A/N: Thank you for continuing to read and for all the sweet reviews.

I'm glad I was able to get this chapter out as quickly as I promised! I hope you enjoy it!

Disclaimer: I don't own these characters (or all the song lyrics I use).

Song for chapter: At Last by Etta James

At last, my love has come along

My lonely days are over

And life is like a song

Oh, yeah, at last

The skies above are blue

My heart was wrapped up in clovers

The night I looked at you

I found a dream that I could speak to

A dream that I can call my own

I found a thrill to rest my cheek to

A thrill that I have never known

Oh, yeah when you smile, you smile

Oh, and then the spell was cast

And here we are in heaven

For you are mine

At last

Esme POV

Overwhelming joy and sleep did not mix. It took a long time for me to fall asleep and even after I did, it wasn't peaceful and I still woke up very early. I tried to stay in bed as long as possible since I knew I might disturb Carlisle and Emmett, but eventually, I just couldn't stay still and had to get up.

I still couldn't believe how well everything was going for us. I expected something to get in our way, but so far nothing had. For once, I didn't need to just hope for what I wanted in the future. Now I could actually do something about it.

It was a miracle that Charles had signed the divorce papers and gave up his rights to Emmett. I knew he was basically backed into a corner with the deal we had to offer. He would have been a fool to turn it down, but I really wasn't sure if monsters had any common sense. His only redeeming quality in my mind was that he gave my son a better life. When he signed the papers, he freed Emmett from a life of pain and fear and for that I was actually grateful.

I tried to busy myself by quietly straightening my room, but apart from making the bed, there wasn't much to do. I finally gave in and went to the kitchen to make breakfast. I was hopeful that I wouldn't disturb Carlisle, but he was going to wake up soon anyway to go to work.

My happiness from the day before had not waned at all. A cheerful song was in my heart, and I couldn't help but hum as I mixed pancake batter to cook for our breakfast. My activity in the kitchen soon woke Carlisle, and he joined me.

I could feel the joy radiating off of him as he stood behind me and wrapped me in his arms. His smile matched mine, and we could still communicate everything we needed to say while remaining silent.

After Emmett was awake, I noticed that all the positive feelings surrounding him were having an effect. He was normally a happy baby, but even he managed to become happier. He offered more smiles and was much more agreeable during breakfast.

Our long weekend continued along in the same blissful way. Every minute we spent together as a family was enjoyable: from playtime at the park on Saturday, church together on Sunday, and spending the day inside on Monday.

The only damper in the mood came on Tuesday. Carlisle shift was changed for the week. Instead of working during the morning and early afternoon, he was working from late afternoon to around midnight.

It was nice having Carlisle around during the day, but I couldn't help but miss our evenings together. Our time on the couch every night was when we reconnected and talked after spending the day apart. Even though we didn't spend the day apart, our only alone time was when Emmett was napping.

Our evenings also provided a time to relax and get ready for bed. I found it difficult to wind down by myself, especially on the first night. Part of it was because I worried about Emmett waking up and having to take care of him by myself since Carmen couldn't come and spend the night. It was getting easier for me to work with the cast, but I still couldn't do everything like I used to.

Another part of the problem was that the apartment seemed incredibly empty and lonely without Carlisle there. I tried to stay up and wait on him to get home, but since we always woke so early, I was exhausted long before he returned.

I knew Carlisle recognized my unease about the situation. On Wednesday morning, I woke up and was very surprised when I saw a vase full of red, white, and pink roses sitting on my dresser. I immediately jumped up to get a closer look. The card was perfect, simply expressing his love for me, and the roses smelled wonderful. The trend continued all week with me waking up to a lovely flower arrangement. I told Carlisle that even though I loved his gesture, he didn't have to keep buying me flowers. He simply shrugged his shoulders kissed me senseless, effectively ending the conversation.

There were some nice elements to the change in schedule. Emmett loved having Carlisle around more. We continued to wait for Carlisle to be acknowledged as "Daddy," but so far it hadn't happened. We weren't discouraged though, because we knew the love was there even if the word wasn't. The extra time together could only help it to happen.

I thought it would be nice to eat lunch together, but that only happened on Wednesday and Thursday.

On Monday night, Carlisle vaguely explained that he wanted to take Emmett out to lunch the next day. I would never deny them time together, but I really didn't want to eat alone. Carlisle suggested that I call Liam's wife Siobhan to see if she wanted to join me for lunch. I had been thinking about talking with her, and had decided to meet with her at least once just to see if it was right for me. Carlisle thought that a neutral territory might be best for our first meeting, and a lunch date provided a great opportunity. When I called, Siobhan seemed to be happy to hear from me, and even though it was short notice, she readily agreed to meet me for lunch.

