Falling in Love at a Coffee Shop
March decided to cooperate. Instead of snow and a wind that cut to the bone, there was sunshine and a high that broke a century-old record in New York City. The heat stayed around even as the sun fell behind the horizon, setting the city aglow with reds and burnt oranges. The little lanterns they had set out around the courtyard flickered in the warm breeze. The moon cast a silver reflection on the small pool at the edge of the rooftop garden, rippling on the surface.
She sat in the front row of the now-empty chairs, bare feet curled against the grass. Her shoes were abandoned a few rows back, slipped off after her heel got caught in the soil one too many times.
"Cinderella, you lost your shoes," he called from behind her. "Wait. Not Cinderella. Kate Beckett can rescue herself."
Castle sat next to her, her heels in his lap. "Something wrong that you're hiding from everyone?" he asked, fingers trailing over her bare shoulder, the teasing gone from his voice.
She was quick to shake her head, let it fall onto his upper arm with a sigh. "No. Absolutely nothing wrong."
"Good. Then why are you out here while Al is doing the YMCA in there?"
"She's doing the YMCA?" Kate asked with a smile. "Someone had better be taking pictures. I need blackmail for the future."
He laughed and she felt her heart lighten a little. But he stayed silent, waiting on her to talk out her reasoning for escaping the softly lit loft attached to the garden to the harsh lights of the city.
"I miss her," she whispered against his arm. "I mean, I miss her all the time but today…"
"Yeah," Castle murmured, smoothing a hand over the back of her head, pressing her nose further into his arm. "More today than before. She should be here."
"But she isn't." Kate took a deep breath, forehead resting on his shoulder as she steadied herself. "I know I shouldn't be hiding. Let's go back in."
Castle caught her wrist as she started to stand up, bringing her up against his chest for a hug. "You take as much time as you want. I'll distract them."
She laughed, wrapping her arms around his back, flattening the stiff fabric of his tux against his spine. "What? With your rapier wit and charm?"
"Don't forget my dashing good looks." He pulled back, loosening the hug enough to use one hand to tip her chin up. "Stay out here however long you need. Seriously. No pressure, Mrs. Castle."
Kate's breath caught in her throat and she had to swallow hard to get past it. Not her legal name, but still. Married. With a husband and a father for Al. Finally. "I'm good," she said, linking her hand with his. "Let's go and dance, okay?"
He hooked her abandoned heels in his free hand while they walked back up the stretch of grass to the loft attached to the rooftop garden. They could hear the band playing the Electric Slide, could see the people doing the goofy dance moves through the windows. His thumb rubbed over the single ring on her left hand.
He hadn't gotten her an engagement ring. He had meant to, had searched on websites and ducked into little jewelry boutiques in the attempt to find the right one. But after a month of futile searches, Kate had made him stop, saying that she didn't need two rings. Then they had focused on finding wedding bands. Castle wasn't surprised when she had honed in on the simplest of the rings in the shop – the thin rose gold band held onto the bezel set diamond. It's warm and pretty and her.
Inside, Al was holding court at the head table, having halted her rendition of the VillagePeople's song, with Ryan's girlfriend Jenny and Montgomery's wife. She had a piece of cake on her lap, frosting smeared over her cheeks, and a smile as bright as the moon on her face. Across the dance floor, Ryan and Esposito seemed to be having some sort of dance-off with Lanie judging from a chair she pulled over from one of the other tables.
Kate turned her head and lifted up on her toes to press a kiss to his jaw. "This is what you've gotten yourself into," she murmured against his skin. "You ready?"
"Too late to back out now, isn't it," he responded. She laughed but he just squeezed her fingers. "But no. I'm happy."
"Me too."
Castle tossed her shoes under the head table as the passed by. Jenny and Evelyn smiled at them as Kate reached over with a napkin to wipe the frosting off her daughter's face. "Having a good time, kid?"
"Yes! There's cake!" Al said, holding the plate up for their examination. Chocolate cake with white frosting, bright flowers piped onto the surface. "And I was dancin' with Ryan and Espo. They're weird," she said, pointing her fork at the two men doing old-fashioned dance moves in their own space of the dance floor.
"Want to come dance with me?" Castle asked, scooping a fingerful of frosting off Al's cake and eating it. "I won't be weird."
Al pushed the rest of the cake onto the table, sliding off her chair with the help of Evelyn. "No weird dancin'," she warned, narrowing her eyes at Castle.
