ESPOV
"Esme" Carlisle whispers in my ear. It's too early to be awake. I swear I just fell asleep two minutes ago.
"Esme" his cold fingers join his attempt to wake me and I jerk away from him.
"Ungghh" I moan and roll over. I can feel his chuckle against my back as he scoots over to spoon me. He kisses the back of my head and puts his arms around me.
"Come on, love. Wake up." He coos in my ear as his fingers trace circles on the bare skin of my belly.
I peek one eye open to glance around the room and it's completely dark, there's not even sunlight coming through the windows.
"It's nighttime, Carlisle." I mumble into my pillow and I'm not sure he understood me until he laughs.
"No it's not, love. It's morning. Come on, I have the whole day planned for us. All you have to do is get out of bed and get dressed." He throws the blankets off of me and somehow I manage to get upright. "Come on, angel. We have a time table to stick to."
My eyes are still closed as I walk into the bathroom and bump into the sink.
"Stupid non-sleeping vampire" I grumble and I can hear his laugh in the bedroom.
Once I do my business, I come back to the bedroom to find that Carlisle has laid out an outfit for me to wear. There are blue jeans, a thin long-sleeve white shirt, a turquoise sweater, thick gray socks, and fur-lined boots. He's even managed to find small earrings that match my sweater—I suspect Alice had something to do with that. Once I'm dressed, I decide to leave my hair down, but take a band to tie it back if I want.
The house is dark as I walk downstairs except for one light coming from the kitchen. Carlisle is packing a cooler full of food and he smiles when I walk in.
"You look beautiful." He says coming over to kiss me. He's wearing a gray and white sweater that buttons at the neck, tight jeans, and boots. He looks delicious.
"Thank you. Now, what's going on? Where is everyone?"
"They are all in their rooms, it is still dark out you know." He teases and I smile slightly. "We're going on a date. I want to get you away from all of the drama and stress."
"But I can't go out in public."
"Don't worry, we're not." He tells me and picks up the small cooler and a thermos before going into the living room. Sammy is there wearing a red bandana and wagging his tail.
"Are you comfortable? We're going to be gone all day."
"Yeah, I'm fine." I answer, still confused.
"Good. Here put these on, it's cold out." He says handing me a pair of gray knitted gloves. While I'm putting those on, he puts a turquoise and white scarf around my neck and a knitted turquoise hat on my head. He reaches behind him and pulls out a gray bubble coat and helps me slip it on. He pulls a leash out of the closet and hooks it on Sammy's collar. With one hand holding the leash, he hands me the thermos, and picks up the cooler. I follow him outside where he surprises me by helping me into a massive jeep.
"Whose car is this?"
"It's Emmett's. He agreed to let us borrow it for the day."
Once Sammy's in the backseat and the cooler is on the floor behind me, Carlisle climbs into the drivers seat and leans over to help me with the harness. His eyes are sparkling and he has a large grin on his face.
"You're really happy, huh?" I whisper and put my hand on his cheek.
"Yes, I am. I get to spend the whole day with you. Uninterrupted Esme time—sounds like heaven to me." He grins at me and kisses my lips. "Now stop distracting me, woman." He says but smiles and kisses my lips again. It's good to see him happy and leaving the worry behind. He takes my hand in his once my harness is on and starts driving.
"Where are we going?" I ask him, taking an experimental sip out of my thermos to find hot chocolate inside.
"It's a surprise, but don't worry, it will be just us."
It's still dark out so I can't see much, but it looks like we're driving through wilderness, and we are definitely traveling up at an incline.
"Are we almost there?" I ask after a minute. I'm starting to get really excited.
"Almost." He says and lifts my hand to kiss the back of it.
When the jeep finally stops, I have no idea where we are. It's still dark and I'm confused when Carlisle doesn't try to get out.
"Where are we?" I ask as he turns on the ceiling light in the jeep. He's digging in the cooler behind my seat and produces a bagel with cream cheese (just how I like it) and a bowl of fruit.
"Breakfast is served." He tells me smiling. He even pulls a dog biscuit out of somewhere in the backseat and gives it to Sammy.
"Thank you." I tell him and start eating. He's watching me eat and I raise one eyebrow at him. "We've talked about this. I feel like a zoo animal."
"Sorry, love." He chuckles.
After a few minutes he grabs my hand again and points out the windshield.
"Look."
The sun is coming up right in front of us, the light pinks and soft oranges fracturing over the mountains.
"Wow" I whisper. He pushes his seat all of the way back and pulls me into his lap.
"The perfect start to the perfect day." He whispers in my ear.
We're quiet for the rest of the sunrise, enjoying the beauty and the quiet time together.
"I love you." I tell him putting my forehead to his. "I love you so much."
"I love you too, Esme. Always."
I kiss him deeply before laying my head back on his chest and watching the end of the sunrise.
"That was amazing, Carlisle. Thank you." I tell him.
"This isn't the end of our date, sweetness. This was only phase one." He grins at me mischievously and I get a glimpse of what Carlisle must have looked like as a child.
