Title: Reba Nell Got Married
Chapter 4: Chance meeting
Time: March-June 1983
Characters I don't own: Reba McKinney, Brock Hart, Barbra Jean Booker, Mike Holliway, Terry Holliway, Lori Ann Garner, JV McKinney, Helen McKinney, John D. Hart, Liz Hart, and any other characters from the Reba cast.
Characters I do own: Anyone not part of the Reba cast – original characters developed for this story include: Max Thornton, Cheyenne McEntire-Smith (Nana), Vince McEntire (Papa), Kenneth Smith (Gramps), Paige McKinney, John McKinney, Barbara Ann Grant, Kim Campbell, Madeline Mitchell (Maddi), Greg Brooks, Jason Holliway, Emma Holliway, Frank Campbell, Sarah Sue Thornton, and Maggie.
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Now on with the story-
This chapter will consist of scenes that will be in regular font, not italicized font. I use the italicized font to distinguish between author's notes and regular scenes. I use bold font when things need special emphasis.
Previously- In that moment, Reba should've reacted differently. She wanted to. She should've been offended by his sarcasm. She hadn't done anything like that to this Brock, but 2008 Brock was a different story. Except when she heard the words and tone, she looked over at him. She saw hints of Kyra in his voice and his face. It brought tears to her eyes. It was another reminder of how much she missed her children. It was a reminder that this was the father of her children. She touched his cheek. She pressed her lips to his. The kiss was as tender and as light as a summer breeze and it took Brock by surprise.
"I really don't wanna fight with you tonight. Can you just take me home? We can figure out the rest as we go along. You did say that this was a casual thing, right?"
Brock nodded. He got her home as fast as he could. When they got there, Reba breathed a sigh of relief. All the lights were off, which meant that her parents were still asleep. She had Brock leave his truck only halfway up the driveway. They crept up to the back of the house, still holding hands. That's when they saw Terry coming up to them. Reba dropped Brock's hand fast. "You're gonna have to treat me the same as you always treat me. Don't worry. I won't be offended, okay?" she whispered to Brock before they reached Terry.
Reba took the whole situation in stride. She went walking up to Terry as if nothing had happened at all. Brock was offended. It seemed that Reba wanted things to go back to the way that they were. This was not a good start for day four...
What will happen now with Terry? Will Brock be able to get Reba to openly love him again? Will Brock be able to get Reba to finally trust him completely? What will Reba's next move be, now that she's chosen to make love with Brock? What will Brock's next move be? Who will Reba choose to confide in? What decisions will Reba make about her future?
What happens next? Stay tuned to find out this chapter!
The answers to these questions will be revealed as you read the story. Here is the latest installment of Reba Nell Got Married.
Now on with our next chapter-
Reba appeared as calm as she could in front of Terry. She was sure that he would figure out what happened and tell Mike. "Where have you been? Mike is goin' crazy. He's really worried about you."
"And he posted you at my house so you could run on home and tell him what time I came home."
"Yeah. Reba, you got really trashed tonight. We were worried about you," Terry said with his voice full of sincerity.
Reba was too mad at Mike to listen. "Right. He was worried about me. He was so worried about me that he stayed at the party with the bimbo. He was so worried about me that he had the mo-ron here take me home. Thanks for that by the way. He's really bad with directions."
"Hey! I got ya here, didn't I?"
"Sure took you long enough. You've partied so much that it's obviously damaged your brain cells."
"Look who's talkin'. If you hadn't partied so much last night, I wouldn't have had to take you home. You made a fool outta yourself. You were dancin' on top of a table. Way to go, Red. Feed the rumor mill some more."
At this point, Reba's eyes were blazing with anger. She remembered Nana's rules. She wanted to get control of her emotions before she accidentally did something that she'd regret later. She froze Terry and Brock. She decided to climb the tree by her bedroom window to get into the house. She inched closer to Brock. "I'm not sure if you can hear me, but you went too far with that one. You're lucky that I didn't change you into a pig. If you do remember this, we can talk about that later."
