Illusions

"Aunt Laurel. This isn't a good idea and you know why," he said.

"Tell him!" Meghan said loudly enough for Leyton to hear.

"Tell me what? What the hell is going on?" he asked with a hint of agitation.

"Leyton? I'm...I'm not your aunt," Laurel forced herself to say as Meghan stood there 'air clapping' and mouthing, "Way to go, Mom!"

"This has been hard enough without playing games. I've been battling this since, well, since 'the incident' and I was just starting to make some small amount of progress and move on with my life, and then you call and tell me something that makes no sense at all."

"It does make sense!" Meghan called out. "And it's the truth."

"Will someone please tell me what this is all about?" Leyton said with exasperation.

"We had our DNA tested, Leyton. You know, just like your mom did when she needed to know about her family and her heritage. You remember that, right?"

"Of course I do. I swabbed her cheek for the sample. So?"

"Well, just like our mother told us, she was mostly English with some German."

"Uh-huh. And?"

"Mine is almost all Czechoslovakia and Hungary."

"What?" they both heard Leyton say. He was clearly lost.

"I have zero English and no German ancestry."

"I don't get it. How is that even possible?" he said still expecting to hear her say this was some kind of cruel joke.

"The best explanation is I was switched at birth with another girl born at the same time," Laurel told him. "We joked about that quite often."

Leyton sat there stunned to the point of being speechless for several seconds before he asked, "But how do you know you're not related?"

"I hired a DNA expert to compare my profile with your mom's. She asked me to keep it for you just in case you ever wanted to have yours checked. The man said these results prove with 100% certainty your mom and I are not related."

Meghan smiled then said, "Leyton? I'm leaving now. I think you and my mom have a lot to talk about. Oh, by the way. I found a guy I really like so I guess you're free to um...okay, I can't even say it out loud, but you know what I mean."

"Oh, wow. Geez. Megs. I'm...I'm really happy for you, and I guess I don't feel quite so weirded out by all the things you said before," he told her.

"Weirded out is the reason I'm leaving. You may not be my biological cousin or my mom's nephew, but this still totally weirds me out so...I'm out. Love you, 'cuz'!" she called out.

"Yeah. Love you, too...person I'm not really related to," he said as it began sinking in.

Meghan was gone and upstairs in a flash leaving Laurel and Leyton 'alone'.

"I saw you called but I didn't pick up. I did listen to your voicemail, though," Leyton said a few seconds later. "I didn't pick up but I had to listen. I needed to hear your voice so bad."

"I wanted to hear yours, too, Ley," she told him sincerely. "I was pretty sure you wouldn't pick up for obvious reasons."

"I'm kind of in shock from all this, you know?" he said feeling better for the first time in weeks.

"Oh, trust me. I know," she said. "I only just found out myself and it...it floored me. Your mom is my sister, you know? And our mom is my mom."

"No, I get it. For sure, I get it. And yet, from a biological point of view, they're not."

"Exactly. So you and I aren't related. At all."

"Wow," he said exhaling loudly.

"No kidding," Laurel agreed. She hesitated then said, "Are you still in Seattle or have you moved yet?"

"As if things couldn't get more bizarre, I was on my way to the airport to go look at apartments in Anchorage when Meghan called. I just told the taxi driver to take me home."

"So now what?" Laurel asked sweetly and with a bit of apprehension.

"Now that seeing each other isn't forbidden and after you've had all this time to think about it, do you even want to...see me?" he asked.

Laurel's heart was pounding furiously as she fought off concerns that his comment meant he'd thought it through and no longer wanted to see her.

"More than anything," she said hoping he did still want to see her. "Unless maybe you've realized I'm not exactly young and pretty anymore or if you've found someone else."

Her happiness was gone and she was on the verge of crying again as her fears overwhelmed her in the blink of an eye.

"I don't know whether to turn you over my knee and spank you for being so horribly self-critical and flat out wrong or kiss you and make love..."

Laurel wasn't manic-depressive, but her emotions evidently were as hope soared and her heart sang as quickly as they'd collapsed.

"You could...you could do all of those things to me, Leyton," she said barely able to speak. "Or anything you like. Anything at all."

"Oh. Is my 'non-aunt' a kinky little girl?" he teased.

She could 'feel' his smile through the phone and she smiled and then laughed.

"I don't really know. It's not like I've had a lot of experience, you know? There was only one other guy before I married..."

"Shit-For-Brains?" he said unable to keep from laughing.

Laurel laughed loudly and freely for the first time since...since Lisa was alive and well.

