Thank you all so much for your continued support and enthusiasm for this story, and a special shout-out to the guest reviewers who take the time to leave reviews every week, or almost. It means more to me that I could ever say.
Alexis emerged from the bathroom, fastening her charm bracelet around her right wrist. When she entered the living room, Javier stood up from the couch and gave a low whistle. Her long-sleeved, scoop-necked, fitted red cocktail dress was proof positive that she was one redhead who could rock a red dress. She carried a simple black clutch purse, and wore black, open-toed, 3-inch heels.
"You look amazing," Javier replied, looking at Alexis in awe.
"So then the concealer covering up the steamer trunks under my eyes isn't really noticeable?" she asked anxiously.
Javier wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her against his chest. "Not at all," he replied, giving her a quick hug and kissing the top of her head as she rested against him for several seconds.
She pulled back and tilted her head as she looked at him. "Are you lying to me right now?" she asked.
"No," he assured her. He slid his hands up her back to rub her shoulders, the muscles as tight as steel cables beneath his hands. "What was it Beckett's dad told you?"
"It's a marathon, not a sprint," she replied with a sigh. "I just wish it wasn't so difficult to turn my brain off, at least the part obsessing over school, just for tonight. This is a big night for Dad. And it's a big night for us too: our first book party as a couple." She brightened then. "You know, if it hadn't been for the last Derrick Storm book party, you and I never would have met, and neither would Dad and Mom."
"Yeah, Ryan and I didn't get to go to that one," Javier mused. "I've never heard the story of Beckett and Castle's first actual meeting."
"You haven't?" Alexis said, surprised.
"Nope. In all these years, it never came up," Javier said.
"Well, I was sitting at the bar, doing my homework, and Gram was chatting up some guy, and Dad came over to me and complained that just once, he'd like to hear someone say something new to him, something he hadn't heard countless times before," Alexis said. "Then we both heard a female voice say, 'Mr. Castle'?
"Dad pulled a Sharpie out of his inside jacket pocket and said, 'Where would you like it?' as he turned around, meaning his autograph."
Javier laughed out loud. "And it was Beckett," he said.
"All business, holding up her badge, and announcing that she was Detective Kate Beckett, NYPD, and she'd like to ask Dad a few questions about a murder that took place earlier that night," Alexis recalled with a smile.
"I bet Castle never heard that before," Javier mused.
"I'm entirely positive he hadn't!" Alexis exclaimed. "I stood up, pulled the Sharpie out of his hands as he stood there in total shock, and said, 'That's new.'"
"So that's how it began," Javier said. "That's so them." He paused. "You're sure I don't have to wear a tie to this thing?"
"It's a book launch party. I can guarantee you that Dad won't even be wearing a tie. And I'm sure Mom passed the word to Kevin, Alan, and Gerald," Alexis told him. "Your jacket and dress shirt are enough."
Javier nodded once, then helped Alexis into her coat before donning his own overcoat. Then they headed out into the cold November night, bound for Rick's launch party for Something Worth Saving, his first serious literature novel.
At the loft, Jim was seated on the couch with Lily, having eagerly volunteered to baby-sit tonight. It wasn't that he didn't want to attend Rick's book party, but he felt it was more important that Martha attend, and since the rest of their family and friends were also attending, he was happy to spend the evening with Lily.
Rick and Kate emerged from their bedroom then, Rick in a black suit with a gray button-down shirt open at the collar, and Kate in a long navy blue maternity dress of soft jersey with ¾-length sleeves and navy blue lace overlaying the bodice. "Mommy, you look beautiful!" Lily exclaimed breathlessly.
"Thank you, sweetie," Kate replied, putting a hand at the small of her back, which was a little achy.
"And Daddy, you're hamsome," Lily pronounced.
Kate fought to hold back a giggling snort. Lily's mispronunciation was fitting for Rick, who could be something of a ham. But she also knew he was nervous about the reception this book would be getting. "Yes, he is," she agreed, opting not to correct Lily.
"Thank you, sweetpea," Rick replied.
Jim looked concerned then, as Kate rubbed the small of her back, but Rick gave him a look that let him know that everything was all right, and this was just normal, final trimester stuff. The last thing Kate wanted was to be smothered or coddled right now. Luckily, Rick had some experience dealing with pregnant Kate, although this pregnancy had its differences from when she was pregnant with Lily, beyond the obvious.
