From Boy to Bimbo: Chapter 47

Chapter 47 A new chapter

Chase and Ashlee had purchased a new home in Louisiana. The first week in our new house had been exhausting but also enjoyable. The couple would work on one room at a time, then when it was finished, they would christen the room with wild sex on the furniture or on the floor. It made for powerful motivation, but also created a need to stay hydrated. They were in a good routine now with work and living, although getting used to a larger space had some challenges. They would often have to wander about the house, calling to each other when they were separated, trying to find one another.

Chase was the new manager at the additional location, and Ashlee continued to work in sales full time. An assistant manager was also brought down from Missouri so that Chase and Ashlee could take time off for their wedding and honeymoon.

Ashlee had been working on the wedding with her Mother, Jennifer, and her friend, Evelynn. The date had been set, a venue chosen, and the invitations sent out.

Chase returned home from work after a longer day at the office. Tomorrow, Ashlee's family would be flying in. As he entered their new home, he could see Ashlee's shoes and purse in the foyer and smell dinner cooking in the oven. He was thinking she would be in the kitchen until he heard the clack of billiards balls over in the game room.

"Hey, baby. Something smells good, and I am not talking about dinner." Ashlee had changed clothes and freshened up, and the smell of her perfume was even stronger than the pleasant odor from the kitchen.

She greeted him with her arms around his shoulders and kissed him. "Missed you, baby. Everything go okay? I didn't bail on you too early, did I?"

"No, no. You deserve to take a few days off early after all the hours we put into the Grand Opening. Things look good for us. I think we might be on track to beat projections even after discounting the opening weekend sales." Chase said as he placed his hands on her waist and kissed her again.

"Oh, that's so awesome! I knew you could do it, baby. Sorry, that home's gonna be hectic for a week with my family coming in. Just when you got some time to relax."

"Oh, trust me, it will be a break from the office. It will be nice to host your family for the first time in my life. Weird to think about that, actually. And I want your parents to see how well we are doing, how well I am caring for their little girl," he said, pinching her cheek softly. "Should be fun. I have missed seeing your father around, too."

Ashlee giggled a little when he pinched her. "Me too," she said, smiling. To her own surprise, she admitted to herself how much she missed her father after they had reconnected almost weekly with their Daddy-Daughter dates. "There's gonna be a lot of wedding talk. I'm sure you and him will find plenty of excuses to get out and do something else."

"Well, you know that we are going to go fishing. Probably your brothers too. Are you going to go or stay here with the wives and Izzy?" Chase asked as he continued to hold her.

"Well, probably here, most of the time, but that depends, I guess." She gripped the pool cue again and surveyed the table. "We'll see if the Brolypmic Organizing Committee makes fishing one of the events this year," she said with a smile.

Chase laughed. "You might have to change the name now, bro." They might not even let you compete," he teased as he groped her breast as if she might have forgotten that she wasn't exactly their brother any longer.

"Yeah, right, like I'd let them just go ahead and win without me. Fat chance," she snorted, letting her competitive side show. This was one of the few times any trace of Alex appeared.

"That's my girl, always the competitor. What time will they be arriving tomorrow?"

"They all come in at like 11 am. Daddy said they're just renting one car, so we should go meet them there to drive the rest of them. I already made up the guest rooms and stuff. I bought the spices and food for a big crawfish boil tomorrow night, but we'll have to do more grocery shopping later in the week." She leaned over the pool table to sink a shot. As it went in, she pumped her fist. "Ha ha, eat shit, Danny and David."

"Oh man, I can't wait to start the boil. It's going to be so good! You want to play a round before dinner, or is it about done?"

"Just about. Hmmm... what are the stakes?" she said playfully, chalking the cue stick.

"Oh boy, I know what I would want if I win. What do you think I should do if I lose?" Chase leaned on the table and looked her up and down hungrily.

"You have to take care of the unpacked stuff in the garage," she snickered, referring to the one lingering leftover task remaining from the move.

"High stakes," Chase declared, knowing that he had been putting off that full box of stuff of last-minute items that would have to be distributed throughout the house. "But I am game if you are."

"You break," she said, feeling cocky after practicing all afternoon. But she winced and regretted the offer as soon as two solid balls were sunk on the break alone.

"No, you know what? I am going to leave the table as is, and declare those two as yours. But I get the next shot, deal?" Chase said, already moving into position. He sank two shots, tying up the game.

Ashlee had a bad feeling about this but said, "Deal." She sank her next shot, but then totally whiffed and scratched on the second. She groaned and knew that her brothers would taunt her after a flub like that.

"Ho, ho, ho! Someone is a bit out of practice." Chase gloated as he lined up and sank an easy one, then tried his luck at a bank shot, which was never his strong suit. He succeeded, but also sank one of Ashlee's. "Damn."

Ashlee frowned at being teased and got more serious. She did better on her next turn, but Chase responded equally. After a while, it came down to just chasing the eight ball. Ashlee was not going to take the loss well, even in this casual game, but Chase also knew that she would hate knowing that he went easy on her.

But with the prize of a blowjob on the line, going easy on her was not on his mind. He took his time looking over the table and ball, finally declaring the pocket and, with a soft tap, contacted the 8 ball on the side, sending it slowly towards the target. It teetered for a second, then dropped in. "Winner, winner, guess who gets the chicken dinner?"

