Page 100 of Family: Posy 4

"I'd like to show you something," Grandma whispered in my ear. "Will you come with me?"

Turning my head, I met her twinkling eyes and couldn't help but return her impish smile. With a nod, I took her wrinkled hand in mine.

"We'll be back in a bit," she said and led me out of the room.

Of course, my mates weren't satisfied with that and flooded the link with questions.

She wants to show me something. Stop fretting, I giggled.I'm fine.

"Your mates are lovely fellows," Grandma said as we walked through the kitchen and out the back door. "They have such big personalities, don't they? But I guess that comes with being alphas. So forceful and dominant, yet each is sweet and beautiful in his own way."

"That's true. They're my whole world. I love them very much." My heart warmed in my chest and I smiled. "They're my heroes, my cheerleaders, my comforters, and my counselors."

"That is as it should be, and I can tell you are the same to them."

"Oh, I don't know." I blushed and stared at my feet.

"Ido," she chuckled with confidence.

Her hand tightened around mine as we stepped into the backyard, and she guided me toward a wooden frame with slats for a roof and a porch swing hanging in the center. There was also a glass-topped table and a pair of chairs with thick cushions.

I could see dozens and dozens of butterflies flitting around from shrub to shrub and flower to flower, and my jaw dropped in amazement.

"So many butterflies! It's a little paradise in your backyard!"

"Your grandfather built this pergola for me two years before he passed away. Since I sit out here quite a bit, my grandsons and granddaughter helped me create a butterfly garden around it."

"It's beautiful," I told her. "I'd sit out here a lot, too. When we go back in, I'll show you pictures of the balcony garden my mates created for me."

"As much as we love our mates, it's nice to have a sanctuary to go and think and relax in private." She led me to a twiggy little tree. "During the summer months, hardly a day goes by without a butterfly emerging from its chrysalis somewhere out here."

"Oh! Do you think I might see one hatch?" My eyes widened and I bounced a little on my toes.

"Let's hope so," she smiled. "It's called eclose, darling. Eggs hatch. Butterflies eclose from their chrysalis."

Dropping my hand, she moved some leaves aside to reveal three little sacks hanging from a branch. Together, we leaned in and examined them, our heads close together. One chrysalis was a solid, chalky green, so I figured it was not 'ripe' yet. One was nearly see-through, and I wondered if that meant it was close to eclosing. The last one, though, made me squeal when I saw a butterfly climbing out of it!

"Oh my goodness! I can't believe I'm seeing this!"

I clasped my hands under my chin and watched as the monarch's spindly black legs carefully felt around the remains of its chrysalis. Once it had a good grip, it paused as if it were taking a deep breath. Its wings were folded and wrinkly looking, and its belly was huge! It looked more like a squashy beetle with orange and black flaps than a butterfly.

"It'll take about an hour for its wings to dry and then it will fly off to find a mate," Grandma explained.

"Incredible!" I couldn't take my eyes off the butterfly, too fascinated by the whole thing. "And to think they started out as little caterpillars!"

"Exactly. It is the butterfly everyone admires, but few consider the enormous process the caterpillar had to go through to transform into something so beautiful."

As I thought about her words, I realized she was talking about more than butterflies. I slowly turned to meet her eyes and saw a world of wisdom in their dark depths.

"I know your life with your stepfather couldn't have been a good one, and I am so sorry you suffered. It had to have been a nightmare for your mother, so I can only imagine how bad your childhood was."

"I'm fine—"

"I don't need to see the scars to know you have them, darling," she whispered, touching her forehead to mine. "Your caterpillar had a long, painful journey, and your chrysalis was a dark one, but just look at the beautiful, strong woman who emerged from it. You inspire this old woman, Posy Anne."

Tears welled up in my eyes, matching those in hers. She held out her arms, and I went into them with a soft sob.

This moment was something I didn't even dare to dream of, and I dreamed a lot of crazy things while I was locked in that dark room. Yet here I was, snuggled into my grandmother's warmth and breathing in her soft powdery scent as she dropped tiny kisses on my forehead.

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