Title: Enchantment
Chapter 21: Something so real
No copyright infringement intended.
Previously-
"Don't do this! Don't you understand? We don't have what it takes to make it no matter how hard we try."
The baby kicked again. It took a tremendous amount of willpower not to put her hand to her belly. That became an automatic response by now. She already loved her baby.
"I thought we agreed to put Reba and Brock behind us. We're different people now."
She shook her head. "It doesn't matter because we can't escape Reba and Brock. It always catches up with us. You did me wrong, flat out wrong. And I should never let anything cloud that. If you'll excuse me, I have to see my boyfriend now." She slammed the locker door shut and walked away.
What happens next? Keep reading to find out more!
The answers to the questions above will be revealed as you read the story. Here is "Enchantment!"
Now on with our next chapter-
She ran up to Alex's locker. "Hey, can we talk?"
He closed the locker and looked down at his shoes. "Yeah, I guess." He shuffled his feet from left to right.
"I thought we were a thing, but you've been avoiding me." Reba spoke quietly.
"Look, I've heard some stuff. You and Cap? It wasn't that long ago, was it?"
"You're right, but it's been over for a while now. You know that. I'm not that type of girl." She put her hand on her hip.
He put his hand on her shoulder. "Calm down. I know that. It's just that there's something weird going on around here... And I've noticed some stuff."
"Like?"
"Like the way you look. You're more voluptuous and I wondered about that. At first, it wasn't anything. I like having a hot girlfriend, but I know there's more to it. Isn't it strange how I got paired with Jessica and you got paired with Cap? Usually, students pick their own partners. Then I heard something about the party you went to with Andrew..."
She held her hand up. "Wait just a minute. One, thanks for calling me hot. Two, the teacher is new and he has no idea what he's doing. That's not fishy. He's just a mo-ron. About the party... yeah, I'm sure whatever you heard is true. I was very drunk that night and not in control of my actions."
"But I saw you in class... touching your belly. You hide it well, but I still noticed."
Her smile drooped. "It wasn't anything. I lost control. We were both out of our minds. Please don't tell anyone. No one knows. I'd die if anyone found out."
"So, that's why he looms over you like you're still together?"
"No, he's a giant mo-ron. I mean, no one knows, except my mom, who's pregnant, too."
"Wow, you could be on MTV!" He laughed.
She giggled. "Seriously, I'm dealing with it in my own time, in my own way. He doesn't know anything."
"Are you okay? I'm here if you need to talk."
"I know. Thanks. Listen, about us, I'm not ready for anything right now. Relationships are complicated enough without... this."
"Yeah, we're both kind of "married" right now to other people. Jessica wants to try to see if we fit as a couple. And I wouldn't want to cross your baby daddy."
She groaned. "Ssh, don't say that, but thank you for the shoulder." She wrapped her arms around him for a brief hug.
Behind her, someone cleared their throat.
Alex's eyes widened. "Well, I've got to get to my next class. I'll leave you to your "husband".
"Yeah, go find your wife and leave mine alone." Brock took a tough-guy stance.
Alex hurried away.
Reba smacked Brock. "What's wrong with you, you mo-ron? It's just a class. It's not real. He's my boyfriend."
"Not if he wants to live to see tomorrow. He needs to take care of his own wife and leave mine alone."
"The macho thing ain't impressing me. In fact, I find it repulsive. Now, move, so I can get to my next class!" She shoved him out of her way and stormed off.
A strange thing happened later. Brock started getting chills, and then he complained about burning up. He started coughing.
He sat down on the couch. "I have such a headache and I'm so cold." He wrapped his arms around himself, shivering.
Reba went to get him a blanket. She gave him some Tylenol and helped him to bed. She was relieved that he was only running a low-grade temperature of 99.5. She got him a cool washcloth and placed it on his forehead.
His stomach rumbled. "Reba, my throat is so dry. Could you get me some water?"
She ran downstairs to the kitchen. She fixed a tray for him. She got a huge, blue, thick water bottle full of fresh ice water. She made Brock's favorite grilled cheese sandwich and tomato soup. She also grabbed some Nyquil pills for him.
Brock's tired eyes lit up with delight when he saw Reba's tray. "Oh, honey. Thank you."
"Don't get too used to it. I'd do this for anyone. Remember when you had kidney stones?"
"Listen about that. I'm sorry. I shouldn't have compared it to childbirth. I was being selfish. I know that it was much harder when you had the kids. You were in labor with Kyra for 55 hours."
Reba winced. "Ouch, I'd forgotten about that. Thanks." She glanced down at her belly and shuddered. "Don't worry about school or your assignments. I've got it covered. I'll take notes for you and help you as soon as you able."
He slid his hand over hers and looked into her eyes. "Thank you, honey. I really appreciate it."
A little while later, he was shaking in bed.
The covers shifted and he felt a warm body slide in beside him. "Reba?"
She wrapped her arms around him. "You were shaking something fierce. What you need is body heat. I need you to get better soon. I'm doing the project stuff by myself until you're better. So, concentrate on that. I need a full partner to share the workload with for the next sixteen weeks."