She turned to Terry. She waved her hands. "You will remember none of this when you unfreeze. You'll go home and tell Mike that I'm fine and I got home safely. You saw me walk up to the house by myself around 3 a.m., then you went in search of Lori Ann because I told you that she was looking for you." She ran and climbed the tree. She opened the window and snuck in as quickly as she could before the boys were unfrozen.
Once they were unfrozen, Terry looked at Brock. "What are you doin' here?"
"Don't you remember? I told you that I'd help you find Lori Ann. She's not here and it's late. I'm gonna head back to the dorms." Brock waved and got into his truck to drive away. It wouldn't be the first time that he'd had to cover up being with her. She spent a lot of time and energy doing things like this when they were first together. She was always hiding the fact that they were together. She didn't want Mike to know. What did Mike do to inspire such loyalty? Then he remembered that this was Reba.
She was a very forgiving and loving woman. Sure, she was stubborn with a mean streak, but that was only when someone pushed her too far. He'd spent years being an idiot and pushing her too far. It was a miracle that she still allowed him in her life. It was even more of a miracle that she'd given him such a precious gift after the way that he'd hurt her. She was still in love with the man that she'd first married. That was clear. The trouble was that he would have to prove to her that he was still that man. He had to show her that he was still the Brock that she'd fallen in love with in 1984.
Day five was Sunday. Reba went to church with her parents, and then sought out Lori Ann afterwards. They sat down by the creek. "Hey, Reba. Still prayin' for my sins."
"Yeah, but you've got a lot more to rack up later on in life. So, how was your night? I saw you with Terry at the party."
"Yeah, can you believe it? It was great! He's so sweet."
"Yeah, I know. You love him and you'll probably always be in love with him no matter what."
"You've been talking like that lately. What is up with you?"
"I got a little bit more than I asked for. You know about my magic, right?" Lori Ann nodded and Reba continued. "Well, I got sent here from the year 2008."
Lori Ann laughed. "You're jerkin' my chain."
"No, I'm serious. I can prove it to ya."
"I'd like to see that. Go ahead." Lori Ann challenged.
Reba smiled. "Okay, Terry. Show yourself. I need to talk to you right now!"
Terry shimmered into sight. "What's the big emergency?"
Lori Ann gasped. "Wow!"
He turned to face her. "Hi, Lori Ann."
"So you're dead?"
"I'm an angel, Lori Ann, not a zombie."
"Ha, ha. He sounds like Terry all right. What happened? Why is she here? What happened to you?"
"She asked to fix her past mistakes so she got sent here. I got cancer." Lori Ann looked like she was going to start crying. "It's okay. I'm fine. I spend all my time looking after Reba, but other than that, I'm fine. Please don't cry. It's great to see you again. If the other me doesn't tell you, I want you to know how important you are to me, okay. We've always cared about each other."
Lori Ann nodded. "Okay, I believe you, Reba. That is, if I'm not hallucinating."
"You're not hallucinating. I'm an O'Hara. Strange things like this happen all the time."
"That's certainly true." She wanted to turn back to Terry to question him further, but they were startled by the gasp coming from behind them. The girls turned to look.
"Terry, what are you doin' here?"
Young Terry points to Angel Terry. "What's goin' on? Is that me?"
"Kinda in a way. Nana is an O'Hara, one of those O'Haras and so am I. This is future you."
"He's like a ghost or a spirit or somethin'."
Angel Terry is annoyed by his younger self. "I'm an angel. I'm her guardian angel." He pointed to Reba.
"Okay, what's goin' on here?" Terry said, sitting down to brace himself for what they were about to tell him.
"I made a wish. I got sent here from the future."
"How far into the future?"
"2008."
"Man, you're like really old now, huh?" Young Terry joked.
Reba didn't find it funny. She slapped him on the back of the head just like she always did to Brock and Van. "Oww! Okay, Reba. I'm sorry. So I'm obviously dead in 2008. Come on, I've got to hear more. So did you and Mike get married?"
