Thank you SO much to anyone who's still with me!

And a bazillion thanks to MelissaMargaret for making this pretty and to anhanninen for prereading!

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

Esme POV

As usual with our family, time passed quickly. Sometimes I wished I could slow it all down, but in this case I was thankful. Over the past few weeks, we'd been able to settle into a solid routine with Alice and I felt much more confident with my ability to handle our five children. Every day was a challenge – and I wouldn't have survived without our extended family's help – but it was the most fulfilling job I'd ever had. Our little ones seemed happy and were definitely well loved which made every challenge worth it.

And since time had passed so quickly, it was now the day of Chelsea's flight. I was excited to see my sister and have her with us until Alec arrived for good, and couldn't wait to introduce her to Alice.

"Who am I taking with me?" Carlisle asked as he stretched out on the bed beside me where I was nursing Alice. He'd already gotten up and showered, but Alice and I were just as happy to lie in bed as long as we could.

And I definitely didn't want to move now that my delicious smelling husband was beside me. He seemed to know what I wanted and scooted closer, wrapping his arm around my waist.

I couldn't resist kissing him a few times but then I remembered what he'd asked. "Well . . . I think it's Emmett's turn, but I don't know if you'll get off that easily since they know where you're going."

He chuckled, rubbing my hip. "That's true. I could take two but I don't know if that'd be any better."

"Probably not. I guess we can decide after breakfast."

"Works for me. And I guess I'll go see who's awake and get them fed. You two relax and enjoy the quiet." He kissed the top of Alice's head and then me again.

"I love you," I said, smiling as it made him quickly return to my lips.

"I love you too, sweetheart. To each of Jupiter's moons and back."

I snorted and couldn't contain my laughter. "I see you've prepared to one-up everyone."

He shrugged with a smug smile as he crawled off the bed. "I had to prepare myself for battle. I'm not sure anything can beat 'infinity and beyond' but I'm not going to give up."

I stopped laughing and just smiled at this man I was so blessed to call mine. I knew I could never get through the challenges of life without him, but more than that, there wasn't anyone else I'd want to even try with. Carlisle wasn't perfect but he was so perfect for me.

"I really, really love you, Carlisle."

His smile softened and he nodded slightly. "I really, really love you too, Esme. And hopefully I can show you by directing the excitement downstairs for a while."

He closed the door as he left the room, and I snuggled in with Alice, kissing her sweet little head.

"Your daddy is something, love bug." She grunted softly, tightening the grip she'd had on my finger since she woke up. "Yeah, you love him too, don't you?"

I kissed her again but she didn't respond anymore which was fine with me. It was such a relief to see her nursing so enthusiastically. We hadn't experienced any regression but it was always a worry in the back of my mind. Instead of going backward, we'd continued moving ahead which Alice showed me once again when she wanted to switch sides.

"You're not saving any for brother today, are you?" Alice seemed to shake her head as I turned us over and got her settled again which made me laugh. "That's totally okay, baby girl. Edward gets plenty so you eat up."

Almost as soon as I got us settled, the door slowly opened followed by a whispered "mommy." I turned my head and smiled at my one child who had mastered whispering.

Rosalie smiled back and ran over to my side of the bed. "Hi, Mommy! Can I sit with you while Alice drinks her mommy milk?"

"Of course you can," I said as I reached over to help her climb onto the bed. "Are you sure you don't want to go have breakfast with Daddy?"

"Daddy had to change Pumpkin's diaper," she explained, wrinkling her nose. "He's stinky."

I chuckled and nodded. "Oh okay. Well, I'm happy to see you this morning. Did you sleep well?"

She nodded and carefully crawled over so I could give her some morning love. After she was satisfied with how many kisses she had, she lay down beside us and started loving on her sister.

"Mommy, my girl sister Alice gets to meet Aunt Sea today, right?" she asked between the gentle kisses she was placing on Alice's head which melted my heart. "She's coming to see us, and I'm so excited!"

"That's right! She'll get to meet Alice and see all of us. I'm excited too."

Rosalie stopped kissing Alice and sat up, gasping. "Mommy! Guess what?"

I gasped too, wondering what she'd suddenly thought of. "What's that, sugar?"

"Mommy, Aunt Sea is yours sister. You have a sister and I have a sister now! We're the same! Isn't that so cool?"

