Gifts of Love Large and Small - Chapter 5
She's had a shadow all day long.
It's not because Lily's concerned about the flurry of activity around her – the last-minute baking and decorating they're doing, or even Castle taking the boys out for a little while to do some shopping with them – and it's not because she doesn't want to spend the evening with her sister. On the contrary, when Rick had reminded her over breakfast that Alexis was coming over to play while he and Kate go to a party with his book people, she'd practically pushed them out the door at 7:37 in the morning.
(Kate continues to hold onto hope that, one day, her children will sleep past eight on weekends and give her the opportunity to do the same.)
No, Lily hasn't been attached to her because she doesn't want her to go, she's been attached because she just has to know what Kate is going to wear. From her head to her toes, Lily wants to know, see, and approve of everything.
"Okay, Little Flower," she murmurs, digging through the bag of nail polish that sits between them on the couch. "What color do you think I should pick?"
An at-home manicure and pedicure might not be the most luxurious, but between the time constraints and a general abundance of caution, it's the best way to get it done. Plus, it'll give her an opportunity to primp with Lily and make sure her daughter isn't upset about them going out.
Lily taps her lips, leaning over the bag on her own and rooting through the bottles. "Something sparkly."
"Mmm," she agrees. "Why don't you pick out the sparkly ones, and we'll see which ones we like best?"
Lil grins, lifting three bottles out almost immediately – a gold sparkle, a silver sparkle, a green sparkle, and a pink one. Kate's quite sure her child will be leaning toward the pink, regardless of anything else; Lily just loves pink and sparkles. No doubt, she'll end up suggesting that they do Lily's nails with the pink and pick a different color for herself.
"What do you think?" she asks, holding up the choices to the light. "I'm leaning toward the gold for me and the pink for you. How does that sound?"
Lily brightens, nodding. "My fingers an' my toes."
"Well, of course," Kate agrees, picking a buffer out of the bag as well and holding out her hand for her daughter's.
They're sitting with their feet propped up, watching a cute Christmas movie of Lily's choosing, when Castle and the boys traipse back inside. Her husband looks a little worse for the wear before he disappears into their bedroom to wrap the gifts they'd bought, but the twins seem happy enough, climbing up beside their sister and greeting Lily.
"Hi Peanut Butter, hi Jelly. Look at my pretty nails!"
The boys gawk, looking each of Lily's nails over. They're not the best job Kate's ever done, but Lily's not exactly the most still, either, even when she tries very hard to be. Still, it seems to pass muster with Reece and Jake because they grin.
"An' me?" Reece asks, holding out his hands.
"An' me?" Jake echoes as he follows his brother's lead.
Kate chuckles. "You want your nails done, too?"
They nod.
She hums, tapping her lip. She's not opposed, and she knows that Rick – Mr. Couples Manicures at the Four Seasons – won't be either, but she also knows her sons and the fact that they're probably dying to get down and drag their cars and dinosaurs out of the toybox and make up for lost time. "If we do your nails, you need to sit and let it dry. You won't be able to go play just yet. Is that okay?"
They hesitate, looking down at their hands. Kate reaches into the bag of nail polish, gingerly searching for the cherry red and hunter green (dinosaur green) she knows they'll pick.
"Ya!" Reece says finally, crawling over Lily's legs and shoving his hand in Kate's face. "Gween, pease."
Her lips dust his forehead. "Green it is. Now, this might tickle a little bit…" she warns, unscrewing the cap on the nail polish and getting ready to slide the brush over his little nails.
In the end, Jake crawls closer too, requesting the red nail polish for himself. Much to everyone's amusement, the boys sit frozen in place, staring at their fingers until she moment she checks on the one quick coat she applies to their nails and determines they're good to go play. After that, all bets are off and they're happy to drag half of their toys out and set them up on the floor, showing Lily everything before going back to playing on their own.
Lily giggles, scooting closer to her. Kate slips an arm around her, drawing her into a loose hug and resting her cheek on her daughter's hair. Lily turns in her arms, draping over her chest and exhaling. They sit together, resting and watching Reece and Jake make their cars and trucks and dinosaurs do elaborate stunts.
"Okay, Little Flower," she says eventually, lifting her head, "it's starting to get late. What do you say you play with your brothers for a few minutes while I go take a shower, and then I can send Daddy to get you and we can do our hair and get dressed up?"
Her daughter nods, sliding off the couch and onto the floor, asking which dino she can play with before she picks any of them up. Kate smiles, getting to her feet and stretching her back; oh, she'd gotten stiff sitting there with Lily.
"I'll be super-fast, don't worry," she assures, brushing her fingers over her babies' heads.
"Kay, Mommy!"
She sends Castle in to supervise, patting his chest and promising that she'll be ready soon, leaving him with the rest of the time before Alexis arrives to primp and make himself pretty.
"I'm already pretty, Beckett," he says over his shoulder, pulling their bedroom door closed behind him.
Well, he is right about that.
Once she's out of the shower and dressed in her underwear and a robe, she opens the door and beckons Lily into her bedroom.
"You aweady look pretty, Mommy," Lily says, climbing onto her bed while she lays out the dress beside her.
Given everything, the party's going to be a low-key affair with a limited guest list on a rooftop, so she's made sure to choose a dress that'll be warm enough even if she's not under one of the patio heaters they're sure to have, but still nice enough to not be out of place in the Black Pawn circle.
"Thank you, baby. I was thinking we could put some curls in our hair and do our makeup? What do you say?"
Lily nods, eager to be included in the process even if her only destination is the couch and the kitchen, and maybe the roof to visit the twinkling lights Rick had left up for them when Alexis comes over later.
"Perfect," Kate murmurs, leaning over to cup the girl's cheeks and dot a kiss on her forehead. "Thank you for helping me get ready."
Her daughter beams. "S'my pweasure. I'm gonna tell Gram I helped so much."
"Gram will be so happy to hear that," she assures, moving to plug in the curling iron and make sure it's not anywhere Lily can burn herself before bringing her girl into the bathroom with her. "What do you think you and Lexi will do tonight?"
Lily rubs her chin, tilting her head in the exaggerated picture of thought. "So much, Mommy. So much sister stuff."
Kate grins, standing her on the toilet and steadying her with a hand on her waist. "I can't wait to hear all about it later."
Lily holds her forearm. "I fink it's gonna be late, so maybe tomorrow, okay?"
Kate smothers a smile. She's right about that; the party will no doubt leave them out late and her daughter is nothing if not a stickler for making sure she squeezes every moment of time with Alexis that she can.
"That sounds great, sweetheart. Tomorrow it is."
Lily grins. "Okay."
Thank you for reading! Sorry for the wait and the late hour (on the East Coast) - I'd intended to start posting daily by now, but life has had a bit of drama lately. I hope you enjoyed this chapter.
Until next time!