[name_f]Daniella[/name_f] Míngzhū [Willows] Hao (31) is Dashs’ mother, who absolutely adores her son, not that anyone doubted this would be the case. During her pregnancy, Daniellas’ excitement was palpable, being someone who knew she wanted children from a younger age than most of her friends and her own older brother. He’s still childfree right now, but there’s no competition of pressure existing between them, and [name_f]Daniella[/name_f] loves how involved he is as an uncle to [name_m]Dash[/name_m], as her parents are too.
Mixed race, Daniella’s been close with her mom’s culture for as long as she can remember. She and her brother always spent part of their summers years in Shanghai - where their mom grew up - and she’s visited with her own family too, meeting family and encouraging [name_m]Dash[/name_m] to absorb whatever he chooses. When it’s the [name_m]New[/name_m] Year celebrations, she involves as many of his friends as possible in their activities too, and is always encouraging of [name_m]Dash[/name_m] learning about the beliefs, traditions and values of his peers, having a strong belief in multiculturalism benefiting people.
It was through her university’s Cultural Celebration Society that [name_f]Daniella[/name_f] met her husband. He was the vice president while she wasn’t that involved in the hierarchy, as her finance studies took up a lot of time, however they worked together a lot when planning events, blossoming their eventual romance.
[name_f]Daniella[/name_f] wasn’t very experienced in relationships when they got together, being embarrassed about this as she was twenty-two, however her husband is someone she quickly became comfortable around, even if it’s discussing her insecurities and uncertainties.
[name_m]Thorian[/name_m] [name_m]Daymond[/name_m] Willows (62) is Daniella’s father. He’s a business representative, often doing great in the field of marketing, though he’s never tried to make it his whole life. He was admittedly more workaholic before meeting his wife, Daniella’s mother, who he thanks for keeping him grounded. He admires her Chinese culture and enjoys going to Shanghai as well. [name_m]Thorian[/name_m] often strived for success, given his racial background, and the racist beliefs that a [name_m]Black[/name_m] person couldn’t succeed without affirmative action - comments he’s gotten far too often by people who couldn’t accept [name_m]Black[/name_m] success. [name_m]Thorian[/name_m] had often times been the only [name_m]Black[/name_m] person in the room, or even worse, knowing his family’s history being segregated. [name_m]Even[/name_m] now, he deals with pressure of feeling too successful, especially as he is a lighter-skinned [name_m]Black[/name_m] person, dealing with fewer hardships than darker-skinned [name_m]Black[/name_m] people. [name_m]Thorian[/name_m] opposes the idea of people pitting him against them, he’s felt too much of that with other races. By the way he talked about this growing up, everyone assumed he’d marry a dark-skinned [name_m]Black[/name_m] woman, and some were even blindsided that he married a Chinese woman. Thorian’s made it serious that his wife was who he wanted to be with, and that he was against pitting other races against him just the same.
He’s happy to see [name_m]Dash[/name_m] and likes the Hao family as well. Naturally [name_m]Dash[/name_m] is a good kid, glad to see his family on both sides, even if his main passions are his friends. [name_m]Thorian[/name_m] enjoys that [name_m]Dash[/name_m] just wants to be himself and enjoy childhood, which can be perplexing but thankfully never a huge burden. [name_m]Dash[/name_m] has had a “little kid wedding” with [name_m]Ari[/name_m] on the playground which only lasted 10 minutes, had no special outfits or decor, and the other kids chose their wedding roles on the spot. [name_m]Thorian[/name_m] and his wife didn’t even know about this until [name_f]Daniella[/name_f] told them – and she only found out by asking him after school! [name_m]Thorian[/name_m] used to joke a lot about his son having crazy kids one day, but toned it down when his son told him he was child-free. Thorian’s son looks more like him and [name_f]Daniella[/name_f] more like his wife, but both have the perfect little hint that they’re not one race. While Thorian’s younger sister isn’t married, she too enjoys seeing her sister-in-law and gets engaged in conversations she has about lunar [name_m]New[/name_m] Year culture. Culture celebrations are a huge part of [name_f]Daniella[/name_f] and her husband’s lives, and they still talk about the celebration they met one another at, a story [name_m]Thorian[/name_m] and his wife remember as a new beginning for their daughter’s life.
Kolawole " [name_m]Kole[/name_m] " [name_m]Abraham[/name_m] Egenwechi [ 34 ] is an American-Nigerian model and one of [name_m]Thorian[/name_m] 's company. His family comes originally from Asaba, [name_f]Nigeria[/name_f] and he is proud of his Yoruba heritage as well as the success he has had in the US.