"Thanks again for baby-sitting tonight, Dad," Kate said as she headed over to the couch, with Rick trailing after her.
"I'd never pass up a chance to spend time with my Lily Jo," Jim replied with a smile. "Enjoy your evening."
Rick was as accommodating to his fans as he could be, but he wouldn't deny some nervousness about this particular book launch party. This novel was so different from every other novel he had ever written and published. Tonight could be misleading. Of course everyone would read it because they were curious about this major departure from form by him. Whether or not they would like what they read—and it was more the fans who worried him than the critics—remained to be seen. So he wasn't entirely certain he'd enjoy the evening in the way Jim's comment intended.
But one thing Rick was absolutely certain of: he would have Kate, Alexis, his mother, and the rest of their family of friends around him tonight, and whatever happened with the book—although in his heart of hearts, Rick wanted this new literary effort of us to be successful; not necessarily Bestseller successful, but at least a modest success, although if it was a complete flop, he'd pick himself up, dust himself off, and go on with his career—he would be all right.
Jim picked Lily up and rose from the couch, walking over to Kate and Rick. "Be good for Grandpa, Lily," Kate said.
Jim grinned. "She always is," he replied proudly.
"Night-night, Mommy," Lily said as she stretched out of Jim's arms to give Kate a hug and a kiss, which Kate returned.
"Night-night, Lily," Kate replied, smoothing a hand down the back of Lily's head. "I love you to the moon and stars and back."
"I love you to the moon and stars and back too," Lily said with a smile. Then she turned her attention to Rick. "Night-night, Daddy."
"Night-night, Lily," Rick said, scooping Lily out of Jim's arms and giving her a big hug and a smacking kiss on the cheek. Lily gave Rick a smacking kiss on the cheek in return and a hard squeeze around the neck. "I love you, sweetpea."
"I love you too, Daddy," Lily replied. Knowing that Rick had a secure hold around her waist, she flung her arms out to her sides as far as they would stretch. "All the way to the moon and stars and back!"
Rick smiled and gave Lily another kiss. "Mommy and I will come and check on you when we get home," he promised.
"Okay," Lily replied. Rick set her on her feet, and she walked over to Kate and leaned in close to Kate's baby bulge. "Night-night, Reece, night-night, Jake. Be good." She placed one of her little hands on the bulge, and her eyes grew as wide as saucers, and her mouth dropped open, when she felt the babies kick. "Mommy, they heard me!" she exclaimed. "My brothers heard me!"
"They sure did," Kate replied.
"Grandpa, Reece and Jake heard me!" Lily excitedly told Jim.
Jim smiled at Lily's excitement. "They're your little brothers. They're going to look up to you, Lily Jo."
Lily frowned slightly, puzzled. "What does that mean?" she asked.
"It means that they're going to look to you to learn how to do things," Jim replied. "They aren't going to know how to do the things that you do when they're born. As they grow, they'll be ready to learn, and you'll be one of the people to teach them."
Rick and Kate slipped out while Jim and Lily were talking about Lily's role as a big sister. The town car was waiting for them downstairs. Although they had recently upgraded to an Audi Q7 SUV in anticipation of Reece and Jake's upcoming arrivals, Black Pawn was treating this book launch party like a movie premiere, complete with a red carpet, and press and photographers behind velvet ropes to take pictures of all the arrivals, and no arrival was more eagerly anticipated than that of the author himself, and his wife/muse, pregnant-with-twins, highly decorated and retired NYPD Homicide Detective and Captain and now City Councilwoman.
"Mother and Earl will be in their element on the red carpet," Rick said as the driver took them to the party. "And everyone else should get a kick out of it too."
Knowing Rick was nervous, Kate threaded her fingers through his. "Babe, you've got this," she said confidently.
"I haven't been this nervous since the release party for Flowers for Your Grave," Rick confessed. "Of course, that one was a lot smaller. And I made out like everything was great, like I was on top of the world. But I had everything riding on that book. The only thing I wanted to do was write, and that was my one shot...after, literally, years of rejections. I'm glad I wrote Something Worth Saving, but I don't know if it's going to be well-received." Rick took off his glasses, pulled his pocket square from the breast pocket of his jacket, wiped the glasses clean, and put them back on, before giving Kate one of the most vulnerable looks he had ever given her. "I want to succeed at this, Kate. I don't have to rule the New York Times' Bestseller list, and I've always taken what the literary critics say with a grain of salt. Sometimes a five-pound bag of salt, to be honest. I want to leave more of a legacy as a writer than murder mysteries. They have their place, I'm proud of having written them, but I've written about death long enough. Now I want to write about life."
