Chapter 8

They descended the stairs hand-in-hand, Rick leading the way. He opened the door to find their first guest poised with her slim finger on the doorbell. "Well hello, Dr. Parish" he intoned smoothly, playing at formality. He bent to kiss Lanie on the cheek, then stepped backward swiftly, lest he be caught in the maelstrom of feminine hugging.

Alexis and Martha had appeared out of nowhere, dressed, he assumed, in their acquisitions from the day's shopping trip. Lanie was Kate's best friend, so if Kate was soon to be family, so was Lanie. Rick cleared his throat, trying not to look put-out at being relegated to the sidelines. "Alexis, why don't you and Gram take Lanie out and show her the beach?"

Moments later Ryan and Jenny were approaching, followed by Esposito. Kate welcomed them, even offering uncharacteristic hugs to her "boys", who then traded manly back-claps with Rick. The trio proceeded through the house to the patio.

The next figure to cross the threshold looked uncertain but openly curious, taking in every detail. When Kate caught sight of him, she stepped forward, right into the arms she had known since her earliest memory. When she greeted him, her voice overflowed with warmth. "Hi Dad."

Rick hung back respectfully, recognizing the importance of the father-daughter bond. When the pair separated, he stepped forward. He started to speak, but found that nerves had temporarily short-circuited his voice box. After all, neither his accomplishments nor his notoriety would matter to this man. They no longer lived in the era where a father sought assurance that his daughter would be "provided for". Kate was a modern woman who was making her own way quite well. All that mattered was whether she would be treated with respect, like the treasure she was. He cleared his throat and offered his hand. "Sir." One syllable, but it spoke volumes.

Jim Beckett sized up the man that his Katie had told him about. Early on she groused about him, 'arrogant, immature, infuriating' but over time she had added 'insightful' then 'sweet'. Naturally she had called him on her way home the night of the mayor's ball to tell of her engagement, and he'd seen the pictures in the paper. The photos were just a bit too grainy for him to see Rick's eyes, but he could tell now, the way Castle looked at Katie, the author would move heaven and earth for her. And really, what more could a father want for his daughter? "Rick, it's a pleasure to finally meet you." He motioned to the over-nighter he was carrying. "Where should I…?"

Rick jumped guiltily with belated attention to his hosting duties. "Please, let me get that. Why don't you stay in the guest room tonight, this way we can get better acquainted tomorrow?"

Jim nodded with a smile of thanks and followed Rick upstairs. Kate watched them go, listening to the small talk fading as they disappeared around the corner. Boisterous voices dragged her attention back to the foyer. The infamous writer trio had arrived, having evidently shared a cab from the airport again.

This time Kate was able to find her words easily as she greeted them. "Gentlemen, always a pleasure."

Each in turn they greeted her. Cannell kissed her cheek, Connolly kissed her hand, and Patterson, well he just hugged her. "Now before Ricky comes back, we need to know…" Cannell regarded her gravely. "You didn't say yes because you lost a poker hand, did you?" They all burst out laughing, and that's how Rick found them when he came back down the stairs.

"Hey, guys, did I miss a good joke?" he queried. Kate looked at him, then back to the trio, and giggled again."

Cannell clapped him on the shoulder. "Ah, Ricky. Congratulations!" he said, evading the question. Looking confused, Rick led his friends out to the patio and made sure they had drinks, before returning to Kate's side to welcome Captain Montgomery and his wife. When Kate said "Glad you could make it after all, sir!", the captain smiled at her, but winked at Castle, making her wonder briefly just how intricate his scheming had been.

There were other guests, neighbors, even Paula and a handful of other people from Rick's business life.

Finally Rick and Kate made their way into the throng of the party. After a few minutes, he excused himself to mingle. Kate sought out Lanie. She found the petite M.E. on the patio, absorbed in conversation with Patterson, and she looked like she couldn't believe it. At a convenient pause, she interjected and stole Lanie away.

"Girl, this is unbelievable. Do you KNOW who I was just talking to?"

"Yes, Lanie, of course I do. He's quite the charmer, but you have to watch out, he bluffs like nobody's business." Lanie's jaw dropped, but Kate continued. "SPEAKING of bluffing….I never did get the chance to talk to you about your part in the whole Mayor's ball thing."

Lanie smirked up at her. "Writer boy called me, asked me to set things up with Brad. Once I got the details, wild horses couldn't have kept me away. I am only slightly ashamed to admit that the price of my silence was a miniature version of the cappuccino machine for my office."

Kate shook her head good naturedly and walked away, chatting with various guests before venturing to the buffet. She selected a lobster tail, some fragrant rice, and some cauliflower au gratin, before turning to scan the crowd for her fiancée. It was still bizarre to think of him in those terms.

She found him at one of the tables, and noted that the empty seat beside him had a place card, though no other cards were evident. "Reserved for the future Mrs. Castle", done in block printing she recognized as his. He gave her a wink as she sat. As they ate she looked around again. Everyone seemed to be having a good time, she thought with satisfaction.

She caught motion out of the corner of her eye and realized Rick was standing up. At first she assumed he was after a refill of food or drink. Until… She read the intention on his face but was helpless to do a thing about it without making a major scene. He tried clinking his glass, but the wind off the ocean carried the sound away with it. So he settled for raising his voice: "EXCUSE ME, MAY I HAVE EVERYONE'S ATTENTION, PLEASE?" The customary din of party chatter dwindled away to nothing. All eyes were on him.

Kate desperately wanted to bury her head in her hands, or perhaps in the sand at their backs.

Rick glanced down and could see the blush rising up the side of her face, but continued regardless. "I just wanted to thank you all for joining us tonight, and to make a toast to Kate Beckett, a very special woman who has agreed to make my life complete." His toast was met with a round of applause. He sat down and clinked his glass to hers, but before he took a sip he scrutinized the tumbler.