Ashlee pouted and sighed for a minute, but then shook it off and put the cue away. "Yeah, yeah, yeah, but don't tell anyone I lost, k?" She reached for his belt. "Or wait, maybe you should. Then they'll underestimate me. We could get a good hustle going," she smirked. She then kissed him and wiggled down onto her knees, taking Chase's pants down with her. As she looked up, she stroked his cock, getting it stiff. "I don't know why I lost; I think my grip is good enough, don't you?"

"I blame those beautiful boobs. If I were you, I'd blame them every time. Ahhh, this is the perfect way to end a hard day; lipstick stains around my cock."

"Maybe I should ask for a handicap," she giggled, before wrapping her lips around his cock. She stroked the base steadily while sucking and swirling her tongue around. Chase smiled, relaxed, and enjoyed himself. Surrounded by his man-cave stuff and decorations, Ashlee was proud to feel like another one of his toys.

Chase leaned against the pool table with his hands resting along the edges, sighing in a most satisfied way. He felt like a king in this room with Ashlee on her knees, serving him as queen. "Oh yes, man, I love it when you look at me like that. So hot, baby. I find myself thinking about this at work sometimes, wishing we could get it on there again." The couple had christened the new dealership after closing the door on grand opening night.

She pulled off from sucking, and licked up and down his shaft like a Popsicle. "Any time you want, baby, just say the word. I'm yours wherever you want me," she said between licks. She wrapped her mouth around his cock again, put her hands behind his legs, and pulled to deep-throat him.

"Oh baby," he moaned, feeling his balls begin to tighten. "Goddess," he muttered just before cumming so hard. He staggered and buckled at the waist, reacting to the ferocity of his orgasm.

Ashlee only gagged a little when the first load shot down her throat, but she didn't pause or slow down. She sucked him dry and even a little longer, just so in love with his cock. "Mmmmm..." she hummed, wiping her mouth as she stood on her feet. She pulled up his pants. "Almost spoiled my appetite for dinner, baby. Told you putting my calendar in your office would get you all worked up."

"Oh, you should see the way the assistant manager Michael looks at that when he's in my office. It is so obvious, I don't even think he tries not to look at it," Chase said as he zipped up and helped her to her feet. "You ever think about doing another, or should we just see if the new girl would be up for it?"

"Oh, the calendar is my territory," Ashlee admonished, putting up a wagging finger. "She can maybe do a shoot with me for some months. Though who knows, maybe I'll need a substitute one day," she said as she put one of his hands to her belly.

"Yeah, someday. That year we can just do a private one for my home office. Maybe a little risque posing as well. I should start looking around for a photographer. Too bad that guy from Missouri isn't around here. He did good work."

"Yeah, he was... a lot of fun to work with. I'm sure we can find someone around here though. I managed to find a new hairdresser; I'm sure we can find a photographer," she laughed, grateful to be rid of Zac now. Chase had heard her complain about her journey to find a salon that suited her again and didn't think twice about the photographer. She bent over and pulled the pot out of the oven and took the lid off. Inside was beer-braised pork with hot peppers. She minced around the kitchen, getting things together. "I bought some spicy pickles at the store today; they might go really well with this. And I cooked it in Dixie beer, so that's an obvious pairing, I guess."

"Ashlee! Look at you go. You have really stepped up your cooking skills since we have moved here. This looks and smells amazing! Can I help with anything?" Chase offered, although he was really more interested in sampling.

"Thanks, baby!" she responded proudly, eager to transcend to domestic goddess status like her mother. "No, I'm all good. You just get your beer or whatever and relax; I'll get it all together." She fixed up the plates and set the table. She was drinking sparkling water, but sipped a little beer from his bottle just to taste the pairing.

The couple sat at an oversized island counter, a common occurrence when they didn't feel like eating at the eat-in kitchen table or dining room. The view from the large kitchen window made sitting there more enticing. Although they tried to leave work at work, there were funny things to talk about from there at times that made them laugh, but in general we try to avoid talking about the mundane things over dinner, saving it for later in the day, if at all. Chase valued her input when he got frustrated about something that he hadn't been trained in or thought about before. Ashlee was quick to rub his back and reassure him that he was doing a good job and that Mr Williams was happy with how things were going. This cleared his mind of the frustrations, and Chase couldn't imagine doing this without her by his side.

After dinner, Ashlee got up while Chase cleaned the kitchen and headed to the garage. True to her word, she began going through the last remaining boxes, making trips through the house and putting the items in their respective places.

The next morning, Ashlee woke up a little early to get herself together and to do some last-minute cleaning around the house, making sure the guest rooms were just right, stocking the second refrigerator in the garage with enough beer and drinks so they'd be cold. They drove to the airport, and she was both excited and a little anxious. She always felt like she was being judged extra closely since her transformation, and she wanted her first home to make a good impression.

As they drove along, Chase could tell that she was nervous. He rested his hand on her leg and gave it a soft squeeze. "It's going to be really great to see everyone again. Izzy is going to be so excited to see you again. I want you to relax and try to enjoy this, alright? You are going to be an excellent hostess."

