Reba Hart had sat in her living room with her three children, her son-in-law, and her ex-husband while her ex-husband's wife presented a slide show about her trip to St Louis. Reba tried to leave a few times but Brock ratted her out so she had to lie and say that she was going to the bathroom, but then she ended up taking a seat back on the couch. When Barbra Jean was done with the slide show Reba felt like it was already time for bed. She had enough of Barbra Jean and Brock for the day and was ready for them to leave her house. Reba was the first one to get off of the couch and walk into the kitchen. She needed to go somewhere that made more sense because she had no idea why Barbra Jean had them watch sixty something pictures of her feet in St Louis.
Barbra Jean looked at the people that remained in the living room and smiled. "Well I'm going to go finish unpacking at home! I'll see you all later!" She said as she stood up and started walking towards the door. She then turned around and looked at her husband. "Brock, honey, are you coming with me?"
Brock looked at his wife and smiled softly. "I'll be there in a little while honey. I just want to thank Reba for taking care of me while you were gone and I was going through the whole kidney stone thing." He stood up from the couch and walked over to Barbra Jean, kissing her softly on the cheek. Barbra Jean hugged her husband and walked out of the house closing the door behind her.
When Brock walked into the kitchen he saw his red head ex-wife standing at the sink washing dishes. "The family is in the living room and you're in here washing dishes?" Brock asked as he startled Reba a little.
"Well Brock one can only take so much of your wife before they start going insane. I had to make a choice; be insane with them or stay the only sane person in this family." Reba said as she heard Brock chuckle some. He was now right next to her at the sink and was helping dry the dishes after she had washed them. "Is there something you wanted?" Reba asked sounding a little cold, even though she didn't mean to.
Brock looked over at her while he was drying off a white plate with a towel. "I just wanted to say thanks again for taking care of me while I was dealing with the kidney stones. Then I wanted to apologize again for not telling you when they passed." Reba could tell that Brock was sincere with his thank you and apology. Brock knew he should have told Reba as soon as he knew that the kidney stones had passed, but their friendship was going so good and it reminded him of old times. He wasn't ready for that to end and for them to go back into constant bickering again.
Reba looked over at Brock and smiled softly. Hearing him apologize made her happy because she could see that he was changing from when they were married, even if just a little. When the two started having marriage problems Brock would mess up a lot and he would never recognize his mistakes. This new Brock seemed to know that to fix things he needed to apologize and Reba liked that. "I was mad at first but after hearing why you did it I understood more. I'm not saying it was right because you know as well as I do that it was flat out wrong, but I understand why you did it."
"I just wanted our friendship back. That's all." Brock said softly as he finished drying all of the dishes for Reba.
Reba smiled over at Brock. She had wanted their old friendship back too. Their friendship was always going to be different because of Barbra Jean but Reba hated how strained it was sometimes. Sometimes it felt like they were complete strangers instead of people that were married for twenty years. However they did have an abnormal divorce. Where most people found comfort in being away from their ex, both of them found some type of comfort by talking to each other whenever they needed someone. After all, they were best friends before they were ever married and after spending all those years of being friends it was a hard habit to break. "Yeah, I do too. Brock, I'm really tired right now. I think I'm just going to go up and take a bubble bath and then go to bed."
Brock looked at his ex-wife and smiled softly. "I'll talk to you later." Brock said as he thought about giving her a hug but then decided against it because he didn't want anything to be awkward. When he heard Reba say 'see ya' Brock knew that it was time for him to leave so he walked out the kitchen door and gently closed it behind him. She's so beautiful, Brock thought to himself. He knew that he still loved her but there was nothing he could do. He was married to Barbra Jean and therefore nothing could ever happen between them because Reba would not let that happen, and even if he was still loved Reba he was still in love with Barbra Jean. Maybe the love he had for Reba was just because they had a twenty year marriage and three beautiful kids together. Brock sighed softly and walked home where he watched a movie with his wife on their couch.
Reba had soaked in a bubble bath for a good half hour before she decided to get out. She felt so much more relaxed, as she did most of the time when she took a bubble bath. When Reba got out of the tub and changed into pajamas she started brushing her shoulder length long red hair. She loved that her hair was getting so long. It made her feel more attractive, even though when she had short hair it made her feel more edgy.