He and [name_m]Thorian[/name_m] often talk about colorism and [name_m]Kole[/name_m] feeling like he’s been treated worse or given the role as " exotic " or " diversity tokken " in many of his early photoshoots. He is glad that [name_m]Thorian[/name_m] truly respects African culture even though his family can’t really pinpoint Thorian’s country of origin given how long they’ve been living in the US. He doesn’t mind working with people of all races, genders , shapes and sizes or being the only [name_m]Black[/name_m] person in the room as long as the atmosphere remains professional. He also knows [name_m]Thorian[/name_m] 's son and respects his decision to be childfree… or he would , if it wasn;t for his sister’s situtation, who has been infatuated with [name_m]Thorian[/name_m] 's son and had unprotected intimate moments with him after a party when the infatuation unexpectedly turned out to be mutual. [name_m]Kole[/name_m] 's sister doesn’t use birth control at all because she had always assumed she wants to wait until marriage, she doesn’t know why she made the attempt to seduce [name_m]Thorian[/name_m] 's son or why she didn’t take a second to think critically when it turned out succesful… but well, what’s done is done.
[name_m]Kole[/name_m] has always valued family and so he wants his sister to keep the baby no matter what, because he can’t imagine losing the chance to be an uncle, however, he doesn’t know how to deal with being the only one to know his sister’s secret and for now tries not to think about it by burying himself in local modelling gigs and appearing on billboards all over the city
[name_f]Aurora[/name_f] [name_f]Maya[/name_f] [name_f]Garcia[/name_f] (31) is Kole’s friend and Sebastian’s wife. She relates and wishes her husband was more safe on his bike. She convinces Thorian’s son and Daniella’s brother to use condoms and prevent pregnancy. She works as a brand model. [name_f]Happy[/name_f] for her marriage and life but often worried and her mind wanders.
Warning for aforementioned unsafe intimacy and early loss of virginity.
Vicente Javier Garcia (36) is Aurora’s brother-in-law, and Sebastian and Crista’s brother. Like Aurora and Julez, he doesn’t support Sebastian’s riding without a helmet, and he’s insisting on it more, even though he feels weird about telling his own brother not to do stuff. Vicente has met Kole’s sister, who seemed like she was flirting with him, though he felt he wasn’t her type. She got offended and insisted she wasn’t flirting with him and couldn’t believe he’d think that…but he wasn’t really buying it. Still, he’s not sure, maybe she wasn’t, though he feels he dodged a bullet since intimacy isn’t his thing at all. Vicente was only 13 when he lost his virginity, to a 14-year-old neighbour at her bedroom. It only lasted a few minutes, was awkward, they didn’t get caught, but Vicente knows this was way too soon and questions what he was thinking, a personal regret of his that he’s not talking about. He and the girl kinda had crushes on each other at the time but they never progressed after that day because they didn’t want anyone to find out. He knows that he shouldn’t let stigma affect his choices, but he wouldn’t have done it if he could go back and relive that time. He would have spent more time getting to know that girl and bond with her instead, which would have made things less uncomfortable in the long run.
Vicente prefers not to get involved in conversations about the private life of Kole’s sister for that reason. Vicente doesn’t know the secret, only Kole does. Vicente fully believes she is waiting until marriage and doesn’t discuss anything about that with her as he clearly didn’t. He just knows that Daniella’s brother uses protection from now on. He feels Aurora is a good inspiration on safety, being better at convincing Sebastian to wear a helmet than Vicente himself is. Also, Aurora and Vicente both agree that contraceptives are an important part of health and no one needs to be shamed for using them. Vicente is theist, but he’s agnostic, though he doesn’t believe anyone he knows is truly going to heII. Naturally Vicente won’t discuss anything publicly, and isn’t sure if he trusts Kole’s sister enough to approach her, but never thought she was a bad person by any means. He agrees with Aurora that people are going to be intimate for reasons other than procreation and that’s not gonna change just because of fear. Vicente is a street artist, but only where it’s legal as he opposes graffiti. He also works on teaching Spanish to children, writing many how-to books and audiobooks on the subject. He likes kids but he’s clear that he’s child-free…and he thinks the same clarity’s in Daniella’s brother.
