WORTH WORKING FOR
EPILOGUE
MID-OCTOBER
THREE MONTHS LATER
"The character of Nikki Heat is based on your fiancée, is that right? How did that come about?"
Kate's ears perk at the interviewer's question, and she hoists a fussy Lucas higher on her hip, moves closer to the TV. With the upcoming release of Heat Wave, Rick's schedule has been filled with signings and interviews. He refused to travel, so his out-of-town interviews have all been virtual, but local promotion has taken him to all five boroughs.
He's live on the evening news now and has a few segments with other outlets to record while he's at the station, so he'll be gone for another hour or two.
Kate shifts Lucas to her other side and renews her lap around the living room.
How Rick is functional, let alone stringing together legible sentences on live TV, baffles her. Lucas recently caught a cold that quickly turned into an ear infection; he's been improving every day, but he's still been keeping them up for the better part of every night.
She hears the reporter conclude Rick's interview with the reminder that "Heat Wave, the first of hopefully many Nikki Heat books, will be on shelves next Tuesday." Just a few moments later, her phone rings, and she grins and answers it on speaker.
"Hey you."
"Hey." Rick's soft voice sends warmth through her. "I didn't wake you, did I?"
She shakes her head even though he can't see her. "No, we're both awake. We were just doing laps." She shuts off the television so she can concentrate on the conversation. "Wasn't that the reporter known for her extensive bikini collection?" she teases.
Rick groans, and the background noise gets noticeably quieter. "Yes. You'll notice she was fully clothed."
"Yeah, well, that's to be expected in the 5pm hour. She was totally flirting with you, though."
"Which you'll also notice I refused to engage in," Rick fires back, the smile evident in his voice. "I have to film a couple more segments and then I'll be on my way home. Want me to pick up dinner?"
"Please. I could use some pot stickers."
"On it. Oh, hang on." There's muffled talking, and then Rick is talking into his phone again. "I gotta go back. How's he feeling?"
Kate looks down at Lucas, prays to whoever's listening that his droopy eyes mean he'll fall asleep soon. "Okay. He's been fussy, but at least he stopped tugging his ear."
"Good. I'm being summoned. I'll talk to you in a bit."
"'kay. Love you."
Rick echoes her sentiment before they hang up, and she slips her phone back in her pocket with a sigh, rubs gentle circles on Lucas's back as she renews her laps.
He's fallen asleep, she notices when she realizes he stopped fussing completely, and she takes a chance, carries him upstairs to lower him into his crib. He stirs a little but doesn't wake, and Kate breathes a sigh of relief, feels her whole body relax as she sits in the rocker.
Maybe she'll close her eyes too. Just a few minutes to take the edge off, so she's a functioning human when Rick gets home.
It isn't an alarm or Lucas fussing that wakes her some time later, but a warm hand on her knee and the low rumble of her name. She scrubs a hand down her face and offers Rick a tired smile. "I was just resting my eyes," she insists.
He chuckles softly and leans forward to press a kiss to her mouth. She grips his shirt when he tries to pull back, and she deepens the kiss, pulls him close when a loud cry pierces through the air.
She winces and reluctantly lets go of her fiancé. "Poor timing," she whispers.
Rick grins and pecks her cheek, pushes himself off the floor. "Or good timing, waiting until I got home." He leans down and picks Lucas up, his words to their son too quiet for her to hear. "I picked up dinner if you're hungry," he says a little louder, glancing back at her with a crooked smile. "I ate all the pot stickers though."
She gasps as he laughs his way out the door. "You better be lying!"
"You're shaking the car," Rick says a few nights later, covering her bouncing knee with his hand and gently rubbing. "He'll be fine. Both our phones are charged, and he's in perfectly capable hands. There's nothing to worry about."
At the mention of their phones, Kate quickly opens her clutch and verifies that hers is there, and it does, in fact, have a full battery. "Yeah, but-"
"No buts." Rick presses a kiss to her temple, avoiding her carefully styled hair. "You said yourself that Gates jumped at the opportunity to watch him so we could both go tonight. Lucas will be asleep in about an hour anyway, and he probably doesn't even realize we're gone."
"I just…"
"Just can't shut off the worrying part of your brain?" Rick gives her a smirk, then drapes his arm around her shoulders and pulls her into his side. "I know. It's our first night out since before he was born. Our phones are on, and Gates'll call us if anything goes wrong. Hell, she'd probably send squad cars to pick us up. Try to relax, Kate."