A buzz on her night stand startled her. When she had got to the night stand she picked up her phone and saw that it was a text message. The person that was texting her shocked her even more. She flipped open her cell phone and started reading the text message;
Why do I feel like I need to apologize again?
Was the message that she had received from Brock. Hearing another apology about the same thing from Brock would have drove her insane. Being apologized to was nice but being overly apologized to was just annoying.
Because you know that what you did was stupid and wrong. Brock, please don't apologize again. I really don't want to hear another apology. Honestly I don't know what's going to make me go insane first; Barbra Jean's feet slide show or you apologizing over and over.
Reba sent the message and smiled softly. That was the first time in a long time that she had received a message from Brock and she wasn't sure how she felt about it. She wanted a friendship with Brock more than anything, but there was a part of her that was terrified that the old feelings she had for him would resurface, and that was the last thing she wanted to happen. She was perfectly fine just being friends with him. Her phone vibrated again and this time Reba had opened her phone quicker than the time before.
Well we don't want you going crazy. Before I go to bed I just want to ask you something. What would you say to going somewhere for lunch one day? Not as a date but just as a start to our 'new' friendship.
Reba couldn't believe what she had just read. She wasn't sure if that was the best thing for them to do, considering the circumstances that they were in. Besides, she wasn't sure how Barbra Jean would take them going out alone. There were times when Barbra Jean was very protective over Brock, even towards Reba who was her best friend.
I don't know if that's the best idea Brock. I know we want to be friends and all but can't we just calm down on the bickering or something. Besides, how would Barbra Jean feel about us going out to eat for lunch alone? You know how she can be sometimes, and it's perfectly understandable considering what you did to me.
Reba was right about Barbra Jean's protectiveness over Brock being understandable. If Brock was willingly okay with throwing away a twenty year marriage away then why would he not be okay with throwing another marriage away? Besides, Reba did not want to be on the other end if something were to happen between her and Brock. She knew how bad it hurt to find out that her husband had cheated on her, and she never wanted to make someone else feel that way even if it was Barbra Jean.
Reba had finished brushing her hair and had climbed into bed. Her mattress wasn't very new but she was comfortable in it. Her parents had got her some really soft sheets for Christmas this past year and Reba was in love with them. She felt like she was sleeping on a cloud most of the time, and she wasn't sure if that was because of the sheets or the mattress. Reba's cell phone vibrated again and what she read shocked her a little bit.
I already talked to Barbra Jean. Told her that we wanted to try and be better friends for the kids' sake and that I wanted to take you out to lunch just as friends. She was perfectly fine with it as long as she gets to go have lunch with just you sometime.
That did sound like Barbra Jean though. Despite how crazy she drove Reba Barbra Jean did have a good heart and she never meant to hurt anyone. The thing with Barbra Jean is that she doesn't always think before doing or saying things, where Reba is the complete opposite. Reba always makes sure that the decision she makes won't backfire her in the long run.
I don't think your wife is going to be okay with you texting another woman instead of being upstairs in bed with her. We'll talk about it later, Brock. Goodnight.
After sending that message Reba laid her cell phone on the night stand and repositioned herself in the bed. All she could think about was what her life would be like if the affair would have never happened. She squeezed her eyes closed tightly trying to get the thought out of her mind, and when she relaxed some she fell into a deep sleep.
Reba awoke the following morning to her beautiful granddaughter Elizabeth jumping on her bed and saying 'grandma.' Reba couldn't help but smile when she saw the young girl. "Well good morning Elizabeth. What are you doing here so early?"
The young girl looked at her grandmother and smiled. "Mommy said that I was going to spend the day with you today while her and daddy are out." Elizabeth then laid next to Reba and smiled big. "I love spending time with you grandma."
Elizabeth reminded Reba of Cheyanne when she was younger, except Cheyanne wanted all the attention on her and no one else. Elizabeth was like Reba in the sense that she hated when all the attention was on her. That was one of the reasons that she never became a country singer like she had dreamed about for a long time. "I love that too Elizabeth." She said softly as she wrapped her arms around her granddaughter. "Is mommy still here?"
"Mommy wanted to wait here until she knew that you were up." Elizabeth said as Reba smiled softly. She was so proud at how responsible Cheyanne had grown up to be. Having Elizabeth at seventeen helped Cheyanne become mature. Reba got out of bed and picked up the little girl.
