Part 1

Brian lay watching her sleeping beside him. He lightly brushed the hair off her face. It was cold outside their camper this early morning, so he was reluctant to get up and leave their warm bed quite yet. He sighed, this was all terribly wrong. He was her guardian, not supposed to be her lover! He had watched her grow up. She was his 17-year-old niece, for Christ’s sake! He hated himself, but she was so beautiful, so fun, and so much alike. Could he help it if they fell in love?

Brian had always been the wanderlust of the family. Never planning anything. Unlike Ryan, his brother, eight years his senior. Ryan planned everything. By high school, he had already decided to go to law school, become a corporate lawyer working for a big name firm in New York City, become a partner, marry, have children...

Brian, on the other hand, dropped out of college after their parents died, their father of a heart attack, their mother of a broken heart. He took his half of their small inheritance, bought a campervan, and traveled wherever it took him, living on meager money and odd jobs. He heard from Ryan from time to time, like when he graduated from law school and passed the bar. Brian showed up at Ryan and Megan’s wedding at their new home in Connecticut. In June, of course. June bride. Ryan was enamored with Megan from the beginning. She and Ryan fit together like a hand in glove. Brian was Best Man, gave the rings, made the toasts, kissed the bride, patted Ryan on the back, and left.

Brian made his way slowly north through Vermont, New Hampshire, Maine. He stayed in campgrounds, behind gas stations, and newly met girlfriend’s apartments. He was easy to get to know, outgoing enough to strike up conversations with folks in small-town bars or shops, or along the road. The girls lasted a night, sometimes a week or two. But he never settled, never connected for long.

He next heard from Ryan saying that Megan was pregnant. He congratulated him. It appeared that Ryan was right on schedule with his life. Brian was in West Virginia when Ryan said that Megan was in labor. He quickly packed up his camper and headed to Connecticut. There, he met baby Keily for the first time. As soon as he held her in his arms, he knew she would be something special in his life. Little did he realize just how special.

Brian leaned over and kissed his young lover and climbed out of bed. He had traded his little campervan for their new home two years ago, a luxury RV, towing a Jeep Wrangler, after the accident that left him with Keily. She refused to let him change his lifestyle and settle down. In fact, she had turned into as much of a wanderer as he. Maybe even more so.

He put on some clothes, again chastising himself for last night even as he started making breakfast for her. She rose, wrapping a blanket around her young, thin body. With her morning hair and sleepy face, she was even more alluring to him.

“Hello, lover,” she snickered, brushing her hair out of her face.

Brian knew this was all wrong on so many levels, not the least of which was statutory rape, consensual or not. And it was incest. SHIT, SHIT, SHIT, he thought to himself.

“Kei, we need to talk.”

She rolled her eyes, knowing what the subject was going to be. About how inappropriate last night was. About how young she was. About him being her guardian, her uncle. About how sexy and fun and loving last night was. About how she had loved him for so long and finally seduced him. About how he had told her she was the best thing that had ever happened to him and that he loved her forever.

The birth had been difficult for Megan. She was forced to bed rest at home even after an extra week in the hospital. Ryan had to work, closing a multi-billion dollar commercial deal in the City, so Brian had offered to stay and help Megan and baby Keily. He changed her diaper. He helped Megan with breastfeedings. Megan had laughed at Brian being so gallant and shy around her as she fed Keily, diverting his eyes as she uncovered her milk laden breast. She just kidded him as baby Keily suckled. He blushed and stammered, leaving the room to calm his paternal instincts that welled up from being with baby and mother.

He would rock Keily to keep her happy while Megan lay in bed asleep. He made meals for Megan, serving her in bed.

“Brian, you are spoiling me, young man!”

He was five years younger than Megan, only 21, and both, his older brother and Megan kidded him about his wanderings and apparent lack of direction in his life.

“When are you going to find yourself a nice wife and settle down? You obviously would make a wonderful husband and father!” Megan kidded, between bites.

Her eyes brightened, “In fact, I know someone. She’s your age. And she’s cute!” she giggled.

Brian was saved from answering as Keily started crying right then.

