Forbidden

Everything happens for a reason

Leanne's POV

It’s the day of Ryan and Annabelle’s christening and I’m still feeling weird about my decision. Michael thinks it was a good idea for me to invite Carley and David, but I’m still unsure. I don’t hate them or think anything badly about them because I know none of this is their fault. Carley was just 17 when she had me, just like I was with Ryan and Annabelle and I can’t imagine the pain she must have gone through when my dad took me from her.

I understand it must have been painful for my mom not being able to have a baby of her own and I’ve tried to defend what my dad did, but there’s nothing that excuses what they did. There’s many women out there that can’t have children, but they don’t do what they did. There’s adoption, surrogate, IVF and a whole bunch of stuff they could have done, but instead they chose to just take a new born baby away from its sleeping mother and there’s nothing that excuses what they did, but dispite what they did I still love them and I can't see Carley and David as my mom and dad.

I'm in my room and Michael walks in. "Are you ready to go?" He asks, coming over and joins me on the bed and I shake my head. "It wasn't supposed to be this way" I mutter "They should be here. This is a huge thing. Just like our wedding day, but instead I'm.." I pause and take a deep breath, trying not to cry and Michael wraps his arms around me.

"I can't hate them" I mutter. "Who?"

"My mom and dad or who ever they really were. I've tried but I just.."

"They were your parents" he cuts me off "And nobody expects you to hate them. Ryan and Anna loved you and raised you as their own and they gave you a childhood full of happiness and love and nobody can ever take that away or replace that" he says softly. "What am I supposed to do? I feel horrible for Carley and David, I truly do but... I don't know" I mumble that last part. "Their not your mom and dad?" He says softly and I nod and he pulls me in closer to him. "I do wanna get to know them, but whenever I talk to them I just feel guilty. Like taking their side over my mom and dad's and everytime I feel like I'm betraying them and..."

"But your not betraying anybody" he shakes his head "I know I tried to hide this from you before but..."

"It would have made it easier"

"But.." he continues. "I was wrong to do that. Yes it would have made things easier. Just like it made it easier when Carley told you she lied and just adopted you to your parents, but just because it was easier doesn't mean it was right for any of us to lie to you. And maybe all this could actually be a good thing"

"How can any of this be a good thing?" I frown confused. "When your parents died, who did you have to take care of you?"

"Just my aunt Mary. You know that" I frown confused. "And how do you think they'd have felt knowing that their baby girl was being abused and manipulated the way that you were being?"

"They would have been heartbroken" I mumble. "And now? You have me and many others around you, who love you and wanna take care of you and want you in their lives. Would they be heartbroken about that?"

"No" I mumble. "But what does that have to do with Carley and David? I'm not a scared 15 year old little girl anymore. I don't need them to take care of me. "But you still need them" he says softly. "When I took you home with me, I did everything I could to make you happy and take care of you but I couldn't give you what you needed the most"

"What do you mean?" I frown confused. "I could take care of you by making sure you were safe and fed and had a warm roof over your head and an education, but I couldn't give you everything you needed... I could never be a father to you and that's what you needed the most. You needed a mother and father and you still do" he says softly and I dont say anything.