We met the next day, and I was very happy I had agreed to meet her. Siobhan was as lovely as her husband, and I could tell she truly cared about helping women and children. I was still slightly hesitant, so I asked her what we would discuss if I started meeting with her officially. She eagerly explained that we would talk about whatever I was feeling during our time together, along with how to deal with my emotions and feelings about anything that had happened in my past. She also said that I could have Carlisle come with me some of the time if I wanted him to. Truthfully, it didn't sound bad at all, and I agreed to call her soon to set up a time for us to meet. The rest of our lunch was spent in cheerful conversation, and I was starting to consider Siobhan a very good friend.

On Friday, Carlisle was mysterious once again. This time, he went on an outing by himself while Emmett and I ate lunch with Maggie. She seemed excited about something, but I just attributed it to her being included in our bubble of joy that seemed to constantly surround us and the fact that she was always peppy.

When Carlisle left for work in the afternoon, he was acting different. He seemed to be anxious and preoccupied about something, and I wondered if something was wrong at work. I then decided I was paranoid because I knew Carlisle would talk to me if he had a problem.

I only became suspicious when Carmen showed up a few minutes after he left. She immediately pulled me into my room and started rummaging through my closet. A look of recognition crossed her face and then she pulled me back out of my room and into Carlisle's bathroom. When she left me sitting on the toilet, I was frozen not knowing what to do or say. I was surprised by how she was acting, even more so when she returned with a curling iron and a can of hairspray.

I tried to ask her what was going on, but she would just shush me or say something to Emmett who was playing with some toys on the floor. I finally decided to just sit through whatever was happening.

Carmen spent about an hour curling, pinning, and spraying my hair. When she was finished, she let me look in the mirror, and I was amazed by the result. Part of my hair was pinned back glamorously and the rest hung on my shoulders in beautiful curls. After I finished admiring the style, Carmen started to work again; this time on my make-up. She kept it fairly natural with a little bit of eyeliner, shadow, and mascara. The small amount of blush she put on my cheeks accentuated the glow my face had already.

Once my appearance was approved, Carmen picked up Emmett and led me out of the bathroom back into my room. She went to the closet and pulled out one of my new dresses. I now knew for sure that Carlisle was behind this. The dress she chose from the closet was one Carlisle had picked out while we were shopping. It had seemed too fancy, and I told him I would never have a use for it. He told me he wasn't too sure of that and bought it anyway.

She forced the dress into my hand with the instructions to put it on. I grabbed a strapless bra out of my draw before heading to the bathroom to do as she asked before returning to Carmen so she could help me with the side zipper. After I was dressed, she placed her hands on my cheeks, smiled, and kissed my forehead before allowing me to look in the mirror.

When I saw my reflection, I almost gasped. The dress was beautiful and suited me. It was black, one-shouldered, and ruched at the waist with the skirt draping to my knees. My hair and make-up were flawless, and even though I still had no idea what was going on, I couldn't help but be excited. Carmen helped me put in my new earrings, and after putting on a pair of high-heeled silver sandals, the ensemble was apparently complete.

I followed Carmen into the living room and sat down on the couch. She sat Emmett down in my lap and then went back down the hallway.

"Emmett, your Nana is crazy, but I think she and Daddy are up to something," I whispered to him and tickled his belly. He laughed until I stopped and then went back to playing by himself.

The questions were swirling around in my mind. What was this about? Why was I dressed up? Carlisle was at work, so who was I going out with? Is Carmen taking me somewhere? If she is, then why isn't she dressed up?

After a few minutes, I heard the door opening. More questions started to pop into my mind, but then Carlisle walked into the room, and I couldn't remember a single one. He looked incredibly handsome. He was wearing a black suit, white button down shirt, and a black and silver striped tie. My mouth almost dropped open at the sight of him, and he appeared to only have eyes for me. When he saw me, his eyes lit up and he crossed the room as quickly as possible.

I immediately jumped off the couch to meet him, and he pulled me into his arms.

"Esme," he sighed into my ear, "you look breathtaking, sweetheart. Absolutely beautiful."

"You look so handsome," I whispered back to him. "But what are you doing here?"

He pulled back, but remained holding my hand.

"We're going out to dinner tonight," he explained as he brought my hand up to his mouth to plant a soft kiss on my knuckles. "And we should probably leave soon. I made us a reservation."

"But you have to work tonight," I protested, finally remembering one of my questions. "And what about Emmett? Who is going to stay with him?"