"For about 24 hours, thanks to you. Don't worry. We're finally gettin' it right this time. We're about to get married again." Reba went on to tell Terry the rest of the story in abbreviated form.
Young Terry started laughing. "You and Brock? You marry Brock Hart?"
"Because of you, you mo-ron! You ruined my wedding and marriage to Mike the first time around."
Brock came walking up the path towards them. Angel Terry disappeared from sight. Terry was still laughing. "What's so funny, man?" Brock asked.
Terry pointed to Reba and then pointed back to Brock. "It's the funniest idea ever! You and her as a couple. You two fight so much you'd be in divorce court in a week."
"Shut up, Terry! Ugh, like I would ever consider lowering my standards to date a dumb Neanderthal jock like him!" Reba exclaimed. She still wanted to focus on her goal. She wanted the family that she lost back. She wanted Mike and their baby so she wasn't going to screw that up. Spending time with Brock was just a way to pass the time until June. This Brock wasn't so bad. He was nicer than she remembered. It was an interesting scenario. She could insult him all she wanted and he had to stand there and take it.
She was only willing to date him under those circumstances. She was not going to jeopardize her future happiness for the guy who broke her heart, crushed her hopes, and shattered her dreams in the future. How in the world was dating Brock a good idea? That's when she thought about their date back in June. She was willing to admit that there were parts of him that weren't so bad. Maybe it wouldn't be so bad spending time in 1983. She could fix some things and relive some happy times; at least she wouldn't be sitting at home waiting for the phone to ring.
That's what she did the first time. She was older and wiser now. She was not going to sit back and let Mike do whatever he wanted this time. She was going to go out and experience life. She was going to make Mike work to earn his way back into her life as a partner. She figured that he deserved to remain in holding pattern for awhile in the 'just friends' status. She didn't know what she had done to change Brock or to change things between her and Brock, but whatever it was working for her right now.
She could focus on the good stuff without thinking about the bad stuff. This Brock didn't do anything to hurt her. She'd always regretted losing her virginity just because she got drunk one night. This time, she took control and fixed that problem. She lost her virginity in a beautiful moment that she would always remember. It would make a nice story for her daughters later on. She got to experience lovemaking without worry this time. She was responsible and took care of herself.
She knew what pitfalls to avoid this time around. She told herself that everything would work out because she had the information about the future to guide her decisions. Wait! She thought about that again. She's always had the dreams and visions so she married Brock knowing that he would break her heart. Her pain was her own fault. She was not going to be that naive or foolish again. She couldn't trust Brock to give her unconditional love.
She couldn't trust Mike to give her unconditional love either at this point either. About now, she wished that she had a third option. She would love to have someone to date that would make those guys clean up their acts in order to be with her. There was one guy, but he was not even an option that this point. She wouldn't have Max in her life until she'd walked away from Mike and Brock. She didn't like how she met Max either. She was pregnant and alone when he took her in and saved her.
When she was younger, she was grateful and grew close to him when they were under horribly stressful circumstances. Why couldn't she meet a regular guy who'd be important to her future without the hero status? All three of the men in her life always thought that she had to be rescued. She was tired of that. She wished that she could have a regular relationship for once with someone who cared about her without any games. She pondered this as she started her shift at Holliway's. She was almost eighteen and she got Mike to agree to let her work there. She always made more money at Holliway's than she did at Frontier's.
She was behind the bar, proving her bartending skills to Mike. Okay, she'd used magic to avoid dropping any bottles, but she did that the first time around too. She was competing against Brock. He'd been working behind the bar since moving to McAlester to start college almost two years ago. Brock was having fun. He'd forgotten how much fun it was to work with Reba like this. The last time he worked with Reba, she was desperate for a job and she was hostile towards him. It was not a pleasant working relationship.
He couldn't let her and the kids live without basic necessities so he hired her. The mistake was giving into Barbra Jean's demand that she personally train Reba. Train Reba for what? Reba had worked as his office assistant since he opened the practice. They started the business together. She worked with him until after they had Jake. She was the one who hired and trained Barbra Jean. Barbra Jean's demand was ridiculous, but he didn't want to rock the boat. His marriage to her was rocky from the start. It was because they got married for Henry. They didn't marry for love. The truth was that he was still in love with Reba. He always would be.