"Oh, I think that's super cool!" I loved seeing her joy now that she had the one thing she'd always wanted.

"Me too!" she said as she bounced. "When's she gonna be here?"

"She'll be here for lunch," I explained. "Daddy's going to pick her up at the airport and then we'll all be able to eat together."

"Ohhhh." She quickly slid down from the bed and jumped up and down a couple of times. "Can we eat lunch now? Please, please, please? Then Aunt Sea can be here!"

I laughed and shook my head. "Sorry, sweet girl. It doesn't quite work like that. But you can go downstairs to get ready for breakfast."

"Okay!" she squealed as she ran out of the room, narrowly missing running into Carlisle and Edward.

"Someone's excited, I'm guessing?" he asked, carefully walking into the room as if another little one would try to run him over. The possibility was always there in our house.

"Very excited. Wants to skip right to lunch but maybe she'll sit through breakfast."

He laughed, sitting Pumpkin on the bed beside me. "I'll go see what I can do and wake the other two up. Need me to take Alice?"

I shook my head, glancing down at her. "She's still drinking. I'll be down with both of them soon."

After blowing me a kiss, Carlisle shut the door behind him, and I enjoyed the bit of quiet with my two babies.

Pumpkin hadn't wasted any time before crawling over to me and assuming his position at my free breast. I let him get his fill as I ran my fingers through his hair, humming softly.

When he finished, he sat up slightly and smiled at me. "Mama! Eey Mama!"

"Good morning, Pumpkin. You're a happy boy this morning, huh?"

"Mama, lo ouu." He leaned forward, trying his best to pucker his lips but he looked more like he was pouting. Part of me wanted to laugh but another part wanted to cry because he was so sweet.

"I love you too, Pumpkin," I said as I used my arm to push him up closer to me so I could give him the kisses he was obviously asking for, followed by some raspberries that he wasn't expecting.

His giggles were the sweetest but unfortunately disturbed Alice. She hadn't been actively drinking for a few minutes though so I didn't feel too bad about disturbing her by scooting out of bed.

"Come on, Edward. Let's go find Daddy." I held out my free arm for him, and he crawled over so I could pick him up.

I quickly took him downstairs and handed him over to Carlisle before going back upstairs to change and weigh Alice. She was not at all happy to be separated from me, so I worked as quickly as possible. The scale went up as it did every day, but today I didn't have much of chance to celebrate. My baby girl was very clear about what she wanted and even my fastest diaper changing and dressing couldn't stop her cries.

"I'm so sorry, love bug," I said as I snapped the final snap of the romper I'd picked for her to wear. "We'll make it better now." As soon as I held her against me once more, her cries lessened but didn't fully stop. I tried her pacifier, but that didn't work either. As I waited for a cue from her, I realized she was rooting once again which meant today was one of the days where I was the only source of comfort she would want. While I loved days like this, this was also going to be a challenge with everything I still needed to do to get ready for Chelsea's arrival.

I was up for the challenge, though. The fact that Alice's attachment was to this point already made it all worth it.

With a new plan for the morning forming in my head, I joined the rest of the family downstairs. Carlisle had everyone set up with a bowl of cereal and some fruit, and he did the same for me once he saw my predicament.

Breakfast was a bit louder than usual with the excitement of Chelsea's impending arrival. We barely managed to keep them all in their seats long enough to finish. After loving on Emmett and Jasper, we sent them and Rosalie into the family room to play just so we could get some peace to finish eating.

"Do you need me to take all of them with me?" Carlisle asked, nodding toward Alice in my arms. "She knows what she wants today, doesn't she?"

I sighed, nodding before kissing Alice's head. "I'd say she does. I hate for you to have all three of them when they're like this, though."

He shrugged. "I don't think they'll be too bad when we're actually out. They might be crazy around here but they usually know how to behave in public. Plus I'm sure Alice will enjoy some quiet."

He had a point. I wanted Chelsea to be able to hold Alice today and the less stimulation beforehand would be better on days like this. I knew Alice was adapting well to our crazy life but she was also clear when she needed a break.

We debated for a while, finally deciding that Carlisle would be taking all three kids with him. With that plan in place, we set to work on getting them out the door on time.

