? DISCONTINUED ? Between the Perennial Blooms || Paul Lahote

Forty Eight | Nasturtium

Meanwhile, the aluminum thermos Bailey held between her hands dropped to the ground with an audible clang!

"Oh no. Bay, Jake-" Realization dawned on Bella and she turned to look at Edward in blatant disbelief. "You... knew he was listening."

"He deserves to know."

Taking those words as confirmation, Jacob caved in on himself. He pivoted on his heel and stormed toward the woods all the while Bailey stood there frozen and in shock. She couldn't believe what she had just heard — couldn't understand why she was just hearing it now. Part of her brain refused to acknowledge it; after all, shouldn't she have been one of the first to be told? Yet as she watched Jacob retreat into the woods just as Paul had the morning before — only this time both furious and heartbroken over the girl he loved who had chosen the one she loved more — Bailey quickly found that acceptance filled her chest. Because she wanted so badly to run after him — to console him and reassure him that things would be okay, that he shouldn't leave mad (he should never leave mad) and that she loved him and would be there for him once the disaster soon to come was finally over and done with. She wanted to sprint into his arms and hug his pain away, to squeeze his big body to her chest and lend him her strength. She wanted so badly to just hold him, her Jay-bird, her best friend. But Bella was already making her way towards him and knowing that, in that instance, whatever words she had to say to him were probably infinitely more important than her own, Bailey realized she had lost her chance. So, 'I love you', she sent his way silently. 'I love you and hope you know you mean the world to me.'

Then with a sigh and a quick rub of her stinging eyes, she turned to face Edward and let her hurt display itself plainly for him to see.

"Bailey..."

"Why didn't she tell me?" She asked him quietly, feeling for all the world like she'd just received a slap to the face. Bella had done a lot of things to her over the past few months — things Bailey knew she probably shouldn't have forgiven her for but had done so nonetheless — yet nothing seemed to have resonated with her so much as this. We're sisters, Bailey thought to herself sorrowfully, reflecting back on all of the times they had shared in each other's pain and happiness equally. So aren't we supposed to tell each other everything?

"Please don't be upset," Edward urged, walking forward to place a comforting hand on her shoulder. "Her not telling you was not ill-intended, I can promise you that."

"Then- then what was it?" Bailey questioned.

On one hand, she was happy — ecstatic even. This was such exciting news! Yet hurt was a fickle thing that spared no one and no thing, and despite knowing that it would be far wiser to save the conversation for another time and another place, she couldn't help the heaviness that had settled in her chest like an anchor weighing her down.

"Bella didn't want to make an announcement until things had settled down, until after the battle with the newborns," Edward explained earnestly. "She withheld the truth; yes. But not because she was trying to hurt you."

Sighing softly, Bailey rubbed at her chest and closed her eyes. She could understand where Bella was coming from; after all, she had been keeping a little something tucked away in the bottom drawer of her desk for about a week now and was fully aware that her hurt was hypocritical in its existence. Because the little something she kept hidden away had come in the mail on a Tuesday and she had been anxiously awaiting its arrival up until that point, and as of now, the only person who knew of it was Emily.