Disclaimer: All characters belong to Stephanie Myer.
Hope you enjoy.
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When she had been six years old, Esme had stumbled across the photograph of her mother in her wedding dress.
Charlotte Platt had been a pretty woman; with freckles covering her nose, slight dimples when she smiled, and plain brown eyes. Her hair had always been put back in a neat plait, which she had showed Esme how to do at a young age, insisting that long hair should always be well-kept and tidy. Esme could remember her mother as always being strict but fair; she was always one to follow the rules, but was willing to accept that other people had views of their own. Charlotte had been twenty one when she had married Esme's father, Frank.
The photograph showed a beaming Charlotte, whose smile covered practically the entire bottom half of her face. She wore a beautiful white gown, with high shoulders - the best that her family could afford. In her hands, she held a bouquet of flowers, and the lack of a ring on her fingers showed that the photo was taken merely moments before the ceremony, just outside the local church.
At the young age of six, Esme had asked questions about the ceremony. Her mother had told her it had been grand, with guests and family members, as Frank's father had insisted on funding a large wedding, and a magnificent cake at the end. It appeared as if every expense had been met to ensure that the couple had a memorable, special day. Both her parents had looked happy, and six-year-old Esme had smiled at the sight.
But, as she had grown older, Esme's concept of marriage was forgotten about. At the age of nineteen, she'd almost completely lost interest in the idea, and a little part of her still clung to the unrealistic dream that her golden-haired knight would come back to her. While other girls her age were already being courted, Esme had preferred to explore the countryside - often drawing whatever creatures or plants she had come across.
She had not picked Charles herself, it had been arranged between their parents, and she often wondered if he had been happy with their choice. Esme had always been told she was pretty whilst growing up, but her curious nature and wanting for adventure was something that women always told her off for, saying she was too much of a handful for a husband.
When Charles had proposed to her, Esme diagnosed the sinking feeling in her stomach as nerves. But, looking back, she knew that even back then, she had known that Charles was hiding something.
Charming on the outside as always, Charles had insisted they married quickly. The ceremony had been planned by his mother, leaving Esme little say in how the day would be. Instead, she had been bought a dress, told to show up and say her vows, and then be the wife her husband would need.
Those vows meant nothing to either of us, it would seem, she now thought, as she randomly doodled on the piece of paper in front of her.
This time, there had been no sinking feeling of dread when Carlisle had asked her to marry him. Esme had experienced pure shock, and then extreme joy as he had proposed, and she still couldn't quite get her head around it all, even three days later. Many nights after she had first met him, her dreams had allowed her to think of a wedding that included him being the one waiting for her at the alter. She had let herself picture what being his wife would be like, and it had always made her feel giddy with excitement inside, even though she told herself it could never happen. Now that it was really happening, she couldn't believe it.
"Carlisle?" She had asked him the previous night, nervously playing with the trim of her dress with her fingers.
"Yes, my love?" He was sat beside her, a book in his hand and a candle behind him. If he had been human, she could picture him with a pair of reading glasses perched at the end of his noise. He was so beautiful that it made her chest hurt, especially when she caught him in moments like this.
"May we get married in a church?" She had requested. Although she had never been one for religion as a human, and had spent more Sundays being dragged to church rather than going willingly, she knew how much it meant to Carlisle. There had been no reason in her later human life for her to trust that there was a God watching over her, but finding Carlisle again had given her back her faith.
He seemed surprised by this, clearly having considered in his head that she may not want to go down that route. He closed the book, turning all his undivided attention to her. "We can marry wherever you want, Esme." He assured her. "As long as you are with me, I'll go anywhere."
She moved to cuddle against his side, needing the physical contact. It was a driven desire inside her to be as close to him as possible, and many kisses lately had led to both of them having to pull away as things got too heated, but she enjoyed it. Vampire senses were heightened, and her longing for him was a reminder of just how much she loved and trusted him.
"Tomorrow, may we venture into town?" She requested softly. "I will need the practise before we are in front of a priest."
She hadn't had to look at him to know there was a warm smile on his face, and she felt him kiss the side of her face gently. "I can't wait to walk through town with you on my arm, my beautiful fiancee."
As she leaned up to kiss him, Esme's mind was decided. I do not care for flowers, or the perfect dress, she thought to herself, smiling against his lips. I'm marrying Carlisle, and that is all that matters.
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Carlisle was slightly startled when he opened the door to have Esme throw himself into his arms. The moment was only brief however, as it was quickly replaced by happiness that being close to her again after a long shift at the hospital. He had managed to convince them into letting him have an entire week off after his wedding, whenever that day was actually set for, but that did mean that he had to commit to his shifts without question. As much as he loved his job, he found himself wanting to be with Esme every moment of the day.
"Carlisle!" She exclaimed happily, gripping him tightly.
"Hello, my love." He answered back, squeezing her slightly. He closed his eyes and breathed in the vanilla scent that he would always associate with Esme and being home. "You seem quite excited."
"I have a surprise for you." She said, her voice practically shaking with excitement, which caused him to smile. Her joy brought him so much happiness, and he didn't even know what the surprise could be.
Slowly, she pulled away from him, opening her eyes and revealing the surprise.
Carlisle's smile widened even more when his gaze met two golden eyes. "Esme," He whispered, cupping her face lovingly. "This is wonderful. I'm so happy for you." He knew how desperately she had longed for her eyes to finally change from the newborn red colour, and he understood why.
