CPOV
"Hey old man!" Emmett yells barreling through my office door. "I hear you need help picking some special jewelry for your future ball 'n' chain. Lucky for you I'm the ring king." He takes a seat in front of me and slaps his feet right on my desk.
"Shhhh" I hiss at him. "I would prefer my intern not know I'm going to propose before Esme does."
"Emmett you're an idiot." Edward scoffs walking into the room and rolling his eyes. Jasper follows close behind him, but stays quiet like I figured he would—he's not one to get involved in his brothers' fights.
"Sorry" Emmett grumbles. "I'm just excited."
"Do the girls know you're here?" I ask Edward.
"No. They think we all went hunting. Rosalie was a little perturbed that we left a day early for an all boys hunting trip, so when all of this is over you get to explain it to her."
"Oh boy." I grumble and Edward laughs.
"Okay let's go. Esme thinks I'm in conferences all day. I have until 8:00 tonight to get home. We'll need to go to Seattle and maybe Portland so we need to get moving."
"Alright daddyo. Eddy you drive." Emmet says throwing his arm over my shoulder and tossing Edward the keys. He laughs as Edward growls at his appointed nickname.
I don't know what I was thinking having these three baboons help me pick out Esme's engagement ring, but I couldn't ask the girls. I want the ring to be Esme's style not anyone else's; these boys don't have any style.
"Hey!" Edward scoffs. I nod my head over to Emmett, and Edward takes one look at him before nodding.
I laugh as I claim the front seat of Emmett's jeep, and we all pile in before Edward starts toward Seattle.
"All of these stores suck." Emmett grumbles as we walk down a busy street in Seattle. I can't help but agree with him. It's after noon and we've been shopping for hours. Everything we've found has been replicated a hundred times and every engaged young woman today has one. I want Esme's ring to be perfect and unique, and I don't care how long I have to look.
"Carlisle why don't we start looking for at private jewelry stores instead of these big chains. They're more likely to have a more diverse selection." Jasper suggests.
"There are two close by." Edward says looking at his phone.
"Than let's go." I tell them and gesture for Edward to lead the way.
The first store we enter is called "Ring My Bell". They have some nice stuff, but mostly small diamonds and odd settings. The next store is about a block away and it's called "Greater than Gold". The bell above the door alerts the salesman that we've entered, and he appears from a back room. He's almost as short as Alice with white hair and half moon glasses. He's impeccably dressed in a full suit and deep purple tie.
"Hello. My name is William Pruitt III. How may I help you?"
His fake english accent makes me want to laugh but I don't have the chance.
"Hey Willy." Emmett says leaning against the glass counter. "My father here is looking for an engagement ring for his woman. Everywhere we've been has been crap."
"Well I'm sure we can help you, Mr…"
"Cullen." I answer before Emmett can. "Carlisle Cullen. I'm sorry about my son. The other stores were very nice, but didn't have a unique selection that I'm looking for."
"Well I think we might have something for you, sir."
He turns and walks over to one large glass case.
"This holds our selection of engagement rings, and in the next section we have some historical and period pieces that might interest you."
"Let's look at those first." I tell him. I would love if Esme's ring was old fashioned and had a history behind it.
William was right: this section is for me. The rings are gorgeous and are exactly what should be on Esme's finger for the rest of eternity.
"Can I see that one?" I ask pointing to one in the back.
"Certainly." William slips on a glove before pulling out the ring I just spotted. "This is a piece from the 1930s. It has a rich history. An Italian man fell madly in love with an American woman, but the war kept them apart. He snuck out of his country and sold everything he had to buy her this ring. When he made it to America, he found her and asked for her hand in marriage. She happily accepted his proposal, but her family did not approve of the match so the couple ran off together. They were married in a small church with the pastor and his wife as witnesses and eventually had seven children. They lived long lives and died with hours of each other in the bed they had slept in their whole lives."
"Wow" I breathe. This is the ring. I have to have it.
