A/N: Thank you once again for all of your kind words. I'm sorry this is a little late, but this past week was a little crazy. I definitely learned that 15 month olds are not conducive to writing. Neither are all day volleyball tournaments. Thank you for waiting patiently.

This chapter is not the wedding. This is just a bit of birthday fluff. I hope you enjoy it!

Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight, these characters, or the song lyrics.

Song for chapter: Lucky by Jason Mraz

I keep you with me in my heart

You make it easier when life gets hard

I'm lucky I'm in love with my best friend

Lucky to have been where I have been

Lucky to be coming home again

Carlisle POV

I was incredibly grateful that Esme included me in her meeting with Siobhan. I went with her every week just in case she needed the extra support, but she never had. Somehow, I knew this day would be different ahead of time. Most likely, I guessed from how nervous she was acting before we even arrived at the office. Esme hadn't been nervous to talk to Siobhan since their very first meeting. From what Esme told me, she always enjoyed being able to talk about what was on her heart and receiving advice.

Once I learned what Esme had been nervous about sharing, a small part of me wanted to laugh. It was almost comical to me that Esme felt she was unworthy. I did not deserve to be put on a pedestal. We were equal partners in this relationship, and nothing could change that. I tried to help her understand that she was no different than me.

I didn't care about what happened in the past. I was not angry or disappointed in Esme for "not being able to wait for me." I knew that I had her heart as much as she had mine. The rest didn't matter.

The only person I had any anger toward was Charles. It was his fault that Esme now doubted herself and her worth. He had taken something from her that was not offered, and I felt he needed a lesson in humanity. Women deserved to be loved and cherished; not degraded and humiliated.

Esme was putting incredible trust in me to even attempt another physical relationship. She had never been with someone out of love, and neither had I. In my eyes, we were no different, and I hoped she recognized my sincerity when I told her. This would be another new journey for us together.

After our discussion, Esme's previous anxiety disappeared. My assurances seemed to have put her at ease, which had been my purpose all along. We always wanted to be honest with each other, and the truth had been what I gave her. I was glad she could now count down the days until the wedding without any unneeded worries clouding her mind.

The Saturday after our enlightening meeting with Siobhan was a big day. I set my alarm an hour earlier than I normally woke up. When it went off, my first reaction was to groan before turning over and going back to sleep, but then I remembered why I needed to get up. It was Esme's 25th birthday. I had been planning this day for a while. It was the first birthday we would celebrate together in nine years. I had left for college right before her seventeenth, and I thought about her on this day every year. Well, I thought about her every day, but her birthday always remained special to me. I wanted this day to be all about her; only her- no wedding planning, no cooking, no cleaning. Just me showing her how much I loved her and appreciated her being back in my life.

I rolled out of bed and went into the bathroom. Once I was finished in there, I headed to Emmett's room. He was still sleeping soundly when I entered the room. I hated waking him from his slumber, but he was an important in the first part of my plan: breakfast in bed.

I reached into the crib, and gently rubbed his back until he started stirring. He rolled over from his stomach on to his back, but didn't open his eyes. I decided to play dirty, and I smiled to myself as I stole his pacifier. He continued to try to suck on what wasn't there before whining softly and rubbing his eyes with his hands. When he finally opened his eyes and saw me, a large grin appeared on his face and he reached for me.

"Daddy, up!" he said, in a still sleepy voice.

I could never get tired of Emmett calling me "Daddy." It still took my breath away every time he said it. I always knew I wanted to be a father, but I never knew it would be this wonderful. It was like Emmett filled a void in my life I didn't know was there.

"Good morning, little man," I said softly as I complied with his request and lifted him into my arms. He snuggled against me, and I took him over to the changing table. I gave his pacifier back as I changed his diaper, and once he was dry and redressed, I carried him with me into the kitchen.