She takes a deep breath, allows herself a few seconds of relaxing into his embrace before they turn the corner and see the red carpet leading to the party.
Rick shifts towards the door as the car pulls to the curb, then leans back and brushes a quick kiss to her mouth. "We'll socialize a little then get out of here, deal?"
She smiles and runs her hand down his tie. "Deal."
He gets out of the car first and holds out his hand to help her out. Once they're through the throng of photographers and inside the party, she smooths a nervous hand down her skirt, hoping it didn't pick up any noticeable wrinkles. She spots Lanie and Esposito by the bar and gently tugs on Rick's hand. "I'm gonna go say hi," she says, nodding in the direction of their friends.
Rick nods and bends down to kiss her cheek. "Paula needs to talk to me. I'll come find you when I'm done."
She can't stop the warmth from blooming across her cheeks when she sees the amused look in Lanie's eyes. Her friend hands her a glass of what she realizes upon taking a sip is sparkling cider. "Thanks. I'm glad you guys made it."
"Ryan's on the way," Lanie says with a smirk. "Apparently, he and Jenny 'lost track of time.'"
Kate's cheeks flush even deeper. She and Rick have "lost track of time" on more than one occasion; the only reason they didn't tonight is that she refused to be interrupted by her boss's arrival.
Lanie takes a small step back and peruses Kate's dress. "Girl."
She runs her hand down her dress again. "It looks okay?" She'd been a little self-conscious wearing a tighter dress just a few months after giving birth, but it manages to flatter in just the right places. Rick's eyes just about fell out of his head when he saw her, so she's pretty sure she looks just fine.
Then again, he'd probably have the same reaction if she wore a garbage bag with a paper sack over her head.
"Okay?" Lanie echoes. She nods. "Motherhood looks good on you. And so does that," she adds, taking Kate's left hand and holding it up so she can see the engagement ring. "I know I said this a million times already, but damn."
Kate giggles and pulls her hand back.
"Have you guys made up your mind yet on a date?"
Kate glances around and spots Rick on the far side of the room, having what looks like an animated conversation with his agent. As if sensing her, he lifts his gaze and finds hers immediately, flashes a crooked grin before turning back to Paula. She puts her own focus on her best friend. "Nope. We're not even thinking about that right now."
Lanie smirks. "Mm-hmm. Well, the dedication might get you to start thinking."
Noticing that Rick's still talking to Paula, and too curious to wait, she makes her way to the book display in the middle of the room. He'd given her an advance copy of the book, which she'd devoured, but it didn't have the acknowledgments or dedication.
"I write those last," he'd explained, "and they're added right before it goes to press. I wanted you to have the book before that."
Her breath catches in her throat when she opens the cover, turning to the appropriate page, and reads the words.
For Kate. You have made my life extraordinary in ways I never dreamed of.
She feels him behind her a fraction of a second before his hand is on her lower back.
"Hey," he whispers in her ear.
She turns, blinking back the unshed tears that his words have brought on. "Hi," she rasps, her voice cracking. "Rick, this dedication, I-" She clears her throat. "I don't know what to say."
He grins and wraps his arm around her back, sets the book back down on the table. "You can thank me later," he teases in a low voice. "But for now, there are some people I want you to meet."
EARLY NOVEMBER
"Dad?" Kate calls, shutting the door behind her and tucking her keys into her purse. She kicks off her shoes, sets the bag down, and heads towards the living room.
"Down here."
She turns when she hears him in the basement, pauses at the bottom of the stairs. "Did they multiply?" she asks, marveling at the sheer number of boxes and totes.
Jim chuckles and shrugs. "Nope."
"Are you sure? I certainly don't remember this many when you moved."
"Well, the movers did it, so…"
Kate rolls her eyes and strips off her sweater. It's cool in her dad's basement, but they apparently have a lot more stuff to go through than she thought.
She and her dad left the Christmas decorations up until almost February after her mom died, unable to fathom taking down the tokens of her mom's favorite holiday. A week after the funeral and wake, almost three weeks after their lives changed forever, they finally couldn't look at the garland and ornaments anymore. So they packed it all up, a silent vow between them not to open the boxes again.
