Title: Surrender to Love
Chapter 11: Let's make a deal
No copyright infringement intended.
Previously- Reba turned to see her bubbly daughter burst into the room just like she did any other time she came home from college. Reba was filled with humiliation and flushed in shame at being caught in bed with Brock.
And yet, Cheyenne didn't seem to mind at all. She just rushed up to Brock, filled with joyful anticipation. "Oh my, I can't believe it! I've been waiting my whole life to meet you." She threw her arms around him, hugging him tightly.
Reba swallowed hard, mentally preparing to explain.
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"Cheyenne, this isn't Mike. This is Brock."
"Oh, I guess it's okay that you're not my father because you're Kyra's father and she's my sister. So, you're my stepfather. I've been waiting a long time to meet you. I'm glad you're finally here because Mom really needs to get you out of her system."
Reba covered her face in her hands. "Cheyenne!"
"Is Samantha here?" Cheyenne's face resembled a kid on Christmas morning.
"Yes, she's asleep in Kyra's room, but don't wake them until he's had a chance to leave the room. We don't want to confuse the twins. I'm still marrying your father." Reba sipped from the water bottle on her nightstand next to the bed.
Cheyenne rolled her eyes. "Okay, but hurry up. I've waited months to see Kyra and years to see Samantha. Hey, I'm glad that you're having sex again."
Reba lost control at that moment, spraying the water from her mouth on her blanket and Brock. "Cheyenne Elizabeth McKinney, for your information, we were just talking, not having sex. I'm getting married next month."
"I know, but you're not married yet."
"Young lady, after I am married, you will knock on my bedroom door before entering. And there will be no more discussions about my sex life, is that clear?"
"Yes, Mom, but don't you want to know if I had sex with Adam?"
"Well, did you?"
"No, but not for lack of trying. Relax, Mom. I'm still a virgin."
Relief washed over Reba and she sank back into the bed when Cheyenne shut the door, giggling as she did so. Reba groaned as she looked over at Brock. "I really don't feel up to giving you an explanation right now. You have no idea what it is like to be the single parent of a teenage girl."
Brock cleared his throat, looking poignantly at her. "Yes, I do. I'm well-versed in raising teenagers. Samantha is a teenager. Jake and Henry used to be teenagers. That's just one more thing we have in common, darling."
Reba sighed in exasperation. "Never mind that now. We'd better get up now. The twins will be up any minute, if Cheyenne has anything to do with it."
"That's some daughter you've got."
"She's a handful, that's for sure. I'm going to hurry up and throw on some clothes fast." She threw back the covers and rushed over to her dresser to find an outfit. She turned around and saw Brock still lying on the bed, grinning like the cat that swallowed the canary. "Are you going to lie there and watch?"
"Is that an invitation?"
Reba was visibly irritated at Brock's mocking tone. She groaned, unable to figure out how to get this man to cooperate.
Brock chuckled and got up from the bed. He pierced the distance between them, landing right in front of her. "Okay, okay. I'll be a good boy for now," Brock said, placing his lips gently to her forehead before leaving the room.
Reba and Brock met Cheyenne in Kyra's room.
Cheyenne leaned over to look at the sleeping sisters. "Look, Mom. They are so cute together. Is Samantha going to live with us now?"
"No, she'll be primarily living with Brock and she'll visit us often."
"It doesn't seem right to keep them living apart."
"Cheyenne, I see no need to disrupt her life right now. We all have adjustments to make. Samantha is having a problem accepting Mike's place in our family."
"But Kyra and I will hardly get to know her at all."
Brock shook his head. "I agree with Cheyenne. I've offered to relocate with Samantha here and share custody."
"That would not work. Cheyenne, you have to understand how that would make your father feel. Samantha has an entire family living in Houston. It's not right to uproot her. Brock's other children live there. He can't live them."
Brock controlled his voice down to a whisper. "Jake and Henry are grown. They lead their own lives now. You of all people know that. You used to babysit for them when they were little."
Reba did the same. "And then, there's Barbra Jean. I'm not going to be responsible for breaking up whatever you have going with her."
"I am not with Barbra Jean. I haven't been with her since before the accident."
"Have you told her that?"
"I know how she can be. What's the matter? Are you afraid of coming back to Houston because of Barbra Jean?"
"No, it's just..."
"What? I've been waiting ten years to find out the answer to that."
"She offered me a deal. I took it and left. That's all."
Brock stared at her wordlessly.
Cheyenne's happy features became pensive for a moment. "You two can settle this later. Can I wake them up, please?"
Reba nodded.
"Hey, Squirt! I'm home," Cheyenne said, lightly shaking her.
Kyra opened her eyes. They widened in disbelief when she saw Cheyenne, then her face spread into a big smile. "Cheyenne, you're finally home! I missed you so much. We've got a new sister now. Her name is Samantha." Kyra hugged Cheyenne fiercely.
"I know."
Kyra turned to her twin. "Samantha, wake up! I've got a surprise. This is our big sister, Cheyenne."
Samantha opened her eyes and sat up silently.
Cheyenne put her arms around Samantha. "Hi, there. I'm so glad to meet you. We're going to spend lots of time getting to know each other, okay?"
Samantha nodded.
Kyra bounced out of bed. "I don't know about you guys, but I'm starved. Last one downstairs is a rotten egg." She barreled out of the room.
Samantha chased her, followed by Cheyenne. Tears welled within their mother's eyes as she watched them. Brock put his arm around Reba in a comforting gesture. She looked into his eyes and accepted the gesture at face value.