I wanted to redo the first breakfast I made for Esme, so I was going to make more muffins for her. I started a pot of coffee and gathered my supplies while Emmett remained still with his head against my shoulder. I would have thought he went back to sleep except he had his hand in my hair, rubbing it between his fingers. I didn't understand why he enjoyed hair so much, but he seemed to always find comfort holding on to Esme's and even mine on occasion.

I had all of my supplies gathered on the counter when Emmett lifted his head.

"Daddy, juice?" he asked, and pointed to the refrigerator.

"Okay, buddy. I'll fix you some juice." I carried him into the living room and placed him on the couch before turning on one of his Praise Baby DVDs.

"Babies!" he said happily as he watched his video. Images of babies, animals, and other scenes passed by on the screen as music played in the background. I left him watching the babies and went to pour him some juice.

When I returned to the living room, I handed Emmett his cup. He was watching intently as he swayed to the music. The video had his full attention, so I knew he would be alright while I cooked breakfast.

I mixed up the muffins, and this time I made apple cinnamon since they were Esme's favorites. I made sure to grease the pan before pouring the batter into the little divisions. I really did not want to make any mistakes. While the muffins baked, I fried some bacon for us, making an extra effort not to make the pieces too crispy.

Once the food was ready, I arranged it nicely on a tray before pouring two cups of coffee and two glasses of juice. I also retrieved a small bouquet of flowers and two birthday cards I had been hiding and placed them beside the food.

I picked up the tray and then went to get Emmett. He had been very quiet while I cooked breakfast, and I was a little afraid he had fallen back to sleep. Thankfully, he was still awake, just totally absorbed in what he was watching. I got him to follow me into Esme's room where she was still sleeping peacefully.

I placed the food down on her dresser and picked up Emmett. I walked over to stand next to Esme's side of the bed.

"Okay, Em. Let's wake Mommy," I whispered.

I leaned down to place a soft kiss against Esme's forehead. She moved slightly, but still didn't wake up. I then placed a kiss on each of her eyelids, but she was still snoozing away. I smiled to myself, once again thinking of a fun wake-up call. I held Emmett over her and let him give some kisses. After a few minutes of his messy kisses, Esme had slobber covering her nose and around the lower part of her face. She finally opened her eyes and came face to face with her smiling boy.

"Hmm…Thank you for the kisses, Monkey," she mumbled as she smiled and wiped some of the moisture off of her face.

He clapped and giggled for her before trying to get down on the bed. I held on to him tightly, though. There was still something else he needed to do.

I had been working with Emmett on saying "Happy Birthday." He was pretty good at it, but would never say it first so I knew I would have to coach him.

"Is there something you want to tell Mommy?" I asked him. He looked at me and smiled before looking over at Esme. He continued to look back and forth between us without saying anything. Esme sat up in bed, clearly curious about what he was supposed to say.

"Can you say 'Happy Birthday'?" I whispered in his ear. He looked at me and furrowed his eyebrows.

"Tell her," I said louder, nodding toward Esme.

"Happy Birfday!" he finally murmured. Esme immediately pulled him into her arms for a big hug and several kisses. He looked to be very proud of himself, and I was certainly proud of him for repeating it without too much prompting.

"Happy Birthday, Sweetheart," I said as I leaned down to kiss her. I then brought the tray of food to the bed and placed it over her lap.

She hummed in appreciation as she looked at the food. "Thank you, Carlisle. I can't believe you did all this for me."

Esme opened the card from Emmett as well as the one for me. After thanking both of us, she insisted that we all eat together on the bed. I was relieved that the muffins not only looked good, but tasted good as well, and Esme congratulated me on improving my kitchen skills.

Once we were finished, I took the tray back to the kitchen to clean up. Emmett came with me so Esme could have time in the bathroom in peace. When the kitchen was back to its original state, Emmett helped me find Esme's presents that were hidden in my closet.

I thought about what I wanted to get Esme for a long time before I actually went shopping. I wanted to make sure I got something that she would enjoy, but she was always so content with what she had. I could basically buy her anything in the world, but I knew she wouldn't want that. Material things weren't that important to us, so with every gift I bought, I wanted to make sure the right feelings were behind it and that it meant something.