“Hush, baby Kei. Mommy is being naughty, trying to fix up your godfather!”

He had picked her shortened name right after Ryan had sat with him just after her birth and offered him to be her godfather, beyond just her uncle. Brian, hesitant at first, but was taken in by Keily’s first look at him. Her little eyes sparkling.

The deal closed and Ryan took time off, so Brian, back itching to move on, said his goodbyes and was gone, this time into Canada. The months went by. Winter found Brian down in the Keys. He met a coed on Spring Break and they hung together, getting drunk and having sex in his little campervan. She had to get back to school in North Carolina, so he drove her there. The two were becoming close, but upon arrival at her university, her friends hauled her away, almost shooing him off. They had been trying to get her ex to come back to her, not the least because he was likely to become a big surgeon and not some homeless vagabond they had heard about from her.

It was April, close to Keily’s first birthday, which he was not about to miss. So he headed back to Connecticut and Ryan & Megan’s.

Keily sat munching her toast and jam as Brian drank his coffee.

“Kei, about last night...”

A smile breaks out on her face, “It was WONDERFUL, Brian! I love you so!”

“Keily, stop, listen. That was completely wrong of me. Jesus, you’re my niece!”

She injected, “And the love of your life!”

He frowned, “And your guardian.”

She followed, “And my darling.”

“And underage!”

“And I love you!”

“And incest!”

“And so what? I love you, you love me. It’s not like we are going to make weird babies together.”

That stopped him. The accident. She couldn’t. She couldn’t have children.

Keily’s early years went by fast. Brian was at every birthday party and most Christmases, particularly now while she had just entered elementary school, an upscale private one. Brian loved seeing her face light every time he arrived and every time she opened her present from him. Never fancy or expensive, always unique, from someplace foreign, at least to her eyes. The meteorite from Arizona. The dinosaur bone from Wyoming, the starfish from the Florida Keys, the little carved totem pole from Vancouver...

She added each to her growing collection, giving her uncle a big kiss and hug. She would make him pick her up and carry her wherever she wanted to go. Soon piggyback rides all around the house and yard.

Brian used hostels and truck stops for showers since his little campervan had no bathroom. He did have a camping sunshower, but there was nothing like getting a nice hot shower and sometimes a bed.

Once at a truck stop, now clean again, he walked back towards his campervan. A girl with a backpack walked up to him, looking him over.

“Sir, you going South? Like some company?”

He wasn’t sure about her, she seemed rather young. He looked around but there was no one else.

“Ah, yeah, yes, I’m headed south. You need a lift? Her face brightened, then he noticed something a bit unusual from her. She seemed more eager than most girls, especially out alone at a truck stop.

“Are you ok?” he asked.

“Sure mister, you ok?” she giggled.

“I’m Brian.”

“I’m Bunny.”

He was taken aback. It was then he noticed that her attire was a bit risqué, jean short shorts, holes in them, tee-shirt torn into a crop top, some stains on it and obviously no bra. Her navel was pierced and she had tattoos on her arms and legs. Her shoes, scuffed up tennis shoes that had seen better days.

He looked at her face, a bit too much makeup, smeared a little. Hair unbrushed and somewhat greasy. She was rail-thin, short, maybe five foot two. Belly flat and narrow waist. All in all, rather scrawny and worse for wear.

“50 and take me down to Phoenix. A hundred for pussy.”

He double took her again, “Oh! Ah, I ah, don’t ah...”

She stared at him, “Ok, 20 for blow or 60 for fuck. Still gotta take me to Phoenix. Ok?”

He looked around again, quickly opening his driver door.

“Please mister ... Brian ... I need to get to Phoenix. I’ll do you for 20.”

He started to recover, looking at her. She was young. He doubted she was even eighteen.

“Bunny, whatever your name is. I, ah, will take you to Phoenix. I don’t want sex.”

He looked around again even as he said that. Were cops going to jump out? Or her pimp?

She smiled, then frowned, whispering, “I’m really Ashley. Thank you, but sir, I kinda need the money. I’m broke.”

