A/N: Thank you for all of your reviews and for waiting patiently for me. This week was a little hectic, but I am finally finished with this chapter!
It's also my birthday today, so in honor of that, here is a super long chapter!
Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight, these characters, or the song lyrics.
Song for chapter: Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas
Have yourself a merry little Christmas.
Let your heart be light.
Next year all our troubles
Will be out of sight.
Have yourself a merry little Christmas.
Make the Yule-tide gay.
From now on our troubles
Will be miles away.
Esme POV
The holiday season was soon upon us in full swing which left us all very busy.
Emmett was a handful by himself. Carmen still spent a lot of time with us while Carlisle was at work, but Emmett had gotten faster since he turned two. Even with two adults, it was difficult to keep up with him.
Since I didn't work, I was able to keep the apartment clean as well as cook a nice dinner for Carlisle every night. I felt bad for not being able to provide anything else, so I made sure he was well fed. Carlisle assured me time and time again that it was more than enough, so I just continued on with what I was doing.
Carlisle was still a bit reluctant to go to work every morning, but he continued to go and do what he loved. Emmett didn't have any more melt-downs which made it easier for him to leave us every morning or afternoon depending on his shift. I missed him terribly while he was at work, but we made sure to continue having our evening time together to stay connected. Carlisle was lucky to have both Thanksgiving off from work and a week at Christmas which made me excited to be able to spend the holidays together as a family.
Thanksgiving was spent at Carmen and Eleazar's house, and Kate and the gang came down to Washington for the occasion. They had had an early get together with Garrett's family in order to get to spend the time with us. It wasn't my first Thanksgiving with the family, but it had been quite a while, and I could tell that they were all trying to make it special for me and Emmett.
Carmen, Kate, and I split the cooking between us which made everything a lot easier. We decided to go the traditional route and have turkey, stuffing, and cranberry sauce along with many side dishes. We did have three grown men to feed plus several hungry kids, so we knew we couldn't have too much food.
Our day was full of good food, football, and family time. The kids had their own separate table over a sheet on the floor so their mess would be easier to clean up. Even though they were only a few feet away from us, it was nice to have a few adult moments around the dining room table.
Emmett was very happy to be spending time with his favorite playmate, Riley. I knew he probably needed more interaction among kids his own age, but there was no easy solution to the problem. Carlisle didn't want him in daycare during flu season, and I didn't want him to go at all. So much of his early life was filled with uncertainty, and I wanted to enjoy spending worry- free time with him. It seemed like the best compromise was to let Emmett play with Riley as much as possible, but thankfully, he didn't appear to have any social issues from lack of day-to-day play with other children.
Corin still picked me as her favorite person to be around, and she insisted of doing as many actives with me as possible. I braided her beautiful dark hair for her, and we also painted nails and did everything else "booty shop" related. I knew that she had been upset on the day of the wedding when she didn't get to come to the spa with us, so it was my own way of making it up to her.
Carlisle still watched Corin and me in the same way when we were together. I could understand why. Little girls were a lot of fun to have around, and I was also hoping we would have one eventually. So far, we had not conceived, but we had only been married for two months. I knew it would happen when God wanted it to happen, and I wasn't trying to rush or delay it. My only prayer was that Emmett would be potty trained before we added any babies to the family. I couldn't imagine having to deal with that many diapers at one time.
Kate, Carmen, and I braved Black Friday shopping together, and we had a lot of fun even though it was very crowded. I never took normal activities like shopping with family for granted because there had been a time when I didn't think I would ever experience something like that ever again. My family was at the top of the list of what I was thankful for, and I was happy doing anything that involved them.
I had made a list in advance to make my Christmas shopping easier. Carmen and Kate had done the same, and we were able to accomplish a lot all while getting good deals. The men were left with the kids at home, and we periodically checked on them to make sure everyone was still alive. By the end of the day, they were only a few casualties: Corin had gotten in trouble for having an attitude, Jane had been trying to climb on everything and everybody, and Riley had refused to share a particular toy with Emmett. It made him cry, and Carlisle had rocked him to sleep after that. All in all, the day was considered a success since those were the only problems experienced while we were gone.
The rest of the weekend was mostly spent together as a family. I knew every year wouldn't be like this, having the family together for both winter holidays, so we were all enjoying it while we could.
Before Kate and family left, we took the four kids to get their pictures taken together as part of Carmen and Eleazar's Christmas present. Kate and I had bought matching outfits for all of them, and they looked adorable in their Christmas plaid. We used the same photographer that Carlisle had hired to take pictures of us for my birthday, so I knew they were going to turn out great.
Saying goodbye at the end of the visit was difficult, especially for Carmen and Eleazar. We all went to the airport to see them off, and then had to go back to our regular schedules. Carlisle and Eleazar both headed to the hospital, and Emmett and I chose to hang around with Carmen.
