BK 5 - Chapter 37 - Family Breakfast
Jade and Lisa decided it would be good to have the four newly mated couples together for breakfast so they could all meet each other. Cat, Trey, Alex, and Kiersten were also coming, but they told everyone else to stay away until the party. They didn't want to overwhelm the four new family members.
"Can you believe they all met their mates within a couple of days of each other? It makes me wonder if any of the others who are eighteen and older will meet do so, too." Lisa said as she fried the bacon. She and Jade were doing most of the cooking. Everyone was expected in about thirty minutes. Bill and Jayce tried to help, but they kicked them out of the kitchen.
"It's odd, but maybe it's for the best if they're all mated when whatever Atzi warned us about comes. Being mated has to make them stronger." Jade replied as she mixed eggs with ham, peppers, and onions in a pan. She couldn't wait to meet Raylee. Jade knew she had to be special if she had already accepted Dexter. Not because he was a hard person to get along with. She thought he was too shy to take the initiative if he did find his mate. Jade knew he would most likely be ready to move out now. She sighed, thinking of not having him in the house.
She looked out of the window when she heard a vehicle pull up; it was Grandma Cat and Grandpa Trey. Even though they were her aunt and uncle, she still referred to them as Grandma and Grandpa, just like everyone else did. Her parents were helping set up for the party so they would meet Raylee later.
"Are any of them here yet?" Cat asked excitedly as they walked into the house. She loved it when the young ones found their mates. Jade and Lisa chuckled as they hugged her and Trey. Both were in their eighties, but you wouldn't know it by how youthful they still looked.
"Not yet," Jade replied, returning to her eggs. Cat began pulling things out to make French toast. One thing that hadn't changed over the years was that everyone loved her French toast, and no matter how hard they tried, no one could ever make it as good as she did.
A few minutes later, Alex and Kiersten came. Just as Lisa was ready to start making phone calls to see if the couples had decided to ignore their breakfast invite, they all began arriving. Emma and Asher came first. Asher was already beginning to feel like part of the family. Alex pulled him away from the kitchen, telling him the women would kick him out anyway.
Roger and Mariam came next, with Cameron and Jamie right behind them. Jamie had been sick worrying about what she should wear and if they would still see the dirt from the street, no matter how many showers she had taken. She had decided on black jeans and a green sweater.
She and Cameron slept together the night before, but they didn't have sex. Jamie was ready to accept him as a mate, but she wanted to meet his family first to make sure they accepted her. Jamie knew there was no going back once she gave herself to Cameron.
"Hello, I'm Cameron's mom, Lisa, and this is his dad, Jayce," Lisa said, hugging Jamie lightly. "You can call us mom and dad or Lisa and Jayce."
Jamie closed her eyes as she hugged Lisa. She had never felt a mother's love, but she felt it at that moment. Tears began running down her face as she was passed from Lisa to another woman.
"I'm Grandma Cat, and I would like you to call me Grandma Cat. Welcome to the family, sweetheart." Cat kissed Jamie's cheek and hugged her tight. Jamie hugged her back as she smiled. Her body was filled with so much warmth as her anxiety left. She finally felt like she belonged to a family.
Cameron saw the look on her face and smiled. Grandma Cat could always bring everyone around. He turned around when he heard someone coming through the door. It was Dexter with the young woman he had seen him with yesterday.
"Hello, I'm Dexter's cousin Cameron, and this is my mate, Jamie. We just met yesterday, too." He said to Raylee. She smiled and shook both of their hands.
"I'm Raylee. It's nice to meet you all." Raylee could hardly contain her excitement at being around so many shifters and vampires. Dexter had told her who was what that morning after they made love again. They didn't get much sleep, but they both felt better than ever.
"I'm Dexter's mom, Jade, and this is his dad, Bill. Please feel free to call us mom and dad. I'm so happy to meet you, Raylee." Jade hugged her, and Raylee giggled.
"I'm Grandma Cat." Raylee hugged Cat, followed by Lisa. Dexter led her around to introduce her to everyone else. Then, they all sat down for breakfast. There was so much food that Jamie's and Raylee's eyes were huge, seeing the spread before them. They were sitting next to each other, and when their eyes met, they both laughed.
"I take it you're not used to this much food either," Raylee said as she put a couple pieces of French toast on her plate and passed the platter to Jamie.
"Until yesterday, I was homeless, so this is more food than I would see in a month." She replied quietly. Jamie liked Raylee already. She had a bubbly personality she envied.
"Wow, you're strong. I don't know how you were able to take care of yourself out there; it couldn't be easy. I'm in school on a scholarship and live in the dorms, but I barely have any money to scrape by." Everyone listened to the two women talking. They were both strong. Cat smiled as she ate. She knew they had found their mates when they needed them the most.
"What are you studying in school?" Jamie asked while taking a bite of the French toast. It melted in her mouth. She had never tasted anything so delicious. She noticed Raylee looked away with embarrassment.
"I'm studying gaming design." Raylee looked down. That was the point when other women brushed her off.
"That's admirable. You only ever hear about men in that industry. It's good to have a woman to show them it's not just a man's world." Raylee smiled and looked at Jamie in shock.
"Thank you for saying that. Most people think I'm a freak for doing something they consider men's work." She looked over at Grandma Cat when she heard her laughing.
"Oh, I can't wait to see what games you make. Dexter lets me play with all of his new ones." Cat winked at Raylee, who looked around the table in surprise. Dexter was right. She already felt like she was part of the family. They all chatted and got to know each other. By the time breakfast was over, all the newfound mates felt like family. Jamie and Raylee were quickly becoming best friends. They had a lot in common.
____________________
Cat and Trey went home to get ready for the birthday party. Valerie was living with them, and they were worried about her. She pretended to be stronger than she was. When they got home, she was sitting in her favorite chair, drinking tea. Cat felt the tears stinging her eyes at how fragile Valerie was.
"How are you feeling?" Cat asked, sitting next to her and taking her hand.
"I'm feeling okay. I don't feel like I'm a hundred years old, though. I've been thinking about Roger a lot and how happy he would be with how much the family has grown. I imagine I'll be reunited with him soon." Valerie squeezed Cat's hand. Trey and Cat exchanged a look. Valerie had talked like that before, but something told them that their time with her was quickly coming to an end.
