Dad's Emotional "Vows" to His New Stepdaughter Will Destroy You

Published on June 23, 2017 at 2:10 PM

Elizabeth Hatline

After Kevin and Elizabeth's first date back in November 2015, they both knew their lives were going to change. Following a six-month long-distance relationship between Texas and Michigan in which Kevin tried his best to get to know Elizabeth's daughter, Madeleine, as well as possible, Kevin moved up to Michigan to live with the girls. It's at this time that Elizabeth says Kevin "overnight went from a bachelor to a daddy."

In an emotional post shared with the Love What Matters Facebook page, Elizabeth wrote about all the little things Kevin began to do that made him the ultimate daddy: "He had teddy bear tea parties, learned to read books in different character voices, and I caught the two of them eating whipped cream right out of the can one day. He went to every swim practice, girl scout troop meeting, soccer game, and dance recital. He taught her to swim, listens to her sing, and has played every board game we own at least 10 times. He also endured five days at Walt Disney World, Frozen on repeat for months, and rescued two kittens for her that she named Mac and Cheese. He drove her to Kindergarten every morning and told her every night that he loved her more now than yesterday, but that he would love her even more tomorrow."

When Kevin proposed to Elizabeth, the moment was of course extremely special, but the fact that he then got down on one knee in front of Madeleine to ask if he could forever be her daddy made it even more touching.

On the day of the wedding, Madeleine was obviously very involved (she had even told friends and family prior to the day that it was her wedding, too). Kevin and Madeleine had "first look" photos taken before the ceremony, and after he gave his vows to Elizabeth, he got down on one knee again in front of his new daughter to read vows to her. Elizabeth wrote:

He told her that he would love her for the rest of his life, that she was just as beautiful as her mommy and that he was going to be the best dad to her that he could possibly be. He also presented her with a necklace that said "I may not have given you life but life has given me you." I have never seen her cry like that; perfect little tears of joy that showed just how much she truly loves her daddy. Those tears meant her world was now complete and that it's never too late for the happily ever after we both deserved. Not only did Madeleine cry but we all cried. Her pure tears of happiness created a ripple effect on the entire 101 friends and family we were surrounded by.

As if everything leading up to and during the ceremony wasn't precious enough, Kevin and Madeleine then shared a first dance together at the reception alongside Elizabeth and her father. "We danced to the song 'Somewhere Over the Rainbow' by Israel Kamakawiwo'ole," Elizabeth told POPSUGAR. "It truly was our 'best day ever.'"