Take the Stairs - Chapter Fourteen
I haven't had a chance to say personal thank yous to everyone for your kind words on last chapter, but please know each one has absolutely filled me up. Thank you so much.
For the first time in their relationship, she was getting home from work before him.
Since his book's release the month before, Rick had been averaging at least three events – signings, readings, and meet and greets – a week, which meant she'd been tasked with stepping up at home. So far, save for a couple days when she'd been stuck in an interrogation, she'd managed to pass the test with flying colors. She was never late to pick Alexis up from school, she never forgot to get the twins from daycare, and the four – five if she knew her boyfriend would be home in time – of them ate a meal she cooked nearly every night.
Not too shabby for a woman who worried far too often about balance in her life.
Of course, with every tantrum or seemingly endless bargaining session, she missed Rick a little more. All three of the kids were smart and headstrong, and it was a miracle that he had never called and begged her to come home and just help him deal with them.
He was SuperDad, he really was.
And according to her watch, SuperDad would be home at any minute, which was good, because she was pinned under three sleeping children and hadn't so much as stretched her legs in hours. She really hadn't thought this one through when Alexis begged to watch a movie after dinner and they'd pulled the twins into the cuddle pile.
Speaking of dinner, the remains were still sitting on the stove, cold. She would have to heat them up for Rick when he came in.
Once she unearthed herself from the pile, of course.
"Luuucy, I'm home."
"Hi, Ricky," Kate singsonged, covering Alexis's ear to keep from waking her. She'd been the last one to succumb to sleep and Beckett didn't want playtime to interfere with that. "How was your reading? And the signing?"
She watched as he dropped his bag beside hers and kicked off his shoes. His toes wiggled against the carpet, drawing a smile to her lips; he had a hole in his sock.
He exhaled. "Both were, to put it simply, amazing."
"Yeah?" she asked, lifting her chin for a kiss. He bussed her lips quickly, moving back to the closet to hang his coat. "Tell me about it? Did your harem attend this one too?"
She found it a little bit hilarious that he had groupies already. A collection of five or so women had attended every event he'd done so far, making sure to get his signature and pose for pictures at each one.
Rick chuckled, coming back for another kiss. "They did, though Amanda was missing this time."
"Shame," Kate drawled, cupping the back of his neck to keep him close for another moment. "She's the blonde with the big –"
"Teeth," he supplied, glancing down at the little ones in her lap. Right, oops.
"Uh huh. So how were your biggest fans tonight?"
His forehead landed against hers. "I dunno, how've you been since we talked last?"
"Smooth. We had a good night. Did homework, ate dinner, watched Mulan for the eighteenth time this week. Then they dozed off and here we are."
"Sounds like fun," he said, brushing his hand over Alexis's hair. "Want me to help get them to bed?"
"Mmm, please. And then I'll heat up the leftovers for you? If you want?"
"Sounds great." He grinned, swiping his lips against hers again. "I grabbed a snack between events and that's long-since worn off."
She nodded, helping ease Alexis into his arms. The little girl cuddled closer, pressing her nose into his neck.
"HiDaddy."
"Hey pumpkin," he whispered, stroking his fingers down the girl's hair. "How was your night?"
"Good. We watched Mulan." She yawned, gripping her father's shirt. "Howwasyourparty?"
"My signing was a lot of fun, sweetheart. I'll tell you about it in the morning. How's that?"
Alexis nodded. "S'good, Daddy."
"Good. Now, close your eyes. We'll see you tomorrow."
Kate rubbed her back. "Yeah we will. Sleep well, Alexis."
Her words went unanswered; the girl was already out again.
Chuckling, Rick stood. "I'll be back."
She nodded, trailing her fingertip over Eli's ear. "We'll be here."
Rick grinned over his shoulder. Yeah, he knew they'd be there because with the way they were sprawled, it would take some serious wiggling and maneuvering for her to stand with both babies in her arms.
He returned a few minutes later, kneeling at her feet to lift Anna out of her lap. The baby squirmed, but didn't wake, nestling against his shoulder.
"Okay babies," Kate murmured, gathering Eli to her chest. "Time for you to go to bed, too. You'll see us in the morning."