Lori Ann was also working at the bar, waiting tables. Reba was explaining to Lori Ann about how she wished that she had a third dating option when he walked in. When Reba saw him, she gasped. It was Max. In her time, he'd aged gracefully. Now she saw him as he was before. Now she knew why she'd given in and slept with him the first time.
Her body had an involuntary reaction to this man. Reba and Lori Ann were dressed in skimpy outfits. It was Reba's idea for them to wear the cropped tops and Daisy Duke shorts complete with boots. If bars like Hooters could draw a crowd and make money hand over fist, then Reba could do it too. She was determined to help Mike bring in more revenue for the bar. She had a stake in it as a future owner. It was then that Reba realized that this meeting was ahead of schedule too.
Either her memories were fuzzy or she'd changed plenty of things already. He only knew young, desperate, and pregnant Reba in that time. She was now young and single with a slim figure. This was going to be fun. She walked up to him. He was wearing jeans, a tan cotton shirt and cowboy boots. He was clean shaven with the same dark brown hair and blue eyes, although his eyes looked more like a smoldering blue now. He looked very different from the conservative businessman that she first met. He looked like a younger, slimmer version of the man who'd showed her a good time in bed for the last few years.
"And here comes bachelor number three," Reba commented to Lori Ann.
"Good Lord, Reba. He's gorgeous. Do you know him?"
"Yeah, we are very good friends in the future. He's sweet, generous, thoughtful, and good in bed."
"You've had sex with him? I didn't know that you had it in you. Way to go! He must be the hottest man in Oklahoma."
"Did I mention that he drives a Ferrari and we have a purely physical relationship?"
"I guess that you've learned a few things from me then."
"Yeah, you could say that. Lori Ann, you're so oversexed that you seduced a priest. He left the priesthood for you."
"That sounds like me. Do I ever settle down in the future?"
"You've tried marriage, but with the wrong guys. You've been divorced three times."
"Do you think that it's because none of them were Terry?"
"Now that you mention it, I do think that might be one reason for it."
Lori Ann pushed Reba over to where Max was. "Go for it, girl!"
Brock started grumbling. "See, Brock. I know when it's time to feed the rumor mill. It'll be fun to see the steam comin' outta Mike's ears when he sees me with this guy. This is gonna be fun," Reba declared. She turned and made her way over to where Max was sitting. "Hi, can I take your order? Let me guess. You look like you could use a beer."
"Yeah, I do. Especially from someone as pretty as you. Hey, darlin', wanna come over here and let me buy you a drink?"
"We'll see. I'm workin' right now. I'll see ya when I get a break, okay?" Reba winked at him.
Reba sauntered over to the bar and got a bottle of Max's favorite beer. That should interest him. He'll be intrigued by the redhead who happens to know his favorite kind of beer without being told. Reba figured it was worth a shot. She delivered the beer to him quickly, still walking that signature walk that Lori Ann taught her to use. He smiled at her with that sexy grin that she adored. She hated being 17 right now. She missed being in her forties and having the option of taking this man to bed.
She smiled when she realized that she had the advantage over Max. He was always the older one in the relationship. Reba only had the appearance of being in a 17 year old body. Inside, she was forty-two and much older than Max's thirty years. "Thanks, darlin'. I hope you'll still be around if I need ya."
"Definitely, you're my favorite customer tonight." Reba started to walk away when she felt him pinch her on the rear. She turned around and smiled. "I see that you're very good with your hands. What are you doin' in a little place like McAlester tonight?"
"I'm lookin' to meet Reba McKinney. Do you know her? Her grandmother is a friend of my aunt. I'm in need of a nanny and I've come to interview her for the job."
"Nope. Never heard of her. I'm Sally, by the way. And you are?"
"I'm Max. Are you sure that you've never heard of her? I was told that she worked here."
"I'm new and I don't know everyone yet. Well, I'll see you later, if you decide to stick around."
