Thank you all soooo much for sticking with me!

And a million thanks to MelissaMargaret for making this pretty and to anhanninen for prereading.

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

Carlisle POV

"Are you sure this is okay? I'm sure Carmen and Eleazar wouldn't mind having them if you want some peace, too."

Chelsea quirked her eyebrow at me, staring me down without saying anything. She looked so much like Esme that I had to chuckle.

"I'm pregnant, not an invalid," she informed me dryly.

I shook my head. "No, I know that. But this," I gestured toward the middle of the room where the boys were wrestling – somehow gently since Pumpkin was involved – and Rosalie was skipping around singing whatever tune was in her head, "this is asking a lot of anyone by themselves."

Sometimes, I didn't see how Esme did it while I was at work. Even when I was home, some nights were challenging. Our kids were remarkably well behaved for their ages but the fact that they were one, four, and five made the job stressful anyway. And now that Alice had joined our family, I was really in awe of how Esme kept everything under control.

And that was why we were going out tonight. We hadn't been able to have a date night together in a few weeks. Besides bed time and a couple of lunch dates, we hadn't been alone much at all. Tonight was about relaxing and having some grown-up time – even if Alice was going with us. I definitely didn't mind. This was for Esme, and I wanted her to be comfortable. Right now, that just wouldn't be possible if she was separated from our baby girl for any length of time.

Esme did so much for us, and tonight was my chance to treat her like the queen she was. We'd waited a few days to let Chelsea rest and settle in with us, but tonight was the night. I'd made early dinner reservations and found us tickets to a small local production of Fiddler on the Roof. It wasn't really the fanciest of dates, but we were treating it that way. I was wearing a suit and tie that matched Esme's dress for the evening, which I couldn't wait to see her in.

"We'll be fine," Chelsea promised, breaking me from my thoughts. "You and Esme just worry about having a fabulous evening together. Rosalie and I will keep the boys in line, won't we?"

Rosalie came running over when she heard her name. "What I do?"

I pulled her into my lap, holding her close. "You're going to be a good girl for Aunt Sea while Mommy and I go out tonight, right? And make sure your brothers behave, too."

"Or I can go with you!" she said as she threw her arms around my neck. "You look pretty, Daddy, and I can put on a pretty princess dress! I'll be a good girl with you!"

I chuckled but shook my head. "Sorry, sweetheart, but tonight just Mommy and I are going out. We'll take you another night, okay?"

She poked out her bottom lip. "But Daaaaaddy. I want to go. Please?" Placing her head under my neck, she snuggled closer and patted my face. "Pleaseee? I love you," she whispered.

"Oh, she's good," Chelsea mumbled.

I had to chuckle again before gently scooting my girl back and making her look at me. "I love you too, baby, but tonight is grown up date night. You'll have way more fun with Aunt Sea."

"That's right," Chelsea agreed, reaching over to pull Rosalie close to her. "We're going to have so much fun! You can help me make dinner for you guys and then we can paint nails and do hair. Will you help me style my hair?"

Rosalie quickly nodded, her eyes lighting up. "Okay! Can we do it now? I have all the bows!" She started to slide off the couch, but Chelsea stopped her.

"Let's wait until Mommy and Daddy leave." She bent down close to Rosalie, lowering her voice like she was telling a secret. "We don't want to make them jealous of all our fun, do we? Their night will be sooo boring."

Rose nodded and grinned before scooting back over to me. "I'll be a good girl here, Daddy. But we can have date night later?"

"I wouldn't miss a date night with you for the world, baby girl," I said before pulling her back into my lap and puckering my lips. She placed her hands on either side of my face and gave me several kisses. I hadn't planned on having a daddy-daughter date night anytime soon, but now I was completely on board with this idea and couldn't wait for the fun we were sure to have.

But before I could think too much about my next date, my partner for my current one joined us in the family room, and I couldn't take my eyes off of her.

Esme was absolutely stunning in her dark blue dress. I remembered her buying it at the beginning of the summer, but she was just now getting a chance to wear it which was a shame. If she wore it every day, I wouldn't complain. The fabric showed her curves perfectly, including just enough at the top to tease me.

More than that, I could tell right away that she felt comfortable in the dress which made it even sexier. I could remember her choosing this dress because of how comfortable it was, but now I could really see it. Her body was at ease and her smile was blinding.

