Chapter 62 - Boat Ride
Trey smiled, watching Cat's excitement as they headed to the house. She was almost bouncing in her seat, talking a mile a minute about everything she wanted to have done.
She gasped as they pulled into the long tree-lined driveway. Everything was even more beautiful than the pictures. The Victorian house at the end of the driveway was enormous. It was light blue with white trim, and the wrap-around deck seemed inviting.
She had been so focused on the house Cat hadn't noticed the red convertible in the driveway. A tall leggy blond in a skin-tight, very short white dress with way too much cleavage showing walked over to them and had her eyes all over Trey.
"Hello, Mr. Galloway. I'm Heidi." She held her hand out to him and gave what Cat assumed the woman thought was a sexy smile, but all it did was make her look fake. Trey ignored her hand and put his arm around Cat.
"Hello, Heidi. This is my fiance, Caterina. Is the house unlocked for us to go in?" He started leading Cat past Heidi, who was frozen in place with her hand still out and her face stuck in that phony smile. Cat almost laughed out loud. She was sure Heidi wasn't used to men blowing her off.
"Uh, yes, it's unlocked." Heidi didn't sound so sure of herself as she stumbled over her words. They all three looked up when another car pulled into the driveway. Cat smiled and waved when she saw Aiden and Kitty. Heidi fixed her face for Aiden, and Cat shook her head. The woman needed to give it up. These lion men were not up for grabs.
Aiden gave her the same brush-off as his brother and took Kitty's hand as they walked toward the house. Heidi was left looking like an idiot once again as she glared at the two women she didn't think were worthy of these handsome brothers.
"Wow, Cat, this house is fantastic." Aiden smiled at his brother's mate. After dinner last night and talking with Kitty, he had even more respect for Cat. She was something special, just like his mate.
"I know, can you believe it? Won't this be perfect for a group home? Let's go inside and look around." Cat took Kitty's hand, and they walked inside together. The two of them understood how important this home would be for children who had nowhere else to go.
The house had six bedrooms, a living room, a family room, a huge dining room, and a den. There were three and a half bathrooms. All the floors except the bathrooms were natural hardwood that needed to be cleaned up a bit. The original woodwork throughout the house made it seem warm and homey.
When they walked outside, they went to the guest house and were pleasantly surprised that it didn't need as much work as they'd thought. Mostly it just needed to be cleaned out and the bathroom and kitchen updated. It had two bedrooms and two bathrooms. Once cleaned up, it would make a lovely home for them. Trey and Cat decided after they closed on the property, they would fix up the guest house so they could move in while the work was completed on the main house.
They went back outside to walk around the property. Cat noticed right away that there were several fruit trees, including lemon, orange, and peach. There was an area near the trees that Cat said would be good for planting a vegetable garden. She also found spots perfect for flower beds.
The other three watched in fascination as Cat described in detail what she wanted to be done. With her explanations, they could clearly see her vision.
"Cat, you've put a lot of thought into this." Kitty smiled as she looked around. She wished someone like Cat had taken her in as a child.
"I always imagined what it would be like to have a house when I was a child. This is my dream come true, and now I get to share it with all of you and the children we'll be helping."
None of them had noticed that Heidi had come outside. When she heard what Cat said, she felt horrible about trying to flirt with the two men. This woman was getting this place, not for herself but to help children in need. Heidi put her head down and walked back to the front of the property.
The two couples left the house and decided to eat a late lunch in Old Sacramento. They found an outdoor restaurant that looked over the river. As they discussed the house and their plans, Cat learned that Aiden was an architect. He said he liked doing the physical work as well as the designing. She was impressed with his ideas for both houses.
Aiden also got Kitty to admit that she was good at art, and she suggested putting a small art studio on the property for the kids. It helped her when she was going through rough times because she could always express herself through her art. Cat loved that idea.
After eating, they took a walk by the river and watched as a riverboat went by. Cat thought the large boat was beautiful. Trey noticed her looking longingly at the vessel and smiled.
"Do you want to go on the boat?" She looked up at him and then back at the boat. There was a lot of water down there, but she didn't fear it as she had once before. Cat decided to try it because this would be another thing Leo had taken from her if she didn't.
"Let's do it." Cat took Trey's hand and began walking in the direction she saw the riverboat heading. "If you see me starting to panic, please help me through it."
"I promise to keep you calm." Trey leaned down and kissed her forehead.
Cat hadn't had any nightmares since he marked her, and she hadn't had any panic attacks since way before that. However, she still feared them when she did something new, especially if it brought back bad memories.
As the two couples approached the dock for the boats, Cat felt her pulse speeding up. Saira began purring lightly to comfort her. She took a couple of deep breaths and focused on the purring.
When it was time to board the boat, they had to walk over the narrow walkway where Cat could see the water below them. She felt the anxiety building in her, so she gripped Trey's hand and looked into his eyes.
Once they were on the large white boat, they found seats on the deck. Cat didn't want to sit inside because her first thought was if the ship started sinking, she didn't want to be trapped.
Cat looked around and thought it was very pretty seeing Sacramento from the water. There was a nice breeze in the air with the smell of flowers all around them from the river banks. She saw Aiden and Kitty sitting a few feet away with their arms wrapped around each other. Cat looked up at Trey and smiled.
"Thank you for getting me on the boat. This is another first for me." Cat pulled Trey down to her so she could kiss him, and he lifted her up so she could sit across his lap with her feet resting on the seat next to him. She laid her head on his shoulder and held on as the boat started to move.
The boat slowly went down the river. It was so slow that occasionally, Cat forgot they were moving. She loved seeing everything from a new vantage point and was disappointed an hour later when the boat came to a stop. As they walked off, Cat looked up at Trey again, not wanting to see the water below. When they were on land, she hugged him.
"I did it. I was able to ride on a boat and not freak out or cry." Trey hugged Cat, proud of her for overcoming another one of her fears. Each day she was getting stronger and stronger, accomplishing new things.
Both couples were tired, so they decided to part ways. As they were driving, Cat suddenly started sweating and feeling excessively hot. She turned the air conditioner on in the truck, but it wasn't enough.
"Trey, I think I'm getting sick or something. I feel hot, like I'm getting a fever." Cat noticed that Saira was panting in her head, and she began to get worried. Maybe they were both sick. She then felt something else. She had a burning ache between her legs, making her want to have sex. Not just want but need.
Trey looked at Cat worriedly, wondering if she caught something from being out today. When he heard Atlas panting in his head, Trey felt dread wash over him. He sniffed the air, and his fear was confirmed.
"Cat, you're in heat."