"As long as you're working, I will be."
Reba was tingling from sexual awareness throughout her entire body. She had to remind herself that she wasn't Reba Hart right now. Reba Hart could take this man from 0 to 60 in no time flat. She was still Reba McKinney and up until last night, she hadn't had sex at all. She walked back over to the bar where Lori Ann was standing. "He's still amazin' and he's here to meet me."
"No, really?"
"Yeah, but I wanna have some fun first. Max knows how old Reba McKinney is, but he doesn't know who I am or how old I am. This man changed my life. He pulled me from the abyss of despair. I'm grateful to him for so many times over the years, but I don't love him. I have to make sure that he doesn't fall in love with me. If the first feelings he has for me are based on sexual attraction, then it will be easier to keep things at that place in the future."
"Reba, I hate to tell you this, but you cast a spell and now he's here. Remember? You wanted a man who wanted you so bad that he couldn't stand it. He'd be there whenever you need him. He'd drop everything to rush into your arms because you're the most important person in his life. He seems funny and smart. You wanted a man who will cherish and will really listen to ya. He has a great body. You said it yourself that he's good in bed. He's rich with a big house and a hot car, right? Let's face it. You zapped yourself a man, not destiny."
"Oh, boy-I'm in trouble! What do I do? I don't want him to want me because he's under a spell."
"Freeze the room and remove the spell." Reba's hand moved forward to freeze the room. She tried to say something to remove the spell. "Is it working?"
"Lori Ann, why aren't you frozen?"
"You shot it forward so it didn't hit me. I was behind you," she explained.
"So was I," another voice responded.
Reba turned around and her hand flew to her mouth. It was Brock. "Craaap!"
"It's nice to see you too."
Lori Ann took this as her cue to walk away. She knew how these two could fight.
"You know what I mean. You surprised me, that's all. Look, you can run away screaming now. This freaks out most guys."
"I'm not running away. I'm not freaked out. I'm just intrigued."
"Craaap!" Her hands waved in front of her.
"What?" he asked.
"I'm trying to make sure that you're not under any spells. You're not acting like yourself and I want to make sure that nothing funny has changed you."
Brock grabbed one of her hands and bent down to kiss it. "No spell going on here. I really like you and you really like me. Last night was nice. Why don't you forget this guy? I'd like to ask you to dance."
"In front of Mike? Are you insane? Please just let me do this. I have to. It's important. Remember, you said that we were just a casual thing. So, don't go bossin' me around."
Brock's face fell. "I don't want you to feel like that. I just want to spend some time with you."
"Okay, I'm sorry. I told you. I'm not good at this. Would it make you feel any better, if I told ya that I'm using this guy to drive Mike crazy? It's nothing serious. I don't feel that way about him. I do feel something for you, so please trust me."
"Okay, I trust you, honey. This guy is bait and just for show. I think I can deal with that." He whispered those words into her ear and then quickly kissed her neck. That move sent shivers down her spine. He hadn't tried that particular move since they were married. Where in the world did that come from? Reba shook it off. She focused on her plan to set things right with Max. She unfroze the room quickly and walked over to his table again.
"So, can I get you anything else?"
"Yeah. Tequila gold...Doubles."
"Tequila?"
"Let's have some fun. You look like a tequila type of girl. No Chardonnay, no frog water-real drinks."
"Okay, coming right up." She walked over to the bar again. She went to pour the drinks. Everything seemed to be moving in slow motion. Her mind took her back to moments from her time. Brock saw her seemingly staring off into space. He wondered what she was thinking about. A smile grazed her lips.
He put his hand on her back and began to gently rub her back. She had been on her feet all evening. He got more than he bargained for. She was having a memory flash or a vision. He couldn't be sure, but he touched her unaware while she was in the middle of it. That's all it took for him to see what she was seeing. He saw a motel sign for the Stagecoach motel. He saw her enter room 109.