Kate reached out and straightened the collar of Rick's shirt, which didn't really need straightening. "I haven't gotten past the fourth chapter yet, but I love it so far," she said, "and not just because you're my husband. Yes, it's very different from every other book you've ever written. As far as wanting to write about life instead of death now, I understand that completely, babe. That's one reason I went into politics. I devoted so many years to getting justice for the dead, to helping their survivors get closure, and now...now I want to help the living. It doesn't change how proud I am to have served, to have been a Detective and a Captain on the NYPD for as long as I was. But we both spent so long living with death, now...now, we live with life. I know that's an awkward way to put it, but-"
She was cut off when Rick leaned over and gently kissed her. "I knew you'd understand," he said.
"Always," Kate replied.
The town car pulled to a stop at the curb. They had arrived at the party. "Are you ready?" Kate asked.
"You know, I really think I am, thanks to you," Rick replied, squeezing her hand. She squeezed his hand back.
They walked down the red carpet arm in arm, and they had photographers and reporters shouting at them the whole way. But all they could see was their family, who were all waiting at the doors for them.
"There they are!" Alexis shouted.
Standing grouped together, every one of them shouting, waving, clapping, or cheering, and all of them dressed to the nines, were Alexis, Javier, Martha, Earl, Kevin, Jenny, Lanie, Alan, Victoria, Gerald, Madison and Mark.
And then a young man who could only be described as the living embodiment of a hipster—complete with skinny jeans, equally skinny tie loosened at the collar of a wrinkled, untucked button-up shirt, and fedora—came rushing up the red carpet towards Rick and Kate: Rick's publisher Adam. "Rick!" he exclaimed, his face flushed with excitement. "You're finally here! Oh, hello, Mrs. Castle." He actually tipped his fedora to Kate, who just barely managed to suppress her eyeroll. "Rick, it's amazing! The book...People are actually in there reading it! Everyone wants you to sign their copies! Thank God I bought four two-packs of Sharpies."
"They're reading it in there?" Rick asked, surprised.
"I know I haven't been to a lot of 'em yet, but it's the quietest book launch party I've ever been to!" Adam exclaimed. He scratched at his goatee. "And a couple of the people reading it the hardest—I mean, sitting there, letting the ice melt in their drinks, ignoring the food, not putting the book down or reaching for their phones—are the critics for the New York Times Book Review and The New Yorker! And I heard a rumor that a reviewer from The Atlantic is here, but I haven't been able to confirm or deny that yet. I'm workin' on it, though."
Just then, a thirtysomething woman who had just stepped outside for a smoke spotted Rick and was so startled that she dropped her cigarette and lighter. "He's here!" she shrieked. "Richard Castle is here!" She rushed back inside, still shouting at the top of her lungs that Richard Castle had arrived.
"Sir, do you think we should call for hats and bats?" Kevin asked Victoria Gates, only half-jokingly.
"I'm hoping things don't devolve to that point, Ryan," Victoria replied seriously.
Adam sprinted back inside to assure "the adoring masses" that Rick was on his way.
Rick and Kate walked into the middle of all of their family and friends, who greeted them both with hugs, and in Rick's case, the men all gave him handshakes, fist bumps, or back slaps. Martha's and Alexis's eyes both shone with pride, as did Kate's when Rick turned to look at her, her arm still tucked into his elbow.
"I haven't read all of your books yet," Alan admitted, "but I've read about half of them, and I can't wait to get started on this one. This is some reaction!"
"Do you ever get used to it, Castle?" Madison asked.
"I can only speak for myself, but no, I've never gotten used to it," Rick replied. "Although it's a lot better now, because I get to share it with people I truly care about, and who truly care about me."
"Yeah, Castle, we love you too," Lanie said.
"And we're really proud of you," Kevin added.
Adam poked his head out the door, his clothing wrinkled, his tie totally undone, and his fedora askew on his head. "They're about to turn into animals in here, Rick!" he shouted. "Your public awaits! THIS IS SO AWESOME!" Then he disappeared into the crowd once more.
"Okay, that guy's kind of annoying," Javier said.
"That's my publisher, Adam," Rick replied.