I had noticed that whenever it was time for Kate and Garrett to go back to Alaska, Carmen always seemed a little less chipper than she usually was. Her mood was no different this time, so after Emmett was down for a nap, I made it my mission to make sure she was okay.
When I walked back into the den, Carmen was sitting on the couch under a fleece throw with a wistful look on her face. Without a word, I sat down by her side and placed my legs underneath me to curl up next to her. She immediately shared her blanket, and her arm came around me as she held me to her side. She began lightly playing with my hair as we sat in silence together. The atmosphere of the room was very warm and comfortable due to both the logs burning in the fireplace and the love shared.
"Are you alright?" I finally asked after we had been sitting quietly for a while.
Carmen's hand in my hair didn't still as she answered me. "I'm fine, dear. May I ask why you asked me that question?"
"I just noticed that you seem a little sad every time Kate leaves. I know it must be hard to have your daughter back home, only to have to send her back a few days later."
Carmen hummed in thought and pulled me closer to her. "It is hard, but she's a grown woman. I can't force her to stay here with us, nor would I want to. She was kind of a pain while she was growing up."
I chuckled softly at her joke. But then remained quiet since I could tell she wanted to continue.
"I do miss her, but you know? I always have a piece of her right here." I looked over and saw that she was pointing at her heart. "And there is also a piece of Garrett, Corin, Riley, Jane, you, Carlisle, and Emmett. You all go with me everywhere. That's the thing about being a mother. Your children seal their own special place in your heart, a place that only belongs to them. And besides, Kate calls at least once a day so it's not like I don't ever get to speak to her or the kids. I'm very blessed even if I don't have them here in the flesh with me every day."
I felt myself smile when she included both Emmett and me in her list. It still amazed me how seamlessly both Emmett and I had blended into the family. And while I was almost like a returning family member, they had been under no obligation to except my son, and yet everyone did as if they didn't have to think twice about it. I knew that Carmen didn't have to think twice about it. Her heart was just that big, a trait that Carlisle assured me that I possessed. I hoped he was right.
I knew exactly how Carmen felt about her children, though. Emmett truly had a special hold on my heart, and while my love from him was quite different than my love for Carlisle, it was just as strong. Unfortunately, her comments made questions about my own mother pop into my head.
"Carmen," I began softly, "do you think I still have a place in my mother's heart?" I tried to curl closer to her in order to hide and protect myself from the vulnerability I was showing. I wasn't starved for love and affection by any means, but I was afraid of the answer to my question. Carmen sensed my feelings and held me as close as possible short of me actually sitting in her lap which wouldn't have exactly been unwelcomed.
"I would have to say 'yes,'" she said after a few seconds of thought. "I could never imagine a mother not loving her child. As far as your mother in particular, I'm not an expert. I only met the woman a couple of times while you and Carlisle were in high school. But to be honest, after what you've told me about what happened when you moved, I can't say that I hold the woman in very high regards."
I nodded against her. I didn't exactly hold my mother in the highest regards either. She knew what Charles was doing to me, and she wouldn't do anything about it. That was one of the reasons I questioned her love for me. How could a person allow someone they loved to be beaten on a daily basis, especially after they asked you for help? I knew I could never imagine letting anyone ever hurt Emmett. It hurt me just to think about it.
"So I can't speak for your biological mother," Carmen continued. "But I can speak for myself, and I can't imagine anyone not loving you. I've already told you countless times that you are like a daughter to me, and I love you so much. Now, I have to ask you why you asked me that question."
I sighed and fidgeted with my hands in my lap. "I guess I've just been thinking about her lately. Not exactly her, but mostly my sister."
"Have you heard from her yet?" Carmen asked.
I shook my head. "No, and it's been over two months now. I'm worried about her. I know my mother and father are probably both in prison at this point, or at least waiting for a trail or sentencing, but I have no idea about Chelsea. I just hope she's okay."
"What exactly are you worried about, dear? Are you worried that your sister is in jail, too? Or something else?"
"I guess it's a little of both. I hope her husband managed to get out of business with my father, but then I also have to question why he was in the business in the first place. As far as I know, the business was crooked for a while before they got caught. So I'm also worried about her husband, and how he treats her. I only met Alec a couple of times since Charles kept me so isolated, and it scares me to think that my sister is experiencing something similar to what I did."
"Did you notice anything strange when you did see them?" Carmen asked while soothingly rubbing my arm.
"No, I didn't. That's what makes part of me hope that he wasn't involved with all of the criminal activity. I think he really does love my sister, even if he wasn't very nice to me. I know she's my older sister, but I just want what's best for her. And I want her to be as happy as I am now."
"I guess you'll just have to wait for her to come to you," Carmen said thoughtfully. "You've opened that door for her to be back in your life, so now it's up to her. The only thing left for you to do is pray about it."
