Selling Sunset‘s Heather Rae Young is stepmom to fiancé Tarek El Moussa‘s two children, Taylor and Brayden. Since settling down with the Flip or Flop star in 2019, Heather’s opinions on starting a family have completely changed!
“You know, before I met Tarek and the kids, I actually never thought I would have children,” the reality TV personality, 33, exclusively tells Life & Style. “My heart has been so opened up to possibly having a baby.”
Heather, who appeared in PETA’s new campaign encouraging everyone to say ‘I do’ to healthy and delicious animal-free food, considers herself an “amazing bonus mommy” to Taylor, 10, and Brayden, 6, whom Tarek, 40, shares with ex-wife Christina Haack. “I love the kids so much,” she gushes.
“When you find your soulmate, I think your mind changes and how you think your future is going to end up changes,” Heather explains. “Like, I never thought I would be a step-parent. I never thought I would marry a man that had kids and an ex (wife). I never thought I would be in this position. So, from the moment I met him, I one hundred percent committed. I never thought twice about it and our life is crazy and I’m like, ‘Well, what’s one more?'”
Of course, everyone’s pregnancy journey is different. “I froze my eggs once,” Heather recalls. “I actually have low fertility. So, I did that because there’s a chance that I might not be able to have babies [normally]. I did that just for my future. I don’t have to feel like I regretted not having kids. I just wanted to have the option. I’m probably going to do one more round just to be safe because I don’t have a lot of eggs, so I’m going to preserve what I have.”
Ultimately, Heather knows parenting isn’t “easy,” but she and Tarek are totally on the same page. “We are so in love with the kids and I’m so in love with Tarek and he’s such an amazing daddy and we parent together so well,” she assures. “He never micromanages me. He lets me take charge and parent how I want to. We just are so parallel with each other.”