Disclaimer: All characters belong to Stephanie Myer.
Hope you enjoy.
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In almost three hundred years, nothing had tested Carlisle's self control like Esme did. Everything about her captivated her; the grace in which she moved, her soft voice, her unyeilding love, how compassionate and understand she was. He couldn't help but watch her when she wasn't aware; especially when they were out hunting. When vampires hunted, their natural senses took over, and for Carlisle, the most overwhelming emotion he had was his desire for the woman with him.
His eyes watched the sway of her hips, they shamefully found themselves appreciating the neckline of her dress, enjoying the flashes of skin that showed as her legs ran through the forest. Although he knew what he was feeling was natural for men, he still wasn't used to it.
"I'm surprised you haven't asked her yet." Edward muttered when they were a safe enough distance from Esme as she finished off a deer. "What's holding you back?"
Embarrassed about being caught, Carlisle averted his eyes quickly. "I haven't found the right moment, yet."
"It's been a whole month, Carlisle. If you continue to pace, you'll wear your feet away." Edward pointed out. "What are you scared about? You know she loves you."
"I just want it to be perfect." Carlisle said. There had been two times in which he had almost proposed to Esme this month, but he had gone against them, feeling as if something was missing. Esme was the most important in the world to him, she deserved the most perfect proposal. As impatient as he was to marry her, he wouldn't deny her that.
Edward rolled his eyes, but he didn't say anything else as Esme approached them. Over the past few months, she had mastered avoiding getting blood on her dresses, as she was fond of all of them and hated to damage them.
There was a trickle of blood running down from the corner of her mouth, and Carlisle's eyes followed her tongue as it flicked out to clean it up. She smiled sweetly at him, unaware of the affect her action had had on him.
"Is everything okay?" She asked him, glancing from Carlisle to Edward. Her eyes were almost completely golden now, something which brought all three of them happiness, but had caused Esme to almost burst from joy.
Carlisle cleared his throat, giving her a comforting smile as he took her hand in his, lifting it to his lips to kiss it gently. "Everything is fine, my love. Are you still thirsty?"
She shook her head, and the three of them returned home, with Carlisle trying to ignore the burning in his pocket from the little black box.
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"Alright, now gently push your foot down on the pedal. Gently." Edward empathised.
Biting her lower lip, Esme stared down at her feet. "I don't know about this, Edward."
She didn't have to look up to know that Edward had rolled her eyes at him. "Esme, everything is going to be fine. Carlisle would never have agreed to this if he thought that any harm would come to you. I'm a good teacher, and besides, your practically indestructible."
That did not ease her worry. "But, Edward, what if I break it?"
He chuckled, even though the possibility of her doing so was quite high. "Esme, just relax - and stop gripping on the steering wheel before you snap it in half."
Instantly, she let go of the wheel completely, relieved when she noticed that it was, currently, unharmed. "Sorry." She squeaked.
Edward sighed. "Look, why don't I go first and we'll go for a drive? Then, you can watch what I do and feel a little more comfortable before you take over?"
She relaxed against the back of the seat. "That sounds like a wonderful idea."
So, they switched places and Edward drove them away from town. Esme watched what he did carefully, determined to copy exactly how he controlled the car, but knowing she would not have his confidence.
"We should drive down to the coast." Edward suggested. "Have you seen it yet?"
She shook her head. "Not yet."
He nodded, turning down a smaller road. Unfamiliar land rushed past them, but Esme relaxed her head back and watched as everything blurred past them. The windows had been rolled down, allowing the breeze to touch her hair, and she enjoyed the different scenery. There were no forests now, just open fields that seemed to stretch forever.
Soon enough, Edward had parked the car. "Come on," He said, suddenly appearing by her open door and offering his hand. With a smile, Esme accepted the unnecessary help, linking her arm through his as they approached the nearby fence that lined the cliff. She could suddenly smell a lot of salt.
"That's the ocean." Edward explained, catching how her nose wrinkled at the sharp scent. "I know, it's a little strange, but soon enough, you won't even notice it."
