Thank you to everyone who has stuck with this story that was supposed to be a one-shot! I can't believe I'm on Chapter 20! And thank you to everyone who continues to read and review. I do love reading your comments on the chapters!

This one is the last chapter for the July 4th holiday. The next chapter is going to include a good bit of a time jump.

I still don't own Castle

xxxxx

"Are you sure you have to go back so early?" Kate asked her father as she sat with her legs crisscrossed at the foot of her father's bed while he finished packing his bag.

"I'm sure, Katie. I've got some files and statements I need to review before my meetings tomorrow," he offered his daughter a smile.

She frowned slightly, but she understood. Kate knew she would have done the same thing if the positions were reversed. "I'm really glad you came this weekend," she told him with a smile. "It was nice having you here with…everyone."

"It was nice being here with everyone," he agreed, zipping up his bag. "It was nice being here with you, Katie. It's nice seeing you so happy." He moved to sit next to his daughter and wrapped his arm around her shoulders, pulling her against him slightly.

She smiled a little more as she let herself relax into her father's embrace. "It's nice doing family events again," she said softly.

"It is," he agreed. "Castle's family is wonderful."

"I'm glad you think so. Because Castle's got this thing about holidays…like…all of them, I think. He makes this big deal about every major holiday, and probably the minor ones. So you're going to keep getting invited," she warned him with a laugh. "And I don't want you to feel like you have to say yes…but…I would love it if you say yes to as many as you can," she added softly, looking up at him hopefully. She understood the need to be alone on holidays; she and her father were very much alike in that respect since the death of her mother; in fact, she was sure there would be holidays she struggled spending with Castle and his family. She already knew she was going to have to figure out a way to handle Christmas. So she completely understood if he declined some of the invitations.

"Katie, I will always say yes to spending time with you," he promised, kissing her forehead.

She smiled and wrapped her arms around him in a tight hug. "I love you, Dad."

"Love you too, Katie-bug," he grinned. "So tell me," he started as he stood and pulled her off the bed with him. "Are you planning to spend the rest of your summer off out here with Rick?"

She tugged her lower lip between her teeth slightly at the question. "Probably most of it unless he wants to go back to the city earlier than September," she admitted with a slight blush. "I'll still come back to the city for our lunch dates. And I still have girls' nights with Lanie," she added, grabbing her dad's bag so she could walk him downstairs and out to his car.

"Sounds like it's serious between the two of you. Should I be concerned?" he asked her with a teasing smile.

Kate rolled her eyes at that. "No, you shouldn't be concerned," she smiled, nudging his shoulder playfully. "I really do love him, Dad," she admitted softly a moment later. "I can't imagine my life without him in it, so it might be kind of serious," she added in the same soft tone. The last statement was true even before they were actually together. Truthfully, she hadn't been able to imagine her life without Castle in it for quite some time, whether she admitted it at the time or not.

Jim gave her a knowing smile and stopped her before she could open the door. "I can tell it's serious, Katie. I've watched the two of you together all weekend. I see the way you look at him. And I see the way he looks at you. Seeing the two of you together reminds me so much of the early days of my relationship with your mom," he told her with a smile.

"Really?" she asked her dad with a small smile.

He nodded. "Really. Hold onto him, Katie. A love like this only comes around once in a lifetime," he advised her before opening the door and allowing her to exit ahead of him. Though he wouldn't verbalize it in front of his daughter, he wouldn't be surprised if he were hearing about an engagement sooner rather than later. He followed Kate down the stairs where he saw Rick, Martha, and Alexis all waiting at the door to see him off.

"Jim, it was wonderful to meet you," Martha pulled him into a hug, earning a soft chuckle from Kate at her father's reaction. Her dad was just going to have to get used to the fact that Martha was a hugger.

Once Jim recovered from the shock of Martha's hug, he offered a smile. "It was a pleasure to meet you, Martha. Hopefully, our kids will have us together for a group dinner sooner rather than later," he shot his daughter a look.

"It was nice to meet you, Mr. Beckett," Alexis offered her hand with a smile.

