Castle sat on the edge of the bed, running his thumb over the velvet box in his palm. He carefully opened the lid, the square diamond in the platinum setting winking back at him with every beam of light that hit it. He knew he didn't have much time to admire it – Kate would be home any minute. It had been a day full of paperwork at the precinct, so she told him to head home early and she'd be there as soon as she was finished.
Castle let out a contented sigh as he closed the lid and placed the box back in the drawer of his nightstand. It had been burning a whole in his drawer for some time now, buried beneath papers, a notepad & pen he kept for late night light-bulb ideas, and some miscellaneous odds and ends that had accumulated in there over the years.
It seemed like it was just yesterday that Beckett had interrogated him about the Tisdale murder. That day changed his life forever, and he knew it the second she refused to be charmed by his charisma and good looks. He hoped that tomorrow would change his life just one more time.
Castle had bought the ring soon right after their 2-year anniversary. It had worked to his advantage that they had gotten a late start shopping one weekend.
Alexis was planning to meet up with them for lunch, so to cut down on time, Kate ran ahead to FAO Schwarz to pick up a birthday present for Ryan & Jenny's daughter, Madeleine. Castle, on the other hand, told her he was stopping in Bvlgari to look at some watches. They agreed to meet back up at the fountain at Grand Army Plaza in 20 minutes – surely that would be enough time for Kate to get a gift for Madeleine and for Castle to get…well…a very different gift.
He was greeted when he walked into Van Cleef & Arpels by Maxwell, the owner of the shop and a friend of the mayor. They had met at one of the mayor's poker tournaments a few years back and had played a few games together.
"Rick Castle! How are you? It's so great to see you again!" Maxwell excused himself from a conversation he was having with one of his sales associates as soon as he saw Castle walk through the door. He came around from the other side of the jewelry counter to shake hands with Castle.
"I'm doing fine, Maxwell, and yourself? How are Jeanne and the twins?" Castle grinned, happy to see his friend. They had last seen each other at a party hosted by the mayor a few months ago.
"Great, everyone is doing well, thanks! What brings you here today?"
Rick smiled. "Ah, I am here to pick up an engagement ring."
Maxwell's face lit up. "So she's really the one, huh? You've got yourself quite a beautiful girl, Rick. She's really something special." He couldn't help but smile. Maxwell knew the second Rick had introduced him to Kate that this day would come. Anyone with two eyes and a brain could see the connection between the duo. "Let me get it for you."
Maxwell returned behind the counter to retrieve the ring from an unmarked cabinet. Returning to the area where Rick was standing, he opened the box for Rick to see the ring.
Rick breathed out in awe at just how beautiful the ring was. The square-cut diamond was placed in a simple platinum setting. Two smaller diamonds flanked each side of the diamond. Nothing fancy, just a simple engagement ring. Kate would love it. He was sure of it. A few nights of Kate falling asleep on the early side & a few uncleared browser histories told Rick that Kate had been looking at wedding dresses and engagement ring styles online. "It's absolutely perfect." Rick looked up from the ring & smiled at Maxwell. He could barely contain his excitement. A quick slide of his credit card and some well wishes from Maxwell had him on his way to meet Kate at the fountain, ring box carefully tucked in his inside coat pocket.
It never felt like the right time, though, to propose to Kate. He supposed, however, that it would never feel like the right time. God, he thought, I've wanted to propose to her since day one.
Tomorrow was Saturday, their usual date night, and Kate had the whole day off. He couldn't wait to sleep in with her, wake up and make her breakfast, then spend the whole day with her. Her birthday had been the week before, and while they went out for drinks after work, she and Castle hadn't yet had a day to celebrate together. They were planning to take a stroll through Central Park and admire the fall scenery – one of Kate's favorite parts about the fall, even if the chill reminded her of her mother. They were good memories, though; memories of walking along Central Park West with Johanna as a child going to the American Museum of Natural History, dining at Tavern on the Green for special occasions…all of it reminded Kate of Johanna.
He heard the lock on the door turn, and he quickly jumped up from the bed to go greet his soon-to-be fiancée. Rick Castle could hardly wait to be Kate Beckett's one and done.
Rick & Kate had ordered food in. Neither had felt like cooking, but Kate was exhausted from a long week and wanted to stay in, so they ordered from the nearby Cercle Rouge through the Seamless app on Castle's phone. Was there an app he didn't have?
A delicious meal, a few glasses of wine, and a movie later, Kate had fallen asleep on Rick's shoulder.
"Hey, Kate," he whispered into her hair, kissing the top of her head, "I think it's time for bed."
Kate yawned. "'m comfy," she sleepily mumbled, but rubbed her eyes and moved anyway. She offered to help Rick clean up the plates & wine glasses from dinner, but he refused her help and told her to go shower & get ready for bed. How could she say no to a nice, hot, relaxing shower? It would be just what she needed after a stressful week.
She padded in her bare feet to the master bathroom adjoining Rick's bedroom. The white tile floor was cold on her feet, but just enough to wake her up to shower. Kate turned the shower on, letting the steam fill the bathroom while she brushed her teeth and took off her makeup. She quickly undressed, tied her hair up in a loose bun, and stepped into the shower. She hated to admit it, but Rick's shower was deliciously fantastic at working out the knots and stiff muscles in her neck and shoulders. It was that glorious showerhead, complete with its 9 different settings and fantastic water pressure.
The scent of her shampoo, conditioner, and shower gel swirled together, forming an intoxicating aroma of cherry and coconut. Rick, who had finished cleaning up from dinner and was now changing into his pajamas, loved when she left the bathroom door open a crack when she showered. The cherry-coconut aroma wafted into the bedroom, the whole room subtly fragrant of Kate. He heard her shut the water off, and soon enough she walked out of the bathroom in her pajamas – sleep shorts and one of Rick's favorite tee-shirts. He had long ago accepted the fact that his favorite shirt now belonged to Kate, and he didn't mind one bit.
Rick quickly brushed his teeth, then crawled into his sinfully comfortable bed where Kate was waiting under the warm comforter for him. Scooting next to Kate, he laid on his back while she snuggled into his side, his arm around her and her head on his chest.
"G'night, Kate. Love you," he murmured as he turned off the light.
"'Night, Rick. Love you back," she sleepily said, but lifted her head to meet his lips with a sweet, tender kiss. Shifting her head back to where it was comfortable, she placed her hand over his abdomen.
Rick's steady & strong heartbeat in her ear had her asleep in no time. As Rick was lulled off into a peaceful sleep, he couldn't help staring at her ring finger in the soft glow of the moon that filled the bedroom.
He couldn't wait to see that diamond sparkling there tomorrow.