Haven Harbour: Beyond the Sea • a.i. • (Sequel to Haven Harbour)

Chapter 111

Blog 1

Hey everyone, Carter Chase here.

The idea of writing a Mommy Blog was given to me by my friend and stylist Becca, as a way of getting out all of my thoughts and feelings of being a young parent.

I don't entirely know where to start, but I guess I will begin by introducing myself.

Like I said, my name is Carter Chase and I am a 19 year old from Haven Harbour, a little island off the coast of Sydney. I am engaged to 20 (almost 21) year old Ashton Irwin, drummer of the band 5 Seconds of Summer, and we are currently on the bands' world tour while raising two kids together.

Now to clear up any confusion, I am not one of those "teen moms" as they call them, and Ashton and I have no biological children (yet).

When I was thirteen years old, my parents passed away in a car accident, leaving my five year old brother, Ender, to me. With no other remaining family, Ender and I were left on our own.

Our good family friends the Rodriguez's watched over us and helped me out financially during the first couple of years of life without my parents, but allowed me the freedom to raise Ender and become an adult at an early age.

After our parents death I immediately had to be not only Ender's older sister, but also his mother. That time of adjustment was difficult for both Ender and I as we had no idea how to not be just brother and sister.

I think the first day the both of us finally realised that we were on our own was when I had to drop Ender off at his first day of kindergarten. I remember so clearly my mom and dad dropping me off at my first day of school, and now it was me doing that for my little brother. That was the day I finally realised that I was not just a big sister anymore, I was a substitute mother now.

As the years passed mine and Ender's relationship grew and became stronger than ever as we learned to respect and love each other like how a mother and son would love each other.

I had been raising Ender for five years by myself when I met Ashton, and he and Ender immediately bonded. In the first four months I dated Ashton, he and Ender created this loveable bond of big brother and little brother.
Ashton would always take him to practice footie with him, help him with homework, play with him and just be the big brother Ender never had.

It was four months into our relationship and Ashton and I were at Ender's first footie game of the season, our friend Calum there as well, when I received a phone call from London social services. They informed me that my fathers sister, who we called Aunt Deb, had a daughter named Abby who passed away. Abby had a daughter as well, who would be my second cousin, named Parker Grace Young and I was her only family left. After discussing it with Ender, we decided to take Gracie in. Ashton was supportive of the decision and once the UK tour was complete, he came back the day Gracie would arrive so he could be there to welcome her with us.

The moment that four year old girl with her brown curly hair and big brown eyes walked through that door, I was in love with her.

Gracie didn't talk to us for the first day and a half she was there, but eventually began to talk, immediately becoming close with Ashton. Gracie's father was never recorded on her birth certificate and she had never had that male attention before, so she loved being around Ashton. She followed him around everywhere, and in the morning they would watch cartoons together while he would ask her questions about her favourite things.

A week after Gracie arrived the boys (this being Ashton's band mates Michael, Calum, and Luke) came to meet Gracie. We had gone out for pizza and this was the same night she called Ashton and I Mommy and Daddy for the first time. We were both so surprised yet so happy, and that's when the dynamic in our relationship changed. We were no longer just boyfriend and girlfriend, we were Mommy and Daddy and had a little girl and my brother who were relying on us to care for them and be their family.