It's Been a Lifetime Waiting

A couple of days passed into November, and snow had started to fall lightly, meaning Veronica couldn’t go outside. It was a weekday, meaning only herself, Emmett, Lucas and Esme were in the house. Around midday, Veronica trudged downstairs, bleary eyed from having stayed up so late talking with Emmett. Esme took one look at the exhausted girl that entered the kitchen before frowning at her burly son.

“No more talking till ridiculous hours! Look what you’re doing to the poor girl,” Esme scolded

“If I had my way we wouldn’t be doing any talking at all,” Emmett smirked

As Veronica blushed, Esme whipped Emmett in the arm with a damp tea-towel. Emmett just laughed and kissed Veronica’s cheek good morning, before sitting down next to her.

“Sorry for looking such a state,” Veronica yawned, referring to her bed hair, oversized t-shirt and pyjama pants

“Nonsense. You just eat your breakfast and take a long hot shower. How would you like to do some painting with me today?” Esme smiled

Veronica grinned. She hadn’t painted anything in months!

“I’d love to, thank you,” Veronica said gratefully

“Wonderful. While you’re in the shower, Emmett will pop into town and buy you some fresh supplies,” Esme said warmly

“Hey!” Emmett protested

“I don’t know why you’re putting up a fight, you’re going back out later with Lucas to buy groceries,” Esme warned

Emmett groaned and rested his head on the kitchen counter. Veronica giggled, accepting the plate of waffles, bacon, eggs and sausages that Esme placed in front of her. She would’ve felt bad for all the food they always cooked her if it didn’t taste so good!

*

Veronica settled on a stool in front of an easel, placing the fresh canvas onto it. Emmett had just returned from town with both of these, as well as a new set of brushes and oil paints for her to use.

“Thank you,” she murmured, smiling up at him

“Anything for you,” Emmett murmured back

Veronica grinned and pecked his lips, blushing slightly as Esme walked into the room. Esme just chuckled.

“You coming or what, lover boy?” Lucas taunted from the front foyer

“Hold your horses, greaser,” Emmett hollered back

Veronica giggled, knowing Emmett was embarrassed.

“I’ll be back before you know it,” Emmett said softly

“Miss you already,” Veronica said sarcastically

Emmett just chuckled, pressing his lips to hers one last time in a short sweet kiss. As Emmett left, Veronica turned to Esme, sending her an apologetic look.

“Don’t be sorry, dear. Seeing Emmett that happy again overrides everything. Well, there are limits, but you catch my drift,” Esme winked

Veronica blushed, laughing softly, before turning to face her canvas. The two of them sat in the back lounge, which Esme had converted into an art studio.

“Thank you for letting me share this with you,” Veronica said softly, picking up a medium paintbrush in one hand, and her palette in another

“It’s no problem, honestly. I’m just glad there’s another family member who shares my love of art,” Esme said with a kind smile

Veronica froze slightly at the words ‘family member’, but let it slide. She dipped her brush into the hot pink paint, dabbing it onto the canvas. She had a vague idea of what she was going to paint, but nothing definite. That’s how all her best work started out, anyway.

[2 hours later]

“Here’s your water,” Esme announced

“Thanks,” Veronica said gratefully

She rested her paintbrushes and palette on the small table next to her, taking the glass and taking a large gulp.

“That’s a hibiscus, right?” Esme smiled

“Yeah, my favourite flower. Although, if I could find one in hot pink and sunshine yellow I’d be amazed,” Veronica nodded, giggling

“It’s beautiful, Roni,” Esme said honestly, sitting down

Veronica blushed slightly, taking another gulp of her water.

“So tell me more about yourself. We haven’t had a one-on-one chat before,” Esme said softly with a smile

“What do you want to know?” Veronica asked

“Tell me about your family,” Esme prompted

Veronica throat tightened, but she nodded. Family was always a hard topic for her, mainly because her childhood was so rough.

“Well, my parents, Wilhelmina and Bertram, were cruel to say the least. They didn’t want a second child, let alone a daughter, so I was treated as if I didn’t exist. When they took my brother out to the movies and stuff, I was left at home. They didn’t want to be seen with a daughter. Sometimes they forgot to tell me dinner was ready when we were all at home, and my brother Nick would sneak me food up into my room. I mean, don’t get me wrong, my parents never beat me or insulted me, they just ignored me. In their eyes, they only had a son. They thought if they paid money into an account for me, I would shut up and leave them alone. They were wrong,” Veronica started

Esme frowned. No-one deserves to get treated like that, especially someone like Veronica.

“What happened?” Esme asked softly

“As I grew up, they expected me to be meek and easily influenced, but I rebelled and grew an attitude. My dad was a lot more lenient than my mother, but she was a harpy. Horrible, horrible woman. She controlled my father so much that I’m pretty sure he’s nothing more than a puppet on strings. I hated them. I cut my hair off to this length when I was 16, and told them I was taking up photography and art as a career. They laughed and told me not to be so foolish. They got the message when I dropped out of school and packed my bags though,” Veronica chuckled

“So you just left?” Esme asked curiously

“Pretty much. To cut the story short there was a big argument involving my mother throwing stuff at me and my father holding her back but not stopping her verbal abuse. Nick had to hold me back from attacking her though. They just made me so angry! Then they threatened to cut off my bank account, which they eventually did, but not before I bought all the equipment and stuff I needed. My brother Nick is four years older than me, so he had his own apartment in a city nearby, so I crashed with him for a month or so while I sorted out my job and stuff, but I’ve been travelling on my own for three years now,” Veronica smiled

“Have you spoken to your parents since?” Esme asked sadly

“Fuck no. One of the reasons I hate my mother so much is when I was 15 my mother decided I wasn’t fit to carry on the family name and drugged me till I passed out. She then took me to hospital where she’d arranged an appointment to get my tubes tied,” Veronica said angrily

“She what?!” Esme gasped

“Yup, you heard right. My mother got my tubes tied without asking me or even warning me. I can’t have children now thanks to her and I have no choice,” Veronica sighed

“I am so sorry. Honestly, I know how you feel about not giving birth to children. I was married before Carlisle to a ghastly man and I had a baby boy, but there were complications with his birth and he died. I went through a rough patch, divorced my first husband, and that’s when I met Carlisle. We decided to adopt so many children because Carlisle didn’t think I would be able to carry children again, and didn’t want me to go through that pain,” Esme said softly

Veronica took the older woman’s hand in her own, squeezing slightly. She was used to how cold they all were now.

“You deserve to be a mother. I’m just glad you met Carlisle. He’s a wonderful man,” Veronica said with a small smile

“Thank you. I don’t know what I would do without Carlisle. Much like I know you wouldn’t be able to live without Emmett,” Esme smiled innocently

“No Emmett talk today. This is about us painting, not about mushy stuff like that,” Veronica moaned

“If you insist,” Esme chuckled

Veronica just smiled to herself. There may not be any Emmett talk going on, but Emmett was all that filled her mind. And she was okay with that.