BK 2 - Chapter 37 - The Phone Call
Cat was still in a daze as she, Trey, Aiden, and Kitty returned to the pool house. She was so lost in thought she didn't react when Trey lifted her in his arms. He carried her to their bedroom and lay with her on the bed.
"Are you okay?" Trey kissed her forehead and smoothed her hair from her face. To his surprise, it was Saira who answered him.
*"She's still in shock. I'm talking to her to calm her down. Everything Valerie said was a lot of information for her to take in. Please lay with her and hold her like you're doing. We'll get her through this."* Trey pulled her tighter into his arms.
*"Thank you, Saira. I'll give her as much time as she needs."*
Trey continued holding Cat as she stared at the ceiling, not moving or saying anything. He would like to keep her in a bubble for the rest of her life. They had just gotten rid of Leo, and he was working on getting Caleb. Now they had to worry about others finding her to use her gifts for their gain. Trey held her against him, lightly stroking her head. As long as he was breathing, no one would ever lay a finger on his mate.
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Kitty and Aiden watched as Trey carried Cat upstairs. They were both stunned by everything they had just heard. Neither could imagine what Cat was going through.
"Do you think she's alright?" Kitty asked Aiden softly.
"Trey will make sure she's okay. It's good that she has Valerie to tell her more about her family and about being caladrius. At least she's not alone." She thought about what he said, which made her think about her birth mother.
"I think I want to reach out to my birth mom. After seeing how excited Cat was finding Valerie, it made me also want to find family. I know it's different, but I still want to try." Aiden looked at Kitty in surprise. He had personally hoped she would contact Sandie, but he hadn't thought she would be ready so soon.
"When do you want to call her?"
"Do you think it's too late now?" She asked hopefully. Now that she'd made up her mind, she was eager to make that connection.
"No, it's only seven o'clock here, so it should be eight o'clock there. Go get the paper with her number, and we'll go sit on the swing." Kitty grabbed his hand, leading him outside.
"No need. I already added her number to my contacts on my phone." She smiled up at him.
Once they sat down, Kitty slid over to lean on Aiden. She wanted his warmth to keep her calm. Many things were going through her mind as she stared at her phone. What if Sandie hung up on her? Would she yell at her and tell her never to call again? She took a deep breath and pushed talk. Her hand was shaking as she held the phone to her ear. When a woman's voice answered, she felt like she was going to pass out.
"Hello?" The woman on the other line had a warm voice, and Kitty almost lost her nerve.
"Hello? Is anyone there?" The woman asked again, snapping her out of her trance.
"Hello. My name is Kittana. Can I speak with Sandie, please?" Kitty could tell her voice was cracking as Aiden put his arm around her shoulders.
"This is Sandie. How can I help you, Kittana?" She took another deep breath to calm her racing heart.
"Sandie. I'm your daughter." She thought Sandie had hung up on her when she didn't hear anything for a minute, but then she heard her softly crying.
"Oh, my goodness. I had hoped and prayed that I would hear from you someday. Where do you live? Can I see you?" Kitty was crying on the phone, hearing her mother cry.
"I'm living in the Sacramento area now." She couldn't get anything further out as she was trying to talk between sobs.
"Are you okay with me, my husband, and our two children coming to see you this weekend? I don't want to push you if you're not ready, but I have been waiting for this day since I handed you over to your adoptive parents."
Sandie sat down as her legs could no longer hold her up. She could only see the beautiful baby she had held in her arms nineteen years ago. Her husband, Max, walked over and sat on the sofa, putting his arm around her shoulders. Sandie had spoken about the baby she had put up for adoption many times. He was happy that she was finally getting the phone call she had been hoping for.
"Yes, you can come here. I've thought about you a lot over the years. When my fiance gave me your phone number on my birthday, I couldn't believe it. I was too scared to call you at first. I was afraid you wouldn't want to hear from me." Kitty was still crying as she held on to Aiden.
"My baby girl is engaged? I can't wait to meet the young man who has captured your heart. I owe him a considerable debt, but why did he have to give you my number? I ensured it was an open adoption so you could contact me anytime. Your adoptive parents should have had my contact information." Sandie was confused as that was one of the things that she was insistent on when she gave up her baby.
"There's a lot that I don't know. From what I was told, the agency was not legit, and they changed your name to Jane Doe on my birth certificate. My adoptive parents divorced and put me in foster care when I was four because neither of them wanted to keep me." Kitty's tears had dried up, and she was speaking matter-of-factly now. This concerned Aiden. He knew there were still many things that she needed to talk about from her past. He hoped connecting with her mother would help get some of that out.
"What? I'm so sorry, Kittana. If I had known, I would have come and taken you back. I was homeless when I had you and didn't want that life for you as a child. Can you ever forgive me for not being there?" Sandie broke down again, thinking of her baby being in foster care for so long. That wasn't the life she wanted for her.
"Sandie, that wasn't your fault. I understand why you gave me up. I was homeless once I aged out of foster care, so I know it's no place to raise a child. I don't blame you." Kitty wanted to call her mom but wasn't sure if Sandie wanted that.
"Kittana, you are so mature for your age, and I can't wait to meet you in person. Do you have a picture you can text to me so I can see how you look? I've dreamt about you so many times. Not a day has gone by that I haven't thought of you." Sandie felt like her heart was breaking, knowing her daughter's life hadn't been all she'd hoped for.
"Just a minute. I'll take a selfie." Aiden helped Kitty take a selfie, and she insisted he be in it. They both smiled, and she sent it to Sandie. "That's my fiance in the picture with me. His name is Aiden."
Sandie and Max looked at the picture, and they both gasped. Kittana had the same dark reddish brown hair and pale green eyes as Sandie. There was no denying that this beautiful young woman was her daughter. Sandie looked at the handsome young man next to her daughter and smiled.
"You're beautiful, Kittana, and Aiden is a handsome young man. You look happy." She was crying again as she stared at the picture.
"Can you send me a picture of you?" Sandie had family pictures on her phone, but she didn't want to send those. She didn't want to remind Kittana of what she didn't have growing up, so she took a selfie and sent it.
Kitty and Aiden looked at the picture that came over, and Kitty broke down again. Sandie looked like a slightly older version of her. Her mother was beautiful.
"Wow, I always wondered if I looked like you. Sandie, please call me Kitty." She said as she stared at her mother with her heart aching.
"Okay, Kitty. If you're comfortable, you can call me mom. No matter what happens, I never plan on being out of your life from here on out. I've loved you from the minute I found out I was pregnant." Sandie wiped the tears from her eyes, hoping Kitty would let her in her life.
"Thank you, mom," Kitty said the word carefully. She had never called anyone mom, but she had often dreamt about it.
"Thank you for calling me. This has been the best day of my life, and I can't wait to see you. I have talked about you many times to my son and daughter. They ask me all the time if they're going to be able to meet their big sister. Don't ever feel like you haven't been a part of our family because you've always been in our hearts."
Kitty started crying again, thinking she had siblings who wanted to meet her. She couldn't believe that everything she had hoped and dreamed was coming true. There was one thing that she wanted to ask.
"Mom, who was my birth father?" She asked, wondering if she would be able to have the same connection with him.
Sandie felt her blood run cold as soon as Kitty asked the question. That was something she didn't like to think about. That man was the devil himself, and Sandie didn't want him near Kitty. However, she wasn't going to lie to her either.
"I'm going to be honest with you. Your father was a horrible man who raped me when I was fifteen. He preferred younger girls, and when I refused to let him touch the other girls staying on the streets with me, he raped me. He didn't live in San Francisco; he only came there on business. His name was Leo Edwards."
