Esme POV:

My mom came in my room to wake me up, but I was under the covers, so she hugged the pink bundle which was me. "Baby, what are you doing under there, huh?"

"No, I don't wanna get up!" I cried, playing around.

"Come on, sweetie," She tickled me and I laughed, "No, no!" as I kicked her away.

Lily called me and asked me to sit for Rosalie from noon until six, since she and Charles were going to have lunch with his client and then do some work at their office. They worked at the same place, but Charles was the boss and Lily was one of his employees. I was planning on hanging out with Renee and the kids, but I would have no problem taking Rosalie with me. I walked to their house by myself since it was in broad daylight and knocked on the door, praying that Lily would answer first. The door suddenly opened and Charles ran out in a gray suit and tie, yelling that it was time to go. Lily was right behind him, dressed up as well in a black skirt and a blue blouse.

"But Daddy! You didn't say bye to me!" Rosalie said in a tiny voice.

"Hurry up, Lily! I'm starting the car and you'll lose your job if you miss work!"

"Bye, baby," she said quickly, kissing Rosalie's forehead and cheeks. "Sorry, Esme, he doesn't want to be late. Have a great day, girls!"

I waved at her and joined Rosalie inside. We both watched their sleek silver Volvo pull out from the garage and zoom away. It was scary how Charles was so friendly yesterday to Carlisle and barely spoke to me, but he was a totally different person with only me. Maybe it was because he thought Carlisle was a threat. Well, if I told Carlisle exactly what Charles was saying to me two nights ago, he'd go ballistic.

"Hi, honey," I said, bending down to Rosalie's level and giving her a hug. She folded her arms across her chest and she had the saddest look on her face. It was so heartbreaking and she looked like she was about to cry. "Aw, what's the matter, Rosie? Why don't you turn that frown upside down?"

"My daddy didn't hug or kiss me goodbye,"

"Oh, baby, I know how it feels. But I'm sure he loves you more than my dad ever loved me. My dad never paid attention to me. But your dad plays with you until he needs to go to work, right?"

She nodded. "But he went away too fast!"

"He seemed stressed out,"

She looked up at me and crinkled her nose adorably. "What's that mean?"

"Worried about adult things. Now we can do something fun today. What do you say about going to my friend Renee's house? She has kids around your age. You know the Swans?"

She nodded happily and I was glad she cheered up. "I have so much fun with them! Please, can we go there? Oh, please, Esme?"

I laughed at her eagerness. "Definitely! Come on,"

Rosalie held my hand as we both walked down and out into the big neighborhood. She skipped and pulled me along with her, so I tried to do what she was doing. She was way better at it, though. When we got to Renee's house, I let her ring the doorbell. She had to stand on her tiptoes to do it. Renee opened the door and gave me a giant hug. "Hi, Esme! Oh, who's this charming little girl?"

"This is Rosalie," I smoothed her blonde hair back from her forehead and guided her to meet Renee. "Honey, say hi to Renee,"

"Hi, Renee," Rosalie said shyly, tucking her face into my legs.

"Hey, there, Rosalie,"

"Wow, what's in there?" Rosalie put her hand on Renee's belly, and we both chuckled nervously.

"I'm having a baby, Miss Rosie,"

We both took her by the hand on either side and swung her a little and then went inside the house.

"Esme, she's so cute. I'm about to make lunch, which is macaroni and cheese,"

"I know! Oh that sounds yummy!" I led Rosalie to where I could hear screaming kids.

"Rosie!" Emmett yelled, running over to her and almost knocking her over with a hug.

"Hi, Emmett! Look, Esme, he's my boyfriend!" Rosalie said excitedly as Emmett kissed her cheek.

"You two are so cute. Hold on to him tight, Rose,"

"You got it, dude!" Rosalie gave me a thumbs up.

"Hi, Esme," Emmett said, and I gave him a noogie.

