It was a warm summer evening and I was relaxing in my favorite chair after a long day of working on the farm. I was reading the book my husband wrote, Camellia Station, for maybe the fifth time.
I was so engrossed in the story that I didn't notice that Elliott had returned until he placed a kiss on my cheek, which startled me.
"Elliott!" I exclaimed. "I didn't realize you were back!"
My husband laughed. "It's alright, my dear. I know how you get when you read." He kissed me again, this time on my forehead. "Have you eaten yet?"
"Not yet," I responded.
Elliott walked to the kitchen and grabbed the apron, putting it on. "What would you like?" He asked.
"How about those delicious crab cakes you make so well?" I responded.
"Crab cakes it is!" He said and began cooking.
"How was the beach?" I asked after around ten minutes.
"Great," he said. "I had a nice time at the beach by myself. I watched the waves come and go, just like old times." He paused for a second. "Reminded me of the first time we met."
I smiled as I reminisced. We met when I first arrived here in Stardew Valley over a year ago. I had always loved the beach, so I visited almost immediately and met Elliott. He had been standing outside his home, watching the waves. There was something about him that drew me in, and we rapidly became close until, finally, we got married.
Still, if I had been told then I would someday marry this man, I probably wouldn't have believed it.
I was still lost in thought when Elliott placed a plate of crab cakes on the coffee table in front of me. I looked up at him
"Oh, you're done already?" I said, surprised.
"You've been staring at the wall for the past thirty minutes," he said with a chuckle. "What were you thinking about so intensely?"
"Ah." I felt my face heat up and I looked away, embarrassed. "I was thinking about us." I turned back to him. "How we met… and how lucky I am to have such a wonderful husband."
"I am the one who is lucky," he said, placing a kiss on my forehead before sitting on the nearby couch. "I never thought I'd have such a lovely and supportive wife."
"How about we're both lucky?" I said before putting a cake in my mouth.
"Very well," he agreed.
After we ate we washed and put away the dishes and went to bed. We lay together with his arms around me, my back pressed against his firm chest and his hot breath on my neck.
After a few moments of this, Elliott broke the silence.
"Ruby?" he whispered.
"Yes?" I responded.
"Could I ask you something?"
I rolled over in his arms so that I could face him. "What is it?"
His face flushed. "Well… I… um…" he gave up and sighed. "How is it that you always leave me speechless?" He asked.
"It's one of my many gifts," I said with a laugh. He chuckled as well and gently kissed me.
He sighed again. "I came to the valley to find the ivory tower from which my talents could reign supreme." He started. "But what I really found was a dungeon of loneliness. You saved me from that." He kissed me again, deeper this time.
"I never thought I needed intimacy," he continued, "but then you came into my life, and I learned how wrong I was. You have given me things I never knew I needed." He continued to kiss me as he spoke, each kiss getting more passionate, until he rolled over and pinned me underneath him. There was an intense desire in his eyes as he looked down at me in silence. Then he finally spoke once more.
"Being with you has made me realize I want something else," he said. "Ruby, will you have a baby with me?"