Title: Deceived
Chapter 26: Still the one
Time: Fall 2008
No copyright infringement intended.
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Previously- Brock followed her, still shirtless. He stopped her before she entered her bedroom. "Hey, let me ask you just one question."
Reba smiled. "Go ahead."
He leaned into her doorway. "Do you remember when we were just friends like this and we slept together anyway?"
She stayed silent, blushing.
"I remember, too, babe." He grinned at her.
"That was a long time ago!"
"I think there's still hope for me."
"Dream on," she teased.
"Don't worry. I will."
What happens next? Stay tuned to find out! Keep reading to find out more!
The answers to the questions above will be revealed as you read the story. Here is Deceived!
Now on with our next chapter-
A few days later, Reba visited Brock at his dental office. He was sitting at his desk, rubbing the back of his neck, like he also did before when he was stressed out.
"So, what do you plan on doing tonight? You look like you need a break," Reba commented as she entered the room.
"I'm going to throw on my comfy sweats and lounge around on the couch, eating a whole carton of chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream." He was down going over papers as he responded.
Reba walked over and put her hand on top of the stack that he was reviewing. "No, what you need is a fresh start. I'm your friend and I want you to be happy."
Brock looked up at her. "I have a fresh start. Barbra Jean isn't pursuing me anymore. She isn't seeking me out with vengeance either. I have time to catch up on my children's lives. I'm back to work. I'm getting to know our precocious seven year old daughter. I'm thrilled with my new life. Do I need to go back to singing in the shower to prove how okay I am?"
"You're forgetting something."
"I am?"
"I've been out there. You haven't. We got tied down before either of us got a chance to shop around. Hence, the BJ problem. I think that you should start dating. It's important that we explore every option this year. We have to decide if marriage is right for us. You can't make that decision without the right information."
"The woman I want to spend the rest of my life with is in love with someone else. How do I bounce back from that? I'm a little heartbroken. I'm not sure I'm ready for what you're suggesting."
"I understand. I'm currently dealing with heartbreak."
"No, you don't. If you understood, you wouldn't be asking me to do this. Some people are irreplaceable."
"I agree. We had something special once. After the divorce, it was hard, but I learned to move on. I learned to love again."
Brock snickered. "You had a temporary loss of judgment when you fell in love with Jack Morgan." He stood up to put some files in a drawer.
Reba pulled her angry glare. "Can you stop making fun of my boyfriend long enough to listen to me?" She walked over to him and turned him around to face her. "I know you loved me, but what we had is gone. I'm not sure if it will ever come back. It's been eight years. I've learned how to live without you and be happy. I'm not sure we can ever go back to the way things were. You need to find out if you can move on."
He returned her glare. "'Cause that's what you did, right?"
"Not exactly. Technically, I'm still married, aren't I?"
"Technically."
"We're not divorced yet. I mean, I have divorce papers... but they're worthless now. We never got a chance to say goodbye."
"I'm not convinced that saying goodbye is the way to go. Any guy would be insane to leave a woman like you."
"You're a good guy. It's okay."
"Obviously, not good enough. Nice guys finish last anyway." He put his hands on her shoulders. "Tell me why you think that it's finished. Why do you want me gone so badly? Why did it all fall apart for us?"
"Mixed messages, mistakes were made. Forgiveness was easy... but we were already growing apart with different priorities. We're different people now. I don't want to dwell on the past. I want to focus on the here and now. We have to find out if there's someone out there for you, besides me. It's what you were looking for when we separated. We never got that resolved because..."
"Because Barbra Jean is a creepy stalker sprung from a family of lunatics."
She smiled. "Can't argue with you there."
"There will never be anyone who knows me like you."
"You have to give this a shot. You're a great guy. We stumbled into this by accident. We didn't know each other that well when we got married. There might be someone out there who is a better match for you... someone who doesn't love you by accident. You deserve someone who loves you on purpose."
"Why do you do that? You're smart and savvy. And you're naïve about love. You have a strange blindspot."
"You need a real fresh start. You need a relationship with a clean slate. You're handsome. Any woman would be lucky to date you. We have one year to make a decision that will impact the rest of our lives. You should get started right away. I know you well enough to help you find the perfect woman." She grabbed a magazine. "Let's fill out this questionnaire. It'll be fun."
"If I have to take this, then so do you." He smiled at her teasingly.
After the tests were completed, Reba demanded that Brock reveal his answers first.
He read from the magazine. "My perfect woman is a real go-getter- smart, independent, and beautiful. She's not afraid to fight for what she wants. If life's kicked her around a little, she's more than happy to kick back. Some people think she's tough, but that's because they've never seen her soft side." He looked up at Reba. "You know who that sounds like, right? You."
She scoffed. "But I'm spoken for."
"Are we still talking about Morgan?"
Reba stood up from her seat. "I'm gonna go spend some quality time with Maggie."
