About five years before Rascal Flatts’ Jay DeMarcus married Allison Alderson in 2004 and before they started a family, he had just started dating a woman in Tennessee. And after their first time together, she got pregnant, and they gave the baby up for adoption.
DeMarcus opened up about that heart-breaking time in his life in his new book Shotgun Angels: My Story of Broken Roads and Unshakeable Hope.
“Abortion was never an option, so we began to discuss adoption,” DeMarcus shared, saying that they’d even discussed getting married and keeping the baby girl. “My heart finds satisfaction in knowing that she ended up with a wonderful family, but I’ve had to live with this my entire life.
“The adoptive family was supposed to give her a letter when she turned 14, explaining that I loved her, did not abandon her, and have tried several ways to make it possible to be in her life.” He says that his daughter would be about 20 now.
And not only did DeMarcus suffer through the emotional decision-making process, he also felt the consequences from the music business. At the time, he was in a Christian band, but once word got our about the unplanned pregnancy, his ties to the industry were lost.
“I understand that sometimes life sends us reeling because of unexpected situations. But my heart in that moment, though scared, still desired to be in this beautiful child’s life. My heart finds satisfaction in knowing that she ended up with a wonderful family, but I’ve had to live with this my entire life,” he said.