Esme looked out at the endless stretch of water. She had seen the ocean once before, but that seemed like a lifetime ago. She was no longer stood at the edge of the cliff face, waiting for the pain to end. Instead, now, she was stood leaning on the fence line with the boy who had filled such a hole in her life and had become her son without her even noticing when, with a smile on her face as she allowed herself to finally see the beauty of the water.
"Thank you, Edward." She whispered.
He smiled, kissing her hair affectionately, understanding what this meant for her. "I wanted you to see something." He admitted.
She looked up at him. "What is it?" The sun was currently glistening over the waves as they crashed onto the sandy shore below them. Large sea birds squawked above them, gliding in the air and occasionally landing on the surface.
"Well, we'll just have to wait for it." He said, giving her a teasing grin. "I know how much you hate waiting, but I can't make them appear out of nowhere."
She shoved him gently. "Them?" Were they here to meet someone? She suddenly realised that although she had heard of some of Carlisle's friends, she had never heard of any vampires that Edward had run into.
"That's because there are none." Edward said, answering her wondering thoughts in a tone that was neither annoyed or impatient. "The vampires that I have met are all Carlisle's friends. I haven't ran into any on my own terms. Sometimes, I do wonder what other vampires are like."
"What about Garrett?" Esme asked, even though she wasn't quite sure if she wanted the answer. "He was certainly different from the Denalis."
"He was intriguing." Edward answered, his eyes locked on the horizon, his gaze careful. "He goes where he wants when he wants, and he doesn't follow rules. He can do anything, without having to justify it to anyone. I guess I was kind of envious listening to him, even though most of his stories were completely in his head."
Esme opened her mouth to ask him what he meant, but then Edward pointed out into the distance.
"Look, Esme. There."
She followed his guide, looking out and gasping instantly. A large shape arched out of the water for a brief second before crashing back down, splashing water everywhere. More shapes started doing the same, and a low rumbling sound touched her ears, even though there was no thunder.
"Edward, what are they?" She asked, even though she recalled reading about them in a novel once.
"Whales," Edward said, smiling as they both turned their full attention to the magnificent creatures breeching from the water. "The free spirits of the ocean."
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The lake was not far from their house. It barely took them two minutes to reach it with their unnatural speed, and despite how much Esme enjoyed taking slow walks through the forest, she wasn't patient enough to take such a slow pace whenever they approached the lake.
She had stumbled upon it by accident at first. When both the men were out of the house, she enjoyed walking through the forest, knowing confidently that the locals didn't stray this far inside it. She enjoyed the noises that no humans could hear; the soft hum of the bees, the scuttling of woodland creatures as they scrambled across the hard ground, the rustling of undergrowth and the gentle creaking of the branches.
Esme usually stuck to the same path, which never got boring as she picked up new details about it each time. As the weeks went by, different flowers appeared in a variety of shapes and colours. But, one day, she felt the urge to wonder off the path, letting her curiosity lead her.
Soon, she had found herself facing a wall of willow tree branches, hanging low enough to brush against the ground. With a small smile, she pushed her way through, and that was when she had discovered it; the large lake with patches of boulders dotted here and there, surrounded by green.
Then, she had darted home in time to greet Carlisle from work, enthuasitically kissing him and grabbing his hand, insisting that they should hunt. When she led him there, he had instantly fallen in love with it, just as she had done.
It had become a little pocket of privacy for the two of them. It was surrounded by willow trees, creating a natural curtain, and Esme's imagination allowed her to picture it as a little fairy kingdom, hidden away from humans and the outside world. Time became non-existent there; they easily spent hours on Carlisle's days off lying in the long grass, waiting until the sunset when the fireflies would come out.
Carlisle would never forget the excited wonder on Esme's face when she had first seen the tiny creatures lighting up the surroundings in little balls of light. He adored how she found beauty in everything.
The lake itself was clear; so clear that you could almost see the bottom of it. They paddled in the shallows, and one day, Carlisle had allowed himself to dive in deeper and search the bottom of the lake in curiosity. Esme had decided that day that it was unfair how beautiful Carlisle truly was, as she had tried not to stare at how well his sodden shirt had clung to his body.