Emmett proudly carried his present for Esme as we walked to her room. When we got to the door, Esme had just finished making her bed.

"Present time," I announced. Esme turned around and smiled. Emmett couldn't contain his excitement anymore, so he ran into the room and almost threw the wrapped box at her.

"Is that for me?" she asked as she sat down on the floor. Emmett nodded and sat in her lap as she started to open the box.

"That one is just from Emmett," I explained and sat in the floor beside them.

Esme quickly tore through the wrapping paper to appease Emmett. I saw her smile as she looked into the box and pulled out the coffee mug that was inside. It had a picture of Emmett on one side, and the other side said "I Love My Mommy." She slowly turned it around in her hands, examining both sides before hugging Emmett to her chest tightly and kissing his head and the sides of his face until he was giggling.

"Thank you so much, baby," she said after Emmett had settled back down. He took the coffee mug from her and held it up to his face, pretending he was drinking. We laughed at his antics, and then I handed Esme one of the boxes from me.

She shook it playfully next to her ear. "Hmm…I wonder what this could be," she pondered, with a cheesy smile.

"Just open it," I laughed. I watched, slightly nervous, as she carefully unwrapped her present. Once the paper was off, she took the lid off of the ordinary box.

Her cheesy grin turned into a genuine smile when she lifted the book from its confines.

"It's a scrapbook," I said. "I thought you might like to start documenting important things in our life. I know how much you like to take pictures." Not many days went by without Esme pulling out the digital camera at least once to capture whatever was happening around her, and I often tried to take some pictures so she would be in them as well.

I continued to watch as she ran her hands over the book. It was brown suede, soft to the touch. The front had different words on it such as "love," "laugh," "smile," "hope," "remember," and several others. The largest word, "family," was slightly larger and printed in blue, as opposed to the light brown of the others, which made it stand out.

After a minute of studying the cover, she looked back up at me. "Carlisle, this is absolutely beautiful," she said, her eyes watering a little. I could tell she wanted to reach over and hug me, but Emmett was still in her lap. I met her halfway and held her face in my hands as our lips gently touched.

When I pulled away from her, I placed Emmett in my lap so it would be easier for her to look at the scrapbook. The mug was quickly taken from his small hands in order to avoid a potential accident. This freed his hands, which was not the most ideal situation especially since he couldn't keep them off of the book while Esme was trying to open it. I placed my hands over his and clapped them together, effectively distracting him.

Esme opened the scrapbook, and flipped through the blank pages. I knew they would soon be filled with some of our newly created memories. I looked forward to the day when we could look back through many completed books together.

"It's a perfect gift," she said as she closed the cover and placed the book beside her. Since Emmett was no longer sitting on her, she rose to her knees and crawled the short distance to embrace me in a hug. I held onto her tightly until Emmett made it known that he wasn't too fond of being sandwiched between us.

Once she was sitting down again, I handed her the final gift for the morning. The white box wasn't wrapped, and I felt a little silly for even putting the gift in a box. Esme wasted no time in opening the lid. She looked at me with a confused expression when she saw the box only contained a piece of paper with the name of a photography company written on it along with a time and date.

"What happens today at three o'clock?" she asked.

"Well, this gift is a bit like the previous one. I know we have snapshots of us together as well as some of us with Emmett, but I thought it might be nice to have some professional pictures made," I explained. "It's a bit short notice, so I hope this is okay."

She nodded enthusiastically. "Of course it's okay," she said with a smile.

"Good," I sighed in relief. "I thought maybe we could take some engagement pictures, some family ones, and individual. I'm ready for our walls to be covered in frames."

"I love your ideas," she said as she flung herself at me for another hug. "And I love you." She brought her lips to mine and kissed me softly at first. As usual, the kiss quickly became more, filling me with so much warmth and desire. I only stopped the kiss once I remembered that Emmett was in my lap.