Brock couldn't remember a better morning, surrounded Reba and the girls. Still, he couldn't stop thinking about her words. Barbra Jean offered Reba a deal? What kind of deal? Why did Reba take the deal and leave? What was so important that made her leave? What is going on in her head right now?
It was just too much to take. He wanted to hash it out with her. He'd waited for ten years and he couldn't wait a second more. He looked across the kitchen at her. She stood at the sink, washing the breakfast and lunch dishes with Cheyenne.
He approached her cautiously, praying that this was the right move to make. "Reba, can we talk for a second in private?"
"Go ahead, Ma. I can finish this. I'll get Samantha to help. We'll spend a little sisterly bonding time together." Cheyenne smiled at the pair. "Go on. Take your time."
Brock took Reba's hand in his and led her up to her bedroom. "I have a few things weighing on my mind."
"What was so important that you had to take me away from spending time with my daughters?"
Brock sat down on the bed, patting the space next to him. "We didn't finish our talk earlier. I need to know what happened. What was the deal you made with Barbra Jean?"
"It was a devil's bargain, but I'd do it all over again, if I had to. I chose Cheyenne over you and Samantha. That's the truth. So, go home and leave me alone." Reba's voice escalated.
"I get that. I thought that might have been the situation, but why? We had everything. I could've raised Cheyenne with you. We were a family."
Reba's lip quivered. "I missed my daughter from the moment she was taken from me. I was forced to give her up. I couldn't deal with losing her, and that led to problems between me and Mike. But I always believed that she was going to a good home with parents who would love her and raise her right. The reality was that my baby was losing the only parents she'd ever known. Who better to take care of her than her birth mother? I didn't want to lose her again to the foster system."
He took her hands in his. "Okay, I get that too, but why did you feel that you couldn't talk to me about it?"
She pulled away. "I'm a home-wrecking tramp. I should never have been with you. You were supposed to get back together with Barbra Jean. If it wasn't for my accident, you would have. You couldn't stand to see your child raised by another man. Barbra Jean told me everything. We broke up and you were remarrying Barbra Jean when I had my accident and that's when you found out that I was pregnant."
Brock ran his hands through his hair. "Look, it was a mistake, one I corrected the night before the accident. I thought that you were better off with Mike. You threw him up in my face every chance you got. But I couldn't go through with it, not even for the boys. I love you, and that's why I can't get back together with Barbra Jean. I don't love her that way."
"You should give her a chance. She loves you so much. She loves Samantha too. We didn't have much of a relationship. It burned out quickly. Please don't make more of it than it was."
"Why did you leave Samantha with me?"
"You pursued me relentlessly to get the girls. I had to make a choice. Cheyenne didn't have anyone left in the world. Samantha had you."
"And you thought that I would be mad enough not to come after you, if you left her with me. Okay, I sensed that something was wrong in that last month together. I just don't understand why you felt the need to lie. I would've been patient and waited for your memories to return."
"I can't trust you. You didn't tell me the truth at all. I'm grateful that Barbra Jean stepped in."
"Let me guess, she offered to use money and contacts to help locate Cheyenne. And she did that if you agreed to leave me. I bet she wanted Samantha, too."
"Barbra Jean said that you wouldn't question anything, if I left Samantha in your care with her ready to pick up the pieces."
Brock stood up and started pacing the floor. "I knew something wasn't right. I've learned that Barbra Jean is not to be trusted. I knew that years ago. She took advantage of your amnesia and your missing daughter to get what she wanted. And you don't trust me?"
Reba nodded. "I don't really know you. We had a month long courtship and a six month marriage."
"Let me tell you what happened, honey. I knew there was something fishy about the whole thing. Your medical condition gave me the excuse to do what I needed. I went to a judge and convinced him to stop the divorce, citing your neurological issues. I'm not going anywhere. You are going to get to know me because I'm your husband. Now at this point, you may not get to marry Mr. Wonderful next month. I can call my friend, the judge and let you go free and clear or not. You are my wife and you will give this marriage a chance. If you play fair, so will I. I won't say a word to Mike or the girls, if you promise to quit fighting me."
"This has to be some kind of joke."
He pulled the papers out of his back pocket and handed them to Reba. Her face flushed when she read the court order.
"No! This can't be happening. I love him. We're finally becoming a family with Cheyenne and the twins."
"This is the same guy who walked out on you to raise twin toddlers alone. Right now, this is legally my family. The way I see it, Samantha deserves the same opportunity that you're giving to Cheyenne, the chance to be part of a complete family with both natural parents who love her. You have three weeks to give us a chance."
"And then you'll go?"
"Yes, if it doesn't work out, but no tricks this time. We need complete honesty."
"You're completely insane. I'll go along with it because you've given me no choice, but I'm not willing, although I will play fair for the twins' sake." She offered her hand to shake.
He grabbed her hand and pulled her into his arms. His lips brushed against hers, exploring the soft recesses of her mouth. He let her go. "That's the right way to seal a deal, Red."
A voice broke the silence between them. "Mom, Mike's here."
Reba put her hand to her forehead. "Oh, boy."
To be continued ...
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Characters I don't own: Reba McKinney, Brock Hart, Barbra Jean Booker-Hart, Kyra, Jake Hart, Cheyenne, Van, Dr. Jack Morgan, Henry Hart, Mike Holliway, Terry Holliway, Mrs. Hodge, Lori Ann Garner, JV McKinney, Helen McKinney, 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: Samantha Hart, Brandy Holliway, Lindsay Douglas, Maxine Douglas, and Janel Morgan.