"Don't worry. I have the night off, and Carmen is going to take Emmett to Maggie's after we leave."

With that sentence, he confirmed some of my suspicions. Carmen was in on this plan of his, and so was Maggie. This explained her excitement at lunch earlier.

"So you are all conspiring against me?" I questioned playfully.

He laughed. "Oh yes. I convinced them to help me with my plot to steal you away for the night." He brought me closer to him once more, and placed a sweet kiss on my lips. "I'm sorry we've missed our evenings together, but I plan to make it up to you tonight. Will you join me for dinner?"

I looked up at him, wondering why he thought I would ever not want to spend time together. "Of course I'll join you," I replied. "I would love nothing more."

We told our goodbyes to Carmen and Emmett before leaving the apartment. I didn't take me eyes off of Carlisle as he drove, and he laughed at me for staring. I couldn't help it. He not only surprised me by not having to work, but he was also taking me out for dinner. I could not imagine a better evening if I had planned it myself.

Carlisle treated me to a delicious meal at a five star restaurant. It was fancier than what I was used to, but I truly felt like I belonged anywhere when I had Carlisle by my side. He had reserved us a table that was in a fairly private location. I didn't like sitting all the way across from him, so he helped me move my chair until it was right beside his. None of the waiters looked at us strangely, so I assumed they were used to romantic gestures occurring.

We ordered different meals, and then took turns feeding each other from both plates. Many kisses were stolen as we talked, laughed, and ate together. So far, it was turning out to be one of the best nights of my life, and I had a feeling it was far from over.

After Carlisle paid the check, I thought we were going to go pick up Emmett, but he surprised me by driving right back home. I didn't worry about it too much since it was still fairly early and we would probably pick him up later.

When we walked in the door of the apartment, I was going to head straight to the couch, but Carlisle stopped me.

"Wait here for a moment, please," he requested softly. "I'll be right back." With a kiss, he left me standing in front of the door. I had been enjoying myself all night, but I really hated not being in the loop about what was going on.

When Carlisle returned, he smiled, probably because of my rather baffled expression. He offered me his hand, which I took, and I walked with him into the living room.

What I saw there literally took my breath away and made my eyes misty. The lights were out, and every hard surface of the room was covered in tiny tea light candles. Everything had been pushed back from the middle of the floor, and soft jazz music played in the background.

I looked at Carlisle, wanting to ask what all of this was, but no words would cross my lips. He was looking at me with such adoration and love that I almost felt like I couldn't handle it.

He gently cupped my face in his hands and leaned in to ghost his lips across my lips.

"Will you dance with me?" he asked quietly, almost as a whisper.

I still couldn't speak, so I nodded my consent.

Carlisle led us further into the room, and held me close against him with his arm around my waist. My right hand was clasped in his left, and we slowly moved to the music. The moment could have been awkward because of my casted arm, but it was perfect, which was the usual standard for the time I spent with him.

The music changed and the soulful voice of Etta James singing At Last filled the air. Carlisle rested his forehead against mine, and sang along. I closed my eyes, and simply listened. His voice was soft, and the words were so beautiful. It was almost as if they were written just for us.

By the end of the song, tears were running down my face. Carlisle brushed his thumbs lightly against my cheeks to wipe them away, and then kissed the tip of my nose. It took me a few minutes to realize that we were no longer moving. The music continued to play, but Carlisle was simply holding me. I finally opened my eyes, and they immediately looked into his. Those beautiful gray eyes were still full of the same love as before, and the sight started to make my knees shake.

Carlisle said nothing as he led us over to sit on the couch. I was ready to curl up at his side, but instead, he sat a few inches away from me holding my hand in both of his. He appeared to be nervous, so I squeezed one of his hands in encouragement.

After he took a few deep breaths, he turned to face me.

"Esme, these past twenty three days have honestly been some of the best of my life. May 20th will forever be a special day since that is the day you came back to me. I thank God everyday for you, and I'm so grateful you want to be in my life."

He stopped and took another breath. The tears had returned now, but I never once thought of interrupting him.

"We were separated for so long, but we managed to hold on to the love we share. You endured unimaginable torture, and I was incredibly lonely. Yet even miles apart, we helped each other through every day, though we didn't know it at the time. Now that we are back together, our love has grown to a tremendous level. I feel like I might explode because of my love for you; it truly holds no bounds."

He slowly slid off the couch and knelt on one knee in front of me. My tears had now morphed into full-out sobbing, and I brought my hand to my mouth to try to muffle them. I didn't want to miss a word of what he was saying.

Carlisle reached into his pocket and pulled out a small black box inscribed with the word Cartier. Seeing this only made me sob louder.