He handed her the magazine. "I wonder what she would think about our results."
"Neither one of us is the type to give up on love. Don't give up on finding love, Brock."
"Why do you care so much, Reba? I'll tell you what, you find my perfect woman and I'll go out with her."
She nodded. "Deal!"
He smiled at her. "Deal," he replied softly.
She grabbed the magazine and turned to leave the office. She thought for a second, putting the magazine down on a chair before swiftly retreating. He ran up to the chair eagerly grabbing the magazine to get a glimpse of the results of the quiz Reba took. The results matched Brock perfectly.
A few days later, Barbra Jean came rushing over to Reba's house, barging in as usual. "Reba, Jack is gone!"
"You should expect that from him. He used to up and run off at a moment's notice all the time when we were dating. He'd be gone for months at a time."
"But Reba, there wasn't a note or anything. Jack wouldn't leave without a word, would he?" Barbra Jean was wringing her hands, clearly distressed over his sudden absence. "You don't think that he was kidnapped by someone like Brock was, do you?"
Reba held her hand up. "Calm down, Barbra Jean. I'm sure there's a perfectly good explanation for this."
Brock entered the room cheerfully. "I should light a cigar to celebrate. The man is finally gone. The lying scam is out of the picture."
"Why are you so happy? He was a good man," Barbra Jean insisted.
"A good man who knew that an imposter had taken over my life for almost eight years. There's not a good enough excuse for that."
The doorbell rang. "You two need to stop arguing while I answer the door," Reba declared. She walked up to the door and opened it.
There was a mysterious looking man on Reba's porch. He was dressed in a black suit and tie with a white dress shirt. He was wearing black sunglasses. "I'm looking for Reba and Barbra Jean Hart."
"I'm Reba Hart and this is Barbra Jean Booker Hart." She gestured toward BJ. "What is this about?"
The man took off his sunglasses. "Ms. Hart, my name is Denton...Agent James Denton. I'm with the CIA." He showed the group his badge.
Reba folded her arms in front of her. "How can I help you, Agent Denton?"
"I have some information about the man that you've been dating, Dr. Jack Morgan."
"We're not dating anymore. He's currently dating Barbra Jean. She's currently very worried about him because he left without telling anybody."
"He had to. He's on official business. He won't be back anytime soon."
"What? Why? He's a psychiatrist," Barbra Jean remarked.
"He's more than that. I believed that Reba Hart has some classified information. We are concerned about her motives regarding this information now that Ms. Hart and Dr. Morgan are no longer dating."
"You'd have to know that Reba would never do anything to hurt anybody. Dr. Morgan ought to know that," Brock said.
"We can't verify that. Agent Morgan is on assignment in a top secret location."
"Wait a minute! Jack Morgan was working as psychiatrist for the government. He's not a spy. I'd know if he were. We were together for two years."
"Ms. Hart, he was working for the CIA during the entire time. He is working on a very important case right now. We need to depend on your cooperation and silence on this matter. There's been a development in an old case. Agent Morgan is uniquely familiar with the background and was chosen to join the investigation. I'm not authorized to say anything else. I'm sorry. The details of his dossier are classified. Goodbye, ladies." He turned and walked out the door, closing it behind him.
"Wow, this day just sucks. I'm sorry, Reba. It's too bad, Barbra Jean. I tried to tell you. The man was up to no good."
Tears trickled down Barbra Jean's cheeks. She walked up to Brock and slapped him hard across the face. "You're no better than Jack and Alex, you know."
"Barbra Jean!" Reba exclaimed.
After Barbra Jean left, Brock was lamenting about the situation. He couldn't stand the thought of Reba hurting over Morgan again. He gazed at her while she sat in the chair, motionless. "Honey, I'm so sorry."
"What do you have to be sorry about? I fell in love with a man who knew that my husband was being held hostage by dangerous people and did nothing about it. He was in the CIA, for heaven's sake. Of course, he would know the truth. I was so stupid."
He put his hand on her shoulder. "Reba, it's okay."
She shrugged off his gesture of comfort. "It'll never be okay."
"You're my friend, the only true friend I've ever had. There's still something between us, right? I'm still hopeful."
"Please don't. I can't promise you anything."
Two weeks before Christmas, Reba arrived at Brock's dental office to see the latest receptionist throwing herself at Brock. She sent the girl a hateful glare. "Who's this?" Reba asked.
Brock backed away from the young woman. He didn't want to go down that road again. "This is Skye, our new receptionist. Skye, this is..."
Fortunately, Reba saw the innocence and fear in Brock's eyes. She cut him off before he could say anything. "I'm his wife Reba."
"It was nice to meet you, Mrs. Hart. I have to get going now," Skye said.
"Merry Skank-mas," Reba remarked, as Skye walked towards the exit door.
