CPOV
"Esme we really don't have to do this." I tell her. "I'm almost 400 years old. I stopped celebrating my birthday a long time ago."
I've been trying to convince her that this special day she's planning isn't necessary, and I have yet to have any luck. I really wish she wouldn't put herself through the stress of…whatever she's planning.
"Oh stop worrying. This will be fun, and you can stop trying to convince me not to celebrate your birthday. I don't care how old you are, your birthday is special."
"I just don't want you to go through all of this trouble."
"It's not trouble. It's fun! We'll be doing a birthday celebration with the kids during the day and then you and I will spend the night just the two of us. How does that sound?"
Well I guess if we're going to celebrate my birthday, alone with my mate all night is the way to do it.
"It sounds perfect, love." I kiss her softly.
"Great." She smiles and puts away what I have deemed her "crazy planning notebook". She switches off the lamp on her bedside table and turns so I can cuddle her. We've found as her belly gets bigger, it's easier for me to cuddle her from behind than for her to snuggle into my side. Esme is officially 32 weeks pregnant tomorrow, and we have a busy few weeks ahead of us. My birthday is tomorrow—an occasion Esme is insistent on celebrating—and the baby shower is next weekend. Esme has put Alice in charge of that and even though the guest list is small—our family, Esme's coworkers, and a few friends she's made at the hospital—I just know Alice is going to go crazy. After the baby shower, we have to buy things for the nursery that we don't get as presents. Esme and I spent a weeks trying to decide a theme for the nursery so we could buy the essentials and we finally landed on pink and gray elephants. It's not exactly traditional, but we couldn't look away from the picture we saw in a magazine. We already have the room painted, and we have the furniture in place. On top of everything, I still have a ring in my safe that calls to me every time I see Esme's bare left hand. I've been considering several ideas for proposing, but none of them seem quite right. I want this to be perfect and, even without the ring on her finger, I know she's mine forever which helps me calm my instincts.
"Carlisle" Esme mutters in her sleep and I smile. She's been having really vivd dreams lately and it's extremely entertaining to hear them.
"Carlisle. Don't eat that." She huffs, clearly upset with me. "That's mine."
"Don't worry love, I won't eat it." I whisper in her ear. Sometimes she'll engage in a conversations with me while she's asleep.
"Good. I'll bite you." She grumbles and starts snoring. I try to keep my laugh silent as I bury my face in her shoulder. I don't know what she was dreaming about, but I know one thing: never mess with Esme's food.
As soon as the clock strikes midnight, my phone starts vibrating on my nightstand.
"Happy Birthday." Six voices yell at me and I smile as I slip out of the bedroom.
"Thank you."
"Hey old man" Emmett yells. "How old are you now? 1,000?"
"Yep and I can still take you."
"Ooo" Edward and Jasper call out, and I just laugh.
"Thanks for the call everyone." I tell them. "I'm going to go back to my woman now. We'll see you later today."
"Yep I see you arriving at exactly 1:47 this afternoon."
"Thank you Alice. I will see you all then. Goodnight."
A chorus of goodnights and happy birthdays ring out and I hang up smiling and shaking my head.
When I tiptoe back into the dark bedroom, Esme's eyes are open watching me.
"What's wrong, love?"
"Hiccups." She mumbles and I immediately know she's not talking about herself. This makes twice this week she's been woken up because Peanut has the hiccups. I hate that she's being kept awake, but I find it fascinating to watch her belly jump up and down. The first time this happened, we both got worried and we ended up in the birthing suite watching Peanut on the ultrasound. Of course everything was fine, and we worried over nothing. I never thought I would be one of those first-time parents who worried about every little thing with their kids—I'm a doctor, for heaven's sake—but apparently I am.
"I'm sorry. Is there anything I can do?"
She shakes her head no and holds her arms out for me. I gladly climb into bed and hold her in my arms. She's so tired, she's like a zombie. With one hand combing through her hair, I gently rub her belly with the other; sometimes this helps calm Peanut.
"I have to pee." Esme grumbles into my neck and I fight to hold in my laughter at her disgruntled face. I learned a long time ago not to laugh at her pregnancy ailments, especially when she's tired. I help her climb off the bed, wisely keeping my thoughts to myself as she sways into the bathroom. I love her little sway she has now that her belly's gotten bigger. She hates it and calls it a waddle, but I think she's beautiful.
I try not to listen as she does her business, and I patiently count the seconds until she lays back down with me.
"Better, love?" I ask as she snuggles into her pillow and tangles her legs with mine.
"Yeah." She sighs and her eyes fall closed.
Her belly is still and calm as she drifts off. I guess Peanut has finally settled down. Unable to keep myself away from her, I fold my body around hers as best I can and pull the blankets over both of us.
"Carlisle!" Esme yells frustrated from upstairs making me laugh because I could hear her if she whispered.
I just came inside after walking Samson who immediately goes to his bed and falls asleep. Lazy dog. He is going with us to visit the kids and then he is staying with them while Esme and I spend the evening alone.