"Oh, we do," I said. "Carlisle and I both do every morning and night when we pray together. I also say a little prayer for Chelsea every time I think about her throughout the day. But sometimes it's hard to let go, even when I know I have no control over the situation any longer. It's so easy to worry."
"I understand," Carmen said sincerely. "That's how we felt while you were gone. Our faith paid off in the end, though, and not only did we get you back, but we also got that little bundle of fun who will be waking up soon. Everything will work out for the best in the end, I promise."
Our conversation then proceeded to more pleasant topics. I had succeeded in lifting Carmen's spirits as well as talking through some of my worries. The rest of our day together was spent with Carmen's notebook- planning the next holiday that was in less than a month. I had a feeling that my mother-in-law's organizational skills were truly going to be a lifesaver.
Carlisle's work schedule became very unpredictable through the month of December. Normally, he would know his exact schedule for the week, but during the holiday season, it became a day-by-day thing. His schedule made making time for the social worker a bit challenging.
We tried to accommodate Mrs. Cope's schedule as much as possible since we knew she was a busy woman. Our home study was mostly complete. Nothing abnormal had come up on Carlisle's background check, and we had already finished the interview process. Our case was slightly unique. Normally, the standard for length of a relationship was one year before the courts would approve an adoption. Technically, Carlisle and I had only been together for almost seven months. We both explained to Mrs. Cope about most of our past, and she didn't think there would be any problems.
There were also two home visits. Mrs. Cope explained that she normally would only conduct one, but the first time she came was in the morning while Emmett was taking a nap. While she was able to view the apartment, she wanted to observe how we interacted as a family.
Both visits went off without a hitch, though. During the first visit, she walked through our apartment. It apartment had been child-proofed for quite a while, and Emmett had always had his own room, so there were no issues with worrying about the environment that he lived in.
The second visit seemed to be fun for all of us. After Emmett warmed up to having a stranger around, he became his normal silly self. Everything was very natural as it should have been, and it was obvious that Emmett loved his daddy very much. I had originally been nervous about the visit, mostly because I was paranoid about something going wrong. Mrs. Cope relieved my fear as she was leaving. She told me that everything was fine, and that she loved spending time with our little family. I thanked her profusely and told her that she was welcome any time.
Knowing the adoption process was almost finished brought even more joy to our lives. Ms. Randall was right about everything being straightforward, and it looked like the process would be completed sometime in January.
The weekends stayed work-free for Carlisle, which I was grateful for. There was always something that needed to be done, and we filled the days with shopping and decorating.
The day we started decorating, I was shocked to discover Carlisle's lack of decorations. His explanation was that he always went to his aunt and uncle's house for Christmas, so he had never needed any. I quickly fixed that by buying a tree as well as all the trimming for it. We had to settle for an artificial tree since I was allergic to living trees, but I made sure our artificial tree was beautiful none the less.
It took me over a week to finish everything even with Carlisle's help. Our efforts were worth it, though. The apartment was completely immersed in Christmas spirit. Just seeing Emmett's face as he looked around at everything with wide eyes erased the hard work from our memories. He absolutely loved the Christmas tree as well as all of the other decorations. He asked me many times a day to turn the lights on so he could stare at the twinkling tree.
Emmett was at a good age to finally be able to enjoy everything Christmas related. He tried to sing along with all the songs on the radio, and his efforts were precious to listen to. He also very interested in Santa Claus.
Carlisle and I included Emmett on one of our shopping trips to the mall in order to take him to see Santa Claus. Emmett's reaction was not one we expected. Since he had shown such an interest at home, we thought he would be excited to sit on the man's lap. Excitement was definitely not his first reaction. It took a lot of coaxing to even get Emmett to look at the man dressed in red with the white beard. For a while, I thought that Carlisle was going to have to sit in Santa's lap to show Emmett that it was alright.
After a few minutes, Emmett was finally convinced, and the photographer was able to capture some really cute pictures. When we prompted him, he told Santa everything he wanted for Christmas. I knew the poor man didn't understand half the things Emmett was saying to him, but he still smiled, nodded, and told him he would try his best to make sure he got everything he wanted.
The saying "as slow as Christmas" didn't apply to our lives in any way. In fact, Christmas snuck up on us, and before we knew it, we had less than a week before the occasion. Luckily, my shopping had been finished for a few days. The crowds had been increasingly horrible, so I had made it a point to not wait until the last minute.
Since we had had so many people we wanted to buy for, I was left with a large stack of gifts that needed to be wrapped. And of course, wrapping did get pushed back to the last minute.
Finally on the 21st, I woke up knowing that it couldn't wait any longer. Carlisle was already off from work and would be for a week. His presence was essential to helping me with my task; I just wasn't sure if he would be more helpful with actually wrapping or just wrangling Emmett. After lunch, Carlisle was reading a book to Emmett in the living room, and I knew it was time to begin.
