Between the Perennial Blooms || Paul Lahote

Twenty Seven | Tuberose

"I've hoarded your name in my mouth for months. My throat is a beehive pitched in the river. Look! Look how long this love can hold its breath."
—Sierra DeMulder | Your Love Finds Its Way Back

• • •

Nearly a week had gone by since Bailey had met the Cullen family and she had been dealing with lingering feelings of guilt ever since. She and Bella hadn't stayed for very long after their introductions were made — after all, Charlie had donned the eldest Swan sister a strict curfew and though he had made a weekend exception on account of Bailey's accompaniment, he had still ordered the two of them to return home in time for lunch. 'It's for your own good,' he'd said to Bella upon wind of her initial complaint. 'That Edward punk's no good for you,' he further explained, then he grumbled lowly not intending for the two of his daughters to hear: 'Makes you do all sorts of crazy things you never would've done before.' And Bailey had comforted Bella during the aftermath of the unintentional dig.

What she felt guilty about however, was the fact that Paul still had no clue she had ever stepped foot inside the Cullen residence in the first place. They hadn't seen each other since that afternoon they had kissed what with the treaty line between the vampire coven and wolf pack being reinstated now that said vampires had returned, and though the Imprint pair had exchanged constant phone calls and text messages during the time throughout, they still hadn't breached the topic of her whereabouts that day after she had spent the night with Paul on the Rez. Of course, her subconscious mind was well aware of the fact that if she ever told him, he would lose it. And perhaps it was that very notion that kept her lips sealed shut and her tongue held tight, because some nights she found herself awakening with the scream that had never managed to escape that day Quil had attacked her tearing forth from her throat with all the rapture of a Banshee's call. So she didn't think she could handle seeing Paul shake and quiver with anger — not so soon after she had witnessed Quil do the very same under influence of his own fury. She already had trouble enough convincing herself that nothing like what she had experienced would ever happen to her again — that it was a once-in-a-lifetime altercation that she just so happened to be unfortunate enough to fall victim to. After all, she had only ever seen the Quileute wolves shift when enraged, and if she were being completely honest with herself, she didn't think she would ever really want to see them do it again.

But now in the passenger seat of Charlie's cruiser, Bailey realized that she might have to face that fear sooner rather than later. Bella was gone — she had somehow managed to convince Charlie to allow her and Edward to use the plane tickets she had been gifted for her last birthday to fly to Phoenix for a weekend visit with Renee. Charlie had initially put up a fight. 'Wait, there are two tickets?' he had asked after Bella had claimed she would only go by way of her boyfriend using the companion ticket. Then, in a humorous grasp for straws, Charlie cast a desperate look Bailey's way. 'Why don't you take Bay with you instead? Surely Renee would love to see you both.' To which Bella had easily deflected upon notice of Bailey's saddened gaze, 'I don't think she's exactly in any condition to be traveling what with her leg and all,' and that had been the end of that. Thankfully however, Paul had called late Friday night after Bella and Edward's departure to invite Bailey over for a pack brunch at Sam and Emily's place the next morning, which led her to exactly where she was now:

Sitting silently in the passenger seat of Charlie's renowned police car with 80's rock hits blaring sidelong through the speakers.

"Don't you think the music's a bit... loud, Papa?"

"Oh don't be ridiculous, Bailey-bug! There's only one way to listen to rock-" he said with a grin as he gradually turned the dial up on the volume to the point where he had to yell over the sound of Whitesnake's Here I Go Again, "-and that's so loud you can't even hear yourself think!"