"You're off in the morning?" Rick asked, following her to the dining nook and scooping the twins' elephants off the table.
"Yeah. I wasn't sure how late you'd be tonight, so I figured I could take Alexis to school and let you sleep in."
His eyes lit up. "And will you come back to bed after you drop her off?"
Lowering Eli to the crib mattress, Kate wiggled her eyebrows. "Back to bed to sleep? I dunno, Rick. The twins might be up by then, and I have some paperwork I could do, plus you know how hard it is for me to go back to sleep after I've been awake for a while," she teased.
"Cute."
"Cuter than your harem?"
He was quick, but she was quicker; she was able to dance away from his grabbing hands without so much as a squeal. She didn't go far, though, and he caught up with her in the kitchen, resting his chin on her shoulder.
"Caught ya."
"Let you catch me," she murmured, turning her face to accept a kiss. "Is this enough food?"
His fingers curled around her hips. "That's more than enough. Thanks, by the way."
"For heating up dinner?" Her eyebrow lifted.
Rick shook his head, swaying along with a tune only he could hear. "For all of this. Everything you've done since the book came out. And before, of course, but all of this…"
Turning away from the stove, she looped her arms around his neck. "Rick, if you even think about thanking me again for this, I may have to shoot you. Don't make me shoot you."
His laughter echoed through the kitchen. "Duly noted."
Lifting onto her toes, she took a heady kiss from his lips. "Good. Now I'm going to pour us some wine while you tell me more about tonight."
She was having second thoughts.
After hearing Rick's excitement two nights ago, she'd wanted to see one of his signings for herself; thus the plan was hatched. She would pick Alexis up from school and take all three of the kids to Rick's signing so they could see their father in action. It had seemed like such a great idea at the time, it really had. So like most of her plans in life, it couldn't have been that simple.
First, Alexis needed to run an errand for school and it had to be done before she could start her homework. Then the twins needed their snack, which meant pulling the stroller over in the middle of a crowded sidewalk blocks from home and getting them set up with their puffs and goldfish. Then, of course, the four of them ended up at the wrong bookstore – the one Rick had signed at two days before – because she'd read his schedule wrong.
By the time they arrived at the right place, the line was already out the door. On one hand, it was encouraging to see so many people excited to meet Rick and support him (and the disproportionate number of women in attendance was amusing), on the other, she had three kids in her custody who were starting to look like they'd rather be anywhere else.
Beside her, Alexis sighed. Her fourth sigh in fifteen minutes. She was not a happy camper.
"I know, honey. I'm sorry," Kate apologized, stroking her hair. "Are you sure I can't hang your backpack on the stroller?"
The girl's ponytail thwapped against her arm with her denial. "I wanna sit."
Beckett's eyes dropped to the ground, scanning the ruddy concrete and the discolored wall to her left. It was… dubious at best. She didn't smell urine, but there was no guarantee that the spot wasn't bodily fluid of some kind.
"Hang on for just a few minutes more. You don't want to sit right here, I promise."
The girl exhaled again, her thin shoulders heaving with it. Kate readied herself for an argument, but instead Alexis nodded. "Okay."
Kate drew her in, keeping one hand on the stroller even as the other wrapped around the girl's shoulders. Her feet were starting to protest, too, but she wouldn't say anything. She could suck it up for a little while longer if it meant Alexis would find the patience, too.
"Mama! Dow'!"
And there was Anna. She had her brother to play with, along with half a dozen toys, but of course she was fed up with being confined to the stroller.
"No baby, I can't let you get down. You need to stay in your seat for now," she murmured, easing the stroller forward and back in an attempt to soothe the savage beast. If she got going, it was only a matter of time before Eli started as well.
The woman in front of them offered her a baleful look, which made Kate narrow her eyes in return. Yes, she'd brought her kids. Yes, they were tired and bored. No, they weren't hurting anyone.
"Mama, dow'!" Anna insisted from beneath the canopy. Kate heard her grunt and squirm; she braced herself for tears.
"Come on, squeaker, don't get upset," she cooed, already feeling the headache build behind her eyes. "You'll make your brother cry too. You guys don't want to make each other cry, do you?"
Her daughter wailed.
