Frozen Love (A Castle Fanfiction)

Discussion

Once Rick and I finished, Castle kept going as he felt it would be nice to continue having fun like we were teenagers again. IN return, when Brayden started wailing, I went up after him. Brayden was settled in a few short seconds after being picked up and happily stared into my eyes as I made an odd face at him that cause him to smile and giggle in that way that made every woman swoon. Since all I was wearing was a robe and it wasn't exactly covering my upper chest, B decided it was dinner time way before I had planned on feeding him. I didn't really fight it though. I'd learned to just get over it and started toward the living room.

There, Castle sat in only his boxers waiting for me with his phone in his hand. I could tell from a far that he was messaging his mother to have her call before they got back as that seemed the only decent thing to do, even if it meant we'd get a little bit of a hard time from Martha later. When I came to sit next to him, Brayden still in my arms doing one of the five things he did, I looked over at Rick and stated, "This spring."

"This spring what?"

"We find a venue in the city for this spring, we set a date and we get married."

I instantly caught Rick's attention. "You're serious?"

"Yeah. I'm absolutely serious. I don't want to put off being married to you any longer, Rick. I don't want to put off this wedding. I wanted Brayden to have married parents before he was born, but since that didn't happen, I want him to at least have married parents before he is old enough to know what married means. I don't want to have him go into kindergarten and have two parents who are together but haven't committed to one another. That just sounds-... well it sounds like a complicated story to explain while we're sitting on a bench next to another parent at the playground."

He questioned me further, "You're sure?"

"I'm positive," I stated.

"No doubts?"

I laughed, "Castle, if waiting five months and still sticking around didn't prove it, if our son doesn't prove it, if- if everything that happened after the accident didn't prove it, I don't know how else to assure you that you are the one and only person I would want to spend the rest of my life with. It's always been you. I've been in love with you since before we met. Please, don't ever think even for a moment that I would have any doubt about marrying you, alright?"

I think I got the message across, because his smile couldn't have possibly been larger. "You are perfect," he stated as he leaned in and laid a gentle kiss on my lips. He then said in return, "I love you, too."

"I know," I smiled, "One more kiss?"

He smiled, "Anything for you."

Our lips parted and finally a realization dawned on me. "Shit. Castle, this means we have to talk to my dad, doesn't it?"

He weighed my displeasure and the ideal wish he had in his mind. "Kate, that's- that's really up to you. I mean, I want your dad to be there, or at very least be okay with this, but- I heard your fight with him and- I'm not going to force you to talk to him if you don't want to. I'll back your decision no matter what it is."

This silenced me. The thought of talking to my dad again killed me a little inside. I really didn't want to see the man, but he was the only blood family I really had left. What was I supposed to do? I couldn't just not invite him to the wedding. But if I invited him, it would mean I was including him in my life again. I would have to see him again. That was something I so desperately wanted to avoid. I just- he was so awful. I'd fully admit that I wasn't the most welcoming of people, but- for him to say the things he said to me and- to be so angry all of the time- i just- I didn't want that around my baby. I wouldn't want that around my kid ever. It was horrible.

Still, I couldn't put aside the want to have him at my wedding. I was already down a parent. I didn't need to lose them both. BUt I didn't want to just send him an invitation and show up before talking, so I made Rick block out a Saturday morning for brunch, I figured that maybe we needed to go somewhere public and- he still hadn't seen Brayden yet even though it had been four months. When I called this time, he answered and we made plans to go to the same place we always went for these kind of meetings. He got there first and somehow even sat at the regular booth.

With Castle carrying the car seat, I strode ahead by a bit, and the very first thing my father did when he saw me was leap out of his seat and pull me tightly into a hug. At first, I was tsken aback by this sudden outburst of a typical father, but- after a moment, it ended up feeling... so completely natural that I had to hug him back. "I'm so sorry, Katie," he told me as he gripped me tightly, "I never meant to hurt you."

Somehow, the overwhelming relief and sudden feeling of home sparked tears in my eyes. As a single rolling drop fell to my cheek, I replied in a shaky voice, "I'm sorry, too. I- I should have called you. I'm- so sorry."

He then released me and slipped back, wiping the tear from my cheek and telling me, "It's not your fault. You have nothing to be sorry about." He then caught the sight of Rick standing behind me with the car seat in his arm. "Rick, I see you're doing better."

"Yes sir," He replied, returning my father's outreached handshake.

My father then continued, "Well, please, sit down. We have a lot to talk about."