I took a moment to appreciate the whole picture, from her soft curls to her black heels. They were a pair I had chosen and bought on my own because I knew how amazing they'd look on her. I hadn't known before purchasing them, but they were apparently designer. Esme had never been one to have expensive taste, but I knew she loved them too. Seeing them on her now exceeded every expectation. Her legs appeared to go on for miles, and I was already imagining exploring those paths later.

Rosalie had already left my lap and was in the process of telling her mommy how pretty she thought she looked, but I couldn't wait until she finished. As quickly as I could, I stood and walked over to her, lightly cradling her face in my hands.

"Sweetheart . . . you take my breath away," I said softly before brushing my lips across hers a few times, teasing. "So beautiful."

She hummed, closing her eyes as she made me deepen the kiss. It only lasted a few seconds thanks to the little ones trying to pull us apart, but it was enough to make me even more excited for our night together. It could only get better from here.

With a giggle as our sons pushed their way between us, Esme ended the kiss and passed Alice to me.

Unlike a few days ago, Alice was content in my arms as she looked up at me, studying my face.

"Hi, baby girl. You look so beautiful, just like your mommy." Even Alice was dressed for the occasion with a little floral dress, a pink sweater, and socks that looked like she was wearing fancy shoes. She sucked on her pacifier as I talked to her, blinking slowly. "Yeah. Are you excited about tonight?" I smiled, hoping as always that today would be the day that she would decide to mimic a happy expression. Her anger was precious, but we were all hoping for a smile.

Today was apparently still not the day for that, though. Alice simply looked up at me, and I reminded myself that this was amazing progress.

"Okay, Daddy will wait patiently for smiles." I kissed her forehead and gently rubbed her belly, and she decided to grab one of my fingers and hold on tightly. Yes, this was more than enough progress for now.

I looked back at Esme, finding her still kneeling beside the kids to give them all hugs and kisses.

"Be good for Aunt Sea," she instructed them. "When she says something, you put your listening ears on and do it right away, okay?" They all nodded, including Pumpkin. "Excellent. Now, Daddy and I won't be home until after you go to bed so goodnight. Dream sweet dreams, and we'll see you in the morning. I love you all soooo much."

After one last hug and kiss from Mommy, the kids ran over to me. I passed Alice back to Esme so I could give out plenty of hugs and kisses too. Once they were all satisfied, I turned the TV on to a quick movie. I wasn't sure how Edward would handle watching us walk out the door after having us at home twenty-four-seven for so long so I wanted to make it as easy as possible for all of us.

My plan seemed to work, and he immediately became engrossed in the talking vegetables while snuggled beside Chelsea.

I went over, taking Esme's hand and squeezing to try to gently convince her that she could wrap up her instructions to Chelsea so we could leave.

"Okay, okay," Chelsea said, gesturing for us to leave. "I promise we'll be fine. I feel fine, the kids will be fine. I know Carmen's number, and I will call if necessary. I know where everything is to fix dinner, no baths tonight unless necessary, and bedtime can be at eight. I've got it, now you two go have fun."

Esme laughed, threading her fingers with mine. "Okay. Thank you, Chels. We'll see you later."

After grabbing the diaper bag, we loaded into my car and drove to one of our favorite restaurants. Esme sat in the back with Alice who still wasn't a fan of riding in her car seat but we were still able to talk and laugh together on the way. I missed being able to rest my hand on Esme's leg or hold her hand but there would be time for that later.

Because our reservation was so early, we were taken to our table right away. I made sure Esme's chair was close to mine so I could keep my arm around her while we ate.

"I think I like having a built-in babysitter," Esme commented as we finished our salads and waited on our ordered entrees. "Why haven't we been going out every night?"

Chuckling, I kissed her temple. "That's a good question. We should be able to squeeze in a couple more date nights before Chelsea and Alec move into their house though. And before school starts."

"Ugh, don't remind me." She shook her head slightly. "We only have a few weeks before school and so much to do before then."

"We'll get it done," I assured her. "Just give me a list and I'll do whatever you need me to . . . or at least attempt to do it."

She smiled, turning her head so she could kiss my lips. "I love you. Thank you for the offer and for this night. For everything, really."

"Thank you, sweetheart. I love doing whatever I can to put a smile on your face, and date nights with you are my favorite. And I'll gladly go back-to-school shopping with you, but can I suggest we talk about that later?"

