"Are you excited?" Kyra asked Cheyenne as she held her hand to her little tummy.
"How could I not be? I mean, I'm finally where I've always wanted to be in my life." She said smiling. She just looked genuinely happy. I held a fake smile as I watched the ordeal.
"Are you hoping for a little boy or a little girl?" Brock asked smiling too.
"As long as it's healthy, it doesn't matter." Cheyenne said smoothly.
"Although if it's a boy, nobody's going to complain." Van said in his goofy way. Cheyenne rolled her eyes.
"Nobody's going to complain if it's a little girl either." She added.
"Are you excited mom?" Kyra asked. I jumped at the question. Do they know I'm pregnant too?
"Oh umm, well why wouldn't I be?" I said forcing my smile to grow some. I got a feeling by the way she was looking at me, she meant more than happy for Cheyenne's baby.
"You sure you're okay?" Scott asked quietly. I just nodded.
"You seem a little off." Kyra said as she eyed me closely. I casually crossed my arms over my torso.
"I've just felt the start of a migraine all day. It's no big deal." I said shrugging it off. Lori Anne just slightly shook her head as she sipped her wine. The night drug on like this forever. I was so glad when we ate and just sat down to watch a movie. I took my usual job of cleaning up the kitchen while everyone else piled in the living room. Gives me time to think anyways.
"You've really got a strange life going for yourself Reba." I mumbled to myself as I started loading the dishwasher.
"Still talk to yourself after all these years?" I turned to see Brock standing with his hands in his pockets. I shrugged.
"Old habits die hard?" he laughed a little.
"I always thought you were so weird for talking to yourself like that, then Terry introduced me to you." I crossed my arms as I leaned on the counter listening. "Then it just seemed weird for you not too, it makes up who you are." I tilted my head a little trying to understand.
"Me claiming insanity makes up who I am?" I raised an eyebrow jokingly. He laughed.
"Kind of, it's just all those little corky things about you that all add up to make you who I've always known." I half smiled as I looked at the floor. I didn't want to meet his eyes; I knew how they'd be looking at me.
"Yeah well, it's those little corky things that drive me crazy." I said shrugging. I started loading the dishwasher again.
"You're so hard on yourself. Don't you ever just sit back and let yourself be happy with yourself?" I laughed a little.
"I haven't had time for that since before we got married." I said honestly. I saw him laugh a little as he shook his head out of the corner of my eye.
"Well you've got time now; they're all out of the house." I had my back to him as I placed a hand over my soon to be showing belly.
"Don't think that's going to make much of a difference right now Brock." I said trying to keep the moment light.
"Once she's back things will be better." He said quietly. I looked over at him and he was looking at his folded hands on the island. He never brings up Hailey out of the blue like that anymore. He out of everyone has understood the reality of the situation.
"Once she's back it's going to be a fight to keep her. I don't know if I can even get her back Brock. It's not looking very good right now." I said focusing in on the dishes. He didn't say anything for a while which I was grateful for. I can't take talking about Hailey right now like this.
"I'm sorry about last night." He blurted out. I looked over at him in shock.
"What?" he sighed.
"I had no right coming over like I did last night. You're in a relationship with him, not me and I need to respect that." I nearly fell over at the words I heard.
"Wow. What brought this on?" I asked holding onto the counter before I could fall over.
"Thinking a lot about it all." He looked down. "That and Kyra pretty well put me in my place this morning." He said making a face. I laughed a little.
"What did she say to you?" he let out a little laugh.
"That he makes you happy and you deserve to be happy after all this time." He looked up at me. "That for the first time since the divorce you've actually let yourself be happy with yourself." I smiled a little at my daughters' words. "She said you were going through something no one knows about, and that it's taking a lot out of you." My eyebrow shot up. That didn't sound like it was Hailey based.
"What does she mean by that last part?"
"She wouldn't say. I figured it was Hailey." I nodded. "Isn't it?" I sighed.
"Yes it is. Just surprising." I felt ready to cry. Damn these hormones! I don't even have a reason to cry right now!
"It's okay, I'm sorry." He said standing up. He came over and wrapped me in a comforting hug.
"It's okay, I'm fine." I said trying to stop the flow of tears. He pulled back and just looked at me.
"Why are you even crying?"
"I don't know." I said honestly. He started laughing which made me laugh too.
"You're crazy."
