The Christian Bachelorette

Week 4: Easton's date

I was excited about my date with Easton because I've had a crush on him ever since we arrived here. I wasn't hurting too bad, and I wasn't going to let that stop me from having a good time with him.

"Hey," he smiled as I opened the door after he knocked. "How does rollerblading sound?"

"Yeah, that's fine." Honestly, I'm skeptical and surprised that's what he chose as a first date.

The car ride went as well as his date idea. I held on for dear life while sounding normal during our small talk. He will not be driving me ever again. How did he get his driver's license? When we arrived to the rollerblading place, I tried to ignore the feeling in my gut.

For a while, it was nice and fun. We tried to teach each other how to rollerblade since it had been so long for the both of us. Soon we were both getting the hang of it, and Easton was beginning to show off.

Then, he suddenly stopped. He stood there as still as a statue and his attention were on a mother and daughter. The mother saw him and appeared shocked. She guided her daughter over to him and he was conversing with them. I wasn't exactly sure what to do, so I slowly made my way over to them.

"Easton?" I questioned hesitantly as the feeling in my gut intensifies.

He glances at me and back to the mother. "I'll be right back." He tells the mother and gently pulls me a few feet away from them. "That's my ex."

I immediately step away from him.

"Addie," he begins. I take another step back. "I think I have a daughter."

Once I'm home (thanks to the cameramen driving a separate car from Easton), I change into a t-shirt and sweatpants. I try not to let my emotions take over, but I don't want to sit and do nothing while waiting for him to show up and explain. I decide to bake brownies to make brownie stuffed strawberries. While the brownies bake, I play with Belle. After I take the brownies out of the oven, I cut the strawberries and stuff the brownies inside. I eat a few before beginning to clean up my house. I've neglected it more than I should. Technically, I don't have to clean since this is part of the TV set, but I do live here and feel like it is my responsibility. I clean my room and do laundry. I am putting dishes into the dishwasher when there is a knock on my door.

"Come in!" I yell since the door is unlocked and so I can finish putting the dishes in to wash. I glance at Easton as he walks into the kitchen. I finish putting the dishes in before giving him my full attention.

"I have a lot to explain. Do you want to sit down?" He says, and I nod. He leads me into the living room, and we sit down. "Ellie is my ex-girlfriend. We dated for two years. I wanted to pursue a professional basketball career and wasn't ready to get married. She wouldn't come with me so we broke up. It's been three years since we broke up. Neither of us had a real relationship with Jesus at the time, so our relationship was physical. I loved her. When I saw her earlier, something told me that the little girl next to her was mine. We talked after you left, and she confirmed that I'm Jordan's father. We ate, talked, and just caught up on each other's lives." He sighs and runs his hands through his hair. "I don't want to leave, Addie, but I've already missed out on three years of my daughter's life. I've not had a responsibility like this before and I want her to be one of my top priorities."

"If you want her to be one of your top priorities, then you know what you need to do." We lock eyes for a few moments until he finally nods. "You can stay until the next elimination if you want, but if you need to leave, that will be okay too."

He stands up, but doesn't begin to leave. "I know it doesn't matter now, but I was starting to have feelings for you."

"I'm not trying to be rude, but don't hold on to me or what has happened these past few weeks. You have a future, Easton. Be there for Jordan and Ellie. God's brought them back into your life for a reason."

"Ithink it would be best if I left early," he says before walking out of my houseand my life.

THOUGHTS ON EASTON FINDING HIS EX AND HIS DAUGHTER? DO YOU THINK ADDIE AND EASTON WOULD HAVE BEEN TOGETHER HAD IT NOT BEEN FOR THEM RUNNING INTO HIS EX AND DAUGHTER?