This time it was Jim who pulled the girl into a gentle hug. "I told you, it's Jim. And I was serious when we were talking before. If you have anymore questions about law as a profession, you call me. I'll tell you anything you want to know."

Alexis smiled a little more as she pulled back from the hug. "I will, thank you."

"Rick, thank you for inviting me," Jim turned to Rick with his hand extended.

Castle took it with a smile. "The pleasure was mine."

"Take care of her," he told Castle a little quieter, earning an eye-roll from his daughter.

"Always," Castle promised the older man, giving his girlfriend a slight smile.

"Come on, Dad, let's get you on the road," Kate gave her father's elbow a gentle tug as she led him outside to her car. Once she tossed his bag in his trunk, she wrapped her arms around him tightly. "Thanks for coming," she murmured.

Jim smiled as he hugged his daughter just as tightly. "Thank you for reminding me how wonderful a family holiday can be," he countered.

She pulled back with a smile. "I love you, Dad. Be careful driving back."

"I love you too, Katie. I'll call you when I get home," he promised.

Kate gave her father one last wave as he drove off before heading back inside the house. Seeing Castle still waiting for her inside the door, she wrapped her arms around his waist with a smile. "Thank you for letting me invite him," she kissed him softly.

"Kate, he's family. He is always automatically invited," he promised her.

She grinned and kissed his chin before releasing him. "Now you go play video games with the boys. The three of you have been waiting for this all weekend," she chuckled.

"You know, you can come play with us," he offered.

"No way," she laughed. "Lanie, Jenny, and I have a pitcher of margaritas calling our names," she patted his chest before giving him a gentle push in the direction of his office.

xxxxx

Kate carried the pitcher of margaritas and a bag with her book and some glasses out to the pool where Lanie and Jenny were both already stretched out on loungers soaking up the sun in their swimsuits. "Sorry, it took so long. I had to see my dad off and then wait until Castle was safely in his office with the boys before I could change," she told them, setting the pitcher and her bag on one of the tables so she could remove her coverup.

"Why didn't you just wear your swimsuit with the coverup to walk your dad out?" Jenny asked.

Lanie chuckled. "She didn't want Castle to see her in a bikini."

"Why?" Jenny asked again.

"Are you kidding? If Castle knew I was wearing this, video games with the boys would be the last thing on his mind. He'd be out here annoying us and trying to rub lotion on me," Kate laughed, pouring them each a glass of margaritas before settling onto her own lounge chair. It was true; even though her bikini was pretty conservative…Alexis was still at the house, after all…it showed enough skin, and the top of her tattoo peeked out ever so slightly from her bottoms around her hip. It would have driven Castle crazy.

Jenny nodded with a smile. "I think it's sweet."

"Sure it's sweet…until he starts lotioning her up and then she can't keep her hands off him either, and you and I have to dump the pitcher of margaritas on them to cool them off," Lanie replied, only half joking.

"Well, when you put it that way…" Jenny chuckled, taking a sip of her drink.

Kate rolled her eyes. "Oh my God, guys, we are not that bad!"

"Not that bad? Girl, I had to stop you two from making out in front of his daughter like you're a couple of kids her age!" Lanie laughed.

"That was a rare occurrence. We usually don't kiss like that in front of her…or Martha."

"Mmm hmm," Lanie shook her head, not believing that for a second. "That's not what she said."

"You two have been pretty hands-on all weekend," Jenny pointed out with a smile.

Kate just looked between the two and bit the inside of her cheek. They weren't wrong. She could admit that she sometimes had trouble keeping her hands to herself around Castle. But they were here, in their own little bubble away from the city and everything else…and it was still new and exciting…and it felt so…so right. She just couldn't help herself, nor did she want to. "Have you and Ryan set a date for your wedding yet?" she changed the subject.

Jenny couldn't suppress the grin at her question. "January 14. It's a Saturday. We wanted to do it on the weekend so less of our guests have to use vacation days," she answered. "We wanted to start the new year married, but we also didn't want to do the wedding too close to the actual New Year holiday, so that no one would have to cut family holiday plans short on account of us either."

"That's very thoughtful," Kate nodded her agreement.

The girls were quiet for a few moments, sipping their drinks. "What about you and Rick?" Jenny spoke up again.