He turned his head around to kiss her forehead. "This marriage thing isn't so bad. You're a great wife."
"Hey, mo-ron. Remember there are still some things about marriage that you don't like. You've been pretty eager to rid yourself of having a wife."
"Only the cheating ones."
Reba laughed. "I feel the same way about cheating husbands."
"I know a cure for that. The recipe is husband minus loving wife, add happy pills, add journey to find himself, add goofy wife, minus cheating wife, and add loving best friend equals husband who learned a valuable lesson."
"You forgot something in that equation. The loving wife/best friend also added happy pills and a journey to find herself, so she's not the same woman for him to come back to."
"Good. I get to rediscover a whole new you. I like a woman with a little mystery."
She fake-chuckled. "Something tells me that you're not gonna like my little mystery. Just go to sleep, mo-ron."
He settled down and took a breath from the sweet floral scent from her hair.
The week went on. Brock recovered. They settled into a routine for school and homework, especially for Family Relations class. Real conversations turned into finding out new things about each other. Smiles became genuine. That's when tragedy struck.
One night about three o'clock in the morning, she was awoken by a man shaking her and gently calling her name. "Nell, wake up."
She rubbed her eyes. "I must still be dreaming. Mike Holliway is in my bedroom in the middle of the night. Lori Ann is gonna kill you. Aren't we not a thing anymore?" She sat up in bed.
He sat down on the edge of the bed. "Lori Ann sent me. I've got two things to talk to you about that are really bad."
"How did you get in here?"
"You left your window open. Anyway, which do you want to hear first?"
Reba caught Mike staring at her chest. She smacked him in the head. "How about the not-so-bad news first?"
"God, you're beautiful. All the changes are amazing."
"And you're stalling. Out with it!"
"Lori Ann found out that I lied and you know how she is about that now."
"Yeah, so what did you lie about?"
"Remember how she made you confess?"
She nodded.
"Well, that was only for Brock's benefit because I already knew everything."
"Hey, genius, we established that Terry told you."
"There were some things that Terry didn't have to tell me. The amnesia was temporary. I started to remember after I left the hospital. Terry confessed what happened. I forgave both of you instantly. My mission was to stop the wedding, but when I caught up with you..."
Reba's mouth was open momentarily out of shock. "I remember. I told you that I loved Brock so you would go away."
"That was the moment, our turning point. See if you really loved me, it would have killed you to marry someone else. But I saw you, your body blossoming, and the sparkle in your eyes. He did that for you. You told me all those things because you meant them. Do you remember?"
She nodded. "Yeah, I said that I'd never loved anyone the way I loved him. I thanked God every day for the wonderful blessing he brought to my life." She looked down at her belly.
"And now?"
Her voice broken as she strained to keep her voice low. "I still feel like that. I've got an amazing blessing and I can't deny that I wouldn't change a thing. I need this." She rubbed her belly. "This is as real as it gets. Okay, I need the mo-ron a little."
"Because we're best friends, I say this with love. You're being stubborn and pig-headed about this whole thing. If you keep pushing people away, you might miss something good. You had to push me away because you were meant to be with Brock. But don't push him away, especially not now. Except that it will have to wait."
"Wait for what?"
"You, to get home from Oklahoma. JV is in bad shape. I've been told to bring you to McAlester immediately."
"What about all this?" She gestured to herself and Brock.
"Oddly enough, your mother is okay and your father's memory has gone bad. He thinks that you're in college again. I've got two plane tickets. It was all I could afford. Do you want to wake Brock?"
"Leave him be. He just got over being sick."
"There's more. I told your parents that you're pregnant."
Her eyes bulged. "Are you completely insane? Are you aware that my daddy, who's now a little touched in the head, owns a shotgun? What is wrong with you?"
"You could wake him right now. He'd help you."
"Nope. I hid the first time from my parents because I was scared. I'm a big girl now. I'm not ashamed of the whole thing. Plus, I like Brock the way he is, bullet-free. Let's get going. I'll leave a note for the family and Brock can take care of Lily for me."
Reba faced her parents with the news of her pregnancy. Her mother hardly said a word. Helen was sick with worry over the sight of JV looking so frail in his hospital bed. As Mike said, JV thought that Reba was still a young woman in her late teens. The news of the baby brought a fire back in his eyes and a smile to his face, much to her relief. Reba faced her father's illness alone, putting on a brave face at the hospital. JV needed heart surgery. Two days later, he was in the OR and his family was in the waiting room. Reba finally got the help she'd refused to accept before when a certain tall, blonde, muscular athlete arrived in the waiting room.
"Hey, Reba," Brock said softly, unsure of how she'd greet his presence.
"Hi." She sprang up from her chair, wrapped her arms around his neck, and buried her face in his chest. "What are you doing here?"
"Well, I got your note, but there was no way that I was gonna leave you to face this alone." He bent to whisper in her ear. "A good husband would be here."
"Brock, she's been here for two days. JV won't be ready for visitors for a while. Why don't you take her home? I hate to see her like this. It's not good for her and ..."
Reba put her hand up. "Mama, I'm a grown woman! I can make my own decisions. I'll go with him. Please don't start in about anything else." She took Brock's hand.
