He slammed the door and sighed as the taxi driver turned to look at him.
"Where to, Mister?"
"That's Doctor." Niles corrected. "And I want you to take us anywhere my beautiful wife wants. This is her trip and I want to make it special."
Daphne smiled and kissed her husband. "It will be special Darling. I don't need you to show me around Boston. All I need is you right here beside me."
He stared into her beautiful brown eyes. "I love you, Daphne... So much..."
When they kissed deeply, the taxi driver cleared his throat in annoyance. "Are you going to answer me or do I have to kick you out of this cab?"
Niles shuddered at the taxi driver's abruptness. "You're not by any chance a transfer from New York, are you?"
"No, why?" The taxi driver asked.
Niles nervously fidgeted with his tie. "No reason... I've just... heard things about New York taxi cab drivers."
"Well you didn't hear them from me, so where to?"
"Why don't you pick, Sweetheart?" Daphne asked. "We can go sight seeing later."
Niles sighed. "Just... take us to the hotel, please. The Four Seasons."
"Finally, an answer!" The taxi driver said as he sped away from the curb.
They drove in silence but Niles was fully aware of Daphne rubbing his hand. He knew he should tell her the truth about the horrible secret Frasier revealed on the radio, but it was completely humiliating. She was sure to think less of him and although he knew that she loved him, he shuddered when he thought of what she would say if she ever found out.
And he prayed that she never would.
"Here we are. The Four Seasons." The taxi driver said.
"Thank you." Niles said relived to get out of the disgusting taxi. "I'll just get our bags."
"They're back there!" Said the driver, pointing to the trunk. "Here... I'll get the lock for you."
There was a click and then the lid popped open. But the driver remained where he was.
"Gee, thanks." Niles said, reluctantly paying the driver's outrageous cab fare.
They'd no sooner gotten their bags out of the taxi when the driver sped away, leaving Niles and Daphne standing on the sidewalk. Daphne turned and faced the hotel.
"Oh Niles, it's beautiful!"
He smiled and kissed her cheek. "You're beautiful. Now let's get inside and start enjoying this wonderful city. I'm going to take you to the best restaurant in town!"
Daphne turned and wrapped her arms around him. "That's a lovely gesture but I think you should invite your father and brother along. I know your brother isn't your favorite person right now but can't you just try to put up with him until after the party? For me?"
He looked into her eyes and brushed a lock of hair from her face, kissing her forehead. "All right. I'll do it for you. I'm sorry, Daphne."
"Oh Sweetheart." Daphne said kissing him again. "Whatever are you sorry for?"
He sighed and looked down at his feet. "Just... a lot of things."
When he sighed again, he felt himself wrapped in her arms, the scent of her hair wafting under his nose.
"Why don't we go upstairs and make reservations for that restaurant and then I'll show you how much I love you?"
"I would love that." He said; his voice becoming unsteady. "But what about-."
"The party? Don't worry, it won't take long. We'll be finished in plenty of time. And if we're not..." she said between kisses. "We can continue where we left off when we come back."
He stopped in his tracks, unable to believe what he was hearing. When he finally came back to reality, he saw her standing next to a bell attendant who was putting their bags on a luggage cart.
"Are you coming, Niles?"
His heart beat faster and he could hardly wait to take her into his arms and kiss her until he was breathless.
"Coming, my love!" he yelled, not caring how ridiculous he looked as he ran into the hotel.