Let Your Heart Be Light - Chapter 4
There's something about seeing her father these days that never fails to relax her. Maybe it's their shared history, the bond they'd forged after the hell they'd been through together, or maybe it's just the fact that he isn't as boisterous as her mother-in-law and Alexis (or as high-strung as Aunt Theresa). Either way, Kate feels her shoulders relax when she opens the door to Jim Beckett.
"Hi, Dad."
Jim's smile grows.
"Hi, Katie," he murmurs, holding out his hands to her.
Ignoring the bag on his shoulder and the one at his feet, she steps into his chest, winding her arms around his back and holding onto him. Maybe her grip is a little tighter than necessary, but she'd seen the weather reports and knows how rough it had gotten; having him back in one piece is a relief.
"Well," he chuckles against her temple, "this is a nice greeting."
She squeezes him again, taking a half-step back and holding onto his arms. "How was your drive? Did you go home first? Come in, come in. Rick's at the store getting stuff for dinner. The kids are probably up from their naps by now, but I haven't gone up there to get them yet. Which I might regret, but you know. How are you, Dad?"
Kate reaches down and snags his bag from the floor before he can do it, earning an affectionate scoff from her father.
"I carried it all the way up from the parking garage, sweetheart. A few more feet won't hurt me. And I'm good. I had a good drive, just stopped by the house to get some gifts for everybody."
She shakes her head. "You'll thank me in a second when-"
"Grandpa!"
"Gwampa!"
Kate grins, tilting her head. "You'll thank me when Lily and the chaos twins come tearing down the stairs," she finishes, adding a warning for her children to be careful. The last thing they need is for Reece to end up busting his head open on the steps.
Thankfully, all three of the kids make it down the stairs without incident, though there is more than a little shoving near the bottom and come skidding around on the hardwood floor to crash into their grandfather. Three excited voices chatter cheerfully, alternating between tugging at Jim's arms to lead him into the house and grabbing his waist for eager hugs.
"Duly noted," Jim chuckles, bending to wrap his arms around all three of the kids at once. "Oh, I missed you three. How are you?"
"GOOD!" Jake's voice covers his brother and sister's, but they don't seem to mind, jabbering all the same.
"Santa bringed us all bikes!" Lily adds, pointing to the window where they'd stashed the three new bicycles until they can get downstairs to the storage room and clean out space for them. "Mine looks like Mommy's motorcycle!"
Kate covers her mouth to hide her amusement. Her father has never shied away from telling her exactly how he feels about her bike, even if he had agreed to store it for her until Rick took it back and restored it before the kids were born. He'll be tactful with her daughter, though.
"That is a good-looking bike, Lily. And yours too," Jim adds, cupping both boys' heads so they don't feel left out.
Lily looks back at Kate, her smile so bright and proud, Kate can't help but reach out to brush her cheek.
"Santa brought you a lot this year, didn't he?" she asks, trying to ease the four of them away from the door and toward the couches.
Her kids nod, taking their grandfather's hand (and sleeve) and dragging him to the tree to show him the spoils of their Christmas.
"I'll take this up to your room and get you some water, Dad," she murmurs, sliding her father's bag higher up her shoulder and brushing a hand across his back.
Jim smiles gratefully, sinking onto the floor and turning his attention back to the kids as they bring out their presents for display.
She makes it to the top step before giving herself permission to pause and watch. He's bathed in the light of the Christmas tree, but that isn't why her father's face is aglow. She can see the smile on his face, the gentle peace, the absolute love, even as Reece shoves another toy under his nose.
"Hurry up, Katie," he calls as the boys turn back to find another gift to show them. "You all have more to open, after all. Though, we should probably wait for Rick to get home, shouldn't we?"
A laugh falls from her lips, but she's not embarrassed to be caught watching them. She's ecstatic. This is beyond what she could've ever hoped for, years ago when she and Castle first started dating and she'd described how she and her father managed the holidays, even when she was first married and finding her way in the Castle family.
"I'm moving, Dad. I'm moving. But we really should wait for Rick to get back; he'll pout and try to make us do it all over again so he can take pictures."
Her father laughs, not even bothering to hide his grunt when Jake plops down in his lap. They both know he's fine. "Better tell him to get back here quickly, then."
Despite the chaos of having a second Christmas and getting more gifts from Jim, the kids settle down easily - if not a little later than usual. Part of it is that they're happy to know their grandfather will be there in the morning, and part of it is the quiet, flowing story he reads to them once they're in their pajamas.
Even Kate feels herself drifting off at the gentle cadence of her father's voice. Dimly, she hears her father close the book, hears his glass of water clink gently against the end table.
"We're so glad you're here, Jim," Rick says from beside her, his arm settling against her hip. She feels herself sink deeper into his warmth, feels the brush of his chin against her hair.
She should get up to help put the kids to bed, but she's just so comfortable.
So safe. He's always made her feel so secure, and now with her father under their roof too… there's a part of her that is convinced nothing will ever touch them.
"I'm glad I'm here, too, Rick." He doesn't elaborate, but there's a catch to her father's voice that tells her he'd probably been holding back on how rough things had been, no doubt to keep her from worrying. "Why don't you and Katie go to bed?"
"M'wake," she insists, feeling the gentle slide of her husband's fingers through her hair. "'I'm awake now."
Her father chuckles. She peeks an eye open to see him looking between her and the children affectionately. "I'll still be here in the morning, Katie. You should get some rest while these wild things are sleeping, though. After all, I remember someone agreeing to take them out to ride those new bikes."
"Mmm, that was you." She stretches, rubbing a hand over Rick's forearm.
Her father smiles. "Yes, it was. But I'll need you and Rick as back-up, so go get some rest."
She hums. "I'll help you take them up and then we can sleep."
Her father breaks eye contact to look down at the three little bodies huddled close to him. She spies the same conflict she always feels when the kids want to cuddle her. "Well, maybe it can wait for a few more minutes."
Kate chuckles. "Yeah, a few more."
Thank you for reading! I appreciate you all, and I hope you liked this chapter.