Together we got everyone dressed with hair and teeth brushed. There was even time to spare, so I worked up the courage to upset Alice, giving her to Carlisle so I could take a quick shower – the one thing that would be impossible with her attached to me. I left them downstairs among the chaos and enjoyed my quick, private shower as much as I could.

I hurriedly dressed and expected to find the worst when I went back downstairs, and it was close. Emmett, Rosalie, and Jasper were all in time-out in various places around the room, and Pumpkin was crying in Carlisle's lap. Alice was cuddled against him and though her wriggling and soft grunts showed that she wasn't happy, she also wasn't completely unhappy thanks to her Daddy's snuggles.

I caught his eye, raising my eyebrow in question, and he just shook his head.

"Don't ask," he said softly before going back to comforting Edward.

I walked over and sat beside him, taking Alice so he could focus on our boy who was clearly very upset about something. Once she was back attached to me, she settled, blinking up at me a few times before closing her eyes. I kissed her head, letting her be as I turned back to Carlisle.

"Can I ask now?" I asked, reaching over to rub Edward's back as he slowly calmed down.

Carlisle chuckled but nodded. "Well, it started with Em wanting to play outside, and he was not pleased when I told him we were not going to play in the rain and mud in our nice clothes. He got Jasper on his side and it went from there. Begging, jumping, yelling . . . " He shook his head. "Total chaos that resulted in them accidentally knocking Edward into the Lego fort they'd built which they then got mad at him for."

"Aw, poor baby." I knew for experience that those Legos weren't gentle when stepped on and I couldn't imagine falling into them. "What about Rose?"

"She's just having quiet time for a few minutes," he explained. "She wasn't in on the shenanigans but I didn't want to give her a chance to be either."

I looked over at Rose and realized she was simply sitting beside the wall happily pretending to feed one of her baby dolls.

"Hey, Rosalie . . . Sugar, c'mere a second." She looked up, smiling when she saw me and stood up to skip over.

"Hi, Mommy. Is Pumpkin better now?"

Edward was quiet now, so I nodded. "I think so. He's probably about to take a nap, though."

She wrinkled her nose. "I don't want to take a nap. Can I not do that?"

"Maybe," I said slowly. "How would you like to go with Daddy to the airport to pick up Aunt Sea?"

"Really?" she gasped. "It's not my turn but I can go?"

"Really. If it's okay with Daddy."

She moved over to lean against Carlisle's legs, giving him her best pouty lip. "Pleeeease, Daddy? I be really good! I promise!"

"Go get your shoes, baby girl," he said which made her cheer and run for the stairs, calling out something about a hair bow as she went.

With her occupied, Carlisle called the boys over for us to talk to them. Jasper's red-rimmed eyes nearly broke my heart, but he definitely handled being in trouble better than he used to.

"You guys weren't listening to Daddy or being very nice to Pumpkin," I explained. "We're all excited about Aunt Sea coming, but that doesn't mean we can turn off our manners or be mean to each other – especially after an accident."

"And your cast is heavy, Em," Carlisle added. "It can hurt someone if you hit them with it. I know you didn't mean to knock Pumpkin over so that's why you need to be careful. He's smaller than you and could really get hurt."

Emmett sniffed and nodded. "Sorry, Daddy. Sorry, Pumpkin." He came closer and kissed Pumpkin's head. "I'll be careful. Can I go to the airport too? It's my turn."

I laughed internally since I'd totally known he'd say something.

"You and Jasper can both go, too." They immediately smiled, but I put my hand up to stop them before they ran off. "But you have to be good for Daddy. Stay with him and listen. Use inside voices. Okay?"

"Okay!" Emmett said – not using anything close to an inside voice – and ran upstairs.

Instead of following, Jasper climbed up on the couch beside me and threw his arms around my neck. I hugged him close, rubbing his back.

"I love you, buddy," I said, kissing his head.

"Love you, Mommy," he whispered. "Sorry."

I kissed him again before Carlisle pulled him over for a hug.

"It's okay, bud," he said. "I know you love Emmett and like to do what he does, but sometimes Em does things that aren't always right. It's okay for you to not do them, okay?"

"Kay," he agreed, leaning back and smiling. "Love you finity and beyond."

"I love you finity and beyond and beyond," Carlisle said before kissing him, following it with a giant raspberry.

