A/N: Wow, you guys really liked The Mothers!!! :-D I can't believe we're at 300+ reviews already. I know for some authors that's small potatoes, but it isn't for me, and I love each and every review. You keep me motivated to keep going!!! I seriously appreciate your support. Keep the love coming, and I'll do the same. ;-) Thanks to Lea for getting this back to me super quick, because she really is a super hero in disguise. Hehe.

Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight, but it owns me. It's sort of sad.

EmPOV

Jasper and I both froze when Alice piped up with her little inquisition. My heart started racing. Jasper stared at me with raised eyebrows.

"Uh… no, no…" Bella stammered. "We're not… we haven't… It's not…"

Aww, fuck. We were so screwed. Bella could never keep secrets; she always wore her emotions on her sleeve. Renee was incredibly perceptive, and from what I've heard, Alice was a tiny detective. We'd never escape this alive.

"Are you?" Jasper whispered. It was barely a question. I knew he knew. Mother fucker.

"No…"

He just looked at me. I was hot under the collar. He knew I knew he knew… There was no way out of this. Between my mom, Renee, Alice, and Jasper, Bella and I didn't have a hope in hell of keeping this a secret any longer. They knew us better than any other people in this world. We couldn't hide from them. Bella was still stuttering, unsure of what to say, and making it more and more apparent that she was lying.

I couldn't take it anymore. Jasper's eyes were probing, and Bella's protests were getting weaker and weaker. I was an honest guy, and I liked being open with people. Secrets weren't my deal.

"FINE!" I shouted, quieting the entire apartment. "It's true!"

Seconds later, our moms and Alice were poking their heads into my room, eyes wide, and a look of disbelief on their faces.

"Oh God," I heard Bella moan from the kitchen. I could just picture her with her face in her hands.

"Baby, come here," I called, and everyone stared at me again.

The crowd at the door parted as Bella slowly walked into my room. We were all silent. She stood by my bed, and I grasped her hands in my good one. Her hands were so tiny, they were engulfed by mine.

She looked like she was on the verge of tears, and I didn't know if that was good or bad. I prayed it was good, or at least okay.

"Well, we kept that a secret for all of an hour, huh?" she said, laughing weakly. "Stupid to think we could keep this from them. You know us too well." I rubbed her back, trying to soothe her. She sat on the edge of the bed, giving me a sweet, but nervous looking smile.

The room was still silent. Everyone was trying to absorb what had just happened. Chaos into silence.

And then suddenly, it was bursting into sound again. Renee and my mom started squealing and hugging, and Alice and Jasper embraced, grinning at us like idiots. Damned all-knowing people.

"We always knew you two would get together!" Renee said, smiling so widely I thought she was going to start plotting world domination or something. "I KNEW something was going on!"

Bella blushed, and I couldn't help but grin.

"So… you're just fooling around then? Isn't that hard to do with a broken femur?" Jasper smirked.

"For your information, she is my girlfriend. We're not just fooling around. And as for the other thing… which is none of your business, by the way, we've only kissed." I failed to mention how often and how intensely, and how much I wanted for it to be more than that.

Bella blushed brilliantly, and I knew her thoughts had gone along the same lines as mine. I longed for the day when she and I could truly express how we felt about each other in the physical sense. I had had one release in over a month, and I knew the need for it would only increase as time when on. I needed Bella.

"Gotcha," Jasper said, and then the fucker winked at me. Actually winked. I scowled back, which only made his smile widen.

Alice was in the process of whispering in Bella's ear when I glanced at them. Bella's eyes widened as Alice got a wicked expression on her face. The munchkin was adorable, I had to admit. But my girl was just… well, as I told our moms, the best. I don't think I'd ever notice another girl so long as Bella was in my world. I was ruined for anyone but her.

I had to tell her. I wanted to tell her I loved her so much, but I wasn't sure we were ready for that yet. I mean, I was, but I didn't think Bella was along those same lines yet, and when I told her, I wanted to make sure she was 100% with me. I'd only ever been in love once before, with disastrous results, and I didn't want a repeat performance.

Not that Rosalie and Bella were the same. In fact, they barely had anything in common, beyond being female. This situation was not the same, but I was still wary of sharing my feelings. I shared my thoughts all the time… but the way I felt about things was totally different.

