Chapter 26
Carlisle was in the same position as he had been when Esme left with Alice an hour or two before. She smiled as she crossed through the back door, recognizing Carlisle's enthusiastic gesture to get her back to his side.
Esme laughed as he lifted half of the blanket up and patted the area next to him on the couch.
Carlisle eagerly pulled her down onto the couch with him and gave her a short string of playful kisses. "How did it go?" he asked.
"It was fun," she told him with grin, keeping her face in close proximity with his as she leaned her body partway over him.
"Yeah?"
Esme kissed him again, "Yeah."
"Nothing... out of the ordinary?"
She shook her head and brushed his hair back, "Nope."
"Good." He looked over her shoulder toward the door where she had entered the house. "Where's Alice?"
"She was sticking around for another couple of minutes with Nicole." Esme smiled again, "Masen joined us. It was nice."
"Are you glad he and Leah came?"
"Do you even have to ask that?"
Carlisle shook his head and gently tilted her face in the direction of his again. "I love you."
Esme smiled at him and scrunched her nose, "I love you, too."
"Do you like it here?"
She nodded, "I was just telling Nicole that I did."
He tipped his mouth up in a smile and Esme brought her lips back to his.
"Dad." A tiny voice interrupted their brief moment of intimacy and Esme smiled before she even turned around.
Marshall was on Emmett's shoulders and he stood in the doorway that lead into the living room before approaching both of them.
"Esme, how'd you like the flowers surprise in the basement?" he asked, raising both of his eyebrows with a smirk.
"It was..." she looked to Carlisle and then back to Emmett, "Nice."
Carlisle outstretched his arms and took Marshall as his son reached for him.
Emmett squatted and continued to tease Esme, "Just nice?"
"Very nice," she countered with a grin.
Carlisle laughed lightly and reclined back fully as Marshall settled himself onto his lap.
"Charlie Brown," he said, pointing toward the television that now played a new program.
"It's already over," Carlisle told him with a laugh, "Maybe it'll be on again some time."
"One step ahead of you guys," Emmett said, snatching the remote from the arm of the couch. He pressed a few buttons revealing a new screen with a short series of movie and television show titles, "I DVR'd it."
"I love how far technology has come," Esme said with a grin as he selected The Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown for Marshall to watch for the second time that evening, "Well, how far some of it has come."
"Thank you, Emmett," Carlisle said as his son's expression brightened with the opening credits of the classic children's Halloween show. He leaned his face to the side of Marshall's, "Say thanks to Emmett."
"Thanks," Marshall said, smiling as he did so.
Esme ran her hand through his hair and smiled. She looked to Emmett, "Thank you."
"Anytime," he assured them with a wave of his hand.
Rosalie slunk into the room and grinned at the interaction of her family members. "He's the best," she said, referring to Marshall. "He might be the cutest so far."
Emmett found a spot in a chair across the room and called for Rosalie to join him there.
"Where did Jasper go?" Carlisle asked, realizing he was the only one unaccounted for.
"Across the lake," Emmett told him. "Nicole must be annoyed by all this checking in." He turned his head and eyed Esme with playful accusation.
"What?" she asked, "We helped her decorate."
"And you spied on her, it's okay."
"We did not spy on her," Esme argued with a laugh.
"Don't even feed into his teasing, Esme," Rosalie said, shaking her head. She looked at Emmett, "He won't stop."
Emmett made a face and then proceeded to pepper her neck with kisses until she laughed and pushed him away. Rosalie was quick to cuddle back up with him as the Charlie Brown movie really began for the second time that evening.
"It's Charlie!" Marshall called wildly, pointing toward the television.
Carlisle laughed and he looked at Esme.
"I wonder how they're doing," she said, "Edward, Bella and little Charlie."
"They've been keeping in touch," he reminded her, "They should be here by the first week in October."
"I can't wait to see them."
Carlisle smiled and gave Esme another kiss.
Rosalie smirked at them and Esme settled low into the couch at Carlisle's side. He draped an arm around her shoulders and guided her so she laid partially on his chest.
"You're really happy here?" he whispered quietly.
Esme looked up at him and nodded, "I love it here so far," she whispered back.
Carlisle smiled at her again and then kissed her temple.
She felt happily content in Carlisle's warmth, and seeing Marshall so excited over his new favorite movie. Rosalie and Emmett's closeness added to her comfort, and knowing that Jasper and Alice were with Nicole across the lake made her smile to herself. Masen had since moved back upstairs when she left to lay with Leah while she slept, and the kids had been in constant contact since arriving in Niagara Falls.
Esme's eyes scanned the room, seeing little touches of Alice from the autumn décor that she had also left around their quaint living room. Everything seemed perfect, and she felt the only thing missing was the company of Edward, Bella and Charlie. Knowing she would be seeing them soon, she focused on the movie and clung to Carlisle a little tighter. Things were good for their family, and she hoped they would only get better.