"Let's go talk to mommy." Reba said with a smile as she walked out of her bedroom and down the stairs still in her pajamas. "Thanks for the wakeup call." She said with a smile once she reached the bottom of the stairs. Reba then walked over to Cheyanne as they embraced in a hug.
Reba and Elizabeth had ate breakfast and watched a few tv shows when Cheyanne and Van left. Elizabeth looked like she was having a blast but when she heard a vibration on the coffee table she looked down at the phone that was causing it. "Grandma your phone is going off!" Elizabeth yelled as she picked up the phone and ran into the kitchen where Reba was.
Reba smiled down at Elizabeth and took her phone as she then flipped it open and pressed it to the side of her head. "Hey Brock. What do you want?" Reba asked as she turned around and resumed to washing the dirty dishes from breakfast.
Elizabeth got excited when she heard that the other person was Brock. "Is that grandpa? I want to talk to grandpa!" Elizabeth said as she started pulling on the bottom of Reba's shirt. Reba couldn't help but laugh when Elizabeth did this. Cheyanne used to do the same thing when she was Elizabeth's age and he would call.
"It's lunch time and you never told me if we were going to go out for lunch or not." Brock said softly and Reba was shocked that he decided to call instead of bursting through the front door of her house like he always did.
"That's fine Brock but you better make it for three because I have Elizabeth today." Reba said as Elizabeth was still tugging on the bottom of her shirt. "Speaking of Elizabeth, she really wants to talk to you." She said as she handed the phone to Elizabeth and the little girl ran into the living room with the phone. Reba then resumed washing the dishes. She wasn't very excited to go out to lunch with Brock, but if they were going to start a new friendship she needed to put in more effort than she had contributed to their friendship the last five years.
Elizabeth ran into the kitchen and gave the phone back to Reba when she was done washing dishes. "We're going to lunch with grandpa!" The little girl said excitedly. "We're going to Gattitown!" Elizabeth then ran into the living room and Reba couldn't help but to laugh about how excited she was. Brock sure was good with their granddaughter, and that was one of the reasons that Reba loved him even if it was just a love because of their past. Reba didn't think she was in love with him but there was a part of her that was scared she was. After all she wasn't the one that left, he was.
Brock walked into Reba's house ten minutes later and was surprised to see no one was in the living room or kitchen. He knew that they were there because Reba's car was there. He then decided to walk up the stairs and when he heard talking coming from Reba's room he leaned against the wall to see what was being said.
"Grandma why aren't you and grandpa married?" Elizabeth asked softly. Reba was glad that Elizabeth wasn't born before the divorce because she knew that enough people got hurt during that time and she would have hated it if Elizabeth got hurt too. Reba was thankful that Van and Cheyanne were making it work to give Elizabeth a demonstration that people do make things work no matter what.
Reba looked at her granddaughter who was sitting on her bed and then she took a seat next to her. "Well honey we just didn't get a long anymore. We had problems and we just weren't happy anymore so we had to make a decision." She couldn't believe that she was trying to explain her previous divorce to her five year old granddaughter.
"Do you still love him?" Reba couldn't believe that Elizabeth was asking her about love. She wasn't sure on how to talk to a child about love.
Reba looked at Elizabeth and began brushing the girl's blonde hair. "Yes, but it's not a love like your mommy and daddy have. It's more of a friend love." That was the best way that Reba could describe her love for Brock.
"Like the way Barbra Jean loves you?" Hearing the girl say this made Reba laugh. Elizabeth had the right idea but there was no Reba loved Brock the way that Barbra Jean loved Reba. Barbra Jean was more obsessed with Reba than Reba had ever been with Brock.
Reba continued brushing Elizabeth's hair. "Not that extreme but it's similar. I will always have a special love for you grandpa because we were married for a very long time and had three children together." Reba said and when she finished brushing Elizabeth's hair she placed it in a ponytail. "Let's go wait for grandpa to get here." Reba said as she picked up the little girl and placed her on her hip.
When Brock heard Reba say this he knew that he needed to quietly get down to the living room. He tiptoed over to the stairs and quietly ran down the steps so he could sit on the couch when Reba came down with Elizabeth. "Grandpa!" Elizabeth said excitedly when the two reached the bottom of the stairs.
Brock stood up off of the couch and smiled over at Elizabeth. "Well hello beautiful!" Brock said as he walked over to Reba and Elizabeth and took their granddaughter from Reba. "You look nice Reba." He said softly immediately regretting what he had said because it sounded like something someone would say when they were going out on a date.