"That's the one." Emmett whispers just loud enough for me to hear. His face is serious and I know he's right.
"I'll take it."
"Are you certain, sir?" William asks surprised.
"Yes. I'll need to have it sized and I can pick it up later."
"Sir…" William leans in close and whispers "this ring is over $10,000."
"I'm aware of that William. I'll take it and I want that sizing done today."
"Of course sir. No problem. What size is the beautiful lady?"
"She needs a size 7."
"Of course, sir. I will have that ready for you in 2 hours."
"Wonderful. I'll bring the full amount when I pick it up."
"Thank you very much, Mr. Cullen."
"Thank you, William."
I nod at him in parting and step outside.
I lean against the brick of the building and take a deep breath. I found the ring.
"It's perfect Carlisle." Jasper tells me and rests a hand on my shoulder.
"It really is." I grin widely at him and he smiles softly.
"What are we gonna do for 2 hours?" Edward complains.
"I don't know about you guys, but I'm going to Victoria's Secret. Buy some stuff for my girl to wear tonight." Emmett says.
"Ew." Jasper remarks and I laugh.
When I pull in the driveway, the house is lit up like a lighthouse guiding me to my angel. The boys went back to be with their mates so they can all travel together tomorrow. I can hear music playing from inside the house, so Esme is probably cleaning. She likes to dance and sing around the house while she cleans, and it's the cutest thing I've ever seen. I asked her to let me do all of the cleaning because I don't want her breathing in all of those harsh chemicals, but she insisted so we searched high and low for safe cleaning products for her to use. I understand that Esme is independent, in fact, it's one of the things I love about her, but the vampire side of me says to take care of her in every way so she doesn't have to lift a finger. I think my protective instincts are heightened because she's pregnant—she's carrying our baby in her fragile body, a million things could go wrong—and also because she's away from me most of the day now. I know for a fact that the safest place for her is right next to me, that's why I begged her for a home birth. I trust no one else with her safety.
I check to make sure Esme's ring is safe in my pocket before stepping onto the porch. I need to put it in my safe right away. Esme's music is so loud that she doesn't hear the front door open. She's in the kitchen and I rush upstairs to put away her ring.
When I come back into the kitchen, Esme is standing on a chair cleaning the tops of the cabinets.
"Hey clumsy Cathy." I grab her by the waist and set her on the floor. "You shouldn't be standing up there like that. It's not safe. If you need something up there, just tell me."
"I was just dusting." She huffs. "All of the cobwebs and dust up there was bothering me."
"Let me take care of it."
"I'm not helpless." She grumbles and I squeeze her waist.
"Oh I know that…but when you're in danger, I can't think; even if you are the one causing the danger. I can't breathe thinking about what could happen to you when you put yourself at risk. Please…just let me dust the cabinets."
"Okay." She whisper putting a hand on my cheek and kissing me softly. "How was your day?" she asks changing the subject.
"It was fine. Boring."
"Did your conferences go well?"
"Yes. Doctors like to get up in front of other doctors and boast about their research. It makes for a long, boring day."
"Well than it's good that you have a long weekend. Lots of time to have fun."
"I am looking forward to that. Are you excited for the photos tomorrow?"
She nods and bounces excitedly in my arms.
"The girls and I talked on the phone for hours today and we were able to pick out all of my outfits. I have yours laid out as well."
"I'm sure it will be great. Just remember, don't let the girls roll over you. This is your pregnancy and your photos. You do what you want, not what they pressure you to do."
"I know, Carlisle. And she's not just mine, she's ours."
Our hands meet on her belly and I grin at her as Peanut kicks wildly at our hands.
"Oof." Esme groans. "Easy on the kidneys, little one."
"Baby be gentle to mommy." I whisper to her belly and she immediately calms.
Esme laughs.
"She's such a daddy's girl. What are we going to do once she's here and all she wants is for you to hold her?"
"Isn't it obvious? I'm going to hold her all day, every day if she wants."
