"I know we've been together nearly two years, but Rachel," she paused, looking up at her friend to see her grinning back at her, "I just love him so much I can't believe it. But -" she stopped and took a breath, shifting her gaze to her hands in her lap, her wide smile fading slightly.
Rachel moved back towards the couch and placed Nina, who was almost asleep, back in the bassinet before sitting on the couch next to Donna.
"But what?," she pried carefully.
"I just can't help feeling sad thinking about all the time we wasted," Donna admitted, "We could have had so much more already. Been married, had a family, a dog," she explained. "Did you know Harvey wants a dog?," she finished, cracking a smile again at the last question, which made Rachel laugh quietly.
"Donna," she breathed, shifting her position slightly so she was sitting closer to her, giving her hand a small squeeze and encouraging her to continue.
"We've barely ever talked about marriage and kids before," Donna explained, "we've always just used vague terms like 'this is it' and 'more' and I've always thought that what we have now is the 'it' and 'more' we've talked about and I've been okay with that," she said with a sigh, glancing up at Rachel for reassurance.
"Something shifted between us while we were away. I felt it, and I know he did to," she continued, "and now," she paused, unable to hide the grin that was starting to take over her face again, "I want it all, with him, and I think he does too," she finished, looking up at Rachel and now smiling widely.
"Donna," Rachel gushed, looking at her friend with a matching grin, "that's amazing. I'm so happy for you," she said, pulling her into a tight hug.
They were interrupted by a little laugh coming from the bassinet in front of them, which made the pair burst out laughing too.
Rachel reached in and lifted her daughter up, bringing her to rest on the top of her thighs, "And apparently this one is excited to have a little playmate," she joked, smiling down at the little girl.
"Hold your horses missy," Donna laughed, "Aunt Donna needs a ring first," she explained, reaching over and tickling Nina's stomach, causing her to laugh harder.
"So," Harvey started as they settled into their seats at the bar, glasses of McCallan in hand, "any plans for Nina to actually go to college, or is she going to scam her way into a career too?," he joked.
"Scam is such a distasteful word, Harvey," Mike deadpanned, "I prefer strategize," he said, putting emphasis on the last word.
"Seriously Mike," he said, turning to his friend, "she's amazing, you guys did good."
"Thanks Harvey," he said, matching his sincerity, "but enough about me, how was your trip?"
Harvey paused to take a sip of his drink and let out a content sigh, memories of the past week flooding back to him.
"It was perfect," he said, "just perfect."
Mike didn't respond immediately, but paused to look at his friend. It may have taken the two of them far too long to finally get together, but now that they were their happiness was so apparent. Just as Mike was about to say as much, Harvey spoke again.
"Ok, Mike," Harvey said, "I'm only going to say this once, so pay attention," he ordered, his statement grabbing Mike's attention, "but you were right."
"I'm sorry, I'm going to need you to repeat that," Mike joked, "I want to get that on tape," he finished, reaching into his pocket to pull out his phone - a reaction that caused Harvey to roll his eyes and shake his head. "I'm right about a lot of things," Mike continued to joke, "so I'm going to need you to clarify," he finished.
"Donna," Harvey said simply, "she's the one."
Sensing where the conversation was heading, a grin stretched across Mike's face, "I could have told you that about ten years ago," he said, "but I'm glad you finally realized it for yourself," he finished, with a playful clap to Harvey's back.
Amused by his reaction, Harvey continued, "I'm going to ask her to marry me," he said confidently.
Hearing that, Mike practically jumped out of his chair in excitement, "finally!," he said, lifting his hand above his head, "come on man, up top!"
Harvey looked at his outstretched hand and smiled, but the high five went unreciprocated.
"You keep that up," Harvey joked, "and I'm asking Louis to be my best man."
"You wouldn't?" Mike replied with a gasp, bringing his hand to his chest, feigning hurt.
"Try me," Harvey quipped, giving Mike a sideways glance as he took a sip of his drink.
The next morning, as Harvey and Donna were getting ready for their first day back at the firm following their trip, Harvey asked Rachel to stop by his office later that afternoon, after she dropped Nina off at her parents' house.
"Oh come on Harvey," Donna chastised, "the woman is on maternity leave, don't make her work."
