Robbie returned a lot sooner than expected from his business trip and it
wasn't very fun in Bree's household. We argued and argued until finally I
told him the whole truth about Zach and everything. Including the fact that
Kimberley wasn't his daughter. He yelled the house down and even slapped me
across the face and called me a stinking, lying whore. Then he went for
Zach and they both ended up horribly hurt. Zach had to go the emergency
room to get stitches in his left hand where he'd punched through a glass
window to get at Robbie. Robbie had been knocked out cold when Bree had hit
him over the head with the fry pan that was actually hot at the time and
singed a bit of his hair off. Cal hadn't been home at the time and when we
told him, he was horrified that Robbie would do such a thing. After a
couple of weeks, I let Robbie come back to see his children. He took one
look at Kimberley and practically spat in her face when she went to call
him Daddy. He even raised his hand to her when she talked out of turn. My
heart had been beating so fast and I stopped him just in time. Taking the
blow instead of her. It was then that I realized he'd started drinking,
just like his father had. It was then that I got the restraining order and
finally got around to getting a lawyer to organize divorce papers.
***Two Months Later***
"Daddy! Daddy! I got full marks on my maths test!" Kimberley yelled, running through the open front door and into the lounge.
I stood in the kitchen and watched through the servary at my daughter rushing around to talk to her father. I smiled and continued to mix up the muffin batter for the fruit muffins I was planning on serving for afternoon tea. Leah and Madison took turns to congratulate their older sister and give her a big hug. I couldn't help but keep on grinning at the way they all looked like the perfect family to me.
"Mummy, can you believe it? I passed!" Kimberley called, rushing into the kitchen and throwing her arms around me.
"Oh, darling! That's absolutely wonderful!" I told her, grinning and hugging her tight. "In fact, we're going to celebrate and take everyone out to dinner. What do you think about that? You can pick the restaurant."
"Oh Mum! That's fantastic," she said, running off to tell her sisters.
Zach came into the kitchen and hugged me quickly from behind. I smiled and leaned over so that I could see his face. He was grinning from ear to ear and you could instantly tell just how proud he was of his daughter. I smiled back up at him and protectively put my hand down onto my stomach. His eyes widened and he glanced from my face to my stomach and back again, three times. I nodded, smiled and hugged him quickly.
"We have a lot to celebrate tonight," I told him and went back to the muffins. "A lot."
"Oh, Kaley. I'm over the moon," he said, grinning. "I'm going to go see what the girls are up to. I'll be right back to help if you need me."
"Go on, Zach. I'll be fine without you," I told him and practically had to push him out of the kitchen so that I could put the muffins into the oven.
I sang along to my little radio while I cleaned the dishes up and tidied up my mess. I was half way through my cleaning when there was a knock on the door. Sighing, I dried my hands on a tea towel and went to answer it. I opened the door and nearly screamed. There standing in front of me was Robbie and he looked horrible. He hadn't shaved in obvious weeks and I could smell the alcohol on him and I wasn't even standing close. My nose crinkled up and I took a step back. He must have thought that was an invitation and stepped into the house.
"Hello, wife," he snapped. "Where's my dinner?"
"You don't live here anymore. You have to leave. You're not allowed here anymore and I'm not your wife either," I told him, continuing to back away.
Zach walked into the hallway just as I was coming down it and he went straight for Robbie without a word. He hit him so hard in the face that his cheek instantly turned a dark blue colour. Robbie retaliated and pushed Zach back against the wall, getting a few good punches into his nose, making blood start to run down his face. The girls came rushing to the door of the bedroom and I told them to go back into the room and shut the door tight. I'd come and get them when it was safe to come back out. Madison started to cry and scream but Kimberley dragged her back into the bedroom making sure that Leah shut the door properly.
"Stop! Stop!" I yelled, tugging at the back of Robbie's shirt trying to get him off of Zach.
"Stay out of this Kaley," Zach snapped, turning away at the wrong second, allowing Robbie a good punch to his throat.
I watched him fall back against the wall and slowly slide down so that he was kneeling on the ground. I gasped and rushed to his side. Holding his head against my chest as his eyes slowly closed and he panted for breath. Tears fell down my cheeks and I glared up at Robbie, hating him so much that I couldn't think straight. He towered over me and I suddenly stood up, slapping him hard across the cheek, making him stumble backwards.
"Get out of my house!" I screamed.
"Who's house?! Who's house?!" he yelled back and took a step forwards.
"Robert, leave now! Or, I'll. . . I'll. . .I'll. . .call the cops on you!" I yelled, rushing back to Zach's side.
"Whatever!" Robbie yelled and turned to leave the house but turned back when he was halfway down the hall. "I'll be back. Don't you ever think that I'll leave my kids with you. You'll poison their minds!"
I watched as he walked out of sight and then listened hard to hear the front door slam. Letting out a deep breath that I had been holding as soon as it was shut. I gently lay Zach down on the floor and rushed to lock it before returning to my fiancé and my kids. I told my girls to go and get a cold washcloth. Then I lay Zach's head on my knee and waited for him to open his eyes. I knew that he'd just had the wind knocked out of him and would be okay but I couldn't help but worry myself sick.
"It's okay, Kaley," he whispered when I bent my head down to cry. "I'm fine. Just a little winded."
"Shhh. . .lie still. The girls are bringing a cold washcloth for your head," I mumbled, brushing his hair out of his face.
