Chapter 67 - Finalizing
There was a nationwide manhunt for Leo after he escaped custody. Roger assigned a protection detail to Cat due to the possibility of Leo coming after her. Everything was for looks, to throw off any suspicions that anyone at the police department had anything to do with his escape.
The two guards standing outside the restroom before Roger and Ellie showed up had been hit and knocked out, so they couldn't remember anything. In reality, they had hit each other just hard enough to give them each a knot on the head. The guards didn't know what had happened. They didn't care as long as the pedophile was never seen again.
Both the police and the FBI questioned Cat and Trey to see if they had heard from Leo. Everyone thought that he would be coming for her. They both acted worried and said they would let them know if they saw him or anyone else following them.
No one suspected they knew anything, and those involved weren't talking. Cat wasn't worried because there was no proof of what Atlas and Saira had done. She didn't have to testify in Caleb's trial because he decided to make a deal. He was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. The deal he made kept the death penalty off the table.
With those two nightmares out of the way, Cat and Trey moved forward with the plans for the wedding and the group home. She had asked Kayla to be her flower girl at the wedding. She was nervous but told Cat that she would do it for her. Kayla was seeing a therapist regularly and had come a long way in her recovery.
They were closing on the house today, and Cat couldn't have been more excited. She, Trey, Kitty, and Aiden had already worked on the plans to get everything up and running. The main goal was to get the guest home done first before Cat had the cub. Aiden had many plans drawn up for them, and they would make the final decisions after closing.
The title agency agreed to do the final closing at the house along with the realtor. Trey and Cat were on their way there. Kitty, Aiden, Valerie, and Roger would come in about an hour after they signed everything.
Their wedding would be tomorrow, so they didn't have much time to spend at the house, but they wanted to walk around again to take it all in. As Cat and Trey pulled up to the house, the realtor and another woman sat on the porch waiting for them. Cat was surprised they had set everything up outside rather than in the house, but she didn't care as long as the house was theirs.
"Good afternoon Caterina and Trey. This is Tracy. She'll be going over all the paperwork with you." Heidi indicated the middle-aged woman sitting at the table with a pile of paperwork in front of her.
"Nice to meet you, Tracy. Let's get this show on the road." Cat smiled at the woman as she and Trey took their seats. Tracy went over every detail painstakingly slow to the point Cat was ready to tell her just to show them where to sign.
When they were finally done and they gave the keys to Cat, she couldn't contain her excitement. After the two women left, she turned to Trey and jumped into his arms.
"Can you believe this place is ours? We can help so many children here. Thank you for making all of my dreams come true." Cat pulled his face to hers so she could kiss him. She had been super clingy since becoming pregnant, and Trey loved it.
"We've made each other's dreams come true. You're my dream and having you by my side for the rest of my life is all I want. Now, are you ready to go inside?" Cat didn't think Trey could be any more perfect, but he constantly showed her he could.
"Yes, I can't wait. I've dreamt of this day since we first saw this place online." Cat took the key and put it in the door. She suddenly got a strong smell of lilacs. She was confused for a moment because she didn't remember seeing any lilacs on the property when they were there before.
As she opened the door Cat stopped in her tracks in disbelief. From what she could see, lilac bushes in large pots were placed all over the entry and living room. She could tell they were ready to be planted outside, but they filled the house with their strong aroma. She turned to Trey with tears in her eyes.
"How did you do this? I was with you all day." Cat looked back into the house and saw Valerie, Roger, Aiden, and Kitty come from around the corner.
"I had help. Everyone wanted to make this day memorable for you. I asked Heidi to let them in early so they could set everything up. I figured you would like to plant the lilacs around the property so you could smell them wherever you are. I was hoping it would make you feel more connected to your mom, knowing both of you are surrounded by your favorite flowers." Cat was getting teary again, which happened a lot with the change in her hormones.
"It's absolutely perfect. I love you." Cat kissed him again right there in front of everyone. They all watched the couple with big smiles. Roger and Valerie both had happy tears seeing Cat and Trey together. They loved them both so much, and their happiness was contagious.
"I love you too. How about we take a tour?" Trey said when he pulled away. Cat smiled and turned toward their guests as she and Trey walked into the house.
She showed Roger and Valerie around, explaining everything they wanted to do. Kitty and Aiden also threw in some details, as they were almost as invested in this project as much as Cat. They went through the guest house and around the entire property. She saw Roger's truck and Aiden's car parked in the back of the house, where she wouldn't be able to see them from the front when she and Trey arrived.
Cat once again realized the fix-up would be a lot of work, but everyone was ready to start. After the wedding, she and Trey were spending the weekend in Lake Tahoe. When they came back, then the whirlwind of work would begin. Aiden and Kitty were going to go ahead and clear out both houses while they were gone. They said it was their wedding present to them, so the houses would be empty when they returned.
After leaving, the group went out for a celebratory lunch and discussed the final preparations for the wedding the following day. Roger and Valerie had gone all out and taken care of almost everything.
Their only guests were Trey's team, who had helped with Cat's case and their families. The others coming were Kitty, Aiden, and Kayla, with her parents. Cat was adamant about a small wedding and nothing fancy.
After they finished lunch, everyone went their separate ways. Cat and Trey decided to spend the day taking it easy at the pool house. They were going to pack for their weekend in Lake Tahoe as well.
"This is your last night of being an unmarried man. Are you sure you don't want to go out as a bachelor with your brother?" Cat glanced over her shoulder at him while she packed a suitcase.
"Are you kidding? Why would I want to do anything as a bachelor? I would rather be here with you than anywhere else. Besides, we've already marked each other, so the wedding is just a bonus."
He walked up behind Cat and wrapped his arms around her resting his hands on her belly. She had a tiny bump, but nobody could see it yet. Trey loved to rub the little bump; it made him feel connected to their cub.
They stood there for a few minutes, wrapped up in the love of their growing family. Cat still couldn't believe that she was getting married, having a baby, and on top of it all, she was a werelion. She had gotten used to having Saira as a part of her and talking in her head.
Trey had turned her life around, and she felt like a whole new woman. The scared woman living a life of barely treading water was nothing but a shadow in the past. Cat was now living a life full of love and happiness.
She couldn't wait for the wedding and to get started in the group home. Cat's future had light in it now, and she wanted to bring the light to others.