X xx xxx xx x xx xxx xx x
After the dishes were done, I sat in the living room and pretended to watch the movie that was on. My head was racing so much I couldn't focus on it though. I got up and headed for the bathroom quietly. I have to go so bad all the time. It's ridiculous.
After I washed my hands, I opened the bathroom door to see Kyra standing there. I jumped.
"You scared me." I said putting my hand over my heart.
"Sorry." She said shrugging a little. She stepped toward me until we were both in the bathroom, then she shut the door.
"What're you doing?" I asked confused. Then my conversation with Brock came to mind.
"I want to talk to you. I heard dad mention me talking to him today." My eyebrows went up in anticipation.
"Yeah?" she reached into her back pocket and pulled out a little piece of paper. I looked at it confused for a second before it sunk in. That was my second ultrasound picture. My jaw dropped.
"It has your name on it. You left it out one day so I picked it up before Cheyenne could get it." I took the picture in shock. I couldn't find any words. "Will you please explain this?" she asked getting frustrated.
"I'm just… I..." I stuttered.
"Are you mom?" I covered my face with my hands and tried not to cry as I sat on the edge of the bathtub. I heard the door open and she left. I sat there and cried like only a pregnant woman can. I heard the door open again and I made sure my face was covered.
"Reba honey, what's wrong?" Scott asked as he fell down at my side. I shook my head.
"I'll talk to her Scott, its okay." Lori Anne said trying to usher him out of the room.
"I'm not leaving her." He nearly snapped. He pulled me into his arms tightly. "Does this have anything to do with what you needed me to wait for?" he asked into my hair.
"Yes." I said into his shoulder.
"He doesn't know?" Kyra asked confused.
"No he doesn't, but thanks." Lori Anne snapped.
"What don't I know?" he asked looking back at them both without letting me go.
"Ask Reba." Lori Anne said quietly. His eyes moved over to me. They went from hard sharp blue crystals to soft and gentle ones.
"What's going on Reba? Please talk to me." He brushed my hair out of my eyes and cradled my face in his hand. I closed my eyes and debated telling him about our baby, but something inside me said to wait. I shook my head.
"I can't yet. Please just wait a little longer." He closed his eyes frustrated.
"Reba, they know and I don't. How am I supposed to take that?" I shook my head and fought another round of tears.
"Kyra's not suppose to know and Lori Anne only knows by chance." I said defensively.
"But they know and you're keeping it from me. Why do you do this so much with me?" he asked frustrated. He was so angry but it wasn't directed at me.
"Because you can't know yet." I said angrily. He put his head down on my lap trying to keep his temper in line. I have no doubt he was hurt by all this.
"Tell him Reba." Lori Anne said softly. I shook my head no.
"Not yet." She rolled her eyes as her temper hit the roof.
"So what, you'd rather suffer though this alone than let it be a joyous thing we're all aware of?"
"You know damn well the situation at hand Lori Anne." I snapped angrily. Scott stood up and took my hand, pulling us out of the bathroom, down the hall, down the stairs and outside the back door.
"What's going on? This is way more serious clearly than you made it out to be." He said holding onto my arms. I'm not sure if he was worried about me falling over or himself.
"Scott, I don't think I can tell you right now." I said closing my eyes. He let go of me and stomped off to the side of the porch.
"Why not? Just give me one good reason why you can't tell me?" he asked throwing his arms in the air.
"Because I don't know if you'll be here long enough to help me deal with this." I nearly yelled.
"What are you talking about?" he looked so lost. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. I opened my eyes and took his hand, placing it over my belly. He looked even more confused.
"Scott, I'm pregnant." He didn't react, nothing about him moved or changed.
"What?" I took a deep breath to calm myself.
"I'm pregnant. I'm carrying your baby." All at once it looked like it hit him hard.
"Pregnant. Like a baby pregnant." He said slowly. I nodded.
"But last night was the first since…" realization flooded his eyes.
"Thanksgiving." I said nodding a little. He stumbled into a chair that sat right behind him.
"How far are you then?" his eyes were huge and unfocused.
"Nearing my third month." I said quietly.
"You knew this whole time?" I nodded.
"I found out right before you came back."
"It's mine? My baby? A baby of me and you? Right there inside you right now?" he stuttered. I smiled a little as I stepped forward and took his hand.
"Yes, to everything." I said quietly. He just studied my face for a long minute before breaking out in an ear to ear grin.
"You're having a baby, my baby, our baby." I smiled back at him nodding. He stood up and wrapped me in his arms tightly. "I love you." He said into my hair. I felt tears of relief leave my eyes. He does want this baby…
"I love you too." I said feeling the weights lift off my shoulders.
