A/N: Thank you for continuing to read and review! I'm truly enjoying writing this, and knowing someone is out there reading it gives me so much motivation.

I wanted to post this chapter earlier, but it just didn't work out...but it's here now, so I hope you enjoy!

This chapter is a little bit shorter than the last couple, and I'm thinking the next two will be around the same length.

Disclaimer: I still don't own Twilight or these characters.

Song for chapter: Bless the Broken Road by Rascal Flatts

Now I'm just rolling home

Into my lover's arms

This much I know is true

That God blessed the broken road

That led me straight to you

Carlisle POV

I felt like my life had turned into something out of a fairy tale. Everything was going well, almost too well.

Esme and I continued to grow closer to each other every day. We were not the same people that we were when we were teenagers. We had both grown up quite a bit and had experienced many things. Even though we were different in some ways, it appeared that our connection had not changed at all.

We were learning things about each other all the time. I was ecstatic to find out that Esme wanted to have more children, specifically with me, and she was surprised to learn that as much as I loved my job, my dream was to open my own private practice. Our conversations mostly focused on the future, since we were both ready to continue our lives together.

My relationship with Emmett was also growing. He was totally comfortable with me, and would sometimes choose me over Esme. I teased her about it a little bit, but she was perfectly fine with it. In fact, overjoyed might be a better adjective to describe her feelings.

Our first full week together had been pretty much amazing. After we worked out our routine, the days went smoothly. Esme enjoyed spending the time with Carmen while I was at work, and I was happy that she had someone to help her with Emmett. The weekend ended with us moving Esme and Emmett's belongings and our first trip to church together followed by a shopping trip.

I loved spending one-on-one time with Esme, and it was a relief that she accepted my gifts to her so easily. I never wanted her to feel like she was taking advantage of me or my money, and I hoped she knew that it brought me happiness to provide for her.

After I had put the earrings I had bought her in her ears, I couldn't help but be overwhelmed by my love for her. I had been reluctant to further our physically relationship because I wanted her to always feel like she could control the situation and set the pace. I knew that we would more than likely be married soon, and I didn't want her to feel pressured into doing anything. But when I saw the same level of love for me reflected in her eyes that I had for her, I couldn't help but kiss her with more passion than I ever had before. Thankfully, she seemed to want it too, and that moment somehow enriched our relationship even more.

The next week slightly mirrored the first. I had Monday off again, and Esme had an appointment with an orthopedic doctor in the morning. He took more x-rays and assured her that the bones were healing well. His estimate of how long she would probably have to keep the cast was lower than the one I had given her. He seemed to think she would be ready for a short cast in about three weeks. This lifted her spirits greatly and set the tone for the rest of the day.

After the appointment, I treated her and Emmett to lunch before we headed to do the grocery shopping for the week. We once again received many compliments on our little family which made grocery shopping one of my favorite activities. Once the shopping was finished, we went back home and played with Emmett the rest of the afternoon until we had to head over to Carmen and Eleazar's for dinner.

I greatly appreciated the effort they had put into making Esme and Emmett feel like they were welcome and still wanted in the family. Actually, it probably didn't take that much effort for them. They never stopped loving Esme while she was gone, and it was easy for them to open their hearts to Emmett. They treated him no different than any of their other grandchildren, and I knew he would grow up with their unconditional love.

The rest of the week I worked the same shift. We did find a way to make my going to work in the morning a little easier on both of us. Esme had started sharing my devotion book in the morning with me, so I bought one specifically for couples. Now our mornings provided a time for us to bond as well as our time in the evenings. Our morning reading together provided us with the assurance and inspiration we needed to make it through the day.

Throughout the week, Esme and Carmen went shopping several times for things for the apartment. Stock in the Pottery Barn was looking better and better with the amount of bags from the store that passed through the doors. It was amazing how curtains, rugs, lamps, and other small touches could transform this space into something that felt much more like a home. They also worked together to repaint Emmett's room. The boring white was now replaced with a tan color, and he even had new bedding featuring his favorite animals: monkeys.

Everything was going so well for us, and it had me slightly worried. I had this nagging feeling that something was going to happen to ruin everything. Nothing had happened to make me feel this way, and I couldn't explain why I did. I could tell Esme was also feeling. It was almost as if we tiptoed around all the time, just waiting for something to go wrong.

