Epilogue – Much Later
Kate stopped just inside the door to Castle's apartment, setting her bags down and taking a good look around. Castle bustled in behind her, closing the door, offering to take her jacket, and generally failing to hide his nerves.
Castle's apartment. Now their apartment.
"So, Mrs. Castle," he grinned at her disapprovingly raised eyebrow. "Welcome home."
Kate couldn't help but smile at his obvious joy.
"I thought I'd finally pounded it into your skull with the marriage certificate that I'm going to stay Beckett. I've lived with the name too long to be happy changing my identity."
Castle feigned an injured expression. "But what will we call the children? Castle-Beckett? Beckett-Castle? Those names are too big a mouthful for little mouths."
"We still have nine months to argue over it." Kate couldn't restrain the laughter at the utter shock on Castle's face.
"Nine months? But how- I mean, what- Are you saying you're-?"
Kate rescued him by stopping his mouth with a kiss. She had most of his shirt unbuttoned before she let him come up for air.
"Not yet, darling," she teased him by drawling the word with a fake southern accent. "But I suggest we start working on the project immediately."
Kate was not headed for the guest room as she hauled a stunned Richard Castle away from the door.