Before he could even explain that it was a personal visit, rather than a work one, Rachel jumped in. "I'd love to!," She said excitedly. "This one," she explained, gesturing to Mike, "will barely let me do any work at home. My brain could use the stimulation."
Donna reminded Harvey that'd she'd be out of the office for a lunch meeting as the pair moved towards the front door, her calling back to Rachel and Mike that she'd make reservations for the four of them for dinner that night.
Watching them leave, Rachel turned to Mike, "I wonder what Harvey needs help with," she said.
"Hmm, I have an idea," Mike said, recalling his conversation with Harvey the previous evening.
"Are you gonna clue me in or?," Rachel teased, bouncing Nina from one hip to the other.
"Nope," he said shortly, "it'll be more fun this way," he said, giving both her and his daughter a quick kiss before he too turned and headed out the front door.
Rachel strolled into Harvey's office early that afternoon to find it empty, his secretary letting her know he was wrapping up a meeting. As she waited, Rachel moved to the window sill to examine the picture frames lining the edge, many of which were new additions since the last time she'd been in his office. She couldn't help the smile that spread across her face as she moved from one framed photo of Harvey and Donna to the next - weekend trips, holidays with their families, and everything in between. As she reached the other side, she turned to see Harvey entering his office.
"Happy looks good on you guys," she said, greeting him with a smile and gesturing to the photos.
"Thanks Rachel," he replied with a smile of his own.
"So," she said, leaning against the back of one of the armchairs, "what do you need help with? Please say it's an interesting case," she half pleaded.
"Actually," he started, shifting his gaze to his feet, "it's personal," he explained.
"Oh?"
"I'm going to ask Donna to marry me," he said, his voice filled with the same confidence as when he told Mike the night before.
"Oh my god!," she nearly screamed, leaping up from her reclined position in excitement.
"And," his voice remaining calm in an effort to help quiet her down, "I need your help picking a ring."
While in the car with Harvey, Rachel couldn't resist pulling out her phone and letting Mike know what she was up to.
Rachel: You will never believe what I'm doing right now
Mike: If you say mudding with Louis I'm coming home with divorce papers
Rachel: I'm shopping with Harvey
Mike: Ah yes, he's been needing a new handbag
Rachel: For an engagement ring for Donna. But you knew that didn't you?!
Mike: He may have mentioned something like that last night…
After about an hour and a half, Harvey and Rachel left Tiffany's, him clutching that little blue bag like his life depended on it. The pair looked at quite possibly every ring in the store before deciding on one. The one they chose featured a circular 2 carat diamond with smaller diamonds surrounding it, mounted on a platinum band. As soon as Harvey saw it, he knew that it was the one. He held it between his fingers and imagined slipping it on Donna's finger for the first time, and then seeing her wear it every day for the rest of her life.
Before they parted ways, Harvey turned to Rachel. "Can you take this with you, and put it in my closet?, he asked. "Just my luck she'll see me carrying it into the firm."
"Sure thing," Rachel said. She'd been planning to go back to their townhouse to relax before they met for dinner anyways.
"Put it in the bottom drawer of my dresser," he instructed, handing her the bag, " she never goes in there."
"Have you thought about how you're going to propose?," she asked.
"Not really," he admitted, "but I want it to be special, and just the two of us. I know she'd hate it if it was a big public spectacle - she thinks those kind of proposals are tacky," he explained.
Before Rachel could weigh in, he continued.
"And I want to do it while you and Mike are still in town. She mentioned once that she'd like to have a small celebration with friends afterwards," he explained, smiling as he recalled that particular conversation.
"I think that could be arranged," Rachel said, matching his smile.
"Can I ask you," he started, not sure how to phrase the question, "when Mike asked you, what was the best part of it?"
Rachel contemplated the question for a second before answering. "Two things, I think. First, that it was a surprise when it happened - I wasn't expecting it at all," she explained, looking back at Harvey, smiling again at the look of contemplation spread across his face.
"And second?" he asked.
"That it felt like Mike. Yeah, the words he said to me were incredibly thoughtful and romantic, but they were him. It didn't feel like some lofty over-rehearsed speech from some romance novel. It was just us, you know?"
"Hmmm," Harvey said with breath as he continued to contemplate what she'd said.