"Fine, just get her home. And Brock?"
"Yes, ma'am?"
"When are you going to do the right thing by my daughter?"
Reba mouthed, "So old fashioned."
Brock winked at Reba and smiled. "As soon as she'll have me. I'm trying, Helen. She's just so stubborn."
"I wonder where she gets that from, must be from JV's side of the family."
Reba chuckled. "Sure, Mama. Goodnight." She hugged and kissed Helen before returning to Brock's side.
When they arrived back at the McKinney homestead, Reba hugged her coat a little tighter to her and walked over to the barn. She couldn't imagine going to bed yet. There she was, experiencing déjà vu as she sat in the hayloft, pregnant and scared. She heard rustling below, and the sound of footsteps up the ladder.
Brock flashed her a smile. "I thought you were gonna get some sleep. Whatcha' doin' up here?" He sat down next to her in the hay.
"Can't sleep, got too much thinking to do. My daddy is usually so strong, Brock." Her voice cracked at the end.
He put his arm around her. "I know, honey. He's gonna be okay, you know. He never gives up. He's JV McKinney, toughest guy around." He looks around the hayloft. "Brings back a lot of memories, huh?"
"Yeah, it sure is weird, reminiscing when you look like this. It was a long time ago, and yet we look like we did back then. But it seems like a million years have passed since then."
He rubbed the back of his neck. "Lots of great memories. This is where you told me that we were having Cheyenne and you finally agreed to spend the rest of your life with me." He took her hand in his.
"And now, we get to start our lives all over again. I mean, we can change things, make things different."
He placed his hand against her soft cheek. "Except I wouldn't want to change a thing. I love you. I'd give anything to relive those wonderful days with you."
Tears trickled down her face. "Such a sweet talker. Thanks."
"I don't mean to sound stupid, but for what, honey?"
"Right now, I see the guy I fell in love with. I was wondering when he'd be back." She didn't give him much of a chance to respond because she quickly planted her lips on his.
They passionately kissed like that for a few minutes before he started lowering her into the hay. She pulled away, pushing him off.
"What? Is something wrong? I thought we were having a moment."
"We are. I just don't want to repeat the uncomfortable experience of making love on hay. Having a roll in the hay is too cliché. Would you like to continue this inside?"
"Are you kidding? Don't have to ask me twice. Race you down." He rushed down the ladder from the loft.
She was a little more careful on her way down. When she reached the bottom, he scooped her up and raced into the house with her in his arms. She giggled the whole way. They arrived in Reba's childhood bedroom.
She stood nervous for a moment. "Turn the light off."
"Seriously? But we're never done that before. We always leave the light on. I love looking at every part of you." He grinned at her.
"If you want this to happen, you better turn off that light." She had her arms crossed.
He raced to shut off the light switch before reclaiming her lips. "Better?"
"Definitely!" She pulled him down on the bed with her in the darkness.
They quickly shed their clothes in their hurry to finally explore each other after all this time.
When they were finally done making love, they were cuddled in each other's arms, panting. That's when time ran out. Reba's belly fluttered again. He felt the movement. He carefully pulled her closer.
He felt more movement against his skin from within her. "What the heck was that?"
To be continued...
What happens next? Stay tuned to find out!
Keep those reviews coming in to read more!
Author's note: Remember, I reward those who review. Anyone who reviews each chapter gets a sneak peek at the next chapter. I'm going to do this for all my stories for all my updates, so keep reviewing or PM me with comments about the story and I will reward you.
Also, I know that you want more frequent updates, but I've got so much going on. I'm over the illness, but I'm still working on all the stuff for the move. I'm getting divorced and moving across country with my kids, reverse-Malibu Country style because I'm moving back home to be near my family. There's so much to do- finding an apartment, finding a job, applying to graduate school with a part-time teaching assistant position, working on my manuscripts for publishing, and talking with all of you. I love talking about my stories with readers. I will always take time out to do that.
Here's the author shout-out. I'd like to give a special shout-out to rarararawr for her story, Behind Closed Doors. Thanks for sharing your writing with us. It's a great story and I look forward to reading the next story. Her writing and frequent updates are wonderful!
Thanks to mudgielovesreba for her story, Crawling Back to You. It's great that she's updating this story again. I missed it.
I'm also hoping that LittleMissCheerios updates her wonderful story, Road Trip.
If anyone has any suggestions on my stories, then I'd love to hear them! Review or Send me a P.M with your suggestions! Please feel free to make any comments that you wish. I may just decide to include it in the story. If I do include one of your suggestions, then I will give you full credit.
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Guest
I thank all of you readers for your continued support. Your support really keeps me writing!
Without you, the story won't be continued.
Characters I don't own: Reba McKinney, Brock Hart, Barbra Jean Booker, Kyra Hart, Jake Hart, Cheyenne Montgomery, Van Montgomery, Elizabeth Montgomery, Dr. Jack Morgan, Henry Hart, Mike Holliway, Terry Holliway, Lori Ann Garner, and any other characters from the Reba cast.
Characters I do own: Anyone not part of the Reba cast.