Chapter 21

"The house looks pretty spotless," Carlisle said to Caleb, as he returned home with Edward and Bella.

"Yeah, I'm way better at cleaning than Mom," he said, looking over his shoulder at Esme with a smirk before he jumped into the couch with a loud thud.

"Masen!" she yelled, then caught herself and laughed, "Caleb, I mean." She shook her head.

Carlisle laughed, too, and then looked at his son, "You've got years and years and years before you can catch up to your mother."

"Fine by me," Caleb told him, reaching for the remote, "That means she can clean instead of me from now on."

Esme entered the room before Carlisle could respond, "You'll just have to practice more."

Caleb scrunched up his nose and Esme laughed again. She looked at Carlisle, who was smiling because the two of them seemed to be in a good mood.

"How did it go with Kayla and Jeremy?" Esme asked him, taking a seat on the couch.

Carlisle walked around it and sat beside her. "Great," he told her with a grin, placing a hand on the back of her neck, digging his fingers in.

Esme smiled and glanced at Caleb for a moment who was flipping through the television stations. "What did they have to say?"

"They just wanted us to know that there was no bad blood between our family and theirs," he told her, still smiling as he brushed some of her hair away from her shoulders. "And I believe they were staying for dinner at Renesme's house."

"That was it?" she asked him.

"That, and that Micah and Helen weren't staying in the area. They had no idea where they'd gone, but chances are they're safe where ever they are."

Esme sighed and a smile formed on her face, "Good." She glanced again at Caleb, who lounged back in his seat as he continued searching for something to watch. "I'm so glad all of that is over with."

"Me too," he told her, sensing finally that Esme had taken her mind to a place more peaceful and relaxing.

"Alice mentioned she's seen in advance that they will be returning to Italy."

Carlisle nodded and wanted to point out Demetri's tracking ability but decided against it. He smiled at her, "I'm glad to hear it."

They shared a brief kiss and sat close together, quickly getting into a movie that Caleb had left on the television. Edward and Bella filtered into the room and they shared the next couple of hours in the living room together. Caleb chatted with the two of them, and for the first time in awhile seemed interested in spending time with them, whether intentional or not. He laughed and pointed out parts of the movie to Carlisle, leaving the two of them with brief conversations every so often throughout the film.

Edward snickered a few times, reading that both of them were happy to be spending some extra quality time with their youngest son.

Esme looked at him once and smiled when she knew she had just been thinking, how can we get him to stay when the movie ends?

He shrugged at her, knowing there wasn't much that could be done. The more the children grew, the less time they wanted to spend with their parents. It was a simple fact of life; not that they loved them any less, it was just something that came with an older mindset and increased independence.

Before the movie's final end, Caleb was on his feet and adjusted both of his socks that had become twisted.

"Where are you off to?" Esme asked him.

Caleb shrugged and looked around. "I don't know. I'm bored."

"What do you feel like doing?" Carlisle asked him.

"I don't know," he said with a sigh. "I heard people talking about going down to some hill if it snows later."

"Reservation?" Emmett asked, entering the room.

"You guys were out for hours before," Esme said to them.

"But it's boring here," Caleb told her with a slight whine in his voice.

"We just watched a movie," Carlisle said, "That wasn't boring."

He sighed.

"What do you want to do at the reservation?" Esme asked, "Dad just came from there with Edward and Bella."

"So..." Caleb said, "Why can't we go back now?"

"Cliff jumping," Edward said with a grin.

Bella cuddled closer to him, remember her one time she did that as a human and what it led to.

Esme tried not to sigh out loud.

"You don't want to stay and watch another video?" Edward asked.

He shrugged, "I don't know. I want to do something."

"You can go," Esme told him with a half smile.

"Really?"

She nodded and looked at Carlisle for a moment and then back to Caleb. She held her arms out and Caleb gave her a hug. She kissed him on the cheek. "I love you sweetie. Please be careful."

"Why don't you ask your parents to go cliff diving with you," Edward told him, raising his eyebrows with a closed-mouth smile.

Caleb looked at his mother, not wanting to deny her but making it visibly known that he wanted no part of his parents accompanying him, Emmett and whatever other boys joined them. She let him off the hook easily.

"You boys go on your own," Esme said simply.

"Okay," he said quietly, hiding his secret excitement.

"Alright," she said, "Give me another hug."

Caleb threw his arms around her, "Thanks Mom."

"You're welcome." She brushed a hand through his hair before he took off with Emmett.

"He certainly doesn't like to be cooped up indoors," Esme said, shaking her head, "He has a real sense of adventure."

"He's a lot like his mother in that respect," Carlisle told her with a grin.

Esme smirked at him, and shook her head again, prompting Edward and Bella to smile also.

"I can assume you haven't forgotten how we met." He held out his arm, "How did you break your arm again?"

She couldn't hold back a flutter of laughter and put her hands on her hips, reliving their first moment together.

Edward looked at Bella, who smiled back at him.

"Climbing trees?" he asked.

"Or falling out of them," she laughed.

Carlisle wrapped his arms around her, stilling smiling wide and kissed her on the cheek.

"I feel like we're back in the mid 1920's again," Edward said with a quick laugh. He looked at Bella, "They weren't so open about it as Emmett and Rosalie, but there was a time when they couldn't keep their hands off of each other."

Carlisle looked at him and shook his head.

"Oh, that's not true," Esme said to him, still smiling.

Edward looked at her with accusatory eyes, "Oh, it isn't?"

Carlisle reached over and grabbed the remote and tossed it to him, "TV's yours."

Bella laughed as the two of them left the room with their arms around each other. Esme continued to laugh as Carlisle teased her.

"I love how they can make each other laugh," Bella said to him, "The early 1920's..." She couldn't wrap her mind around how long they'd actually been together.

"We'll hit that number of years one day," he told her, leaning in for a kiss.

"I know," she whispered, grinning at him.

Carlisle pulled Esme into their room and closed the door. He lightly pulled her onto the bed on top of him and kissed her several times in a row, resting on his back with his arms hanging loosely across her lower back. He locked his fingers and admired the glow on her face.

"I remember the day we first met like it was yesterday," he told her.

Esme nodded, "And after that day I fantasized about moments like this that I never thought would ever happen."

Carlisle snickered lightly and Esme kissed him again once.

"It's what got me by," she admitted.

"It was obviously meant to be," he told her.

"Mmm-hmm," she smiled and kissed him again and again.

When she stopped without pulling her face far from his, Carlisle sighed happily and ran a hand down her face, leaving it on the curve her jawline, "Caleb does have that spirit you have, though."

"Mmm.." she said again in agreement, "Let's hope it doesn't get him in trouble."

Carlisle shook his head, "Maybe a little here and there."

"A little is alright."

He nodded and smirked, pulling Esme's lips back against his.

"Edward was kind of right," she whispered.

"About what?" he asked, not opening his eyes, but finding her mouth again.

"About us not being able to keep our hands off of each other."

Carlisle laughed, "I thought we were fairly discreet."

"The 1920's were some good years."

"They were," he agreed.

Esme sighed and Carlisle smiled. They continued to reminisce in each others arms; laughing, smiling and taking a happy trip down memory lane.