"Daddy! Daddy please will you read me a bedtime story? Please?"
Castle turned from the light switch at the sound of his daughter's exuberant little voice- what was he thinking, putting her to bed just now- Alexis was way too hyped up to sleep. No thanks to Mother, he thought, that's the last time I let her babysit. Fleeting memories of soap operas and drunken nannies flashed through his head as he sent his daughter a stern look before making his way back to her bed.
"Alright, fine. One bedtime story and then you have to sleep. Promise?" Castle held out his pinky finger and the little girl grasped it tightly with her own, beaming. The sight made him weak in the knees- when it came to Alexis, Castle was powerless to resist.
"Yes Daddy!" She peeked over her blanket as Castle crouched down to look at the bottom shelf of her bookcase.
"What shall it be tonight, Pumpkin? Peter Pan, The Bernstein Bears, Winnie the Pooh? Oh, hey- You like Stellaluna, right?"
"Yes!" Alexis almost shouted.
Castle smiled down at her, chuckling to himself. "Alright, well how 'bout we read that then?"
He thanked his realtor for the recommendation on thick walls as his daughter cried out her affirmation once again. He pulled the skinny blue book from between 'The Hungry Caterpillar' and 'Where the Wild Things Are', and pushed his daughter playfully from her spot as she giggled, holding the lilac sheets back for him.
He over-exaggerated getting comfortable, squirming around in his spot and making Alexis laugh even harder as he yanked the blanket from her toes.
"Daddy!" Alexis protested, tugging it back down over feet. Once Castle was settled, she sank down and rested her head in his lap. He brushed the fiery hair back from her forehead as she hugged Monkey Bunky tighter to her little torso, yawning, and looked up at him with her bright blue eyes- waiting.
Castle cleared his throat, holding the book out in front of him with one arm- his other hand was still tangled in his daughter's silky locks- and started reading.
"In a warm and sultry forest, far, far away…"