I took the cloth from the girls and helped him into bed so that he could have a sleep before doing anything else. We didn't end up celebrating but I did tell the girls that there was going to be another addition to the family. They were all over the moon and I was so happy that they would accept the baby as their sibling without any trouble. It made me happier than anything else we could have done that night. Madison went into the bedroom to tell Zach that it was going to be a baby girl and that she would be the best big sister. I was seriously grinning from ear to ear when he told me later that she had called him Daddy while they had been speaking. Zach was a much better father to my girls than Robbie had ever been and I think that they're starting to know that themselves as well. Kimberley instantly took a shine to him and was so very happy when she was told that she was his daughter. From the very first time we talked about it she started to call him Daddy and I was so proud of her.
***Two Months Later***
"Daddy! Daddy! I got full marks on my maths test!" Kimberley yelled, running through the open front door and into the lounge.
I stood in the kitchen and watched through the servary at my daughter rushing around to talk to her father. I smiled and continued to mix up the muffin batter for the fruit muffins I was planning on serving for afternoon tea. Leah and Madison took turns to congratulate their older sister and give her a big hug. I couldn't help but keep on grinning at the way they all looked like the perfect family to me.
"Mummy, can you believe it? I passed!" Kimberley called, rushing into the kitchen and throwing her arms around me.
"Oh, darling! That's absolutely wonderful!" I told her, grinning and hugging her tight. "In fact, we're going to celebrate and take everyone out to dinner. What do you think about that? You can pick the restaurant."
"Oh Mum! That's fantastic," she said, running off to tell her sisters.
Zach came into the kitchen and hugged me quickly from behind. I smiled and leaned over so that I could see his face. He was grinning from ear to ear and you could instantly tell just how proud he was of his daughter. I smiled back up at him and protectively put my hand down onto my stomach. His eyes widened and he glanced from my face to my stomach and back again, three times. I nodded, smiled and hugged him quickly.
"We have a lot to celebrate tonight," I told him and went back to the muffins. "A lot."
"Oh, Kaley. I'm over the moon," he said, grinning. "I'm going to go see what the girls are up to. I'll be right back to help if you need me."
"Go on, Zach. I'll be fine without you," I told him and practically had to push him out of the kitchen so that I could put the muffins into the oven.
I sang along to my little radio while I cleaned the dishes up and tidied up my mess. I was half way through my cleaning when there was a knock on the door. Sighing, I dried my hands on a tea towel and went to answer it. I opened the door and nearly screamed. There standing in front of me was Robbie and he looked horrible. He hadn't shaved in obvious weeks and I could smell the alcohol on him and I wasn't even standing close. My nose crinkled up and I took a step back. He must have thought that was an invitation and stepped into the house.
"Hello, wife," he snapped. "Where's my dinner?"
"You don't live here anymore. You have to leave. You're not allowed here anymore and I'm not your wife either," I told him, continuing to back away.
Zach walked into the hallway just as I was coming down it and he went straight for Robbie without a word. He hit him so hard in the face that his cheek instantly turned a dark blue colour. Robbie retaliated and pushed Zach back against the wall, getting a few good punches into his nose, making blood start to run down his face. The girls came rushing to the door of the bedroom and I told them to go back into the room and shut the door tight. I'd come and get them when it was safe to come back out. Madison started to cry and scream but Kimberley dragged her back into the bedroom making sure that Leah shut the door properly.
"Stop! Stop!" I yelled, tugging at the back of Robbie's shirt trying to get him off of Zach.
"Stay out of this Kaley," Zach snapped, turning away at the wrong second, allowing Robbie a good punch to his throat.
I watched him fall back against the wall and slowly slide down so that he was kneeling on the ground. I gasped and rushed to his side. Holding his head against my chest as his eyes slowly closed and he panted for breath. Tears fell down my cheeks and I glared up at Robbie, hating him so much that I couldn't think straight. He towered over me and I suddenly stood up, slapping him hard across the cheek, making him stumble backwards.
"Get out of my house!" I screamed.
"Who's house?! Who's house?!" he yelled back and took a step forwards.
"Robert, leave now! Or, I'll. . . I'll. . .I'll. . .call the cops on you!" I yelled, rushing back to Zach's side.
"Whatever!" Robbie yelled and turned to leave the house but turned back when he was halfway down the hall. "I'll be back. Don't you ever think that I'll leave my kids with you. You'll poison their minds!"
I watched as he walked out of sight and then listened hard to hear the front door slam. Letting out a deep breath that I had been holding as soon as it was shut. I gently lay Zach down on the floor and rushed to lock it before returning to my fiancé and my kids. I told my girls to go and get a cold washcloth. Then I lay Zach's head on my knee and waited for him to open his eyes. I knew that he'd just had the wind knocked out of him and would be okay but I couldn't help but worry myself sick.
"It's okay, Kaley," he whispered when I bent my head down to cry. "I'm fine. Just a little winded."
"Shhh. . .lie still. The girls are bringing a cold washcloth for your head," I mumbled, brushing his hair out of his face.
I took the cloth from the girls and helped him into bed so that he could have a sleep before doing anything else. We didn't end up celebrating but I did tell the girls that there was going to be another addition to the family. They were all over the moon and I was so happy that they would accept the baby as their sibling without any trouble. It made me happier than anything else we could have done that night. Madison went into the bedroom to tell Zach that it was going to be a baby girl and that she would be the best big sister. I was seriously grinning from ear to ear when he told me later that she had called him Daddy while they had been speaking. Zach was a much better father to my girls than Robbie had ever been and I think that they're starting to know that themselves as well. Kimberley instantly took a shine to him and was so very happy when she was told that she was his daughter. From the very first time we talked about it she started to call him Daddy and I was so proud of her.