‘Teen Mom’ Amber Portwood Says She Misses Daughter Leah as She Announces Gary Wayt Engagement in Exclusive Sneak Peek

Amber Portwood is looking to spend more time with daughter Leah amid her fresh engagement to Gary Wayt. In a PopCulture.com exclusive sneak peek of Thursday’s all-new episode of Teen Mom: The Next Chapter, Portwood is eager to get closer to the 15-year-old as she introduces her new man into their lives. 

“You know, my goal is to get to know everybody better and just for us to be just one, big, happy family and regularly see each other,” Gary Wayt tells Amber’s ex, Gary Shirley, their teenage daughter, and Leah’s stepmother, Kristina Shirley. 

Pointing at Kristina, Gary Wayt jokes, “I mean, I remember yesterday she’s the one with the calendar, so you talk to her.” Kristina agrees she “live[s] by the calendar,” prompting Leah to mention that it will be her stepmom who will be scheduling all of her upcoming cross-country meets.

“I was gonna actually ask about that,” Amber chimes in, asking Leah if she would be “OK” with her mom attending some of her meets. Leah answers, “Yeah, I just have to wait ’til I get my schedule,” as Amber laments missing her daughter, having not seen her in months. 

“There’s one thing you gotta keep in mind when we do make a plan,” Leah’s dad chimes in. “It takes consistency.” Amber bristles, “I know that, though, Gary. I’ve known that for years. As long as we can work together and make sure that we can do things, I think we’ll be fine.” But he insists that they need to have a “good conversation” at some point to make sure they’re on “the same page” about Leah.

“I think we are though,” Amber pushes. “I just want to know my daughter more.” Redirecting to Leah, she continues, “I miss you, baby, and it’s been hard. I’d love for you to give me a chance if you think you can do that.” Gary Shirley responds, “You know, with me being Leah’s dad, my job is to protect Leah. If a parent’s not healthy, it can affect the kids, you know?” He turns to Gary Wayt, pointing out, “So if you guys are a team, then that comes to you as well, ’cause now you gotta help her, you know?”

Amber assures her ex, “You know, today I’d like to think that I’m finally healthy and I’ve got a healthy person with me, so I do feel good about this.”

It’s then that Gary Wayt asks Amber if she wants to “do the honors” of announcing their engagement to the table. “You can do the honors,” she tells him as he turns to the curious audience now awaiting big news, “So we do have something to tell you all.”

Fans will have to wait to see the rest of the scene play out when Teen Mom: The Next Chapter airs Thursdays at 8 p.m. ET on MTV. 

Amber and Gary Wayt called off their engagement in June, after some time filming of this Teen Mom: The Next Chapter episode was completed.