"I love you too, sweetheart," I said. "Happy Birthday."

We stood up and Esme picked her gift up and put them on the dresser as I gathered the trash.

Once everything was back as it should be, I suggested that Esme pick our activity for the morning. It wasn't raining for once, so she decided that she wanted to go for a walk. We all dressed casually in shorts and t-shirts before venturing out together.

We walked for several blocks, choosing less crowded streets to avoid large groups of people. It seemed many others were taking advantage of the decent weather conditions. I pushed Emmett in the stroller while Esme walked beside me, her arm looped through mine. Emmett eventually fell asleep during our walk. I had expected it to happen since I had woken him so early.

When we made it back home, Esme and I both showered and dressed for the day. She also chose coordinating outfits for our pictures and laid them out on my bed, ready for the afternoon.

A couple of hours later when Emmett woke up, I dressed him and then we left to meet Peter and Charlotte for lunch at one of our favorite kid-friendly Italian restaurants. They both hugged Esme and wished her a happy birthday before we all sat down to order. Before our food came, Esme opened her birthday card from our friends which contained a gift certificate for one of her favorite stores in the mall.

After we finished our meals, Charlotte pulled out a box which contained a small cake that she had made. It was the perfect size for the five of us to have our fill without having any leftovers. We sat for a while enjoying the company until we had to leave to get ready for our appointment with the photographer. Peter and Charlotte wished Esme a happy birthday once more before we went our separate ways. I felt incredibly thankful to have such good friends who had opened their hearts to Esme so quickly.

We made it to our three o'clock appointment on time, all of us dressed in clothing which featured light and navy blue. The photographer was a very nice woman who obviously worked well with children. The atmosphere was very relaxed, and Emmett smiled and laughed through the whole thing. We posed for outside shots as well as inside. The samples we were shown once we were finished already looked amazing. There were many featuring our family as a whole, some of Emmett and I, Emmett and Esme, Esme and I, and individuals. I couldn't wait for the prints to be ready for us to take home and enjoy.

At the end of our session, we both thanked the photographer before leaving. I drove to Maggie and Ben's apartment. Maggie had called me earlier in the week to mention that she wanted to see Esme on her birthday. She offered to come to our apartment, but I asked her if we could come to hers instead. I also asked if she could watch Emmett for the evening. I wanted to conclude Esme's day with dinner and a movie. I couldn't remember the last time I had been to a movie, and I knew it had been a while for Esme as well since she had Emmett to care for.

Ben was not working and we were all very happy to see him, especially Emmett. Esme had told me that Ben had been working most of the time she had taken Emmett to see Maggie, and he had missed him.

They also wished Esme a happy birthday and presented her with a bundle of helium balloons. I laughed at the idea which screamed Maggie's name, but Esme appreciated the thought. They also gave her a set of decorative candles and a thick, terrycloth robe; both of which she loved.

After making sure Emmett was okay with us leaving, we headed to the park. We weren't that hungry yet and the weather was still nice. We strolled leisurely for a while before we found the swings. Esme sat down in one and I pushed her as high as I could. Our laughter was carefree, and it was almost as if we were teenagers again. When the swing stilled, I walked to stand in front of her and we proceeded to make-out like teenagers. Maybe Esme was right. I did seem to really enjoy public displays of affection. I was just glad she didn't get embarrassed easily.

We finally headed to dinner after our fun in the park. I asked Esme to choose the restaurant and she picked a simple hamburger place since we weren't all that hungry. We sat on the same side of the booth together, our hands intertwined and her head resting on my shoulder. At one point during the meal, she pulled the camera out of her purse and took a picture of us. I had a feeling that the new scrapbook gave her motivation to take more pictures; motivation that she never really needed.

I also let Esme pick the movie, and she chose a romantic comedy we had seen advertise. It was actually a fairly decent movie which we both enjoyed. By the time we picked up Emmett from Maggie's, we were all exhausted from the day's activities.

