Out of Your Systems

This was the type of thing that would have sent the alarms blaring in my head. But now, I just had to ignore it. Shane was right. She was well within her rights to wear something that skimpy. I just had to adjust to that. There was nothing wrong with it. Nothing wrong...

Kaylee tested the limits of what she could wear all summer. Mini-skirts that redefined the word mini. Tops that seemed specifically made to show off her boobs. Skimpy underwear that always seemed to appear from under her clothes. And she seemed to suddenly become allergic to bras. I got used to seeing her boobs bouncing and jiggling all summer and her hard nipples dancing under her top.

But Shane allowed it, so I allowed it. No use making something out of nothing like I did before. That was nothing but trouble.

And one time she had gotten back from the gym as Shane was making lunch, wearing these tight little booty shorts. I was in the living room, watching TV as I listened in.

"How was the gym?" Shane asked.

"You tell me." she replied, turning around and facing the counter, bending over slightly, pointing her butt at her father. "How does my butt look?"

I was a bit caught off-guard by this, but Shane was transfixed for a few moments. I was about to speak up, but Kaylee beat me to it.

"I think I have my answer." she replied with a smirk. At the same moment she spoke, a loud noise suddenly burst from the TV. But I swear I heard Kaylee say "I recognize that look. That's the 'if you weren't my daughter, I'd do bad things to that ass' look, right?" she asked.

"Uh...haha." Shane stammered with a laugh, and Kaylee giggled.

I must have misheard.

As lenient as I was being, it eventually reached a breaking point. Things reached a point where I just had to speak up. Shane and I were in the back yard watering the plants when I came inside to get out of the heat for a few minutes. I made my way towards the fridge, but before I made it, Kaylee sauntered in and opened the fridge door, not even seeing me. She stood in front of the open fridge as I waited behind her, bouncing on her heels as she tried to decide what she wanted. I would have been a bit annoyed by this, but I was too distracted by her outfit.

She really loved those stretchy little booty shorts, but these were new, and they took the cake. They redefined little. They were simply indecent. Literally half off each of her butt-cheeks hung out from them, and as she bounced on her feet, her butt-cheeks jiggled, bouncing in just the way to let you know that these cheeks were firm and tight. The flesh on her butt was smooth and tan, and jutted out in such a way that the crease beneath each cheek looked immaculate. The shorts molded to each smooth cheek, letting the world appreciate their perfect shape, as well as appreciate the well-defined cleft in-between.

Peeking out from above these tight shorts was a g-string that was practically the size of dental floss. It probably served no actual purpose, as tiny as it was. It must have pulled up uncomfortably tight between her ass-cheeks, cause the straps of the g-string were all the way up near her hips.

The only thing she had on top was a thin, flimsy little white tank top, which got just over her boobs and not much else. It was low-cut enough to show off her tits, and cut short enough to show off her flat, toned belly. The thin spaghetti straps were straining to contain her massive rack, and the top seemed so flimsy that even the smallest jiggle of her boobs would cause it to just burst and be torn into shreds.

It was just too much.

"Kaylee..." I began. She turned back to look at me, annoyance painted across her face, as if she knew what I was about to say.

"Uh, what?" she snapped, clearly not in the greatest of mood with me at the moment.

"This..." I began, gesturing at her outfit with my hands. "You can't possibly think this outfit is appropriate?"

"What?" she asked in annoyed confusion. "I don't see any problem."

"Kaylee, you're hanging out all over." I replied with a laugh. "You're dressed like a hooker."

"I am not!" she cried out, slamming the door. "Mom, this is normal. All my friends wear way less than this, like, all the time."

"How is that possible? What could they possibly wear that's skimpier than this?" I asked. Just as I did, I heard the glass door slide open behind me.

"Daddy, Mom's complaining about my clothing again." she complained. Shane had been lenient as well, but even he would take my side on this. Even he would see the logic of my argument.

"Jen!" he called to me as he approached. "What are you doing?" I shook my head in shock.

"What?" I asked.

"Why do you keep bringing this up, Jen? We've had this discussion." Shane said firmly.

"Shane, you can't possibly think THIS is okay?" I replied.