She nodded and felt better. Her hand moved to rest on his. "It's just like a year ago; I was barely making rent. I was always the irresponsible one. I feel like that's hard to live down, even after everything."

"That is why marriage partners call the other one the better half. I complete you, make you better in that way. It is like you complete me and make me more carefree, appreciative of life, and not so focused on work. It's weird how this strange turn of events has been so good for both of us, isn't it?"

"Totally. I think about it all the time, how my soulmate was right there in front of me all those years. I mean, I crushed on you, but I never knew we'd be so totally perfect for each other."

The comment made Chase smile. "And I would have never dreamed about you being mine. Or a woman as fine as you becoming my wife, to be honest. You raise my real estate value, you know. Everyone thinks you are way out of my league, but I like to think you are making me better. Maybe not in looks, obviously, but I hope I am a better person. I feel better around you."

"I do too, baby. Like, X-Change made me finally be the real me on the outside, but it was you that really transformed me on the inside." She leaned over and kissed his cheek as they pulled into the pick-up area at the airport. Ashlee's parents, Danny, Laura, David, Nicki, and Izzy were all there, waving at the car as it pulled up. "Omigosh, hey!" Ashlee exclaimed excitedly as she jumped out of the car to hug everyone. She greeted her brothers and their wives, and then gave Izzy a big, sweet hug, complimented her cute little luggage bag, and talked to her about the flight. She then hugged her mother, then gave the last and longest hug to Daniel. "Hey Daddy," she said, kissing his cheek. "Missed you!"

Dan Sr. greeted Ashlee, happy to see her again. It was a bittersweet gathering for him, knowing he'd lost his son and was giving away his new daughter very, very soon. And then there was the unconventional relationship between the two of them; a deep, dark secret that no one was aware of and should be a shameful thing. But he couldn't put it out of his mind. Her body haunted his memories, and he longed for the rejuvenation of his mind and body that it provided. He hugged her hard and kissed the top of her head. "How's our Southern Belle?"

"I'm so good! I can't wait to show you our new place; you're totally gonna love it. And the new office and showroom too. He's really done amazing stuff with it already," she gushed.

Chase extended his hand to his old mentor and soon-to-be father-in-law. "I am sure Dan's taken a look at the web page. Welcome to Louisiana, sir. It's good to have you with us."

Ashlee stood between the two men, happy to see them reconnecting. She found it cute how Chase was still a little intimidated by him, calling him sir like he did when Chase first worked for him. Dan seemed to like it too. The couple helped them all load up their car and the rental vehicle. Her brothers and their families took the rental car, then followed behind Chase as he and Ashlee drove with the parents. Ashlee sat in the back with her mother. They immediately started talking about wedding plans; she showed her pics she had saved on her phone of ideas for flowers, lights, and table settings. Dan Sr. gave Chase a knowing smile.

The men talked about work. Dan Sr. said that he sometimes drives by the Williams showroom just to see if the place is still running without them. Chase confessed that he conferred with Mr. Williams at least once per week.

"Never would have imagined that Ashlee would find herself in a career like this, I mean permanently. But I guess everything started out temporary, at least we thought so."

Chase felt the subtle barb and cleared his throat softly. "Yeah, well, she's got a knack for it, and let's not forget who trained her. Gotta give credit where credit is due. "

Dan snickered, "I only get some of that credit. I trained you; let's not forget."

"Oh no, sir, I never will." The two men nodded in agreement.

In the back seat, Jennifer exclaimed as the car pulled up to the house. "Oh, Ashlee, this place looked so nice in the pictures, but wow!" Ashlee smiled proudly. The women got out, leaving the bags to the men as she showed her around the landscaping and gardening that Chase and she had done together, as well as the new paint job on the outside. Next, Ashlee showed her the connected "in-law" unit, where Chase's mother would likely stay with them once she's ready to move down. Inside was its own bedroom, bathroom, and living room. They exited through a door that connected to the main house as the others arrived. Everyone was impressed, but she was especially proud to show off to her brothers.

"With the in-law unit, we have enough bedrooms for the three families," Chase explained to Dan as they gathered up the luggage and he pointed to the second door along the semi-enclosed front porch. "It's a shame Brandon couldn't come." Your dad gives a sideways nod and grimace. "Yeah, well, my guess is he's planning on some kind of mischief while the old folks are away. Sort of a given, I suppose. Either some boozing with his buddies while they play those crazy games or maybe he's planning on sneaking some girl over. Whatever, it's not the first time we have trusted him alone, and he hasn't created a catastrophe yet. He did say to tell you both hello and that he promises to be at the wedding."

Ashlee guided everyone on a tour of the place as the men dropped off their bags in the different rooms. The parents stayed in the in-law unit, and the others in the guest rooms and extra bedrooms. Izzy got a room of her own, which was fixed up just for her with sheets and a blanket bought just for the occasion. She loved it. Ashlee held her hand as they went through the rest of the house, especially proud to show off the master suite, master bathroom, and the attached "studio": a walk-in closet/dressing and makeup room. Nicki and Laura were more than impressed, but Izzy seemed especially taken with it. "It's like a Barbie house, Mom!" she said excitedly.

