I (31F) have been with Derek (34M) for eight months. My daughter Paisley is 6.
We stayed over at his place most weekends since spring. He’s got two boys from his ex, ages 9 and 11, and honestly the four kids together always seemed fine. Derek’s a good cook, keeps the house clean, texts me good morning every single day. My friends were jealous. I told them we might be the real deal.
Paisley never said much about staying there. She’s a quiet kid, keeps to herself. But two weekends ago she started asking to sleep in my room instead of the guest room with the boys. I figured it was normal kid stuff, adjusting to a new house.
Then last Saturday she grabbed my hand in the kitchen and said, “Mommy, why does Derek keep the door locked on the garage fridge?”
I laughed it off. Told her it’s probably just beer, baby, adults do that sometimes.
She looked right at me and said, “No. It’s not beer. I saw inside once when he forgot. There’s a lot of BAGS. And he told Tyler and Mason never to tell you.”
My stomach turned over.
I asked Derek about it that night, casual, in front of the kids, just to see his face. He laughed too fast and said, “It’s just stuff for my fantasy football league, babe, prizes and stuff, don’t worry about it.”
Paisley was sitting right there at the table. She didn’t say anything else. She just looked down at her plate and pushed her food around.
That night after everyone went to bed, I told Derek I was going out to the car for Paisley’s inhaler. I walked past the garage instead.
The lock was one of those little combination ones. I tried Derek’s birthday.
It clicked open.
If you’re still in the mood for some family drama, perhaps you’ll enjoy reading about what happened when Mommy has a friend who visits when you’re at work, Daddy or when my nephew started talking about “the mad face”. And for a truly wild ride, find out why My Sister Said “You Don’t Understand What’s in That Letter” – So I Read It Out Loud.
