A/N: Well it is about time for some confessions on both sides of the fence. How do you think Bella will respond? What is going to happen next? Enjoy the next chapter and let me know what you think.

Chapter 10 – Confession Time

Emmett was anxious; he couldn't wait for Bella to get to the church to meet him. He was just too antsy and instead of waiting to get to the church, he immediately ran to the house and grabbed his jeep. Now as he anticipated the arrival of his destined mate, he would glance at his watch every few minutes and could not help but notice how slowly time was progressing.

As soon as Bella hung up with Emmett, a huge smile appeared on her face. She looked at the time and quickly ran to the bathroom. Housework could wait; time with someone that intrigued her so much could not. There was that inherent feeling that this would give her answers that she sought and that they would come from the one person that they were intended to come from, not someone there to fill space in her life. She wanted more than that and she was starting to believe that she deserved more than that.

When she was done with her shower, she rushed into her room to find something to wear. Everything she picked out wasn't right for some reason or another. She tried to tell herself that this wasn't Edward and therefore it wasn't a date, but nothing she said mattered. She needed the right outfit to meet Emmett. Feeling giddy as she went through her closet and her drawers, she finally settled on a dark pair of jeans, a pair of tennis shoes because she didn't knew where they were going, and a camisole with a light cardigan: aka casually cute.

Giving one more glance at herself in the mirror after she put on a touch of make-up and brushed her hair, she turned away from the mirror and practically flew down the stairs pausing only briefly to leave her father a note that stated she was meeting a friend. The next instant Bella was out the door and in her truck. She had wanted to get to the church early in order to wait for Emmett, but her indecision did not allow for any leeway in time. She would arrive at exactly one hour from the time she got off of the phone with him.

Emmett heard Bella's truck before he saw it and his grin could not be contained. Jumping out of his jeep, he attempted patience as he waited for her to pull into the parking lot. With one more glance at his watch, he breathed in relief, "Right on time." For some reason, he had actually anticipated that she might be late. Rosalie always was and although Bella was nothing like Rose, she was still a girl and in his experience girls took forever to get ready.

As Bella pulled up to the church, she immediately spotted Emmett and the butterflies she had before intensified. All of the feelings from the night before came rushing to her all over again, and Jasper's words were at the forefront of her mind. She had a feeling that this "date" would decide the course of her life; it would tell her what to do next and she anxiously looked toward the future with a touch of trepidation and a lot of anxiousness.

Pulling into a parking spot and turning off the engine, Bella heard the door open even before she was able to turn around. She knew who it was without looking, and that was beside the fact that he was the only other person in the parking lot. She felt it and she knew.

Emmett helped her out of the truck, but before Bella could get out of the truck completely without incident, she started to fall. He wasn't sure what happened, but he couldn't argue with the results since she fell right into his waiting arms, "Are you ok Bella?"

"Yah, I'm ok," Bella grumbled. "Clumsiness strikes again," she chastised in her head. Looking up at her savior, she was struck dumb and lost in his eyes. She couldn't turn away as she slowly straightened herself up but didn't let go of Emmett. She noticed that somehow their faces were getting closer and closer to each other. His lips were so close to hers now. Eyes drifting shut, she could feel his breath on her face and she reveled in it.

Emmett could see nothing but Bella. She surrounded his senses and his body reacted to her presence. He found himself leaning down as she started to stand on her toes. His face was inching closer and closer to hers; he was ready to claim her lips and found out if she tasted as sweet as he believed she did. Unable to stop himself, he leaned down further as he watched her eyes flutter shut. Just as their lips were about to touch, a car horn sounded in the distance, startling them and breaking the moment.

Blushing bright red, Bella cleared her throat while looking anywhere but Emmett at that moment in time, "So where did you want to go?"

"I was thinking we could go for a ride or maybe a walk," Emmett said as he rubbed the back of his neck. He knew that if he had a pulse, he would be blushing just as fiercely as Bella was, but what was there to be embarrassed about. They are two healthy individuals that have feelings for each other; at least that is what Emmett hoped was the case. He would find out soon enough.

"Both of those sound nice," Bella stated as she smiled up at him and then immediately down again. If she kept looking at his eyes, she would drown in their topaz depths once again.

Grabbing her hand, Emmett led her towards the woods behind the church. He wasn't ready to be cooped up in a car and not be able to touch her when he told her everything that lay in his heart, "Do you mind if we go for a little walk first?"

"Not at all," Bella whispered wondering if this was it, was this the moment where her hopes would be confirmed or her dreams dashed? She couldn't help but noticed that he never let go over her hand and it felt nice to have that link between them.