Jasper giggled, struggling to get down until Carlisle finally let him go. He ran up the stairs, calling for Emmett, and we were able to relax for a few minutes.

"It's probably good they got all this out before we left," Carlisle pondered. "Maybe I have a fair chance at surviving this."

I laughed and leaned my head against his shoulder. "You'll be fine. Maybe if you get really lucky they'll fall asleep on the way home."

"Hah! You're a real comedienne, sweetheart. I'll settle for an early bedtime and then we can get lucky."

Giggling, I raised my head and gave him a kiss. "I can work with that. Now, give me my boy, and you guys can load up. Call me before you leave the airport?"

"Of course." He kissed me again, much longer and deeper this time, and then gently placed Pumpkin in my free arm so he could stand. Pumpkin was mostly asleep already and was completely out by the time everyone came downstairs.

I somehow managed to replace Rosalie's bow with the one she wanted with my arms full, and after lots of goodbye kisses, the house was quiet for the first time since we woke this morning.

With a deep sigh, I leaned my head back against the couch and took a few minutes to just breathe and be. I hadn't had this kind of quiet time since we'd brought Alice home. As much as I loved how our home was usually filled with laughter and the noises of our little ones, I could also appreciate the peace.

After a few minutes of not moving, I shifted Pumpkin to lie on the couch beside me. I covered him with a soft blanket before standing and going over to sit in the recliner. My phone was on the table next to it, and I wanted to send Chelsea a quick message to prepare her for the loud group who'd be meeting her. Unfortunately, I disturbed Alice in the process which she quickly let me know with her loud, angry grunts.

"Mommy's sorry, love bug," I said softly, moving her around so I could see her face. "I'm just not giving you what you want today, huh?"

She pursed her lips and then her forehead and nose wrinkled as she gave me the most displeased look I'd ever seen on any of my children.

I couldn't stop myself from laughing as I kissed her sweet little wrinkled forehead. "Oh my goodness, baby girl. You are mad, aren't you?" She grunted once more, kicking one of her legs slightly as the wrinkles deepened. I laughed again, loving her reactions even if she was clearly frustrated.

This new angry look she was showing off included uninterrupted eye contact and after moving to test it, I realized she was tracking me perfectly too. It might have been weird for me to love this so much, but it was truly amazing. Our apathetic and despondent baby was morphing into this little being with so much personality and now we were getting all the facial expressions to go with it.

"You are so beautiful, sweet Alice." Sniffling but still smiling, I kissed her pouty lips and then shifted so I was cradling her and she could get back to what she wanted. As soon as she was latched on, her face relaxed completed and she let out a contented sigh. Patting her bottom softly, I started gently rocking and tried to control my happy tears.

I was sad that Carlisle had missed this moment but I knew this would not be the last time we'd see that precious angry face. Though I wasn't sure how we'd handle her growing up. Who could say no to that?

Even though I knew I needed to start preparing lunch, I took my time enjoying the quiet as I rocked Alice. I was tempted to nap along with Edward but I kept myself awake and eventually headed to the kitchen to begin my tasks.

Alice was happy as long as she was attached to me, so I settled her in one of my many slings so I could have my hands free. I sang softly to her as I prepared my favorite chicken salad and a pitcher of fresh lemonade.

Once everything that needed to be prepped ahead of time was back in the refrigerator, I straightened a few things in the house and double checked the guest room and bathroom to make sure it was stocked and ready.

Grateful didn't begin to cover how I felt for our family, especially in the last few weeks. Carmen had been coming by a few times a week – as had Charlotte, Kate, and Maggie when they weren't working – to help with things around the house. It had been hard for me to give up so much control at first but really, taking care of my babies was more important that who did our laundry or loaded the dishwasher. They never overstepped or acted like it was a burden for them, so I was finally settling into this new routine.

And just like I expected, the guest bed was made with fresh sheets exactly as I liked it and the bathroom was stocked with plenty of clean towels. Thank God for my precious mother-in-law.

With nothing else to do to prepare, I changed Alice's diaper and got us both settled back in the recliner right before Carlisle called. We kept our call short so he could navigate his way out of the airport, and I didn't hear any screaming in the background which I took as a reassuring sign.

