56
After their latest tryst, Rick and Kate had gotten out of bed. Rick jumped in the shower while Kate slipped into a buttoned down shirt of her husband's once she had her bra and underwear on before she ducked out of the bedroom. As Kate made her way to get coffee for them she wondered where her dad, the kids and Martha were. It wasn't long before she got answer to one of those questions.
"Didn't know you were?" Beckett said as she noticed her mother in law standing off to the side of the kitchen sink that was in the center island counter.
"We didn't want to wake you and Richard, darling." Martha said as she took note of her daughter in law's attire.
Kate could tell that Martha had a few ideas of what had happened in the bedroom that morning.
"Don't worry, Katherine; it's nothing I haven't done or seen myself before." Martha said to ease the awkwardness.
The holiday was a mere sixteen hours away. Rick was planning on having a huge cookout tomorrow and had invited all of their friends from the 12th to the cookout.
"Where are Alexis, Dad and the twins?" Beckett asked in attempts to propel the conversation forward.
"They headed out to the grocery store to get what is needed for the cookout tomorrow."
"Oh okay."
Kate went over to the coffee maker to make up a cup for her and Rick. Martha and Kate then heard the shower turn off as Rick got out. When Rick joined his wife and mother in the kitchen, all of the awkwardness that Martha had alleviated with Kate just moments before was back again,
"Where's Jim and the kids?" Castle asked as he took his coffee from Kate.
"They went to the store."
There was a pause.
"Well anyway I'm off darlings."
"Where are you off to, mother?"
"Brunch date." Martha answered.
Kate and Rick shared a look as Martha left them for her brunch date.
"Do you hear that?" Beckett asked once the front door closed behind Martha.
Rick knew full well what Kate was getting at but he'd play along to appease her.
"What?"
"It's quiet…"
"That it is."
"You know it will be a while before any of them are back, so we have time…"
Rick smile and laughed a bit.
"Happy wife, happy life."
"You could say that."
With that they left their coffee in the kitchen as Kate led Rick back to their bedroom.
