Natalie came down the steps quietly. She didn't want to disturb whatever was happening between Adrian and his infant son. Neither was asleep upstairs when Natalie woke, so she knew they were somewhere else in the house. On her hip, the Monk's four-year-old daughter was holding one chubby toddler finger to her lips and giggling quietly as she "shhhh'ed" her mother when the step squeaked under their weight. Natalie tweaked one of Amanda's pigtails good-naturedly and chuckled too. The two Monk "women" found the two Monk "men" napping on the couch. Adrian had spent a long night up and down with James as the infant had started teething, and Adrian wanted to give Natalie a chance to rest. Where Amanda had been a breeze, James was far more demanding of his mother's attention. Just like his father. Yet, his father was well aware of his own foibles and tried to give Natalie a break now that they were married and she was his wife rather than his assistant, and some of his anxiety had retreated.
Natalie smiled down at her guys on the broad divan. Thinking back to the Monk meltdown that had happened about two or three days after they'd discovered she was pregnant with Amanda, she had to shake her head as she looked at her husband protectively tucked around their five-month-old son with a hand splayed on the baby's chest as if holding him in place. The fact that Adrian had ever doubted his ability to be a good father still made her laugh.
"You are a natural born teacher, nurturer, protector. You are going to be a wonderful father, Adrian. I promise you." She had calmed his "Monk-out," as Leland had termed those occasions when Adrian perseverated and worried himself into a frazzled mess with a few kind, loving words. He'd placed his hand on her abdomen and blinked away tears.
Natalie sighed quietly, turned, and brought Amanda into the kitchen to start a Father's Day breakfast fit for the father of such beautiful children and, of course, the most incredible husband. Julie tapped at the window in the kitchen door with a finger, and Natalie put her finger to her lips as she opened it. "James and Dad are sleeping on the couch. We had a tough teething night."
Julie nodded with a smile and handed Natalie several bakery boxes and a bag with two loaves of fresh bread. Natalie was going to use the challah bread to make French toast. The soft, egg-rich bread made great French toast. Julie returned to the car for the fruit salad she'd also brought and passed her boyfriend, Matthew, who carried in the heavy Father's Day present that Natalie had hidden in Julie's apartment. Adrian Monk was a snoop, not in the good sense that he was the world's best detective. Instead, he was overly curious and always ruined almost any surprise Natalie tried to give him.
Amanda sat in her booster seat, watching the proceedings. She happily observed every move as her mother and sister began breakfast preparations. Matthew joined her and entertained the toddler with her stuffed dragons and princesses. Eventually, the noise woke Adrian and his little boy. Adrian shuffled into the kitchen with James in his arms, both looking weary and disheveled.
"What's happening here?" Adrian looked around at the elaborate preparations going on and at all the people in the kitchen. He frowned as he saw Matthew playing with Amanda. What was he doing here so early in the day?
"Happy Father's Day, Dad!" Julie exclaimed and kissed his stubbly cheek.
"Happy Father's Day, honey," Natalie kissed his lips softly as she took their son from him. "Breakfast will still be a while. Go on upstairs and get yourself together." She pushed a mug of coffee into his hands and shooed him away.
He smiled gratefully at her and hurried up the stairs to shower and put on some clothes. Everyone had moved to the dining room when he returned to the kitchen. Covered platters sat in the middle of the table, and everyone was seated, awaiting his arrival. Somehow baby James was dressed and clean, in his high chair…and throwing Cheerios on the floor. Adrian rolled his shoulders. The anguish that caught him up in moments like this, which bound him between love for his child and disgust at the mess he was making, was confusing and painful. It had been the same with Amanda. It still was sometimes. Natalie immediately saw Adrian's hesitancy and rose to find what was causing his distress. She quickly cleaned up the errant Cheerios around James' highchair and smiled at her husband as she saw him relax. She tossed the garbage in the trash, washed her hands, and returned to the table.
There were mimosas in tulip-shaped glasses at the adults' place settings and orange juice in a sippy cup for Amanda.
"Wow, this is a pretty fancy Father's Day!" Adrian said happily. He had his beautiful wife and his three children with him. It was everything he needed and wanted. Except for the presence of Julie's boyfriend, whom he tolerated, this day would be perfect.
"Dad," Julie prompted, "Have a sip of your mimosa!"
"How about a toast first?" Matthew asked. Adrian almost scowled but caught Natalie's eye and rearranged his features to form a polite, if forced, smile. It wasn't that he didn't like the young man; he was quite nice. He just didn't like the idea of him and Julie together. No one would ever be good enough for his Julie. Likewise, he didn't like the idea of Matthew touching Julie. Adrian felt his face forming a frown again but took hold of himself and cleared his throat.
"Okay, a toast would be nice," Adrian nodded.
Matthew lifted his glass. "To Adrian Monk, an amazing father, a truly great husband, and an excellent role model for me. I feel lucky to be included in the circle of your family, and I hope to one day be half the husband and father you are." With that, Matthew raised his glass to Adrian but looked at Julie. Julie blushed. Adrian first slit his eyes in suspicion, then opened his eyes wide with alarm and turned to Natalie, whose eyebrows had shot up at the last remark.
"Is there something you'd like to tell us, Julie?" Natalie went directly into interrogation mode. When she went into interrogation mode, she was a better cop than most of those on the SFPD, thought her husband.