I was worried my worst fears were coming true when Liam called me on Thursday afternoon. He requested to meet with Esme and me as soon as possible. I still had about two hours left of my shift, but I didn't care. I explained that it was a family emergency and rushed to get home. As I drove, I thought about the phone call. I could not decipher the tone Liam used; he had kept his voice expressionless. I had no idea what this could mean, and I felt myself becoming more nervous by the minute.

I realized too late that I probably should have called Esme before I left to tell her what was going on, but in a way I was glad I didn't. If I had called her, it would have caused anxiety to build up until I got home. Hopefully with me telling her in person, I could offer her better support.

When I walked in the door, an involuntary smile came to my face as I heard the laughter of Emmett, Carmen, and Esme mixed together. I walked to the living room to find Emmett being chased around the room by his mother and grandmother. After they saw me, Emmett ran right to me while the women collapsed on the couch.

"Hi, little man," I said as I lifted him into my arms. "Are you having fun with Mommy and Nana?"

He hugged me with his arms around my neck and nodded.

"Well what are you playing, buddy?"

"Catch Emmt," he replied with a grin.

I laughed at his pronunciation of his name. "'Catch Emmett,' huh? Are you winning?"

He nodded again, and I put him back down on the floor. He quickly ran over to the couch to climb up to sit in Esme's lap. I followed him and helped him up before kissing Esme "hello."

She and Carmen had both caught their breaths, and Esme noticed the clock for the first time.

"Carlisle, why are you home so early? Did something happen?"

"I'm not sure," I explained honestly, running my fingers through my hair. "Liam called me a few minutes ago, wanting to meet with us as soon as possible."

"Oh!" she exclaimed, clearly surprised. I could understand her shock. While we were living in our little fairy tale, we didn't think of the situation with Charles very often. I knew it was always in the back of our minds, but we didn't have time to dwell on it. This call from Liam snapped us back to reality.

"Do you know what he wants to talk about? Do you think this could possible be good news? What exactly did he say, Carlisle?" She was rattling off questions faster than I could answer.

"Slow down, sweetheart," I chuckled. "All he said was that he wanted to speak with us. I couldn't tell anything from his tone of voice either. But we should probably leave as soon as possible to go find out what is going on before we jump to conclusions either way."

Carmen offered to stay with Emmett while we were gone, and we were out the door within five minutes. Esme was nervous and fidgety as I drove. Her eyes, however, were closed in silent prayer until I parked the car. She opened her eyes and I smiled at her before exiting the car and going around to open the door for her.

After she got out, I pulled her into my arms and squeezed her to me. "Just remember," I whispered, "you are strong. You can handle this, and I'll be with you the whole time. Not just in there; I'm here for you always."

She nodded before pulling back to look at me. I could see her strength shining through her eyes as she resolved herself to face her fears.

"No matter what he says, we will work it out," she told me forcefully. "I am never going to be separated from you again."

I smiled and nodded. I felt the exact same way. Nothing could keep us apart now.

We walked hand in hand into the building, very reminiscent of the previous time we were here. Liam was standing outside his office waiting for us. He motioned for us to enter, and we sat in the same spot as before. Liam closed the door and sat behind his desk. His facial expression gave nothing away, so I still had no idea what kind of information he had for us.

"Carlisle, Esme," he greeted us. "Thank you for meeting with me on such short notice."

We both simply nodded in response while we sat on the edge of our seats, preparing ourselves for whatever information he was about to impart.

Liam noticed our anxiousness, so he quickly continued.

"Well I have good news and bad news. Which would you like to hear first?"

I was not in the mood to play his games, but Esme spoke up.

"The bad, please," she said quietly, griping my hand tightly.

"Are you familiar with a Mr. and Mrs. Mark and Dianne Platt?" he asked. I recognized the names of Esme's parents, but I had no idea how they fit into this puzzle.

"Those are my parents," Esme confirmed. "What do they have to do with this?"

Liam shuffled some papers around on his desk. "I have discovered that Mr. Platt has been indicted in Ohio with some of the same charges Mr. Evenson faces. Mrs. Platt also faces charges for being an accessory. Their trials have already begun since Mr. Platt is too sure of himself to take a deal. They will more than likely both serve several years in prison."

We both sat stunned for a moment. Esme had mentioned her suspicions of her parents being involved in illegal activity. After Charles was caught, it was pretty much a given since he worked for them. This information, however, cemented the fact that they had been up to no good. I was so thankful Esme had gotten away when she did and stayed away from the family business.

"So that was the bad news?" Esme hedged carefully. She had never had a close relationship with her parents, so I knew this news would not upset her very much.