Reba laughed at how Brock started getting uncomfortable. "Relax Brock. You look nice too." She said as she walked over to the coffee table and picked up her purse. "I'm really shocked that Barbra Jean doesn't care that we're going out alone together. I guess that just doesn't sound like the Barbra Jean that I'm used to because she always assumes that there is something going on between the two of us. How crazy is she though? Like there would really be something going on between us after everything we have been through." Reba knew that she needed to shut up and stop talking. The truth was that there was a perfect reason to be suspicious because of everything that they had been through. A few years back Brock had been going through some things and he admitted that he thought leaving Reba for Barbra Jean was a mistake, and he still felt that way even though he denied it if anyone brought it up.
"Can we go grandpa? I want to go!" Elizabeth said as she was now on the floor and pulling on Brock's arm while walking towards the door. Elizabeth had only been to Gattitown one other time when Reba had took her there with Van and Cheyanne. Elizabeth loved it so much and was ready to go back and she wasn't wanting to wait for her grandparents to talk.
Brock laughed and looked at Elizabeth and then Reba. "If you're grandma is ready then we can go." Brock smiled over at Reba and watched her roll her eyes at what he had just said. Reba knew that Brock was saying that because of the stereotypical girls are always late, but Reba always did a really good job at being on time. There were sometimes when she was late, but dealing with a big crazy family wasn't always the easiest thing to do.
The three of them had been on the road for about fifteen minutes making them roughly fifteen minutes away from their destination. Elizabeth and Reba had both been singing along to the country songs that were playing on the radio and Brock continued laughing as he kept his concentration on the road. Reba looked over at the man that had a perfect smile and realized that there was a certain love for him that would never go away, and it wasn't the type of love that someone had for someone else because they were the parent of their child or children. This love was the love that Cheyanne and Van shared. She could feel a knot in her throat and she did her best to push the thought away. After all, nothing could ever happen between the two since Barbra Jean was married to him.
Brock looked over at Reba and gave her a slight smile. "You know, I'm new at making new friends so you're going to have to lead." The only friends Brock really had outside his family were the people that he golfed with and people that he worked with when he was the assistant coach for the football team when Van and Cheyanne were still in high school.
"You're doing fine. I admit that it's a bit awkward, but this whole thing is. If we were normal then we would be hating each other and never talking except when we exchanged the kids." Reba spoke the truth and Brock knew it. They weren't a normal divorced couple and Brock was thankful for it because he couldn't picture his life without Reba.
Brock smiled and continued to watch the road. He hated himself for letting this beautiful woman go. He knew that he was the stupidest person ever and even though he would get extremely jealous he always hoped that one day Reba would find a good person to be with. He wanted her to be happy no matter what and if that meant that she had to be with someone else then Brock was just going to have to accept it. "How was your Christmas?" Brock asked trying to make small talk.
"It was actually good. I talked to mom and daddy on Christmas day and they sounded like they were doing really good. Sometimes I miss Oklahoma." Reba said as she stared out the window into the bright blue sky.
"What's Oklahoma?" A soft voice from the back seat asked. Elizabeth had been so quiet that they hardly even knew she was there, except every now and then Brock would look at her in the rear view mirror. That was something he used to do with all of his kids. He was checking to make sure that they were okay.
"Oklahoma is where your grandma was raised." Brock answered with a soft smile. He was from Texas but while dating Reba they had decided to move to Oklahoma and had lived there for a few years, and then decided that Houston was where they wanted to be. Even when they moved back down to Houston both of them visited Oklahoma often. "I lived there with your grandma one time and we visited your grandma's parents there multiple times."
Elizabeth smiled at Brock through the rear view mirror. "What did you do in Oklahoma?"
Reba was the one to answer Elizabeth's question this time. "I loved to ride horses. There are woods behind my parent's house and I use to always ride horses on the trail that was back there. Oklahoma is a very pretty place Elizabeth. I would absolutely love to go back once I'm not as busy." Once she said this an idea popped in Brock's mind, but he needed to do things before he acted on his idea.