"Mom, just cause I have bigger boobs and a better butt doesn't give you the right to bitch out at me at every opportunity." Kaylee said. I had never heard her talk to me this way, and I had to admit I was kinda crushed by her harsh words. I shook my head, unable to speak I looked at Shane, and again, he was looking at me, upset. I didn't see any defense coming from him, no disagreement to what she had said.

"This isn't about that, Kaylee. You just look..." I began, finding my voice.

"Amazing." Shane finished. "She looks amazing, Jen. Our daughter is gorgeous, and you should be proud of her that she looks this good. But instead, you just pick fights, and INVENT issues to cause problems."

"Shane, I..." I interjected.

"I'm putting my foot down on this." he began. "From now on, our daughter can wear whatever she wants. She's a grown woman now."

"Shane!" I replied, baffled at this.

"No, Jen. That's how it is. In my house, my daughter can feel free to wear what she wants and take pride in herself. She can wear a string bikini all day if she wants. This isn't a problem with me. Is it a problem with you?" Shane asked.

"I want her to be proud, but there's such a thing as too much pride." I said, but neither of them were listening. Shane looked frustrated, and Kaylee's eyes were almost blazing as she looked at her father.

"Jen..." Shane began. "You have got to let this go. This hang-up you have about Kaylee. This has gone too far, and you have embarrassed yourself and me in the process. You need to stop trying to make her into the daughter you would like her to be and accept her as the amazing young woman she is. Stop trying to control our daughter and just accept her. Accept her choices. Accept her wardrobe. Accept that this is the way it's gonna be for now on. Accept that none of this is about her. We've been together for a long time, honey, and I can't believe after all this time, there isn't that trust. You don't have faith in me, and you don't have trust in Kaylee, and that sucks, Jen."

I didn't know what to say. Part of me was crushed. I expected him to take my side but he took hers. I guess that the worst thing she had done was dress a little skimpy. I can accept her annoyance that every time she shows some skin, I nag at her. I told myself that nothing weird was going on, but it was clear to Shane that I hadn't moved on. I hated when she dressed so skimpy in full view of her father. That was the root of this, to be honest. I didn't like the thought of my husband putting his eyes on a body as luscious as Kaylee's. I kept thinking something was up, but judging by their annoyance and frustration, nothing was, and they were tired of having it brought up to them. Neither of them saw anything wrong. Maybe it was me that was the crazy one here. Maybe I was making a mountain out of a mole-hill.

"I'm...I'm sorry, guys." I relented. "I'm sorry, Kaylee."

Kaylee's eyes flashed for a split second, in an expression I couldn't quite place, but it quickly disappeared, and she smiled lightly, accepting my apology. Shane smiled, sensing the progress I was making.

Never again, I told myself. Never again would I complain about how she dressed. I was only pushing them away by doing it. It was clearly a sore spot with them both, something they didn't want to have to talk to me about anymore. I was getting them angry, and that anger made me feel small. Made me feel like dirt, a crazy person with unresolved issues. I would never put myself in that position again. I would never lash out and let those last remnants of my old issues reappear. That would be the last time.

I would behave.

I must just have a dirty mind. That must be it. I was lucky I had gotten away with so much already. My mind kept conjuring up these dirty interpretations of normal, everyday stuff, and I had to actively stamp that stuff down.

Like for example, one time, Kaylee was making cupcakes for a bake sale at the church, and she was stirring the dough. Shane was helping to start dinner as she worked. I was in the living room, straightening up, when I could have swore I heard Kaylee say...

"Daddy, I'm all dirty. Can you lick this batter off my tits?"

"Of course, baby." he replied.

I got to my feet as quickly as I could and made my way over to the kitchen. I walked in on them, about a foot apart, Shane with batter on his lips.

"What did you just say?" I asked Kaylee.

"I said, can you lick the batter off my whisk?" she said, shaking the whisk in her hand.

"Oh..." I said, feeling sheepish and stupid. Why do I keep thinking these things? Why? I turned and went back to what I was doing, writing off the line of moisture in her cleavage as perspiration.

Kaylee's social life became a lot more active. I can't tell you how many times I came home from work to find one of her friends just leaving, like her friend Trish, or Keisha, or that other one... uh, Jessa, the red-head with the big boobs. Even that one girl Brenda, who she had been trashing a while ago. Kaylee seemed to be eager to invite them over on the days I worked late.

