I received so many sweet reviews last chapter, and I didn't have a chance to reply to most of them, but thank you so much for all of your kind words! I'm so glad you all enjoyed the chapter, because I absolutely loved writing it!

Till Death Do Us Part (Part II)

"Hey, Katie."

She smiled, slid into the booth across from Jim. "Hey, Dad."

Kate shrugged out of her jacket, situated it next to her on the bench. He watched silently as she settled in, a soft smile on his face as he took in the barely-hidden smile on her lips, the way her eyes were overflowing with happiness. He knew she was happy with Rick, knew the author was good for her, but it'd been while since he'd seen her so completely giddy (because yes, she thought she was trying to hide it but he knew better).

Before the older man could comment, however, a waitress appeared, placing two mugs of hot coffee in front of them and promising to return in a few minutes before bustling off to attend to her other patrons. It was a quaint diner, fairly out of the way, a place they'd found not long after Jim had gotten sober, and it had been their standard meeting place ever since. But it was bubbling with people today, a popular place on this Sunday afternoon.

"So what's got you so cheerful toda..." Jim trailed off as Kate reached for her mug with her left hand, the new piece of jewelry sparkling in the ambient light. His face broke out into a huge smile and he set his own mug aside, reached a hand across the table. "Is that what I think it is?"

Kate grinned widely, the happiness she was struggling to contain overflowing in waves, radiating off of her. She left the coffee on the table, extended her hand to her father. "It is."

"Wow," Jim commented, taking in the flawlessly cut diamonds, the shining band encircling her finger.

"Yeah," Kate breathed, dropping her eyes to it yet again. It had been a struggle the entire drive to the diner to tear her eyes away from it, to the point where she ended up sitting on her left hand for the last few blocks, forcing it out of sight so she was actually watching where she was going.

When he looked up again, there were tears shimmering in his eyes, but the proud smile on his face said everything she needed to know.

"Congrats, sweetheart."

Her smile grew, the muscles in her cheeks already sore from the amount of grinning she'd been doing since last night. "Thanks, Dad."

He released her hand and she slowly slid it back across the table, once again reached for her coffee, but her eyes never once left her ring finger, not until she lifted the mug to her mouth and look a sip of the hot liquid.

"So how did it happen?" Jim asked, reaching for a menu and handing the other to his daughter.

Kate took it from him, opened it on the tabletop in front of her. "Uhh, well..."

Jim misconstrued her hesitation, clarified. "You can skip over the embarrassing parts."

Her head snapped up. "What? No, Dad, it's not... embarrassing," she stammered, though the heat rising in her cheeks surely wasn't helping her case at all.

"Then what is it?"

Kate hesitated. The only person she'd told about the journal was Lanie, and she was relatively certain Castle hadn't told anyone either. Part of her life was no longer all that private, and the journal seemed sacred, somehow, because almost nobody knew of its existence.

On the other hand, she really didn't need her father thinking the proposal had occurred while they were naked in bed, which was clearly his initial assumption. "It's just not something I've told many people about," she offered, the best combination of words she could come up with as a description.

"Well, how recently did this happen?" he gestured to her left hand.

"No, no, not this," Kate clarified, flashing the diamond ring. "Just..." she took a deep breath, released it slowly. She could do this. She really could. It was her father, after all. "Okay, so Castle has this journal. He's been writing in it since we first met, actually."

"Really?"

She nodded. "Yeah. They're letters. To me. Things he wanted to say to me or things he learned about me or just observations. All kinds of stuff."

"And he gave it to you?" Jim asked curiously.

Kate laughed. "No, I kind of stumbled across it a few months ago, and he told me I could read it, so we've been making our way through it together."

"I'm guessing this ties in to the proposal somehow."

She smiled. "We were reading it last night, and the letter he wrote was from right after Ryan and Jenny's wedding."

Jim nodded, recollecting Kate speaking of that day with fondness. "Ah."

"He essentially described our hypothetical future wedding. Two and a half years ago. It was so beautiful, and we started talking about weddings and getting married and kind of wound up proposing to each other."

"So no extravagant romantic gestures?"

Kate laughed. "Just me stealing his moment."

He shook his head. "You two."

She just grinned, eyes flicking down to her hand again, which was wrapped comfortingly around her coffee mug.

Jim chuckled, reached for his own mug and took a long, slow drink before speaking again. "He's a good man, Katie. And he's lucky to have you."

She shook her head, blinked back a tear. Oh, Castle had turned her into such a sap if she couldn't even tell the story of their proposal without tearing up.

"No, Dad, I'm the lucky one."