When they had walked in silence for about ten minutes, Emmett started the conversation again, "You sent me an email today and I wanted to answer it, but I thought it would be best if I told you face to face."

"He sounds so serious. Is it bad news? Can I handle it if he tells me he thinks of me as just a friend? When did I think of him as something more? I… I want more with him, only him," Bella thought as Emmett continued.

Pausing a moment in their walk, Emmett turned so that he was facing her. When he noticed that she was not really looking at him, he lifted his hand not holding hers and cupped her cheek running his thumb across its smooth surface. As soon as her eyes met his, he smiled and started his confession, "I love you. I don't know how or when it happened, but I do. I know that you are dating Edward right now, but he isn't the one for you… I am. I have watched you from the day you walked into our lives at Forks High School and I haven't stopped since. You have intrigued me, unknowingly made me laugh, gave me courage, and instilled a sense of peace that has always been absent from my life. With you I feel complete. I want to protect you from the evils in the world and keep you safe, but I also want to see you grow and spread your wings. You are a beautiful person and one that I am blessed to know."

Bella's heart was racing and she was sure he could hear it. Her spirit was soaring and she felt free for the first time since moving to Forks. Edward never made her feel like this. It was like everything finally clicked into place. Her world suddenly made sense and she knew what she wanted in her life. It was to grow with this man by her side. Edward had rescued her and intrigued her, but he had failed to capture her heart. It belonged to the man standing there in the middle of the woods with her. Beaming, she stood on her toes again to try to get as close to him as possible, "I love you too."

Emmett didn't wait for to expand, that was enough for him. Bending ever so slightly, he never let go of her hand or cheek as he did what he had longed to do since day one… he kissed her. Sparks flew between them and it felt as if the connection was complete between them and they permanently imprinted their names on each other's souls, each other's beings.

When they finally pulled back, Bella was having a hard time breathing. Gazing up at Emmett, it was apparent that it was a good thing that he didn't need to breathe to live. She felt like she was glowing and just conquered the world. "Wow," she exhaled as her legs felt weak and she could no longer stand on her toes loving the fact that Emmett wrapped his arm around her to support her.

Pressing his forehead against hers, Emmett whispered, "Yah."

Regaining her breath and equilibrium, Bella spoke softly with tears glistening in her eyes, "I never knew. I hoped and wanted to hear those words from you, but you had…" she stopped when Emmett covered her mouth with his fingers.

"I know, and I shouldn't be here telling you this or kissing you because of Edward, but I can't help it."

Bella shook her head, "He doesn't matter. You do."

"Bella, he is still your boyfriend."

"Did you know that Jasper came to see me this morning?"

"He said something about it."

Taking a step back and breaking his hold on her, Bella started to walk through the woods once again, "He said a lot of things that got me thinking. Well, thinking more than I was about things. It never felt right with Edward. Something was always missing. There was this pull towards someone else and I couldn't explain it. I tried to fight it because I thought that Rose was your mate. I was convinced of it, until this morning. When Jasper explained how mates work in your world, I realized Edward wasn't mine. I was a possession to him. He didn't want to make me happy; it was about controlling the situation and me. I asked Edward how he felt about me and he started to yell and get angry with me. I thought it was a simple question. He stormed out of my window. Then I sent the email to you wondering if I was alone in my feelings because if I was then I knew what I was feeling wasn't… I guess real in a way. I was half expecting you to dodge the question or ignore it, but you didn't. Instead you wanted me to know."

Emmett was walking beside her, listening to everything she was saying. Did she truly understand what he had told her when he told her of his feelings? Taking the chance and linking his hand with hers, he felt like he needed the contact, he probed, "I needed you to know the truth because I won't lie to you when you ask me a question and I won't dodge it. What did you think of what Jasper said this morning?"

"I thought I would be confused, but I wasn't. At first I thought maybe he was telling me for Edward's sake so that I would understand him more, but I soon realized he wasn't. He was telling me so that I would understand that Edward wasn't the one, you were," she stopped walking and faced the man standing next to her, "You were the one Jasper was doing that for. He wanted me to know that I wasn't meant to be with Edward, I was meant to be with you."

"Are you sure? I will do anything to keep from hurting you, and if I have to step back to make you happy, I will."

Smirking, Bella lifted her free hand and placed it where his heart would have been beating if he had been alive, "I am more sure now than ever." Emmett was the one that wanted to make her happy and would do anything to accomplish that even if it meant letting her go to Edward. It wasn't what he wanted, but he would do it for her. "Thank you Jasper," she whispered in her heart as she took a step towards Emmett, "I know that you are my mate and I love you. We will deal with Edward and Rosalie, and anyone else together. As long as you are with me, I know I will be alright."