I was feeling restless after my trip down memory lane. I propped myself up on one elbow to look at Jasper as he turned his head away from the book with a curious look on his face.
"Let's go for a run." I smiled, knowing it was one of his favorite things to do no matter what time of day it was. He responded by leaning forward to give me a quick kiss and jumped out of bed, offering his hand.
We ran through the trees, almost silently, until we reached a pine tree that was much larger than the rest. Climbing quickly through the branches, we settled as close to the top as possible. Being a vampire, temperature was never really a focal point when being outside, but something about the night's air was perfect as we looked out across the Boise forest.
"Jas," I started quietly, "When did you first know that you wanted to be with me?" Jasper squeezed my hand lightly and angled his body to put us face-to-face.
"Honestly, I felt something different with you the first time I saw you in class," he ran his thumb over my hand, "but I didn't know how to identify it at first. However, I did know the exact moment when you began to feel differently towards me, naturally." Jasper grinned, knowing my face would be a hundred shades of red had I had the ability to blush.
"Oh, stop it!" I giggled as I bumped my shoulder into his. "How do I know that you didn't just feel bad and give me a pity date?" I teased.
Jasper let out a playful growl and pushed me lightly until I was laying with my back flat on the tree branch. He kissed my shoulder, my neck, and then my lips as he let his hands wander down my sides. "Even I'm not that good of an actor. I love you so much, Bella."
What started as light teasing turned into a night of showing just how much we loved each other. We raced back to our house, laughing every step of the way and, occasionally, taking a break to sneak in a kiss.
The next morning while I was looking through way too many work emails for it only being a Monday, Jasper's phone buzzed, pulling me out of what he calls my "architect-mode," which mean that almost anything else can and will wait until I'm finished. I nearly went right back to work until I heard Jasper's voice adopt a worried tone as he rushed into the room. He appeared right behind me, putting one hand on my shoulder as I began to listen to what the caller was saying.
"Jasper, I know how long it's been, but we are in trouble. I'm very concerned that this could come to a fight and your expertise could really help us, not to mention having another vampire there to help us witness." The unknown voice was pleading.
"I want to help you, and I'm sorry that you've been put in this situation. I'm unsure that me coming is the right choice, though. You've already called Carlisle, I presume?" Jasper responded, gripping the hand that I offered up to him at hearing his former father's name.
"Yes, I have, and they are coming." The caller paused, "Jasper they miss you. They have expressed that they feel horribly if they made you feel like you had to leave. Even Garrett-" the voice stopped, leaving silence in its place that spoke volumes.
"What do you mean, Garrett?" Jasper asked, knowing where it was going, but wanting confirmation before making assumptions.
The caller sighed, "Garrett has been with the Cullens for some time now… with Alice." The hesitation in their voice indicated how nervous they were to give away this piece of information. I supposed I would have been nervous too if I didn't know that Jasper had found his mate and was living happily for the past fifty years.
I turned to make eye contact with my husband, both of us showing relief as we learned that the one person that could have been hurt most by our happiness had some of her own.
"It's okay, Carmen." Jasper smiled, "I have found my mate, too." Even without Jasper's power, I could sense his happiness at finally telling someone important from his past about us, even if it wasn't the whole story.
"Oh, Jasper!" she gushed, "I am so thrilled to hear this. You should absolutely bring her, if you would like."
"I will bring her, and we will come as soon as we can." Jas responded after I gave him a slight nod, indicating my approval of making the trip to help his cousins. I was incredibly nervous, of course. How do you prepare to face your ex-boyfriend and his family, after marrying his brother? Not to mention that they surely think I'm over seventy years old by now.
"Thank you, thank you so much!" Carmen's excitement could have been contagious if we weren't signing up to go potentially fight a bunch of other vampires. Jasper finished the conversation and took my hand, leading me to the couch. We plopped down and breathed like we had just run a marathon. What did we just agree to?
"We can do this, right?" I looked over at Jasper, desperate for some reassurance that this wasn't going to blow up in our faces.
"We can do anything, as long as we are together." It was such a simple statement, but it rang with the truth it possessed. I have never felt stronger or more confident than when I am with my mate. I took my turn to comfort him and kissed his cheek. Eventually, we got up and began to make plans. I had meetings to reschedule and Jasper had projects to manage, but as long as we were together in this, everything would work out okay. It had to.