Chase and Dan went into the kitchen and started making coffee for everyone and took out some hot cocoa packets for Izzy, just in case. As he looked into the backyard, Chase talked about how they found the place. It's a story he already knows, but it filled the time between them. Dan asked about the condo in Florida. The property was renting well, but Chase and Ashlee would block out time for the parents when they were ready to visit it.

"I should do that. We need one more family vacation with Brandon before he decides to live on his own permanently." Dan said.

Ashlee left everyone to set themselves up in their rooms and get settled, then came down to join the men in the kitchen. She heard the comment about Brandon and piped up, "Yeah, is he breaking tradition? Mom said he was thinking about LSU or even somewhere in Florida. Looks like the Evans clan might be slowly migrating south."

Dan Sr. shook his head. "I don't know. I don't think he knows. He really thought he was going to get a scholarship for sports, but it doesn't look like that's going to happen. So he's thinking about other places, for sure. Can't blame him, honestly. There's no reason to limit himself now to Missouri schools if there's no free ride. Your mom and I can handle the out-of-state tuition, so I haven't tried to discourage him."

"You and Mom, empty nesters finally. At least you have the twins and Izzy around, though." Ashlee gave her father's arm a squeeze. "And I'm sure Chase already offered, but you guys can totally use the condo whenever. Maybe the four of us could even have a week there; we could show you around."

Dan chuckled, touching her arm. "Don't think your mom hasn't thought of that already, although she envisions the trip with grandchildren."

Ashlee looked at Chase with a smirk. "Well, we gotta get the wedding all sorted first, but... I don't think she's gonna have to wait long."

"What was that?" Jennifer asked, coming into the main house almost on cue.

Ashlee had to stifle a laugh. "Hey, have you shown the guys your mancave yet?"

"No, I have not." Chase said, "I don't know where my head is at. If you will all follow me, I will continue the tour." He led them into his den of masculinity: a theater room of recliner chairs with a massive 96-inch screen television, a small pinball machine in one corner, and a bar at the top of the theater climb. At the top is also an air hockey table. The walls are adorned with picture frames reminiscent of old movie advertisements. But aside from one autographed Star Wars poster, they contained sports memorabilia primarily from Missouri college and professional teams.

Meanwhile, Izzy discovered the swimming pool in the back and immediately wanted to go into it. Nicki wasn't quite settled in yet, so Ashlee offered to take her. As everyone hung out in the mancave, the view out the back window became a little more scenic as she rubbed in sunscreen, then splashed around in her swimsuit in the pool.

Her father made a double take as he saw Ashlee in her swimsuit and then spent the rest of the time making a conscious effort not to look her way. Chase didn't give it any thought, having fixed his own eyes upon her. She looked so beautiful in the suit from one of the calendar pages. "Hello, Miss March," he said too loudly. Dan Sr. gave Chase a quizzical look, and he waved it off at first, then decided that was rude not to tell him about the calendar page she had. He nodded and then suddenly remembered it too. Chase watched her with Izzy and wondered what their own kids would look like. Would it be uncomfortable to have a young man in the house who looked like Alex once did?

Izzy and Ashlee splashed around in the pool, playing mermaids. Eventually, Nicki, Laura, and their mother-in-law joined them in the water. Ashlee did her best to split her attention between Izzy's imaginary mermaid universe and catching up with her sisters-in-law and her Mom about the house, the new town, and the wedding. After a bit, she went inside to get some drinks and snacks for everyone, slipping on a towel and flip-flops to go into the kitchen.

By now, all the men had joined Chase in the man cave and were haphazardly playing with the toys and flipping through the channels, talking and joking, making conversation about the trip, our jobs, and whatever came to mind. Danny mentioned that the women were coming in; they made their way into the kitchen.

"Once these guys are done snacking, I'll start seasoning the potatoes and corn," Ashlee said to Chase, happy that things were going well. "I'm gonna go rinse off and change." She went to the master bathroom and showered quickly, leaving the gold bikini hanging on the towel rack. She got dressed, redid her makeup, and returned to everyone a bit later. She got a hard seltzer and found David walking around, looking at pictures and decorations. "Well, Izzy seems to like it here," she giggled as she handed him the can. "How are you guys doing?"

"Great, thanks. You guys have done really well for yourselves. I had no idea, honestly. How do you like the new location and work? I guess it isn't so different than back home, right?"

"Yeah, I mean, the job's the same more or less. We've been busy with getting everything up and running. Boat season is almost year-round here, so we had to hit our stride quickly. We've met our neighbors, and the new staff is pretty cool; it might be a while before we really feel like locals, though, y'know?'

"I wonder if Brandon should just forgo school and come work for you two. He's always said he was going to college, but he never really said what he wanted to study. Dad doesn't think he knows either. If nothing else, he should intern with you guys, see if working might be a better path for him than school. I just worry he's going to piss away Mom and Dad's money, you know, without a plan," David remarked.

"Yeah, just like I did," Ashlee chuckled, taking a dig at her old self. "I think he's got a pretty good head on his shoulders, though. Next time I'm up there, I'll talk to him. Or maybe he'll listen to Chase. Either way, it's not a bad idea." She gave his hand a little squeeze. "Glad you're all here, though."

"Yeah, that sounds really good," David answered, then changed the subject. "Izzy isn't overwhelming you, is she? She spent a week talking about seeing you."