"Alright guys!" I announced as I entered the room with all of the wrapping supplies. "Who wants to help me wrap presents?" I tried to sound cheerful even though I knew it wasn't the most exciting task.
"Presents?" Emmett asked hopefully as he slid off of Carlisle's lap and ran over to me.
I laughed and shook my head. "We're not opening presents, Monkey. We're just going to make them pretty for everyone, okay?"
"No presents?" he asked, cocking his head to the side and looking up at me.
"No, not today. You'll get to open presents in a few days. So do you want to help me?" I over at Carlisle, and he was smiling and nodding his consent. When I looked back down at Emmett, he had his eye brows furrowed like he was really thinking it over, and I had to laugh at his expression.
"Yeah Emmett, let's help Mommy," Carlisle said in an encouraging tone.
After Carlisle's support, Emmett nodded his agreement which didn't surprise me. His daddy could convince him to do almost anything.
Once I brought out the boxes, the three of us sat in the floor and began wrapping. I had to teach Carlisle how to do it, but he eventually caught on and was able to make the presents look fairly decent. Emmett was actually able to help out by picking up our scraps of paper and placing them in the trash.
We were working together well until Carlisle threw a wad of paper at Emmett. After overcoming the initial shock of the attack, Emmett threw paper back at Carlisle. His handful of paper was not wadded up though, and paper flew everywhere. Seeing Carlisle covered in paper made me laugh, but as soon as he looked at me with an evil smirk, I knew it hadn't been a smart move. I was soon being covered with scraps of paper by both of them, and we were all laughing together.
Our laughter was then interrupted by a knock at the door which made the paper shower pause.
"I'll get it," I said, standing up and brushing the scraps of paper off of me. "You guys are being goofballs."
"But we're your goofballs," Carlisle called as I walked to the door. Emmett then started laughing again and chanting "goofballs" over and over, which made me start giggling once more.
I opened the door and gasped when I saw the person standing before me.
Chelsea.
She was here. At our apartment. It was the first time I had seen her in over two years, but she still looked the same- hair the same color as mine, only a bit shorter, and her eyes were the same brown.
She had also gasped once the door was open, and after we stared at each other for a few seconds, tears appeared in her eyes and she reached out for me.
"Esme," she whispered with a small smile on her face.
I wasted no time in pulling her in for a hug. Seeing her and then holding her in my arms made me realize that I had missed her more than I thought. And I didn't care that she had things she probably needed to explain to me. I didn't care about anything she was going to say. The only thing that mattered was that my big sister was here with me, and we embraced like neither one of us ever wanted to ever let go.
We stood by the open door, both of us crying silent tears, and I knew Carlisle was probably starting to worry about me. After a few minutes, I heard small feet running toward me, and then go back the other way.
"Daddy, lady here," Emmett called.
Hearing Emmett's voice snapped me out of my daze. I shuffled us back a little so I could close the door, but our firm holds on one another never wavered.
"Who's here, buddy?" Carlisle asked him, and I heard him stand up and walk toward us.
"Dunno. Look!"
I heard yet another gasp, and I turned my head slightly to see Carlisle standing there, holding Emmett while his mouth gaping. He quickly recovered, and I could tell he was trying to decide what to do to make the situation better.
"Um, Emmett, let's go clean up, okay?" he suggested quietly. "Mommy has company right now."
I smiled at him, which he returned. He mouthed "I love you" to me, and then carried Emmett back to the living room.
After they were gone, I focused my attention back on Chelsea. She didn't appear to be hurt in any way, and when we finally pulled back from each other, I scanned her for signs of injury. When I found none, I looked back into her eyes.
"Chelsea," I said softly with a small smile. "I've missed you, sister."
My voice caused her to begin sobbing again, and she threw her arms around my neck and held on to me tightly.
"Oh, Esme. You're okay! I'm sorry, so sorry," she managed to gasp out between sobs.
I placed my arms around her waist and rocked us back and forth while quietly shushing her. I could tell that her words were one hundred percent sincere, but even though I probably deserved her apology, it still hurt me to see her hurting so badly.
I was afraid that if we didn't sit down soon, we would never stop crying. I didn't mind getting our emotions out, but I was looking forward to spending some time with her without tears clouding our vision.
As Chelsea's sobs slowly lessened, I led her into the living room toward the couch. I was happy to find that Carlisle and Emmett were almost finished with their paper clean-up. When we made it to the couch, I handed Chelsea a tissue and then sat down with her by my side.
Emmett immediately came over and crawled into my lap. He had a very troubled expression, and I could tell he was worried about me.
"Mommy sad?" he asked me, almost in a whisper. His little fingers came up to my face to trace the line my tears had made.
"No, I'm not sad, baby. Everything's alright." I used my arm that wasn't wrapped around my sister to pull him down so his head was resting on my shoulder. I hugged him to me and placed a kiss on his head before letting him sit back up.
