Chapter 50

Edward and Bella walked by the office where Carlisle typically did paperwork or other work related projects. Esme sat at his desk reading a short stack of stapled papers. The expression on her face made Bella turn to Edward.

They headed downstairs before Bella turned to him, "What was Esme reading?"

"A letter."

"Good or bad?"

"It was from Carlisle," he explained, " Every now and then he writes her a letter to let her know how much he loves her." The second the words left his mouth, Edward knew what Bella was surely thinking. "Are you wondering why I don't do that?"

She shook her head, "No, no."

"I play you love songs," he told her.

"I know. Everyone has their own things they do for each other. I wasn't thinking that at all."

He gave her a sly smile and a look to see if she was telling the truth.

Bella smiled, "Edward, I'm not lying."

He put his arm around her and kissed her on the top of the head.

"How long as Carlisle been doing that?"

"Since they met."

"Does Esme still have all of them?"

He nodded, "They fill up tons of boxes."

"Wow."

"Me and Alice went through them once when they were both gone," he admitted with a little laugh.

"Really?"

He nodded, then looked up and saw Esme about to come downstairs.

"I heard that Edward," she said with a smile.

"I thought you might have," he said, "I thought about it after I said it."

"So when we this?"

Bella tried not to laugh at Edward's uncomfortable look. Esme shook her head lightly, "Wait until I tell Carlisle."

Alice and Jasper had apparently been listening in on the conversation and entered the room.

"Esme, it was out of curiosity," Alice admitted, "And if I do say so, they were all breathtakingly sweet."

Bella and Jasper smiled at each other, "Our significant others are a little sneaky," Jasper said to her.

She looked at Edward, "I guess so."

"Don't say anything to Carlisle," Edward said, trying to sound nonchalant.

"I'm telling him, Edward," Esme teased.

"Anything juicy in those letters?" Emmett called from somewhere in the house.

Bella laughed.

"Juicy?" Masen asked, apparently in the same room as Emmett.

"Forget it," Emmett told him.

"It's not like I didn't know what they said already from your thoughts, Esme," Edward protested.

"Then why'd you two feel the need to read them?"

Alice and Edward looked at each other and smiled.

"Curiosity," Alice repeated, "We didn't know what all of them said."

Carlisle entered through the front door and hung up his jacket, "Hello."

Everyone stared in his direction without saying much. He looked down at himself, feeling somewhat selfconscious, "What?"

Emmett and Masen entered the room with Rosalie just behind them, "Alice and Edward read your love letters to Esme," Emmett said with a laugh.

Bella suddenly wanted to know what some of them said.

"Hey, Rose," Masen said, now on Emmett's shoudlers, "This guy ever write you a loveeee letter?"

Emmett looked up toward him and Rosalie flicked Emmett, "No. He hasn't."

"Ever?"

"Ever," she said with a smile.

Emmett spun around to face her, "I tell you every day."

She laughed again, which surprised everyone. Edward, in particular, was sure she would immediately go on the offensive. "I know. We have our own ways," she said to him, similar to what Bella told Edward.

Carlisle joined them all and slid an arm over Esme's shoulders.

"Sorry Carlisle," Alice said, "But it's just in my nature. I can't read minds like Edward, so when he told me you wrote all your feelings out, I figured I had to check it out."

Carlisle smiled and looked at Esme, then to Edward who looked away. He shrugged, but didn't say anything. Edward could see in his thoughts that he wasn't at all mad, but just didn't have much to say about the situation.

Alice chuckled to herself and everyone looked in her direction.

"What's so funny?" Jasper asked, eager to know.

"I'll tell you later," she told him.

Everyone else was intrigued.

"You can't do that," Masen said, "You have to say now that you already laughed." Esme thought he was becoming a little more like Emmett every day in his personality. It was something she didn't mind at all, considering Emmett was so easygoing and rarely stressed out. It was comforting.

Alice looked to Edward, who smiled, knowing what she was thinking. They both looked at Bella.

"What?" Bella asked concerned.

Alice laughed a little more, causing smiles around the room.

"Alice." Bella said sternly.

"Leave poor Bella alone," Esme said.

Masen looked at Carlisle and pointed to his own eyes, "Dad."

Carlisle realized that his eyes must have been black. He was beginning to get the hunger pains in the back of his throat, "Thanks Mase," he said, "I do need to hunt."

"I'm coming," he said eagerly and hopped down from Emmett's shoulders.

Esme looked at Carlisle with a smile, and he knew it was because of the letter he'd written her earlier. Her dark eyes matched his.

Masen crawled his way up Carlisle's back, "Let's go. Let's go."

Rosalie and Emmett decided to join, and the five of them left the house and headed for the woods.

"Can you tell me now, Alice?" Bella asked.

"I had a vision quick of you going through the box of letters."

Edward smiled, "Miss innocent."

Bella laughed, "I kind of do want to know now that you guys do, but I wouldn't want to like, spy, or anything."

"Of course you would, Bella," Alice said grabbing her by the hand.

"What? No." Bella protested.

Alice quickly grabbed Esme's latest letter from Carlisle. Bella immediately felt guilty, but decided it wasn't that bad, despite the discussion they'd just had. The four of them gathered around as Alice read it out loud.

Esme,

I know you already know, but you are my world. Without you, I don't know what I would do. My life before you was filled with pain and lots of memories that I wish would disappear, but I do not regret any of them because they've lead me to where we are today. I owe my happiness, my life and my heart to you. You're the most beautiful creature I've ever laid eyes on, inside and out. The greatest accomplishment in my life has been doing the impossible, and creating another life with you. Masen is the most amazing gift you could ever give me, and if I were to die today, I'd die happy knowing that you've been able to feel the joys of raising a child of your own. You're a wonderful mother, an amazing wife and truly the love of my life. I love you with everything I have, and there would be no way to make it through this life without you. I owe you my life. I love you.

Love,

Carlisle