"Yeah, that guy. So I honestly don't know what I like, but..."

"But?"

"But I'd love to find out," she told him with a smile.

"Oh. And...would you possibly like to find out...with me?" he asked certain of the answer to come.

"I've wanted that since, you know..."

"The incident?" he filled in.

"Yes. And as nice as that incident was, I'd love to be able to try that again without the guilt of the um...'i-word' hanging over our heads."

"Would you like to have dinner with me tonight...Laurel?" he asked her his palms sweaty with anticipation.

"Very much...Leyton," she told him as her tummy did flips.

"And just so you know, you are neither old nor unattractive. You are the most beautiful and amazing woman I've ever known and although I loved you as my aunt all these years, I cannot tell you how happy I am to know you're not."

"I've always loved you too, Ley. As my nephew. But since your mom died, I've...I've loved you as something more. I was just so unbelievably sad I couldn't tell you or...show you."

"Dittoes," he said happily. "I would love nothing more than to be able to tell you and show you how much I love you, too...Laurel."

"Nothing would make me happier...my love," she said her heart still pounding out of her chest.

"I'll pick you up at 8 o'clock tonight, if that's okay," he told her.

"It's very okay," she said sweetly. "And I can't wait to see you, Leyton."

"I can't wait to see you either...sweetheart," he said tenderly.

"Bye...honey," she said as she was about to burst with happiness.

As she hit 'end call' she couldn't help but think that if God really didn't exist, if there was no heaven or hell, then these feelings she was experiencing were the closest thing to heaven on earth.

She walked upstairs to give Meghan her phone back and just by the smile on her face, her daughter knew things had gone well.

"My, my! Look at you, Mother," she said. "All rosy-cheeked and flushed! Does someone have a date with her very handsome former nephew?"

"Maybe," her mom said coyly before saying... "Yes!!"

Meghan stood up and the two of them grabbed each other's arms and jumped around like little girls before Meghan hugged her and said, "Oh, Mom, I am so happy for you!"

Laurel's eyes were wet with tears as she put a hand on her daughter's cheek and told her, "And I am so very lucky to have you as my daughter."

"Who wasn't switched at birth, right?" Meghan said.

"Nope. Your DNA profile confirmed that. You're mine for better or for worse."

"Oh, it's definitely 'for better', Mom. Definitely better."

"So...I think I'm going to splurge and go buy something new to wear even though we can't afford it," Laurel said.

"I'd say you can't afford not to," Meghan told her with a smile. "Oh. If you're going out tonight, is it okay if Orrin comes over here for a while?"

"Normally, I'd say 'no' very emphatically, but considering the positive effects this young man is having on you, I'm say 'yes' most emphatically. But I would like to meet him before I leave."

"I think that can be arranged!" Meghan said happily.

Laurel was ready to go by 7:30 and when she came downstairs, Meghan did a double take.

"Holy...shit balls, Mom!" her old self blurted out.

"Do you like it?" her mother asked.

"I love it! That is to-die-for sexy!"

"It's not too much?" Laurel asked hoping for a positive response.

She'd found a metallic-gold, ribbed, Lurex sweater dress that was an acrylic/lurex blend that hugged her tight, fit body like a glove. It looked more taupe than gold, but that's how it was advertised. The sleeves came to about four inches below the elbows and the hem to about four inches about the knees. It zipped up the front allowing her to expose the perfect amount of her very ample cleavage which she chose to keep mostly covered.

Her beautifully-styled hair was soft and full and fell sexily around her shoulders adding to her beauty and allure. A pair of gold earrings and a thin gold watch which both went with the gold zipper were all the jewelry she wore.

"May I?" Meghan said as she grabbed the zipper.

"Don't you dare!" her mom said without stopping her.

Meghan pulled it down nearly two more inches, smiled, and said, "There. Now that's perfect! It's a good thing Leyton's over six-feet tall. How high are those heels anyway?"

Laurel protested but didn't zip it back up as she answered Meghan's question.

"Five inches. Okay, 4 3/4" but who's counting, right?"

"You look spectacular, Mom," her daughter assured her.

"Thank you, honey, and you look...very grown up."

Meghan rarely wore anything her mother considered dressy and she also rarely wore her hair long and smooth. It was usually scrunched up with some kind of product which was very trendy but Laurel had never been a fan.

Tonight she was wearing a very pretty lavender sweater with a reasonably modest black skirt and 3-inch heels.

"I love the pearls," her mom said as she touched the strand adorning her slender neck. "This guy must be really special."