“Ashley, I will take you to Phoenix and,” as he pulled out his wallet, “here is money.”

It was her turn to look quickly all around, “NO, not here. Inside.”

She climbs in and crawls across the driver’s seat to the passenger side, her butt cheeks and pussy lips well visible to him as he watched her.

He sighs, knowing he should not be doing this. She was a hooker and he had no idea about her past, nor even her age.

“I know you are going to say eighteen if I ask your age,” he asked as he settled into the driver’s seat.

She didn’t look at him and said nothing.

“Are you a runaway? Does anybody ... take care of you?”

“You mean do I have a pimp? No.”

Brian blushed and fumbled around, trying to find words.

“Ashley, I really, ah, meant, family, friends...”

“Burned those bridges. That’s ok, I’m not as weak as I appear.”

With that, she opened her backpack, starting to rummage around. Worry hit his face as he thought for a second that she might have had a gun and meant to rob him. That was quickly settled when she pulled out a pair of underwear and some rather stretchy shorts.

She proceeded to undress, removing her shoes then unzipping her little jean shorts, wiggling out of them and her current thong.

“Oh! Ah, sorry, ok,” he was flustered yet again.

She was now naked from the waist down, apparently not caring that he kept glancing. Being completely shaven bare made her look even younger. Though with the piercing in her pussy and the small tattoo of a broken heart right next to it, countered that young look. She wiped herself off with a small rag and then put on her panties and wiggled into the black stretch shorts.

“What? You never saw lady parts before?” she snickered at the look on his face.

“Well, not after five minutes.”

She laughed, “Hell, I’ve popped guys in less time.”

He thought to himself, ‘Yeah, I bet.’

She proceeded to repeat her impromptu striptease, replacing her current tee shirt with a possibly cleaner one, her small round breasts, nipples pierced, pointing out, unaffected by gravity.

“Ain’t seen titties either, hey?”

“Sorry,” he didn’t mean to stare, particularly while driving.

She slid down and propped up her bare feet onto the dash, her thin legs, with a tattoo of a spider on her thigh and a skull on her ankle, stretched out. She yawned.

“We are going to Phoenix, aren’t we, sir?”

“Brian, my name, Brian. No need to call me sir.”

She closed her eyes, then opened them, peeking a look at him.

“You ain’t going to take me out in the woods somewhere and gut me if I sleep, are you?”

He looked shocked, “No of course not, Ashley! We are going to Phoenix. May I ask why Phoenix?”

She did one laugh, eyes now closed, “Sugar daddies there. Lots of old farts that like little girls. Now that winter is coming, they all head there. I can double my rates.”

His mouth dropped. He was helping a hooker, was she even 16, get to her next hookups. Was he now the pimp? Ok, he wasn’t taking a cut, so guess not. She squirmed in her seat, not very comfortable. She finally looked back behind her and spied his camper bed. In an instant, she climbed out of her seat and into his bed and was out like a light. He glanced into the rearview mirror, watching her settle and fall asleep. Could Keily end up like this poor girl? He sure hoped not!

It was a five-hour drive from Gallup to Phoenix. They arrived in the late evening. She slept the entire way. He wished he could. He was tired but only stopped for gas. She had popped out for a quick pee and he bought her some food. He watched her lithe little body as she ran across the parking lot, obviously not taking any chance that he might leave with her stuff, such as it was. She climbed back in, ate, and was back asleep in minutes. Obviously, didn’t get much sleep, but hadn’t been very lucky with cash either. He didn’t ask.

“Ashley, wake up, we’re here. Where in Phoenix did you want to go?”

“Don’t matter, Scottsdale, Sun City, whatever,” as she wiped the sleep from her eyes and climbed back into her seat.

“You live in this?” she looked around.

“Yes, five years now.”

“SHIT! Sir, I’d never do good like that,” then she thought about it, “ ‘course that bed, this might be purty good. Wouldn’t need shit motels or backseats.”

“Ashley, aren’t you sure I can’t take you to, well, a shelter? This seems a dangerous life.”

She looked him up and down, then shrugged, “You don’t look like you do much planning in your life. Five years in this thing. Anyway, driving’s dangerous. Picking up strange little girls is dangerous.”