"Hoe-hoe-hoe," Skye fired back, pointing to Reba. She laughed evilly, running a hand through her long jet black hair before departing.
Brock chuckled. "It's the most wonderful time of the year." He kissed her on the cheek. "Hello, wife."
"I hate her. I want her fired immediately."
"I know, Sweetheart. She's out of here. What a surprise to see you!"
The two walked into Brock's office. Reba sank down into a chair. He took his office phone off the hook and shut off his cell phone. "What are you doing here, darlin'? You seem down. Anything I can do?"
"It's almost Christmas. Cheyenne and Van are going with the Montgomery's for Christmas. Kyra almost always spends Christmas with friends. Jake is older now. He's asking to do the same. It's so hard. It's been this way for years since the divorce."
"We still have Maggie. Reba, I'd like to be the one to give her the bike this year."
Tears formed in Reba's eyes.
He walked over to her, bending down at her side. "What is it?"
"It was Maggie's first Christmas. Jake was eight. His dad took both of them for Christmas, gave Jake the bike. The other kids left me, too. It hurt so badly. It was the first of many."
"I swear I would never hurt you like that, ever! You've got to believe me. I've missed out on so much with our kids, too. I just wanted to be the one to buy her the bike this year. It's my first Christmas with her. I wanted to make it special. I want us to give her the bike together."
Reba wiped her eyes. "I know, I know. It's okay. I want this to be special for you, but it won't be the same. The kids are all grown up now."
"Reba, I know I've screwed up in the past, but I'm gonna make it up to you. I'm going to make it the best Christmas ever."
"I'm just tired of feeling alone, especially around the holidays."
"Don't I count?"
"You're working."
"No, I'm not. Everyone's left for the day. The office is closed. It's just you and me. I think I know a great way for us to kick off the holidays together."
"How?"
Brock grinned. He pulled out all the Christmas decorations for the office, inviting Reba to help. They worked on the office Christmas tree together.
"This reminds me of our first Christmas together as a married couple. It was our only Christmas before we became parents. And now, our oldest has two children of her own." He added more ornaments to the tree.
"Who knew you were so crafty?" Reba smiled at him.
"There's a lot about me that you still don't know."
"I think you're right. I'm finding things out that seem brand new about you." She adjusted the garland and checked to make sure that all the lights were working.
"Not bad." He remarked, as he checked out the tree. "We make a great team."
She looked around the office. "Everything looks so festive."
"We just need one more thing."
"What is it?" They stood face-to-face, inches from each other. Reba felt the sexual tension, pulling away. "Wait, let me pour us some wine. I remember that you keep a small stash in the closet."
Brock turned the lights off. The room was illuminated by the lights of the Christmas tree. He played Christmas music in the background. "Merry Christmas, honey. It's gonna be the best X-mas we ever had."
Reba clicked her wine glass with Brock. "Merry Christmas. I'm gonna hold you to that promise. She put her head on Brock's shoulder as she gazed at the brightly lit tree.
"No expectations. Would you spend New Year's with me?"
"Are you asking me out on a real date?"
He laughed softly. "Yeah, I am. I'm asking you out."
She moved in closer to him. "Okay, I accept."
To be continued...
What happens next? Stay tuned to find out!
Author's note: I had a sudden inspiration to update this story. It seems to be a readers' favorite. Thank you.
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! This update is for you.
Please let me know what you think about this chapter. Review or PM me and tell me what you like about Deceived. I'm still not sure how many more chapters will be added. I have so many ideas for this story. Thanks for reading. I really appreciate your feedback.
Here's the author shout-out. I'd like to give a special shout-out to QuinnAlexis. This author wrote a great story called I Was Glad To Give My Everything To You. I hope she plans to update her other story, Everything happens for a reason, more frequently.
I have to thank my fellow writers for the wonderful updates to my favorite stories lately. Please check them out. These are quality Reba fanfics!
Old Love, New Love
Two Black Cadillacs
Crawling Back To You
A New Love
Lessons in the Ward
Road Trip
Wildfires
Better Than I know Myself
Time flys when your having fun
Shout out to my favorite stories. They're great. I hope to see new updates for them soon.
Kiss Goodnight
Painful Lie
Love Triangle
A Love Hate Relationship
Summer Breeze
Calling Nevada
Burning Passion
Going Back
The One That Got Away
Timeless
Web of Lies
Hart Breaking Words
Brock's Dilemma
Afraid to Sleep
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I thank all my readers for your continued support. Your support really keeps me writing! Without you, my stories wouldn't be continued every week.
Characters I don't own: Reba McKinney-Hart, Brock Hart, Kyra Hart, Jake Hart, Cheyenne Hart-Montgomery, Van Montgomery, Elizabeth Montgomery, Barbra Jean Booker, Henry Hart, Jack Morgan, Mike Holliway, Liz Hart, Buzzard Booker, 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: Maggie Hart and Alex Hamilton.