Kate settled back against her lounge chair, closing her eyes and enjoying the feel of the sun's warmth kissing her skin. "What about me and Rick?" she repeated Jenny's question, taking another sip of her drink.

"When are you two going to get married?"

The question had Kate nearly choking on her drink and half spitting it back into the glass as she shot up on her lounger. "What?" she managed to get out, wiping her lower lip. She could see Lanie doing her best to fight back the laughter that was threatening to spill out. "Why…uh…what makes you think…"

Jenny shrugged. "You two just seem very much in love."

Kate swallowed and finally had a little bit better control of herself after the shock of the question. "We've only been together a couple of months."

"Kevin said you've been together for over 2 years."

"Not romantically we haven't," Kate insisted. "We've only worked together that long."

"Still…that's longer than a lot of marriages last these days," Jenny pointed out. "And when you're with the right person, it doesn't matter if it's been 2 months or 2 years."

Kate eyed Lanie, who was hiding her amused laughter behind her drink, and took a large gulp of the margarita in her own glass. How the hell was she supposed to tactfully get out of this conversation?

Jenny seemed oblivious to Kate's discomfort and pressed on. "The property here would make an excellent venue. There's plenty of space to have a large ceremony. Trust me, Kate…finding a wedding venue in the city for the date you really want is difficult. If you don't want to get married here, you better start looking now," she advised her.

Kate silently finished off the alcohol in her glass as Jenny kept talking about wedding advice as though she and Castle were already engaged and just needed to make it official.

"A late spring/early summer wedding would be beautiful here. And if you and Rick get married next summer, we would most likely be on similar timelines with having kids…so they could all grow up together," she smiled.

Kids? That comment sent Kate straight for the pitcher. "Anyone else need a refill?" she held it up. Seeing both Lanie and Jenny's glasses still mostly full, she placed it back down. "Okay, just me..." she murmured, though she wasn't sure there was enough alcohol in the pitcher to make Kate comfortable with this topic of conversation. She and Castle weren't anywhere close to discussing marriage, much less kids. She knew Jenny meant well….and was excited. And she just didn't know what to say or how to extract herself from this conversation.

"Jenny, why don't you tell us about the details you and Ryan have settled on for your wedding? I've been dying to hear all about what the two of you have planned," Lanie broke into the conversation to rescue her friend.

Kate had never been so thankful for Lanie in her life, and the look she sent her friend hopefully relayed the message. Thankfully, Lanie's distraction worked, and Jenny was too busy discussing her own wedding plans to mention any more suggestions for anyone else.

xxxxx

"I adore Jenny, but there is a reason why my girls' nights are only with Lanie," Kate commented now that their friends had left to return to the city. She stood at the sink washing the pitcher and glasses the girls had used when they were sunning themselves by the pool.

Castle chuckled, slipping his arms around her waist as he moved behind her. "Why is that?" he murmured in her ear, his fingers itching to find a way underneath her cover-up to the bikini she wore underneath…the bikini that was driving him crazy not to see her in now that he knew she was wearing it.

"You don't want to know."

He laughed softly, his lips moving along her neck. "You could have just told me you were wearing your swimsuit, and then it wouldn't have been a girls' afternoon," he pointed out. "In fact, I'm pretty sure if any of us had known you three were out by the pool, we would have abandoned our video games. Well, maybe not Espo," he smiled.

"Which was exactly the point," she commented, finishing up with the dishes before spinning in his arms and sliding her arms around his neck. "You had been looking forward to a gaming session with the boys all weekend. I wasn't going to risk ruining that by letting you know what I was wearing. Besides, you see me naked on a regular basis…what's the big deal about a bikini?" she asked curiously.

"Because it's sexy…" he grinned, making a point of letting his eyes trail down her body.

She rolled her eyes with a laugh before pressing a soft kiss to his lips and moving out of his arms.

He caught her wrist as she moved, gently tugging her back. "I want to take you out this evening."

"Out? Like…a date?" she arched an eyebrow. They hadn't actually been on one of those, at least not since they were officially together. They'd been out together several times since they'd known each other on what could probably be considered a date, but they had just been friends at the time. And since they'd gotten together, they'd really just been together at his house in the Hamptons or her dad's cabin. Sure, they'd had romantic evenings together, especially at the his house…but they'd never been out together.

