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"I'm Holly," she said softly. "I'm a good friend of Eli's."
How did Eli handle this day in and day out? Her heart was breaking for the entire situation.
"Oh good. It's nice that he has a girlfriend."
"I'll be back in a minute," Irena told her, leading Katherine out of the kitchen.
"What is all of this?" Holly asked when Irena returned, gesturing at the stack of letters and the box.
"One thing you have to understand is that Katherine sometimes has very lucid moments. A few days ago, she gave me these things, along with a handwritten letter she'd penned to Eli a few years ago but had never given to him."
Holly frowned. "Why didn't she give him the letter?"
"My guess is she doesn’t remember that she wrote it. But the other day, she pulled these out and begged me to get him to read them. I had no idea what was going on until I read her letter to Eli. Since you and Eli are so close, I told Katherine she might want to have you help her."
"Eli and I are just friends," Holly said, flushing.
"Oh, please. That man's face lights up the second he mentions your name," Irena said, waving a hand. "I don't know what's going on between you two, but I know it's something. He trusts you, Holly. Otherwise, you wouldn't be here investigating this facility for his mother."
Irena held out Katherine's letter to Eli. "Have a read. I'm going into the living room to keep Mrs. Donnelley company while you go through this stuff, and then I'll get her breakfast."
"Okay." Holly took the paper from Irena.
This was incredibly weird, but her reporter's curiosity kicked in and she unfolded the letter.
Eli, my beautiful son,
All of the letters that my brother, Troy, your real father—not that sorry excuse for a man Ethan Donnelley—wrote to you over the past two decades, are in this pile. These are the letters I kept from you when you were little. These are the same letters you refused to read when I owned up to my selfishness.
Eli, please... just read the letters.
Despite all his bad decisions, I know Troy loves you. He was proud of you from the moment you took your first breath. But that love led him to make bad decisions that got him into trouble. Troy wanted to give you everything he never had. He had to claw and fight for every opportunity. He wanted things to come easier for you.
I blamed Troy for your mother's death for so long, and there's a kernel of truth to that blame. She was my best friend, and I loved her dearly. She wouldn't have had to work three jobs to make ends meet if my brother hadn't landed himself in jail. And maybe she wouldn't have fallen asleep behind the wheel that night if she hadn't been so tired from working at those jobs. But all these maybes... they're not enough for you to not have some kind of connection with the man who gave you life.
Eli, you already know that I’m sorry about keeping the letters from you. Anger and fear lead people to do stupid things. And I've done my share of very stupid things.
I was so afraid that when Troy got out of prison, he'd try to take you away from me, and by that time, you were, for all intents and purposes, my son. I’d adopted you when he lost parental rights, but I was worried if you read the letters, you’d want to go live with him, and I’d lose you. So I talked bad about him.
You forgave me for what I did, and I’m grateful. But my hateful words about Troy poisoned you against him. I was wrong, and I’ll never forgive myself for what I did. I need you to read these letters and reach out to your father. He's your blood—just like I am. I want you to have a relationship with him.
Do it for me, Eli. Please.
Love,
Mom.
Holly stared down at the paper in shock. Eli had been raised by his aunt—after his mother had died in an accident while his father had been in prison.
She opened the box and found a few old photos.
The first photo was of a young couple near the beach. The woman wore a bikini and had long dark hair. Her light brown eyes were exactly like Eli's. The man, smiling and handsome, looked so much like Eli she had to do a double take. The only thing that betrayed him were his eyes—they were a deep blue color.
Flipping the photo over, she read the caption. "Camilla and Troy, 1995."
Holly picked up another picture, this one of a young Eli, about three years old, with his biological parents. Everyone stood smiling in front of a Christmas tree. Eli wore jeans, a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle shirt, and a Santa hat.
The caption on the back read, “Merry Christmas from the Cross Family, 1998.”