We never really limited our discussions during our date nights; there was no chance of us making it through a dinner without talking about the kids, but that worked for us. Besides each other, they were the most important people in our life, and neither of us minded talking about them even during private times. However, school was a whole other matter that I thought might not have been suited for a relaxing night.

"Please," Esme agreed right away. "That can wait. How was your day Friday? I don't know if I had the chance to ask you specifically. We were so busy all weekend."

I nodded, knowing she wasn't lying about that. Corin's birthday had been the day before Chelsea arrived so our weekend had included a big family party plus a sleepover for her and her friends. Rosalie had been invited over to keep Jane company, and we had taken Riley home with us. He wound up staying with us all weekend so time for talking had been even more limited than usual. Having four boys running around our house was . . . an experience.

So, I started telling Esme about my work day on Friday just as our entrees arrived. It had been a busy day, as every Friday usually turned out to be, and Peter and I had once again discussed our future plans. We were hoping to bring another nurse into the practice within the next couple of months as well as a nurse practitioner to help balance all of our patients. We'd never imagined that we'd be as successful as we were, but the practice was flourishing.

On top of our ever-growing load of patients, Peter and Charlotte were also hoping to extend their family soon which would make having extra help a necessity. Family remained our priority so we hoped to have everything straightened out before a new Reaves baby decided to make his or her appearance.

Esme knew about their baby plans already, though. Including quite a bit more information.

"I have on good authority that you might want to speed up your search," Esme confessed before placing a finger over her lips. "No confirmation yet but it could be coming soon."

"I can keep a secret," I promised, winking at her. "I'm thrilled for them if that's the case. I'm sure we won't have a hard time finding some excellent candidates. And what about you, sweetheart? How's the decorating going?"

Chelsea had asked Esme months ago to help her decorate their new house, and although she tried to tell Esme she could skip it after Alice came into our lives, Esme wouldn't have it. She'd been looking forward to it possibly more than the homeowners and couldn't wait to get started. That would have to wait another week or so, but she and Chelsea had been going through magazines, websites, and I wasn't sure what all else for ideas. There were lists, too. Lots of lists that I didn't even bother trying to understand. My wife was happy doing something she loved, and that was all that mattered.

"I think we have a solid plan for most of the house," she said with a smile. She told me about the themes they chose, and I tried to act like I followed but I had no idea what some of the things she said even meant. The important thing was her passion and the look on her face as she spoke this foreign language of design and furnishing a house. I loved it. I loved her, and I loved that she had this opportunity

"Alec and Chelsea have to pick the final paint colors, and we have to actually buy the things Chelsea has chosen. But we're getting there," she finished. "It's a labor of love for all of us."

"Good. I'm glad you're enjoying yourself. If you want to go shopping Saturday, I'll be happy to watch the kids." I shrugged, pulling her a little closer. "Just a suggestion."

"That's a perfect suggestion," she said, rubbing my leg. "I'll ask Chels and Alec if that works for them. I don't mind taking the kids . . . "

". . . but that's not ideal," I finished for her. "I get it, sweetheart. I've been in a store with Em before, and I honestly can't imagine him in a store where he could possibly break things. Plus that cast."

Esme laughed, shaking her head. "Oh, he'd be a bull in a china shop for sure. I might take Rose, though. And this baby girl, of course." She patted Alice's bottom and slowly brought her out from under the cover she was using to nurse.

"There's my pretty girl." I reached out for her, and Esme passed her over. She had the precious milk-drunk look on her face that meant she was close to sleep once again. Esme passed me a burp cloth, and I placed it over my shoulder as Esme scooted her seat back.

"I'm just going to run to the restroom," she explained. "Then we can leave if you're ready. We're okay on time?"

I glanced at my watch and nodded. We had another hour and a half before the show started, and now that we'd all finished eating, I knew we were fine on time.

"Now it's Daddy time," I said softly to Alice as I placed her against my shoulder. She stretched, squirming a bit before settling and trying to cuddle her head against my neck. "You've been such a good girl on date night, baby, but don't fall asleep just yet. Give me a good burp first."

I patted her back, and it made her whine softly at first. It was the first peep I'd heard out of her all night. I hadn't been too nervous to bring her to an adult restaurant, but the worry had been there. It was unwarranted, though. She'd slept through the first half of the meal - thanks to skipping her afternoon nap - and nursed as Esme finished eating. We couldn't have asked for anything better.