That's when he was sorry that he'd gotten himself pulled into seeing this. Max grabbed her from behind in the darkened room as she shut the door. He picked her up and threw her onto the bed. She was laughing. She kissed him and started to undress him quickly. Brock moved his hands to her shoulders. He was rubbing her shoulders. He'd hoped that would pull her out of it.
It did. Reba was suddenly aware of the feel of his fingers gently massaging her skin. She turned around to look at him. "What happened? There are times when I can't be touched. Did you see something that you shouldn't have?" Brock nodded. "Did it make you feel uncomfortable, seeing me like that?" Brock nodded. His face had fallen and he looked at her longingly. "Good. You need to remember that feeling. I need you to remember what that feels like for the rest of your life. Someday, you're gonna do the same thing to someone that you care about. It hurts so much to see someone you care about moving on with someone else right in front of your very eyes. Excuse me. I have to serve these drinks to Mr. Right Now over there."
"Mr. Right Now?"
Reba scowled at him. "How dense can you be? That guy over there is not Mr. Right. He never has been. He's just Mr. Right Now, the man of the moment."
She served the drinks to Max and he offered one to her. She sat down with him at his table. He raised his glass and said, "Power to the people" before downing the burning liquid. She raised hers and downed it too.
"The little people...Oh boy, oh boy, oh boy, oh boy."
"You okay?"
"Mmm, I'm fine. I'm just fine. I haven't had tequila in awhile, and I've already got a good buzz goin'."
"You want another one?"
She nodded and went to get them two more drinks. "What are you doin'?" Brock asked when she came back to the bar counter.
"What? The guy offered to buy me a drink. I let him."
"You are 17 years old. Your body can't handle much alcohol. You proved that the other night. Is he wearin' a wedding ring?"
"Yes, but his wife is dyin' of cancer. She has less than six months to live. She sent him out like this. She wants him to find someone else. She doesn't want him to be alone."
"And you got all that from one conversation? Look, when I imagine you going out with other guys, I feel... ah..."
"Rejected, worthless, miserable."
"Yeah. Like that."
"Good." Brock looked miserable. "Shut up and rein in the jealousy. Never mind. Someday this conversation isn't even goin' to matter," Reba responded in a resigned tone.
"You keep saying someday. I'm concerned about right now, the here and now. It matters to me, honey. It really does." Brock put his hand to her cheek.
Reba placed her hand over his. "You're confused and I'm sorry. You didn't even do anything wrong. I know that. I'm blaming you for somethin' that you didn't even do. Just forget this conversation and I'll try to stop bein' so defensive." She walked back over to Max's table.
"Hey, beautiful!"
"I'm gonna try to get out of workin' the rest of my shift so I can spend some more time with you." She downed the rest of her second glass.
"I didn't know that they let bad girls in here. You are the most interesting woman that I've met in a long time."
"You've been spendin' time in the wrong places then." That's when she delivered the line. It was the same thing that she always said to him when they were together. "I can be as bad as you want me to be." She trailed her fingers up and down his arm. "I have a head for business and a bod for sin. Is there anything wrong with that?"
"Not at all."
"The clothing that the waitresses are wearin' is my idea. I'm friends with the manager."
"Beautiful and smart, I like that in a woman." Now Reba remembered why she held onto this guy for so long. He was perfect for her. He said things that she wished that Brock would say. Sometimes he said things that only Brock would say, if only she could love Max the way that he wanted to be loved.
Reba set off to find Mike so she could leave. She found him in the office. "Hey, can I leave early? Something has come up and I've got to go. A friend came by from out of town."
"Really? Who is it?"
"Someone you don't know. We've broken up and I don't have to tell you anything."
"Someone has to look out for ya."
"Why? So I stay that pathetic virgin who stayed home pining away for you?"
"Look, there are a lot of guys who might take advantage of a sweet, innocent girl like you."
"I'm not so innocent."
"I disagree. You are very innocent and naive when it comes to men."
"Not anymore. I've been cured of that. I've finally fallen off that pedestal that you put me on. I took care of it."
"Took care of what?" he asked, not quite believing his ears.
"I decided not to wait anymore. It was no big deal."