[name_m]Gbenga[/name_m] “Beni“ [name_m]Mordechai[/name_m] Egenwechi (61) is [name_m]Kole[/name_m] and his sister’s father. He would never trust [name_m]Vicente[/name_m] if he knew his secret past, unsurprisingly, [name_m]Vicente[/name_m] doesn’t approach him. He doesn’t know his daughter’s secret either especially when she is preachy. He loves his Nigerian background and it inspires him, even more than faith itself. [name_m]Beni[/name_m] is a youth speaker and is very proud of his two children and his wife.
tw: pregnancy scares; irresponsibility with contraception
[name_m]Hudson[/name_m] Jiāwěi Willows (33) is the guy who [name_m]Beni[/name_m] thought had gotten his daughter pregnant, a complex situation that shocked a lot of people, first and foremost [name_m]Hudson[/name_m] himself. Based on the values of his then lover, he assumed she was using birth control, a decision he has vowed to not be so confident in after the whole situation unravelled when the news reached his ears. [name_m]Prior[/name_m] to this, the majority of people he casually slept with were very much on that page and there was mutual responsibility, and he knows he got too comfortable with this status quo, especially after his sister became a parent, which was very methodical in the exact opposite manner.
The revelation also led to the end of his brief romance with Koles’ sister, as [name_m]Hudson[/name_m] felt it was too unhealthy trying to keep something going when there had been so much drama and complexity as it was. He genuinely cared for her, and still does at the bottom of his heart, but given the differences in plans they have for the future, and the nature of how the assumed conception went down, it all felt way too much for them to weather; never mind what Hudsons’ own family have experienced in the aftermath of things unfolding.
[name_m]Beni[/name_m] and his wife’s behaviour is something he, [name_f]Daniella[/name_f] and their parents respect greatly, as they were nothing other than kind and supportive. Neither family have turned this into a blame game in spite of their different beliefs and perspectives, although [name_m]Hudson[/name_m] has told his dad he doesn’t feel he deserves it always, thanks to deciding to take time away from dating or hook ups period after the stress had faded from his life.
[name_m]Hudson[/name_m] doesn’t know if he’s certain about never having a baby, but right now absolutely isn’t the appropriate time. His work as a psychotherapist specialising in complex trauma means he feels he’s too married to his work to consider such a major commitment, and the most he can do right now is be a dedicated uncle to [name_m]Dash[/name_m], who he dearly loves. The fact [name_m]Dash[/name_m] looks up to him feels a lot to comprehend at times, but he knows he wants his nephew to always feel confident in himself, especially where his heritage is concerned.
[name_f]Bòhé[/name_f] [name_m]Ming[/name_m] Willows (60) is [name_f]Daniella[/name_f] and Hudson’s mother. She is very proud of how [name_m]Hudson[/name_m] handled rejecting Beni’s daughter. She has no pain for the Egenwechis and loves Kole’s stance supporting darker-skinned [name_m]Black[/name_m] people. [name_f]Bòhé[/name_f] loves Shanghai and her beautiful family, and admires the Hao family for making things better. She works at soup restaurant. She needs her family a lot to love and support them. So that is why she applauded [name_m]Hudson[/name_m] for how he handled the unexpected turn.
[name_f]Kenley[/name_f] [name_f]Zàn[/name_f] Hao (30) is Bòhé’s daughter-in-law, Dash’s paternal aunt, and sister-in-law to [name_f]Daniella[/name_f] and [name_m]Hudson[/name_m]. She’s child-free herself, though she doesn’t really talk about this. In fact some of her small but extended relatives felt as though her own birth was breaking tradition. The Hao family was very serious about just one child, even though they didn’t live in [name_f]China[/name_f], and the fact that [name_f]Kenley[/name_f] was younger made it seem like she was a “blindsiding addition”. [name_f]Kenley[/name_f] tries to ignore this, since she has proven time and time again that she’s worth it to them. She worries a lot about disappointing them, as if this would erase all the hard work she put in just to get on their level. Their acceptance always excites her, though she’s made sure to keep her friendships going strong too. They support her as a lesbian, though she never specifically came out to them. They found out on their own, which shocked [name_f]Kenley[/name_f], but they’ve never treated her as lesser and never considered this a bad sign.