As the conversation reached a natural lull, the two turned their attention to the menus, making their selections as they awaited the return of their waitress. Kate settled fairly quickly on a salad and half-sandwich platter, and while her dad continued to scan the options she found herself immersed in memories of the last sixteen hours. All of it had been playing on a loop in her mind since she opened her eyes this morning, from their words to the smile on his face to the tears in his eyes to everything that happened afterwards. And this morning. More than once.

She felt heat rising in her cheeks again, suppressed that particular set of memories in deference to the fact that she was sitting across from her father and should most certainly not be thinking about her naked fiancé. Or the things they'd done to each other.

Instead, she forced her thoughts in another direction, to the letter they'd read this morning after reaching a state of at least temporary satiation. They'd been curled up together, recounting various aspects of the previous night and Castle had made a joke about the journal being the one to propose, and then it was only a matter of time before they'd started reading again.

The letter had been appropriate, really, as it traced the outline of how far they'd come since they met. How far Castle had come.

Dear Kate,

It occurred to me last night that I didn't actually write anything about this last case in my letter. I've decided to do so now, because there are some things I think you should know.

First of all, I think those guys were ridiculous. Pick up artists, really? I can't imagine they are overly successful (I guess they admitted as much), and frankly I find them pathetic. Sleeping with that many girls in such a short time period? I don't even understand how that's possible, let alone why you would want or need that many bed partners at a time.

It's no secret that I had my years of fun. There were one-night stands and flings and other decisions that, in retrospect, were questionable at best. But I never ever slept with more than one person at the same time. That didn't sound quite right. I just mean I've never been one to be unfaithful. I may not have stuck around very long, but when I was with someone, I was with them only.

After seeing these guys and hearing their reactions and watching them talk about these women... I admit, I saw some of myself in there from years past. There was a time I was proud of the number of women I've slept with (in retrospect, I'm glad you didn't tell me your number because I don't think you'd have been all that impressed with mine). There was a time I would have loved to have a journal like our victim did, documenting every escapade. There was definitely a time that going on extravagant dates was a large part of my lifestyle. I was never a pick-up artist, per se, but there was a time in my life where I would have envied these guys, tried to learn from them, perhaps.

But I want you to know, Kate, I'm not that person anymore. The fun I used to have, that lifestyle... that's not who I am. It's still there, it will always be a part of my past, though I'm not necessarily proud of it. But I'm not interested in that kind of life anymore. You've told me in the past that you're a 'one and done' type and that you're a 'one writer girl.' I know it's a little late for me to be the 'one and done' type too since I'm already at 0 for 2. But that's what I want now. That's the type of relationship, of future, I'm searching for. Not late nights out on the town flirting with women who are only after my fame or my bank account. Not having empty conversations with women who are more concerned with their spray tan than common sense and any type of intelligence. Not smiling for cameras and putting on that persona that's become publicly associated with me.

I want the type of happiness that Ryan and Jenny have found with each other, the kind that is based on mutual trust and love and affection.

I want solid and real. I want someone who sees beyond the public image, who isn't after me for my money or my lifestyle. I want someone who is smart and witty, who can match me word for word, who can have an intelligent conversation with me. I want tall and brunette and gorgeous. Tough as nails yet vulnerable and open, weighed down by baggage and yet able to smile and laugh and offer to be my wedding date.

(In case you haven't figured it out, it's you, Kate. I just want you.)

Love,

Rick

"Katie," Jim called softly, guiding her out of her daydream.

"Huh? Yeah, sorry," she replied hurriedly,

Her father smiled softly, reached out to cover her hand on the table. "I think you're allowed to be a little caught up right now. But maybe you can take a break to order your food."

She looked up, noticed the waitress stepping up to their table, notepad at the ready.

"Right, of course."

He dropped his arm back into his lap, looked up with a smile as the young blonde woman stepped up to take their orders. Kate managed to make her way through the ordering process, politely stacked their menus and handed them back to the waitress with a smile and a 'thank you.'

Her father was just about to speak, to ask why Castle hadn't come along today, when Kate's phone chimed in her coat pocket. She automatically retrieved the device, opened the text message, and from the smile that bloomed across her face, Jim could only assume it was from Castle.

Kate typed back a quick response to his words, slipped the phone away, and lifted her eyes to meet her father's. He was gazing at her affectionately, eyes twinkling in that all-knowing fatherly way.

"What?" she asked, suddenly self-conscious.

Jim shook his head, hid his smirk behind another sip of coffee.

"I'm happy for you two, Katie."

Thoughts?