Rose (Book IV) | Rosalie Hale

2 | Shadows of the Past

2 | Shadows of the Past

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The sound of a wrench whirling met Leah as she walked into the garage of the Cullen home. She stood back a few feet and watched Rosalie point out a few things to Lavender as they worked on a car, a mixture of grease and dirt on her imprint's cheek and clothing.

"Check if it's tight enough." Rosalie insisted, tightening a bolt on the other side using her fingers.

Lavender frowned at her mother's strength compared to her struggle with the wrench. "How do I do that?"

"I never showed you?" Rosalie raised her brows in surprise.

"Um—" Lavender gulped. "Honestly, this was more you and Monday's thing. You never really brought me in here."

"That will change." Rosalie stood up and moved the wrench, taking her foot and pressing the bar. "If you can't move it any further after using your weight to check it, then I'd call it done."

"Right." Lavender balanced on the car and jumped on the bar. It moved a small fragment, but locked up under her weight. "Like that?"

"Yeah." Rosalie smiled.

She figured if Lavender was going to drive her car around, she should at least teach her how to take care of the car. It shocked her to learn how much Lavender didn't know about little human things. They were all things Willow didn't know as a human, but they were things Rosalie would have taught her child. It's a disheartening to see Lavender so unfamiliar with her shop and lines of impressive project cars.

In fact, at times, Rosalie felt Lavender didn't know much about her. She walked on eggshells around Rosalie and acted as if everything might disappear if she revealed even a little more information to her about their future family.

"Good job." Rosalie added, feeling like the anxious teen needed some reassurance. She grabbed a cloth and gently cleaned Lavender's cheek of grease. "Someone's waiting for you."

Lavender followed Rosalie's direction and smiled when her eyes found Leah. She could feel her close by, but the distracting tire must have been enough for her to forget about Leah's plans to come by that evening.

"Thanks, Rosalie." She said, stepping back and grabbing the wet wipes to clean off her hoodie.

Leah awkwardly stood nearby as Lavender finished cleaning herself. She smiled as the girl backed up to join her, waving to Rosalie.

"I'll see you later."

"Remember—" Rosalie shot Leah a glare. "Everyone in this house can hear you."

Leah rolled her eyes and nodded. She didn't particularly like Rosalie, but she had to get over it. They'd had a very rough conversation about their imprint bond, and what was said on the battlefield months ago. Although she loved Willow, she found it a bit uncomfortable knowing Rosalie was her technical mother-in-law. And that she imprinted on Lavender, her best friend's youngest child, not long after they met on her first birthday.

That did explain why Willow's scent drove her crazy. It was Lavender. A piece of her mother she couldn't part with.

"Want to go upstairs?" Lavender asked, as Leah took her hand.

"Yeah." She followed Lavender down the hallway. "Whatever you'd like."

Lavender nodded and pulled Leah along up the stairs, past her uncle's game of ping-pong off the hallway walls. She rolled her eyes at Emmett and Jasper, disappearing into her bedroom and locking the door.