"She did? Omigosh, not at all. I missed her so much. You guys deserve a little break anyway; I'm more than happy to take her off your hands whenever." Ashee went out to the garage to grab some beers and bumped into her dad, who was already looking through the fridge. "I got Dixie, plus Rolling Rock and Heineken and Bud; I didn't forget any of your favs, did I?" she asked, coming over to him.

"You know what's hard to find anymore? Black Label. Not the greatest of beers, but when you can't find something anymore, you kind of miss it. I am going to have Rolling Rock now, maybe have the Heineken with the crawfish. You seem to have thought of everything, sweetie. Thank you." Dan Sr. hugged her with one arm and said, "You really caught my eye in that bikini. Chase reminded me that that was one of your calendar costumes. Are you still modeling for the company?"

"I did a little bit at our grand opening, and we did a little shoot to advertise us when we first started. I've actually been talking with some local agencies, just to do some work for local TV ads and billboards and stuff. Not like we need the money, but it might be fun," she shrugged, leaning into his arm. "You have still got the calendar?"

He held his finger up to his mouth as a way to silence her. "I do, but your mom doesn't know that. I still like to look at it now and then, you know, just to remember some things."

"I'm glad you do, Daddy." Ashlee looked in his eyes for a second, but then realized they shouldn't linger too long. She grabbed some extra beers from the fridge and swished back into the house. After people finished up snacking, she started prepping the vegetables and sausage to throw in the big pot, as well as rinsing the crawfish in the sink. "Hey baby, you wanna get the big boiler set up in the backyard?" she called out, referring to the 10-gallon boiler contraption they had for occasions like this.

"On it. David, can you come with me out to the shed? You can bring out the propane for me?" David followed Chase out, still chewing on his sandwich. They went to the small barn there. It held a lawn tractor and a small workbench on one side, storage on the other. Chase pointed to the propane tank as he pulled down the box holding the pot. He gave it a good rinse with the hose before filling it up with water as David started setting up on the metal grate over the fire pit.

Danny ventured outside and began looking over the pool. "Pretty nice digs, Chase. I can see why you wanted to host a party."

"Thanks, man, it has been a very, very great year for me."

"I guess so," he said as he watched. "You guys may never want to come back to the cabins."

"Oh, sure we will. We will probably go every year. We should, since we aren't so close anymore. You know, if I could have stayed in Missouri, I would have, but I couldn't pass up the opportunity." Chase explained as he watched David fire up the propane.

"Yeah, I can't blame you," Danny said as he took a drink.

Ashlee chopped up the potatoes, corn, and andouille sausage in the kitchen, as well as gathered the bay leaves, lemons, hot sauce, and seasoning for the pot. Nicki, Laura, and her mother helped while Izzy sat at the table and drew. As they worked in the kitchen, they took breaks at different times to scroll through her open laptop to show saved pictures and bookmarked pages of wedding ideas.

"Omigod, are these your dress ideas?" Nicki asked. Jennifer and Laura crowded around the laptop with her.

"I mean, they're just ideas. Ideally, like my dream dress, would have the neckline of that first one, the fabric and sequins from that second one, and that more flowy dress and tail from the third one. Not sure if I want the slit up the side or not."

Izzy came over too, trying to lift herself to see the laptop on the counter. "How about you, Izzy, what do you want to wear as the flower girl?"

"I wanna match you!" she said excitedly.

"Hey gorgeous, you got everything ready? Fire's on; it should be boiling soon," Chase said as he reentered the kitchen.

Ashlee took out the second pot, already filled with the meats and fixings, holding it from the bottom and against her chest.

"Got enough to feed an army," Chase laughed as he took the pot from her. Her father opened the door to the outside for him to exit again.

David watched Chase pour the mix into the water. "So where's this wedding going to be? Here or back home?"

"I think that's one of the reasons we are having this party. She wants to discuss it with you all. I mean, I'd be satisfied to have it right in this backyard, but I wouldn't be surprised if Ashlee is thinking of a beach wedding, maybe in Florida. It would be more convenient for all of you if we had it back in Missouri, I know. But maybe you would welcome another trip somewhere. I think that's what's going to be discussed at some time."

Danny added his two bits, "More importantly, where are you honeymooning?"

Chase looked back at the house, and they all leaned in like a football huddle. " I am thinking of taking her to Antigua."

Ashlee came out with a pitcher of iced tea and some more beers. "Hey, no secrets!" she called playfully, setting stuff down on the picnic table. She came over to Chase and put an arm around him, handing him a new beer.

"Thanks for carrying that baby." She then kissed his cheek in front of the guys, knowing it'd tease them all a little bit.

Chase let his hand slip down and gave her ass a little pat, thinking it wouldn't be noticed by the guys, but forgetting about the ladies behind her in the house who might be watching. "I was letting the men know that we intend to talk about the wedding venue and such while everyone is here, maybe nailing down a few details so people can start planning."

"Totally, sure," she said, wrapping one of his arms around her as she stood with everyone. "So like, I'm not attached to doing anything huge. It's most important to me that the people here are there, but I can go big or small. So like, let me just ask you guys. Would you rather go to a wedding in Missouri or in Florida?"

