Amber Portwood is taking one giant step forward.
On the Nov. 2 episode of Teen Mom OG, Gary Shirley invited his ex over to spend time with their 12-year-old daughter Leah. And while it may sound like two friendly exes co-parenting, viewers knew it was so much more than that.
"It's been a while since I've seen Leah, and I'm excited but also anxious," Amber shared before the on-camera reunion, which was months in the making. "I want to take it slow and not force anything to show her I'm here and committed."
So did Amber get any closer to rebuilding a relationship with Leah? Fortunately, there wasn't any drama as the family made small talk over sandwiches and mac and cheese.
"Living alone for the past 16 months has been amazing," Amber told Gary's wife, Kristina Shirley. "I've been really figuring things out and like chillin' and just trying to get my schoolwork done and it feels peaceful, I think. But then it stresses me out because I don't know if I'm gonna get an A or a B. But I do know I'm getting an A in psychology."
But after Amber said goodbye to the family, cameras caught the MTV reality star expressing her frustration about the meeting. As she said, "I don't know what the point of this was for driving 40 something minutes, but that's cool."
When she returned home, Amber shared some more insight while chatting with her producer David.
"With Leah, she was very off, but I already thought that was going to be that way," Amber said. "The only thing that bothered me with Leah is she was kind of getting a little snappy at a point. Don't talk to me like that. Other than that, I was perfectly fine with everything."
She continued, "It felt good. I mean, it's been a little while since the last time I went there. I miss her, like, a lot. I miss little text messages, phone calls, Snapchat."
And as Amber continues to work on her relationship with Leah, the Never Too Late author says she has learned a valuable lesson.
"The point is being there. Just showing up to her was a big deal," she explained. "All I need to do now is just keep showing up no matter what she says and not push but just be present. Nothing's perfect."
Teen Mom OG airs Tuesday nights at 8 p.m. on MTV.