"How about you go play in your room with your trains for a while?" Emmett seemed reluctant to leave me, but he his love of trains won out in the end. He nodded and climbed off of my lap and headed back to his room.
Carlisle returned after throwing the trash away, and came over to kiss the top of my head.
"I'm going to put some coffee on for you two, and then go play with Em. So if you need me, that's where I'll be, okay?"
I nodded. "Thank you, Carlisle. The coffee will be wonderful."
By the time he left the room, Chelsea's crying had stopped, and she had wiped the tears off of her face.
"So you're married to Carlisle, huh?" she asked between sniffles.
"I am. Did you get the wedding invitation I sent you?"
She nodded. "I did. That's where I got your address from. I'm so happy for you. I always knew that you and Carlisle were perfect for each other. Is it everything you dreamed it would be?"
"It's so much more," I said with a smile on my face. Just thinking about my relationship with my husband filled me with such joy.
Chelsea began wadding her tissue between her fingers and looking down at her lap in shame. "Esme, I have so much to apologize for," she said quietly. "And I would probably deserve it if you never spoke to me again."
"Chelsea, I…"
"No, Esme! You have to let me finish. I was a horrible sister, and I let you down. I should have listened to you when you told me what was happening. I could have done something…anything to help you."
"But you did help me," I interrupted. "The money you gave me helped me once I was here. You helped save my life." I took a deep breath and reached over to hold one of her hands between mine. "Maybe I should tell you the whole story."
She looked up at me and nodded. "I promise I'm ready to listen. You can tell me whatever you feel like sharing."
I decided to tell her everything. Siobhan and I had talked in our meeting about what I would do if and when I ever saw my sister again. Siobhan encouraged me to share everything, including all of my feelings throughout the years because Chelsea needed to know exactly how I felt. I had already forgiven her, but she needed my honestly as well.
My story had become much easier for me to share after months of talking through it. It wasn't easy for Chelsea to here, though, and she began crying again when I told her the details of Charles' abuse and attitude toward me. I told her about running away to Seattle, but I skipped over the happy part about Emmett and went straight to the part about meeting up with Carlisle. I knew she would have her own questions about Emmett since she had already seen him.
"I knew it," she said softly while wiping away her fresh tears. "When they brought that man back from Seattle, they said he had plea bargained out of attempted murder charges. I just knew this was where you were, and I knew he had found you. I never told anyone that I knew you were going to run. I knew that you probably had a good reason since you never tried to run before. You were pregnant, weren't you?"
"I was," I said with a large, genuine smile. "His name is Emmett and he just turned two last month. He gave me the courage to get out, to save my life."
"Did he know?" she asked.
I shook my head. "He had no clue until they were working out the plea bargain. It was part of the deal that he had to give up his parental rights. Right now, we're going through the process of Carlisle adopting Emmett."
Hearing about Carlisle brought a smile to her face as well. "That's wonderful news. I already said so, but I'm so happy about you and Carlisle. He has always been the man for you. I could tell even when we were teenagers. I'm sorry we couldn't make it to the wedding. I really wanted to, but there was so much going on. I guess maybe I should tell you about that mess."
"I'll get us some coffee, and then you can tell me," I suggested. She agreed so I stood up and went to the kitchen to pour two mugs for us. Before going back to the living room, I walked down the hall to check on Carlisle and Emmett. When I peaked in on them, they were both very involved with their play, so I quietly left without them noticing me.
I went back to the living room, sat back down on the couch, and handed Chelsea her cup of coffee. We drank in silence for a few minutes which gave us a good opportunity to reign in our emotions.
"Well, I guess I should start with right after you left," she began.
"No one tried to look for you, but I knew you wouldn't want to be found. Believe it or not, Alec was the one who questioned why none of us were doing anything, but I'll get to him in a moment.
"I don't know if you know it or not, but Dad's company was investigated. They found out that most of the business transactions were illegal."
I nodded to show that I did already know that.
"So I think the main reason they didn't look for you was because they were too busy trying to cover their tracks. It didn't work, though, and now both of our parents are in prison for God knows how many years."
This news was also not surprising. Liam had told us that they were being charged, and it was actually almost a relief knowing that they wouldn't be bothering my family.
"We didn't get to come to your wedding because Alec was being investigated as well. Thankfully, he had no idea what was going on behind the scenes so he wasn't charged with any crime. He later told me that he wanted to impress Dad and just went along with anything he told him."
"Is that why he was so horrible to me?" I blurted out, but regretted it when Chelsea cringed.
"I think so," she said while nodding. "He began doubting a little after you ran away. When Charles disappeared and was then brought back, I think he then realized that you weren't lying. Esme, he feels horrible about how he treated you. He wants to apologize, but he doesn't think you'll listen."
"Oh Chels, I would never be petty. It did hurt that no one would listen to me, but I can understand how easy it would be for people to fall victim to our father's power and manipulation."