When they pulled into the parking lot of Gattitown Elizabeth started bouncing up and down in her seat. Reba couldn't help but laugh at how excited her granddaughter was. They entered the building and were immediately greeted with the smell of the buffet. Reba didn't notice how hungry she was until her stomach started rumbling. The three of them ate all of they could eat and had a blast telling Elizabeth about the good things from their past. Reba was glad that she at least had stories to tell Elizabeth about how her grandparents once were.
When they were finished eating Elizabeth wanted to go play the arcade games and Brock ordered her twenty dollars in tokens, which was unlike Brock due to how cheap he always was. Elizabeth was playing some of the arcade games while Reba and Brock followed her around. "I'm really glad you agreed to come." Brock said softly.
"It's been a lot of fun and Elizabeth looks like she's having a blast." Reba said with a smile. They were both close to their granddaughter. Reba loved seeing how Brock was with Elizabeth because it reminded her of a happier time.
Brock smiled over at Reba and looked into her blue eyes. They still were as blue as the sky. There was nothing more that he wanted to do except be with the beautiful woman that was standing beside him, but he was too stupid and probably blew every chance he'd ever get. He wasn't sure what to say now but he was comfortable in the silence because he knew that she was there with him, even if it was just as friends.
"Grandpa! Can we do the laser tag? Pleaseeeeeee!" Elizabeth begged Brock and Reba couldn't help but laugh. Cheyanne used to say please like that when she was Elizabeth's age and Brock melted the same way when Elizabeth said it. He was never able to say no to Elizabeth or Cheyanne when they said please like that, and that's why they did it. They knew that they could get anything they wanted, or almost anything, as long as they said that.
Brock looked over at Reba and raised his eyebrows. "Only if Grandma will do it too." Reba glared over at Brock. She couldn't believe that he was going to leave it up to her because she knew that now Elizabeth would be begging her to go and if she said no Elizabeth would be so disappointed.
Reba laughed and then looked at Elizabeth. "Of course I'll go Elizabeth." Reba said as Brock smiled and winked at Reba. How dare he, Reba thought to herself. He knew she wouldn't be able to say no. Maybe he does still know me pretty well, she thought knowing that she still knew him as much as she did when they were together.
The three of them walked up to the laser tag line where Brock paid the five dollar a person admission rate and then they got ready. Reba knew that Elizabeth had never played laser tag so all she could do was make sure that she was there to help her out. They could team up on Brock which was something that she loved to do. She and Brock were both very competitive against each other. They had been that way since they were younger.
Reba helped Elizabeth get ready and then got ready herself. She looked over at Brock and gave him a smirk. "You're going down old man." Reba said as Elizabeth giggled and wrapped her arms around Reba's legs. Reba smiled and patted Elizabeth's back as the instructor gave them all the rules. Once the instructor was done Elizabeth walked inside the arena holding Reba's hand. "Now Elizabeth make sure you stay with grandma and you do the best to hide from anyone especially grandpa." Reba said as she walked with Elizabeth away from Brock so they could behind one of the walls.
When the game started they started shooting each other and Elizabeth was having a blast. She enjoyed running around and shooting Brock with the laser gun. Reba was so happy to see her granddaughter having so much fun. When the game was over they walked out to the front desk to get their score cards. Reba and Elizabeth ended up beating Brock and Elizabeth became extremely excited.
They had been at Gattiland for about three hours and Reba was exhausted. She could tell that Elizabeth was getting tired because she was rubbing her eyes quite a bit. Reba picked up the little girl and looked at Brock. "I think we should head back to my house." She said softly as she yawned and Elizabeth laid her head on her shoulder.
Brock agreed as they walked out of the building and to his car. Brock saw that Reba looked like she was getting tired and he smiled softly. He remembered back when they were married if Reba got tired while they were out they would go home and he would wrap his arms around her and hold her while she slept. He would lay in their bed with absolutely nothing to do except watch her sleep and he was perfectly fine with that. He should've been that way towards the end of their marriage but he got selfish and it destroyed his life.
Reba placed Elizabeth in her car seat in the back and then got in the passenger seat. She felt like she could fall asleep right there, but she didn't want to. Brock hadn't seen her sleep since before the divorce and she didn't want things to be awkward for him. She looked over at him and smiled softly. "Thank you for doing this. It was really a lot of fun and I know Elizabeth had a blast."
Brock smiled over at Reba as he started driving out of the parking lot. "I had fun too. I'm glad you said yes to coming. I hope it wasn't too weird for you." Brock said as he started laughing.