Her dad stayed in the Manhattan apartment for five long, horrid years, until Kate finally helped him go to rehab. As part of his recovery, he admitted that there were too many memories in the apartment, that Johanna haunted him at every turn, so he sold it and moved into a small house in Queens.
Even though they both knew the boxes would go unopened as long as they were alive, neither could fathom getting rid of them, so Jim turned part of the basement into storage, tucked all of them away.
And then last week, a couple days after the Heat Wave release party, he told Kate that he was thinking about decorating again.
"Probably not a lot," he'd said, his eyes misty, "but if I'm going to be home for Christmas, I want to have something up."
It had taken Kate a few seconds to register what he'd said. "'Home for Christmas?'" she'd echoes. "You aren't going to your cabin?"
"And miss my grandson's first Christmas? Not a chance."
So, they'd both set aside a day to go through the boxes - they might need more than one day, she realizes - and determine what he wants to use and what she may want to keep.
Kate's been looking forward to this, and dreading it, all week.
She eyes a box simply labeled "garland" and carries it to the card table her dad set up. "Ready?"
Jim meets her gaze and nods. "Ready."
"I swear, Katie," Jim says a couple hours later, "if I never see another macaroni picture frame, it'll be too soon."
Kate giggles when he throws the frame - the fourth one they've found, if her count's right, every single one of them falling apart - in the garbage. She reaches into the current box, pulls out a cardboard Santa made from a toilet paper roll and construction paper. "And what if Lucas makes one for you?" she jokes, looking in the box and reaching for the accompanying toilet paper roll snowman. "Would you reject your grandson's handmade crafts?"
Jim chuckles. "Nope, I'll display them proudly. Those can go."
"Really?" Kate examines both figurines. Sure, Santa's paper hat is more tape than paper, and the snowman is missing half its cotton ball snow, but, well, she made these when she was a kid.
"Or take them with you."
She considers, then tosses them in the trash can as well. She's sure the day will come when they do Christmas crafts with Lucas, and those will definitely be on the list.
"Hmm."
She glances up at her dad's contemplative hum, notices the soft look in his eyes. "What?"
Jim turns the object in his hand to face her, and her breath catches in her chest as she rounds the table to move closer.
She doesn't remember the day the picture was taken, of course, since she was only a month old. But she remembers seeing this ornament, front and center on their tree, every single year. Her parents hadn't felt comfortable taking her out to see a mall Santa, so her grandfather had dressed up instead.
Apparently, he scared the shit out of her.
Her face is scrunched up as she cries, both of her parents laughing, her mom holding her. According to her dad, it took her a few years before she'd even entertain the idea of seeing Santa, even if she did stop believing in him when she was just three.
"Keep pile, obviously," Kate says, her voice thick with emotion, and setting it aside. Much to her surprise, her dad moves it into the box of things she's taking home. "You don't want it?"
Jim offers a one-shoulder shrug and a wistful smile. "It belongs on your tree."
Rick's waiting at the open door when she steps out of the elevator, box in her arms, and he steps out to meet her, takes the box. "Do you have more?" he asks, setting it on the dining table.
"Just one." Kate turns back towards the door, but he grabs her hand, tugs her into him, wraps his arms around her waist. Hers automatically twine around his, and she leans back to look in his eyes.
He bends down and brushes his lips across hers, and when he starts to step away, it's her turn to pull him close, deepening the kiss.
"Lucas?" she mutters, no more than a fraction of space between their mouths.
"Just went down." His eyes search hers for a few seconds, and the corner of his mouth quirks. "I'll bring up the other box."
She's careful not to wake Lucas when she goes into the nursery, and she just stands at the crib, watching him, lets the emotions she's felt for the entire day bubble back to the surface. It had been a day of reminiscing, mourning what they lost, what could have been, while also healing, letting their memories offer light instead of burying them.
She lives with the loss of her mom, of course, took a long time to accept that the hole in her heart would never fully heal., has learned not to drown in it. But every so often she faces something head-on that threatens to send her headlong into grief.
Today, it was the picture from her first Christmas.
Her dad pointed out Lucas's resemblance, but she hasn't yet taken the time to compare her baby pictures to his. He's almost a spitting image of her, but with Rick's often-unruly hair and curious blue eyes. Already she sees his personality forming - including a stubbornness that could rival hers if they're not careful - and just knows that her mom would've fawned over him, insisted on doing all the New York Christmas events she could, even though he wouldn't remember a damn thing.