Liam nodded. "The good news is that even though Mr. Platt is not a very smart man, Mr. Evenson apparently has a bit more sense."

I started to gain hope as he continued.

"I'm sorry this took so long, but for a while, it was difficult to get him to listen to reason. His lawyer agreed that our deal was the best one that would ever be offered, and after some more convincing, Mr. Evenson finally signed the papers this afternoon. Your divorce still won't be finalized for another 90 days, but he did sign so there won't be any issues before then. After September first, you should be good to go. Mr. Evenson also signed over his legal rights to your son so you're clear in that area as well."

Esme was frozen and speechless. I put my arm around her and rubbed my hand along her arm in comfort.

"You should have seen the look on his face when he found out he had fathered a child," Liam chuckled, trying to ease the tension. "I did my research on that 'prenuptial agreement' and my original suspicions were confirmed; it had no legal standings."

Liam stood up and handed me a file. I opened it and briefly glanced through the papers. Everything was here. The petition for dissolution of marriage had been signed by Charles, and was now just waiting to be finalized. The paper work was also there saying that Charles Evenson no longer had any rights pertaining to his son. After looking over the papers, I looked up and smiled.

Liam smiled back and nodded. "Oh and Mr. Evenson is currently on his way back to Ohio as we speak. So that's all I have for you," he said as he held his empty hands out and leaned against his desk.

I gently slid the papers over into Esme's lap. She finally moved enough to look down at the pages and flip through them.

"Is that it?" she asked quietly as tears slowly filled her eyes. "It's over? It's really over? I'm free?" Her voice was rising in volume, and I could tell she was almost afraid to believe it. I knew she would hate to get her hopes up only for everything to end horribly after all.

"Yes. It is over, my dear," Liam said brightly. Within the next second, Esme jumped up and wrapped her arms around Liam, crying on his shoulder.

"Thank you. Thank you so much for everything," she sobbed against him. He whispered something to her I couldn't hear and she released him and nodded.

I stood up and Esme immediately moved over to me. I wrapped my arms around her and kissed the top of her head. She looked up at me, giving me a watery smile while the tears of joy and relief trailed down her face.

"Liam," I said as I held out my hand to shake his. "Thank you for everything. If that's all, I guess we need to get back to the baby at home."

"You're very welcome," he said as we shook hands. "If you ever need anything else, don't hesitate to call on me."

He escorted his to the door and then we walked the rest of the way outside. As soon as we were by the car, I turned Esme to face me and crashed my lips against hers. Her hand was fisted in my scrub top as she returned my kiss with as much passion as I was showing her. She opened her mouth to me without my asking for it, and I was a little surprised when her tongue initiated the first contact with mine. I was more than happy to reciprocate, and we stood outside the building for several minutes, not caring who saw us. At this moment, nothing else was worthy of our attention except each other. Our long kiss ended as we caught our breaths, and I placed three soft, chaste kisses against her lips as a way of saying "I love you" before I pulled back from her completely.

When I looked at her, I noticed she looked as relived as I felt. I no longer had the strong foreboding feelings I had experienced previously. Nothing could stand in our way now of being together. In three months time, Esme would be totally free to be whoever she wanted to be and do whatever she wanted to do with no limits whatsoever. I felt so blessed that she was choosing to spend her life with me.

"We should go out and celebrate," I proposed. "I'm taking you and Emmett out to dinner tonight."

"We should invite Carmen and Eleazar as well," Esme amended, and I immediately agreed.

We drove home in silence, but the smiles never left our faces. After we were home, neither one of us made a move to get out of the car.

"You know, everything has been going so well for us lately," Esme pondered. "And when you said Liam wanted to meet with us, I just knew something bad was about to happen. I just can't believe it's really over."

"I know exactly what you mean. I was feeling that way, too," I confessed. "But we have been shown grace once more. This is simply more proof that we are meant to be together."

She hummed in agreement. "I love you, Carlisle."

"I love you, too, sweetheart. Now, we should probably get inside to see Emmett." We shared one more kiss before exiting the car and heading to the door.

As soon as we were inside, Esme found Emmett and sat in the floor holding him like she never wanted to let go. She showered him with kisses, and whispered to him over and over that she loved him and he was safe now. The poor boy looked to be very confused by his mother's actions, but endured it longer than I thought he would. Once he escaped her grasp, he went back to playing with his toys.

I updated Carmen as Esme had her moment with her son. I knew she had probably been worrying the whole time we were gone since earlier we had no idea what was going to happen. She was overjoyed for Esme, and accepted our invitation to dinner. She called Eleazar to inform him of the plans, and then headed home to get ready.