"Are you saying what I think that you're saying?"
Reba held her head up defiantly. "Oh, yeah. It was good and fun. You see that guy out there. He wants me and I've decided that I want him, too."
"Come on, Sal. You've got to do better than that."
"Fine. Don't say that I didn't warn you." Reba stormed out of the office. She walked right up to Max and kissed him passionately. Mike darted out after her. He stopped when he saw her. Rage was flowing through his veins. He pulled Max away from Reba and punched him in the face. Reba was floored by it.
Mike had never reacted that way before. She didn't know whether to be angry or impressed that he was so jealous. His face was lit up with fury. Reba knew that an argument was imminent and she knew that they both had tempers. She decided to freeze the room so she could think.
Cause I'm so mad I might tell you that it's over
But if you look a little closer
I said, "Leave," but all I really want is you
To stand outside my window throwing pebbles
Screaming, 'I'm in love with you'
Wait there in the pouring rain, come back for more
And don't you leave cause I know
All I need is on the other side of the door
So babe if you know everything, tell me why you couldn't see
When I left I wanted you to chase after me
Reba sang the words so softly like a whisper. She stopped to whisper in his ear. Not like it would matter because he didn't know about her magic and her words were coming across his mind like fleeting thoughts. "Please don't give up on me or us. Please don't let it take 25 years to chase after me this time. Keep tryin' because I'm stubborn and our love is worth it. Our family is worth it. Our life together is worth it. I love you."
She unfroze the scene, except she forgot one small detail. She froze everything in the room, except for who or what was behind her. Brock was behind her and he heard every word. He finally got to find out exactly what Reba expected out of her man. She wanted a man who would never stop fighting to be with her, even if she claimed otherwise. "I'm leaving. I can't believe that you did that. It wasn't him. I was only jokin' around."
She helped Max up off the floor. She was prepared to walk out to his car with him. She was so upset that he'd gotten hurt because of what she said. "I'm so sorry. That's my ex and he's havin' a hard time seein' me with someone else."
"You think? Listen, I'd like to see you again. That is, if you want to." Max was hesitant in asking. He was worried that she might say no.
The rain started to fall. "I'd really like that. I really like you. Thanks for bein' such a good sport about everything." Max closed the distance between them and pressed another kiss to her lips. He got in his car and she watched him drive away. She went back into the bar. She went to grab her things to leave. Mike tried to stop her. "Are you still gonna leave with him?"
"That's none of your business. I can't believe you did that to him. I really hate you right now! Get outta my way!" Reba stormed out of the back door and out into the rain. Mike followed her. He kissed her and she felt tears filling her eyes. The kiss was bittersweet. She wanted it to happen, but he was still attached to another woman. He couldn't have it both ways. She refused to let him string her along with moments like these.
"I love you, Sal! God only knows how much. I've tried to move on, but it's clear that we both still have feelings for one another."
Reba groaned. "Here we go again. I hate you, love you, you mo-ron. It's not somethin' that easily fixable. It takes time. You have to want to put the time in. You have to be patient enough to wait for me. You can't just go off with Kim because you're lonely or because you think that we won't work out. I'm scared and if you'd lived my life, you'd be scared too."
"I know that your parents aren't the best examples of a loving and happy marriage, but I think that we could be. I know that we're gonna look back at this in 25 years or so and laugh at how silly we were."
"I wish that I could be sure of that." Mike cupped her face in his hands. "I'm sure enough for the both of us."
"I'm scared and there's no way around that. You have to be patient."
"I'm tired of bein' patient. You either love me or you don't. If you love me, then we should make a commitment to each other."
Reba got mad. "Look who's talkin'. I'm not goin' around all over town with another man. I don't think that you know the meanin' of the word, commitment. Are you gonna dump the bimbo?" she asked with her hands on her hips.
"I can't hurt Kim. She's been there for me through some hard times. My family is just as shaky as yours."
"Because your dad won't leave my mom alone."
"It takes two, Sweetheart."
"Ugh, I'm sick and tired of this. I don't wanna fight with you. Are you gonna dump Kim?"