She's talked about this with Rick, occasionally bemoaning that Lucas will only know one grandparent on each side, because of Rick's lack of a father. Rick doesn't know what he missed, though, not really; his friends growing up had enough variety in their home lives that he never really got an idea of what a "typical" father is like.
"I'll just do the best damn job I can," he'd told her one night, shortly before Lucas was born, when he'd shared his well-hidden nerves. "Do what I think is right. We both will."
Lucas huffs in his sleep, bringing Kate from her thoughts, but doesn't wake. She runs a hand over his hair, smiles as she gently sifts her fingers through the locks.
Going through the boxes upon boxes of her mom's treasured decorations made her miss her mom with an intensity she hasn't felt in a long time. But she can't bring her back; she can only move forward.
She presses a kiss to her fingers and touches Lucas's forehead, then backs out of the nursery and goes back downstairs. Rick meets her with a mug of his special hot cocoa, and she smiles her thanks, giggles when he takes a drink and emerges with a drop of whipped cream on his nose.
He smiles, a twinkle in his eye. "What?"
She giggles again and wipes his nose off with her thumb. "You're messy," she teases, moving to the dining table, sighs as she looks at the boxes. "I hope this is okay," she says quietly.
"Yeah, we can easily sit at the bar to eat."
"No, not that." She leans a hip against the table, her hands cupping the warm porcelain mug. "You have so many decorations already, and here I am, bringing more. They won't fit your aesthetic, but I couldn't-"
Rick sets his mug down and curls both hands around her biceps, dipping his head to look in her eyes. "You can, and you will," he says quietly. "Your things belong here just as much as any of mine."
"Yeah," she whispers with a slight lift of her lips. "Maybe when you decorate, you can just see what'll work?"
His brows lift. "You mean when we decorate. You're all moved in," he continues before she can respond, "and we're getting married next year. So if you think you're up for it, I'd like us to decorate together."
She sets her mug on the table and wraps her arms around his neck, lifts her mouth to his. "I think I'd like that," she murmurs, her fingers playing with the soft hairs at the nape of his neck, heat blossoming through her at the slow smile that appears on his face. "I promise, one of these days I'll finally stop thinking this is temporary."
He pulls her close and bends down to kiss her again, long and slow and deep, the stroke of his tongue sending coils of heat through her bloodstream, making her quietly whimper when they part.
His gaze is soft when he pulls away, and he tucks a stray lock of hair behind her ear. "And I'll be here when you do."
LATE DECEMBER
"Kate, come on in."
She looks up at the sound of her therapist's voice, and she tucks her phone back in her bag as she follows him into his office. She glances around, re-familiarizing herself with the space, and she finds herself sinking into her usual spot on the couch.
She's continued to see him monthly, but the sessions have been virtual, and have mostly been to check in and touch base. There haven't been any great crises or revelations - hell, she hadn't even needed to have him work through her journey from realizing she wanted to have a future with Rick to her impromptu proposal. She'd processed that all on her own.
And she's still pretty damn proud of herself for that.
In fact, just last month, Dr. Burke had floated the idea of cutting back their sessions even more, to every 6 or 8 weeks. Despite her remarkably improved coping mechanisms for her lingering PTSD and overall anxiety, though, she doesn't feel like she's quite ready for that. And over the past few days, with her date to return to work looming, she's felt a familiar weight in her chest, a feeling of dread that she can't quite shake.
"Why do you think that is?" Dr. Burke asks when she describes it.
She levels her gaze at him. "Why do you think?" she says sarcastically, earning the knowing lift of his brow.
"I know you worry about leaving your son, and not just for the day," he says frankly. "That your job is dangerous, you put your life in danger every time you put on your badge, that you're living on borrowed time."
"Sure, I definitely think about that. I don't want my son to grow up with the loss of his mother hanging over him. I'd hate for something like that to define him, like it's defined so much of my life. But…" She hesitates and looks down at her lap, absentmindedly picks at a nonexistent piece of lint on her pants.
"That's not it."
"Not really." She runs her fingers through her hair as she looks back up. "It sounds crazy."
The corner of Dr. Burke's mouth quirks. "You know how I feel about that word," he teases.