"You're pregnant." He said in sudden urgency as he pulled me back.
"What's wrong?" I asked a little scared.
"That's my baby, my baby, do you realize what this means?" he said in horror. I felt the weights settle back down on me.
"What?"
"I'm that baby's daddy. I'm its father, I created it." he said as his eyes got wider. If I wasn't so scared I would've laughed.
"What are you trying to say here Scott?" I asked cautiously.
"I can't even keep a fish alive for more than a week! And I just helped to create a little life!" he looked ready to fall over. I tried hushing him so everyone in Houston wouldn't know tonight. "I'm not ready to be a father Reba, I can't keep myself together; how can I be trusted with our baby?" he sat down and put his head between his knees, breathing deeply. I suppressed a little laugh.
"It's going to be okay." I said crouching by him.
"I don't know what to do." He was shaking his head.
"What, do you just want to leave then?" I asked defensively as my anger shield flew up. He looked up at me like I had four eyes.
"What? Why would you even think that?" he looked nothing like Scott right here, he's always kept himself together fairly well. "I meant I don't know if I should quit my job right now or if I should ask for my two weeks' notice still or what I need to be doing, I have to support him I mean that's not even a question here." He said sitting back and looking at the sky. "What room is going to be the baby's room? Are you going to stay at the house?" he shook his head stupidly. "Of course you are. It's your home." He ran his hand through his hair with a heavy sigh. "What's going to happen between us now? Are we ready for this as a couple?" he asked gesturing between us. "How do we even approach this? I just-" I covered his mouth with my hand.
"First thing first; I'm not allowed to let my blood pressure get high for any given reason. You ranting like this on all the struggle and chaos this baby is causing, is not helping that cause." I said slowly. "Secondly, we'll figure this out. As long as you're in this with me, we'll be fine." He nodded as I moved my hand.
"You're right, I'm sorry." He said sitting forward and holding both of my hands in his. "We'll figure this out together. I'm not going anywhere." He placed a kiss on both of my hands. As I looked into his eyes, I felt like everything would really be okay.
X xx xxx xx x xx xxx xx x
I climbed into bed with my every intention to rip every shred of clothing off of Scott. I straddled his and started kissing at his neck as I pulled on the seam of his shirt. It's like he didn't even notice as he lifted the book he was reading above me.
"That book's going to be here tomorrow. Why don't you put it down for the night?" I asked as I nibbled at his jaw line.
"Oh, what?" he said in a daze as he rejoined the real world. I sat up and looked at him.
"I thought we had plans for our night." I said taking off my pajama top to get his attention off the book and on me. He didn't even react.
"What?" he still wasn't quite paying attention. He was so wrapped up in his book. I rolled my eyes and grabbed it, sticking his bookmark in it, and reached over to put it on the table when the title caught my attention. What to expect when you're expecting. My eyes went wide. "I was reading that."
"Already? I haven't even gotten it out for myself yet." I said in shock. His eyes were huge as I looked back at him.
"What's going on Reba?" he was looking me up and down, completely in the dark as to how we got in this position.
"We had plans I thought." I said annoyed as I climbed off him and put my shirt back on.
"We still can can't we?" he asked carefully. When I looked over at him his eyes were on my belly.
"I think the moment passed when I told you about the baby."
"That's not true." He said trying to pretend it wasn't true when we both know it is.
"You can't go three seconds without worrying about the baby. How can I expect to have a time with you if I have to worry about you saying the word baby in the middle of climax?" he looked distant.
"We were pretty crazy yesterday, sex can't hurt the baby can it? Are you allowed to have sex when you're pregnant?" I rolled my eyes and put my pillow over my face as I lay there trying not to scream. "Reba? What's wrong?" he pulled the pillow away and I just looked at him.
"Lets just go to sleep." I said plainly as I rolled my eyes. He ruined the moment completely.
"I'm sorry honey; this is just so new to me. I want to do this right, I don't want to do something to hurt the baby or mess it up."I sat up and took his hand.
"You have no idea how happy that makes me, truly. But other things make me happy too. I've been through this a time or two, I won't let you injure our child in any given way." He half smiled at me.
"Alright. So now that that's out of the way, about our plans…" he said as his smile grew. I smiled right back at him.
"That ship has sail babe." I said patting his cheek before lying down to sleep. Two can play hardball.