Proving people was a huge step forward in her life, especially when she became the deputy mayor. It started with people gossiping that she wasn’t fit for the role, to people later saying that she was better than they expected and “should’ve gotten more”. [name_f]Kenley[/name_f] doesn’t have plans to be the mayor at the moment and is fine with her position. She’s modest and non-commercial, though much of these comments were from people telling her to “show more skin” or “advertise their brand”. [name_f]Kenley[/name_f] isn’t a sellout and wouldn’t do that even if it would help her get more money. [name_f]Kenley[/name_f] doesn’t always necessarily agree with the choices Hudson’s former fling had, and can’t relate since she’s not attracted to men, but that doesn’t mean she disrespects her. In fact, [name_f]Kenley[/name_f] thinks [name_m]Hudson[/name_m] and [name_m]Kole[/name_m] both handled it really well. [name_f]Kenley[/name_f] is glad her brother is happily married but being a single person herself, she won’t compare anyone unfairly. She’s actually the one who tells people not to talk political when the family gets together, mainly because she wants genuine family time and to get her headspace away from work. [name_f]Kenley[/name_f] and [name_f]Bòhé[/name_f] love to talk about their shared culture and [name_f]Kenley[/name_f] admittedly loves Bòhé’s soup the best of any soups.
[name_m]Bryden[/name_m] [name_m]Shi[/name_m] Hao (34) is Kenley’s brother. He is Dash’s father and Daniella’s husband. [name_f]Daniella[/name_f] loves Brayden’s attitude in helping her break out of her shell for love. He likes to take charge but loves to hear what his sister says. [name_m]Bryden[/name_m] likes survival horror games. He celebrates his culture and admires festivals. He loves Bòhé’s soup a lot. His friends would say he’s a planner. He is successful at work and [name_m]Bryden[/name_m] loves to feel good about this.
Landen Jasiah Hobbs (32) is Bryden’s colleague, a fellow mechanical engineer. He has good relationship with Bryden since they often work on same projects. Landen has always loved craft which affected his career choice a lot. He also likes fishing and reading historical fiction. Due to family circumstances, he was homeschooled and high aspirations is what helps him move forward. A few years ago he met a girl online with whom he now lives together. Landen knows very well that his girlfriend has long been looking at rings and pictures of wedding dresses on the Internet, but he can not make up his mind: secretly he is afraid of such a serious step. Soon, however, he has to pull himself together, because his girlfriend is pregnant.
[name_f]Jazara[/name_f] [name_f]Amélia[/name_f] [Travis] [name_m]Hobbs[/name_m] (61) is Landen’s mother, a proud mother to [name_m]Landen[/name_m], who also has a smart streak. [name_f]Jazara[/name_f] works a discount bookstore, in which some of the books are used, though it also carries rare and out-of-print books. Most of the books are sold or donated to the store by customers, which feels a vibe of community that [name_f]Jazara[/name_f] likes. [name_f]Jazara[/name_f] has said a few things that may have been tough for some people to handle, like telling [name_m]Landen[/name_m] he couldn’t be a child actor just because his cousin [name_m]Rorrie[/name_m] was when [name_m]Rorrie[/name_m] was a child. Rorrie’s sister [name_m]Tal[/name_m] never got into that, though [name_f]Jazara[/name_f] doesn’t want the perception to be that she favours [name_m]Tal[/name_m]. She just knows [name_m]Landen[/name_m] has much more studious aspirations and deep down, wouldn’t enjoy the stress of Hollywood and staff members potentially mistreating him. Thankfully this didn’t bother [name_m]Landen[/name_m] much and he felt that he can enjoy Rorrie’s success without feeling he has to claim fame for himself, which [name_m]Tal[/name_m] feels the same about.
[name_m]Landen[/name_m] has always been happy and enjoyed that he was successful in life, and [name_f]Jazara[/name_f] and her husband are proud of him for this. She never had an online relationship and married a decade before Google existed. Recently, he’s seemed more nervous and insecure about where his life is going. [name_f]Jazara[/name_f] feels maybe she hadn’t called him as much as he’d like her too, but she can’t help but feel he’s stressed all the time. [name_f]Jazara[/name_f] is often that person who stresses out at night about problems, but in the morning, they’re solved. She knows Landen’s case is much different. She loves his girlfriend and sees a friendly bond but hasn’t made any suggestions that she is “family” – not that she’d shun his girlfriend either way. [name_f]Jazara[/name_f] knows they live together and they’re usually more upbeat than this. It’s not that [name_f]Jazara[/name_f] doesn’t trust the couple, but she wants [name_m]Landen[/name_m] to go at his own pace and that he still loves her even if he doesn’t propose right away. She doesn’t support shotgun weddings and she’s sure his girlfriend’s family doesn’t either. But [name_m]Landen[/name_m] knows that the next time [name_f]Jazara[/name_f] calls, he’ll tell her that he wants to meet in person. And when he meets his parents in person again, he and his girlfriend are going to announce the big news about the pregnancy.