My mom and Renee were hugging still, acting like giggly schoolgirls because the twenty some-odd years of failed match making had finally come to fruition. They had tried, extremely unsuccessful, to bring Bella and I together, prom being one of their brilliant plans that went to shit. I still felt horrible about that, especially since I now knew how horribly it had hurt Bella.

I was a dick as a teenager; I'm not going to lie. I still kind of am, but I try hard not to be, especially to the woman I love.

I realized, with a start, that everyone had moved into the living room except for my Bella.

My Bella. I liked the sound of that.

She was holding my hand in a vice-like grip. "I can't believe that just happened," she whispered. "I guess it was inevitable they'd find out. You know me; I'm a horrible liar…"

I laughed. "Yes you are, my love."

Her eyes widened at my use of the word 'love,' but didn't say anything. I wasn't sure if that was good or bad. I wished she would say it, I wish I could say it.

Not yet.

"Well, now that that's out in the open, I guess I can do this," I said, cupping the back of her neck and bringing her lips to mine.

She protested for about two seconds, and then kissed me back. I ran my tongue along the seam of her lips, teasing her, before pulling back.

"You jerk," she moaned, but then she heard Jasper's catcall from the living room, and pulled herself away from me fully. I was beginning to think the poor girl was going to faint, seeing as how all the blood in her body seemed to have flowed into her cheeks permanently.

If I could, I'd make it so her blood flowed in a more southerly direction.

Lord knows mine had.

"I'm going to get your dinner for you," she said, kissing me on the forehead and walking out of the bedroom.

Jasper strolled back in, looking like the cat who ate the canary. Motherfucker.

"You suck at keeping secrets, you know that?"

"Shut up, it's all your fault. You and your all knowing looks. Douche."

He just grinned.

"So… I have Bella… you have Alice…"

"Yep…"

Alice burst into the room. "Stop being such boys and come eat."

"Would if I could," I said, gesturing to my leg.

"Oh, right."

"I got it!" Bella bustled in with a tray full of food. My mom was the best cook in the world. Bella came in a close second, but my mom was unbeatable. The mashed potatoes were like an orgasm in my mouth. Well… you know what I mean.

"I'm gonna come sit with you," Bella said, and a minute later, she, Alice, and Jasper were all bringing in their trays full of amazing looking pasta.

"Lucky," I groaned. Even if my mom's cooking was life affirming, I still craved real food, not the sick person food I was given all the time.

Renee and my mom settled on the couch, giving me a small wave through the door. It really was good to see them, despite that tiny bit of drama. Part of me wondered if my mom had called my dad and Charlie to let them know the good news. She didn't look the part, but my mom was the biggest gossip you'll ever meet, beating out even Renee.

"Our first double date!" Alice exclaimed. Bella rolled her eyes, and Jasper squeezed her hand before taking a huge bite of spaghetti. Like I said before, he's a motherfucker.

Well, not my mother… the fact that she had a crush on him made me calling him a motherfucker even worse. I so did not need that mental image running around in my brain.

"So Bella, I'm going to Jasper's hockey game next week. Wanna come?"

My stomach clenched.

BPOV

Alice's hands flew up to her mouth, realizing what she'd just said, and what impact it would have on Emmett.

"Emmett, I'm so sorry, I didn't think-"

He waved his hand, dismissing her apology. "Its fine, Alice. It's time I faced reality. No one should pussy-foot around me. Bella, if you want to go, you're more than welcome to."

No.

"No, Emmett, I want to stay with you. Maybe another time, Alice. Good luck, Jasper." I grabbed Emmett's hand and squeezed gently. He rubbed circles on the back of my hand, as if he was comforting me, instead of the other way around.

Jasper smiled in understanding. He really was a good guy.

I looked at Emmett. He was smiling, but I could tell he was hurting on the inside. He should be playing. He should be getting his big break. He was so young, and suddenly his entire future had been ripped apart. This was nothing more than a reminder of that. Yet he put on a brave face. I couldn't have been more proud of him than at that moment. It was a huge mistake, but he was starting to pull through.

Then again, if he hadn't been in that accident, there was no way in hell we would have even spoken to each other, let alone found ourselves in love.