We went back to quietly sipping our coffee until the question that had been nagging my brain could wait no longer.
"Is he good to you?" I asked softly. "Alec, I mean. Is he a good husband? He doesn't hurt you or anything, does he?"
"Oh no, Esme!" she gasped. "He's wonderful, especially now that he no longer has to worry about impressing Dad. He has changed a lot in the past couple of years, all of it for the better. I know he really loves me, and I love him."
I breathed out a sigh of relief. "Thank you for telling me that," I said. "I was worried about you for a while. I wanted to make sure he was treating you right. So where is he going to work now?"
"Well, that's one reason why we decided to fly out here now," she said happily. "Alec got a new job in northern California, and after we leave here, we're going down there to start looking for a place to live."
"Chelsea, that's wonderful!" I exclaimed and threw my arm around her shoulder. "You'll be a lot closer to us then."
She nodded quickly. "Yes, I know. And we would love to be a part of your life if you'll let us."
"Of course you can be in our lives. I guess it's time you officially meet your nephew then, hmm?"
"I would love that. I have a nephew," she pondered thoughtfully with a large smile. I laughed and patted her knee before standing up to go to Emmett's room.
He and Carlisle were still playing, so I stood at the doorway until they noticed me. Carlisle was the first to look up, and he offered me a tentative smile.
"Everything okay?" he asked hesitantly.
I nodded. "Everything's fine. But I think it's time for Emmett to meet someone."
Carlisle stood up and picked up Emmett before passing him to me. We walked back to the living room, and Carlisle immediately went to give Chelsea a hug.
As they embraced, I heard them talking quietly to each other, so I stood back with Emmett until the separated. Carlisle then went to take a seat in the recliner, and I sat beside my sister with Emmett in my lap. He was hiding his head on my shoulder, as I expected him to, but Chelsea smiled and waiting patiently.
"Hey, Monkey," I said while tickling his side a little. "There's someone here who wants to meet you."
He finally lifted his head a little to look at our guest, but then hid his face again. I laughed as he went through his normal process of meeting a new person. His little routine never varied.
I waited another minute before finally turning him around on my lap so he was facing Chelsea. She smiled and waved to him, and he looked up at me for confirmation of who this stranger was.
"This is your Aunt Chelsea," I explained. "She's Mommy's sister."
Emmett looked back and forth from me to her, and I could tell his mind was trying to figure the puzzle out. Chelsea and I resembled each other, so I hoped he would be able to find the connection. After studying us for a few seconds, he turned to look at Carlisle. Carlisle was smiling in encouragement, and when Emmett saw him, he struggled to get down off of my lap. I let him go, and he ran over to Carlisle and climbed into the chair with him.
"He looks so much like you," Chelsea whispered, and I nodded.
"Are you confused, buddy?" Carlisle asked Emmett as he rocked him. Emmett nodded and continued looking at us.
"Well, Mommy has a sister like Riley has a sister," Carlisle explained. "Corin and Jane are Riley's sisters and Aunt Chelsea is Mommy's sister."
Emmett nodded like he finally understood, and looked up at Carlisle. "Daddy sisser?" he asked.
"Aunt Kate is Daddy's sister," I answered for him. It wasn't exactly true, but the answer was close enough for Emmett since that was how he would grow up understanding.
He nodded again, and crawled out of Carlisle's lap to walk back over to the couch. He went straight to Chelsea and climbed up beside her and then into her lap.
After she overcame her shock of how friendly he was right after being so shy, she began talking to him. Emmett had a lot to tell her as usual, and she smiled and played along like she could understand everything he was saying. Eventually, he grew bored and went off to play with some of the toys that were scatter around the room.
"He's so much fun," Chelsea laughed as we watched Emmett play. "How does he have so much energy?"
"We're not sure," I confessed. "But at least he sleeps well after playing hard all day."
Carlisle, Chelsea, and I spent another hour visiting each other before she had to leave. We made plans to meet her and Alec for dinner that evening, and then she headed back to her hotel.
After she left, Carlisle and I talked about how I felt now that she was back in my life. I told him that I was happy about it, and I truly was. Since I had already forgiven her, it was easy for me to let her back into my life. I was also relieved that Alec treated her well, and I was ready to get to know him now that he was away from the influence of my father.
At dinner that night, Alec apologized to me, and he seemed surprise when I accepted so quickly. As I got to know him while we ate, I realized that he was a nice man and did appear to be the right man for my sister. The atmosphere during the meal was very relaxed after the ice had been broken and we were all on the same page. We discussed many different topics, including children. Chelsea and Alec were waiting to start at family, at least until they were settled in California. I was also pretty sure that their decision was reinforced after they saw how much work it was for Carlisle and me to handle Emmett at the restaurant.