He leaned down and captured her mouth with his, unable to wait any longer to kiss her. She hummed contently against his mouth, eagerly opening up to him. Slowly, his tongue traced her mouth before he willed himself to pull away. Perhaps, he would never be able to regain his self control when it involved Esme, but that thought was very pleasant indeed. He didn't mind having her as his weakness.
He nuzzled his nose against hers, an action which always gained him an adorable giggle from her that always made it impossible not to kiss her again. It was almost as irresistible as when she would pout her lips at him. Yes, he had certainly found his kryptonite.
"I was right, love. Gold is certainly your colour." He told her fondly. "You are an angel, Esme."
She beamed up at him; clearly, she had been bursting to tell him all day. "I'm so happy, Carlisle." She whispered, closing her eyes and leaning against one of his palms, enjoying the physical contact.
Again, he found himself unable to resist her. He kissed her slowly this time, enjoying the feeling of her full lips moving under his. Each kiss between them was different, relaying different messages but always so filled with love and devotion. He was careful though, knowing that they were both struggling to prevent giving away to their desires. Their wedding night could not come soon enough.
"I love you," He said as they finally parted and he softly pulled her back into his arms, hugging her.
She rested her head against his shoulder, her nose nuzzling into his neck affectionately. "I love you." She whispered back. "So, so much."
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Two weeks passed since the proposal, and Esme was more determined than ever to overcome her thirst. Every trip to town made it easier, and now she stood in a shop with a seamstress taking her measurements.
"You have the most perfect hourglass figure, young lady!" Mrs Winter remarked as she removed the tape measure from around Esme's waist. She was a sweet older lady, with her brown hair greying at the roots, but her job involved getting awfully close in order to get things right. It was certainly the biggest test that Esme had had yet, other than the little boy. She just prayed that Mrs Winters didn't prick her finger on a pin.
Esme gave her a little smile, focusing on controlling her breathing without drawing in any tempting scents. The burning in her throat came second to her excitement right now, but she knew she couldn't let her guard down. "Thank you."
"Honestly, I believe this dress was made for you!" Mrs Winters went on. "I just need to tuck the waist in a little more, as you're so petite, but other than that, it's perfect. Dr Cullen will absolutely adore it on you."
After helping Esme out of the dress with great care, Mrs Winters carried it out of the room to place it in a bag, leaving Esme to quickly change back into her own dress. Just as Esme stepped out of the smaller room, the bell on top of the shop door rang, signalling Carlisle's arrival. Eager to see her fiancee, Esme headed out to greet him.
His smile was blinding as he saw her, and she knew he was incredibly proud of her for going through with this. They had both had their doubts about it this morning, but in the end, Esme had been determined to see it through. Carlisle had been more than supportive of her, but he had assured her that he would hover close outside the shop.
He opened his arms for her and she gladly stepped inside his embrace, breathing in deeply and allowing the smell of Carlisle and cinnamon to take over everything else. He held her close to him until Mrs Winters joined them. Esme moved to stand by his side, but smiled as Carlisle's arm wrapped around her waist to keep her pressed to his side.
Mrs Winters beamed. "Dr Cullen, you are one lucky man."
Carlisle smiled. "Believe me, Mrs Winters, I am thankful for her every day." He replied, squeezing Esme's waist as he spoke. She leaned into him. "I take it everything went okay?"
Mrs Winters nodded, without ever understanding the reality of the situation. "I'll have the dress ready by this afternoon. Will you be able to come and pick it up? Remember, no peaking before the wedding day."
Carlisle dipped his head, chuckling at the comment. "Of course, or Esme's brother will come and collect it."
"Do you two have a date yet?" Mrs Winters asked eagerly.
"We are trying to find the perfect location first." Carlisle admitted. "Hopefully, it won't take too long. Do you have any suggestions?"
Clearly delighted to be involved, Mrs Winters nodded enthusasistcally. "There is a church not far from town, quite isolated but the scenery is lovely. I'll write the address down for you."
After thanking the kind seamstress, Esme and Carlisle left the shop with her arm tucked around his, enjoying the closeness especially now that her thirst wasn't making her entire body tense like it first had. She certainly felt braver with each trip into the village, and she knew that her determination was fuelled by her desire to marry Carlisle as soon as possible.
"I'm so proud of you, my love." He whispered fondly as he kissed her temple. People stared openly at them as they passed, with mouths slightly hanging open and eyes widening, but he didn't mind their stares. Esme was beautiful, and as long as no one looked at her with either shameful lust or open hostility, he would not mind. He knew the men of the town were jealous of him, and he was more than proud of the woman on his arm, not just because of her angelic beauty but also her loving heart and soul.
She looked up at him with a beaming smile on his face. "Thank for you for believing in me." She said happily.
"Always," He promised.
"Carlisle?" She asked, stopping so she could look up at him. Her golden eyes sparkled with her happiness, and he was momentarily lost in her loving gaze.
"Yes, my love?"
She bit her lower lip softly. "Do we have enough time to go and see that church?"
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Sorry for the delays in uploading. I know the other chapters went up pretty fast, and that was because they were already written and I just had to edit them. As I changed the course of events by switching proposal ideas, I'm now writing the chapters from scratch. I'm going to try to get a chapter out every day, every other day at most.
Thank you, hope you are enjoying the story so far! It won't be long until we get to the wedding!
- E x