I LOVE MY FAMILY

Chapter Eight: I Love My Family, The Rest of the Story

Carlisle's POV

"Someday, you will go out into the world, my precious daughters

And Love will be offered by many people, many circumstances, many houses.

But it is the love of your family that is the most sacred, the most dear, the most enduring.

And I will always be here, waiting for you to listen your adventures and to give you my Love."

R. L. Fields

"Carlisle?" Esme ran her cold, wet tongue up my throat to my ear sending electric shivers all through my body.

"Yes my darling?" I tongued her earlobe, taking it between my teeth, feeling the shivers run through her body.

"It's time for me to leave for the airport, my Love," she breathed onto my neck making my head loll back exposing my throat to her teeth.

I couldn't help but groan as I got up silently and started getting dressed. This signaled the end of our naked weekend in Seattle and the start of Esme's business trip to Colorado.

"Dearest...what is it?"

I turned to face my wife just as she was attaching her silk stockings to the light blue lace garter belt she wore underneath her modest clothes. She had one leg up on the chair, her long legs taunting me in all their glory. Her skirt was hiked up so she could clip the backs, exposing the black satin thong just a bit as it disappeared between her exquisitely round tush.

I hadn't even noticed that my hand had moved and unzipped my pants, I was so mesmerized from watching her across the room. Every time I catch a glimpse of her, it's like the first time, my Esme, my heart.

I was frowning, no, I was pouting like a child who can't go out and play today because the weather had turned sour. Putting myself away, I reluctantly zipped up and continued getting dressed. I inwardly chastised myself for letting her see my expression. I always tried to remain stoic while she was preparing to leave for her business trips, knowing how she felt just as crushed as I do by our separations. I encourage her to have a full life, pursuing her interests and passions. Architectural restoration being one of her many talents. She has made quite a name for herself in the field...well, several names for herself in the world of architectural design, consulting on many projects world wide. She has learned how to do this while remaining aloof and detached, staying out of the limelight and disappearing, changing her name whenever people try to get too close.

So I try not to show my true feelings every time she leaves, but I am probably not fooling her at all. She is quite in tune with my emotions so I must achieve an enormous effort.

"Nothing, Esme," I said lightly and plastered a damned happy smile on my damned happy face.

"You are pouting, Carlisle," She stood just moments before me, wearing a small smile and hands on her hips.

I looked at my shoes, I couldn't look into her eyes, I would break. "I..." I cleared my throat, willing my voice not to crack and betray me. "I hope you have a productive trip, Esme." Whew! I made it.

Unfortunately, I looked up just then and saw the only reason for my existence looking in my eyes with love and concern all over her exquisite face. That was it, I broke down. A pained expression burst through my stupid facade. I sat on the bed burying my head in my hands and sobbed uncontrollably.

She threw her whole body around me, laying us on the bed with my face between her firm, round breasts. My Esme. My home.

"Dearest, I'll be home in two short weeks." She spoke tenderly while she kissed the top of my head., "What is a couple of weeks when we have all of eternity together?" She was comforting me, trying to quell the panic I felt at her leaving me.

"I know. You're right. I'm being silly. I just...I love you Esme...you are my whole world. What am I going to do without you for two weeks?" I was trying to calm myself, but it ended up making the sobbing worse. I tried to comfort myself by burying my face between her loveliness.

Then, in an instant I became furious with myself for being such a pussy. I sat up quickly and turned away from her, rubbing my hands over my face. Over and over again, growling in anger.

"Carlisle," Her voice was plain yet cautious.

"UGH! I'm such a wuss ! How can you stand to look at me!!"

"No you're not. Kiss me."

"DON'T PATRONIZE ME!! I KNOW WHAT I AM! I AM A PATHETIC LOSER!"

Now she was pissed. "Don't you think I feel the same way? Two weeks without you will be hell-pure hell, nothing less. I don't know how I'm going to find the strength to walk out that door. DAMMIT !"

She was sobbing now and the guilt at what I had done to her washed over me and held me under, softening my anger, but intensifying the pain immeasurably.

"Esme!" I cried out and knelt before her putting my head in her lap in utter surrender, begging for forgiveness. She kissed my hair and laid her cheek on the top of my head and whispered,

"Ti amo, con tutto il mio cuore," ('I love you, with all my heart' in Italian).

"Ti amo, con tutta l'mia anima," I replied back to her ('I love you , with all my soul).

She stood up, coaxing me to get up off my knees and to sit on the bed. She kissed me softly and then walked across the room and got something out of her purse. Turning to face me, she was talking on her cell phone. She snapped it closed and with a sly look on her face, started to unbutton her blouse.

"Esme?" What was she doing?

"Later flight."

xoxoxo

Arriving home the next morning I was feeling pretty damned chipper. Parking my Mercedes in the driveway I stared with pride at the house Esme and I had made for our loving family. Things certainly have taken a turn for the better with the children since I had my talk with them and the brilliant idea to challenge them to better themselves in more fulfilling ways. A father could not ask for more intelligent, thoughtful, delightful children.

And then it happened.

Hearing a loud buzzing noise getting louder and closer overhead, I looked up just in time to see two small personal aircraft crash into the roof of the mansion-

BOOM!

The center of the house collapsed into itself and a fountain of dust and debris plumed 150 feet into the sky, slowly floating down to earth covering everything, including myself, in a one mile radius with what used to be our home.

Emmett was hanging on the gutter yelling obscenities at Jasper who apparently had ejected onto the roof of the garage seconds before the crash. Jasper was hopping around laughing while giving his brother the double middle finger dance.

Then I heard Rosalie's high pitched screeching for help, but before I could react to what I thought was an emergency situation, out she runs from behind the house screaming bloody murder at Alice who was chasing her with with a snarling chainsaw.

But, my attention was drawn suddenly to a very wet Bella and Angela who were both brandishing water hoses and had completely soaked each other. And there was my brilliant son Edward, laying in the grass on his stomach, head propped in his hands, devilish smile on his face, tongue lolling out of his mouth and panting like an animal watching Bella in her wet t-shirt.

Sigh... I love my family.

FINI

The End

a/n: Well, that's the end of of the story..hope you enjoyed it.

I've had a lot of fun playing with Stephenie's world and I hope you did too.

Thanks to all of the readers and reviewers, you guys are wicked awesome!

Don't forget to review on your way out...take care, until next time...

Love and lemondrops,

BSL

Oh, and by the way: If you like your Edward and Bella covered in lemony goodness,

check out my two M rated stories, Why Do Good Girls Like Bad Boys and Kiss Me, Kill You...both over 1k reviews and climbing!

Naughty naughty Twilighters! I love ya!