Time felt like it was dragging as I waited. The temptation to nap was gone and excitement was in its place. I had been waiting for this moment for what felt like years – finally having Chelsea physically close to me again. Emotionally, we had been there for a while already, and I could barely remember the time during and after Charles when I'd wondered if the two of us would ever be close again. Now, we were the best of friends, and I could barely contain my joy at knowing we'd be able to raise our children together.

Finally, I heard the familiar opening of the door followed by the little footsteps that raced inside. They all seemed to be talking at once too so I waited where I was, knowing it'd be easier for me and Alice not to be stampeded.

I didn't have to wait long. Only a few seconds later, Chelsea entered the room and I felt my eyes fill with tears.

"Oh, Chels…" I stood up and went over to her as quickly as I could, throwing my free arm around her and hugging her as tightly as I could with my baby and her adorable baby bump between us.

She immediately started crying as she held on to me and mumbled. I caught some of her words including that she was so happy to see me and hormones. I didn't need her words though because beyond the amplified pregnancy hormones, I felt exactly the same. This was relief. This visit would be different from all of our others because it wasn't just a visit. She was here to stay and there would be no more sad goodbyes.

When we pulled away from each other, she smiled and wiped her eyes, giggling softly. "Sorry. I'm just so happy to be here."

"Don't be sorry," I said as I took one of her hands and squeezed. "I'm so glad you're here. You look so beautiful, sister. Look at that precious baby girl."

Her smile widened as she placed my hand on her belly. "Baby Girl has been kicking me all day so I know she's excited to be here too." I ran my hand over the bump, grinning when my niece rewarded me with a strong nudge. "Yep, she's definitely excited to meet her Aunt Esme. She already kicked Uncle Carlisle and her cousins…except this one." She looked expectantly at Alice, making me laugh.

"Come meet the little love bug," I said as I led her over to the couch. "Just a warning, though…she's not too happy with the idea of being separated from me today so don't be offended by any angry looks she may give you."

She nodded as she sat beside me – Pumpkin still sleeping soundly next to us. "Noted. She can look at me however she wants. I'm too excited to meet this precious girl to care."

I carefully unwrapped the sling Alice was still resting in and to my surprise, she was asleep. Her latch hadn't lessened any so I hadn't noticed, but this was a good thing for Chelsea. She could avoid the angry grunts and faces for a while. She did whimper softly as I moved her, but I slipped her pacifier in her mouth before she could notice I was gone, and she settled easily in Chelsea's arms.

"Oh, she's so beautiful," Chelsea whispered in awe as she studied Alice's face. "Even more so in person. Such a perfect little doll. How do you not kiss her all day?"

"We do," I said, chuckling. "Someone is always loving on her, but that's exactly what she needs. She's over twelve pounds now, which I'm sure I've told you."

"That is so amazing. She looks so much healthier, too. I can definitely tell compared to the first pictures you sent me." She looked up at me, the tears starting again. "Oh, Esme, this is just a miracle. You have a little miracle baby."

This time I teared up with her because she was right. Day-to-day, the changes could be hard to miss, but we could definitely see that through God's grace and the love of our family, Alice was healing and thriving. We had so much hope. There was no if for her, only when.

I reached over, lightly running my hand over Alice's dark hair. "She really is a miracle. Wait until you see her personality really shine. She's full of sass already."

Wiping away her tears, Chelsea laughed. "I can't wait! But I'm going to have to end our snuggling for now and give her back to her mommy. This mommy needs to find a bathroom thanks to Baby Girl playing soccer with my bladder."

When Alice was back in my arms, Chelsea hurried off to the bathroom, and I went to try to find the rest of my family. I assumed Carlisle had been trying to give us some uninterrupted time together, but I didn't know how he'd done it. I didn't hear anyone upstairs and no one was in the kitchen. That left outside which was exactly where I found them.

Carlisle had the kids playing on the driveway with their bicycles and and tricycles. The rain had slowed to a drizzle thankfully, but they were still soaked . . . and naked besides their underwear.

"Umm . . . what's going on?" I asked, slipping my arm around Carlisle's waist.

"New sport," Carlisle said as he wrapped both of his arms around me. "Naked cycling. It seems to be a hit so far."

I couldn't help but laugh because he was right. The kids looked like they were having the best time of their lives as the rode around each other in the rain.