"It really wasn't. It didn't even feel like I was out with my ex-husband. It felt like I was out with just a friend, which is what it is supposed to feel like." Reba smiled softly as she then shifted her attention to the window. Brock was glad that Reba had been comfortable, and he was comfortable too, but there was a part of him that wanted to grab her and press his lips to hers. He didn't have the strength to do that though. He had already had one affair that ended his marriage with his one true love, and even if he loved Reba more than Barbra Jean he couldn't cause her the pain that he had caused Reba.
Brock and Reba talked the whole way home. Reba really felt like Brock was just a friend instead of her ex-husband. She realized that despite her feelings for him they needed to be friends. Rather Reba wanted to admit it or not she needed Brock in her life. He could make her the angriest she's ever been and the happiest she's ever been. He made Reba feel something that no one else could ever make her feel and she knew that.
As he pulled into Reba's driveway Brock hated that their lunch was coming to an end. He knew that at some point he was going to have to go home and be away from Reba and he wasn't ready to do that. He looked at his beautiful ex-wife and quietly sighed praying that it wasn't loud enough for her to hear. Reba looked over at him and smiled softly. "Would you want to come in for a little while? I'm sure Elizabeth will want to see you before you leave and since she's taking a nap it will be a while." Reba got out of the car and then got Elizabeth out of the car holding her in her arms.
Brock ran over to Reba and smiled softly as he started taking Elizabeth away from her. "Sure. Let me take Elizabeth to her bed." Brock smiled and Reba couldn't believe how sweet he was being. Seeing the way that Brock was now Reba didn't quite remember why she decided not to fight for him when Barbra Jean came into the picture. If she would have fought for him then he would still be hers instead of another woman's.
Elizabeth slept in Brock's arms and he smiled. She was so beautiful and she reminded him of both Cheyanne and Reba. As Brock carried Elizabeth into her room he kissed her forehead and laid her in her bed. He then picked up the cover and covered her up.
When he walked down the stairs he started talking but then he noticed that Reba was on the couch half asleep. He smiled and looked at her. "Reba if you're that tired then I can leave and you can go to sleep. I don't want to disturb you or something."
Reba looked over at Reba and smiled softly. "No, no you don't have to leave. I'm not that ti- tired." She said as she yawned and adjusted to Brock sitting next to her on the couch. She stretched and much to her surprise she ended up lying against Brock's arm. He smiled and looked down at her. She was so beautiful. It didn't take Reba long to fall asleep and start dreaming about the man that she had spent the day with.
A year had passed by since Reba and Brock decided to reconcile their friendship. Things had been changing like crazy in the family. Cheyanne and Van had moved out of the house and into their own since Cheyanne was pregnant again. Kyra's band was doing pretty good for themselves and they were doing gigs every weekend. Jake was almost never home because he was always wanting to hang out with his friends. Barbra Jean had lost a bunch of weight which ended up putting a strain on her marriage with Brock because he was convinced she was having an affair on him with her personal trainer, and Brock and Barbra Jean were now separated waiting for the divorce to be final. Reba and Brock's friendship was better than ever and even though they were both oblivious to each other's feelings they enjoyed being with each other because that was the one time it seemed like they didn't have to deal with the craziness of their lives, even though Brock drove Reba crazy a lot. He made her crazy but she was starting to get used to it, maybe even like it.
Brock walked into the front door of Reba's house and looked at her. "Hey Reba. Have you cooked dinner yet?" He asked as Reba was sitting on the couch watching tv.
"Well Brock I wasn't aware that I was having to cook dinner for you too. I thought when we got a divorce and you moved out you would deal with your own dinner." Reba said as she gave him a soft smirk. He always asked her for things that when they were married she had no problem doing but now that they were divorced he needed to be responsible for doing them. After all he was a grown man who needed to learn how to take care of himself. "Why don't you just go back home and work things out with Barbra Jean so then she can make dinner for you?"
Brock looked at Reba and rolled his eyes. "I can't do that Reba. The divorce will be final any day now and there's nothing we can do. We both decided that we needed to move on so that's what we're going to do." Brock said as he walked over to the chair that was next to the couch and sat down in it. Brock had something that he planned on telling Reba later on during the night and he hoped that it would change everything. He was going to be taking a big risk but he was ready to do it.