"Hey, wild guy, where are those crazy sisters of yours? I gotta get my hands on 'em,"

"They're playing boring old Barbies. Come on, I'll show you!" He took me by the hand, and Rosalie by his other hand and we followed him to Alice and Bella's room. They slept in bunk beds, and Alice got the top one, claiming Bella was clumsy and would fall off. It was also because she was younger.

"Hey, girls," I interrupted their little game. They were stuffing Barbie dolls into a pink motorhome and talking like they were the dolls themselves.

"Esme!" Alice squealed, running to my legs and hugging them. Bella copied her.

The doorbell rang, and the kids rushed to get it, crashing into each other while cackling. I came after them, thinking, what it would be like to be a kid again, with nothing to worry about...my thoughts were interrupted when they swung open the door, and in walked Carlisle and Jasper. I was again reminded of all the soft touches he gave me yesterday that made a sensation in the lower part of my belly. It made me blush, step back slightly, and bite my lip. The children were now attacking him, like they did me. Jasper hugged Alice and kissed her cheek, making her blush. Then, the five of them went back into the living room, laughing and playing.

"Nice to see you again. I just brought Jasper over here to hang out with Alice," Carlisle said, hugging me close. God, his cologne was so sweet smelling and I loved him in his white shirt and blue shorts...he looked so sexy!

"And where's Kate?"

"On a date with Garrett, it's her first date. I took her to your house, hoping you would be there to help her with her makeup, but your mom said you weren't home, so she helped Kate instead,"

"Sorry, I should have told you before,"

"It's fine. So Heidi is a Barbie doll..." he started, and I burst into giggles.

"That's so random! What made you think of that?"

We went to sit on the couch because the chair was occupied. "I just forgot to tell her mother that. I'm kinda glad I didn't because I don't want my dad to get too angry at us and make me stop seeing you or something,"

"Yeah, I'll try not to insult her, but sometimes, she just gets on my nerves," I growled.

"I know,"

"Well, you came just in time for lunch!" Renee announced, and Charlie put his hands around her waist. They shared a sweet kiss, and I was jealous that they were in love, and Carlisle wasn't falling for me anytime soon.

We stayed there, having fun with each other and the little ones from noon until about five-thirty, and then I took Rosalie to meet my mom and siblings. I felt a tugging on my white skirt and looked down to see Bella. "Can I come too? I wanna see Eddie,"

"Sure, honey," I said goodbye to everyone and gave them all hugs, and then took both Rosalie's and Bella's hands as we walked to my house. Edward and Bella were apparently a couple too, because they never stayed away from each other. My mom loved meeting Rosalie and even swung her in the air a few times. Eric was at work, so he couldn't meet her yet.

"I love your mommy," Rosalie said as I took her up the stairs.

"Thanks, sweetheart," I beamed down at her.

We chose to look out the window, and that's when I saw Bree and Vera repeatedly throwing rocks into the street. I ran downstairs with Rosalie hot on my heels. I wanted her to meet my little sisters, but I also wanted to tell them to stop tossing rocks into the road because they could seriously damage a car or its tires, angering the drivers whom they struck.

"Girls, our street is not a pond. Please cut that out!" I commanded.

"We're bored!" Vera complained.

"Well, then meet my little friend, Rosalie," I yanked Rosalie out from behind me, and soon, my two baby sisters were happily introducing themselves to her.

"I love Rosie!" Bree squealed, and Vera nodded in agreement.

"That's great! It's easy to love her," They scrambled after us when we went inside the house and Rosalie played with Edward, Bella, Vera, and Bree in my room while I picked up one of my romance novels and started reading it. Suddenly, I heard the doorbell ring, and I ran to the top of the stairs to see who it was. I saw my mom standing at the door with Bree and Vera directly behind her legs, hiding, while Edward, Bella, and Rosalie were still in my room. Mom opened the door.

"Hello, are you the mother of some kids?" a man asked her. He sounded strangely familiar.

"Yes, why?"

"A stone hit my car just now, and I think it was because of your children,"

I gasped and clapped my hand over my mouth. I knew this would happen!