She proceeded to pull out a small handgun from her pack.

“FUCK! DON’T SHOOT! You going to rob me!?”

She cracked up laughing, “Sir, Bruce, Nah. You’re nice. You smell good. You drove me here and didn’t do me while I slept,” she put the gun back, “You sure you don’t want some? I bet you are a good fuck! I’d probably get all hot and bothered and do you for free.”

“Its Brian,” he mumbled, still recovering from the fright.

She proceeded to rub his pants between his legs, leaning over as if to kiss him, even as he continued to drive. He saw a motel and turned in.

She giggled, “See, you DO want it!” She proceeded to rub her spandex covered pussy while still rubbing him.

“No Ashley, I’m getting you a room, just you. And here’s, well, a hundred.”

As she climbed out, she smiled at him and waved. In the headlights, he looked like he was abandoning her. He stopped and got out.

“Change your mine, Brad?”

“Here’s my number. If you EVER get in trouble, call me. Please!”

She laughed but took the piece of paper. She stood up on her tiptoes and kissed him on the lips.

“You’re a good guy, sir. You’ll make some girl real happy. She better marry you!”

She was gone.

By middle school, Keily started sending him little text messages and emails. He would reply with selfies in front of Old Faithful or sitting at the base of a giant Sequoia tree or riding in an airboat in the swamps of a Louisiana bayou. She would print them and pin them to her wall, marking a map of his travels.

Brian always came back and loved to surprise her by picking her up from school. Keily always spotted his old campervan the instant she came out the door whenever her birthday or holidays came around. She laughed the first time her friends saw her start to climb into his camper. They thought she was being kidnapped.

“Who IS that GUY?” the would ask.

She beamed, “My uncle.” To herself, she added ‘my love’.

She climbed in, her pleated school uniform skirt riding up her thighs, already likely too short for school now that she was growing so fast. She laughed and giggled, as they hugged. He would take her for ice cream or a burger before taking her to her home.

Their first kiss, well the first kiss right on the lips, came one day while he took her to Wadsworth Falls State Park on a Saturday. It was a beautiful Spring day, right after her birthday. They walked through the woods to the falls. She had waded in the creek near the picnic grounds. Barefoot and in her sports shorts, she held his hand as they walked. They came to a grassy area overlooking the lake.

They had been talking about this or that, nothing important. She turned, stood up on her tiptoes, leaned into him and kissed him, on the lips. Just a short kiss, but it still surprised Brian. She turned and danced off as if nothing had happened, but happy as a bee in a clover field. He shook his head, sighed, having watched her grow up so quickly.

Brian lay in his campervan, this time in Southern California. He had found a nice little spot on the beach and had settled into his camp chair as he looked out from the fir trees towards the ocean. He spied two young women walking hand-in-hand towards the water. They seemed cute in their little bikini’s laughing and playing along the beach. They were soon splashing around in the ocean waves, a bit rough today.

Suddenly, he heard one of them yell, “Elsa! Elsa! Where are you? Help! Help!”

Without a second thought, he jumped up, rushing towards her. He saw the one yelling help at the edge of the ocean, running back and forth. He didn’t see the other one.

She yelled as he approached, “Help! Elsa is out there!”

Waves were breaking heavily where she pointed. He immediately dove in, swimming towards where she pointed. He paused, a girl’s head appeared, obviously in distress. He fought on through the waves, grabbing her and pulling her back to shore. She apparently wasn’t a strong swimmer and didn’t understand the rip currents.

He carried her to shore, laid her down. She wasn’t breathing. He immediately started giving her CPR. He was now glad he had taken that course back years ago. He gave several chest compressions, then clearing her airway, he gave her several breaths, covering her mouth with his. Suddenly, she coughed and spit up water. She opened her eyes and whispered “en ängel”. He helped her up as she recovered. Her friend, now obviously sisters, standing by him crying and thanking him.

“We need to get her to a hospital, just to be sure she is ok. I can take you, is that ok?”

“Ja Ja! Thank you! You saved her life!”