CPOV
"Oh my god! I love road food!" Esme moans biting into a deep-fried Twinkie that we got somewhere in Georgia. To me it smells like dirt and oil, but she seems to like it. We're about 8 hours away from the dock where we'll leave our car, and this road trip with Esme has been the best time of my life. We've shopped, sang, talked, laughed, kissed, touched, snored (that was Esme), and ate a lot (that was Esme too). I'm looking forward to this week alone so much. This is just what we need to get our relationship back on track.
"Be careful, love. I might get jealous of a pastry."
"There's nothing to be jealous over, Carlisle. It's just a fling." She laughs and licks the cream off of the side of her mouth. I'm suddenly tense and can't wait to get to the house. Since we talked about our favorite body parts 34 hours ago, I've wanted to lay her down and taste every inch of her. In fact, I don't know how I've managed to wait this long.
"How much longer do we have to go?" She asks looking at the road excitedly. As soon as we hit warm weather, she's been bouncing in her seat ready to get to our destination.
"About 8 hours, love. It's early. Why don't you try to get a few hours of sleep?"
I've never known Esme to be up before 9:00 AM voluntarily, but it's currently 7:00 AM and she's bouncing around like Alice.
"I can't sleep! I'm too excited." She says loudly and I laugh.
"Come here." I tell her and put her pillow in my lap like she slept with it all last night. "I'll sing you to sleep. If you get a few more hours, that's more time to enjoy the beach while we're there."
"Okay." She says. I know she acts like she's wide awake, but I also know my girl; once she relaxes, she'll be sound asleep.
She covers herself with the cashmere travel blanket I bought her and lays her head in my lap. I comb through her hair with one hand and keep my other on the wheel. Her hair flows like silk in my hand, and I start humming a soft lullaby that my mother used to sing to me when I couldn't sleep.
Once she's asleep, I hit the accelerator. I'm ready to get this week started.
"Ugh" Esme moans in my lap. She just woke up but she doesn't make a move to pick her head up.
"Good morning sleeping beauty." I sing to her.
"Ugh" She groans and buries her face in my stomach.
"What's wrong, love?"
"Just a little queasy."
"Do you want a popsicle? It helped last time." The morning sickness is a lot better and she doesn't throw up anymore, but with the long car ride she was bound to get nauseated.
"No I think I need to get out and walk a little. Can we stop?"
"Sure."
At the next rest stop, I pull in and help her get out. It's about 70 degrees outside and it's a nice change to the 25 it was in Forks when we left, but it's also cloudy enough that I'm not sticking out like a sore thumb.
"Where are we?" Esme asks as we walk around in the grass.
"Orlando. I shaved a few hours off of our predicted time. Just a few more left and we'll be there—probably about 2 hours tops."
"Good. I can't wait to lay down in a real bed."
"Angel, we could have stopped at a hotel. Why didn't you say anything?" I'm a little angry that she didn't speak up when she needed something. It's my job to provide for her, but I have to know what she needs first.
"I didn't want to stop, Carlisle. I like having the whole road trip experience. I'm just looking forward to getting there is all. I'm fine. Stop worrying." She kisses me softly and I relax my frown a little.
We walk for a little while before she declares that her stomach is feeling better, but now she has to use the restroom. I stand outside the door while she goes to make sure she's okay. It may be a little overprotective, but frankly, I don't care.
"Ready?" I ask when she comes out looking as radiant as always.
"Yep, let's go."
We get back in the car and the GPS says we have 3 and a half hours to go, but I know it will barely be two. Esme is sitting beside me fiddling with the radio and snacking on crackers. She's wearing yoga pants and a t-shirt, her third outfit of the trip. She ditched her bra about an hour after we started driving, and I'm definitely not complaining. Each time she changed her clothes, she always did so in the back seat where I can't see all of her, which makes me grumble, but at least I could sneak peeks in the rear view mirror.
"Just a few more hours." I tell her and grab her hand so I can tangle her fingers in mine.
"I can't wait." She says smiling wide.
Two hours is nothing and before Esme can fall asleep again, we are pulling into the long-term parking for the dock. It's still cloudy, but Alice's latest text says the sun will be coming out soon. We specifically planned this trip so that it would be sunny the whole time we're here except when we arrive. We don't need me scaring off the locals.
"Where are we?" She asked confused when I turn the car off.
"We're at the dock. Edward and Bella's house is on an island. We have to take a boat to get there. Edward keeps his boat docked here long-term and uses it when needed."
"They own their own island?!" She shrieks and I laugh as I pull our luggage out of the trunk.
"Just a small one." I tell her with a shrug. I put the two duffel bags on top of her rolling suitcase so I can pull it with one hand and hold her with my other as we walk to the boat.