Alice's whining ended as she let out a good burp, so I slid her down so she could cuddle more comfortably in the crook of my arm.

"You're a good little third wheel," I told her, kissing her forehead and her cheek. She smacked her lips a few times before letting her eyes flutter closed just as Esme returned to the table.

"Is she out?" she asked softly.

"I think so. Do you think she'll sleep through the show, too?"

"Probably so. She's started liking music lately so even if she wakes, I don't think she'll be upset. Especially with easy access to me." She gestured toward the front of her dress, making me laugh. The dress did have a bit of a v-neck, and it had been easy for her to adjust it to feed Alice.

And I just enjoyed the little bit of a view I was offered while she wasn't feeding Alice.

We talked and laughed for a few more minutes while waiting to pay the check. After taking care of that, we walked hand-in-hand back to the car and then drove out of the city to the little town I'd found where they were currently doing a community production of Fiddler on the Roof. I'd figured smaller was better with the chance of us having to leave for Alice, and I knew the talent wouldn't be lacking just because it wasn't a huge production.

Although the theater wasn't crowded, we still received several curious and disapproving stares, probably wondering why we were bringing what appeared to be a newborn to a show like this. Maybe we were a bit crazy, but Esme and I simply met each glance with a smile.

Thankfully, Alice proved them all wrong. She slept through most of the show and when she was awake and not nursing, she was content to lie in our arms and take in the music and sounds around her. Her favorite song seemed to be Sunrise, Sunset, but my favorite part was simply being out with my beautiful wife and our sweet girl. We took one diaper change break right before intermission as to avoid a crowded bathroom, but other than that, we were able to enjoy the whole show just as anyone else.

We might have smiled proudly as we walked out past everyone. Our baby girl proved everyone wrong time and time again.

"So what did you think?" I asked Esme as I drove toward home.

"Oh Carlisle, it was lovely. Those performers really did an amazing job."

"Date night success, then?" I could see her wide smile in the rear-view mirror since we had a light on in the back for her to watch Alice, but I still wanted to be sure.

"More than success," she said, reaching forward to squeeze my shoulder. "Your plans are always perfect. I love you so much."

"I love you too, sweetheart. I'm glad we finally got to do this. And I'm looking forward to . . . dessert at home."

She laughed, shaking her head. "Dessert? All right, Mr. Cullen. I'm on to you. Let's just hope little miss goes back to sleep soon. I'm definitely excited about dessert too."

We couldn't get home fast enough for my liking, but the one advantage of the drive was that Alice did fall asleep again. Esme was careful to not jostle her too much as she lifted her from her car seat and carried her upstairs to change for bed, and I hurriedly double checked everything downstairs – locking doors and turning out lights.

Chelsea was already in bed, and as I looked in each room, I found that all the kids were asleep already too. Edward was in bed with Rosalie which was definitely a good thing tonight. I didn't want to have to worry about not waking two babies.

When I walked into our bedroom, I found Esme standing beside Alice's bassinet, staring down at her. I wondered if something was wrong, but as I started to walk toward her, Esme looked up and quickly gestured for me to come closer.

"You have to see this," she whispered as I came up behind her, wrapping my arms around her waist and setting my chin on her shoulder. "Look. Look."

She sniffled, worrying my further until I looked down and focused on Alice. Then I understood. Our sweet baby was still sleeping peacefully – so peacefully that her little lips were turned up into a grin. She was already a beautiful baby, but seeing her happy, even in her dreams, just amplified it.

"She's smiling," Esme said, squeezing my hand. "Smiling! She's so amazing, Carlisle."

I squeezed back and kissed her cheek. "That she is. Just imagine how more perfect it'll be when she does it while awake."

"I can't wait for that. You know, Carmen says when babies smile in their sleep it's because angels are visiting them in their dreams."

"I wouldn't doubt that," I murmured. "Everyone loves our sweet girl – angels probably included."

We stood and watched Alice together for a while longer, but there was also a silent understanding that we needed to take advantage of our time alone before she woke again. There was no way to know how long that gave us, so I didn't plan to waste it.

As beautiful as our girl's sleepy smile was, I had further plans with my beautiful wife tonight too.