Unwinding from Alexis and ignoring the judgmental mumbling from the people around them, Kate moved to the front of the stroller. She would just pretend that she hadn't made a point to brush her blazer aside and flash her badge before kneeling.
Eli looked disgruntled, but was at least holding it together. Anna, on the other hand, already had huge tears streaming down her face.
"What is all this about, baby?" Kate cooed, swiping at her cheek. "You like your stroller."
She didn't, but maybe if they repeated it to her enough, she would. So far it hadn't worked, but there was always a shot.
Anna reached for her, straining against the confines of the seat. "Mama!"
"Okay, okay. Come here." She unhooked her quickly, lifting the girl out and onto her hip. "Oh my goodness, so much upset over a few minutes in line."
Forty, but who was counting?
"I screwed up," she confessed into her daughter's hair. "This isn't any fun so far, I know." She bounced the girl, kissing her forehead. "This one's on me, I'm sorry."
Eli's fingers gripped her hand and Kate diverted her attention to him.
"Hi sweet boy. You're bored, too, I know. I know all three of you are bored, but it'll be worth it," she promised, crooking her finger at Alexis.
The girl scooted closer, looking hopeful for a reprieve from the boredom.
"Wanna get in the stroller with your brother?" It wasn't much, but at least it was a place for her to sit. Maybe that would help.
Her eyes lit up. "Really? I won't break it?"
Kate laughed, shaking her head. "Not unless you start bouncing like a crazy woman or try to crash it into the wall."
She giggles, already slipping her backpack off her shoulders. "Yes, I can read now!"
Eli looked on in confusion as his big sister climbed in behind him, but giggled as soon as she stole a kiss from his cheek.
"Wanna read with me?"
Eli settled in as Alexis opened her book and started to read. Satisfied that they were taken care of, Kate turned back to find Anna looking around with damp eyes, three fingers shoved into her mouth.
Great, she must be getting another tooth. That was fine; they could handle another round of teething.
At least the current crisis had been averted.
Nobody was crying, nobody was whining, and her head wasn't throbbing nearly as hard anymore.
Her arm was nearly numb by the time they made it into the bookstore. She considered ousting Alexis from the stroller, but since Anna seemed content to stay perched on her hip, she simply shifted the baby to the other side and did her best to massage feeling back into the appendage.
Grateful that everyone was content for the time being, Kate looked around the store. It wasn't large by any stretch of the imagination, but that made it even nicer. It felt cozy, warm, special.
And from what she could see, Rick was in his element. Even by the doors, she could hear the easy rumble of his voice as he greeted and spoke with every single person who stepped up to meet him. She couldn't see much, but the glimpses of his face she managed to get showed her how much he was enjoying himself.
He was born to do this. Everything about him screamed it.
She knew the moment Anna spotted Rick, because the baby went rigid, her hands shooting out for him. Kate hefted her, kissing her little fingers quickly.
"We have to wait our turn to see him," she murmured, hoping to avoid another tantrum. "When we get to the table, you can give him a big kiss, okay?"
"Dada 'iss!"
"That's right," she cooed, pressing her nose to Anna's temple. It wasn't that she was trying to keep their identities a secret, she just wasn't sure it was a good idea for everyone in the store to know who they were immediately. Call it protective, call it paranoid, whatever, but she was grateful they hadn't used names at Rick's party, either.
"'iss!" Anna listed forward, reaching out to Rick once more.
"Easy, easy," Kate hummed, leaning over to grab the sippy cups and a water bottle from the diaper bag. Eli grappled for his as soon as she offered it, popping it into his mouth and grinning around the spout. Alexis barely glanced up from the pages of her book, but thanked her for the drink anyway.
"Kisses later," she added. "Let's have some water while we wait."
Anna accepted her offering, but made sure to keep her eyes on Rick as she sipped.
With every step closer, the twins babbled a little louder for their father. She saw more eye rolls from the woman ahead of them, but didn't stop the babies. Let her assume Kate was delusional to allow her children to call Richard Castle their father.
"Are we almost there?" Alexis whined, peeking out from under the canopy. Ah, she was bored again. She must have finished her book.
"Almost, honey. How was your book? Did you finish?"