"What's wrong, angel?" I ask walking into the bedroom.
She comes stomping out of the closet wearing nothing but a pair of nude lace panties, and my mouth goes dry. Her eyes are on fire and her hands are on her hips. She's a goddess.
"Will you hook this?" She asks drawing my attention to the nude-colored bra in her hand. "I can't get my arms around my fat body."
My jaw is still on the floor as she stands there ranting, and a beautiful blush covers her body.
"Are you listening to me?"
"No."
"No you're not listening, or no you won't help me?"
"I think we should just cancel the trip. Then you wouldn't have to put anything on." I tell her and all of her frustration melts from her face.
"We can't do that." She smiles putting her bra straps over her shoulders and holding the cups in place with her hand.
"But it's my birthday." I whine.
"Yes it is and tonight you will get special attention from me, but right now we have to go to Seattle."
She turns her back to me and sweeps her hair over one shoulder, a signal for me to hook her bra. I don't know what she was talking about when she said "fat body", I don't see an inch of fat on her. She's all belly, and it's beautiful. From the back, you can't even tell that she's pregnant.
I can't help myself as I run my hands all along her naked back before reluctantly hooking her bra.
"Thanks." She whispers and it turns into a whimper when I kiss along her bare shoulder.
"Go." I whisper and release my grip on her hips. "Before I can't stop myself."
She giggles and sways into the closet.
"I'll be out in a minute." She calls over her shoulder, but I can't take my eyes off her backside.
Once she disappears, I go back downstairs and gather up things for Samson's overnight stay. Who knew a dog needed so much stuff? Esme packed for her and I yesterday, and she fit it all into a suitcase the same size I'm packing for Samson right now.
"You're a pest." I tell him, but he just lays his head down and wags his tail.
"Everything ready?" Esme asks as she comes down the stairs a few minutes later.
"Yes. The suitcases are in the car, and all we're waiting on is you, my love."
I smile at her and she grins in reply. She looks beautiful in blue jeans and a tan tank top layered under a pink kimono-like thing that has dark pink flowers on it.
"You're beautiful." I kiss her cheek and she blushes. I love that she's still affected by my touch even after all of this time.
Taking her hand in mine, the three (four if you count Peanut) of us get into the car. Samson takes up the whole backseat and immediately lays down to make himself comfortable. The drive to Seattle will be an hour at most so he should be fine. Once Esme fusses over him to make sure he's comfortable, we're finally ready to go.
We make good time to Seattle and in about 45 minutes, we're pulling into the driveway of the townhouse. All of the kids rush to greet us—well greet Sammy and Esme— and I stand off to the side while they all hug and dote over Esme's belly. I don't mind at all. It's beautiful how seamlessly Esme has blended into our family.
Eventually I get my hugs and kisses on the cheek as they all wish me a happy birthday and usher us inside.
When we bought this house as a family, I let them decorate it however they wanted, after all, they're the ones who are living in it. The large, overstuffed corner sofa and bright artwork were obviously chosen by the girls, while the massive entertainment system and extensive video game collection were definitely chosen by the boys. I've been here many times, but this time what catches my eye is the pile of presents in the corner by the fireplace.
"You didn't have to get me anything."
"Don't worry old man." Emmett claps me on the shoulder. "The two biggest ones are from Esme." My head whips around to look at her and her face reddens.
"I had Alice keep them here so you wouldn't find them, but you can't open them here. We'll take them with us when we leave."
I narrow my eyes at her wondering what present could possibly require privacy, and my brain goes crazy with the possibilities. Suddenly Esme's gifts are the only ones I want to open.
"Okay." I grin at her and she blushes again.
"Come on." Emmett says. "You can open all of the non-dirty presents now."
Esme blushes and a loud crack rings out as Rosalie smacks Emmett on the back of the head. I just roll my eyes and ignore him as I pull Esme into my lap. Bella sets 3 perfectly wrapped gifts in front of me and I hand Esme the smallest one.
"Um I don't know if you understand how this works, but the birthday boy usually opens his own presents."
"I thought you could help me, love."
"I'm fairly certain you can handle it." She teases and hands me the present.
The tag on the gift says it's from Alice and Jasper, and when I tear off the paper, I find some black fabric folded into a small square. Once unfolded, I find that it's a black onesie and in pink sparkly writing it says "I make daddy's heart full". There's a sparkly heart in the corner and a pink headband attached at the top.
"Thank-" My voice squeaks with emotion and I clear my throat. "Thank you."
Esme gently takes the outfit from my hands and lays it across her belly.
"She'll love it." She says and kisses me.
Reaching for the next present, the tag says it's from Emmett and Rosalie. When I open it I find a camera. It looks extremely expensive, in fact, it looks just like the one Rosalie took our maternity photos with.
"So you can take pictures of the baby girl at home anytime you want." Rosalie says.