She laughs again even though I'm completely serious. I would give my girls anything they needed even if I had to bend over backwards to do it.
"Come on, silly man. I need a shower, and I think I'll need some help."
The little minx doesn't know how tempting she is.
"Mmm it does sound like you are in an unfortunate predicament, love. Lucky for you I'm more than willing to give you some assistance."
She giggles when I pick her up and run upstairs with her in my arms. Our last sexual experience ended with her crying naked in the closet, so I set her down on the bathroom floor and let her lead the rest. She senses my apprehension and wraps her arms around my neck.
"I don't want you to be afraid of me. Our lovemaking is the purest thing in our lives, and I don't want you to second guess it."
"I know, angel. I just want to make sure I know what you enjoy and what you don't. I never want to do anything to hurt you again."
"Well.." She whispers huskily "this doesn't hurt." Her lips press against mine and and her tongue comes out to taste me. My body is a bundle of nerves and she's stroking every single one of them just right.
"I believe there was something mentioned about a shower." I whisper against her lips.
She giggles and leans over to turn on the water. The shower in my bathroom is a walk-in shower with no door. There are two shower heads on opposite ends and a bench along one wall, but there is no way am I letting Esme out of my arms to use the other side.
It only takes a few seconds for me to shed my clothing, but I like to take my time removing Esme's. I kiss every inch of pale skin that is exposed to me until she's beautifully bare. Her belly swells out from between her hips, and I'm in awe of her beauty. I'm reminded that we are standing in the cold bathroom naked when goosebumps erupt on her skin.
"Come on love. Let's get warm."
I pull her under the hot water and enjoy watching the droplets roll over her skin. I grab her shampoo and pour some in my hands before combing it through her hair. My fingers massage over Esme's scalp and she moans in pleasure. Leaning her head back, she lets the water fall over her head and rinse her hair as my fingers shake the suds off of her. Once she's rinsed, I repeat the process with her conditioner and let it soak in as I grab her body wash. Her loofah hangs pointlessly on the shower wall as I lather her soap in my hands. Why would I ever pass up the chance to run my hands along her skin? Starting at her shoulders I gently massage the soap across her skin. She moans when I grab her breasts in my hands, feeling the weight of them before letting go and rubbing her nipples; they pebble and harden under my touch and I relish how her body responds to me. Regretfully I have to let go of her breasts before moving onto the rest of her body. Her sweet belly gets a lot of attention before moving further down to her legs and her adorable feet. I'm on my knees in front of her and I twirl my finger around in a motion for her to turn around. She smiles doing as I asked and before I know it her beautiful backside is in front of my face. I know she has problems with touching that area, so I save it for last. My hands move up the back of her legs and around to her hips before coming around to her upper back. I rest my hands on her shoulders and massage gently making sure to rub all of the knots out. Esme moans and her head lolls onto my shoulder. Once she's beautifully relaxed, I let my hands glide back down the center of her back. The dimples at the base of her spine call to me, and she shivers when I run my fingers across them.
"Esme, can I wash you everywhere?"
She hesitates briefly before nodding.
"Just be gentle."
"Always love." I whisper and kiss just below her ear.
I gently move my hands over her round backside and groan at the feel of her in my hands.
"You feel so good, angel."
I pay loving and gentle attention to her backside before moving between her legs. She moans when my fingers slide through her folds, and I moan in return. She's more than perfect; she's everything.
I don't do any more than clean her before reaching up and detaching the shower head from the wall to rinse her body. She jumps when I aim the water between her legs and I smile. When the conditioner is combed out of her soft hair she hugs me around my waist to rest her head on my chest. My skin has warmed from the water, and I love being able to hold her without worry of her being cold.
I don't know how long we stand their completely bare just holding each other before the water starts to run cold.
"Come on, love. Let's go to bed."
I dry both of us before picking Esme up and carrying her to bed.
She curls into my side and I run my fingers through her wet hair. It's amazing how much I love just…being with her. There's nothing in this world that compares to it.