David said, "Um, I definitely need to check with Nicki. But it would be cool to take Izzy to Disney World."

Danny nodded, "Oh yeah, whatever Laura says, but you guys should just do what you want. It's your day after all."

Dan Sr. just held up his hands as if to say, "Don't look at me."

"Well, I've checked it out; there are some really nice venues on Sanibel that we could do. We'd have to factor in that weather's sorta unpredictable, and I haven't checked into caterers and florists on the island, but there's some really nice places for guests to stay and..." She stopped and looked around, seeing them all trying to be polite and attentive, but not that interested. "Well, I'll run it by the ladies."

Ashlee went off to talk with the girls about it. Nicki responded similarly to David. Laura seemed a little less sure, but liked the idea if she could schedule it. Her mom was naturally on board, always eager to head south, realizing that she'd get a vacation out of it as well.

The men all chuckled as Ashlee departed, and Danny slapped Chase on the back. "The best part of being the groom is that you just basically have to show up. The work starts afterwards."

Her dad nodded in agreement. "The bride does all the work, and you just get to sit back and be amazed at all she's put together and how beautiful she looks, and you spend the day wondering, how did I ever get so lucky?"

The girls talked logistics of a vacation wedding for a bit, including how big they'd want the guest list and whether there were people they knew who wouldn't be able to travel. When Ashlee saw the food was getting close to being ready, the girls went in and got the plates and napkins, the big tablecloth, and newspaper to lay out to dump the boil on. Izzy watched, amused and curious about all of it.

The boil finished cooking, and Chase pulled the big basket out of the boiler. After it drained for a bit, he dumped the whole thing out on the big picnic table. Everyone smiled and eagerly took a seat around the table. For the first time since the two men had known each other, Chase took a seat at the head of the table.

He paused for a moment, and thanked everyone for being there and told them how much he looked forward to being a legal member of the family. "I have always felt like part of you; I am honored to actually be related now, well, soon enough anyway."

Ashlee gave his hand a squeeze under the table and smiled. "Cheers!" Danny said, raising his glass. The others joined in.

"And I hope you'll be adding even more to the family too," Jennifer said.

"Jen!" Dan Sr. chuckled.

Izzy thought that over for a second, then looked at Ashlee. "Am I gonna have a cousin?" she asked, and everyone laughed.

"Someday, sweetie," she said, tousling her hair.

Bibs were passed around, and everyone began to dig in. Chase talked about cleaning out the mud vein and how to best scrape the meat from the crawfish. After the first plate, he ran inside to check on the homemade pecan pie.

Izzy was a little grossed out as David teased her about crawfish really being like giant bugs. But when Ashlee showed her how to pinch and twist the shell apart, she found it fun, trusting her enough to try it. She bumped into Chase on the way in to grab more beers for everyone. "Everyone loves it, baby. Pie looking okay?"

"Does it ever? I might not want to share it." He leaned in and gave her a haphazard kiss, nearly missing her mouth as they passed each other.

Ashlee came back out carrying a cold six-pack and more iced tea, going around the table to take care of everyone. When they were all finished, breaking down the table was an organized process. The girls took care of the dishes, but left the water in the boiler and the discarded shells and corn cobs for the guys.

As Chase and Dan Sr. hauled the pot down the hill, they dumped out the water. Then took the food scraps back to dispose of them in a trash bag. Dan said, "If we were down on the farm, we'd just give this to the hogs."

"Too bad the gators aren't vegetarian."

After the cleanup was finished, Ashlee sliced up the pie and brought it out to the table, along with ice cream. "So this is a new recipe I tried. It's a salted caramel glaze, and I soaked the pecans in bourbon." She watched as her mom took a bite and grinned widely approvingly.

"Honey, this is delicious! Good job!"

Chase made a joke of cutting a slice away and putting it on the plate, then taking the whole pie away for himself. "Hope you have another in the oven."

"Of course, I know who I'm baking for." Ashlee chuckled, looking at her Dad and brothers.

"Watch out, Chase, I put on about 15 pounds after I married Jen," Dan stated.

Chase contemplated making a joke about sex as a workout, but bit his tongue, opting for something more PG. "Getting fat and happy, I could think of a worse life."

"I'll drink to that," Danny said, slapping his belly. Laura rolled her eyes. They cleaned up after dessert. Izzy seemed pretty tired, and Nicki, Laura, and Mom stayed inside to watch a movie with her. Dan Sr. and Chase went into the garage and began getting fishing poles and tackle boxes ready. Meanwhile, Danny and David were a few beers in and helped themselves to more, and then they decided to take an evening cool-off in the pool.

Danny said, "Freaking weird thinking about this whole wedding thing, isn't it?

David shrugged, "No weirder than Alex deciding to stay as a woman. Seems natural though, I guess."

Danny said, "I can't get over how stacked and thick Ashlee is. Dude, I know she's supposed to be my sister, but try telling that to my cock."

David shifted nervously. "I know, I know. Kind of weird she's settling down already. I'd think she'd want to play the field more."

"Right?" said Dan. "Everyone would like a shot at that."

"It would be hard to resist her, I know," said David.

"How do you know?" asked Danny.

"Err, I mean, like you said, right? Total sex bomb." David looked away at the house.

