Kiss Me...
It's such a very Castle thing to insist upon, dressing up all their kids in special Valentine's day outfits, especially considering the twins aren't even one and have absolutely no idea what's going on. It's also such a very non-Beckett thing to agree to. And a totally mummy-Kate thing for her to actually enjoy.
Because, really, what's cuter than matching onesies for their five-month-olds on a day meant to celebrate love? Especially when James' reads 'Mommy's little Valentine' and Josie's reads 'Daddy's little Valentine', and they're laying side by side in their crib and she's really tempted to take out her phone and snap a picture of her two happy babies.
And she succombs to the desire, taking out her phone and snapping what could possibly be her favorite picture of the twins yet (but she's said that about every picture of them since the day they were born) before reaching down to scoop her babies out of their crib.
She's grown used to carrying two kids around with her, holding James so his little head rests on her one shoulder and Josie so her head rests on the other. Her hands hold both their bottoms, cushioned by their new, clean diapers, and she leaves the silence of the nursery to join Castle and their eldest, Olivia, in the kitchen.
Olivia's sitting on one of the bar stools when she walks into the kitchen, her little legs hanging over the edge as she kicks them back and forth, toes colliding with the wooden cupboard each time. Her head is resting in her palm, her attitude coming through loud and clear as she waits for her heart-shaped pancakes.
The twins' bouncer seats are also on the counter, empty and awaiting their individual occupants. She walks over to them and sets each baby in their own seat. She straps them both is place and watches as Josie kicks her little feet, making the seat bounce with her, and the baby giggles at the motion.
It's the giggle that draws Livvy's attention, and her daughter turns on her stool, brows raised. She watches as Livvy springs from her stool and marches over to her, her steps angry and determined, her little brow furrowed with determination. She smiles at the sight of her little girl, which her father insists is an absolute replica of herself when she was Livvy's age, and bends down to see what Livvy has to say.
She's only half surprised when Olivia pulls on the hem of her shirt, holding it out for her to see. After she picked the twins' onesies, Castle insisted that he pick Livvy's outfit, and he didn't let her see it until today. She had a feeling Olivia would not appreciate that.
"Look, mommy!" She motions with a tilt of her head to her shirt. "Look what daddy made me wear. He saids it was very important 'cause all the boys need ta know." She pokes her own belly, letting the shirt fall down, and her eyes drift across the words printed on her daughter's stomach, and roll in reaction.
"Really, Castle?" she asks, turning to find her husband playing with the twins, making them bounce in their chairs and, consequently, laugh. He turns to look at her and shrugs, knowing very well what she's talking about. "She's four."
"Never too early to scare those boys away from my little girl," he says, shrugging. "The only reason I didn't absolutely insist that Josie wear one too is because the only boy she'll be seeing today is me, and James." He tickles Josie's chin as he speaks, and James' belly at his mention of their son.
"Yes, and the boys Livvy will be seeing today are all four, not exactly the age where they start having actual relationships," she says, turning back to Olivia and reaching out to adjust the shirt. "Right, Livvy? No boyfriends for Olivia. Just friends who are boys. So, no kisses."
Livvy nods proudly. "Yup, mommy. Just friends who's boys. Like you and Uncle Ryan and Uncle 'Sito, right?" she asks.
She nods. "Yup. But, if you don't want any boys to kiss you, why is the shirt such a big problem?" She raises her eyebrows and purses her lips in mock questioning, and Livvy's jaw falls slightly.
"Because, mommy. Because..." she trails off with a frustrated sigh and stomps her foot. The cotton of her red skirt bounces with her leg, her heart-covered tights pulling tight over her knee. "Because daddy said I'm a little heart frob," she says, crossing her arms over her chest.
She can't help but laugh at that, reaching out to rest her hand on Livvy's small arm. "Oh, Livvy, sweetie," she says, swallowing back another laugh, "that's a good thing. That was a compliment."
Olivia frowns. "A compliment?" she echoes, the word spoken slowly as she analyzes each syllable. "How?"
"Honey," says Kate, squeezing Olivia's arm softly, "being a heartthrob just means you're really pretty." She smiles at her daughter, seeing Olivia's crow furrow in confusion. "Because boys like pretty girls. And that means boys will like you. That makes you a heartthrob, baby," she explains. "And you're daddy doesn't want any boys to like you too much, right? He wants to boys to just be your friends."
"But boys are just my friends, mommy," whines Olivia. "So why do I need the shirt?" She pulls on the hem again, before releasing it and letting the fabric spring back into place.
"That means you don't need the shirt," she tells her daughter. She leans in to whisper in Livvy's ear. "But your daddy really wants you to wear the shirt. So can you wear it, Livvy, baby, just to play into your daddy's delusions?" She pulls back and smiles, and Olivia nods as she giggles. "Thanks, baby." She presses a soft kiss to Olivia's cheek before standing back up.
Olivia manages to get back onto the barstool, and gasps when she sees the whipped cream and sprinkle covered pancakes that sit in front of her. Her apprehension about the shirt forgotten, she grabs her fork and takes a bite, spreading whipped cream across her face, and really not caring.
She smiles and then turns to her husband, who now has a plate of heartshaped pancakes sitting next to him. He takes one off the pile and sets it on a plate, sliding it in front of her. He pours syrup onto it in a quick, practiced zig zag. She watches as he does so, and as he picks up a fork, cuts off the tip of the heart and brings it to her mouth.
"Happy Valentine's day, Kate," he whispers, quiet enough that Livvy, still engrossed in her pancake, doesn't hear. His smile is soft and loving, and she leans over to press a kiss to his lips even though her own are still coated with sticky syrup.
"Happy Valentine's day, babe," she whispers back to him. Next to her Josie squeals, and she turns to let her daughter's small hand wrap around her finger. "Right, I forgot. Josie is daddy's Valentine this year," she says, dropping her voice to the coo she reserves for her babies.
"Hey," says Castle behind her, his voice making James bounce in his seat, "a man can have more than one Valentine. Right, Jo? You can share daddy with mommy and Livvy."
Olivia turns at the sound of her name, mouth still full of pancake. She taps her empty plate with her fork, silently asking her daddy for more. She takes another bite of her own pancake as she watches Castle quickly place a new pancake on Livvy's plate, covering it in whipped cream and sprinkles. As soon as Olivia is satisfied, he turns back to her, leaning over the counter.
"I still can't believe you put our four year old in that shirt," she tells him, poking his bare arm with the prongs of her fork. "I mean, 'Kiss me and you have to answer to my daddy', babe?"
He smiles, satisfied with himself and his choice of shirt, before shrugging. "I figure if she's anything like her mother, all the boys will want to kiss her. I have to start intimidating them early."
She pokes him with her fork again, a teasing smile coming across her face. "Yeah, because you are so threatening, writer boy."
Happy Valentine's Day to all my lovely readers!