"Yeah," she huffed, flopping back. "It was so good. Can I get the next one?"
Beckett nodded, catching Anna's sippy cup as soon as it slid from the baby's hands. "We'll run by the library on the way home."
"But there are books here," the redhead pointed out, looking around. "Can't we just buy it?"
"But you borrowed that one. And the one before it," Kate reminded. "Do you really want to only have the third in the series?"
That got her. Nobody wanted to have an incomplete series on their bookshelf. Kate bit down on an indulgent smile, nodding when the girl agreed to her terms.
She made a mental note to ask Rick if there was anything he wanted her to borrow on his behalf.
No, she wasn't going to show off when they got up to the table… much anyway.
A few minutes later, the crowd ahead of them had finally thinned enough to make Anna and Eli's jabbering more noticeable, and she watched recognition flood Rick's face.
Kate quirked a smile, shaking her head when he gestured for them to join him. At his unspoken question, she nodded toward the people around her. Having spent the last hour and a half with them, she knew skipping the rest of the line would probably result in a fight.
And she'd hate to have to kick someone's ass at her boyfriend's event.
Thankfully, Rick kept his cool as they approached, giving the woman in front of them his full attention instead of reaching past her and taking his squirming daughter from Kate's arms.
She hid a laugh in Anna's hair when the woman – Nora – gave them a pointed look after asking about some of his more interesting fans.
Rick chuckled as well, looking up from the book he was signing. "I'll be honest with you; I've never had fans before, so all of this is new to me. But everyone has been great so far. I really had no idea the book would take off like this, so I'm incredibly lucky."
Kate watched as he scrawled his name before closing the woman's book. "Thank you for coming, Nora. It was very nice to meet you."
Nora looked like she might faint when he shook her hand, and Beckett waited until she'd managed to steady herself before easing the stroller forward.
It was their turn now.
"Well hi there," Rick greeted, offering her a playful, teasing smile. "What's your na –"
"Dada!" Anna pitched forward, practically launching herself across the table. Kate managed to catch the girl before she landed face down in a pile of her father's books, but it didn't stop her heart from beating triple time.
Rick jumped up, too, palming the baby's chest just in case she attempted another escape.
"Whoa, squeaker," he murmured, slipping his hands beneath Anna's armpits and lifting her out of Kate's arms.
Happy to relinquish her daughter to him, Kate scrubbed a hand through her hair. "Hey," she greeted belatedly, trying and failing to contain her smile at his delight. The wait had been long and the kids had been antsy, but being here made him so happy, it was worth it.
"Did you come to see me?" he asked, kissing Anna's cheek. "You did? Well, I'm so happy to see you. Are your brother and sister with you?"
"They are," Kate hummed, pulling the canopy back. Eli and Alexis looked up, grinning. "Someone didn't feel like riding in style."
Rick snorted, coming around the table in spite of his bookstore handler's recommendation. His lips landed on Eli's forehead, before he turned his attention to Alexis. The girl giggled.
"Hi Daddy."
"Hi pumpkin. Are you making Kate push you around?"
The girl giggled again. "Kate said it was okay. I wanted to read and it was so boring outside. You talk for forever."
He clucked his tongue. "I know I talk a lot. It's cause I'm happy to be here. And I'm happy to see you, too. So get out of there and come give me a hug."
Kate lifted Eli to give the girl room to squirm out of the stroller, swaying with him when he voiced appreciation for his freedom. The line had erupted into chatter at their display, and she was more than conscious of the onlookers they'd gained. She couldn't do anything about it now, though. She'd rather them observe their family here than try to follow them around or something crazy like that.
Alexis giggled, flinging her arms around her father. Rick's eyes closed, and Kate knew he was soaking up the affection for as long as he could. With his eyes shut, he looked tired, but she knew he would push through it.
"How was school?" he rumbled, rubbing Alexis's back.
"Fun! I got an A on my math test. And we're going to the library on the way home. I finished my book and Kate said s'better to check out the next one than buy it, 'cause nobody wants to have half a series."
Rick looked up, no doubt checking with her to make sure she was actually on board with that. She nodded, smiling down at them.