"Yeah, yeah," Danny said, wondering what wasn't being said.

Ashlee came out to the poolside, drink in hand, finally relaxing after a day of running around. She had changed into a comfy little dress. As she approached, she heard the brothers hush their conversation. "You guys need any more beer?"

"Definitely," David said, happy that Ashlee had ended the conversation.

Danny said, "You getting back in?" He was hoping to see her adorned in very little again.

"Maybe..." She walked around the sides of the pool, looking in. She put one foot on the diving board, then looked at them both playfully. "Diving contest?"

"Seriously? " asked David. "Don't you have to wait an hour?" he asked with a laugh, reminding everyone of what Mom used to say.

Danny was excited at the prospect. "I am game."

She pulled her dress straps down off of her shoulders, then wiggled out of it, revealing the gold Miss March bikini beneath it. She then hung the dress over a chair and set down her drink, then ran into the garage quickly.

"Hey guys!" she said, mincing through in my bikini and kissing Chase on the cheek as she grabbed a hula hoop from the garage. She went back out to the pool and tossed the hoop onto the water. "Same as always, winner is the one who moves the hoop least."

Dan Sr. laughed at the confused look on Chase's face. "Diving competition."

"Ohhhh yeah," Chase said, remembering those games. They went back to untangling some fishing wire as the guys got out of the pool and watched Ashlee run to and from the garage, amazed and disappointed that she didn't bounce out of her bikini top.

Ashlee went first. She stood on the diving board and put her hair up. Then, focusing on the floating hoop, she playfully glared over at her brothers, then ran and bounced off the board. Luckily, she'd been getting a lot of use out of this pool since moving in, and the dive was graceful. Her toes slightly hit the hoop, though. She came back up to the surface, gloating. "Beat that!"

Danny began climbing up. "Are we playing for stakes or just bragging rights?"

"Well... is it officially Brolympic season?" she asked, treading water, with her boobs bobbing around on the surface.

"Oh boy," David moaned. "I am too drunk for Brolympics."

Danny teased him, "Come on, lightweight. It is just one event, right, Ashlee?" He lined up and made a running dive, and a very good one at that.

David howled. "Oh man, Ashlee. You might have to go two for three."

Danny came up. "That was a winner, right?"

Ashlee pouted and nodded. "Yeah, yeah, good dive."

David reluctantly got up and took his turn. He wasn't quite as practiced, and he dragged part of the hoop underwater as he went under. Dismayed by his performance, David had no desire to try again, leaving it to a dive-off between his sister and Danny. Ashlee got up and stretched, hopped up and down on the board a bit to psych herself up. She dove in and didn't feel her body hitting anything, though when she surfaced, Danny claimed her toes had hit the hoop again.

"What did you see, David?" I asked him, treading near him.

"Looked pretty clean to me."

Danny splashed him. "Dude!"

David laughed. "You want one of the women to judge?"

That was the last thing Danny really wanted. "Oh yeah, no bias there." He got up and this time took a more focused approach.

As he came up, David said, "Tie."

"Tie!" she said incredulously. She swam over to the side and hoisted herself up to sit at the edge. "Fine, it's a tie. That means we have to settle this in another game." This was typically how the Brolympics went. There were no rules or defined beginnings or endings, just endless double-downs and rematches involving other games until the other two quit.

"That's only two dives. You two gonna leave it at that?" David said, popping open another beer. "Technically, that gives Dan the win."

"What? No way!" Ashlee got up and stomped over to the board. "Now don't move too much; I want the hoop to stay as still as possible," she chided them both. She took a few deep breaths, stretched, and tried to clear her head. She dove in and felt more confident about that dive than the first two. "Haha, yes! You are so done!" The men were looking at her oddly. She didn't understand why until she saw her bikini top floating in front of her. "Omigod!" she cried out as she snatched it up and turned away, scrambling to tie it back on.

Danny held up his hand quietly to David, who softly low-fived him and drank another beer. "Just as I remember them."

Danny shot him a look. "What did you say?"

"Nothing, forget it."

"Dude. Seriously?" Danny was staring at David in disbelief.

"It was nothing, alright. Shut up," David said quietly.

Danny looked at him. "Uh, for that, we agree... you are the winner." The two brothers laughed loudly.

Ashlee rolled her eyes and shook her head, but chuckled with them too. "Just let the record show that was an amazing dive, topless or not." She splashed them both, then climbed out the side of the pool. After grabbing her drink, she came over to sit near them. "Like seriously though, I do miss playing games with you guys. I feel like Chase goes easy on me with everything."

Danny said, "Oh, I am sure he's giving it to you hard sometimes."

He laughed and nudged her, and David rolled his eyes. "Come on, man."

She kicked a bunch of water his way. "Ew! David, do me a favor and dunk this creep."

David reached behind Danny and popped him hard enough in the head to knock him forward into the water, then extended his high five to his sister. Danny broke the surface, then grabbed a leg of both siblings, pulling both back in as well.

"Ahh!" she let out a giggly scream as she went in. They tussled around and splashed in the pool, ruining each other's drinks. She wasn't sure whose hand it was, but swore someone tried to cop a feel of her boobs.

David came up and said, "Too bad Brandon isn't here. We could play Marco Polo. We should try that with everyone later."