"Sweetheart, I want to cherish you for the rest of my life. I have loved you for ten years and have wanted to do this for almost as long. So, Miss Esme Anne Platt, will you give me the incredible honor of being my wife?"

His voice cracked on the last word as he opened the box. Inside was a gorgeous ring with three brilliant-cut diamonds on a simple platinum band. I could only stare at the beautiful man in front of me holding a beautiful ring. I was wondering how I ever deserved this as the seconds ticked by. It finally hit me that I still hadn't given him an answer.

My eyes popped up to his, and I saw his glassy eyes looking anxious.

"Yes!" I gasped out through my sobs. "Yes, I will marry you, Carlisle. You didn't even have to ask. My heart is fully yours."

I didn't know if he understood everything I said, but I didn't give him much time. As soon as the words were out of my mouth, I flung myself at him, almost knocking him down. He held my head against his shoulder as I continued to cry. He rocked us back and forth, gently running his fingers through my hair and quietly shushing me.

Once my emotions were under control once more, I lifted my head. As soon as I did, Carlisle immediately claimed my mouth with his. The kiss was passionate, but so tender that it almost caused the tears to start again. He deepened this kiss sooner than during our previous ones, and I was glad he did.

When we broke apart, Carlisle placed the ring on the appropriate finger of my left hand. I was surprised it fit, but apparently the swelling had gone down enough. He kissed the ring once, and then picked me up and sat down on the couch with me in his lap.

He held me close to his body with his arms wrapped around me. I tried to get a good look at the ring on my finger, but the angle of my arm because of the cast made it difficult. The side I could see looked absolutely perfect, and I never wanted my finger to be naked again.

"So do you like the ring?" Carlisle asked after catching me trying to see it better.

"I love the ring," I answered honestly. "It's incredible."

"Emmett helped me pick it out. We went through many rings before finding the right one." He gently ran his fingers over the ring. "The three stones represent our past, our present, and our future; all the times we were, are, and will be together."

"It's perfect," I whispered. Knowing the symbolism he found in the ring made it more beautiful to me.

We sat locked in each other's arms. I had no desire to move, and Carlisle made no movements either. I looked at the clock and sighed, knowing that we probably needed to pick Emmett up soon. I always loved seeing my son, but I felt like Carlisle and I hadn't had nearly enough time with just us.

"I guess we should go pick up Emmett now?" I asked.

Carlisle shook his head. "I asked Maggie to keep him for the night. We'll get him tomorrow," he whispered into my ear and kissed the spot behind it.

We went back to sitting in silence, listening to the soft much and enjoying our time together. Carlisle continued to place barely-there kisses across my face and the side of my neck. I was completely relaxed against him, and I hated to admit that I was very sleepy. All of the day's activity had taken its toll on my, and I couldn't hold my eyes open.

Before I knew it, Carlisle was standing with me in his arms, walking to my bedroom.

"No, please. I want to stay with you," I pleaded. Mumbled would probably be a better description, with my semi-conscious state, but I didn't want our contact to be broken. Carlisle nodded but still placed me on my bed. He went to the dresser and pulled out a pair of pajamas for me before coming back to unzip my dress. He turned to leave the room, and I frantically reached for his hand.

"I'm just going to go change," he explained. "I'll come back and get you."

He left the room, and I kicked my shoes off in order to take my dress off as fast as I could, not even caring to pick it up off the floor. After my pajamas were on, I quickly removed the bobby pins from my hair and waited for Carlisle to return.

When he came back, he carried me into the living room and sat me down on the couch. After blowing out all the little candles, he sat down beside me. He had brought a pillow from his room which he placed on one end of the couch. With his arms wrapped around me, he managed to lay us down, lovingly making sure my arm was in a comfortable position resting on his waist. He cocooned us in a quilt, and we lay there together in the dark, the music still playing.

I felt incredibly safe, sandwiched between Carlisle and the back of the couch. I couldn't move, and it didn't bother me at all.

"I love you," I whispered. I kissed his chest through his t-shirt direct over his heart before laying my head against it. I could feel it beating, lulling me to sleep with its steady rhythm.

"I love you, too," he answered and kissed the top of my head. He didn't need to tell me. I could feel his love in every gesture, every touch, even in the air around us.

I didn't need dreams anymore to capture a picture of what I wanted most. My dream was real and right in front of me. It wasn't long before I drifted off into the most peaceful sleep I had ever had in my life.

A/N: So there you have it! I hope the proposal lived up to everything you wanted.

I forgot to mention last chapter that I have some links for picture on my profile, so you might want to check them out sometime!