Author's Note
Aw! I'm glad you guys love Momma Quil and stood up for him. In fact, he thanks you guys for the backup, and sends his love along with a basket of homemade blueberry muffins.
Wow. I actually got off my ass and made this chapter...for no reason besides the fact that I wanted to! Say all you want, but this is all willpower, baby! 8D
OK, it's kinda short, but I didn't have much time and this is two parts. [Part one being the previous chapter.] And...I actually like it. Well, I know some people will be [semi] disappointed with one part, but not for long. I have a plan. ;D
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Picking up the Pieces Part II
Paul POV
A few hours later, Emily and Kim were finally done picking out what they wanted for the babies. Sam and Jared looked exhausted and drained while the women were all bright and beaming. Must be the pregnancy glow I've heard so much about.
"Hey, Paul!" Seth boomed from the living room. "Do you wanna go and tee-pee Jake's house? I heard that Nessie's over there!" There was a suggestive tone to the statement, and I grimaced at the implication.
"Hell no!" I hollered back. I was too busy making sure that Tommy kept his grubby hands to himself.
I leaned against the porch railing, narrowing my eyes as Tommy reached over to muss Cassie's hair. In return, she pushed him down, hard, onto the grass, and then squealed when he grabbed at her ankles.
"Jealous, much?" Leah taunted, sidling up to me. I paused in my monitoring to scowl at her briefly, and then turned my attention back just in time to see Tommy wrap his arms around Cassie's small waist to fling her down onto the ground beside him. I snarled quietly, wood splintering in my curled fingers. Leah chuckled beside me, and I could feel her grinning mockingly at me.
I glared at her. "You can't tell me that it doesn't bother you," I said accusingly, making Leah smile wider.
"Of course it does."
We watched Tommy and Cassie wrestle for dominance in the silence. I picked the splinters from my fingers, wiping the drops of blood onto my jeans.
"How do you stand it?" I asked, a little frustrated. Leah sighed quietly, blowing her bangs from her eyes.
"I trust him," she said simply, and I furrowed my eyebrows at her.
"You…trust him?" I asked, a little dubious, and she nodded her head solemnly.
"I've got to," Leah said, "or else I'd go crazy, wondering what he's doing every time we're away from each other." Leah shrugged her shoulders, smiling lightly. I narrowed my eyes at her suspiciously.
"Okay, who are you and what have you done with the real Leah?" I asked, and she laughed loudly.
"I guess I've changed quite a bit, huh?" Leah smirked at me, and I grinned back. "This is perhaps the first civilized conversation we have had together," she said, and I chuckled.
"Well, it didn't help that you were always in a bad mood," I pointed out, and she shoved my shoulder lightly.
"Look who's talking," Leah said. I cracked a smile, and turned my gaze back to the front lawn. I watched as Cassie smacked Tommy on the face—I silently cheered—and glared as Tommy pinned her onto the ground, hovering above her. Just as I was about to stand and make my over to them, I felt Leah's hand on my arm, pushing me back down.
"Trust," she emphasized. I glared at her for a moment before reluctantly staying put on the porch.
Trust, I thought to myself. I've got to trust her.
Never had I thought that watching Cassie playing around with someone else would get me so pissed. It didn't justify the tight, angry knot in my chest or the slow burning flame tingling up my spine as I watched. But, like Leah told me, I had to trust Cassie.
Even though she had never done anything to wrong me, I found it tough to trust Cassie as her limbs entangled in Tommy's, her laughs loud and bright even from on the porch. I didn't like it. I didn't like it at all. I turned to Leah, looking for someone else to share my rage, but instead I just saw her smiling along, chuckling at the two as they wrestled. Her eyes brightened as Tommy tried to pin Cassie again, and my scowl became more pronounced.
Trust obviously wasn't in my vocabulary.
I tensed up, ready to go and break up the match, regardless of what Leah had said, when Cassie turned towards me and smiled. Not just any smile, but a large, beaming grin, and I felt my muscles loosen on contact. It lasted for only a second—Tommy wasn't going to wait until she was done to tackle her—but it had dissipated the knot in my stomach, and the flames dissolved.
Trust. I had to trust her.
--
I popped open a can of beer, taking a quick sip as I watched Tommy point out constellations to Cassie. I leaned back on the porch swing, crossing my ankles and smiled as Cassie's eyes lit up in delight.
"When are you going to tell him?" I asked quietly, and Leah grimaced beside me.
"I don't know," she said, frowning. Leah tapped her fingers on her knee nervously, and I looked at her from the corner of my eye.
"It sucks, don't it?" I asked, and she smiled wryly at me.
"Definitely." It was quiet for a moment before Leah turned the tables onto me. "When are you going to ask her?" I flinched, taking a heavy sip from the can.
"Not sure," I said, and I saw Leah smile.
"I thought you were going to ask her last night?"
"I thought so, too," I grumbled, taking another mouthful of cold beer. Leah chuckled hollowly beside me.
"Do you…want to talk about it?" she asked, frowning. I raised an eyebrow at her, not able to help the mocking smirk I gave her.
"Feels strange, huh?" I asked, and Leah shuddered.
"You have no idea," she said, shivering in what I could only guess as lighthearted disgust.
"No," I disagreed, "I'm pretty sure I do."
