Chapter 28

Her alarm going off, Megan clicked the dismiss option on her phone as she rubbed the sleep from her eyes before sitting up in bed to stretch. Soon after slipping out of bed she was standing in her warm waterfall style shower, humming to herself happily. Life had been different as of late, plenty of bad things had happened, but she was working to turn them all around. The scent of her herbal essence shampoo filled the shower as she started to wash her hair and think about the strange turns.

She did regret encouraging Liam and pushing Bailey to him with how he treated her. Bailey didn’t deserve Amanda as a girlfriend, he wasn’t good for her or anyone. That entire thing should have been handled differently, though it was funny how that trauma had left her closer to Bailey as they worked on their ****, turning Liam into Leah. Manipulating Bailey and Liam was the type of thing Becky accused her of doing to her over the years. It never felt that way to her, she could hardly ever get that girl to do what she wanted, it didn’t matter if it was for her own good or not. Pressing her forehead against the cold tile wall in the shower she let out a long sigh. The most she got out of her daughter lately was a text message that said thanks when she sent her some baked goods or some money while she was off at college.

She decided then that she was going to bake some cookies while over at Charles’s house. He mentioned needing to do some yard work around the house he rented and she needed to get over there to help Leah get ready for the water park with Bailey and Candi. It would give her something to do today and allow her to send off a care package of baked goods for her daughter, gaining her that little bit of communication she wanted from her daughter.

Soon Megan was standing in Leah’s room tying the little bow for the brown sarong skirt around Leah’s waist. She thought Leah looked so cute with the brown wrap skirt, covering the lower portion of the one piece swimsuit she wore. It was mostly white with black piping around the waist and for the straps that criss-crossed over her chest. She topped it off with a crochet brown bell hat that was a fun retro fashion. “Look at you Leah, you are just adorable.”

Looking at himself in the mirror, Liam shifted from one foot to the other, feeling the weight of the wedge heels he wore. They were much easier on his feet than the heels he wore so far, but just as high. Of the options for bathing suits he was happy, well happier with the one piece, it was a far cry better than wearing a bikini. Still it clung to him in a way he hated, showing off assets he wished he didn’t have. Then there was his groin… Miss Megan had given him a thing she called a tuck kit. It was like a odd shaped large band aid that she said would keep his unwanted bits tucked back so no one could see them and how it was safe to wear in the water. “Thank you Miss Megan.” He said, responding to the compliment.

“Okay, I have packed you a little bag. It has two towels, sun screen, a zip lock bag for your phone, a spill proof water bottle, hand sanitizer, two tampons, a twenty dollar bill in case you need to pay for something and your white purse. Make sure to put your purse in a locker and not leave it with your things, just in case.” Megan had the bag on the bend and was sorting through it to make sure everything was in its place.

“Super, thanks Mom.” The use of the family title ran through Megan’s mind after he thought about Becky that morning. She knew Liam was being sarcastic, but hearing the light airy girly voice of Leah still brought a smile to her face. “You are very welcome, but I have one last thing for you, I saw online a coupon for one free child's meal with drink with purchase of an adult park ticket.”

“Am I like sixteen or a child?” Liam said, turning away from the mirror. He was so tired of her treating him like a little kid. Miss Megan said he was supposed to be sixteen yet didn’t treat him like even that age most of the time.

“I could put your hair in pigtails and send you off in a water diaper to the park. What do you think everyone would say then?” She watched as his face went a little pale. “Would you like a strike or for me to tell you to do something small?”

He looked away from her, eyes focusing on his polished toenails. “Do something.”

“You have two choices, soon as you see Jeremy you can kiss him on the cheek and tell him how much you missed him or you can give him a peck on the lips and only have to smile. You can even smile and shake your head when or if he asks what that kiss was for. If you do neither then I will march you back inside and make you put on the little girls swimsuit I have with the Disney princess on it. Do you understand?”

Still not looking into her eyes Liam nodded his head. He had already kissed Jeremy on the cheek before, it wouldn’t be a big deal. In fact Considering the level of embarrassment he would get from doing this and how Miss Megan was acting, it was like she was going easy on him. She was humming a song he didn’t recognize when she was packing the bag and he figured Da… Chuck must have given it to her good the night before. He had been a dick with this whole Leah thing, but if he was able to get some and make life easier for him while doing so then he was all about his brother sticking his dick in crazy.

Outside Chuck was kneeling down pulling weed after weed from the yard. He wasn’t afraid of hard work, but he never liked doing yard work and his brother was the same way. So the two often just paid for a gardener to take care of everything to keep the HOA and landlord off their back, but with so many new costs in his life and less money coming in thanks to Liam being gone and Leah being here, the extra bill of a gardener was something he cut.

When a gray SUV pulled up into his driveway he stood up, brushing his hands off on his jeans. He was out in the front yard wearing blue jeans, knee pads, barefoot and an A frame undershirt. He took the small towel that hung around his neck and wiped off his forehead as he saw Bailey and another blonde girl get out of the vehicle. “Morning ladies.” He pantomimed tipping a hat to them. Both the blonde girls were wearing a white bathing suit cover type dress with wooden toggles around the chest.

“Good morning Mr. Summers! I’m Candi, it is an absolute pleasure to meet you! Bailey has told me all about you and how you might be her Uncle soon.” Chuck put his hand to his chest as his heart started to beat a little quicker. The girl speaking to him looked a little older than Bailey and if he didn’t know better he would say she was her older sister, but insinuating he would get married to Megan felt like she was actually attempting to give him a heart attack. He wasn’t even thirty yet, but a few more of those and he would need to see a doctor.