"Yeah. He kind of is," her daughter said demurely, something Laurel couldn't ever remember seeing.

The door bell rang and Meghan nearly jumped.

"He's here! Mom? Do I really look okay?"

"You look incredible, honey," Laurel assured her.

"Oh, my God. I'm so nervous!" she said as she went to get the door.

Laurel waited and heard her daughter say, "Orrin! Hi!"

She heard a baritone voice say, "Wow. You look amazing, Meghan."

"Thank you, and you look very handsome yourself...handsome. Come on. I want you to meet my mom!"

Laurel heard Meghan's heels clicking then saw her appear holding the hand of a very attractive, obviously-older man with dark hair, blue eyes, and an amazing smile.

"Mom? This is Orrin Anderson. Orrin, this is my mother, Laurel."

"It's a pleasure to meet you, ma'am," Orrin said. He smiled as they shook hands and said sincerely, "I see where Meghan gets her incredible good looks from."

"Oh, he is such a keeper, honey," Laurel said as she held onto his hand. "My daughter talks about you non-stop, Orrin. Now I can see why."

"Mom!" Meghan said protesting her comment about his looks.

"No. Not that. Yes, he is a very attractive man, but I meant that he's made such a positive impact on your life."

"To be honest, Meghan is the one who's been the positive influence on me. I was really pretty close to hitting rock bottom when we met by chance at a mutual friend's house."

He looked at Meghan then said, "She's been instrumental in helping me turn my life around. I honestly can't imagine how things might have gone had I not met her when I did."

"I'm just as happy about it as you are, sweetie," Meghan said still holding his left hand.

Laurel didn't have time to process the term of endearment as the doorbell rang again. This time Laurel flinched.

"Mom's finally got a date with Leyton," Meghan told him.

"Oh, right. Wow. What a story that is!" Orrin said.

"And it's all because you brought up the...what's the word again?" Meghan asked her mom.

"Orrin can tell you, honey. I need to get the door."

Laurel's stomach was in knots again when she opened the door.

Neither of them said a word when they saw one another. Laurel's hands covered her mouth as she finally said, "Oh, my gosh. You look so handsome!"

"And you look so incredibly beautiful I...I don't know what to say," Leyton said as he handed her a dozen long-stemmed roses.

"These are lovely, Ley!" she said as he stepped in. "Thank you so much!"

"You're welcome," he told her. "And I'm not kidding, Laurel. You...you look...damn!"

Both of them heard giggling which was Meghan's reaction to Leyton's comments.

"I told you they have it bad for each other, huh?" she said to Orrin as her mom and non-cousin walked in.

"Hey, man," Orrin said sticking out his hand. "Orrin."

"Leyton. Nice to meet you. Hey 'cuz'," he said to Meghan after shaking hands with her new beau.

"Hey yourself...'cuz'. At the risk of sounding like my mom...wow! You really do look great, Ley."

"Wow yourself," he said. "I can't ever remember seeing you look this nice."

He looked at Orrin then said to Meghan, "Looks like someone else's got it bad for someone."

"Let me just put these in some water," Laurel said as Meghan smiled at her former cousin while admiring the bouquet.

"Sorry, baby," Orrin said for not bringing flowers.

"Why? I don't need flowers," she said sweetly. "I'm just glad you're here."

"Are you really my daughter?" Laurel teased.

"Yeah, I was gonna ask where my cousin went, but then I realized I don't have one, so..." Leyton teased.

Meghan put her hand on Orrin's arm then said, "Maybe this is the real me. You know, the one it took the right guy to find and bring out."

"This wasn't my idea," Orrin said nodding to her clothes. "I like Meghan no matter what she wears."

"Ahh! You see, that's why I love you so much!" she said causing Laurel and Leyton to look at one another wide-eyed, but neither of them spoke.

"You ready?" Leyton asked.

"I just need my coat and purse," she said.

"Have a wonderful time, Mom. You too, 'cuz'," she said to Leyton.

"Nice meeting you, Orrin," Leyton said offering him his hand this time.

"Likewise. Ma'am," he said to Leyton then to Laurel.

"Can we please not call me 'ma'am' again? Please?" Laurel asked with another wince.

"Sure thing," Orrin said.

"Well, you two have a nice time, as well," Laurel said as she hugged her daughter and then Orrin.

"And thank you," she told him. "I can't tell you how wonderful it's been having my daughter back."

Meghan smiled a kind of embarrassed-but-pleased kind of smile. She had her hands behind her back and looked so...grown up and yet so...sweet.