I lead her to a small, white boat floating in the water. Throwing our luggage on first, I jump on so I can help her. She's wary at first, but I have a firm hold on her hips and she lets me lift her.
"How long will it take to get there?" She asks, taking a seat and looking out at the ocean.
"A little under an hour. Just relax and enjoy the sea breeze."
The boat starts up fine and after a few maintenance checks, we're off. The ride is smooth but fast—Edward did well.
"Oh my god! Carlisle!" Esme yells suddenly and I run to her at vampire speed.
"What? What's wrong?"
"The baby. There's something…something's wrong."
"What do you mean, love? Are you hurting?"
"No. It's a weird feeling. It's like a tickle or a ripple. This can't be right." She looks up at me with tear-filled eyes and I kiss her as I cradle her belly in my hands.
"That's not a bad thing, sweet girl. That's him moving." I laugh and kiss her tears away.
"Oh my gosh." She whispers and puts her hands on her belly next to mine. She starts laughing, and I can't help but stare at the look of absolute joy on her face.
"It feels like she's dancing." She laughs. "This is amazing."
"She likes the boat." I tell her and smile.
"Yeah, I guess she does."
"Hey, peanut" I whisper to her belly. "You are having a good day aren't you? Deep fried Twinkies and a boat ride. We love you so much little one. Stay safe in mommy, and we'll see you when you're ready." Esme laughs at my conversation with our baby, but I know she loves it. She cries happy tears every time I talk to her belly.
"Should we keep going, love?" I ask her and she nods at me with a grin. I lay a kiss on her belly before reluctantly letting go and stepping back up to the wheel.
We're about 10 minutes away when I motion for Esme to come stand beside me.
"See?" I point towards the island directly in front of us.
"Oh my gosh it's perfect."
"That's Masen Island. Edward bought it for Bella after they were married."
"Why Masen?" She asks.
"Edward's last name as a human was Masen. When he and Bella married, it was important to her that she take that name as well as Cullen. It is a big part of who Edward is and she wanted to join him in that. After the wedding, he bought her this island as a symbol of their love and how appreciative he was of her taking his last name."
"That's beautiful." She says and leans her head against my shoulder.
I steer the boat around the back side of the island where the house is and carefully maneuver it into the dock.
I help Esme off the boat first, leaving our luggage for me to come back for later. She quickly slips her shoes off and runs down the dock to the sand. She laughs and digs her toes into the squishy powder and I can't help but laugh with her. The sun peeks out behind the clouds and I can see the light bouncing off of my skin, reflecting on the sand around me. Esme spins around with a brilliant smile on her face, and gasps when she sees me.
"What…How?" She stutters.
"When we change, our skin becomes something close to granite or diamonds. It's the hardest substance on earth and with that comes the crystallizing of our tissues. When the sun hits us it bounces off, giving off the appearance that we're sparkling."
"It's beautiful." She says walking over and laying a warm hand on my face. "And all vampires do this?"
"Yes."
"Wow. You're an angel." She whispers.
"I think you have me confused with you." I tell her, pulling her hand to my mouth and kissing her palm. Her eyes dart over to my hand when I touch hers, and she smiles hugely.
"Come on, old man, race you to the house." She sings at me and I laugh loudly. She doesn't make it two steps before I throw her over my shoulder and run with her up the beach.
"Carlisle!" She laughs. "My first time traveling at vampire speed and I'm staring at your butt…not that it's a bad view." She mutters and I bark out a laugh.
"Come on, you vixen." I tell her, setting her on her feet on the front deck of the house.
Edward and Bella's beach house is a two story with tall ceilings and it's a perfect mix of the two of them. The whole front of the house facing the beach is glass, and it looks impersonal and cold until you pair it with the dark wood and teal accents that are everywhere. I give Esme a small tour, showing her the important rooms. She gawks at the living room and all of the windows that showcase the beauty of the private beach. The small kitchen makes her laugh because as vampires we really don't need one, but they put in a small one so the contractors wouldn't be suspicious. Our bedroom is on the second floor. It's one of the many guest bedrooms, but it has an amazing view. Bella and Edward's only request as we stay here is that we not sleep in their bedroom, which I absolutely understand. I don't want anyone else in the bed that I share with Esme, either. Our room is mostly white with royal blue accents. It has a wood burning fireplace and a massive bed that takes up one whole wall. The best part is the wall of glass across from the bed. We can lay here and watch the sun rise and set every day.
"Wow." Esme says when she sees our room and I have to agree with her. It's beautiful. "I've always wanted to sleep under the stars. This is pretty close."
I lead her into our ensuite and her jaw almost hits the floor. The double sink, and walk in shower are all beautiful, but what has my love's attention is the large tub in front of a picture window that showcases the ocean perfectly.
She sighs and looks up at me with dreamy eyes.
"I want to stay here forever."