"Thank you." I tell her and turn to see Esme grinning. She's excited about that gift.
The third box I pick up is heavier than the first two. It's from Edward and Bella, and my curiosity peaks when I open the paper to find a heavy black box. When I open it, I gasp.
"No" I whisper.
The card of authenticity is sitting perfectly on the velvet and I have to stop myself from touching it.
"Yep." Edward says. "That is one of the first stethoscopes ever made. It was used by Rene Laënnec in 1918, and has been kept in excellent condition."
"This is amazing." I tell him in awe. "Thank you."
"You're welcome. I almost kept it for myself, but Bella wouldn't let me." He grumbles and Bella elbows him.
"Well thank you all. These presents are perfect." I tell them as Alice comes over with a tote bag to put my gifts in.
We have another couple hours before Esme and I have to get on the road, so we all gather around to play a board game. The kids would rather play video games or watch television, but they let me choose. Esme gets lucky and wins the game while Emmett grumbles and pouts in the corner about how she cheated. After a few hours, I'm itching to go. I want to know what the presents are that Esme put in the car earlier, and I want to know what she has planned for tonight. The kids made dinner for her so there's nothing standing in the way of us and our destination, which she refuses to tell me.
"Just tell me where we're going and it will be fine." I tell her.
"No, it will ruin the surprise." She holds her hand out for the keys and I hesitate.
"How about you give me block by block instructions? There! No surprise ruined." I smile at my genius suggestion, but she just raises an eyebrow at me and I relinquish the keys into her hand.
It's strange to sit in the passenger's seat of my own car, but seeing the smile on Esme's face is almost worth it.
"How far away are we?" I ask her once she starts driving.
"Shh..Just relax and enjoy the ride."
We drive for about an hour before Esme pulls into a parking lot and shuts the car off. I can smell the sea and know we're on the coast, but it doesn't look like there's any buildings in front of us.
"We're here."
"Um where is here?"
"You'll see. Come on."
I let Esme take the rolling suitcases while I carry my presents and go down the sidewalk. We end up at a small cabin and Esme surprises me by pulling a key out of her pocket and opening the door.
"There's a bed and breakfast down the street that rents these cabins out." She tells me simply and walks around turning lights on. The living room is small and quaint, but it's the bedroom I'm most interested in. It's dominated by a large white bed with sheer curtains around it. There are dark wooden accents everywhere, and the carpet is dark grey, matching the pillows on the bed. Esme sets the suitcase down on the floor before kicking off her shoes and climbing onto the bed.
"Ready for your presents?"
"Yes!" I tell her and she laughs.
She gestures for me to come closer and I mimic her process of kicking my shoes off and crawling into bed. We're both sitting cross-legged across from each other, and she hands me the larger of the two presents.
It's not very heavy and it feels thin between my fingertips.
"Just open it." She laughs as I try to feel what it is without ripping the paper.
I grin and slip my finger into the paper to open it.
"Jesus" I whisper when I see the framed photo in front of me. It's my angel. She's standing up wearing nothing but a sheer white sheet draped over her body and her large belly. Her hair is falling around her face which is looking down with a contented smile. The material is thick enough that there's nothing inappropriate showing, but there's a hint of it there.
"Do you like it?" She asks quietly.
"I love it. It's amazing. You're an angel." I can't even think of the right words to say.
She just laughs softly, but I can't take my eyes off of the picture in front of me.
"Don't you want to open your other present?"
I nod and reverently set the picture frame on top of the empty dresser next to the bed—propped up so I can see it.
My other gift is a lot heavier. It's a large leather book, and I'm confused until I open the cover. These are large 8 by 10 photos of my Esme. She's barely wearing anything in them, and in some she's wearing nothing at all.
"Esme" I croak.
They are so beautiful. Every photo centers around her bare baby bump and I can't help but trace it in the photo with my fingertip.
"You're so beautiful." I whisper staring at one photo of her lying on our bed naked except for a pair of black lace panties with her hands covering her breasts. Her head is laying at the foot of the bed and so is the camera. She's stunning.
"Christ" I whisper when I reach the last photo. It's a side shot of her whole body. She's standing and wearing a pair of white lace panties. The arm closest to the camera is covering her nipples while the other is cradling her belly. The delicious flesh of her breast is spilling out above her arm and I've never seen anything more tantalizing and beautiful.
"What…how…when?" I stammer out and she laughs nervously.
"After our other maternity photos while you were hunting. I asked the boys to distract you so the girls and I could take these. Rosalie helped me print them and put them in the book. I chose the one that I liked best and wasn't too revealing to frame; this way if you want to hang it somewhere others will see it, it won't be obscene."
"The only place this is going is in our room, above our bed….maybe with a spotlight on it."
She laughs and climbs into my lap.
"I'm glad you like it. I was so nervous."
"You have nothing to be worried about, angel. This is the best gift I've ever gotten in my whole life."
"Just wait, the night is still young."
"Hmmm well lets see what else you've got."