"Oh, no, they were right here with me,"

"Huh. Maybe I should get my eyes checked. The only harm done was a chipped paint job way at the bottom near the front tire. My wife says it's not a big deal..."

"It is. I'm sorry, I hope you get it fixed,"

"Well, ma'am, better my car than me or my wife, right?"

"Oh yes,"

"You know, my daughter does the craziest things sometimes. One time, she actually patted someone's belly when they were pregnant and asked the woman how she could hug her if she was so big,"

"Really?" Mom asked, laughing. "Oh, kids do the darndest things,"

How could a stranger make my mother laugh that hard? I walked downstairs slowly and saw that he was Charles Evenson. I wanted to scream at her to get the hell away from him. On the other hand, I was glad his car was the one that got damaged. It served him right. I ran back up the stairs in horror.

"Speaking of children, how many do you have? I'm looking for my child right now, but I guess Esme, my babysitter, took her here. She does live here, right?"

"Yeah, I have four kids, Esme's one of them, and the oldest, too. She's so caring and helpful, no wonder she's such a good babysitter,"

"She's a very good one indeed. Well, Mrs. Platt, I'll see you around, maybe at the pool party?"

"Certainly. Good bye, Mr..."

"Mr. Evenson, but please, call me Charles,"

"And you can call me Anne, if you'd like,"

"Anne," he repeated. "Have a good night,"

"You too,"

The door closed, and I was sure my mouth was still wide open.

"Mom, who was that?" I asked, playing dumb.

"A nice gentleman named Charles Evenson. The silly man thought Bree and Vera hit his car, but they didn't," she chuckled. "Rosalie's father was very kind about it, actually. I'd really like Eric to meet him. Maybe we can have double dates with him and his wife,"

"Okay..." I said awkwardly. "I'm gonna take Rosalie and Bella home now," I picked Rose up and bounced her on my hip, held Bella's hand, and proceeded down the stairs and out the door. "No more monkey business," I scolded my sisters. "See you soon, Edward," I said, kissing his forehead. I raced to drop Bella off and then Rosalie.

That night, when I got there, I saw their car pulling up in the driveway and then they got out and went inside. I followed them in the house and I pulled Lily aside while Charles played with his daughter. I didn't miss his eyes scanning up and down my body. Pervert.

"Lily, I need to tell you something," I said in a serious voice.

"What is it, honey?"

"No offense, but I feel weird about Charles walking me home. He always asks me strange personal questions and last night, he said I looked pretty. It's a little creepy," I didn't want to mention the sexual comments he said to me. It wasn't necessary. She was mad enough.

Her face went from gentle to furious. "I'm gonna talk to him. No matter what he says, I'll be taking you home,"

"Thanks, but you seemed a little afraid of him last night,"

"I don't like it when he's mad at me. But I'll get him distracted with something. Don't worry,"

"What are we ladies talking about?" Charles asked, and I felt nauseating chills run up and down my spine. I took a few steps back from him involuntarily and moved closer to Lily's back.

"Just that I'm taking Esme home. I don't feel comfortable with you taking her home,"

"Why?" he snapped.

"Honey, take Rosie upstairs," Lily whispered to me. I tiptoed upstairs while holding Rosalie's hand.

"Because it seems like you have a sick crush on her! She's just a young girl!" Lily hollered at him. "You leave her alone, you hear me?"

"Don't you tell me what to do, woman!" There was a small crash, and Rosalie whimpered. Her little light blue eyes were filling with tears. I held her against me and listened some more while closing my eyes.

"You've been gone after you take her home as well! At least an hour, you never show up until like midnight! Are you psycho? Where the hell do you go every night?"

"Shut up, Lillian. Just shut your mouth before you get into any more trouble!"

Rosalie was now holding onto my shirt for dear life and crying into it, getting the front of my white blouse wet with her tears. "They fight like this all the time. I want my old daddy back. Not this one. He's mean to my mommy,"

"Oh, honey, parents fight all the time. They still love you, though. The screaming matches only happen rarely, though, right?"