"Something wrong?' she asked.

"Don't know. I'm trying to figure out if there's any way you could have poisoned me…" he said with a wink.

"Believe me, if there were, I'd have done it long before now…" she replied sweetly.

The party wound down as the evening progressed. The catering company cleaned up efficiently, stacking everything in preparation for the rental company to pick it up the next morning. Kate had to admit, she could get used to being relieved of the major work of dealing with the aftermath of a party. Some of their guests were headed back to the city that night, some had taken rooms in local hotels.

Finally it was down to Jim, Martha and Chet, Alexis and Paige, and Rick and Kate. Alexis ran up to Rick with her best begging face on. "Dad, remember what you promised?" she reminded him, indicating the copper fireplace.

He tried to put on his refusal face, but found he didn't really have one when it came to his daughter, not that she ever asked for anything unreasonable. He smiled. "Ok, pumpkin, but you have to go get the makings for smores from the kitchen." She ran off to do his bidding. He built a small bonfire, and they sat around, enjoying the sweet treats and sharing stories.

"Katie's mom and I used to take her camping in the Adirondacks. Roasting marshmallows was her favorite part." Jim reminisced. Rick quickly but subtly glanced at his bride-to-be. The mention of Johanna produced a shadow in Kate's eyes that the fire could not be responsible for. He used the ruse of handing her the marshmallow fork to squeeze her hand in a fleeting gesture of comfort.

Since Rick had been busy supervising the party set-up, he never get to take Chet golfing that day. Inspiration struck, and he invited Chet and Jim to go the next day. He saw it as an opportunity to wheedle better 'Katie' stories out of Jim in private.

After accepting, Chet gallantly offered a hand to help Martha out of her chair and escorted her to their room. Jim headed up to his room next, followed by Alexis and Paige. Rick stood, but rather than making preparations to turn in, he moved his wide chaise lounge so that it was facing away from the house. He came to stand before Kate, gesturing toward the relocated chair. "Care to join me?" he asked.

"I'm ok here."

Rick pouted. "Ok, I don't think that chair is big enough for both of us, but I will try."

"What are you doing?" she asked, as he did indeed try to climb into the chair with her.

"Trying to get in some cuddle time. With your father in the guest room, I know nothing's happening in our room tonight, so I thought we would take advantage of the privacy out here."

Put that way, Kate didn't disagree, so she got up and let him lead her to his chair, where they sat side by side, watching the dancing flames. With his arm around her shoulder, he nibbled her ear, then her neck, before bringing her head around to meet his kiss. As the fire died, their ardor grew. Kate pulled back to come up for air, but when Rick leaned in to continue, she resisted. His eyes searched her face in the dim light. "What is it?" he asked softly, concern etching two lines just above his nose.

Refusing to answer, she stood, motioning him to do the same. Even more confused, he got up, and she bent to grasp the lounge cushion by the corners. She marched down to the sand and plopped the cushion down, then lay down on it. Casting a glance toward the house, Rick undid the few buttons on his shirt that were still closed up, shucked his pants, and then lay down beside her.

Between kisses he murmured in her ear. "You looked so beautiful tonight. I'm very glad you didn't kill me for…expanding…the party, or for the toast. Although with everyone here anyway, you could have had a very nice wake to honor me…" he finished with typical Castle hubris.

Kate laughed despite herself, but she punched him in the arm anyway, because the gesture was expected. She lost herself in his loving, and he in hers. An hour or so later they dressed and made their way back into the house, slipping upstairs and into their room with the stealth of prowlers.

When they awoke the next morning, they set out the bagels, spreads and fruit that Rick had requested from the caterer. After Chet and Jim looked sufficiently alert, Rick spirited the two older men out to the golf course. Martha and Kate spent the morning companionably on the beach, watching Alexis and Paige watching boys.

The three men returned just after lunch, having evidently bonded enough over the course to continue by eating in the club house. Kate and Jim went for a walk on the beach to talk. Inevitably the conversation turned to the crazy-making man in her life. "He makes you happy, doesn't he, Katie?"

"Yeah, Dad, though he does drive me nuts sometimes."

"He's a good man, I think he just tries too hard sometimes. I have no doubt that he loves you with every fiber of his being." Jim gave her a sideways hug, and the two circled back to the beach house. After dinner, he packed up his bag and made his exit.

On Monday Rick took everyone for breakfast at the same little place he had taken Kate during their first weekend together, then took a cruise on the yacht. When they returned, it was time to close up the house and head back into the city.

Martha and Chet left first, and moments later the car service arrived to transport Rick, Kate and the girls. Once he was satisfied that Alexis and Paige were sound asleep, Rick turned to Kate.

"I have something to ask you," he stated in hushed tones.

Unaccustomed to the seriousness in his face, Kate stared at first, then smiled and said "You already proposed, remember?"

He smiled briefly, then got serious again. "No, I realize this is a misuse of the system, but I'd like you to run a background check on Chet."

"WHAT are you talking about? Your mother has known him since practically before he HAD a background!"

"Not really, he popped up after all these years, who knows what the guy has been doing in the mean time."

"Did you learn nothing about minding your business from when Alexis lit into you for calling Juliard to check out her violin teacher? Or from me, for that matter, from when…well you know. Anyway, Martha's an adult, capable of using her own sound judgment."

"Didn't help her last time," he muttered sourly.

Kate softened at that. "Ok I suppose I could run a basic check, off the clock. But you owe me."

Castle's eyes lit up. "And I will reimburse you with whatever you desire…." He leaned in for a kiss, but then remembered where he was, and more importantly, the fact that they weren't alone. His hand reached for hers.

They rode the rest of the way home in contemplative, companionable silence.