"Promise," he said with a straight face even as he winked at Kate. "No weird dancing."
Castle took Al off to the dance floor, leaving Kate at the table. She took the rest of Al's cake and cut a corner piece off. Once they reached the edge of the floor, Castle bent down to lift Al up onto his shoes with a giggle from the girl. He kept hold of her hands as he started to spinning around the dance floor, keeping Al balanced on his feet.
"You're beautiful, Katie." Jim had sidled up against her side, smiling out at his granddaughter dancing with Castle. "And you're happy."
"Did you feel this way? On your wedding day?" she asked, holding out the plate of cake as an offering to which he shook his head.
He tilted his head, regarding his daughter carefully. "Like what?"
Kate ate another bite of the cake, shrugging. "Like your heart was going to explode but still terrified of messing things up. Like everything makes sense while you can't comprehend anything."
"Like you're watching the only one for you while knowing they're looking at you the same way?" he asked. "Yes."
She gave a short laugh, drawing a line through the colored frosting on the crystal plate. "Does it ever go away?"
Jim took the plate from her, putting it behind him on the table. "Never, if you've found the right person. I know it never left me with your mother." He brushed her loose hair off her face and Kate turned her head to smile softly at him. "Let me see the ring?"
Kate held her hand out, let her dad catch it between his fingers as he turned it, watching the diamond catch the light. "Does it meet your approval or should I work out the divorce papers already?" she teased.
"Oh no. He did fine. More than, actually." Jim leaned back against the table. "He's a good man, Katie. A really good man."
"I know," she said, nodding and trying to casually wipe away the tears that she had thought she had a grip on. "We're working with a lawyer, you know." Her father shook his head so Kate continued. "To have him adopt Al. I mean, she already thinks of him as a father-figure but what if…" Kate swallowed and pushed past the fear that clogged up her throat, "what if I got hurt and he wasn't her legal guardian? Better to have it be official. And he wanted it, wanted to have something to claim her with, you know? Just in case."
"It's sweet. And look what he's getting out of the deal?"
"What do I get out of what deal?" Castle asked, bringing Al back over and plopping her onto a chair near the table.
Kate hipchecked him, laughing as he wrapped his arm around her waist and kept her against his side. "You get me and Al out of this marriage."
Ignoring her father standing less than five feet from them, Castle leaned down and pressed a kiss to her mouth. "Oh. That. Makes me the luckiest man alive, doesn't it?" He grinned at Jim and Al, tugging Kate away from the table. "I'm stealing her. We need to dance."
The band was playing something jazzy and slow, the floor emptying out save for the couples. Castle pulled her close, one hand splayed out at the small of her back over the embroidered lace, the other resting on her waist. "Want me to dance with you on my feet too?" he whispered.
"I think I can handle it." Kate let her head fall forward onto his chest, muffling the laughter. Laughter that she didn't seem to have control over tonight. "I love you, you know," she said quietly.
"I'm fairly certain that I have an idea about how much you love me. Mostly because the same goes." He spun her out, holding onto her fingertips, then tugging her back into the circle of his arms.
"Dip her, Rick!"
Kate had less than a second to grasp what her daughter had just shouted out before Castle's arm looped around her waist and gave her a little push so that she bent backwards over his forearm. He took advantage of her open mouth to kiss her, tongue darting in to tangle with hers.
There was applause from the guests as they straightened. Castle bowed while Kate tucked herself into his side, pressing her face against his shoulder. "You're so dead when we get home tonight, Richard Castle."
"I expect you to follow up on that threat, Katherine Beckett."
Kate moved back to their table, sitting next to Al. "You're also dead tonight, Alexandra."
But her daughter cuddled into her side, arms hugging her around her waist. "I love you so much, Mom."
"You'll love me more when I tell you about honeymoon plans," Castle said, pulling a chair over and sitting in front of the girls. "Which are staying a secret until later when we can nail down dates."
Al climbed over Kate's lap and into Castle's, wrapping her arms around his neck and hanging on it. "Where we goin'?"
He kissed Al's forehead, sitting her on his knee rather than dangling from his neck. "Oh, someplace magical, I'm sure."
"But… but I want to know!" she said, patting Castle's cheek. Trying to win him over with an overload of adorable rather than fighting him on the fact. "Tell me! Whisper it," Al said, boosting herself up so her ear was near Castle's mouth. "Secret."
Castle laughed, brushing Al's hair back. "Secret from you and Mom. Just for now."