"Not everyone is meant to have a happy ending."
Dating is difficult.
Dating with a child? Even more so.
Victoria James was already willing to give up the dating scene at the age of twenty-four until her best friend had persuaded her to try just one...
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Driving down the winding road and turning into a suburban community, I smile happily at all of the cute homes with perfectly groomed lawns and even children around my daughter's age playing together. My heart flutters at the thought of starting this new journey with the man I love currently driving me and Izzy to the next house on the list that is ready to be rented out - the fifth one we've looked at today.
I can picture the sound of the garage door opening as Taehyung comes back home and Izzy rushing to the door to greet him with a skip in her step. Freshly made dinner getting ready to be put on a real family-sized dining room table. Even possibly a high chair for a little one sometime in the future. Izzy's room would be pink and green as Taehyung suggested and I could decorate to my heart's desire, really turning a house into a home.
Giving Tae a wide smile, matching his boxy one, we pull onto the driveway of the gray and white house with lilac shrubs aligning the porch. Izzy shouts from the back seat that she likes this house the best, although she had said that about the last five houses we've looked at today as well. I think she's just determined to move in together as a family already.
When we informed her of the thought of moving in together, she immediately wrapped Taehyung in a hug, refusing to let him go. She was all too thrilled with the idea that he would be around every day and even talked him into staying the night again, although let's be honest, it's not like he was against the idea in the first place.
After having dinner with Miles, Taehyung and I had a long talk in the car before going to pick Isabelle up from her friend's house. Both of us agreed that maybe we should give it a little longer before we give Miles the go-ahead to meet her as neither one of us got the best vibes from him. While we, as adults, can process this kind of information and interaction, we know a three, almost four, year-old may have a much harder time. And Izzy isn't naive, she knows who mommy's friends are if even only by name and she would definitely have questions for me after their meeting. Not to mention, we both took note of his rather peculiar appearance. For now, it's best we test the waters and see how Miles continues to act before we allow him to come into her life.
My sweet boyfriend was also very honest with me about him not knowing his rightful place in this whole scenario, having always acted like a father to my daughter but knowing he really isn't. Screw the labels, the DNA, and everything else. To me, it takes a lot more than genetics to determine who's a father and Taehyung has gone above and beyond to take on a role he didn't sign up for. He is her father in my eyes and his opinions, thoughts, worries, and feelings will always be accounted for!
Opening up the front door to the single-family dwelling using the keypad code given to us from the realtor, I smile at all of the daylight pouring in from the french doors on the other end of the home leading out to the luscious back yard. The white oak hardwood floors kept the large rooms light and airy and out of all of the houses we've looked at today, this one feels like The One.