Nothing odd with that, right?

And there were other things too, little things. Kaylee would be eager to go out with us or just with her father. Sometimes, she would move in close to Shane, hooking her arm in his cutely, pushing herself against his side gently. It was clear she was feeling a lot closer to her father.

That's normal, right?

And whenever we went out to eat, she would eagerly sit next to him. Throughout the meal, they would make little joking comments and share glances, like they were sharing some inside joke. I felt that constantly around the house lately, as if I had walked into something between them, and that extended when we went out as well. And she would scan the menu and say something like, "I need something really... big." And she would eat with her left hand, which was unusual, as if her other hand was busy with something else out of sight.

Nothing strange there.

There were more outward changes as well. One night, I came home to find my daughter's right arm covered in what appeared to be the beginnings of a full sleeve of tattoos. All sorts of designs, some stars and roses and thorns and stuff like that, and most of the rest of it was patterned, intricate lines and designs. I was taken aback, but Shane, he seemed to love it. He was admiring it, running his fingers up her slightly swollen, marked flesh.

I didn't say a thing.

I didn't raise a fuss as she filled in the rest of the tattoo throughout the summer, becoming an ornate sleeve of tats, permanently marking her previously pure perfect skin. I didn't ask where she got the money for this or any of her other new purchases.

That would be rude, right?

I didn't raise any objections when she started going to church less and less. I didn't fight back when Kaylee all but decided she was going to spend a good chunk of her summer break at her friend's beach house, despite the fact that she knew I wouldn't be able to join her. But luckily, her father could make it up there with her.

I didn't let myself think anything was wrong when I saw all the pictures Kaylee posted online, her body exposed in tiny bikinis, her big boobs pouring out, with a smirk on her face, as if she had gotten everything she wanted in life, and her tattooed arm clearly marking that she was becoming a different type of girl. A girl with an edge.

I didn't let myself think about the fact that it was her father taking these worshipful body shots of Kaylee. I didn't raise any fuss as it became apparent my daughter had no shame wearing a thong bikini in front of her own father. I didn't raise any fuss when pictures of a party appeared, my husband and my daughter surrounded by a gaggle of her friends, all in bikinis, all of them very sexy, my hubby the only source of testosterone in the bunch.

We still did have our family vacation to the Grand Canyon, but it definitely had moments that made the old me flare up. As we stood on a railing, overlooking this incredible view of this amazing chasm, Kaylee stood in front of her father as she leaned over the rail, pointing at different parts of the canyon. As I looked out at this amazing natural wonder, I could have sworn I saw Shane's eyes looking downward over Kaylee's shoulder, looking between her own natural wonders.

It must have just been the light playing tricks on me.

I didn't think twice when Kaylee would emerge from her room, pointedly asking her father for help with a 'job'. I didn't let myself think any doubts when Shane disappeared in her room for a while. I didn't raise a fuss when I caught glimpses of fleeting touches between the two, but I never got a full view of anything inappropriate. I never let myself think twice when Shane would announce he was taking the shower, only to hear the bathroom door open and close twice. I didn't let myself think about the fact that his showers suddenly started taking a lot longer.

I didn't even raise an objection when they sat on the couch together, her sitting on his lap under a blanket as we watched a movie. I don't know why she sat there, since she was fidgeting and moving around the whole time, I was shocked she could pay attention to the movie at all. And when I asked what she thought, she seemed emphatic, telling me she loved it.

I didn't even object the one time I swore I heard her whisper into her father's ear, "I need your dick in my ass so bad!" I must have misheard, that must be it.

And at the end of the summer, I didn't let myself think twice about the fact that it looked like there was a little bump in her tummy. I mean, that was impossible, she was always so lithe and trim. It must have been a trick of the light. The fact that I had repeatedly caught Shane with his hands on her bare belly as she smiled proudly must have been purely coincidental.

And as we moved Kaylee into her new apartment near campus as she got set for school, I didn't think twice when Shane volunteered to come over as often as he could to help her get settled. He was a good father, going out of his way like that. Nothing strange about that.

I know it all might sound bad. A few months ago, I would have agreed. So, you must wonder, through all of this, why I didn't bother objecting to these things that would have bothered me before. Well, the answer's simple.

That was all totally out of my system now. And my life was so much better because of it.

Right?