"Okay, I'm ready," Laurel told Leyton as everyone said goodbye.

As Laurel was being helped with her coat she heard Meghan say, "Can I get you anything, honey?" to Orrin.

"Sounds serious," Leyton whispered.

Laurel turned around as was within an inch of being as tall as Leyton.

"I'd say so," she said quietly.

Leyton took her hands then said, "I am so glad to see you again."

"Me, too," Laurel told him as their eyes met and danced.

"You are so beautiful," he said as he touched her pretty face.

"Ley?" she said very quietly as she put her hands on his broad shoulders. "Would you please kiss me again?"

Without answering he pulled her close and did just that. It was the most wonderful kiss of their lives that lasted just 4-5 seconds and involved only the briefest touching of tongues.

As he pulled back, Leyton stared into her eyes and said, "I don't ever want to spend another day without you, sweetheart." He paused then told her, "I love you, Laurel."

He saw her blink away a tear then heard her say, "I love you, too, Ley. I love you so much," before she kissed him.

"Hungry?" he asked quietly.

"A little," she told him truthfully. "I haven't been able to eat much since 'the incident' and I haven't been able to eat anything since we talked."

"Then let's go have ourselves a quiet, romantic dinner and see where things go from there," he suggested.

"Oh, I know where things are going from there," she said with a smile. "I've waited and waited knowing I could never be with you for so long and I'm not waiting another day."

"Be it far from me to ask you to," he said before kissing her again.

"A-hem!" they heard Meghan say loudly. "Why haven't you two left yet?"

"Sorry, honey. We got...sidetracked," her mom said as she picked up her purse.

"Should I wait up for you, Mom?" Meghan teased as Leyton opened the door for her mom.

"You could try," she said with a smile.

Meghan understood and just smiled back before saying, "Take care of my mom, 'cuz'."

"I will. I promise," he told her sincerely.

Leyton had had the cleaning crew in that afternoon hoping he might need a clean house, but after dinner he asked Laurel how she felt about going to a very nice hotel instead.

"I'll go anywhere with you, Leyton Kirkland. Anywhere at all."

Three hours later, Laurel was snuggled up against her lover's body having made love with him for the first time. She laughed out loud when she thought about having been spanked for the first time, too.

"What's so funny?" Leyton asked.

"I'm just so happy," she told him. "And I guess I'm trying to decide whether or not I'm...kinky."

"Oh, okay," he said smiling back at her. "Does someone need another paddling?"

"She's not sure, but she most definitely wouldn't mind making love with you again," she cooed as he rolled her over.

Laurel yelped with joy as his strong, powerful arms flipped like a feather then she moaned with pleasure as he sank deep inside her again taking her completely.

As they lay there holding each other after coming so hard they thought their bodies might shake apart, Laurel said, "It's so funny how life takes these twists and turns."

"That's so true," Leyton agreed.

"Sometimes the changes are devastating."

"Like when mom found out she had cancer," he said.

"Exactly. Then sometimes something that seems bad is really a blessing in disguise."

"Ah, yes. Like Shit-For-Brains walking out on you."

Laurel laughed happily and said, "Yes, again!"

"And then sometimes a chance meeting between two people like Meghan and Orrin..."

"Can lead you to do something like DNA testing which..." Leyton said keeping it going.

"Which proves you're not related to the person you're crazy in love with but can't be with."

"However it happened, I'm just glad it did," Leyton said as he rolled over on top of her.

Laurel smiled then said, "I think I might like to try getting spanked again."

"Well, you have been a very bad girl," Leyton said with great authority.

"I have not!" Laurel said in pouty protest. "I thought you said I was very good just a few minutes ago."

"Ah, excellent point," Leyton said. "But perhaps I should turn you over my knee just to remind who's in charge around here."

"Mmmm. I definitely don't want to forget," she said with a playful smile before turning over and offering him her still-red bottom.

Leyton gently caressed it for a good long while as he also gently fingered her very wet pussy before suddenly slapping her bare ass sharply and soundly.

Laurel yelped again then laughed loudly.

"Oh, yes. I am definitely a very bad girl. And I think I may be just a little bit kinky," she said before he swatted the other cheek.

Within a week Leyton asked Laurel to move in with him and she said she'd love to but asked if it might not make better sense to stay at her place. Leyton agreed except that he wasn't sure he could sleep in the same room where SFB (their shorthand version of Denny's moniker) had once made love with his gorgeous girlfriend.