As Rick Castle waited for his "date" to be ready for their luncheon, he grinned. A few months ago, he and Kate had realized that Lily, their four year old, was feeling a bit left out. They knew she adored her little brothers, but being a big sister to one year old twins wasn't always enough. Kate had taken her to a Mets game – just the two of them – and Lily had loved it. So he had decided he would take her on an adventure, just the two of them. But instead of a surprise trip, he let Lily pick what they would do together. They had had a blast running around the museum, making up stories as they went.
After the two daughter/parent days, he and Kate had decided that they would each have a one-on-one day with their daughter; Kate would surprise her with outings and Rick would let her plan their day together. It made so much sense to them – Kate was often the parent that made sure the kids were on a schedule and that they got where they should be while Rick was the "fun" parent. So the role reversal made the days even more special.
He had looked at his promotional schedule for his latest book, and had noted he had a free day today. When he asked Lily what she wanted to do today, she had said, "Daddy, I want to get dressed up and go to lunch together!" He had smiled and didn't need to ask why – she and Kate had gone shopping and she had picked out a pretty new dress. It seemed she wanted to surprise him and thought that a dress-up lunch would be perfect.
This time, Kate had called his mother and invited her to spend the day with her and the boys. Kate knew Martha would love to help get Lily ready for the "date", and she was right. The minute he had opened the door, Martha looked past him to see his younger daughter waiting. His mother barely had a chance to say hello to him before Lily was pulling her upstairs. Kate had smiled at him and then whispered in his ear, "I think you should wear a tie. Your daughter has big plans!" With that, she had gone upstairs to join her daughter and mother-in-law, and Rick went into their bedroom to change.
When he emerged, he was clean shaven and wearing his favorite jacket – and with a purple tie he knew Kate loved. He heard his mother clear her throat and then she announced in her most dramatic voice, "Mr. Castle, your date for lunch is ready! Miss Lily Castle!" Rick walked over to the bottom of the stairs and he had flashbacks to watching Alexis come down the stairs to go on dates, and knew that someday, he'd be doing this for Lily. Watching her walk downstairs, looking so pretty in her new dress and with her favorite dress up shoes on her feet, his heart almost burst from his chest with pride and love.
When she reached the bottom step, she grinned at him and asked, "Do you like my lipstick?"
He looked but he wasn't sure what she was talking about. Kate saw his quizzical look and laughed. "She's wearing ChapStick, daddy!" Rick grinned, and he told Lily he loved it. He took her sweater and helped her put it on, and Lily smiled. He knew she liked when he helped Kate with her coat, so she loved that he helped her too. They kissed Gram and Mommy good-bye and went off to Remy's for their special lunch.
When they got downstairs, Eduardo smiled at them, and said, "Miss Lily, you look very pretty! Is that a new dress?" Lily grinned and told him it was. He told her he liked it, and then he told Rick that their car was waiting for them. Lily was excited when she saw the car and took his hand to pull him to it. She smiled when Mike, her favorite driver held the door open for them, and she climbed into the safety seat. After she was seated and Rick put on his seat belt, they discussed their luncheon plans. He listened as she debated between eating a cheeseburger or mac and cheese. (Their girl was a big fan of cheese – she ate it at almost every meal, in one form or another.) When he told her he planned to have a cheeseburger, she thought she'd have some mac and cheese, but he had a feeling she'd still look at a menu.
When they arrived at Remy's, Rick told Mike they'd call him when they were ready for him. Rick undid his seatbelt, and helped Lily to get out of hers. He got out first, and reached in to help her to the sidewalk. He closed the door, and escorted his lunch date inside. They were seated quickly and their favorite waitress, Samantha, came over to greet them.
"Hello, Castles! Miss Lily, you look gorgeous! And you look very nice, Daddy," she said with a grin. "Where's the rest of the Castle clan?"
"They are home. This is a Daddy-Daughter Day!" Lily said excitedly. "And I can't decide between a grilled cheese sandwich or mac and cheese!"
"Well, let me give you some time to look over the menu then." Samantha shared a smile with Rick as she handed Lily her menu, which was actually a coloring sheet with the kid's menu printed on it. She dropped the crayons next to Lily's water glass. Lily thanked her with a smile, and picked up the purple crayon to start to work on the maze.
Rick sat back with a smile after he helped his daughter pick out a roll from the bread basket and butter it. She was telling him the pros and cons of each lunch choice, and he knew she just wanted him to listen to her. As he had watched her mother in the past, he watched his daughter. He truly enjoyed these little moments with Lily. She was a mini-Kate, with the same color hair and eyes as her mother. She also had Kate's beautiful smile, which got him every time. But what really got him was her mind – she had the same brilliant mind that her mother had. She was good at puzzles and she always remembered the punch lines of the jokes she told. And she had the same compassionate heart that her mother had too.
He knew he was a lucky man. He had a mother who loved him in her own special way, lots of friends who liked him for who he was and not his money, and he had four amazing kids. But he remembered once telling Kate how all his dreams come true, and he knew his marriage to her was the biggest proof of that. He wouldn't be here with this sweet and wonderful girl unless Kate Beckett hadn't inspired him all those years ago. And now as he watched her place her order for mac and cheese with their smiling waitress, he thanked the universe for all that he had.
He really loved Daddy-Daughter Days, and he couldn't wait to do this again.
A/N: I'm sorry I haven't written anything in a while, but working retail really kicked my butt. But the snow storm the Northeast is experiencing today gave me a chance to finish this story I've had in my head for a few months.
And the girl who asked her dad if he liked her lipstick and it was ChapStick was my niece!