"What if something happens to him while I'm gone? Not that Rick - he's a great dad, he'd never let anything happen - but-..."
"You're living in the "what ifs" again, Kate," he says quietly, leaning forward and resting his elbows on his knees, the clipboard forgotten. "That's completely normal. You're a homicide detective. You see the worst things people can do to each other; of course you'd worry about something happening to your family when you aren't there."
"That's the other thing," she interrupts, something he said triggering another worry she didn't realize she had. "I'm a lot better now than I was even a year ago, but it's so easy for me to lose myself in a case, letting it consume me. But I don't…" She sighs. "I don't want that to happen. I'm surrounded by death. I don't want to bring any of it home."
"So don't." Dr. Burke lifts a shoulder when she just stares at him. "Surround yourself with life."
"I-"
"Set strict boundaries for yourself. Talk to Rick about it if you haven't already, let him help you enforce them. Don't bring work home; not just in the literal sense with case files, but also figurative. If you have no choice, wait until Lucas is asleep, and set a time limit, keep it in a specific room, whatever you need to do. I know you said Rick isn't shadowing again for awhile, but he still unofficially consults, right?" he asks.
She nods, and he continues. "So, again, wait until Lucas is asleep. Let him know if you need to talk, need an outlet so you don't hold onto the death. And then release it-" He spreads out his hands. "-and be done."
She scoffs. "Sounds easier said than done."
"It is," he agrees, nodding his head. "But, much like carrying your grief from the loss of your mother, it gets easier with time."
MID-JULY
SEVEN MONTHS LATER
Kate wakes with a smile on her face.
Even realizing she forgot to close the curtains, and therefore has the bright sun shining directly into her eyes, can't touch her mood.
She's getting married today.
She sends a quick "good morning" text to Rick, but before she gets a reply, a noise from the baby monitor catches her attention. She swings her legs over the side of the bed, grabs her robe on her way out of the room.
"Good morning, darling." Martha appears at the bottom of the stairs, and Kate offers her a smile.
"Good morning, Martha." She allows Martha to pull her into a tight hug, feels her face flush at the tender look the other woman gives her when they part.
Martha cups Kate's face in her hands. "Well, you look positively radiant," she almost croons, causing her to flush even deeper. "I can't imagine how you must be feeling."
Kate huffs out a chuckle. "Nervous," she admits, not realizing how true that is until she says it. "But excited. So excited."
Martha taps her cheek and pulls her into another brief hug. "Sounds like the ring-bearer is awake too," she jokes when Lucas's usual morning musings make it down the stairs. "I'll start the coffee."
Kate chuckles again and cracks open the nursery door, spots Lucas holding onto the side of the crib. As soon as she turns on the light he lets out a happy squeal, resumes his babbling as he uses his grip on the crib to stand.
At 13 months old, Lucas has been taking wobbly steps for a couple weeks now, and has been hitting all the development markers either on time, or slightly early. He hasn't said his first word yet, but she knows it's only a matter of time.
She takes Lucas downstairs after changing and feeding him, sets him in his playpen before accepting coffee from Martha. "Thank you." Her phone vibrates with a new notification, and she pulls it from her robe, smiles when she reads Rick's response to her greeting.
I am so ready to start the rest of our lives together.
"Richard?"
"Hmm?" She looks up at Martha, who motions towards her phone, and she nods. "Yeah. Just, you know…"
The phone buzzes again, and this time, the flush on her cheeks is from the much more suggestive follow up about their post-wedding plans. She quickly replies with a couple suggestions of her own, then looks up, finds Martha watching her with an amused twinkle in her eye.
"Should we start breakfast?" Kate asks, knowing that the bridal party should be arriving soon.
Martha shakes her head. "Maddie's bringing a spread. All you have to do is relax while we all wait on you hand and foot."
Kate rolls her eyes, but she settles into her usual stool at the bar anyway. Martha motions for her to stay put when the doorbell buzzes, but she gets up when a parade of her friends comes waltzing through the door.
"What the hell, did you guys carpool?" she asks with a laugh, allowing herself to get swept into a hug by Lanie.
Lanie answers for all of them. "It was the only way we could guarantee that Jenny was on time," she teases.
"Hey!" Jenny places her palms on her round, 7-month-pregnant belly. "Don't blame the pregnant one."
"Katie, look at you," Jim says several hours later, stepping into the bridal suite.