One night, as they walked through the grass and looked up at the night sky, Carlisle couldn't remember a time he had felt so peaceful. The small box in his pocket was burning his skin, and although he had pictured many different locations where he had thought of proposing to Esme, he realised then that perhaps the perfect proposal didn't need to be planned.
"Esme?" He whispered to her.
She turned her head to look at him, a beautiful smile on her face. He was the only thing that could possibly steal her attention away from their beautiful surroundings. "Yes, Carlisle?"
Feeling suddenly tongue-tied, Carlisle cleared his throat.
Her face instantly changed into one of concern. "Carlisle, is everything okay?"
"Everything is perfect." He assured her, silently scolding himself to get a grip. "This place is perfect. You are perfect." He took her hands in his. "Esme, for the first time in my existence, I'm not exactly sure what to say. There are so many times I want to tell you, and so many things I want to thank you for. These past few months with you have been something I never imagined I'd be lucky enough to experience. I was lost before you, and perhaps I didn't realise just how much I was before I met you."
A warm smile spread across her face, and if they could, her eyes would be watering with approaching tears. Carlisle was the sweetest man she had ever met, and he still had a way of making her feel so special when he spoke to her like this, with such honesty and adoration.
He paused, his mind whirling at a hundred miles an hour. "The one thing I am most sure of in this whole world is my love for you. I want to spend the rest of eternity by your side, and will be honoured to know that I am your husband."
Esme found herself holding her breath, as her body filled with joy at his words and anticipation of where he was going to this. She did not dare interrupt him, but she longed to throw herself into his arms and kiss him.
Carlisle pulled something out of his pocket; a small, pretty black box. He lifted the lid, revealing the ring that was displayed amongst a sea of navy silk.
"I love you with my mind, body and soul, completely and utterly, in a way I never thought I could possibly love someone. It is a love that consumes me entirely. You are all I think about, Esme, and all I could ever want. I will spend every day, forever, trying to become the man you deserve. You make me so happy, Esme, with your sharp wit and compassionate heart. When I found you again, I considered myself so lucky, but to have you in my arms and know you love me, that makes me the luckiest man in the world. Will you marry me, Esme?"
Her eyes widened. "Yes!" Esme exclaimed, feeling no hesitation or fear. "Yes, yes, a thousand times yes, Carlisle!"
Carlisle slowly placed the ring on her finger, his own smile threatening to take over his entire face, kissing her hand when he was done before standing up. Esme wrapped her arms around him, as his hands moved to her waist to steady her but also hold her closer to him. If their hearts were capable of beating, they would be thundering in their chests.
"Oh, Carlisle," Esme whispered as she pulled away to admire the ring. "It is so beautiful. I love you so much."
He smiled, pleased that she clearly loved the ring as much as he did. He leaned down and kissed her, allowing the emotions he was feeling to spill out of him, communicating soundlessly to her just how happy he was in that moment.
Esme responded to the heated kiss; her hands ran through his hair in an attempt to keep him exactly where he was. Her brain couldn't quite accept the fact that this wonderful man kissing her was now her fiancee.
Their kisses held a silent promise, a vow of eternal love and happiness, and both of them enjoyed it in bliss with their bodies fitting together perfectly. Their bodies fit together like a puzzle peace, both giving each other comfort and safety in one another's presence.
When they eventually allowed their lips to part, Carlisle nuzzled her nose with his. With his forehead resting against hers contently, his amber eyes were able to look into hers with deep adoration.
"Shall we head back to the house?" He asked her, as a male pride washed through him. This remarkable woman had just agreed to marrying him, to being his; he would shout it to the whole world if the opportunity would arise.
Esme shook her head. "I want to stay here, for a little while longer. Would that be okay?"
He dropped a soft kiss to her waiting lips, smiling against her mouth fondly. "Of course, my love."
Smiling, Esme turned her head to the side slightly so she could see the fireflies gliding above them and the gentle sway of the willow branches.
Carlisle smiled, kissing her forehead before leading her back a small boulder by the lake. His arm went around her shoulders, his hand coming to rest on his hip, and he drew her close to his side as they both watched as the fireflies reflected in the rippling lake water below them.
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I've been bursting to write the proposal chapter for such a long time now. Hope you all enjoyed!
- E x