Introduction
"You should stop waiting for him to come home. Alice would tell us if he changed his plans," Rosalie told her when she caught Esme staring out the window of their home in Forks, Washington. Rosalie had long given up on the prodigal son returning back to them. She blamed the girl of course. The mortal girl that Edward had fallen in love with, yet had refused to make an official member of their family.
The disastrous eighteenth birthday party for the girl had been what caused Esme's beloved son to leave town. She'd cut herself, and the blood had driven their newest addition to the family, Jasper, to nearly kill the girl. It was in that moment that Edward decided he would leave the girl, and then leave them.
There had been a family meeting no more than two days after Edward left town. Esme proposed that they follow him. They were a family after all. If one left then all should leave. Alice pointed out that Edward wished to do this on his own. He was mourning the loss of the only person to ever win his heart.
There had been a great debate, but in the end the Cullen family had decided to let Edward sort it out on his own terms. It was hard to be the matriarch of such a beautiful and strong willed family. Both her husband and herself struggled to be nurturing supportive parents while not overstepping into interfering and controlling. After all, their children were old enough to make their own choices, and that meant that sometimes they simply had to stand aside and let them follow their own paths.
"I will never stop waiting for him to return home," she informed her eldest daughter.
Esme never imagined that it would take a family tragedy to return the prodigal son home. If she had known it would have taken that sort of catastrophe, she would have tried to stop staring out the window and wishing him back.
The disastrous eighteenth birthday party for the girl had been what caused Esme's beloved son to leave town. She'd cut herself, and the blood had driven their newest addition to the family, Jasper, to nearly kill the girl. It was in that moment that Edward decided he would leave the girl, and then leave them.
There had been a family meeting no more than two days after Edward left town. Esme proposed that they follow him. They were a family after all. If one left then all should leave. Alice pointed out that Edward wished to do this on his own. He was mourning the loss of the only person to ever win his heart.
There had been a great debate, but in the end the Cullen family had decided to let Edward sort it out on his own terms. It was hard to be the matriarch of such a beautiful and strong willed family. Both her husband and herself struggled to be nurturing supportive parents while not overstepping into interfering and controlling. After all, their children were old enough to make their own choices, and that meant that sometimes they simply had to stand aside and let them follow their own paths.
"I will never stop waiting for him to return home," she informed her eldest daughter.
Esme never imagined that it would take a family tragedy to return the prodigal son home. If she had known it would have taken that sort of catastrophe, she would have tried to stop staring out the window and wishing him back.