It was hard to see them leave after dinner, but we exchanged phone numbers so we would be able to keep in contact. We invited them to stay for Christmas, but they reluctantly declined since they wanted to make it out to California. They had planned a vacation for themselves before the actually house hunting began, and I assured them that they would enjoy that area of the country since it was close to where we had spent our honeymoon.
As we drove back to the apartment, I felt even more content than I had been. Just knowing that another area in my life was cleared up brought even more peace.
The rest of the week continued to be busy. Carlisle did eventually help me finish wrapping the presents, and our tree was filled once they were all arranged.
Kate and Garrett flew in on the morning of 23rd, so we headed over to Carmen and Eleazar's to spend some time with them. The afternoon was spent making cookies with the kids. It was very messy, but we all had lots of fun making the cookies into fun Christmas shapes and decorating them. Carmen insisted on cooking dinner that night even though we were going to be cooking again two days later.
After we ate, we all sat together in the den to watch a movie. Most of the kids were asleep in various laps before it was even halfway over. When I was almost falling asleep on Carlisle's shoulder, we decided it was probably time for us to go home. Corin was had been sleeping in my lap, so I passed her to Kate before standing up to leave. Emmett was sleeping on Carlisle, so after we said our quiet goodbyes, we were able to leave.
Christmas Eve was our day to spend with just our little family. We tried to get Emmett to sleep late, but he woke up early as always. I took the easy way out for breakfast, and we ate cereal. The rest of the day was spent being lazy on the couch together, watching more Christmas movies that were on TV. Carlisle volunteered for lunch duty, which meant we had his specialty of sandwiches. I didn't mind because I was enjoying the relaxing day in preparation for the next.
When it was Emmett's bedtime, I gave him a bath before handing him over to Carlisle for a story. Carlisle chose to read him the story of the birth of Jesus for the occasion and used his Little People nativity set to illustrate. After he was asleep and tucked into the bed, Carlisle and I headed back to the living room to sit together on the couch. Carlisle turned on some Christmas music, and we snuggled under a blanket, illuminated only by the lights of the tree.
Our relaxation was cut short when we had to get up again to set out all of Emmett's presents. His big gift was a train table. Carlisle had already put it together, so we just had to carry it into the living room from its hiding spot in the guest room. After we arranged the rest of his gifts, I returned to my spot on the couch while Carlisle went back into our room. I didn't know what he was doing, but he soon came back with a wrapped box in his hand.
"Merry Christmas, Sweetheart," he said as he sat down. He kissed my temple and then handed me the box.
"I thought we weren't exchanging gifts until tomorrow morning," I said. I didn't know why he was giving me a gift now, but it made me want to let him unwrap one of the ones from me.
"Well we are exchanging the rest of them tomorrow, but I wanted to give this one to you tonight. And no, I don't want one of my presents now." He smirked at me, knowing that he had read my mind. "And this one is kind of for me, too."
I smiled and leaned over to kiss his lips before starting to unwrap the box. As I tore the paper off, I noticed that the box wasn't very heavy. I shook it slightly and didn't hear anything, which made Carlisle chuckle at me.
Once the box was open, there didn't appear to be anything under the tissue paper. I looked up at Carlisle, but he simply nodded so I moved the tissue paper out of the way. Underneath, I found a piece of paper. I quickly scanned it and found both Carlisle's name and mine along with the words "property deed."
"Carlisle!" I gasped. "What is this?"
"It isn't official, but I had Liam draw up a copy for me to give you for Christmas," he explained. "I found some land. It's close to four acres, and it's about ten minutes from Carmen and Eleazar's house. I made a bid on it, and it should go through. When that happens, we just have to finalize it with a judge and a notary public, and then we will own it."
"Our own land," I mumbled as I traced the paper with my finger tips.
"Our own land," he repeated and held me close to his side. "We can build our dream house and still have plenty of room for Emmett to play in the back yard. And we'll get some chairs and sit outside, just the two of us, and watch the stars as they come out at night."
"Oh Carlisle, this is wonderful! It's the perfect gift. Thank you." I shifted over until I was straddling his lap, and held his face in my hands. "You make me so happy," I whispered and then gently met my lips with his.
When we kissed, it was always so familiar, like we were home again. Our lips moved together like they were made for each other. After a few minutes of soft touches and kisses, the mood shifted.
"That's it," Carlisle said against my lips. "We're going to bed."
I giggled as he stood up, and a wrapped my legs around his waist. Our lips never left one another as he carried me into the bedroom without even bothering to turn off the music or the lights on the Christmas tree.
We stayed up late into the night, quietly expressing our love to each other. When we did finally cuddle together to go to sleep, I couldn't rest because of my excitement. The prospect of having our own house was amazing, and ideas ran through my head of what I wanted it to look like.
I did eventually fall asleep, but it seemed like I was only sleeping for a few minutes before I woke up to the sounds of Emmett from the baby monitor.
