Sherlock and I walked out of the church, arm-in-arm. I was grinning as I looked over to him to see a proud little smile on his own face.

He didn't love me the way I'd loved him, I knew. But then, I didn't feel so strongly attracted to him as I had a couple of years before. We were marrying, really, because we had come to be one another's closest companions. Platonically, I mean. We needed each other, now that Sherlock no longer had John around, since he'd married Mary Morstan. And I ... well, I'd never had much of anyone, actually. I had friends who'd flitted in and out of my life, but Sherlock was the only one who'd stayed.

Of course, I'd be lying to myself if I didn't admit that I was still a little infatuated with him. So I was chuffed when he gave me a bouquet of daffodils — my favorite flowers — for our anniversary.

"Is this your idea of a romantic gesture?" I asked with a smile.

He seemed confused. "Molly, you know by now that I'm not the most sympathetic of husbands," he said.

I swatted him playfully as I took the flowers from him. "I'm not upset, silly boy. And besides," I added with a laugh, "you may not be a romantic, but we have great sex!"

My attempt at humour didn't seem to put him at ease the way I'd meant it to. Damn, had I upset him by bringing up our sex life? I knew he really only did it for my sake...

"As I was saying," he intoned, a bit gravely, "I know I'm not the most openly affectionate man. This was meant to be my little symbol of... of..." His face twitched, as if the words he was trying to say were writhing in his mind but unable to break out. I've never seen him at a loss for words, I realised. "I do love you," he finally murmured.

His words took a moment to have their full effect on me. "You mean you're in love with me?" I asked. My voice was a bit shrill, but from pleasure, not frustration.

Sherlock dropped his head as if he were embarrassed. "Yes," he whispered.

I hugged him, grinning. He's awkward, to be sure, but even if I'd thought otherwise, his love was what I'd truly wanted all along.