ESPOV
The sunlight on my face wakes me from a very pleasant dream about Carlisle and I. Looking over, I hope to see Carlisle's beautiful face next to me, but instead all I see is a piece of paper with a white daisy on top. His thoughtfulness makes me smile as I lift the flower to my nose and inhale. I have no idea where he found a fresh flower in this small town in December, but it makes me smile thinking about it. The handwriting on Carlisle's note is beautiful and precise making me smile as I read:
My Dearest Esme,
I hated leaving you this morning, but the boys have declared that a hunting trip is in order, something about manly bonding. We should be back by tonight, but until then I hope you have fun with the girls. They have been given strict instructions to take care of you…and to have fun. I hope you enjoy your day and I will see you soon.
Love,
Carlisle
I'm excited to spend some time with the girls, but the idea of not seeing Carlisle until tonight makes me frown until my stomach growls and I giggle. Pulling my shirt up, I put my hand on my bare belly. My bump is still very small and if you didn't know it was there, you wouldn't be able to tell.
"Hi peanut" I whisper. "You're only a few weeks old and you're already demanding food from me." I tell him, laughing softly. "I love you so much, peanut. You are the luckiest baby in the world because you have a whole family of people who love you. You're not even born yet and Carlisle already claims you as his. You're so lucky to have him as a daddy. He is the best man in the whole world, and he loves us very much. Everything is going to be okay now, baby."
I finally tear myself out of bed and into the shower; the water warms me and helps wake me. After drying and braiding my hair, I throw on a pair of loose, comfortable jeans and a t-shirt. Sammy is patiently waiting by the door for me and I'm guessing that Carlisle let him outside before he left so he wouldn't have an accident in the house. I know he isn't very excited to go into a room full of vampires, so I pick him up and hold him close as we go downstairs where I can hear voices coming from the kitchen. I put Sammy on the couch and go in search of the girls.
In the kitchen, Bella is at the stove cooking something, I'm assuming it's for me, Rosalie is looking through a magazine, and it looks like Alice is shopping online.
"Esme!" Alice chirps and runs over to hug me. This time she moves slower and I'm able to prepare myself for her hug. I hug her back and she grabs my hand to pull me over to her laptop.
"Look at this adorable maternity site I just found!" She points to the screen and I have to admit the clothes are beautiful, and I can't wait until peanut fills my belly like the women on the screen.
"They're beautiful." I tell her.
"Yes!" she squeals "I knew that was your style. We can look through them together and pick out the things you like. They deliver right to your door, so you wouldn't have to go outside."
"That sounds great, Alice." I tell her honestly.
"Here you go Esme." I hear Bella beside me as she sets a plate down in front of me. "This was my favorite breakfast as a human. It's been awhile since I cooked, I hope you like it."
She looks a little nervous and I smile at her.
"It looks great, Bella. Thank you so much."
Grabbing the maple syrup, I don't hesitate in drowning the pancakes on my plate. They are big and fluffy, and smell amazing.
Sitting back in my chair, I think my stomach is twice as big as before. I'm pretty sure I broke a world record for how long it takes a person to eat a stack of pancakes.
"That was delicious! It's not fair that you can cook that well and you don't even eat."
She laughs and shrugs.
"I used to cook for my dad all of the time. I guess the talent just stuck when I was changed."
"Okay, Esme, we have a whole girls day planned for you today: hair treatments, facials, and manicures."
"Thank god" Rosalie says. "I'm really getting sick of this color." She says looking at her nails.
"Me too." Alice says looking at her own hand. "Let's start with a hair treatment, so it can soak in while we do the rest."
They hurry me upstairs and into a room I've never been in before. It's beautiful. The colors are dark blue and white which makes it look masculine but there are light pink touches everywhere: the pillows, the curtains, the rug, and the rose gold lamps. A picture of Alice and Jasper sits on the wooden dresser next to a small vase of white hydrangeas. Alice goes into the bathroom and we all follow her. The bathroom is all white with gray and blush touches. It goes perfectly with the bedroom and I can see little bits of Alice and Jasper all over the place. There are serious, masculine tones like Jasper, and the light, pink touches are fun and bubbly just like Alice. The bathroom has a shower to the left next to a bathtub that is built into the wall. At the far end of the room is a closet and a large vanity with a white stool, and to the right is a sink with a large mirror over it. All of the metals are rose gold and there are blush colored curtains on each of the windows.
