Because Of You

From the pit of my stomach; from the moment I woke up, something felt wrong. I shook away the thoughts once we heard the door getting beaten up from someone outside. Wrapping my arms around Isabella’s waist and resting my head on her shoulder, she opened the door.

“You have something I want!” the voice screamed.

I didn’t need to look up from Isabella to know who she was. Her voice was disgustingly familiar. Not looking at them, I turned to look at Mom and Rachel sitting in the living room, looking curiously at who it was. Rachel knew though. The sound of her voice had always terrified her. From the first day she was born, she always twitched when that voice entered the room. Rachel’s pained eyes locked with mines and I knew she didn’t want this.

“Brandon! You disgust me! Moving onto your next little whore so quickly!” Stepping backwards, letting go of Isabella I looked at them both. When I reached out to pull Isabella back into my grasp she snorted as if disgusted.

“You’re not wanted here.” I spat, gently pulling Isabella closer to me not wanting her to get hurt. “What are you even doing here? Go crawl back into the dumpster that you call ‘Home.’” Isabella flinched a bit when she heard the hatred in my voice.

“We aren’t leaving without what we came here for.”

“Heck no.”

“You will listen to me damn it!”

“I will not! Your daughter and I may not have been 18 back then, but now we're both old enough and capable of doing what we want to do. And I’m asking you kindly to get the hell out of here!”

“How dare you speak to me that way!” Miranda’s mom yelled at me. “That thing grew inside of my baby girl Miranda for 9 fricken months! We had to deal with all the shit she threw at us because of that thing! We deserve to have her!”

“To do what!? Hurt her! You will not lay a single finger on Rachel!” I was shocked when Isabella yelled back at Miranda’s mom.

“You little bitch! You’re not even involved. Brandon’s only using you because you give him a home he can live in!”

“Shut up! You don’t know anything!”

“Brandon you’re the one that needs to shut up. You don’t know anything when it comes to raising a four year old child.”

“You’re wrong. He’s a great father and you’re the only thing that’s ruining it all, along with your bitch of a daughter that left them both to go fuck around with another guy.” With every word Isabella shot at them, trying to defend Rachel and I, she held onto me tighter. Miranda’s parents stood wide eyed and mouths hanging on her porch, not knowing what to say in return.

“Now if you excuse us, you are not welcomed here. I suggest you leave before I make you leave myself.”

“I agree. Brandon is doing just a fine job in raising Rachel.” Mom appeared behind us resting her hands on our shoulders, smiling proudly.

“How do you explain that then?!” she pointed towards Rachel who hid behind Mom, crying and looking terrified.

“You want to know the problem?” Miranda’s mom nodded. “You caused her to react that way! You’re scaring Rachel! She obviously doesn’t want you here so leave!”

“That isn’t true, now is it Rachel?” Lauren, Miranda’s mother, faked an innocent voice and kneeled down reaching for Rachel.

Rachel shook her head violently, grabbing onto Isabella and I’s legs. “How dare you, you little ungrateful bitch!”

“How dare you talk to Rachel that way!” Isabella yelled stepping forward, looking very pissed. Lauren and her husband took a few steps backwards but Isabella kept creeping forward toward them. Lauren screamed and grabbed Jay’s arm and ran to the car. Taking off as if they had seen a ghost. I smiled noticing both Isabella and Mom stood up for Rachel and I.

“Don’t worry my dear. She won’t ever take Rachel away from you.” Mom soothed me and Isabella made her way back into the house. She was about to pass us all before Rachel tugged on her shirt. Looking down, we noticed tears falling from Isabella’s eyes.

“I’ll be fine.” She whispered before walking upstairs and shutting her bedroom door. I glanced at Mom then at Rachel.

“She’s not mad at you both. Isabella just cares so much for you two. She wouldn’t want you two to leave her. Rachel. Brandon. She loves you both with all her heart. She just doesn’t want to lose you both.”

“I love Mommy too!” Rachel wiped away her tears and tugged my jeans, pointing to Isabella’s room.

“I love her too.” We both kissed Mom’s cheek before going upstairs. Each step we took, the more noticeable the sounds became. Quietly, Rachel tapped open the door. We rushed over to the bed when we saw Isabella buried under her blanket, her sobbing becoming louder the closer we got to her.

Rachel jumped out of my arms and onto the bed. Laying next to Isabella she patted her back. “Mommy don’t cry please.”

Isabella’s head turned to side, revealing her red eyes. Taking a seat on the bed I patted her back as well. “Bella, don’t cry please.”

She nodded and sat up. Silence filled the room as her sniffling died down. Isabella avoided looking at us. Looking around the room for something to distract herself she settled for the window. “Hey, look at us.” I lifted her chin towards us and gave her a weak smile. A small smile appeared when Rachel wiped away Isabella’s tears.

“I love you guys.”

“Mommy… Why are you crying?”

She leaned forward, kissing Rachel’s forehead. “I just didn’t like the way you both reacted towards them. That’s all. Brandon,” looking into my eyes she continued, “You obviously didn’t like having them around. I wouldn’t want them to take away Rachel either. I couldn’t stand that Miranda and her mom calls Rachel an ‘it’ and that her husband didn’t do anything except stand there like a statue.” I swallowed hard getting chicken skin. It felt as if she was looking right through me and knew everything already. Saying nothing, I nodded before she turned to Rachel. “And it didn’t seem like you were too happy about her being there either,” her fingers brushed Rachel’s cheek causing her to smile and give out a little giggle.

Rachel willingly jumped into her lap and I readjusted myself so that I sat next to Isabella. All three of us embraced each other, not wanting this moment to be broken.

“I just don’t want to lose you both.”

“You won’t. I don’t want to lose you either.”

“Me too Mommy!” Rachel looked up at both of us and smiled.

“I don’t know what I’ve done, but thank you for these beautiful girls,” I smiled looking up at the ceiling.

“What you did is you didn’t give up no matter the situation you were put in.” Isabella’s lips met mines and Rachel’s lips met my cheek.

“Thank you Daddy.”

“Thank you Brandon.”

I tried my best to smile. But failed knowing this wasn’t the end. Nowhere near it…