"Do you think we can interrupt this sport to eat lunch now?"

"Sure, sweetheart. I just wanted to keep things quiet for you ladies and Alice. Was she a good girl for meeting Aunt Sea?"

I nodded, leaning forward to give him a kiss. "Thank you for that. She actually slept right through it so if you want some Alice time . . ."

Instead of answering, he took Alice from my arms, holding her against his chest. Laughing, I called the kids, helping them put their bikes away before herding them into the kitchen. I quickly found towels to wrap them in and then sent them to go wash their hands for lunch.

Chelsea joined me in the kitchen but I made her sit as I gathered everything for our meal.

"Are you sure I can't help?" she asked. "I plan to pull my weight for the next while, just so you know."

"Oh, I plan to take you up on that for babysitting," I told her, making her laugh. "If you want to, that is. Carlisle and I were hoping to have a date night soon."

"I want," she said right away. "I still have plenty of energy so just let me know when and I'll be glad to. Which reminds me that I haven't gotten to snuggle my Pumpkin yet. How long does he usually nap?"

I glanced at the clock, finding it to be a little later than Edward usually slept. "You can go get him now if Carlisle hasn't already."

I wasn't sure where he'd gone or if Edward was even awake yet, but a few minutes later, they all joined me in the kitchen. Edward was in Chelsea's arms and seemed to be happily snuggling with her until he saw me, then his arms were out and he wouldn't take no mommy for an answer. I already had everything on the table for lunch, so I didn't mind sitting and letting him nurse for a few minutes.

As soon as our half naked children returned to the kitchen with clean hands, Rosalie said the prayer for us and we dug into lunch. I'd kept things light with chicken salad with crackers or croissants, fruit, and lemonade because Carmen and Eleazar had planned a big welcome dinner for Chelsea. The excitement level hadn't decreased any so our meal was full of chatter and laughing along with the phrase "please sit on your bottom and eat" being said quite a few times.

I didn't mind, though. I loved that the kids were as excited as I was about Chelsea being here. We'd probably face this again next week when Alec arrived, but I wouldn't change a thing.

The rest of the afternoon passed quickly. Carlisle and I caught up with Chelsea in between the kids wanting to play with her and tell her whatever popped into their head. It was amazing that even though we talked every day, we still missed so much. I hoped that would be changing now that we would have Chelsea and Alec here with us.

Alice eventually woke and treated her daddy to her new expression. He laughed and tried to kiss her anger away but nothing worked until she was back with me. We fit in some kangaroo care before having to talk her brothers and sister into getting dressed so we could head to Carmen's house and that seemed to make her even happier. Alice was already an expert snuggler, and I enjoyed every minute of it.

The whole family joined us at Carmen and Eleazar's house for dinner. Carmen and Eleazar had filled in as parents for me for as long as I'd known them, and it meant so much to me that they were doing the same for Chelsea. They'd adopted her just as they had me and treated her exactly the same – doting on her and making sure she felt welcome. This caused a new round of tears during dinner which were attributed to hormones once more, but I knew that wasn't the only cause. Chelsea wanted and needed a close family like this, just as I had. Now that our dreams were coming true, it was a bit overwhelming in the best way.

After stuffing ourselves with Carmen's delicious dinner and sharing good conversation over dessert, we loaded everyone back up and headed home for baths and bed. The excitement hadn't worn down much, though, so our routine lasted longer than usual. Finally after five books and Chelsea promising to see them in the morning, Emmett, Jasper, and Rosalie all crashed.

"One is easier than three, right? Right?" Chelsea asked – or begged – as we sat on the couch together to wind down a bit as Edward and Alice nursed. "I love spending time with them, but that energy!"

Carlisle and I both couldn't hold in our laughter.

"Not every night is that bad," I pointed out. "Usually they're pretty good about going to bed. Baby Girl shouldn't give you that much trouble."

"If she sleeps at all for the first year," Carlisle added, laughing again when Chelsea lightly slapped his arm. "Hey, I'm just pointing out a possibility. At least there won't be as much chasing involved for a few years. She'll grow into that."

Chelsea slapped him again as we all laughed with him. "Yeah, yeah. You veterans shouldn't give the newbie such a hard time. Mommy and Daddy will let Uncle Carlisle and Aunt Esme take the night shift for a few months."