I'm still admiring the room when Alice holds out a hairbrush to me.
"Your hair is already wet, so just brush it out and we'll put the hair treatment in."
I do as she says and she leads me to sit on the stool at the vanity as she puts some slimy stuff in my hair that smells like coconuts. She wraps all of my hair up in a shower cap before leading us out into the bedroom.
"We can't do hair treatments on our hair because it wouldn't do any good, so it's nice to have someone to do these things with again." Alice says as she sits on the bed. Rosalie and Alice on the white carpet and leave the armchair for me.
"Let's do Esme's face mask and then it can absorb while we all do our nails." Bella suggests.
Alice hands Rosalie a jar and she starts putting a green goop all over my face being careful to avoid my eyes and lips. The cut on my cheek has healed, but the bruise is still there and Rosalie is extra gentle when dealing with that part of my face. I see her eyes darken as she looks at it, and I smile gently at her. The mask instantly cools my face and it's actually really relaxing.
"Okay, Alice pull out your stash." Bella says laughing.
Alice reaches under the bed and pulls out a suitcase, which turns out to be full of nail polish.
"Alright girls, choose your colors." She says clapping.
I giggle at her antics and watch all three girls dive in to decipher colors. I take a deep breath and watch them for a little while, just enjoying the company. They don't treat me like damaged goods or a wounded bird; I'm just one of the girls with them, and it feels good.
"Which one do you like better, Esme?" Bella says, holding up two bottles: one turquoise and one a deep purple.
"I like the turquoise one, but I think it might be better for summertime." I tell her honestly.
"I agree." Rosalie says with her head still buried in the suitcase of nail polish and Bella nods in agreement.
"Ugh I just can't decide." Alice says with her nose wrinkled. She's holding up two bottles of polish, both pink, and they look identical to me.
"I think you should go with the lighter one. The darker one looks too much like what you did last time." Bella tells her.
"Yeah I guess." Alice says nodding her head.
"Esme how about this color for you?" Rosalie says holding out a dark teal.
"Ooo I like that." Alice says.
"It's really pretty." I tell her. "But I kind of like that silver too." I point at the one I'm talking about and bite my lip. I hope I wasn't too forward.
"They would look really good together." Bella chimes in. "We could do your ring finger in the silver and the others teal."
I nod at her smiling and Alice claps and starts buffing my nails. Bella is painting Rosalie's nails a deep red as Alice works on mine.
"So Esme are you excited about the baby?" Bella asks.
"Yeah I really am. I know some women hate pregnancy, but I can't wait until my belly gets bigger. I'm even looking forward to my feet swelling." I say and we all giggle together.
"It's so amazing that in 9 months, there's going to be a baby in the house!" Alice squeals.
"Will it be hard for you guys to have two humans in the house?" I ask quietly.
"It won't be hard, really." Rosalie says. "We will have to hunt regularly, but we enjoy that, it's a part of our vampire nature. I think Carlisle is going to be so protective he will make us hunt everyday." She laughs and Alice and Bella join her.
"I have never seen Carlisle this way. It's nice to see him lose control a little bit and see what our guys went through." Alice chimes in and they all nod. "And just between us girls, you're just as crazy about him aren't you?"
I blush and look down.
"I am, but I don't really understand it. With my past, I should be shying away from men for the rest of my life, and I immediately jump in with Carlisle right after meeting him. He kind of swept me off my feet. Of course, there are still moments when I shrink back away from him out of instinct or have a flashback, but in general, I feel very comfortable around him. How much did he tell you about my past?"
"He told us the very least he could. It's your story to tell. He wanted us to know that you're in danger and ask our advice, but he didn't betray your trust." Rosalie says.
"I'm not angry with him for telling you, I just wondered how much you knew. I really thought Charles was a good man when we got married, but I didn't leave even when I learned the truth. I stayed with him for 5 years and it took getting pregnant to make me brave enough to leave. My last beating wasn't the worst one that I ever got, but it was the one that finally knocked some sense into me."
"You can't blame yourself, Esme. It's very hard to leave that kind of atmosphere especially with all of the manipulation that goes on in abusive relationships." Rosalie says. Bella and Alice stay quiet letting Rosalie and I talk as they focus on our fingers.