He smiled. "Yes, like a date." His hands moved to her hips to pull her closer against him. "Will you go on a date with me tonight?" he asked her hopefully. He hadn't been able to really take her out until now, hadn't felt up to it with his recovery. But he was ready. He wanted to wine and dine her, show her off, spoil her. Being in the Hamptons afforded him the ability to do so without having to be splashed all over the gossip columns as could potentially happen once they returned to the city...something he knew they would eventually have to discuss.

She tugged her lip between her teeth, studying him. Was he actually nervous she'd say no? "Yes, I will go on a date with you," she smiled. "But it can't be any place too fancy. I don't have the wardrobe here for that."

He grinned, shaking his head. "Nothing fancy. I'll save the fancy dates for when we are back in the city. I promise I'm not even wearing a tie or a jacket," he assured her. He didn't want her to worry about what to wear. She could join him in sweatpants and a t-shirt and he'd still think she was perfect.

"Ok, but if we're going out tonight, then I need to go shower and get ready. So do you," she told him. It was already after 5.

"We could save time by showering together…" he suggested.

She snorted a laugh at that. "I don't think that's really saving time. But if we start now, it shouldn't be too late when we're done."

"Then we should really get started," he tugged her toward the bedroom.

xxxxx

Their shower together did take longer than it would have alone, as Kate had predicted, but mostly because when Castle had seen her in the bikini as she was undressing for the shower, they hadn't made it past the bathroom door. And neither of them had been able to keep their hands to themselves in the shower, which only led to a round 2.

By the time they finally made it out of the bathroom and actually started getting ready, it was just after 630, and she kicked Castle out of the bedroom as soon as he was dressed in his dark jeans and white button down so that she could finish getting ready without him causing anymore delays. After finishing her makeup, she slipped into a blue and white flowery sundress with spaghetti straps that highlighted her chest and hit just below mid thigh.

Castle had rolled his sleeves up to his elbows and was waiting patiently in the kitchen by the time she appeared. "Oh…" was all he managed to get out when he saw her.

She tugged her lip between her teeth nervously. "Is that a good 'oh' or a bad 'oh?" she asked.

"Don't mind Dad, Kate. You look great," Alexis assured her with a smile.

"You're sure you and Martha don't mind us going out?" she asked the teenager.

Martha waved her hand dismissively. "Of course not, Katherine. Go out and enjoy yourselves. We're fine."

"Gram's right. Besides, I've got a Skype date with Ashley tonight. We're doing it over dinner, so it's like a dinner date," Alexis smiled.

Kate saw Castle open his mouth but interrupted before he could say anything about his daughter's enthusiasm for the unconventional date. "That's really sweet Alexis. Have fun," she told the two redheads before grabbing Castle's hand and pulling him out of the kitchen toward the door. "Come on, Babe…I'm starving," she murmured with a smile. Her smile grew into a grin as they stepped outside and she saw the Ferrari in the driveway. He had brought it over from the garage while she was getting dressed.

"I seem to remember you having a particular fondness for my car," he smirked slightly, remembering all too well how she'd reacted when they'd used it on a case back in February.

"Mmm…I really do…" she grinned, her fingers lightly trailing over the red paint. When he opened the passenger door for her, she leaned in close to his ear. "We're having sex in this car later," she purred before sliding into the seat easily. Her words distracted him momentarily, but he finally closed her door and went around to the driver's side so he could take them to the casual, yet nice bistro near the beach.

xxxxx

After dinner, a couple of glasses of red wine (of which Castle had made a note of the name because it definitely made Kate more flirty judging from the way her foot moved along his calf throughout their meal), and a shared dessert, they strolled back to the Ferrari hand in hand, Kate twirling her hair slightly around her finger.

When he opened the car door for her, instead of getting in she curled her fingers in his shirt and pulled him close for a slow, deep kiss. "Take me for a ride, Rick…" she breathed against his lips, her eyes dancing as she met his, not even bothering to hide the double meaning in her words.