[name_f]Raven[/name_f] [name_f]Alexis[/name_f] [name_m]Daniels[/name_m] (26) is Rorrie’s girlfriend who wishes the best for Jazara’s son [name_m]Landen[/name_m]. She and [name_m]Rorrie[/name_m] also live together and she’s desiring that he comfort his cousin. She doesn’t have relation by blood to Landen’s girlfriend but admires her style and romance to [name_m]Landen[/name_m]. She works for a high-end salon. Rorrie’s acting is amazing to her but she accepts Landen’s smart homeschooled childhood.
Mikayla Wren “Mikka” Woodley (30) is Raven’s half-sister. She has a good relationship with Raven and a nice one with Rorrie, whom she considers a worthy match for her sister. Mikayla’s parents separated before she was born. When Mikka was two years old, her mother met Raven’s future father. Growing up, the girls were very close. It was difficult for them to bear the separation when Mikayla left to go to university. By the way, Mikka graduated with honors and now works as a high school teacher. Mikayla enjoys spending time in her garden and growing rare plants. She is currently single, but actively goes on dates with different guys, hoping to find her happiness. The story of Landen and his girlfriend helped her to improve her attitude towards dating apps, so now Mikka uses them often.
[name_f]Izabelle[/name_f] ’ Izzi ’ [name_f]Grace[/name_f] Rierson (32) is the pregnant girlfriend of [name_m]Landen[/name_m] [name_m]Hobbs[/name_m], who’s only in her first trimester, but wholly excited about becoming a mother. Izzi met [name_f]Raven[/name_f] and [name_f]Mikka[/name_f] in person thanks to them attending a barbecue hostes by Rorries’ parents, which she and [name_m]Landen[/name_m] also went to, and thinks highly of them both for their respective merits.
Since she was a kid, Izzi’s mom has joked about her romantic tendencies. She was always sending off her toys on little dates and quickly developed a preference for love stories, something that’s never left her. It did make her mom - a single parent - a bit protective when Izzi did start dating, as she was worried about her daughter getting hurt, but [name_m]Landen[/name_m] is actually the first and only person Izzi has ever imagined a full future with; as no-one can bring cheer to her mood like him.
A lot of her talk of marriage is very wishful thinking at the moment though, as Izzi’s full attention is on parenthood and what it will bring to her and [name_m]Landen[/name_m]. She’s planning on going on maternity leave from her pregnancy as a hairdresser and stylist later on, so she can earn some extra money to pay for things the baby will need, and really is going to miss the vibrancy of the salon where she works; as Izzi’s vivacious personality makes her a natural fit in her chosen career.
[name_f]Miyuki[/name_f] Watanabe (29) was a +1 at the barbecue party Izzi and [name_m]Landen[/name_m] attended, tagging along [name_f]Mikka[/name_f]. She’s also Mikka’s friend, who knows full-well her name isn’t the Japanese form of Mikayia, but honestly loves their similar name appearance. They’re strictly just friends, but they’ve +1’d at a lot of one another’s events they’ve attended. [name_f]Miyuki[/name_f] loves Izzi’s infectious spirit, even if [name_f]Miyuki[/name_f] can’t quite tell if Izzi’s wedding desires are something she’s pushing for, or just a fantasy daydream. For Izzi’s it’s the latter, though [name_f]Miyuki[/name_f] tends to be unsure based from something her brother had to resolve 3 years ago. Her brother Yunei has been in a difficult situation as well, he was once falling hard for a buddy [name_m]Gregory[/name_m], though [name_m]Gregory[/name_m] was engaged and ended up marrying his fiancée [name_f]Jessie[/name_f] over the spring. Yunei fully knew this and was in no means to stop that, but he was having trouble coping with not having what he wants. Unlike Izzi, Yunei who doesn’t seem to like weddings, though he does use fiction to clear his mind of tough emotional situations. [name_f]Miyuki[/name_f] has helped him with dissuading him from trying to flirt with [name_m]Gregory[/name_m] and the two are close now, though Yunei only just got his bond back with [name_m]Gregory[/name_m] after awkwardly avoiding him to quell his jealousy. [name_f]Miyuki[/name_f] knows they’re meant to be friends but she was never in a rush to make them back the way they were before. But she’s happy they didn’t lose one another as friends.