"Totally. Or chicken fighting," she said, climbing onto David's back. She gave him a weak, joking half-nelson, then just stayed up on his back piggyback-style.

"I'd be down for that, either one, maybe both." Danny looked back at the house, but there was no one there to join him at the moment. "We could have a couples match as part of the brolympics."

"I'm down," Ashlee said. She hopped off David's back, did a few strokes around the pool, then climbed out. "I'm all pooled out, but you guys wanna do round two?" The sun was going down, and she gathered up the empty bottles and glasses. "Round loser picks the next game, right?" she said, looking at David.

"Now? Or later?" he asked, then burped.

"Up to you guys. Chase and Dad seem pretty invested in the fishing setup in there, but I'm down to stay up a little longer."

"Do you guys have a badminton set? I should ref the first one, then take the winner."

"We do, yeah. Badminton, croquet, bocce, cornhole, ladder toss..." Ashlee looked at Danny. "What do you say, think you can take me?"

"I'd love that," he said with a wink as he began following her to the house to get the set and assist in putting the net together.

David watched the two walk off and muttered, "Been there, done that," as he finished his beer and set it down, then walked to the outside table to eat another piece of pie, attempting to sober up.

Chase and Dan Sr. saw the two getting the badminton stuff together from the garage. Though the sight of them was notably different, they were still the same, busting each other's balls as they got stuff out and set it up in the yard. Ashlee had put the dress back on and kept her hair up, opting to play barefoot on the lawn. Chase flipped on the lights they had set up on the back porch and in the yard to light things up as the sun set.

The two siblings set up the net in no time and placed some flags out to mark the edges of the court. David dragged a chair over to sit in and judge the match. The wives soon emerged with Izzy leading the way and jumping into her dad's lap, while the ladies sat on the porch to observe from a distance. Ashlee and Danny volleyed for first service.

Ashlee ended up serving first, and the two went back and forth for a while. Eventually, he got the better of her, though, and an awkward attempt at a backhand sent it straight into the net. "Shit!" Ashlee swore and swung the racket around in frustration. She then noticed Izzy there suddenly. "Oh, um... I mean... sorry."

Izzy giggled and held her hand to her mouth. "Bad words." David gave her a squeeze, laughing with her. Danny laughed too, feeling much better about his odds at this game.

Ashlee refocused and tried harder as the game went on, tying things up for a bit, but eventually a string of bad serves gave him the edge. She let out a sigh as Danny won and tried not to pout too much in front of everyone.

Danny, though, made a big celebratory dance out of it, much to Izzy's delight, as he skipped about and fist-pumped, singing, "Oh yeah, oh yeah, who's number one, number one?"

David set Izzy down and walked over to Ashlee. "Good game, sis. Let's see if I can put a cork in his fat mouth."

"Please do," she said, taking a seat with Izzy, which immediately made her feel better.

"I thought you did a good job!" she said to her.

"Aww, thanks, sweetie," Ashlee gushed, kissing her forehead. She played with her hair as Izzy sat in her lap, and they watched together. Together they came up with a little cheer for David. "D-A-V-I-D, David's gonna crush Danny!"

The two men volleyed for service, and it was immediately obvious that the competitive spirit hadn't died between them. Danny won the serve, but David might have been sandbagging because he was suddenly very nimble and accurate. Danny looked a little stunned. "Ok, ok. "You want to take it to the mattresses, alright, let's go." He jerked up the legs of his trunks and readied himself for the next serve, finally making a score, but he was still behind.

Ashlee tried to referee impartially, but cheered for David along with Izzy. David eventually won the match, and the audience cheered for him. Ashlee went over to them both. "Wait, so is this like round robin, though? Do me and David have to play now?"

"Yeah, I guess you do. And if you win, we rematch, right, Danny?"

Danny looked up as he thought about continuing the game. "I think that's how we should do it. This was a lot easier to sort through with four of us playing together."

David and Ashlee played each other. Ashlee felt good about it for a bit, but eventually she lagged and lost again. She didn't feel as crushed, because David was a more gracious winner. Ashlee walked over to Chase as the brothers played again. "You've been going too easy on me, made me all soft out there," she said teasingly.

He whispered in her ear. "Well, you are making me all hard watching you bounce around out there."

She giggled. "I guess I was putting on a kind of a show. Well, at least I win the sexiest badminton player award." They watched them play, and David won, bringing our overall tournament standings to 1 victory for Ashlee, 1 for David, 0 for Danny. They cleaned things up outside, then people started to head in. "So you guys going fishing tomorrow?" she asked Chase as she caught him sneaking another slice of pie in the kitchen.

"I think so, if that's alright. I haven't asked who wants to go yet, though. Do you want to?"

"Maybe. I mean, it might be good for you and Daddy to have some time together, though too. And I remember how the guys got when a girl tagged along in the boat." She smiled and wiped a little pie crumb off his chin with her finger. "But if you want me there, baby, I'll totally tag along."

"We should run it by everyone. Maybe if the wives want to hang back, you should too. What do you think?"

"Totally. We've got lots of wedding plans to make; it's nice catching up with them too. Plus Izzy will want to play," Ashlee smiled, thinking how different things would be between her and Izzy if she were still Alex.