Johnathan Castella-Micheal's Biography

Marriage & Adoption

Never in my life would I have expected it to turn out the way that it did. I'm lucky to be married and have a beautiful little girl, when I didn't even expect to make it after my mother's death. When I was going through that time I didn't want to have anyone end up feeling what my dad and I felt. For the longest time I tried to push people away. I couldnt do this with Ashton though.

I met Ashton back in July 2016. When I first saw him I knew I wasnt going to be able to hide my feelings away anymore. He was my family's waiter and I struggled to form words when he came over. I was aw struck by his beauty.

Maybe a week later we went back, but my dad left when I wasnt paying attention. Then I was left with Ashton and my feelings I still didnt understand. It was nearing the end of his shift and I was alone, so he came to sit with me here and there throughout the rest of his shift.

We probably talked for hours on end and it turned out that we both enjoyed each other's company. After that he drove me home and we made plans to see each other outside the restaurant within the next few days.

Before either of us knew it we seemed to take a liking to each other and decided to try dating. He stayed with me all throughout my break downs, chemotherapy, and a fight with my dad.

Three years later Ashton made plans to propose. He had an overly expensive plan to take me to a home he was in the process of buying for us. Then his hope was that I would find the ring he set on the kitchen counter. It went well in the beginning, then he got a call when we were pulling up.

Neither of us knew who was calling or what for. I told him to answer it. I didn't know he was planning on proposing and I most definitely did not expect the call to be a bad one. He did answer it and I just sat in the passenger seat watching him.

At first it was just a normal conversation: "Hi, this is Ashton Castella." A minute passed: "Yes." Quickly after that his skin lost all color and he stared straight off into the yard in front of us. "Oh... Alright. Yeah. Thank you for letting me know, I'll be over within the next couple of days." Another minute later he put his hands in his lap and took a deep breathe with his eyes closed.

I asked him what the call was about and he shook his head before getting out of the car. I opened my door and followed him into the house silently. The second I walked in I noticed little decorations that were once in the apartment, but haven't been seen in a while. Then there was a brand new couch that Ashton went and sat on. Instead of mentioning the familiar things I went and sat right next to him.

It took a little bit for him to find his words but when he did he explained the call to me. His parents that he hasn't seen since he was about sixteen passed away. I tried to comfort him, but he wanted to move on from it.

He showed me around the house instead and I gave him all my attention. Before long I heard his voice crack. He broke down and told me everything from his childhood to his plan for the proposal. That day was a very emotional one that I'm sure one day we'll be able to look back at and not feel so awful about it.

Our wedding wasnt fancy at all. We just went to the courthouse a couple months later by ourselves. This is something that my dad got upset with me for. The times that I broke down I got mad at Ashton and would go back home. My dad brought this up right after I told him we got married. I suppose it's fair that he did, but I'm just glad it didn't completely ruin our relationship.

Then a couple months later we got settled into the new home. We needed to get a few extra things for the house so we went out. We didnt notice the wonderful woman standing in front of the store when we walked in, but she seemed to notice us.

When she saw us she got up from a bench, a baby swaddled in her arms, and followed us inside. We weren't completely oblivious of her arrival, so we did eventually look back at her and start talking.

Turns out she's a young mother who's been struggling with taking care of her daughter the last few months. She'd been looking for a family to talk to and get to know to possibly have them take her in. She told us that she had been unsuccessful in the last few days of finding a decent family to adopt Chaselyn.

After telling us a bit more and sitting down while she fed Chaselyn she told us she'd like to come over to our home to talk sometime, if we were willing. I'm pretty sure I looked at Ashton with puppy dog eyes. We'd talked about a family, but never took action. This was the perfect opportunity to talk about it further.

We invited her over later that evening. I want to say that we didnt try too hard, but we definitely did to some extent. We both wore our best casual clothes (even though she already saw us in our definitely keep at home wear), made pasta, cleaned the already clean house, and lit a couple good smelling candles.

Before we knew it she was knocking on our door. I sped over to the door since Ashton was finishing up the food yet. She smiled when I opened the door and told me Chase was sleeping in a soft whisper. I invited her in and led her to the couch so she could sit with Chase sleeping close to her chest.

I asked her about herself before asking about Chaselyn. She told me she was only nineteen and living with her boyfriend, who is not the dad. She'd love to take care of her baby until the day she's an adult, but she couldnt afford it with or without her boyfriends help. Not only that but she frequently finds herself putting her daughters health over her own.

Once food was done Ashton let us know and she asked if I'd be interested in holding Chase while she ate. Of course I accepted. When she handed Chase to me I was so scared she'd wake up and start screaming. Then it was Ashtons turn to talk to her while I rocked Chase in my arms gently. She reminded me of my sister when she was little and I absolutely loved it.

Maybe ten minutes later she did end up waking up, but she didn't scream like I feared. She looked at me confused and I smiled at her. "Hi there," I whispered to her. In response she smiled back and opened her mouth in somewhat of an imitation.

Before too long she was looking around the room -- maybe for her mom or maybe to see where she was. "Do you want to take her back so you can go eat?" As much as I didn't want to let her go I did give her back and go eat while Ashton and her continued talking. At one point Ashton got to hold her too, although it didn't go as great. She started getting fussy in his arms and I couldnt help but to laugh a little. He was quick to give Chase back and admitted that he had no experience with children younger than about three.

It was nice having the company, but eventually they had to get home. She thanked us for having her in our home for a few hours and said she'd let us know how it would all work out.

Within the week we were filling out adoption forms and making our second bedroom set up for Chaselyn. She was able to provide us with a crib, dresser, and a couple of activity sets. We gladly bought the rest of the things needed and some extra stuff.

A couple hours before Chaselyn and her mom were coming over I became extremely emotional. Ashton tried to comfort me and help stop my tears but they just kept flowing. I just couldnt believe this was happening. I was so happy and honestly didnt want the happiness to go away.

When they did make it Ashton got to hold Chase and I gave her mom a hug. "Thank you for her. Please come by anytime and visit." After I thanked her I had let her go. I had to hold myself back from crying again. "I'm sure she'd love to have you in her life in the future."

She stayed for a couple hours before heading home. That was it. Ashton and I are now officially parents, my dad is a grandfather, and Elizabeth is an aunt. I walked into the room we decorated for Chase, where Ashton was with her. I stood in the doorway and watched as he rocked her to sleep.