[name_f]Miyuki[/name_f] gets a good vibe from Izzi, and is convinced Izzi doesn’t want a marriage yet, considering Izzi likely would have already sent out invitations if she did. [name_f]Miyuki[/name_f] herself used to have bad hair problems in her teenage years, never feeling confident with it. Sometimes she’d overheat and dye her hair in attempts to make it the way she wanted, whereas other times she was so dejected that she didn’t have the energy to even brush it. She’s gotten so afraid of how damaged her hair was that she cut it short and started anew. She finally started growing it long and beautiful, and this time was confident that she wanted to go platinum with a small layer. [name_f]Miyuki[/name_f] knows she’d have been terrible with going through her hair herself, and almost considered just letting her hair dream go, but she turned to Izzi at her salon. [name_f]Miyuki[/name_f] was so impressed by the results, and just so grateful for Izzi that she’s finally gotten the results she’s wanted without worrying she’ll fry her hair out. Sometimes [name_f]Miyuki[/name_f] senses a friendly rivalry with [name_f]Raven[/name_f] and Izzi, seeing [name_f]Raven[/name_f] also works at salon, but a different and more expensive one. But it’s only a friendly rivalry, seeing [name_f]Miyuki[/name_f] herself has a joking friendly rivalry with Yuhei – who is the bassist of the band Tomorrow’s End while she manages an orchestra trio.
[name_f]Harper[/name_f] [name_f]Meadow[/name_f] Hoop (31) is Jessie’s sister. She likes Izzi and [name_f]Miyuki[/name_f] being cool. She is glad Izzi and Landen’s parents turned out alright when being told that Izzi and [name_m]Landen[/name_m] would be parents. She works in the salon Izzi works at and loves to help. [name_f]Every[/name_f] weekend she likes to walk in the snow and visit the orchestra. She reassures Izzi that being a mother is fun! She doesn’t pressure her younger sister [name_f]Jessie[/name_f].
[name_m]Hayden[/name_m] [name_m]Ezekiel[/name_m] Hoop (9) is Harper’s son. [name_m]Hayden[/name_m] is very inquisitive and likes to watch educational programs or flip through encyclopedias. At the same time, he has a hard time being quite in class, which often affects his studies. [name_m]Hayden[/name_m] has many friends with whom they spend time both at recess and outside of school. He enjoys spending weekends with [name_f]Harper[/name_f]. On those days, they often go to the park to ride bikes or play video games together. [name_m]Hayden[/name_m] doesn’t like to be alone. Although he thinks he is too old for a babysitter, he likes it when Aunt [name_f]Jessie[/name_f] comes to watch him. [name_m]Hayden[/name_m] is allergic to peanuts. He is fascinated by different birds, especially hawks, which he has seen several times in the wild.
[name_m]Chance[/name_m] [name_m]Henry[/name_m] [name_m]Banks[/name_m] (31) is Hayden’s daddy and Harper’s husband. He works in monkey exhibit at zoo. He loves it! He was so excited when [name_f]Harper[/name_f] was the one proposing to him and found it unexpected. The [name_m]Banks[/name_m] family is very sweet and love that the couple has such a nice parenting ethic. He really adores spending time with his own sister, who is so fun and energetic like Izzi!
[name_f]Denise[/name_f] [name_f]Samantha[/name_f] [McKenzie] Hoop (63) is Chances’ mother-in-law and nanny to [name_m]Hayden[/name_m], who absolutely loves being a grandma. She jokes she’s very boring but somehow her grandson idolises her anyways, as [name_f]Denise[/name_f] works as a retail manager in a chain clothing store, having always been involved in the clothing industry to some degree. When her own children were younger, she was a buyer for larger department stores, but this gradually phased out, as she wanted more time for [name_f]Jessie[/name_f] and [name_f]Harper[/name_f] instead of long hours searching for stock.
Some people didn’t really get how [name_f]Denise[/name_f] stood by her children’s relationships and never went for the more traditional approach of warning [name_f]Jessie[/name_f] over and over about the difficulties of the music industry, but [name_f]Denise[/name_f] felt that was reductive. She knows [name_f]Jessie[/name_f] was by no means ignorant or naive as to what her son-in-law had chosen for his future, nor did she think constant reminders would be helpful for either of them.
Instead, she promised herself she’d step in if anything was concerning her, but thankfully this never became an issue for [name_f]Jessie[/name_f] to contend with, and [name_f]Denise[/name_f] hopes things were smoother for her having a mother who wholly encouraged the passion and talent of someone she loved. That said she still considered it fair to tease [name_f]Jessie[/name_f] and [name_m]Gregory[/name_m] about starting a family, given how enthusiastic they’ve always been about spending time with [name_m]Hayden[/name_m], but their wait has been more reassuring than anything given all the external factors at work.
