Bella knew there was no going back. She was completely at Carlisle's mercy. They connected in every way possible. The words he spoke matched everything he did and it was impossible not to fall hard for him. Deep down Bella knew there was no way he wouldn't catch her.

She held him for a long while beneath the fall of the water she knew was warm because of the steam that pooled around them. Bella knew she wouldn't let go if she didn't have to.

"I want to stay with you tonight," Bella whispered against his lips, but didn't know if that would be at all possible with everyone sharing the same living space.

"You can," Carlisle told her.

He cranked the water back to a halt and helped her out of the shower, handing Bella a pair of towels and then drying himself off before securing one around his waist.

Bella eyed him up and down. Everything felt magnified - like she was some silly teenager again. Carlisle, she decided, had no idea how incredibly hot he was - for lack of a better term. She sighed and tried to concentrate.

"What about everyone else?" She asked quietly, beginning to day off as she wrapped one of the two towels around her while drying her hair with the other.

"They have their.. alone time," Carlisle reminded her.

"But they don't know about us."

"Alice and Jasper do," Carlisle reminded Bella. "I assume Jasper does if Alice does."

Bella nodded in agreement. "What about Rosalie?" She said her name specifically because she was almost certain Emmett wouldn't care. There was something about Rosalie that still intimidated her.

"I care about Rosalie," Carlisle said, first and foremost, "But I'm not entirely worried about her approval."

Bella wished she felt the same. "That makes one of us."

"We can tell everyone," Carlisle said to her. "What do we have to hide?"

Bella thought about it. He was right. What did they have to hide? Alice and Jasper were both in their corner. She was sure Emmett would be supportive and hoped Rosalie would, too. There really wasn't a reason to oppose anything.

"You're right," Bella told him, nodding as she looked down.

Carlisle approached her and used his first two fingers to tilt her chin upward to look at him. The move made Bella smile.

"I'm going to take back what I just said," Carlisle told her. "I think we should tell them whenever you're ready to."

She continues to smile. "No, what you said makes sense." Bella nodded. "We should tell them.. soon."

Carlisle pecked her lips. "Just let me know."

"Okay." Bella's eyes closed and she kissed him again. "I'm sorry."

"Don't be," he assured her, "Regardless.. you can spend the night with me."

Bella smiled and then snickered. "I don't think I'd be able to keep to myself knowing you're in here.. with this big bed."

"All alone," Carlisle finished with a smirk.

"We wouldn't want that," she added with a matching grin.

"No.." he shook his head. "We wouldn't."

They shared a little laugh and then made their way out to the main room and got dressed. Bella glanced at the tossed and turned sheets, knowing full well she could have climbed back in bed with him right then. It was a curse and a blessing to have feelings so intense.

Mostly a blessing, she told herself.

Bella left her towel-dried hair down to the side and Carlisle styled his hair before, a few steps ahead of him, Bella flung the bedroom door open. She held her white towel over one shoulder and still dried her hair as she exited Carlisle's bedroom.

That's when she froze and came face-to-face with Emmett, who was thumbing at the screen of his iPhone as he walked down the hallway.

Despite the oh shit feeling she had in her stomach, Bella tried to play it cool as he stopped and stared.

"Hey.. Bella..?" Emmett's eyebrows pressed together.

"Hi," she said in what felt like less than a syllable.

He squinted his eyes for a second and Bella swallowed hard. Emmett's eyes glanced at the big, wooden door behind where she stood. Bella's hand was still attached to the handle behind her back and she clicked it shut all the way.

"You smell like Carlisle's shampoo," Emmett pointed out, noting she had just exited his room. He eyed the towel on her shoulder. Bella almost laughed at his remark but she couldn't.

"Oh, um.. yeah. Yeah, I didn't bring any of my stuff from home so.." Bella knew the excuse was weak, at best.

"Where is Carlisle?" Emmett asked. His eyes alternated from the door to Bella, back to the door.. back to Bella. And then his lips curled up into a grin as his eyebrows raised. A lightbulb seemed to go off in his head. "You can plead the fifth but-"

"I'm invoking that right, right now," Bella cut him off.

"Bells.." Emmett smiled and then let out a childish giggle. "I'm not going to ask anything but just say yes or no."

"I can't answer yes or no to a question that wasn't asked."

"So, can I ask it?" Emmett went on.

The door behind her made a click and Carlisle slowly opened it, standing just a few inches behind Bella now as he crept into the hallway. Both of them turned to look at him. He didn't want to have Bella on the spot to answer Emmett's questions alone.

From the way they both stood staring at Emmett, he was certain he had his answer to the question that was still left unspoken.

"Shut up," Emmett finally said after a short bout of silence. He laughed to himself again. "Just tell me."

"Tell you what?" Carlisle asked.

Emmett's eyes danced back and forth between the two of them as he began to put the pieces of the puzzle together in his mind. "Are you.. like.. did you..?"

Bella and Carlisle exchanged a glance and that's all Emmett needed to see for proof.

"Holy shit." He looked like a little kid on Christmas. "Holy shit!" He said a little louder.

Emmett grabbed Bella in his arms and twirled her around before placing her back on her feet beside Carlisle. She snickered to herself and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear.

"So.." he desperately needed official confirmation.

"Em.." Bella sighed.

"Yes or no?"

"You still haven't asked a question." Bella was certain he was going to ask if they were together - and she was fully prepared to just give in and tell the truth.

Emmett cleared his throat and held a smirk as he stared at them. "Bella.. Carlisle.." he raised his eyebrows again, "Did you just take a shower together?"