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After Mariah Carey and her boyfriend Bryan Tanaka spent Christmas together with her 11-year-old twins, Monroe and Moroccan, fans were curious about Bryan’s role as a father figure in the relationship. Questions arose as the kids’ dad, Nick Cannon, didn’t celebrate the holiday with them and recently welcomed his 12th child with one of his five baby mamas. However, a source EXCLUSIVELY told HollywoodlIfe that Bryan has a close relationship with the twins, but all parties involved understand that the word “dad” is “reserved for Nick.”
“Bryan is a great role model to her kids and is so close to them,” the source began. “They look at him like a second father, but they do not call him dad. That word is reserved for Nick who is very active in his children’s lives. Nick and Bryan get along great, and Bryan has been a part of Mariah‘s life since 2006, so Nick trusts him with everything.”
The insider went on to say that Mariah and Bryan are “the happiest that they have ever been together,” but they aren’t eyeing a trip down the aisle any time soon. “She’s done it twice already and it is not something that she is interested in doing again,” the source added. “She knows how much he loves her, and he knows how she feels the same.”
A second source EXCLUSIVELY told Hollywoodlife that Bryan has stepped in remarkedly as a father figure, but Nick will always have the final say when it comes to Monroe and Moroccan. “Mariah‘s kids are very bonded with Bryan but he’ll never replace Nick and would never try,” the source said. “There have been times in the past that Nick has popped up in Aspen to see them on Christmas but this year he spent it in L.A. and Mariah was totally fine with it because her kids were. They’re going to have a late Christmas celebration with Nick, he never lets them down.”
Meanwhile, Nick dressed up as Santa the day after Christmas to visit his 6-month-old son Legendary Love, whom he shares with Bre Tiesi. He also made a pit stop to see his son Golden, 5, Powerful Queen, 2, and newborn son Rise, whom he shares with his ex Brittany Bell, a model who has had an on-again/off-again relationship with Nick since 2014. Before the actual holiday, posted a holiday card with his baby mama Abby De La Rosa and their three children: Zion and Zillion, 1, and newborn Beautiful Zepplin. The Instagram share also caused a bit of a dust up with Nick’s baby mama LaNisha Cole, who appeared to slam the actor for not sharing time with their 6-month-old daughter Onyx.
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