"I did say that. Want us to pick up anything for you?" she murmured, reaching out to squeeze his neck. The touch didn't go unnoticed by their spectators, but she did what she could to ignore them.
Finally, he released Alexis, getting to his feet once more.
"Oh, yeah. Can you get that book on wound care I had reserved? I got the notice that it's in again. I'll give you my card if you want."
Chuckling, she nodded. "Sure. I'll pick that one up for you."
"Thanks. Trade you quickly?" He held out an arm for Eli. Kate handed her son over, taking Anna back. The girl sighed in contentment, flopping on Kate's shoulder. After all that, five minutes of Daddy time and she was fine.
Eli babbled, pressing his face into Rick's neck. Sweet boy; he'd needed Daddy time, too.
Her boyfriend smiled, smoothing a hand over his son's back. "You know, we're almost done here. If you don't mind waiting for me, we could go to the library together?"
"You're free after this?" Making sure Alexis was happily paging through her book again, Kate stepped closer to him, deliberately lowering her voice.
His head bobbed, fingers splaying over her hip. "Yeah, this is the last thing for today. It shouldn't be more than another hour."
Given the line, she doubted that. She nodded anyway, listing into him, stealing an impulsive kiss from his lips.
The crowd behind them tittered, drawing a grin from him. "Did that on purpose," he teased, rubbing his nose against hers.
"Mmm, maybe. S'only fair. A girl deserves some extra privileges when she's up against your harem."
Rick laughed. "There a coffee shop a few doors down. It just opened, so it's probably not crazy yet. Looked comfortable. Meet you there?"
Coffee sounded nice, but somewhere for the kids to relax sounded even better. She nodded, pressing her hand to his chest. "Yeah. Meet you there."
"Perfect." He stole another kiss before turning to deposit Eli back in the stroller. Kate handed Anna over on his signal, watching him make their baby girl laugh before she could whine at the injustice of it all.
He dropped kisses on both of their heads, turning to Alexis to do the same to her. When he turned back to Kate, she found herself biting her lip.
"What?" He looked quizzical.
She shuffled to her bag, reaching in for her hardback copy of his book. "Can I have your autograph too?"
He laughed, giving her a kiss and a quick nod before taking her book and ducking behind the table once more. She lowered her eyes, giving him privacy to write whatever he wanted, turning instead to tap Alexis's cheek.
The girl giggled, swinging one of Eli's hands. Kate smiled.
"Daddy wants to come to the library with us, so we're going to get some hot chocolate and work on your homework until he's done. How does that sound?"
"But you said –" Alexis looked betrayed. "I want to go to the library first!"
"Ah, but the more homework you get done before the library, the less you'll have to do before you can read," Rick murmured without looking up from his masterpiece.
"But Daddy," the girl whined, turning blazing blue eyes on her father.
"Hey, you know better than to give either of us a hard time for this," he rebuked, firm yet still gentle enough not to be mean. "I want the five of us to go together."
The girl slumped, head knocking against Beckett's side. "Okay. Sorry, Daddy. Sorry, Kate."
Kate brushed her hair. "You're forgiven. I know how hard it is to wait to get a new book."
Alexis nodded against her jacket. "It's so hard. I just want to read it all now."
Ah, there was some of her grandmother's melodrama. Kate pursed her lips to avoid laughing, instead shifting her focus back to the man in front of her. They'd already taken up far too much of his time, but she couldn't bring herself to feel badly about that.
She was a fan, yes, but they were also his family.
Rick's eyebrows wiggled as he passed her book to her. His fingers caught hers, lifting her hand to his mouth.
"Thanks," she breathed, holding the book to her chest, protecting whatever he'd written for her. Even if the words were silly or obnoxious, he'd written them for her.
"See you in a little bit," he promised. "See you soon, pumpkin."
Alexis waved, pulling away from Kate's side. "Bye Daddy."
Rick smiled, waving to the twins, too. "Now I have to break it to everyone else that they don't get this treatment."
Laughing, Kate shook off the tendrils of glee and stepped back to the stroller. "Good luck with that."
With that, she led Alexis away from the rumbling crowd.
A/N: Once again, thank you to everyone for the love and support you've given me and this story. I cannot even describe what your words have meant to me.