Chapter Eight
Early Sunsets
Post-Series

"Come on, Daddy, we're going to miss it!" Lily tugs on Rick's hand, jumping with excitement. "Hurry!"

Rick hits "send" on his email and closes his laptop. "I know, I know, I'm coming. Is your mom ready?"

"Been ready for awhile," he hears from the hallway. Kate pokes her head through the door. "We're just waiting on you."

"Right. Let's go, Lilypad," he says, looking down at his daughter and grinning at her outfit. She's decided to wear her pink tutu over her clothes, and it's adorable. "Are we going to the ballet?"

Lily giggles. "No, silly Daddy! We gon' watch the sunset!"

Rick meets his wife's amused gaze and he reaches to her with his free hand. "I see. But isn't it after your bedtime?" he teases. He gives Kate's hand a light tug when she laces her fingers through his and pecks her lips. "Hi," he murmurs against her mouth.

"Hi." Kate steps back and leads them both to the back door. "Come on you two, blankets are all set up."

The three of them settle down on the blankets lining the porch, Rick with his back to the wall and Kate next to him. Lily squirms between the two of them, and Rick chuckles, drops a quick kiss to the top of her head.

"You are really excited about this sunset, aren't you, Lil?"

"I love sunsets!"

Rick and Kate meet each other's eyes above Lily's head and they both smirk. Their daughter does love to watch the sunsets from his office back in the city, but it's not often that they're in the Hamptons when the sun sets early enough that Lily can watch.

As the sky turns from blue to a blend of orange, pink, and purple, Kate cups the back of his neck and starts to lightly massage his tense muscles. Rick lets his head fall forward and his eyes flutter shut.

"Oh my God, that feels wonderful," he tells her, earning a loud "shh" from Lily. He grins. "Sorry, Lil. I didn't know we needed to be quiet."

Once the sky is dark Rick feels his daughter sag against him, and when he looks down, he sees that she's fast asleep.

"I'll bring her inside if you can clean up?" he suggests to Kate in a whisper, not wanting to wake Lily.

Kate nods her agreement in the dim light. "I'll meet you inside."

After they settle Lily in bed Rick meets Kate in the living room with matching glasses of wine. "She went down okay?" he asks. Lily had woken when he was changing her clothes, and by the time Kate had come in she was wide awake again.

"Yeah, she fell asleep right after you left," Kate tells him, leaning into his side.

They sink into the couch and he drapes his arms around her shoulders, tugs her into him. "She was so excited about the sunset. I haven't seen her like that since her birthday."

Kate chuckles. "It's like she takes after her father that way, finding joy in the little things most of us take for granted." She sets her wine on the coffee table and turns her face to him, her eyes shining with love. "That's one of the first things that made me fall in love with you."

Rick smirks. "It wasn't my sparkling personality?" he teases, his glass joining hers when she narrows her eyes and settles on his lap. His hands automatically drop to her hips and encourage her to roll them.

"Whatever you say," Kate mutters, taking his face in her hands and pressing her mouth to his. She deepens the kiss almost immediately, and before long she's rocking against him and gasping for him to take her to bed.

Rick grips her tight in his arms and stands. "Your wish is my command."