"Not right away. I can't do that to her. It's not right."
"Fine, I'm gonna date who I want, where I want and you can't do anythin' about it. By the way, I wasn't kiddin' about not bein' a virgin. I just didn't sleep with Max."
"Who was it?"
"Wouldn't you like to know? That's for me to know and for you to find out, but I don't think that you ever will. I'm serious about datin' someone else."
"I'm either gonna figure it out or get it straight from you. You're not gonna date anyone else or you would've already. I know you better than you know yourself, Sweetheart."
"I hate how I feel about you. Sometimes I wish that I didn't love you."
"You don't mean that." He stroked her cheek lightly with his fingertips.
She sighed. "I don't know what else to do. I have to try to do something else now. I'm gonna start seein' other guys."
"I heard you say that you love me. You know if you didn't love me, we wouldn't be havin' this fight. We still love each other." He kissed her again.
She broke off the kiss. "I can't put my heart through this over and over again. You've got to make a decision, Jack. I'm not waitin' in line until you decide to grow up."
"Who're you gonna get to date you, Sal? You couldn't find a date to the junior prom and you had to go with your cousin. That guy tonight was the first guy to show interest in you in awhile."
"That's because all of the guys in this town are afraid to cross paths with you. I'm gonna find someone who is not afraid of you. Just watch!" Reba went back into the bar. She found Brock still standing behind the bar. "Hi."
"Hi." Brock was unsure of what to say. He didn't know what was going on between her and Mike. "Are you okay?" Reba nodded. "Good. I was worried about you."
"Thanks. Do you wanna date me?"
"Is that a trick question?"
"Brock!"
"Okay, okay. Yes, Reba, I wanna date you."
"Good." She pressed her lips to his. Mike was inside to witness this. He never believed that she would take things so far. She was kissing his best friend. He trusted Brock, but he didn't trust Reba right now. She was in a dangerous mood.
"What are you doin'?" he whispered.
"Changin' my life," she answered. "We need to establish some ground rules. Meet me outside in your truck in five minutes."
Brock was stunned, but eager to see what she'd do next. He tried to calm Mike down and then went outside to meet Reba. "Okay, what now?"
"I love him, but he's a mo-ron. So, I'm doin' what I should've done before. I want you to pretend to date me."
"No, if we're datin', then I really wanna be datin' you."
"Fine, but only until June. I know that Mike will change his mind by then. I'm gonna drive him crazy until he does."
"That's just what I wanted, a girlfriend who's usin' me until she can be with someone else."
"Sorry. That's the deal, take it or leave it."
"Is that the only way that I can be with you?"
"Yes, and it's still a casual thing. I could always get Max to come back, you know. He's a great kisser."
"We'll see about that." Brock stunned Reba by his fast reaction to her words. He kissed her quickly, keeping the kiss soft and slow. He pulled away when he got the reaction that he wanted. "And now?"
"You'll do, I guess." Reba said sarcastically. Brock still understood that Reba used it as a defense mechanism so he wasn't offended by her words.
If this was day four, he wondered what day five would bring. Reba was playing fast and loose with their history and he wasn't sure what she was trying to do. He hoped to convince her that they belonged together right from the start. He only had until June and he hoped that it would be enough time.
What will happen now with Mike? Will Brock be able to get Reba to openly love him again? Will Brock be able to get Reba to finally trust him completely? What will Reba's next move be, now that she's chosen to date Brock out in the open under Mike's watchful eye? What will Brock's next move be? What will happen when Reba sees Max again? What decisions will Reba continue to make about her future?
What happens next? Stay tuned to find out in the next chapter!
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Disclaimer: I don't own Reba or any of the characters in this story from Reba. They belong to the writers of the REBA TV show. I also do not own the rights to any of the songs and lyrics that I use in this story. Those are the property of the artists involved. I also do not own the rights to any television show or movie reference that I use in this story. Those are the property of the Hollywood creative teams involved in their production. I will be changing some release/airing dates of the titles used to fit in with the story.