A beloved stepdad brought his stepdaughter to tears when he surprised her with a tattoo tribute on his arm of her name and her love of Disney.
Since coming into seven-year-old Zoey’s life in 2022, Douglas Torres, 43, from Houston, Texas, has always treated her like she was his own daughter.
After Zoey’s mom Sarah’s car broke down early in their relationship, Douglas did not hesitate to offer her a lift in his truck to collect Zoey, who was a 45-minute drive away.
The pair immediately bonded, and Douglas switched vehicles with Sarah until hers was fixed so that she had a reliable truck to support her family.
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Over the months and years that followed, Douglas was there through soccer and softball games, ballet recitals and movie nights, taking Zoey to Disney on Ice and Jurassic Park.
From one-off evenings as Sarah’s boyfriend, when he and Zoey would have karaoke nights, Douglas later moved in – and Zoey would always ask her stepdad if he would ever get a tattoo for her, like the others he had on his body.
Zoey asked if Douglas would get a tattoo of her feet as a baby tattooed on his body, but the humble 43-year-old said he did not think that was appropriate since it would be insensitive to her biological dad, as he had not been in her life then.
But one day, Sarah showed Douglas photos of Zoey, whose first love was Minnie Mouse – of whom she wore costumes and had the likes of backpacks and toys.
Douglas thought this would make for the perfect tattoo surprise his stepdaughter had been hoping for. After running things past Sarah, the pair settled on a design that Douglas then got inked while Zoey visited her father in San Antonio, Texas.
As she returned home to her mom’s house, Zoey didn’t notice the tattoo on Douglas’ arm, so her stepdad planned a big surprise when they were both at home, sitting at the dinner table.
Encouraged to look at Douglas’ arm, Zoey discovered the tattoo – a red and white silhouette of Minnie Mouse with her name beneath.
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After taking everything in, the emotional seven-year-old burst into tears and gave Douglas a huge hug, a thank you for the loving gesture.
Sarah said: “Doug is humble; he does not want praise, nor does he want any recognition for what he does for Zoey.
“If you ask him, he will say that’s my job, even though some people will disagree.
“The bond they have is strong.
“He reminds her, I may not be your dad; you have a dad.
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“I’m not here to replace him, but I love you and I’m here to guide you and make sure you have everything you need, since your dad lives further away – I stand in when he cant make it.
“The moment I saw her face light up, it broke me in a good way.
“Doug has made such an impact on mine and my daughter’s life – this man has no idea how much he has done for her and me.
“Seeing her face light up and cry, especially with her love for Minnie, I know she knows how important she is in his life, and it doesn’t take blood to be a dad.”