He had to brace himself with one hand against the car behind her so as not to squish her against it as she pulled him in for another kiss. Oh, he most definitely was going to remember the name of the red wine they'd had at dinner; he was going to order a case of it. She wasn't close to being drunk, or even tipsy, but it was definitely making her feel some type of way…a good type of way. He laughed softly when he finally pulled away from her lips. "Get in the car, Kate."

She gave him a grin but slid into the seat. Her eyes were glued to him as he drove, fingers itching to touch him. She managed to keep her hands to herself, not wanting to distract him while he was driving, but once he slowed down to pull into a spot at an area overlooking the beach, her hand moved to his thigh. By the time he'd put the car in Park, her fingers were dancing slowly along the inseam of his jeans.

"Kate…" he groaned, reaching for her wrist to stop her before she could get him too worked up. He carefully shifted across the console so that he could join her in the passenger seat.

She gave him a smile as she easily shifted on top of him so that she was straddling his hips. "Thank you for taking me out to dinner…" she said softly, her fingers running lightly along the line of buttons down the front of his shirt. She kissed his lips slowly, then his chin, then slid her lips along his jaw. "I really liked that wine…" she murmured, her lips moving to his neck.

"Mmm hmm…I can tell…" he murmured, his hands sliding up her thighs, slowly slipping just underneath the skirt of her sundress. "I'm buying you a case of it."

She giggled at that. "Good, because I really like how it makes me feel…" she murmured softly in his ear, her teeth gently tugging on his earlobe before returning her lips to his neck.

"I really like how it makes you feel too," he chuckled, groaning as her teeth nipped at his pulse point, his fingers gripping her thighs slightly at the feel of her teeth on his skin and her tongue soothing the bite.

"I bet you do," she giggled again, her mouth moving back to his in a passionate kiss that had them both moaning softly as her tongue stroked his seductively. Her fingers began to work on the buttons of his shirt and her hips rolled against his, her lips never leaving his mouth. She smiled against his lips when her fingers finished opening his shirt and she pulled back slightly as she peeled the fabric open to reveal his chest. Her fingertips danced across his collarbones before continuing downward ever so lightly over the plains of his chest to his stomach, her mouth following the path a moment later, leaving a wet trail behind.

His eyes closed at the feel of her tongue on his skin, and he couldn't help but pull her hips closer against his, eliciting a low moan from her throat. When she responded by grinding her hips into his, he couldn't contain his own moan. He was so caught up in her and what she was doing to him, that he didn't notice she was working to unfasten his pants. It wasn't until he felt some relief from his pants loosening that he realized she already had his pants unbuttoned and unzipped. "Kate…" he started, gently catching her wrists. "Are you sure you want to do this out here?" he asked softly.

She gave him a smile and moved her hands to gently caress his face. "Yes, Castle," she promised with a soft giggle, leaning in for a slow, hot kiss. "I am absolutely sure I want to have sex with you right now, right here, in this car." She was confident enough that they'd have time to enjoy each other before someone else drove by. It wasn't like they were parked in a busy area, and it was the end of a holiday weekend.

Her response satisfied him, and he kissed her then, heated and sensual and tender, as his hands moved higher underneath her skirt so he could grab her underwear, marveling at her flexibility as he helped her slide them off. Their lips fused together again, tongues dancing a familiar tango, and the two lovers discovered exactly how much the red wine they'd had at dinner enhanced the pleasure they found in each other. Once they were sharing soft, breathless kisses afterward, Castle decided he wasn't just buying an entire case of the wine; he was going to make sure he always had some on hand, because that had been incredible.

xxxxx

So this wraps up the holiday weekend in the Hamptons! The next chapter is going to have a bit of a substantial time jump to just after Labor Day…so the Hamptons Romance Bubble is about to burst and our couple is going to have to return to the reality of the day-to-day in NYC with book tours and body drops and balancing their new relationship with professional obligations.

I hope you all liked this chapter and continue to stick with me through the next part! I look forward to all the comments from those of you who take time to leave them! And I think I might have finally fixed the email issue with notifications being delivered to me, so hopefully that helps me not miss replying to everyone who leaves a review!