Chapter 21

February 14th. Valentine's Day.

Bella opened up her new shop and tried not to feel apprehensive. This was a good thing, she kept telling herself. This bakery had been part of the deal Jasper had secured for her a year ago when she had first hired him to save her original bakery,

And now, a little over than a year later everything was out in the open between her and Jasper, her bakery had been reconfigured and saved, she had everything she'd ever dreamed of and more.

She had love.

And kittens. Her male cat, Tiger, had gotten herself pregnant when Angela had taken him in while she'd travel and they all found out he was a girl. Kittens vampires were surprisingly fond of. Peter walked around with a kitten in his pocket for days until the tiny cinnamon colored furball nearly clawed his eyes on in its haste to get away from Peter and Charlotte and their best try to tear down a wall in their house during their passion.

She had a new friends she could talk to about everything and anything (because nothing short of an interrogation could ever satisfy Charlotte), a business partner that she could depend on (just wait till Angela had to help out with the assorted paperwork two bakeries would need) and a mate who could depend on her and that she could lean on (except for very sunny days and beach trips. Then she'd still keel over from laughter at her friends. In her defense though, so did Angela who often joked that she was lucky to need glasses, for without her lenses, she'd be blinded by the sparkling). Jasper, who had gotten offended the first time Bella burst in laughter over it, had learned to take it as a joke. It helped that Peter, Garrett and Charlotte already did.

The only thing she didn't have was a date for the Valentine's Day ball at the Volturi castle. Once the vampire kings and their wives had found out chocolate, the vampire central town had seen a lot more of them. Usually they went to the bakery and walked out with bloody treats.

However this trip to Italy had worked wonders for Jasper.

Red Investments had already been successful but an alliance with the Volturi helped bring more customers to him. Ever since the couple had landed in Volterra, she had been busy with setting up the bakery while he had been setting meetings with all of the potential clients. The couple had barely any time alone.

Settling into the "Holiday of Love", Bella plastered a smile on her face and watched as her employees did brisk sales all day, stepping in every now and then to show how to tie a bow or to offer a lollipop to some bored looking vampire male who stood like a coat hunger, arms laden with bags, resigned to their fate, while their mate shopped.

With a smile on her face, she sold out the expensive gift baskets that Angela had suggested they put together and in any spare time she had, she listened to Garrett's bitching over Skype for letting Angela rope him into working daylight hours and dealing with hormonal teenagers.

Bella had coughed 'whipped' into her hand and he had snapped the conversation window closed, much to her amusement.

By 5 p.m. it was completely dark outside and Bella was exhausted. The big rush was through. Humans were at home sharing a romantic evening in front of the fire together by now and vampires were at the castle for the ball. Bella sent her employees home and collapsed on a wrought iron chair putting her legs on another one and closing her eyes.

She needed a break.

She must have dozed off because she felt a tentative hand poking her what felt minutes later but according to the clock on the wall it was over an hour later.

A nervous looking delivery man was standing in front of her while another man walked in the store carrying a vase of irises. And then another. And then another.

Bella sat up quickly.

"Scuza"

She said to the delivery man in her less than passable Italian.

"I think you're delivering these roses to the wrong place."

The man looked at his clipboard.

"This is Blood & Chocolate, is it not?"

His English was just as bad, Bella noted with a nod, her heart beginning to blossom with joy and a smile tug on her lips. Quickly she signed at the paper and gave the man a tip along with a box of leftover, normal chocolate candies.

It was funny how the blood ones sold like crazy while the normal chocolate ones tended to not sell as well, and not just here in Vampire Central either. Her mother had joked that it was the name of the bakery. What normal person would visit a bakery that had the word 'blood' on the sign? Bella had laughed and told her mother it was a private joke.

When the delivery truck drove away, the bakery was filled with vases of flowers of every color and on every available surface. On the floor, on the counter, on every shelf.

Bella reached for the cell phone in her pocket to call Jasper to thank him for being the most wonderful boyfriend in the world, but before she could wind through the vases of flowers, four men in tuxedos walked through the door carrying musical instruments.

Hardly able to believe what was happening, the string quartet began to serenade her with her favorite symphony. Tears pooled in her eyes and she had to lean against her display counter to stay steady.

No doubt about it, Jasper was the most romantic, wonderful boyfriend in the whole world, with only a side sprinkle of creepiness, for even though the display was wonderful, she did feel like she was on display for any passerby to see.

When the creepiness was about to overcome the joy, the glass doors opened again and the man she loved walked through the door. She shook her head laughing and jumped in Jasper's arms and he swept her up against him and kissed her passionately.

"Happy Valentine's Day, darling."

He said and she kissed him back with all of the love in her heart. Almost silently the music changed and the string quartet began playing smooth jazz, leaving the couple alone enough to talk and give each other soft kisses and murmured words of love.

"Happy Valentine's Day, Jasper. How did you...?"
"I couldn't have done it without our friends you know."
"I should have known that Angela wouldn't let Garrett work a day shift. The humans would drive him up the wall."

Bella laughed and watched as four more people entered the bakery and moved to hug them all. Angela was the only one huddled in a coat and gloves making Bella glad she wasn't the only one cold. Only someone was missing.

"What did you do with my cat?"
"You'll be pleased to know that this one not only smuggled them through two flights here but he also started all fireplaces at the apartment in the castle you were given but has an endless supply of food prepared for them by human chefs. I don't think the cats will ever come home with us. Or that the paper Trio will let them"

She pointed to Peter who looked utterly pleased with himself. Bella snorted at Angela's term for the Kings (whom she had no problem imagining were cuddling with cats, they were after all very nice to her even before she plied them with blood and chocolate)and gave him a mock glare.

Two flutes were filled with golden campaign while four more had more than enough blood in to change the color to a burgundy one.

"To us."
"To love."
"To happiness."
"To friendship."
"Can't we just drink?"
"Garrett!"

A head slap followed by laughter followed by the sound of drinking filled the room while the music played. Because there it was, the kind of sweet, passionate love, and more than that, truthful, that lasts forever between lovers and friends.

Or something close to it, anyway.

The End