"Julie?" her father repeated her name as she stared into Matthew's eyes. Matthew shrugged.
"Um… yes. Matthew had something he wanted to ask you both. But we decided that we wanted to ask you together. Mom, Dad, Matthew and I…"
"… would like your blessing to get engaged." Matthew finished her sentence.
Julie's parents sat beside each other, speechless. Then, after a few moments, Adrian said, "Well, young man, this is most out of the ordinary. But as with all things new-fangled, I will defer to Natalie's sense of protocol and decorum." He reached for his wife's hand.
"Will you love her, honor her and never betray her?"
"Yes, ma'am, I mean no, ma'am. Yes to the first two and no to the last one!" Matthew fumbled.
Natalie looked at Adrian, and he threaded their fingers together. They'd both felt this day was coming. They'd discussed it but were still unprepared. In Adrian's mind, Julie would always be the eleven-year-old little girl he'd met so long ago. But Julie was twenty-five and Matthew twenty-six. To Monk's dismay, they were practically living together, and it was only in deference to him that they were not officially, it seemed.
Adrian sternly replied, "You'd better treat her like the princess she is, young man because if you do not, let's just say my gun is always handy."
"Daaaaaaaaad…" Julie cried.
"Just looking out for my girl."
Tears welled in the corners of Julie's and Natalie's eyes. The fact that Adrian loved Julie every bit as much as he loved Amanda, that he thought of her as his, that he protected her like a lion protected his cubs, wasn't lost on either of them.
"Well, sir, do we have your okay?"
Matthew looked hopefully into Adrian's eyes, and Adrian responded, "Yes, Matthew, you do. Just be good to our girl."
"Thank you, sir, I will." Matthew stood to shake Adrian's hand. Then he pulled Julie up and sank to one knee. "Julie, I don't want to wait another minute. I had about fifty elaborate plans to do this, but being here with your parents and your brother and sister seems the perfect time and place because I know how much you all love each other, and I want to create this same feeling of love with our family someday. Julie, will you do me the honor of becoming my wife?"
With tears now streaming down her cheeks, Julie replied, "Yes! Yes! Yes!" Matthew slid a ring box out of his pocket and opened it for Julie to see. She took in a deep breath and let it out with a sigh. Natalie and Adrian just smiled at each other, happy with Matthew's words about love and family, sure of Julie's choice. Matthew slid the ring onto Julie's finger and then stood, and she threw her arms around his neck. Adrian had to look away as they kissed. He just had to and busied himself straightening James' bib. Natalie smiled at the couple, then hugged and kissed them both. Adrian rose, took his daughter into his arms, and hugged her.
"I love you, Julie, be happy."
"I will, Dad, I will. Thank you!" She kissed his cheek, and he returned the kiss with a smile.
Adrian shook Matthew's hand again, "Congratulations, Matthew. This is quite the prize you've gotten yourself. Treat her with respect and care."
"I will, I promise."
Adrian just nodded and returned to his seat. He watched his family's joy grow as they spoke about a wedding, and he felt the happiness inside him as he realized he was gaining a son, not losing something as so often happened in his life before meeting Natalie. Everything good in his life today directly resulted from his relationship with Natalie.
Amanda pounded on the table with her plastic toddler fork, excited by the feelings in the air, not knowing what all the laughing and crying were about but wanting to be a part of it. Adrian laughed as he ate his delicious French toast, as asymmetrical as it was; he felt what Amanda was feeling, but he had the words for what he felt. Love, contentment, joy, safety, and happiness.
Breakfast wound down as talk of wedding planning and parties evolved into a conversation about the upcoming week. Julie was rehearsing for a play at the community theater and was teaching classes at the local children's theater school. Matthew was an attorney working in a law firm downtown. Natalie and Adrian had several private clients to meet with, and there was always the possibility of a police case cropping up. Everyone was busy and had full agendas. Amanda went to preschool in the mornings and then was picked up by her mother or went either to Uncle Ambrose and Grandpa Jack's daycare with James or to a swim lesson with Aunt TK or another activity with her maternal grandparents or her big sister. Amanda was a busy, happy, well-loved child who slept very well at night.
The table was cleared, and Matthew helped Natalie haul Adrian's present to the table. It was large and heavy. Adrian took his time, as always, unwrapping neatly and methodically. He then lifted the top of the makeshift box that Natalie had cobbled together. He rolled one shoulder at the asymmetry; there were a lot of asymmetries this morning. The French toast, Amanda's pigtails, the box. He shook his head and let it go. It was getting easier to manage his OCD and to let things go. Between Natalie and Dr. Bell, the kids, and his need to improve, he overcame many impulses and compulsions.
When he removed the box lid, he found leatherbound books, a complete set of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes novels and short story collections. The shock on his face was replaced with a suffusion of happiness. "Natalie!"
"It's from all of us. We wanted to get you something extraordinary today, to show you how much you mean to each of us and how proud we are of what you do!"
"I love them. I love all of you. Even you." He sent a mock glare in Matthew's direction, and everyone laughed. Including Adrian.
This first father's day with his infant son, his fourth with Amanda, and his fourteenth with Julie if you counted all the years they'd known each other. With his family complete, healthy, happy and in his home was a miracle he'd never foreseen when he lived alone in misery on Pine street in his one-bedroom apartment. But here he was. Here they were, and it was a testament to the fact that there really was such a thing as happily ever after.
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