Steve ducked into the kitchen as soon as Kayla headed up the stairs to put Stephanie down for her nap. He knew he had to be quick because he wanted to be out of the house before Kayla came back down. But if he wanted his plan to work, he had a lot of pieces to put into motion.

He quickly found Worthington and filled the snooty butler in on his plans. Worthington pretended to be a little put out by Steve's extra requests, but Steve did not miss the small smile that crept onto Worthington's face as Steve turned to leave. Steve left the kitchen chuckling lightly. He knew his "bud" would come through for him.

Leaving the kitchen, he headed to the pond for his daily talk with Kim. Since his and Kayla's talk on the patio the previous evening, Steve had done a lot of thinking. He knew that he and Kayla still had things to work out - hurts to overcome and put behind them, and adjustments to how they had each been changed by their time apart. As much as he wanted to believe that everything that had happened to them could just be forgotten, he knew it was not that easy. But he also knew he would never stop fighting for their life together.

Steve had told Kayla about his conversation with Kim a few days prior. Well, he had told her part of it, explaining Kim's comments about PTSD, but leaving out Kim's warnings about what might happened if he could not open up and talk about it. Each day since, he had met with Kim down at the pond. Steve knew that it bothered Kayla that he seemed more willing to open up to Kim than to his wife, and he understood that. He hoped that tonight might help make up for that, as well as some other things he had done since his return to his family.

After his talk with Kim, Steve worked to finalize his plan. He checked in with Worthington, who promised to have everything ready. He had filled Kim in on what he wanted to do and gained her cooperation as well. Once Stephanie woke from her nap, Kim was able to get Kayla and Stephanie to accompany her, Andrew and Jeannie for a trip to the stables and around the estate. Steve had begged off, saying he was feeling tired and wanted to take a little nap. With Kayla safely out of the house, he put the final touches on his plan.

By the time he heard Kayla making her way up the stairs, everything was arranged. The small table was set for two, with candles and yellow roses in the center. Steve quickly dimmed the lights and checked the mirror one last time. He took a deep breath and waited.

He did not have to wait long as Kayla opened the door, saying, "Steve, where are . . ." She stopped in mid-sentence. Steve watched as her eyes took in the romantic setting and he smiled inwardly as he saw the love and happiness spread across his face. It was the same look that had changed his life all those years ago.

"It looks like my husband has something planned tonight," she said, stepping into the room and closing the door behind her. "I guess that explains why Kim was so eager to take Stephanie to the kitchen for dinner."

"Let's just say I asked Aunt Kim if she wouldn't mind babysitting for the evening," Steve said slyly. He turned on a small tape player on the dresser, and then slowly moved toward her.

Steve watched Kayla's face as the familiar strains of "The Rose" began to play. He saw the recognition in her eye and a soft smile on her lips. He reached out his hand and said, "Dance with me, Sweetness?" Kayla nodded and moved into his arms, where they swayed lightly to the tune. As they danced together, scenes from their past ran through his head - the cookbook she had given him that first Christmas, the day he had signed this song to her and asked her to marry him, and the dance they had shared after they had returned from Australia with Stephanie. The love he felt for her left him breathless.

When the song ended, Steve reached over and grabbed one of the roses from the table. He brushed it softly against Kayla's cheek and smiled. "Happy Anniversary, Sweetness."

Kayla smiled. "You remembered."

"Of course, I remembered," Steve said. "Marrying you is something I could never forget. No matter how many times we do it." At that, Steve smiled broadly.

Kayla giggled and leaned in for a kiss. "As long as you remembered, I don't care. I was sure you had forgotten when you didn't mention it today."

Steve returned the kiss and said, "I promise that I'll never forget. I just needed you to think I did so my surprise would work. So are you surprised?"

"Surprised, thrilled, happy, loved . . . you make me feel so many things," Kayla said.

Steve cupped her face in his hands and gave a lecherous grin, "There are many other things I'd like to make you feel right now."

"So what's stopping you," Kayla asked, the desire clear in her voice.

Slowly, Steve leaned down and took her mouth with his. Unlike the playful kiss earlier, this one was filled with love and tenderness, and touched with a passion simmering just beneath the surface.

When the kiss ended, Kayla pulled back. Steve groaned in disappointment as Kayla walked over to the vanity. He watched as she opened a drawer and pulled out a small box.

"What's that, Sweetness?" Steve asked.

"It's my surprise for our anniversary," she answered. "It's a present for both of us, actually." She handed the box to Steve and told him, "Open it."

Steve gave her a curious look, then opened the box. "Oh, baby," he said, seeing the contents. "I can't believe you did this."

"I had a little help from Roman, but I just felt like today was the perfect day to put these back on." Kayla smiled through her tears.

"I can't think of a better present." Steve replied, a tear of his own running down his cheek.

With that, he lifted the diamond engagement ring and wedding band from the box. Taking Kayla's hand, he softly said, "I love you," and placed the rings on her finger. Then he brought her hand to his mouth and gave it a soft kiss. "I know that things aren't perfect, and I know that we have a lot to work through, but I also know we can make it through anything."

Then Kayla took the box from his hand and pulled out a gold wedding ring. Steve stared at the ring, overwhelmed that she had kept it with her all this time. Taking Steve's hand, Kayla placed the ring on his finger. "I love you too," she whispered, her voice choked with the emotion of the moment. "And I don't need things to be perfect. I just need you with me - always."

Staring into Kayla's eyes, Steve felt the weight of the ring on his hand and knew that everything had finally come full circle. Steve leaned down and kissed her again, this time deepening the kiss as the passion built. His hands moved to the zipper of her dress as he felt her hands go to work on the buttons of his shirt. As he led her to their bed, he had a fleeting thought that Worthington was waiting for his call to deliver dinner. But as Steve's lips and hands continued their journey down Kayla's body, he knew that dinner was just going to have to wait.