"Make sure the next one knows how to cook and she isn't a moron." Reba said as she smirked and then picked up the newspaper. Brock scoffed and then picked up another part of the newspaper. Reba was always like that, so sarcastic and always had a comeback to everything someone said. Reba started laughing and then looked over at him. "What do you want to eat?" Reba asked Brock as she neatly folded the paper she was reading and looked over at him.
Brock smiled over at the red head. "Mhm you know what I was thinking? Since the kids are gone why don't we go out and get something. Just as friends, but I'll pay." Reba was shocked by his invitation. It was very seldom that Brock would go out to eat because of how cheap he was but he knew that he wanted to do something special for Reba. Even if it wasn't that special he didn't want to make her cook.
"Brock that's very generous of you but I don't have a problem with cooking. Besides if you pay for me doesn't that make it like a date?" Reba asked looking at Brock. She hadn't given them much thought even though he was getting a divorce. She thought it would be best if they remained friends that way no one gets hurt. Plus she wasn't sure if he even thought of her like that anymore and she thought that it would be weird dating her ex-husband.
Brock looked over at Reba with a straight face. "The kids told me how much you have been working lately. Cheyanne said that you've been pretty busy lately with preparing for her new baby and doing your motherly duties as well of working at least eight hours a day. Let me take you somewhere so you can get a break for a little while."
Reba sighed and looked over at Brock. "Fine Brock but it's not a date." She said as she glared at him.
"I know Reba. Look we can go pick up KFC or we could order a pizza and have it delivered here. Would you rather do that?" He asked knowing that she was going to be stubborn tonight. She was very strict on not going on dates and paying her half of the bill.
"That's fine Brock. I'd rather order a pizza to be honest." Reba said as she looked over at him and picked up a book. "Thanks Brock."
Brock smiled softly as he then got up and walked into the kitchen. He picked up the phone and called the Papa John's. He ordered a cheese pizza and a peperoni pizza as well as some cheese sticks to go with it. He knew that Reba loved their cheese sticks and she would be happy that he ordered them. He was going to make sure that he was the only one to pay for the pizzas because although they weren't going to be on a date, he wanted to pay for her dinner.
When he walked back into the living room he smiled at Reba. "Okay the pizzas are ordered." He saw Reba smile at him and he took a seat next to her on the couch. He wanted to tell her the thing that was on his mind but he was wanting to make sure he did it at the right time. He wanted to take Reba by surprise and make it special for her.
Reba smiled at him and propped her legs on the coffee table. "Thank you Brock. I'll pay for my half." She said softly as she saw him roll his eyes and she rolled hers back at him. "How's the divorce going?"
Brock looked over at her as his smile went away. This would be the perfect time to tell her that his divorce was final, but this wasn't the time that he had in mind. "I guess it's going as good as a divorce can go. I don't think I'll be as close to Barbra Jean once we're divorced like I was, well am, with you." Brock said as he knew that he and Barbra Jean weren't going to have the friendship that he had with Reba. His relationship with Barbra Jean after the divorce was going to be like normal divorces where the main time they ever talk is when it's about Henry.
"To be honest Brock I think that's because you don't have the long history with Barbra Jean. We were friends for a few years before we started dating and we were married for twenty years. If it wasn't for that and our kids I don't think we would have had the relationship that we had after our divorce." Reba said softly hoping that she wasn't upsetting him by saying what she was. She was just trying to be honest with him.
Brock knew that she was telling the truth, but he was glad that they had what they did so they were able to keep a friendship. Sure their friendship wasn't always on great terms but regardless of what they were going through they still had a friendship and that was more than most divorced couples had. "Can I ask you a question?" Brock asked as Reba looked over at him curious to what was on his mind. "If I wouldn't have had an affair do you think we would have been able to make things work between us?"
Reba looked at the wall and then back at Brock. She had asked herself that question many times after they got divorced but she could never find the answer. "I've asked myself that question before. Multiple times. It's hard to tell if we would've worked because we had more problems than just the affair. Do I think the affair was the ultimate betrayal and officially ended our marriage; yes. The affair made me decide that I didn't want to fight for something that I would never get. If the affair didn't happen then it's hard to tell if we would've made it or not. I think we needed more effort than either one of us was willing to put in."
Brock looked at her and sighed. He wasn't sure what he wanted the answer to be because no matter what he couldn't change the past. He hated the fact that it was possible that they could have made their marriage work if he hadn't gone out and impregnated his dental hygienist. "I agree," was the only thing that Brock said to her.