"We'll be happy to babysit whenever . . . as soon as she sleeps through the night," I said with a wink. "But seriously, you're going to be fine. Thank you for putting up with our bedtime circus tonight. The kids are just so excited to have you here. We all are."

"Definitely," Carlisle agreed. "It's nice to all be together."

"Aww." Chelsea teared up again but with a big smile. "Thank you. I'm beyond thrilled to finally be here, and not just for a visit." She wiped her eyes and then rubbed her belly. "Having our family together feels right, and I'm so glad she'll get to grow up here."

I reached over and squeezed her hand. "I am too. I can't wait to meet her."

"I can't either. But at the risk of me talking baby for the next few hours, I think I'm going to head to bed to talk to Alec and sleep for ten or twenty hours."

"We'll talk baby tomorrow," I said as Carlisle helped her stand. "And the next day and the next day and the next . . . "

I had her laughing as we said our goodnights, and then it was down to Carlisle and me with the babies. They were quiet as they drank, and I cuddled close to Carlisle as I enjoyed the peace of the end of the day.

"Busy day, huh?" Carlisle said softly, kissing my cheek as he pulled me even closer.

"Mmhmm. Let's relax tomorrow. No going anywhere."

"I like this plan. Or we could go somewhere and leave the kids with Chelsea."

Snorting, I patted his leg. "Also a good plan, but let's save that one for next week or so. Let's not scare her away too fast."

"This is true," he said, nodding. "This is why you're the brains of the operation, sweetheart."

He brought his hand up to cup my jaw, gently turning my face towards his. When his lips met mine, I closed my eyes and just enjoyed. This was our first chance of the day to really reconnect since this morning, and I loved it. Carlisle was a perfect kisser, and the things he was doing now made me want to go do further things in the bedroom.

Unfortunately, we were interrupted by both Edward and Alice coughing as they nursed.

"Mamaaa," Edward whined, sitting up. "Milk. Bad. Milk." He made the sign for milk a few times, and I rubbed his back, softly shushing him while trying to hold in my laughter. Once he was settled again and I made sure Alice was okay, I hid my face on Carlisle's shoulder and let my silent laughter out.

"Can I get in on the joke?" Carlisle asked quietly.

That made me laugh harder, but after I had control of myself I raised my head. "That was all you, my kissing-skilled husband."

His eyes widened. "Me?"

I nodded, smirking. "You. You kissed me so thoroughly, the oxytocin must have caused an unexpected milk let down."

"Mmm." His eyes darkened this time as placed a soft kiss on my lips. "I should probably be sorry but I'm not," he whispered. "And hearing you talk about hormones is so sexy, sweetheart. I definitely want to do more than kiss you right now. How quickly can we get these two in bed? Followed by getting us in bed."

I shivered as he slowly kissed from my lips to my neck. And suddenly, I wasn't so tired anymore. "I-I . . . give me ten min-minutes."

"Ten minutes," he agreed, placing one last kiss behind my ear. "I'll get Edward, you get Alice?"

I nodded and passed Pumpkin over. He was already mostly asleep, even after the milk shock, so Carlisle would have the easy job. Alice would be trickier, but I was ready for the challenge. Especially with the promise of what was to come.

The mood in our house today had been full of excitement and even happier than usual. This seemed to be yet another turning point for us – Chelsea being another piece that was slightly out of place before but was now in its perfect spot in our family puzzle.

It was definitely worth celebrating – though I wouldn't be sharing exactly how Carlisle and I were about to celebrate.

There was no denying that our family was blessed beyond anything we could have hoped for.

But tonight, Carlisle and I were going to be getting lucky.

A/N: I am so beyond sorry that I kept you guys waiting this long! I definitely wasn't planning to. RL has been kind of hectic this summer, combined with STILL job hunting, so it took a while for me to get back in the groove of writing. But for now, I'm there so hopefully the next chapter will be coming soon!

I will NEVER abandon this story, that I can promise.

Thank you again to anyone who's still with me! You guys are seriously the best!

Also, HUGE thank you to Emily for making a precious, precious banner for Perfect Love! It's posted on my twitter, if anyone wants to see it there, and I'll be posting it on my profile soon!

Thanks for reading, and I hope you all enjoyed the chapter! =)