Kate smiles and presses her palms to her stomach in an attempt to quell her nerves. "I look okay?" she asks quickly.
Jim pulls her into a tight hug, both of them careful not to mess up her carefully done makeup or hair. He grips her arms when they pull apart, takes a step back so he can look her up and down. "I knew your mother's dress would be perfect," he whispers, his voice thick with emotion.
Kate rapidly blinks to stop the threatening tears from falling. It's too early in the day to put the waterproof mascara to the test. "Thanks, Dad. You ready?"
He lifts a brow, a teasing smile tugging at the corner of his mouth. "Are you?"
She rolls her eyes and hooks her arm through his elbow as they head towards the ballroom.
When she and Rick had finally decided on a summer wedding, they knew that there was a very slim chance of finding a venue in the city with availability less than a year out. They gave themselves a couple of weeks to look, and if they couldn't find anything, they'd have it in the Hamptons.
By some miracle - fate, Rick had said - he got wind of a newly renovated venue in Greenwich Village about to open for events, and they got themselves on the calendar before it even opened to the public.
Kate is trying to stay calm, but dammit, she's nervous. Nervous about tripping, or saying the wrong thing, or the cake falling over, anything.
All the planning went smoothly, she tells herself, closing her eyes and taking deep, calming breaths. The planner has everything under control. All you have to do is walk up the altar and marry the love of your life.
The melodic sound of the string quartet comes through the closed doors, and Kate meets her dad's misty gaze and nods.
The moment the doors open, her eyes lock with Rick's, and she swears her heart almost stops.
Everyone else in the room disappears as she makes her way up the aisle. Lucas squeals and babbles when she reaches the front, and she briefly takes him from Martha, gives him a quick squeeze before handing him back.
After giving her dad a tight hug, she hands her bouquet to Lanie and steps in front of Rick. "Hey," she whispers, unable to wipe the grin off her face.
Rick's smile mirrors hers. "Fancy meeting you here," he teases.
She giggles. Getting lost in his bright, open gaze, she barely pays attention to the officiant's opening remarks. They'd opted for a short ceremony, with just a few introductory words before exchanging their vows.
She vaguely registers the officiant announce that she and Rick have written their own vows, and she takes a deep breath, tries to remember any of the words she spent hours trying to write.
How can she possibly explain the effect he's had on her, how just meeting him changed the trajectory of her life in ways she never could've imagined? That if it wasn't for him, she'd be a hollow shell of who she is today, that he's made her want to be better, be more than two unsolved cases and a target on her back?
And that doesn't even include Lucas, how his support for her, his insistence on staying by her side even when she tried to push him away, gives her strength every damn day. Rick just makes her life so much easier than it was.
"The moment I met you," she starts after taking a deep breath, "my life became extraordinary. You have been the rock I never knew I needed, been nothing but patient and gracious even when I didn't deserve it. You always seem to know what I need at the end of the day, whether it be a laugh, a hug, or a shoulder to cry on. When-"
Her voice cracks, and she clears her throat, relaxes when Rick gives her a slight nod of encouragement.
"When I'm vulnerable, you're strong," she continues in little more than a whisper. "I love you, Richard Castle, and I want to continue to live in the warmth of your smile and the strength of your embrace. I promise I will love you, always be by your side." The corner of her mouth lifts. "Always."
She takes Rick's left hand in hers, slips the ring on his fourth finger, watches as it slides perfectly in place.
Rick turns his hand over to grip hers, his thumb absentmindedly rubbing slow circles on her skin.
"The moment we met, my life became extraordinary," he starts, and her tears that have been threatening all day finally begin to fall.
"I had no idea, couldn't have even begun to guess, just how much of an impact you would have on me, on my life. You've taught me more about myself than I thought there was to learn. You've made my house a home, given me a family, a life I thought was just a fantasy."
He lifts his hand and swipes his thumb under her eye, tilts her chin up so she can look in his eyes. "You are the joy in my heart," he says in a low voice, "a mystery I look forward to exploring for the rest of our lives. I promise to love you, to be your friend, your partner, always."
She looks down, gaze on their hands as he slides the ring on her finger, and then his hands are cupping her cheeks and his mouth is on hers. As tempted as she is to drag out the kiss, to deepen it despite their audience, she pulls away after just a few soft caresses of their lips, nudges her nose against his in a silent promise of later.