"Whatever. Now, just tell me: are you going to propose to her?" Leah asked, staring at me with an intense expression. I placed the can to my lips, trying to take another large gulp of beer only to find that I had already drank it all.
"Yes…no…I don't know!" I said, exasperated. I slipped my free hand into my pocket, tracing the circular object that still inhabited it. I had gone into what the guys liked to call as the 'Ring Finger Phase', or the time when all I could do was stare at her left hand and imagine a ring occupying her empty finger.
Leah, in a very unlike Leah gesture, patted my back comfortingly. "Perhaps…now isn't the time for you to propose," she said gently, and I looked up at her in a mixture of rage and confusion. She rushed on, "I mean, you two have only just got back together, and I don't think that now is the time." I groaned, burying my face into my hands.
"When is the right time?" I asked her, my voice muffled. After a brief pause, Leah finally spoke.
"I'm not sure, Paul," she said. "All I can tell you is that you'll know when. But, do you think now is honestly the right time?"
"…No," I mumbled sadly, and I could feel Leah standing up beside me. I uncovered my face to see her smiling down at me happily.
"Enjoy the time you have with her, Paul," Leah said, "Then, when you think she's ready, propose." I sighed quietly, nodding my head.
Leah smiled at me, and then pointed to the front lawn. I looked to see Cassie making her way over to the porch, grinning at me. I stood up, just a bit too eagerly, and grabbed her into my arms.
"I kicked Tommy's ass," she said in greeting, and I chuckled. I brushed stray hair from her forehead, bending down to kiss her lightly.
"You tired?" I asked, and she shook her head.
"I just wanna go home," Cassie said, wrapping her arms around my waist. My heart soared ridiculously high when I heard her say 'home', as if sharing living spaces with me was the place she wanted to be.
I turned to Leah. "Could you tell the others that we're leaving?" I asked, and she nodded, smiling as Tommy wrapped his arms around her.
I lead Cassie down the porch, needlessly making sure she didn't trip. Cassie hopped down the stairs happily, smiling all the while. I opened her door for her, and grinned when she snuck a kiss from me.
"Wait!" Quil screeched, throwing open the screen door. "Use condoms! Birth control! A sock, if you need to! P—Ow! Claire! What was that for?!"
"Good night, Cassie! Good night, Paul!" Claire called, dragging Quil inside by his ear. I chuckled as I hopped into the truck. Cassie was fiddling with the radio, flipping through stations before settling on an Old Rock station. It was quiet, and I looked from the corner of my eye to see Cassie wringing her hands, looking out the window.
"Cassie?" I asked quietly, and she jumped. I placed my hand on top of hers, completely covering them. "Are you okay?" Cassie looked down and bit her lip, nodding her head. I decided not to push, and continued to navigate down the road until we reached the house. I pulled into the driveway, parking and then cutting the ignition. Quickly, Cassie unbuckled her seat belt and hopped out, all before I could say anything. Just as quickly, I followed her out and up the porch.
Cassie waited for me to unlock the front door, biting her lip all the while. I looked down at her, suddenly worried. Had she heard what Leah and I were talking about earlier? And did she then decide that she didn't want to stay with me anymore?
I flinched at the thought, and my suspicions didn't let up when she darted into the house, not even waiting for me.
"Cassie?" I asked when I caught up to her in the living room. "Is something wrong?" Cassie shifted nervously where she stood, gazing down at the floor. I thought she wasn't going to answer me, but after a moment, she spoke up.
"I've…I've been thinking," Cassie started, turning a light pink. She looked up at me, and I wrapped my arms around her, pulling her to me. "I…"
"Yes?" I coaxed gently, and Cassie hid her face into my chest.
"Iloveyou!" she squeaked, the words jumbled together as she sped through them.
My eyes widened, and my jaw went slack. I could hear her heart fluttering in her chest, and I could feel the heat as blood rushed into her cheeks. Cassie looked up at me, eyes just as wide.
"You…love me?" I asked, my voice sounding strangled. It was too good to be true.
Cassie flushed darker. "I know that we just got back together and all, but, I mean, I understand if you don't feel the same w—mmph!" The rest was smothered as I crashed my lips into hers enthusiastically. She tangled her fingers into my hair, tugging fistfuls as her mouth moved excitedly against mine.
When she pulled away from me, I pouted, and her face flushed, if possible, much darker. "That…wasn't the only thing I've been thinking about." I looked at her confusedly, my eyebrows furrowing. Cassie bit her lip again, looking back to the hallway. It took me a moment before I understood what she was motioning at: the bedroom.
My breath quickened, and I looked down at her. "Are you sure?" I asked, and she nodded, pulling me towards the dark hallway. I followed her eagerly into the bedroom, my hands already making their way up her shirt.
"I love you, Paul," Cassie said, almost shyly.
"Love you too, Angel."
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8D
Viva la Paul! Viva la Paul!
Now, as a treat, he demands...oh, say, forty or so reviews?
Sorry, but no lemons for you! Rating is strictly 'T', and it has to stay that way. I don't want to be held responsible for a reader's brain melting with all of the steamy details. ;D
And, no, Paul won't propose for a while. [It's okay, Jen. I never planned for him to propose in this chapter.] But, it will come up soon, since I have to hurry up and finish this damned story.
So...how about hitting that review button, eh? Remember: forty is my goal!
