At this moment, Rick Castle is remembering what it means to be a father of a daughter. And while he loves being the father of a daughter, he is really glad that none of his friends can see him now. Well, Ryan would probably understand what he is doing because he also has a daughter. But Esposito would not – he just has a son, and Rick could almost guarantee that 'Sito has never done this.
But then Rick looks across the little pink and purple table and sees the smiling face of Hannah, his four year old. She is beaming, and when she smiles like that she is one hundred percent Kate. She has Kate's beautiful brown curly hair, with Kate's incredible hazel eyes. But that smile – that megawatt smile – is the finishing touch.
And that is why Rick Castle, ruggedly handsome best-selling novelist, is sitting in a tiny chair (praying that he doesn't break it), wearing a purple plastic tiara, sipping pretend tea from a tiny purple cup. Hannah is pouring, and she is dressed for the occasion. She has on a purple tee shirt with a sparkly design and purple shorts and over that is a purple tutu. She is also wearing a purple boa around her shoulders and has on a big purple hat. When he had objected to the hat, he is informed by his daughter that "One gets dressed up for tea, Father. "And that is that. He sees his mother's influence – Hannah spends many hours with her Gram.
And then he is remembering what it was like to be a single father of a daughter, when he was the only parent available for tea parties with his four year old, and how he had done it happily then too. And he thinks about how that beautiful little girl is now a grown up woman, married and with a child of her own. But a part of him feels like she was four years old just yesterday, that he sat at a similar table, wearing a similar tiara, while a pretty red head who smiled like her mother sat across from him.
And then he thinks about playing catch with his son. Years ago, he might have found that boring; throwing a ball back and forth? What's exciting about that? But now he knows why parents do that with their kids; it is a perfect time for conversations. Your kid can tell you about the gross thing his best friend did in school today, or about the girl he has a crush on. You can tell your kid about your first crush, or the gross thing your best friend did in the second grade.
And then he thinks about sitting on the couch with his kids, watching the same Disney movie over and over. He did it as a single father; he's doing it now with his young children. Yeah, this time there's another parent sitting alongside him, singing along with "Frozen" or "The Little Mermaid" or "Aladdin"; but he still sitting there watching that same movie for the second time or the 50th time. And he sings along too.
So if anyone asks why he's at a tiny table sitting on a tiny chair sipping pretend tea from a tiny cup, he has an answer. If anyone asks why he puts on a baseball glove, and stands a few feet from his kid and throws a baseball back and forth, he has an answer. If anyone asks why he sits and watches kids' movies over and over, he has an answer. If anyone asks why he does anything with his kids, he knows why.
Because someday they grow up. Because someday, the old man is embarrassing. Because someday, hanging with your parents isn't cool. And because he is grabbing every memory he can while he can. He's kissing them while they let him. He's there for them, now and when they're grown up and don't think they need him anymore. He will always be there.