Wait, what? Love?

It hit me like a ton of bricks. Holy God, I love Emmett.

My mouth dropped open at the shock of my own personal revelation. I snapped it shut before anyone else could notice, but my head was spinning. I'm in love with Emmett. I love Emmett. I love him. The words kept repeating themselves over and over in my brain, like some weird mantra I'd never escape from. But I didn't want to escape.

I was in love with Emmett Dale Cullen, and there wasn't a damn thing I could do about it. How did that happen?

And more to the point, could he love me back? My pulse raced thinking about it. If there was even the slightest chance that he could love me…

"Bella?" Emmett's voice sounded concerned, and he was looking at me with careful eyes. My stomach flip-flopped as we made eye contact. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine," I said, shaking my head slightly. It was still buzzing with my love chant. "Just spaced out for a minute."

Renee stuck her head in the door. "Bella, I want to go shopping tomorrow, okay? You're coming with me!"

Alice pouted. "Jasper and I are busy tomorrow, I can't go." She stuck out her bottom lip like some little kid who didn't get any ice cream, but everyone else did.

"Honey, you can go," Jasper said, "if it's alright with Bella and Renee."

Alice looked torn. The two apparent loves of her life were being dangled in front of her face, and she had to choose between the two.

"No," she finally said. "I want to be with you, Jasper." She wrapped her arms around his neck, disregarding the plate in her lap, and narrowly avoiding spilling it onto Emmett's… err… our bedspread.

I wondered briefly if having The Mothers know about us meant that I could sleep in Emmett's bed tonight.

Our bed. Damn it. It was still hard wrapping my mind around that sometimes. I loved the 'our' and 'we' part of the relationship. It was just odd thinking about it sometimes. Even when I was with Dickward, there wasn't an 'us.' And it had been so long since I was with Jake, I still saw myself as just one person with no other attachments.

And now I had Emmett. I sincerely hoped it'd never just be 'me' ever again.

If I only knew how he felt…

The next morning found me waking up next to Emmett, and cursing the fact that The Mothers were already in the kitchen making breakfast. I had really wanted to help out Emmett with his morning… situation. I had just reached down to stroke him when someone dropped a pan on the ground and I jumped sky high.

Whoever gave The Mothers that goddamn house key should be shot. Oh, right, that would be me.

"Don't you two have a hotel room?" I groaned. I was always grouchy in the morning, and they weren't helping the situation at all.

"And I thought you had the couch," Renee smirked.

"Plans change," I said, not in the mood to discuss the nature of Emmett's and my relationship this early in the morning with The Mothers.

"Same," she laughed. "Honey, you've been taking care of Emmett for a long time. We just wanted to take care of you."

My features softened as she said this. "Thanks," I said simply.

They made me some scrambled eggs, bacon, and toast. Emmett wasn't even approaching being awake, as his meds were still kicked into high gear, though they changed often so he wouldn't get addicted. The Mothers chatted to each other for awhile as I munched on my toast.

And then, out of nowhere, Renee is asking me about my sex life. I choked on my mouthful of sourdough, and she pounded me on the back unhelpfully.

"I'm sorry, honey, I was just curious. How do you do it?!"

"ACK!" Esme screamed, covering her ears. "Don't tell me, I don't wanna know…. La la la…."

I pulled her hands away. "Relax, Esme! We haven't done that yet." Goddamn it, that blush was back. Traitor.

"Oh thank God," she sighed, and sank into the kitchen chair. Renee looked disappointed.

"Really? How do you manage that? He's quite handsome."

Esme moaned into her coffee.

"He's… he's hurt!" I exclaimed.

Renee got a wicked gleam in her eyes. "So, you'd have done it already if he wasn't?"

"I wouldn't have even talked to him, let alone let him touch me if he hadn't gotten hurt," I explained. "Besides, I'm not that kind of girl."

"We know, sweetie," Esme soothed.

"Do you love him?" Renee asked.

"I- yeah," I whispered. No point in lying about it now.

"I knew it!" she triumphed, and Esme had tears in her eyes.

"Well, he'd better love you back, or he's a huge moron," Esme said. "And I didn't raise that boy to be a moron."

"I hope so," I mumbled before taking a huge bite of eggs. Please.