"Annoying in a charming way," Javier amended quickly. Alexis didn't even try to hide her laughter.
"He can be a bit much, but he's relatively easy to get used to," Rick replied.
The readers inside had obviously set aside their books upon receiving the news that the author was about to make his grand entrance, because the crowd noise sounded like a stadium concert.
"'Once more unto the breach, dear friends, once more'!" Martha exclaimed.
"Except there are no English dead," Earl pointed out.
"There are no dead at all," Rick said. He looked deeply into Kate's eyes then. "Not for us. Not anymore."
She squeezed his hand. "Not anymore," she echoed.
"You're the man of the hour, Mr. Castle," Victoria said. "You and Kate lead the way."
Everyone formed up behind them, arm in arm—Alexis and Javier; Martha and Earl; Kevin and Jenny; Alan and Lanie; Gerald and Victoria; and Mark and Madison.
The double doors opened, and the room exploded with cheers and applause, all for Rick, as a spotlight landed on him. He looked at Kate beside him, smiling proudly. She took his hand and placed it on her bulge, and he felt Reece and Jake kicking. He looked over his shoulder at the rest of their family and friends, with the exceptions of Lily and Jim, lined up behind them, all of them also smiling at him.
Rick was only dimly aware that Alexis and Alan had their phones out and were recording the response.
"Ladies and gentlemen!" Adam's voice rang out from a cordless microphone then as the spotlight swung to him. "Our author has arrived! He will be signing books at the table to my right in just a moment! I give you the man of the evening, and the author of Something Worth Saving...Richard Castle!"
The evening was a whirlwind. He didn't get to spend much time with his family and friends. Kate sat at the table where Rick signed copies of the book until he had writer's cramp. She watched Rick be as gracious as always with his fans, and remembered the book party where they had met over ten years ago now, and she saw both similarities and differences in him from that night to this one.
Rick gave sound bite interviews to so many journalists and reviewers, and posed for so many pictures both alone and with Kate, that he lost count, and when he saw Alexis and Javier posing for pictures, he went into Papa Bear mode, but they assured him that it was all right. "Dad, you've protected me from this my whole life," Alexis said. "But I'm all grown up now. I can handle it. And I'm so proud of you, not just for this book, but for...well, you. I want the whole world to know I'm your daughter. Your oldest daughter."
Of course, all of their friends and family would be getting personally autographed copies of Something Worth Saving in the next couple of days.
Jim was waiting up, and Lily was long since asleep, when Rick and Kate arrived home, Kate carrying her flats (heels became a memory along about month five of her pregnancy). Jim had actually seen a little blurb from the party on the 11:00 news.
After saying good night to Jim, with Jim promising to text Kate and let her know he'd made it home safely, Kate and Rick went upstairs to check on Lily, who was sleeping peacefully in her toddler bed after her exciting night playing tea party and reading books with her beloved grandpa.
"You were incredible tonight," Kate said when she and Rick were in the hall outside Lily's room.
"I'm still in a daze," Rick reflected. "I've had so many of these launches, and I guess I really wasn't expecting this one to be what it turned out to be."
"It was a big night for you," Kate agreed. "I'm so happy for you, and so proud of you."
"I can't believe now that I was so nervous about tonight," he reflected. "I should have known everything would be okay. It was a book launch party. I met you at a book launch party. Good things happen at book launch parties."
"Can you believe it's been over ten years?" Kate asked.
"We've had quite a decade," Rick agreed. He moved closer for a hug, and as he held Kate in his arms, he felt the boys kick against his stomach, which was pressed against Kate's growing baby bulge. Feeling Reece and Jake move within Kate, as with Lily before them, would never cease to fascinate and thrill Rick. "And we're just getting started."
Kate was about to kiss him, but she yawned instead. Rick chuckled fondly, gave her a quick kiss, and said, "Time to sleep now, for all of us." Then he bent and addressed the boys. "That includes you guys, Peanut, Jellybean."
As they headed to their own bedroom, Kate laid her head on Rick's shoulder, and their arms went around each other's waists by instinct. And when they were in their pajamas and in bed, as had become his custom, after kissing Kate good night, Rick lifted her sleep shirt and kissed her baby bulge twice, once for each of their sons, before settling down beneath the covers, Rick spooning Kate, his arm gently draped over her baby bulge, and Kate's hand resting on top of Rick's hand as they drifted off to sleep.
