Epilogue

"Okay, Lily – let's see what we can do about that hair, hmm?" Rick Castle walked into his apartment carrying his baby daughter in one arm with a shopping bag looped around the same wrist while he kept his other hand free for unlocking and opening doors. They had made a brief Saturday morning outing to pick up more baby wipes while his wife did some work on a case in the office. She had told him he could leave their little girl in the pack-and-play while he ran out since the trip would be quick, but Rick knew she'd get more done if Lily wasn't there. Plus, he never turned down an opportunity to hang out with his little girl.

Through his many years of solitude after his mother's death, Rick had occasionally thought about what his life would be like if he was ever able to have his own family. He imagined meals together, family game nights, and reading to his children as they snuggled in his lap. As his relationship with Kate developed those musings became a bit more specific. After he proposed and they began to plan their summer wedding, all his visions included her plus a little boy and girl with his blue eyes and her beautiful smile. When they'd been married about a year and a half and she'd approached him one night with a smile that displayed both happiness and nerves and asked if he was ready to start their family, he'd been thrilled, but along with a positive pregnancy test came almost paralyzing uncertainty.

Rick wanted a family more than anything else in the world. Having Kate as his wife was a dream come true and he genuinely felt he was a good husband to her, but being a father was something else entirely. He was afraid that without ever having a father of his own, and without any parent during a chunk of his formative years, he simply wouldn't know how to be a dad—at least, not the dad he wanted to be. The kind, loving, generous father who raised a child who was happy to call him Dad.

He read book after book, and article after article, and had several conversations with Kate's father, who he was very grateful for, but was still nervous until newborn Lily was placed on her mother's chest and gripped her little fist around his index finger as the three of them cried. In that moment he knew he loved her unconditionally and the rest he'd figure out from the first diaper change to the first sleepless night.

During Kate's pregnancy they had agreed that she would stay home with the baby for two months and then return to work part time for another month before returning to her regular schedule while Rick became a full-time dad. As this was still during his nervous stage, he had several moments of anxiety and was fearful of regret, but that had never once happened. He loved hanging out with his daughter all day. Sure, it was rough at first trying to navigate writing during her naps while he was exhausted, but watching her grow and develop her individual personality was his greatest joy. Though if she wasn't feeling well or especially grumpy Lily did prefer her mother, the two of them were still quite attached and he couldn't have been happier about it.

After kicking off his shoes he walked over to the stairs, he walked into the living area and put Lily in the corner of the couch then sat down in front of her with the bag on his lap. He put the container of wipes on the floor and instead pulled out his other purchase: a card of three small pink hair clips. Lilly had not been born almost bald like a lot of babies, but instead had a swatch of brown hair at the very top of her head. As time went on, that hair grew longer, but no other hair grew in, so her parents joked it looked like she was reverse-balding. The longer the hair grew, it seemed to only want to fall forward, and had now begun to droop into her eyes. More and more Lily was forced to try and push the hair back as she played, leaving her parents to discuss trying to trim it (which neither wanted) or pin it in some way. While picking up the wipes, Rick had seen the clips at the end of an aisle and thought it would be good to give them a shot.

Pulling the top one off the package, Rick said softly, "Okay, here we go sweetheart." He gently pulled the swoop of hair to one side and slid the clip in. Immediately, a large chunk, now weighted with the clip, fell down across her face. Lily looked up at him and gurgled; Rick laughed. "Let's try that again." That time, he put the clip up closer to the top of her head rather than her ear and it seemed to hold the hair exactly as intended.

"Oh, Lily; you look so beautiful, yes you do," he cooed at her.

"Da…da…" She babbled as she looked up at him. Then, she reached up her little pudgy fingers, pulled at the clip, and it came out in her hand. She then held it out to him, smiling.

"Wha…no. No, you have to leave it in." He told her. He repined it and had barely taken his hands away when she pulled it out again. He clicked his tongue, slightly annoyed. "No, Lily this isn't a game I'm trying to help you."

He put the clip in again but Lily looked at him quite seriously and said, "No."

Rick blinked in disbelief for not only did she look almost identical to her mother when she looked that serious, but she was apparently saying her first word. "Did—did you just say no to me?"

She cooed in response so he put the clip back in her hair and she said, "No" before pulling it out again.

His heart did a summersault as he laughed, "Oh my god—are you saying no to me? Is that your first word?"

"No," she said again, grinning that time.

"Oh Lily!"

Rick whipped his head around when he heard his wife's voice. She was approaching with tears in her eyes. He reached out his hand to put it on her back while she crouched down on the floor beside the couch. "What are you doing silly girl."

Lily cooed and held out the clip to her mother. Kate took it, pinned back her hair, and Lily repeated her action of pulling it out and saying no.

"Well, uh, I guess she's saying her first word at ten months and a week," he said with a slight laugh.

Kate beamed. "I guess so, but she doesn't seem to understand we're trying to help her.

"Apparently not." Rick sighed then added, "We might have to cut the hair."

Kate combed her fingers back through the fine, dark strands atop her daughter's head and made a soft sniffling sound. She scooped Lily up, cuddled her close, and then sat down beside her husband. "I don't think I can yet…maybe we can use one of those elastic bands and give her a little top ponytail. She probably would not be able to pull that out."

"Won't her hair be too thin?"

"They make them pretty small."

Rick considered this for a moment, then asked, "Won't my fingers be too large?"

Kate chuckled then kissed her daughter's head. "Maybe. Daddy's just going to have to get used to fixing little girls' hair, isn't he Lily?"

"Daddy is looking forward to it…Daddy just might be at a disadvantage…" He grumbled.

Kate laughed then leaned over and kissed his cheek saying, "I know you'll figure something out."

He looped his arms around them both and held them tight knowing that for his family, he'd do anything.

A/N - again thank you all so much for reading! Stay safe (and wear a mask!)