After all, they have the rest of their lives.
ONE YEAR LATER
"Eight ball, corner pocket."
Kate snorts at her husband's declaration. "Really? Way to be a stereotype," she teases, leaning a hip against the pool table.
Rick lifts his gaze to hers and straightens up. "Well, I can't help it if that's the easy shot," he points out with a lift of his brows.
She feels the corner of her mouth quirk with the beginning of a grin. "Well, sure, if you want to take the easy way out…"
Rick twists his pool cue in his hands. "Oh yeah? Wanna raise the stakes?"
She lifts a shoulder in a casual shrug. "Maybe. What do you have in mind?"
His eyes darken as he takes a step towards her, and oh, they're going to end up recreating the entire night they met, aren't they?
Her whole body goes hot when his gaze drops to her mouth and lingers there.
They definitely are.
"If you win," he says in a low voice, closing the distance between them, crowding her against the pool table, "I'll change every diaper for the next two weeks."
Kate laughs. "A bet like that? Maybe I'll make you lose," she teases. Rick doesn't even crack a smile, though, his dark gaze locked on her mouth, his arms on either side of her body trapping her. Her heartbeat quickens when he presses his body against her, letting her feel every inch of him, of his desire.
Her breath catches in her throat and her hips involuntarily rock into him. "And if you win?" she manages in a breathy gasp.
Rick leans forward and dusts his mouth along her jaw, his lips barely touching her skin, sending shivers down her spine. "If I win," he husks, his lips at her ear, "you meet me downstairs."
Her pulse races, every cell in her body on fire. "That's it?" she breathes.
"Wearing nothing under your dress."
Fuck.
"Oh my God," she pants ten minutes later, her body trembling, hands buried in Rick's hair.
He breathes hard under her, his mouth at her neck. "Jesus," he gasps. "I've never been so happy to sink an eight ball."
She huffs out a chuckle and climbs off his lap. They both clean up the best they can - it isn't the first time they've had a, well, rendezvous in the Old Haunt office, so they're prepared - and he pours himself a glass of scotch, lifts his brows in a question.
She shakes her head and settles back on the couch, her feet curled under her. "Hey," she says when he joins her, "remember the first time I came here?"
He lifts his brows. "As in, the first time you came to The Old Haunt? Pretty sure we just re-enacted it. With a couple plot twists, of course," he teases in a low, suggestive voice.
She chuckles. "No, I mean here, in the office."
His gaze softens. "Of course. I'll remember that day forever."
"Well," she says quietly, shifting closer to him. "Turns out we're re-enacting how we met in more ways than one." When Rick just turns to face her, confusion furrowing his brows, she takes his hand, laces her fingers through his. "I'm pregnant."
His jaw drops. "What?" She nods, and he sets his drink down, presses his palm to her still-flat belly. "Are you serious?"
She nods again, her eyes filling with tears when she sees the shimmer in his. "I'm serious," she whispers, her voice cracking. "I realized the other day I was late, so I took a test, and…"
She trails off a moment before Rick's mouth is on hers, his free hand cupping her cheek as she deeps the kiss and wraps her arm around his waist.
"So," she says when they part, "you ready to do all this again?"
His face lights up with a grin. "Absolutely." He pulls her in for another kiss, and it doesn't take long before she's on his lap again, her head back as he trails his mouth down her neck.
She presses her palms against his cheeks and brings his mouth up to hers, pours her love into the stroke of her tongue. Slowing the kiss, she nudges his nose with hers, drops her forehead against his. "Happy anniversary, Rick," she whispers.
He grins and tucks her hair behind her ear, brushes his lips across hers. "Best anniversary ever."
-FIN-
A/N: As always, thanks to those who have read, favorited, followed, reviewed, shared, or any combination of the above. And many thanks as well to those who stuck with this even when I had to slow down my posting schedule to a near-snail-like pace. That's my bad.
A special shout out to Jenn, without whom this beast of a fic would not exist. This idea first took hold almost two years ago, and not only has her excitement and encouragement and willingness to brainstorm (and occasionally boost my ego) never wavered, but her wealth of knowledge and input about pregnancy and parenthood has been invaluable. I am forever in her debt. Any inaccuracies are creative liberties taken by me.
I am eternally grateful to all of you.