BK 5 - Chapter 48 - Cat and Trey's Letter
Cat and Trey decided to go home to read their letter. Valerie had written one addressed to both of them, and neither was looking forward to reading it. Losing Valerie was like losing a mother. Cat only had a short time with her mom, and Trey's mother could hardly have been called a mother figure, so Valerie stepped into that role even though they had met her as young adults. She'd been part of their lives for close to sixty years.
When they got home, they went to the family room. It had been Valerie's favorite place to be when she moved in with them. Pictures of their family covered the walls. It was the same house Cat and Trey had bought when they moved out of the guest house behind the group home many years ago. There were a lot of memories there.
Cat's tears threatened to fall even before they opened the envelope. It was a blessing to be a shifter and able to live for centuries. However, it was hard when you lost a human member of the family. Shifters and vampires can't change people who are not their mates, as some movies presume. The special bond from marking is unique to mates only.
"Are you ready for this?" Trey asked, putting his arm around her. Cat shook her head.
"I don't think this is something you can ever be ready for. The death of the woman who helped each and every one of us through our troubled pasts and heartaches has left an incredible void in this world. Knowing she won't be here when we come through that door is a hard reality. It's worse than losing my mom because Valerie was my second chance at having a mom. You hear about second-chance mates, but what about second-chance parents? That's what Valerie and Roger were. Losing Roger was hard enough, but losing Valerie feels like my soul has been taken." Cat sobbed as Trey held her.
Trey's heart was broken, too, but he knew he had to be strong for Cat. She was always strong for everyone else but had her mate when she needed someone to lean on. Trey's tears fell as Cat cried on him. Valerie had been there for him before he'd found his mate. She was a remarkable woman who would never be forgotten.
"Can you read it? I don't think I'll be able to get through it." Cat handed him the envelope. Trey took a few steadying breaths before opening it. As soon as he saw Valerie's handwriting, the damn really broke, and it took him a few minutes to compose himself.
*To my dearest children,*
*Cat and Trey, this letter took me a long time to write. What do you say to the two people who gave you everything you never thought you'd have? You gave Roger and me the family that we'd always wanted, and I can't tell you how much that meant to us.*
*Trey, when I met you for the first time, you were a young detective carrying so much pain from the love you never received from your family. I could see behind the toughness you portrayed to the world. You were still a little boy in a man's body who just wanted to be loved. Roger and I did what we could to get into your heart, but nothing compared to when you met Cat. Roger said he could tell you were in love with her from the sound of your voice when you called from the hotel after you took Cat away from the hospital.*
*Cat, when Trey brought you to the house the first time, I cried for you. There was so much fear in your eyes that my heart broke. I wanted to hug you and tell you everything would be okay, but you weren't ready. Seeing you grow from a woman scared to be touched to a woman who hugs everyone to make them feel better has been incredible.*
*The two of you together have changed so many lives, starting with Roger's and mine. We were in pain, too. The pain of not being able to have children was numbing. When you stayed in the pool house, you filled a void in us that we thought would never be filled. You allowed me to love you as I would have my own children. That was the most incredible feeling in the world. Roger cried for days when you asked him to walk you down the aisle, Cat. It made him feel like he was your father. That was the best gift you could have ever given him.*
*The day Theo was born, and you called us his grandparents, was one of the best days of our lives. Every grandchild we were blessed to have call us grandma and grandpa was all because of the two of you. Not to mention the children who we were able to help in the group homes who also became our grandchildren. All of that was made possible because of you. My children.*
*I know you may not be my biological children, but I thought of you as if you were. I loved you as my own and hurt when you hurt. When I lost Roger, the way you cared for me when I tried to hide my depression and despair showed me that you looked at me as a mother.*
*I'm sorry I've been rambling, but saying goodbye to my children isn't something that I could prepare for. This family has grown so much because of all the people you have brought together, but the two of you are my children. I want you to continue on as though I'm there with you because I will be there with you, watching from above with your dad. I love you both so much.*
*Love,*
*Your Mom*
Cat and Trey couldn't speak as they sobbed in each other's arms. The only regret they had was never calling Valerie mom and Roger dad while they were still with them. The pain was terrible, but they knew when they had her funeral in two days, it was going to be even worse. How do you say goodbye to your mom?
