I will never forget the look on my parents’ faces when they realized I was moving out.
“Where are you going, young lady?” June demanded in a trembling voice. I stared right back at her.
“I’m moving in with Dane, and you can’t say anything about it. I’m not living in this hellhole anymore.”
My parents’ faces went bloodless and my dad literally gripped the chair he was standing next to. But I was right. I’m an adult, and it was up to me what to do with my life. Of course, my parents scrambled.
“Zoe! Stop being crazy. You’re still in high school. You can’t just move in with your boyfriend,” my dad protested.
“He is not her boyfriend! Do not even encourage that Conrad! How can you say that?” my mom wailed, blinking back tears.
The shitshow was too much for me. I walked out of their house for the last time and heard Dane following me. We got into his car silently before he pulled me close.
“You’re always welcome at my place,” he whispered my ear. “I want my home to be your home.”
It was only then that I broke down into tears, but he was right. I’ve been living with Dane since, and it’s been amazing.
Of course, we had to tell his family about our relationship too, but the Restons took it much better. I guess they’ve always known that Dane dates around, and in fact, they were quite happy to find out that he was with me. Maybe it’s because I’m seen as a “good influence,” but they’re just happy to know that their son’s happy.
I was a little hesitant about telling Patty though. She’s been my best friend for so long, and I didn’t want her to feel like I’d gone behind her back. But she was okay with it. In fact, Patty was the most supportive person throughout all of this. She just giggled, punched my arm, and said that she knew I had a secret. I was so relieved, and of course, Patty’s not just an aunt, but also godmother to our baby girl, Rose.
That’s right. Dane and I have a daughter now, and she’s the apple of our eye. It was a shock because we weren’t expecting it. We use protection, but right after I graduated from high school, I discovered I was pregnant. I was so delighted to see the positive sign on the test because I want nothing more to be a mother to Dane’s children, but I was anxious about telling my boyfriend because this wasn’t in our plans.
It turns out I had no reason to be scared; he was over the moon with joy when I shared the news, and our life picked up after that discovery. We moved to a big house together in preparation for our growing family, and it even has a garden and swing set in the back for our child. Plus, Dane decided that he wanted to take the opportunity to strike out on his own, and he opened his own shop called Rose Tattoo. He’s done so well, and people come from all over the country to get tattoos from my boyfriend. He’s known for his artistry, talent, and has even been featured on several reality TV shows. I’m so proud of him in every way.
After all, Dane’s been nothing but supportive. He’s an artist, and supports my dreams of being an artist too. While I was pregnant, he encouraged me to attend classes at the Artists’ Guild, and now that Rose has a babysitter, I go to class three nights a week and am slowly working towards my diploma. In my free time, I help Dane work out new designs for his shop, and it’s so fulfilling. I’m even thinking about learning the art of tattoo myself because what better teacher could there be than Dane?
But more than anything, we’re a family. Today is Rose’s first birthday and she’s seated in her highchair at our kitchen table. Dane and I sit on either side of her and we have a cupcake on the table before our daughter with a single candle burning in the center.
Rose lights up and begins clapping at the candle while we laugh. We sing our little girl happy birthday for the first time and help her blow out the flame before bursting into applause.
The baby girl giggles and as she smears pink frosting all over her face, I turn to my boyfriend with happy eyes.
“I have the perfect gift for Rose’s birthday, did I mention?” I tease. He shoots me an amused look.
“But what about the plush unicorn? Sweetheart, it’s three feet tall with a rainbow mane and tail. Is that not enough?” he asks, one eyebrow quirked.
“Well, I thought I would add a second gift. Something small.”
He grins.
“Okay, out with it honey. What are you giving her?”