I went into the kitchen to make Esme some tea. I knew she would need something to help her relax after being on edge during the afternoon. After that was ready, I poured Emmett a cup of juice and then took them their drinks.

As Esme drank her tea, I gently massaged all the knots and tension from her shoulders until she was completely relaxed against me. Emmett had been sitting in the floor, but he soon climbed onto the couch to sit across both of our laps. He drank his juice silently while playing with some of Esme's hair. I could not think of anywhere else I'd rather be, but we eventually had to get up to get ready for dinner.

I convinced Esme to wear one of her new dresses, which she looked beautiful in, and while she was getting ready, I changed out of my scrubs and then made sure Emmett was good to go as well.

We met Carmen and Eleazar at a new seafood restaurant I had wanted to try. The food was delicious and our conversation was very lively and enjoyable. Everyone's spirits seemed to have lifted exponentially, not that we didn't normally enjoy our time during family dinners. Something was different. It was as if the gray cloud that had been following us had finally blown away, and now we had a clear path. There was more laughter, more smiles, and just more general optimism.

Emmett fell asleep in the car, so we put him to bed as soon as we got home. After I changed into my pajamas, I went to the couch to wait on Esme. When she walked in the room, I could tell she was still ecstatic and wound up from the day. Instead of sitting beside me like she normally did, she sat down on my lap and basically attacked me with a kiss. I loved seeing her like this, so happy and carefree.

"What was that for?" I asked with a laugh. "Not that I'm complaining or anything."

"I just love you so much," she explained with a smile and kissed me again. After she released my lips, she placed her head against my shoulder and sighed.

"I love you, too," I said as I rubbed her back. "And I'm glad you're so happy now. You deserve it."

She hummed and placed another kiss against my neck. It appeared that when Esme was extremely happy, it also made her very affectionate. But as I said, I had no complaints.

"That's what Liam said, too," She said and lifted her head to look at me. "When he whispered in my ear, he told me to go and be happy because I deserved it."

"See, I told you he was a good man. And he's obviously intelligent, too."

"We should have him and his wife over for dinner sometime," she suggested. "I don't think I can ever thank him enough for what he did for me, well, for us really."

I nodded in agreement, and held her tightly against me. After wrapping a blanket around us, we sat in comfortable silence as we relaxed.

"So what do you think about what has happened with your parents?" I asked quietly. Esme hadn't brought it up, and she didn't seem too upset about it, but I was curious of her opinion.

"I think that they made their bed, and now they can lie in it," she stated softly, yet firmly. "Don't get me wrong, I've forgiven them for all hurt they caused me, directly and indirectly, but I will never forget. And I think they are now getting what they deserve."

Esme was certainly taking the high road in this situation. Her parents had caused her so much hurt, much more than would be expected from strangers, let alone one's own family. It would be easy for her to harbor ill feelings for them, and I wouldn't blame her if she did. But somehow, she had managed to forgive them. I almost felt sorry for them; they had no clue what a wonderful person their daughter was.

"But I do wonder what happened to my sister and her husband," she began again. "He worked for my father like Charles did. I think he was afraid of my father more than anything else and just tried to please him. I hope he didn't get mixed up in the unlawful activity. I would hate that for Chelsea. She helped me more than she realizes."

"Maybe Liam can find out for us. Possibly get an email address or something," I suggested.

"I'd like that," she nodded. "We probably won't ever be close again, but I would like to tell her about Emmett and you of course. She'll probably be very surprised."

"I'm sure she will be," I laughed. "I think we were the only ones who truly believed we would find each other again."

"That's the only thought that helped me survive through every day," she said sadly and cast her eyes downward.

I cupped her face in my hands and kissed her sweetly. "No more 'surviving,'" I whispered against her lips. "Now you live. We live. We're going to have a wonderful life together. I'm sure of it."

Esme lifted her eyes back to mine, and I saw that the sadness was gone. Her eyes once again sparkled with her joy, and I never wanted to see it leave. We stayed in each other's arms a lot later than we normally did on a week night, but the energy was too high for sleep. I finally had to force myself to go to bed since I still had to work in the morning.

Sleep didn't claim me quickly, and I'm sure Esme avoided it as well. My mind was racing with all the plans I needed to make. Right before I fell under, one thing was cemented in my mind: I needed a ring.

A/N: Next chapter is: the proposal! ( Like he even has to ask ;) ) And I already have most of it written, so expect it in the next couple of days!