Emmett fell asleep in his crib soon after his bath. Esme and I went to change before our usual time on the couch. We were sleepy, but I still had one other gift for her.

I made it to the couch first and waited patiently for her, fiddling with the small box in my hand. I wasn't as nervous about this gift. I had a feeling she would love it.

As soon as Esme sat beside me and curled her legs beneath her, I handed her the box.

"Another present, Carlisle," she said with a yawn. "You've given me so much already. I'm surprised you haven't brought home the moon."

"I have to save something for Christmas," I said and kissed her temple. "Now open it."

She pulled the lid off the box and removed the protective sheet of cotton before lifting the bracelet that had been contained inside. She used both of her hands to arrange it to get the best look.

The bracelet had a simple white gold band. The front of it had three gemstones: garnet, peridot, and topaz.

She held it out to me, and I fastened it for her. The bracelet was small and delicate- a perfect complement to Esme's wrist. Once it was secure, she twirled her wrist around while remaining silent.

"Do you like it?" I asked. I could tell she did from her reaction, but I wanted to make sure.

She nodded. "It's gorgeous Carlisle. These are all our birthstones, aren't they?"

"Yes. The garnet is for me, the peridot for you, and the topaz for Emmett," I explained as I pointed to each one. "And more can be added if the time ever comes."

Esme placed her hand in mine and melted into my side. I rested my cheek against the top of her head as I softly stroked her hand with my thumb. We rested together for a few minutes, and I felt my eyes begin to close.

"Carlisle." Esme's soft voice brought me back from my almost slumber.

"Hmm?" I answered, waiting for her to continue her thought.

"I just wanted to thank you for everything. This was the best birthday I have ever had, and I know I owe it to you. The day was perfect, and I still can't believe how much you gave me. Not just the gifts, which were wonderful, but the time spent with our friends and our alone time. I love you so much."

Her whole speech had been interrupted by sporadic yawns, and I knew we needed to go to bed soon. We had another full day coming up in just a few hours. After church we were celebrating with the family. Carmen was making Esme a birthday lunch for us to enjoy, and I knew she had baked her special German chocolate cake.

"You're very welcome, sweetheart," I said as I kissed her head. "I wanted the day to be all about you, and I'm glad you enjoyed it. You are so special to me, and I always want to find ways to show you. My love for you grows every day."

We went back to sitting in silence, and I was afraid I was really going to fall asleep before Esme spoke again.

"I know you've already done so much, but can I ask for something?"

"Of course, Esme. Whatever you want is yours."

"Can we sleep here tonight?" she asked. "Together? I know in three weeks we will then be sleeping beside each other for the rest of our lives, but I really want this. Please?"

She turned to look at me with tired, pleading lives. I immediately smiled. Like I would ever say "no" to her. We probably would have been asleep already if she had not broken the silence.

"Of course we can sleep here. Just let me go get a quilt and a pillow. I'll be right back."

Esme face was looked so happy once I agreed to her request. The simplest things were such a delight to her, which was one of the many things I loved about her. She wouldn't care if we were penniless, just as long as we were together.

I returned with our bedding for the night and set it up before checking to make sure the door was locked. After everything was secure, I turned out the lights and lay down beside Esme.

She was already half asleep, but immediately curled up against me when she felt my body next to hers. I pulled the quilt over us and sighed happily. I was very glad Esme had enjoyed her birthday. She absolutely deserved everything I had to offer and more. I hoped that with every day spent together, she would come closer to realizing that.

My final thought before sleep finally overcame me was simply the number twenty-one. Twenty-one days until all of our dreams would come true. Twenty-one days until Esme would be mine and I would be hers forever. Twenty-one. And it could never get here fast enough.

A/N: Picture of the scrapbook is on my profile.

The wedding will be next, and I will hopefully have it posted by the end of the week.

My classes start back on Wednesday. I'm not sure how much time I will have, but I will get it posted eventually.

Thanks for sticking with the story!