Reba could feel her blood pressure raise. She didn't understand why he was asking her those questions. He was probably just curious to what she thought would have happened, but being completely honest she wasn't sure what would have happened. The whole reason Brock moved out in the first place was because of their problems and then he had an affair, but she assumed that he was bluffing when he said he was going to look for a place of his own. She didn't think he was actually going to go off and find the condo to live in with another woman.
The pizza didn't take long to be ordered and Reba and Brock had both scarfed down five pieces of pizza and two cheese sticks. "I feel like the biggest pig on the planet." Reba said as her hands were resting on her stomach.
Brock laughed and looked at his beautiful ex-wife. "I forgot how much you could eat sometimes. That's why when we went out to eat the bill was always so much." Brock said as he continued to laugh.
Reba's stomach was hurting from laughing so much. She then glared at Brock with a slight smile. "When that happened I was pregnant so that doesn't count!" Reba exclaimed as Brock was shaking his head as he continued to laugh.
"It still happened so it counts!" Brock said with a smile. Reba continued to laugh and ended up against his arm, just like she had been when she had fallen asleep on the couch a year ago. The mood in the room changed and Reba could feel her heart rate go up. She looked over at Brock and Brock was looking down at her.
"Brock-" Reba said until she was interrupted by his soft lips being pressed against hers. Reba didn't pull away but she felt like she was in shock. The man she had never gotten over had kissed her, and then she realized she was kissing a married man. She pulled away and jumped off of the couch. "What the hell Brock? You're a married man! I'm not going to kiss a married man!" Reba started pacing back and forth and Brock could tell that she was worried.
He stood up and looked at Reba. He placed his hands on her arms and looked at her. "Reba I still love you. You're not kissing a married man honey. You're kissing a newly divorced man." He said as he pulled out the papers and showed Reba.
Reba looked at Brock and she wasn't sure what to say. Brock walked closer to Reba and smiled softly. "I- I- what?" Reba said as she looked at Brock. That was the last thing that she had expected to happen tonight. She wasn't even expecting any company, of course Brock hardly ever warned Reba that he was going to come over.
Brock wrapped his arms around Reba's waist and looked at her. "Reba Nell Hart after all this time and everything we've been through I still love you and want to be with you. I am no longer a married man but a single man who wants nothing more except to be with you."
Reba was shocked and felt like she could have a heart attack at any moment. "You really want to be with me?"
"More than anything Reba. You know how much I hate admitting that I'm wrong but I was wrong to ever leave you. I should have stayed with you so we could work on our marriage but instead I decided to run like a scared child. I never stopped loving you Reba and if I ever get a chance with you again I'm going to make sure that I won't blow it." Brock said as he kissed Reba's cheek and then walked over to the door. He knew that this was probably overwhelming to Reba and decided that the best thing to do was to give her space.
Reba didn't move an inch. She stood in the exact same place that Brock had left her and watched him walk towards the door. She didn't want him to go. She loved him and couldn't believe that he was telling her that he loved her. Reba took a deep breath and then walked over to Brock grabbing his wrist. Brock turned around and was shocked to see Reba standing there. "If we do this you need to be a hundred percent committed." She said as he nodded his head. She took another deep breath and then wrapped her arms around his neck stretching up so that she could press her lips to his.
"Wait does this mean that you love me too?" Brock asked pulling his lips away from hers so he could look into her eyes.
Reba looked up into his eyes and smiled softly. She couldn't believe that she was absolutely about to say the one thing that she had kept to herself for years. "I've always loved you Brock. I didn't divorce you because I stopped loving you." She said as he smiled and wrapped his arms around her waist pulling her into a hug. This night had gone better than he ever thought it would.
Brock smiled and pressed his lips to her forehead. "Does that mean that you'll take me back?"
Reba smiled softly and nodded her head. "Yes." She said as Brock picked her up in the air and hugged her. This was wonderful news, even if saying that you were dating your ex sounded kind of weird. Reba was glad to be back in Brock's arms the way that she was, and she had a feeling that this time around things were going to be different. "I love you Brock Enroll Hart."
Brock smiled down at Reba and before he pressed his lips to hers he said, "I love you too Reba Nell Hart." Both of their lives finally seemed like they complete and they were going to start fresh and make sure that their relationship was going to be stronger than ever.