"What's next?" I ask him.
"Well first we have to change your outfit a little." He jumps out of the jeep without further explanation and goes to the back hatch before coming around to my door. He's holding a pair of light gray hiking boots in his hands and he pulls me around in the seat so my legs hang out of the door.
"I wanted you to be comfortable this morning, but now you need boots you can walk in. The fresh snow won't mix well with those furry boots."
Before I can say anything, he takes each of my boots off and starts putting on the new boots and lacing them up. They fit just right and I wonder if I'll ever get used to him being so prepared and thoughtful.
"How do they feel?" he asks standing back and admiring his handy work.
"Good." I tell him, wiggling my toes.
He smiles and holds out his hand for me. I jump out of the jeep and stand beside him as he lets Samson out and slings a backpack over his shoulder.
"The next phase of our date will require some walking. Are you okay with that?"
"Sure." I shrug. "Just don't let me fall."
"I would never." He smiles at me and takes my gloved hand in his bare one.
"Is it okay to leave the jeep here?"
"It's fine. People leave their vehicles here while they hike all of the time. It's a popular lookout spot."
"Then how'd you know we'd be alone?" I ask confused, he assured me we wouldn't be seen.
"Alice" he says with a smirk.
I nod and we begin hiking through the snowy woods. Samson is keeping up but he looks like he would rather be at home sleeping. Carlisle holds my hand as we walk except when he has to help me over fallen branches and trees. Samson sniffs as we walk and occasionally stops to mark his spot—typical male. I know my human speed is slowing Carlisle down, but he never acts as if it's a bad thing. He just stays at my side telling me stories of the last time they lived in Forks, several decades ago. Occasionally we'll see an animal and he'll tell me about them.
The sun is rising in the sky as we walk and despite the fresh snow on the ground, I'm getting warm. When I start sweating, I reach up and pull of my scarf.
"What are you doing?" Carlisle asks with a frown.
"I'm warm. You have me bundled up like an Eskimo."
"I think you should keep it on. You could get sick."
"Carlisle it's fine. Look the snow is melting as the sun rises. If I get cold, I'll put it back on."
"Okay" he grumbles but I can tell he's not happy about it so I giggle and kiss his cheek. "Are you ever going to tell me where we're going?"
"Nope. We're almost there, anyway."
A few minutes later, Carlisle pulls back some branches and gestures for me to walk through; once I do, the view is breathtaking. There's a frozen lake right in front of me that seems to go on forever. Behind that are snowy mountains in the distance.
"It's beautiful." I whisper as Carlisle comes up behind me and puts his arms around my waist. I lean back against his chest and he rests his chin on top of my head.
"It is. I found it one day while I was hunting. It's beautiful in the spring and summer also. I like it here, it's very peaceful."
"I love it. It's perfect."
"I think so, too."
He kisses the top of my head and pulls away. He takes the backpack off of his shoulders and pulls out a blanket. He lays it out on the ground and Sammy collapses onto it.
"Hey!" Carlisle exclaims laughing and I giggle. He shoves Sammy over to one side and we sit on the other. My back is against his chest and I'm nestled in between his open legs.
"I love it here" I sigh and he chuckles and kisses the top of my head through my hat. For a while we just lay on the blanket and enjoy the peace and quiet. It's a nice change after the stressful couple of weeks we've had.
"Are you hungry, love?" Carlisle asks.
"Not really."
"Okay. Have you ever been ice skating?"
I scrunch up my nose as I think about it.
"I used to when I was a teenager, but I haven't since."
"Do you want to try?" he asks pulling two sets of skates out of his bag.
My lip finds its way between my teeth.
"You won't let me fall?" I ask nervously.
"Angel, you should know by now that I would never let anything happen to you or peanut. Speaking of which, I didn't get to have my morning conversation with him. We'll have to rectify that when we get home."
I giggle because I know he's completely serious and it's so sweet.
"Okay yeah. I'll try it."
He reaches for my boots and I laugh and pull away.
"You know I am capable of putting my own shoes on right?"
"Of course, love." He says like I'm crazy. "But it's my job to take care of you."
"You don't have to—"
"I want to." His serious eyes tell me how important this is to him. After everything that he's done for me, I can do this for him.
"Okay." I whisper. "Thank you.
He quickly gets our skates on and carries me to the ice. I have no idea how he can carry me while balancing on thin blades.
He skates out tot he middle of the lake and slows to a stop.
"Ready?" He asks with bright eyes and I nod. He slowly sets me on my feet facing him, but never lets go of me as I wobble. I laugh as I try to get my footing, feeling like a newborn calf. Carlisle smiles at me and once I get my footing, he starts skating backwards pulling me with him.
"Come on, love. You can do it." He tentatively lets go of my hands but I leave my arms out to get my balance. After a few minutes, I'm able to shakily skate alongside him. I'm sure it's comical to watch us: him with the grace of an olympic ice skater, and me with the grace of a baby giraffe.