"Yeah, I guess so," she sniffled. "Let me show you a picture of me and my mommy and my old daddy," She led me in her room and pulled out a big photo album. I helped her carry it to her bed and we looked at all the pictures. Somehow, Lily looked happier with her former husband. I wondered what happened to him. She didn't have the light in her eyes like she did in the pictures. And Rosalie looked so tiny and cute as a toddler. "I love your pictures, Rosie,"

"Thank you, Esme," She laid her head in my lap, I stroked her golden hair and tried to soothe her to sleep, but her parents were arguing too much.

"You have such pretty hair, baby," I murmured.

It was silent and I could hear Lily sobbing, "You don't love me,"

"Of course I love you, baby. How could you say that!"

"Just leave me alone. Please,"

"No! Lillian, stop acting stupid! You can't do this to me!"

"I can, Charles. And I will. I need a break from you for a while. Come downstairs, Esme. I'm canceling my appointment and Charles can go play on his Harley and see his secret girlfriend,"

I ran downstairs with Rosalie hugging my legs tightly. I gave her a kiss on the forehead and we said good bye to each other. Once Lily and I stepped out the door, I instantly apologized, "I'm causing your fighting with Charles. I am so sorry,"

"Darling, it's not your fault," Lily said, wiping her eyes and sniffling. "He's always like this. The only reason I won't leave him is because of Rosie. She's my little angel,"

"How did you meet Charles?" The real question was why did she ever fall in love with a cheating man who likes to look at girls other than his wife?

"I was a nurse and he was a recovering alcoholic in the hospital, but lately, he's started drinking again and sometimes he yells at me for small things. He's seven years older than me. We met when Rosalie was four. He was really nice at first, helping me out with Rose and giving me a shoulder to cry on when I thought about the guys in my family who I had lost. We moved here a year later, when Rosalie started kindergarten. Over the past two years, he's just been...controlling. He never really lets us go out, unless we're with him, he doesn't let me drive, he takes Rose to school by strapping her to the back of his Harley, and one time, I tried to fight him about that, but he refused and said I should be letting my girl be a daredevil. He's afraid I'll run away when he's the one cheating," Lily scoffed, sounding angry and annoyed at the same time.

"That's unsafe for a child to ride on that kind of vehicle,"

"Try telling Charles that. He never listens to me because I'm a woman,"

"That's just terrible,"

"I have a fucked up life and I can't go to the police about it! He doesn't hit me, he just annoys the living shit out of me! At least he puts a helmet on my daughter, and she's never even wobbled on that thing!"

"He shouldn't do that, keep you and Rosalie away from society like that,"

"At least he's planning a neighborhood pool party, this Friday. He wants to seem more normal, so police don't start coming around our place. He's got a Doberman chained up in some room that he forbade us to go into, God knows why,"

"Wait a second...he said you and Rose don't even know about it,"

"He's also a pathetic liar. Don't believe or trust anything he says. We know all about the forbidden room, he just wanted to creep you out and make you believe you were the only one who knew about it, like his partner in crime,"

"Ohh...I don't like the sound of that. Have you guys ever seen it?"

"He uses it as a guard dog only for that room, so no. He takes it out for walks late at night, past midnight, and early in the morning, before five,"

"That's weird. You guys have only heard it, though, right?"

"Yeah, but I'm too afraid to see it or let Rosalie near it. Those things are terrifying!"

"I'll say. Well, here's my house. Thank you, Lily," I reached my arms out so she could give me a hug and she read my body language perfectly. I went into her arms.

"Good night, sweetie,"

"Are you gonna be okay walking home alone in the dark?"

"I'll be fine, don't worry,"

"Oh, Lily?" She turned around to face me. "My mom is your age. You guys would be great friends. I'll introduce you two at the pool party,"

"Thank you, dear,"

"No problem,"

My slumber was much better that night.

Please read and review! Thank you to reviewers TeamCarlisleandEsme8, Just4Me, JUJU, LaurenFacinelli, k8lin713, cuddyannie, and that kiwi chick, please review the 6th chapter! I've got three written already, so I'm ahead of the game! yay!