You Can't Choose Your Family ➸ Demi Lovato

{Chapter 27}

My mouth gaped. What the actual fuck?! This has to be all lies! How can any of this be true?

"I-" I started but I couldn't form a sentence. I flopped down on the couch and stared at my mother's words in disbelief. There was one line that stuck out like a sore thumb: 'The baby wasn't William's. It was Patrick's'. The baby is me. It is me. The person who I thought was my father isn't even vaguely related to me. More concerningly, my grandfather is also my father. That is some mucked up shit. Wow. I am some mucked up shit.

"Let it sink in." Demi, my sister said soothingly from across the couch.

"You're my sister." I stated, the disbelieving tone in my voice ringing out clearly,

"Half-sister, yes," Demi gave me a small, sad smile.

"And you're basically going to be my mom too?" I asked,

"If you'd like me to," Demi said slowly, seeming a bit confused.

The confirmation of those two facts caused an overwhelming feeling of peace and happiness run through me. I climbed over the space between us on the couch and engulfed Demi into a huge hug.

After a few moments she reciprocated, holding me close. I could literally feel my heart burst in happiness. It just felt like everything going wrong in my life was coming to an end. I was going to live with Demi. Of course I'd say yes, I'd be insane not to. I was going to live with someone who I believed actually loved me. Someone who cares for me and would help me climb out of the pit of depression I'd dug myself into...

Demi pulled back, looking me in the eyes. I looked at her facial expression and it didn't requite the happiness mine held.

Insecurity flooded through my veins at a rapid pace.

"D-do you not want me?" I whispered, looking down ashamed. Maybe Demi was hoping I'd go back to and forgive my mom after her long explanation. Maybe she didn't want me at all.

"What?!" Demi looked even more confused now.

"I'll go back to mom's if that's-" but I was cut off.

"If you want to go then that's fine, I understand but you'd be leaving me all lonely." Demi pouted like a baby at the end making my insecurities lessen a little.

"You want me?" I asked in a small voice, afraid that she still may reject me.

"If I didn't want you you wouldn't be here in the first place doofus!" Demi joked, pushing my shoulder slightly.

I unintentionally let out a sigh of relief and hugged her close again.

"Did you actually think I didn't?" Demi asked, shaking her jokey tone to one containing a little more concern. I nodded slightly, ashamed I even thought that in the first place. It was just a stupid overreaction to Demi's facial expressions, which I may have not even interpreted correctly in the first instance.

"You just didn't look as, I don't know, happy?" I admitted bashfully, keeping to our promise on being open with one another.

Demi laughed lightly, "I was just a bit taken aback that you were so happy! I mean you'd just learned so much information and honestly I was kind of expecting a more negative reaction-" Demi started to ramble.

"So you were surprised when I didn't have a mental breakdown?" I finished for her. She nodded in agreement. "Well I may be able to conjure one up sometime soon..." I winked at her cheekily. "You know, I don't wanna disappoint."

"Come here!" Demi pulled me so I was lying on top of her. She started kissing my face repeatedly, "I'm happy too." She kissed my nose. "Really happy," she kissed the side of my lips, just missing them thank the Lord! "I can't wait," she kissed my chin, "to live with my," she kissed my cheek, "sister." And she licked from my check up to my hairline.

"Ew!" I screamed, writhing around trying to loosen myself from her grip. "Demetria!" I whined, "let me go you dog!" I squealed.

"I'm just showing you how much I love you," Demi smirked, trying to look innocent.

"By pretending to be a dog?" I kinked my eyebrow, "you weirdo."

"You love me really," she whined, pouting and fluttering her eyelashes.

"Lucky I do otherwise you'd be dead meat." I said, trying to sound strict but failing as Demi looked at me like some doll programmed to look cute but looked almost freakishly scary instead. "You look like an idiot!" I added.

"It runs in the family." She laughed, "perks of being a Lovato!"

And I guess I am a Lovato now... Well since Demi and I share a father we should share the same surname.

"Am I Lovato now?" I asked Demi, stopping the joking and becoming serious.

"Yeh I guess, theoretically you are." Demi said with her thinking face on, which actually makes her look smart, not like a hyper and weird 2 year old (which is an accurate description of what she usually looks like).

"Can I be a Lovato?" I asked, the thought suddenly popping into my head.

"I suppose we can get it changed, if that's what you want..." Demi sounded unsure.

"I think it'd be a good thing," I started my reasoning behind the idea as it grew on me by the second and Saskia Lovato just seemed like a pretty good option, "like, I guess I want to move on from the past and it would be like a 'new identity, new me kind' of thing?" I explained.

"You really want to get better don't you?" Demi said, not really as a question but more as a fact.

"Yep." I popped the 'p'. "To be honest I just want to start a fresh you know?"

"I am so proud of you," Demi looked at me with a closed mouth smile which obviously radiated so much love and happiness it was contagious and I had to smile back. "I'll see what we can do about making you a Lovato."

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