By the time my ankles are starting to get tired, my stomach starts growling. I'm on one side of the lake trying to spin around without falling over or throwing up when Carlisle skates over to me and throws me over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes. He skates back to where we started and sets me down on our blanket. From his bag he produces a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, some carrot sticks, a bottle of water, and a cookie.
"You thought of everything didn't you?" I say crunching on a carrot stick.
"I tried. I wasn't sure how long we would be out here and I didn't want you to be hungry."
I lean over and give him a sloppy kiss. "You're the sweetest."
His tongue pokes out and licks my lips, "Believe me, you're the sweetest." His voice is low and husky and it makes my insides tingle. My stomach growls against making him laugh and he gestures for me to keep eating.
About halfway through my meal, Carlisle's hand comes up to touch my face. When I look at him, he has one finger over his mouth telling me to be quiet. He points to our left and there in the brush is a baby deer. He's brown with white spots and I watch him in wonder.
"We're downwind. He hasn't caught my scent yet." Carlisle breathes into my ear. "Keep watching, I bet his mother isn't too far behind him."
A few minutes later, he's proven right as a beautiful doe appears behind her baby. She looks up at us and tilts her head until the wind shifts and they run away.
"They caught my scent."
"Wow. That was amazing."
"They're very beautiful creatures."
"And fast." I tell him still surprised at how quickly they galloped away.
"I'm faster." He whispers in my ear and my mouth falls open.
"Really?" He nods. "Will you show me?"
"Um I would love to, but not when you just ate." He winks at me and I blush.
It doesn't take me long to finish my lunch and I lean back against him and cuddle my face into his sweater. He chuckles and lifts me onto his lap so we can be closer.
"What's funny?" I ask into his shirt. He smells like snow and trees and…Carlisle.
"You're like a kitten. Get your belly full and you snuggle right up to me."
I lightly smack his arm and he laughs louder.
"Do you want to head back?" he asks.
"No, lets stay for a little while longer."
He nods and kisses my forehead. We relax onto the blanket and watch the sun dance across the ice.
Carlisle finally manages to pull me away from the beautiful lake with the promise of a warm bath and dinner. It takes us longer to get back to the jeep than it did this morning because of my tired feet. Finally, Carlisle just picks me up and carries me the rest of the way—at human speed as to not jostle my full belly.
Carlisle turns up the heater in the jeep on the way home and my eyes quickly drift shut without my permission.
Cold kisses all over my face wake me and I open my eyes to find Samson's brown eyes staring back at me. I laugh and shove him away as my car door opens and Carlisle scoops me up in his arms. He lets Samson jump out before shutting the door and carrying me upstairs. He sets me down on the bed and kneels down to take my boots off. I breathe a sigh of relief when my feet come into contact with the soft carpet.
"I'm going to draw you a bath, love." He tells me and takes off into the bathroom. I sigh and take off my coat, hat, gloves, and socks. It's nice not to feel so bulky and I end up taking off my sweater too leaving me in my thin white shirt.
"It's all ready for you, angel. You'll have to test the water temperature, but I think I got it right." Carlisle says coming back to stand in front of me.
I stand up and kiss him deeply, tangling my fingers in his hair and pushing my tongue through his lips. He moans loud and deep before grabbing my waist and kissing me back. I bite gently on his lower lip with my teeth and he groans and tightens his hold on me. With one last sweep of my tongue, I pull back from his mouth. His eyes are still closed and he's breathing heavy when I say, "Thanks for the bath" and run into the bathroom. I hear him growl behind me and I giggle.
Carlisle's ensuite bathroom doesn't have a door, but I know he won't invade my privacy by coming in. This bathroom is my favorite room in the house. It's almost as big as his bedroom and it's all open except the toilet which is off to the side in a separate room with a door. There's a double sink against one wall and on the opposite wall is the bathtub in front of the open walk-in shower with two heads. Across from the doorway is a whole wall of windows revealing the Washington forests and mountains. I was nervous about bathing in here at first but Carlisle assured me that it's one-way glass and no one could see in.
I smile when I see the tub full of bubbles and I wonder what scent Carlisle chose for me. Once I sink down into the warm water, I recognize the smell of vanilla and I close my eyes and relax. I don't know how long I stay in the bath, but when my stomach growls, I begrudgingly get out. I don't feel like going over to my room to get pajamas so I just throw on a pair of Carlisle's boxers and a Harvard medical school t-shirt that is worn and soft.
Going downstairs to find Carlisle, I see light coming from the dining room. When I enter it, the table is set with beautiful linens, a vase of pink roses in the middle, and there are candles all over the room.
"What is this?" I ask Carlisle who's standing behind his chair looking nervous.
"This is the final phase of our date. A romantic candlelit dinner. I know I can't eat, but I think it will still be nice."
"This is beautiful, thank you."
He nods and comes over to pull out my chair for me. I'm sitting right next to him and at my place setting is a silver platter with a lid on top. Carlisle lifts the lid with a flourish and I laugh when I see a pizza underneath. He really is the perfect man.