Inside Your Heaven

Chapter 6: Crash My Party

A/N: soo here's the update :) Alexis shows up in this chapter so I hope you enjoy the new addition! Let me know what you think! I love all the support!!!

"This is a drop everything kind of thing. Swing on by, I'll pour you a drink. The door's unlocked. I'll leave on the lights. Baby you can crash my party anytime." ~Luke Bryan
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Rick and Alexis Castle made their way down to the neighborhood park just a few blocks away. It was a cool day for the middle of June, and the park was a good alternative to the beach. Castle gratefully welcomed the distraction the outdoors gave him. He needed an escape from the confines of the house.

"Daddy!" Alexis sprinted forward. "Let's go play!"

Taking his time, he laughed as he made his way to the playground. He saw his daughter screaming and giggling on her way down the slide.

"Catch me if you can!" she yelled as her feet hit the ground and she took off running.

Rick kicked his butt into gear and took off after his overly-energetic daughter. Climbing through the jungle jim, jumping over the obstacles, and sliding down slides had Rick struggling to catch his breath. Man, he needed to start working out again.

Alexis approached him on the park bench, "Are you all tired already?"

"Pfff... No," Rick lied. "How do you know this isn't my plan to capture you?"

She bolted away, faster than before, "You can't catch me!"

He sat contently just watching her play for a long while. He couldn't believe how lucky he was to have her for a daughter - or how she turned out to be so mature. Most days, him and Alexis were more than okay with it being just the two of them, but there are the days where he wished Alexis had a mother figure in her life. He just wanted her to have a normal childhood with a normal family atmosphere. He wanted her to have a woman to look up to - someone she could go to for advice, someone to do her hair, someone that she could talk to about boys or shopping or girl drama that was bound to happen eventually.

He had never been the type to bring his girlfriends around his daughter, in fear of her getting hurt, but he wanted to be able to give her that person. And... he wanted that person to be Kate. No, he thought, he can't start thinking like that. He'd just met the woman. But, as much as he tried, he just couldn't stop thinking about her.

"Hey," Alexis sat down next to her dad, "are you okay?"

"Oh, hi sweetie," Rick snapped out of his day dream, "yeah, yeah, I'm good," he said with a smile.

"What were you thinking about?"

"Nothing," he answered too quickly. Alexis shook her head. She didn't believe him and he knew it, but, knowing better, she didn't push further.

Castle changed the topic quickly, "Hey, want to go get some ice cream?"
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Hours later, Rick was sitting at his desk, fingers resting on his keyboard. He was stuck, and he couldn't focus. He'd been sitting there, not moving, for who knows how long, and he hadn't written a single word.

He pushed his laptop away and buried his head into his head. What was he going to do? He needed to see her again, but she would run if he called, he knew it, she just needed time. That's all, just give her some time.