"Carlisle…um Carlisle said that the night you died, you were with your fiancé. Was he like Charles?" I ask quietly.
"Royce wasn't like Charles, at least I didn't think he was until the night I was changed. He was drunk and I was walking alone at night. He and his friends attacked and raped me. I never thought he could be like that before that night." She says looking at me. "Every woman deals with abuse differently. I got my revenge on each of the men who hurt me. I killed them one by one. Then I found Emmett and he helped me heal emotionally. You were brave and courageous. You got away from Charles and you found Carlisle. He's your mate, your other half. It's only right that you feel comfortable with him. If anyone can help you after what you've been through, it's him."
"She's right, Esme." Bella says as she finishes the last of Rosalie's fingernails. "Carlisle is the most patient, loving, compassionate man I've ever met, except Edward of course. If anyone can hold your hand and lead you through this, it's him."
Alice looks up at me and nods in agreement.
"Thank you for talking it through with me. I guess I just needed to talk to someone."
"That's what we're here for." Alice scoffs waving her hand at me. "My turn!"
She hands me the pink polish she wants on her fingers and lays them out for me to paint.
"Are you sure you want me to do this? My human hands aren't real steady."
"Of course! It will be perfect, you'll see." She says and I get to work.
As I'm painting Alice's nails, we're talking about our favorite romance movies, when a black nose pokes through the open bedroom door.
"Sammy, come here." I call to him and he walks in slowly. He looks at the girls and hesitates, but walks right to me when I put my arms out for him. He jumps in my lap and glares at Alice in front of me.
"He's so cute." She says as he curls in a ball in my lap and goes to sleep.
I nod and continue on her nails.
After all of our nails are done and we've concluded that Dirty Dancing is the most romantic movie of all time, I go into the bathroom to rinse my hair and face. The hair treatment rinses out easily which is surprising, and it's made my hair soft and manageable. I've just gotten dressed when Alice comes into the bathroom with Bella and Rosalie behind her, and I sit at the vanity while she blow dries my hair until it falls in a wave of silk. I can't stop running my fingers through it as we go downstairs so I can eat lunch.
I just grab some leftover bacon from breakfast and quickly make a BLT. When I go back to the table, I find the girls feeding Sammy bacon. He sure isn't afraid of them when they're giving him treats. I laugh at the little chub and sit down to eat my sandwich. By the time I'm done eating, Sammy is in Alice's lap and licking Bella's cheek. Rosalie is looking at him adoringly, but doesn't seem the type to cuddle on a puppy.
"Apparently his affection can be bought." I laugh and they all smile at me.
After I've finished eating, the five of us (including Sammy, of course) go into the living room to watch Dirty Dancing.
"There's nothing better than Patrick Swayze in tight black pants and a tight t-shirt." Alice sighs.
"Oh except when he's in a tux." Bella laughs.
"No the best part is when he comes in with his leather jacket and his sunglasses on." I tell them and they all hum they're agreement.
Less than 20 seconds later, the boys come crashing through the front door.
"Really babe? Patrick Swayze?" Emmett says, coming over to sit on the arm of the couch next to her.
Edward just growls and throws Bella over his shoulder before zooming upstairs.
Jasper and Alice share a heated look before taking off into the woods, and Carlisle takes Alice's vacated seat next to me.
The minute he sits down, Sammy stands up and growls at him.
"Well I see that Sammy hasn't gotten used to me yet." He says smiling.
"He loves the girls. He's been snuggled up with Alice all afternoon."
"What do they have that I don't, you little runt?" He frowns at Sammy and then smiles at me.
"Bacon." I tell him and he throws back his head and laughs. I giggle along with him and see Rosalie and Emmett disappear out of the corner of my eye.
"Well that figures." He puts Sammy on the floor and pulls me to him. I snuggle into his chest and he wraps his arms around me.
"How was your hunt?"
"It was good. Emmett and Edward spent more time wrestling than hunting, but we had fun. How was your girls day?"
"It was really fun." I tell him and lift up my hands for him to see my newly painted nails.
"Very beautiful, love." He kisses each of my fingers before interlacing them with his. "I'm glad you had fun with the girls."
"Me too." I smile into his chest and close my eyes.
"So.." His chest rumbles. "Leather jackets, huh?"