I softly kissed the side of Esme's head, squeezing her a little tighter in my arms which seemed to catch her attention.

She slowly turned in my arms and smiled. "I think I'll go change, okay?"

I nodded, kissing her lips this time. "Okay, sweetheart. I'll be here waiting."

"I'll be fast," she promised, giggling as I tapped her bottom as she passed me.

While she as in the bathroom, I stripped and turned the light off then crawled into bed to wait. As promised, Esme returned quickly after only a few minutes. I was a little disappointed that she was wearing a robe but that disappointment disappeared when she reached the bed and revealed she wasn't wearing anything under it.

"Gorgeous," I whispered as she let the robe drop to the floor.

"Mmm . . . so are you," she said as she lifted the covers and joined me. She wrapped her arm around my waist, our legs tangling together. "And I see we had the same clothing idea."

Rolling slightly so she was under me, I held myself up with one arm, loving everything I saw. How bright her eyes were, how her hair looked spread out under her, the way she smiled up at me . . . gorgeous wasn't a strong enough word for my wife.

"As much as I love undressing each other, I think we've teased enough already tonight."

"I happen to agree." She wrapped her arms around my shoulders, moaning softly as she pulled my body down to meet hers.

That was all the permission I needed. No other words were spoken as I placed my lips against hers, slowly working my way across and down her neck. Her soft sighs of pleasure told me she liked what I was doing, but I didn't really need them.

I knew my wife and her body as well as my own. I knew she loved kisses behind her ear and that her stomach was too ticklish for me to have too much fun there – though I couldn't resist placing a few kisses and nibbles. Esme giggled, tensing as she lightly pulled my hair. When I looked up, she gave me a reproachful look which I countered with a wink. She wasn't mad, especially when I continued my way down and let my mouth and fingers prove exactly how well I knew her beautiful body.

Soon, I had her gasping and trembling under me, but I didn't waste any time before scooting back up and joining us together.

Esme wrapped her shaky legs around me, holding me still and giving us both a moment to adjust which was fine with me. This always felt too perfect, especially at first, and she had to still be sensitive.

"I love you," she whispered as she tilted her hips to, encouraging me to move.

"I love you too, Es." I kissed her and complied with what she wanted, not that it was difficult. We felt so good together, moving and loving like this.

Eventually I turned us so she could set the pace and because I loved the view. Esme was glorious as she moved over me. The sight nearly ended things for me way too soon, but with a little help, she was right there with me.

We collapsed together, her lying on me as we caught our breath. I traced my fingers over her back, letting my heart rate return to normal as I listened for any out of the ordinary sounds. We'd become fairly skilled at being quiet, but there was always a chance we were too caught up in the moment and woke someone.

Luckily, I didn't hear anything besides our breathing and Alice's quiet sleep noises so I hoped we'd have plenty of time to dress and get back to bed before being interrupted.

After a few minutes, Esme sat up slight. Her hair fell around us as she smiled and leaned over to kiss me. "Perfect end to the perfect night," she murmured between kisses. "Love you to all the stars and back."

I chuckled, reaching up to cradle her face in my hands. "I don't think I can beat that one, sweetheart. You win. Want to celebrate victory in the shower?"

As soon as she made sure Alice was content for the time being, Esme agreed to the shower. It was mostly to rinse off, but I couldn't keep my hands from drifting – not that Esme had any complaints.

We made it back to the bed – in pajamas this time – just in time for Alice's next meal. We snuggled together as she happily nursed and gave us both some much treasured eye contact, and I couldn't think of a better end to our night.

Our date nights might not have been as often as they used to be, but reconnection was never an issue for us. Our love was as strong as it ever was, and we always had a fantastic time together.

Alice needed so much of our attention, something neither of us minded. Her recovery was worth every sacrifice we'd had to make. But now that she was settled in well with us, I knew there would be many more nights like this in our future. I couldn't wait.

A/N: Hi. I'm so, so sorry for yet another long wait! I'm still job hunting which makes RL a bit unsettled, plus all the usual holiday stress interrupted my writing mojo too. But as always, I'm hopeful that the next update won't take as long! Maybe I'll eventually be right, lol.

I'm forever grateful for those of you who have stuck with me, even with all the long waits. Just remember I'll never abandon my babies. :)

Thank you all so much for reading, and I hope you enjoyed the chapter!