"Just tell her how much you love her, and it'll be perfect. She's going to say yes," she said with a reassuring pat to his shoulder as she climbed into a cab.
Harvey spent much of that afternoon, and the day that followed, contemplating exactly how he wanted to propose to Donna. Like he told Rachel, he wanted it to be intimate and personal - he wanted the location to mean something to them. The more he thought about it, what he really wanted to do was whisk her back to Ireland and propose on the Claddagh, with the sun going down on Galway Bay, but he knew the seven hour plane ride would tip her off. And he wanted it to be a surprise. Since they'd gotten together, he'd been keeping a mental list of all the times he'd truly been able to catch her off guard - the trip to Ireland being one of his finer moments, and he wanted the proposal to be up there too.
He thought briefly of taking her to dinner at Del Posto and proposing over their shared tiramisu dessert, but they only went there twice a year; they day she came to his desk and they day he came to her door. So he quickly ruled that out - knowing the location would be an immediate giveaway that something was up.
He thought about all the moments they'd shared together over the past fifteen years - big and small, happy and sad. The day they made partner, the day Mike got out of prison, the day Stemple took his mother's painting. And suddenly, he knew the perfect place; the firm. They'd fallen in love walking those halls together, between stolen glances through glass doors, over shared glasses of scotch, unspoken words that meant more than they'd realized in the moment.
He decided that her office was the perfect place. Because of all the things she was, he knew she was most proud of her position as COO. And he was too, without a shadow of a doubt. He knew she knew that, but he hoped that proposing in her office would remind her once again how completely in awe of her brilliance and tenacity he was every single day.
Mike and Rachel had helped him with the logistics for the post-proposal celebration, as Rachel was calling it; Rachel really taking the lead to make sure that everyone knew the plan and that no one would accidentally ruin the surprise. Harvey thought long and hard about what he wanted to say to her, and after a few practice runs on Rachel, each one reducing her to tears, he felt ready.
They'd finished up a casual dinner at a new restaurant Sheila and Louis had recommended to them, and Donna thought they were on their way to meet Mike and Rachel for drinks to celebrate their last night in New York, so she was surprised when Ray pulled up in front of the firm.
"Mike left some files and asked me to grab them," he explained, answering the question he knew she was about to ask.
"Once a puppy…" she joked, as he helped her out of the car and into the lobby of the building.
As the elevator opened on the 50th floor, Donna tuned to walk towards his office, but he grabbed her hand and pulled her towards hers.
"You do know your office is that way?" she asked jokingly, pointing in the opposite direction.
"Yeah, let's take the scenic route, get those steps in," he said nonchalantly, letting out a quick exhale to get rid of any last minute nerves.
He'd expected another sarcastic response from her, but before she could form one, she stopped dead in her tracks as they rounded the corner towards her office. Harvey let out a breath too, Mike and Rachel had really outdone themselves. Small, white candles lined the dimly lit office and there was even a large vase of hydrangeas - Donna's favorite flower - on the window sill.
"Harvey, what…?" she managed to say, turning to look at him, the expression on her face equal parts surprise, confusion, and bewilderment.
He didn't say anything, but moved his hand to the small of her back and guided her into the office. Nearing the right side of her desk, he tuned to face her, taking one of her hands in each of his.
"Donna," he started, a small smile spreading across his face as he noticed her glistening eyes; she was no doubt understanding what was about to happen, "I love you," he stated simply, "more than I ever thought I'd be able to love anyone," he elaborated, dropping one of her hands for a second to wipe away a tear that had fallen to her cheek with the pad of his thumb.
"But that's just what you do," he said, the smile on his face growing wider as he continued, "you bring things out in me that I didn't know were there; you always challenge me to be better. And that's just one of a million things I love about you. And I want to spend the rest of my life loving you for everything that you are."
"So," he paused, letting go of her hands and reaching into the inside pocket of his jacket for the ring box as he dropped to one knee, "Donna Roberta Paulsen, will you marry me?"
He looked up at her as he awaited her answer and he couldn't remember a time he'd seen her smile wider. A few tears fell from her eyes as she nodded in response to his question and seeing her like that, so happy at the thought of spending the rest of her life with him, made his own eyes glisten.