“Candi…” Bailey whined. “Can you like please stop bringing up getting married to everyone?”

“Please, Mr. Summers here is like a total snack. I see it, you see it and Aunt Megan soooo sees it.”

He attempted to laugh off what the two teens were talking about, changing the subject so he would feel less awkward. “Nice to meet you too, I wasn’t sure who all was going on the trip, but it looks like you have some more people in the car.”

Both Candi and Bailey looked back to the vehicle; they had told the boys they would be right back. “In the passenger seat is August Gates, driving is Ryan Davis and in the back is Jeremy… Jeremy ahhh I don’t remember his last name.”

“Hayes. How can you forget his last name?” Candi said, cocking her hips as she put her hands on them to address Bailey. “They are just our boyfriend.”

“I like can’t remember everything.” Bailey said in a huff, crossing his arms under his bosom. He had only so much brain power to go around. He had to learn more and more makeup techniques, about fashion, celebrity gossip to keep up with Candi. All while having to do chores around his place, do math homework and play a silly video based around raising children. It was perfectly normal for him to not remember every little thing he thought.

Leah has a boyfriend? Megan had talked about Liam walking around the mall holding hands with some boy, but a boyfriend was news to him and left him rather confused.

Candi just gave the older man a look, raising her eyebrows as if to say that was just who her little sister was. “Well Leah is inside with your Aunt…” Chuck narrowed his eyes a little at the girl Candi. She had called Megan her aunt, so maybe Megan had another sister or a brother. “Doors unlocked, feel free to head on inside.”

The two girls bounced off and he considered getting back to his task, but instead decided to see the three inside the car. As he walked up, Ryan lowered his windows, seeing him approach. “Hey there, so it looks like it will be six of you going today? Bailey didn’t happen to mention boyfriends coming along.” Chuck craned his neck to see the boy in the back seat.

“Bailey isn’t the greatest source of information.” Ryan said giving a little shrug.

“Hey!” Chuck looked at the young man in the passenger seat, he looked familiar like he had seen him before, but couldn’t place from where.

“Yeah, yeah I hear you. Look man, I get wanting to protect your girl's honor and everything, but I’m not insulting her.”

Chuck pointed at the young man in the passenger seat. “So you are August and are Bailey’s boyfriend?”

“Yeah and we met once, at a pool party Amanda Best held.” Chuck snapped his fingers and nodded, the memory of being introduced coming back to mind. He was the younger brother of Amanda’s best friend. Then pointed his finger at the young man in the driver's seat.

“That makes you Ryan Davis, dating the other blonde. Nice car you have.”

“Yeah, and thanks. One of the few things my Dad left me before running off.” Chuck nodded, able to understand how shitting that felt. August said something and laughed, but it was to low to hear the exchange between the two.

“Car was the only thing he left you.” August said in a whisper.

“We do not talk about the stupid Darling Dolls sex doll thing he sent me.” Ryan said through gritted teeth to his friend. Jeremy just blink, his mouth hanging open a little at the idea Ryan’s father who ever he was left him a sex doll.

“That makes you Jeremy Hayes, boyfriend of my daughter. When exactly did that happen?” Jeremy's mind went from the wonder what the two in the front seat were talking about to complete shock and embarrassment. Leah’s dad thought they were boyfriend and girlfriend! That meant Leah had told them that they were… or that she wanted to be and he misunderstood.

“Yes sir, I mean no sir… ahhh” He suddenly felt incredibly nervous, he hadn’t even contemplated talking to Leah’s dad. “We are umm ahh sort of dating. We went on a date and then today and it was sudden I didn’t know, but there is also church tomorrow that we are going to, but we aren’t exactly boyfriend and girlfriend. BUT it isn't’ because she isn’t pretty or good enough!”

“Woah, calm down there. I was just curious, I’m not trying to scare you off or anything.”

Around then the girls inside were just finishing up, Megan letting Candi and Bailey know about the coupons in Leah’s bag for a free kids meal. The two of them had summer passes, but four free kids meals she imagined would be a good snack for the six to share. From her experience young men were always hungry.

Liam went over to give his brother a daughterly hug before promising to be a good girl and getting into the vehicle. The look Jeremy gave him causes his stomach to fill with butterflies, he was no stranger to the look on a guy's face when eyeing up a girl, but the look Jeremy gave him was something different, something purer. “I missed you.” Liam said almost forgetting the deal, when he saw Miss Megan waving outside the vehicle. Leaning in to give Jeremy a kiss on the cheek ended with his lips pressed firmly to the boy's lips. Jeremy was going in to hug his beautiful date when she pressed her face close to his. The kiss was just the two pressing their lips together, both staying there for a few heartbeats, each afraid of this moment. Jeremy afraid he would ruin it if he did anything and Liam terrified, his lipstick covered lips pressed into another males.

Bailey giggled seeing the kiss. “See Jeremy, I told you she liked you.”

Outside the car Chuck’s jaw went slightly slack as he saw his brother dressed up like a girl and initiate a kiss. He pointed as he turned to look at Megan, his thoughts baffled by what he just saw. “I am very confused, someone mentioned they are boyfriend and girlfriend, but the boy said they weren’t but… Liam just kissed him.”

“Leah is just kissing a boy she likes, that is something girls do. Your little girl is growing up, now why don’t you come inside. I made some lemonade.” She said, patting his arm.

“But that doesn’t make any…”

“Don’t fret about it, just come inside and cool off. Unless you would rather…” Megan bit her bottom lip looking the younger man up and down. She was in a good mood and seeing his well toned muscles covered in sweat gave her ideas. “Come inside and do something else?”