"Merry Christmas," I said against Carlisle's chest, placing a kiss over his heart.
"Merry Christmas to you, too," he said and kissed my head. "I guess we should go get Emmett before he tries to climb out."
We both reluctantly rolled out of bed and headed to the bathroom. After we were finished, I put on my robe and Carlisle grabbed the camera before we walked across the hall to Emmett's room. When we opened the door, we found him still lying down while he played with one of his stuffed animals.
"Merry Christmas, Emmett," I said as I lifted him out of his crib. "Are you ready to see what Santa brought you?"
He nodded and rubbed his eyes, but his bright smile showed how excited he was. We walked into the living room, and I placed Emmett on the floor so he could check out all of his gifts.
"Trains!" he squealed when he saw the train table. He ran over and beat his hands on the top of it. "Mommy, look! Trains!"
"I see your trains, baby," I said while laughing. "What else did you get?"
He slowly walked around in front of the tree, checking out his other toys, and Carlisle took pictures of all of his reactions. After he saw everything, he sat down to play for a while, and I went into the kitchen to start breakfast. I didn't cook much since we were having a big lunch, but I did make some scrambled eggs and bacon.
Carlisle managed to drag Emmett away from his toys long enough to eat, but he went back as soon as he was finished. While Carlisle cleaned the kitchen for me, I took a quick shower and got dressed in a gray sweater dress, black leggings, and a pair of black ballet flats.
After I was ready, I let Carlisle have his turn in the bathroom while I dressed Emmett. I appeased him by allowing him to bring a toy with him, but I still tried to dress him quickly. Once he was all dressed, I had to take a picture of him in his little khaki pants and Christmas sweater in front of the tree.
Carlisle was soon dressed in his own khaki pants and sweater, and he helped me load the many gifts into the car so we could leave as soon as possible. Emmett wasn't very happy when we pulled him away from his toys. His tantrum made it almost impossible to buckle him into his car seat, but Carlisle somehow managed. He eventually calmed down during the ride once we told him he was going to get to see Riley.
When we arrived at Carmen and Eleazar's house, Eleazar was waiting for us at the door. As soon as I unbuckled him, Emmett ran to the door and I followed behind him.
"Hey, buddy," Eleazar said as he swung Emmett into his arms. "Merry Christmas."
After he put Emmett down for him to run inside, he pulled me into a hug.
"Merry Christmas, E," I said and kissed his cheek.
"Merry Christmas to you, too, Ezzie. I'm so glad you're with us this year. The ladies are in the kitchen if you want to join them."
I nodded and went inside while Eleazar went to help Carlisle with the gifts. I walked toward the kitchen, but was quickly intercepted by a little girl grabbing my hand.
"Aunt Esme!" Corin said excitedly. "Come look what at what Santa brought me! He found Nana and Pops' house. Can you believe that?"
I laughed as she pulled me into the den where the boys were both playing with some of Riley's new toys. Garrett was holding Jane while she was drinking a bottle, so I told him "Merry Christmas" before turning my attention back to Corin. After she showed me some of her loot, I managed to sneak off to the kitchen to join Carmen and Kate.
We spent several hours together cooking and laughing together. By noon, we had the table full of delicious food which we all sat down to eat. Everyone ate until they couldn't hold any more, and that was before desert had been brought out. Instead of immediately cutting into the cakes and pies, we decided to go into the den to exchange gifts.
My main gift for Carlisle was a collage I had made for his office. Buying for him was always difficult since he insisted that he didn't need anything besides his family. From his reaction, the pictures of the three of us were the perfect gift, though, and I was glad he would have something special in his office for once.
All the kids received even more toys and clothes, and the adults received gifts varying from clothing to household appliances and everything in between. Carmen and Eleazar also loved the pictures we had made for them, so Kate and I were proud of ourselves for coming up with the idea.
We did eventually have dessert, and the kids fell asleep by their toys. The rest of the day was spent together talking, laughing, and eating more than we needed to. It was the best Christmas I had ever had. No worries, just spending time with the family. It was also comforting knowing that I had another piece back of my family because of Chelsea. As I sat in front of the fire between Carlisle and Kate at the end of the day, I looked forward to many more holidays we would have together as our large, and hopefully ever expanding, family.
A/N: Well, I didn't plan for it to be that long, but the chapter obviously had it's own plans! I hope you enjoyed it, though!
I forgot to mention it, but I do have outtakes planned for this story. There are four that I know of already, and I'm not sure when I will have them posted. I'll probably work on them whenever I have free time (if I ever have free time!)
I recently did some editing for my Twitter friend, Monica. If you like Bella and Edward stories, you should go check out hers (Blueking141). She has one story finished and one in progress. Her plots are great and both stories have precious Daddywards in them.
The next update should be sometime next weekend. Midterms are starting, but I should have at last a little bit of time to write.
Thanks once again for reading!