"Yes Harvey," she breathed, her smile growing even wider, "yes I'll marry you," she answered, leaning down and placing her hands on either side of his face, pulling him back up to standing as she kissed him.
They broke the kiss and he took her hand, sliding the ring on her finger. She glanced down at the new addition, sucking in a breath as she took it all in. She tilted her hand slightly from side to side, the diamond glistening in the candle light that flickered through the room.
"It's beautiful," she gushed as she wrapped her arms around his neck while his hands found her waist, pulling her closer to him.
"You sure are, Mrs. Specter," he replied, pulling her in for another kiss.
"Please," she quipped, "that's Mrs. Paulsen Specter to you," she joked, which made him smile.
Overcome with excitement at what had just happened, and filled with happiness that she'd said yes, he tightened his grip on her waist, lifting her off the ground and spinning her around. His action caught her by surprise and she laughed out loud. And that sound, her pure, uninhibited laughter minutes after they'd gotten engaged was music to his ears, and something he'd remember until his last breath.
After a bit more private celebration in her office, he led her up to the roof of the building. As the door swung open, Donna smiled widely and turned to him in utter amazement.
"How?" she asked as she felt his hand on her waist, pulling her closer to his side.
"I had help," he said simply, gesturing to Mike and Rachel who were now rushing towards them, glasses of champagne in hand.
"Nice of you to finally join us," Mike joked, as he passed Harvey a glass while Rachel pulled Donna into an excited hug. As the girls broke the hug, Donna and Harvey exchanged a quick smirk prompted by Mike's comment.
"Donna, if there was any time to have sex in the office it'd be now," he said, one hand playing with the zipper on the back of her dress, the other pushing the hem higher up her thigh.
"If you mess up my hair Specter, you're a dead man," she said as a mischievous grin spread across her face, walking him backwards until the back of his thighs hit the edge of her desk.
"The desk," he smirked, as he turned them around and lifted her up onto the surface "interesting development."
"You're not the only one with fantasies," she purred into his ear as her hands found the waistband of his pants.
After another round of congratulatory embraces the foursome moved to join the rest of the group that had gathered on the roof, which included Louis, Shelia, Katrina, Samantha, and Elaine - Donna's assistant. Congratulations were spoken and the champagne flowed freely as the ladies admired Donna's ring and applauded Harvey on a job well done.
"I'd like to propose a toast," Mike started, "to Donna and Harvey, who took far too long to get here," he paused, shooting Harvey a look out of the corner of his eye, which made Harvey smile and shake his head. He knew that no matter what happened, Mike would never miss an opportunity to point out that he took longer than he should have to tell Donna everything.
"But who deserve every ounce of happiness because I have never seen a couple love one another as unconditionally as they do," he finished, a genuine smile stretched across his face.
"To Donna and Harvey," Rachel said, raising her glass as the others followed.
"Did you really have no idea?" Harvey asked her later that night, after they'd returned home from the celebrations.
"I really didn't," she said with a smile as she climbed into bed and cuddled into his side. "I thought maybe you'd take advantage of Rachel being here and pick out a ring, but tonight," she paused, turning to face him, "tonight was a surprise," she finished, giving him a quick kiss.
"I'm glad," he said, pulling her tighter to his side as she dropped her head to his shoulder, her hand, now adorned with a ring, finding his.
They sat like that for a few minutes before she felt him roll away from her slightly. Before she could even ask what he was doing, he was back and placing a small, wrapped package on her lap.
"You're just full of surprises today, aren't you," she said laughing as she started to open the package. Removing the the wrapping, she found two picture frames. The first held a picture from their visit to the Cliffs of Moher, her on his back and both of them smiling widely, the second frame was empty.
"I thought you could put this one," he said, gesturing to the full frame, "in your office next to the picture of us dancing at Louis and Sheila's wedding," he explained. "And you can save this one," he said, picking up the empty frame, "for a picture from our wedding."
"We're getting married," she said, looking up at him as a smile spread across her face, her voice soft and excited.
'We're getting married," he replied with a smile, before moving the picture frames onto the side table, pulling her onto his lap and kissing her deeply.
Author's Note - Thanks for reading, hope you enjoyed this one! As always, please leave a review and let me know your thoughts! I've started drafting an epilogue chapter, but haven't quite gotten the words right, so that may be coming soon!