nota bene: I do not own Castle nor do I own the song that inspired me to write this.
It's Brian McKnight.
Richard Castle never thought that he'd ever be in this situation. After all, the age for asking a father's approval before asking for his daughter's hand for marriage is long over. Turns out, he was more old fashioned that he thought.
Or maybe, she's just that worth is, he mused to himself.
A can of worms, he used to call it.
And an opening for potentially more awkward situations.
That is why he's here: in a restaurant at 8 in the morning and sipping a cup of coffee to hide the mortification he is currently feeling. He cannot, for the life of him, seem to stop his right leg from jittering.
Stop it, Castle. You're a grown man. You are a best selling author and a notorious playboy. A conversation like this is peaches.
Peaches.
Riiiight.
Realistically, he knew that this was the best present he can give her. This was the right thing to do and that is why it terrifies him. When Meredith found out that she was pregnant, they eloped and had a shotgun wedding. They didn't have time to prepare nor did they have the time to inform their parents. Castle knew that the only reason they got married was because he wanted to provide their baby a stable home and a family with a father and a mother.
Unlike his.
Later on, he realized that it was a mistake. He shouldered the burden of being a parent alone.
Every night, he would peek into his daughter's bedroom and fervently wished that he could still provide her with the family she needed. Then, he met Gina.
Headstrong, intelligent Gina.
She was the anti-thesis of Meredith and it pulled him to her. He was intrigued and hope flared inside his chest strongly.
A good mother for Alexis.
So he married her. For Alexis. For his daughter's family.
But the thing that pulled him to her turns out to be the thing that breaks them apart. She controlled his life. His books. His daughter.
"You're such a hypocrite, Richard. You think I don't know that you didn't love me? You only married me for your daughter! How dare you talk to me about me using you! You used me for this make-up family you wanted! I'm only doing my job as a publisher. So, screw you! We're done! You'll receive the divorce papers in the morning."
Gina left immediately. Out of his home. Out of their family.
Ever since then, he had been more careful. Everyone had to be held at a distance; for his daughter.
"Mr. Castle, your party is here." A server said apologetically as he gestured to the man standing at the entrance, looking around curiously.
He put his coffee down and smiled at the young man. "Thank you, Evan. If you could just send him here and probably bring me another cup of coffee and a tea for my companion?"
"Certainly, Mr. Castle." The server, Evan, took his now cold cup, gave him a perfunctory bow, and turned back to the man he had been waiting for.
This is it. Do or die.
Don't freak out.
"Good morning, Mr. Castle." The man extended his hand, for him to take. Castle stood up and offered his hand in return.
"Good morning. Please, sit." He gestured to the seat in front of him.
Breathe. Keep a calm head.
"How are you? How was the vacation?"
"It was quite good. Thank you. We had a lot of fun and oh! You would have loved the view from the mountains. It was quite spectacula—" He trailed off when he saw a grin on the older man's face.
"—r. But, that's not really why I'm here." Nervous hands tried wringing each other before he gathered his resolve and took the small box from his pocket and placed it on the table.
"Straight to the point, huh?" The crows of his eyes wrinkled slightly in mirth.
"I'm 10 seconds away from passing out, to be honest." He chuckled nervously.
The older man raised a hand and gave him an understanding smile. "I know."
"But before you say anything, I would just like to tell you that I love my daughter very dearly. I won't promise to hurt you because I know people for that and from what I can understand, my daughter is quite capable of kicking your ass."
Straightening in his seat, he met his gaze and let a surge of confidence surge through him. "Understood, Sir."
"And son, I won't just hurt you."
A small smile appeared on his face as the young man let out a strangled laugh. "I know, Sir."
"Now, enough with the 'Sir' business. I believe you have a question to ask?" Castle smiled at the young man in front of him.
James, or Jamie to Alexis, opened the box that contained the second most gorgeous ring he has ever seen. "Sir, Mr. Castle, I would like to ask for Alexis' hand in marriage."