I also voted other, for a lot of the reasons already stated above. I like both Rafe and Hope, just not together. The age factor is a big problem for me, especially since Shawn and Rafe are approximately the same age and I feel that the show keeps Shawn away from Hope so that it is not obvious that Hope has a son that old. But those of us who have watched the show for a long time are aware of the age difference.
I, too always wanted Rafe to have a child of his own. I do want to stress, however, that it does not have to be his biological child. He can adopt. I want Rafe to have a young child that he helps to raise and will call him Dad. Ciara is already grown (and it would be even weirder if Shawn regarded him as a father figure even if he became his stepfather). For a time, he did help Sami with her children, but because Johnny and Sydney had EJ and Will and Allie had Lucas, they did not regard Rafe as their dad, and now he has no interaction with those kids since Sami is out of town with the younger kids and Will is dead.
I feel that there are other options for Rafe already on canvas. Nicole is one that comes to mind and they can either have or adopt a baby together. There is also Theresa if she ever wises up to dumb Brady. She has Tate but she can also have another baby with Rafe. There may be other options in the future.
As for Hope, she needs to deal with her emotional issues and dealing with her daughter as well as Aiden and Bo's deaths before she moves on to another relationship, hopefully with someone in her own age group.
