I don't own Reba or any of the character in this story right now. They belong to the writers of the REBA TV show. The characters of Kim Campbell, Sam Holliway, Jenny Miller, Nick Holliway and Josh Holliway from this story are my creation though. I also do not owe any rights to the movie, Risky Business.
Note to readers: I want you to know that I am a Reba/Brock fan. This story is establishing the history of the couple. He was lucky to get her to marry him in the first place. He'll realize that a little bit more later on when he realizes that Reba may fall for Mike again in the present. For the purposes of the story, the current setting for the story is fall 2008 when the family is watching the video that Lori Ann made for Mike and Reba. Remember at the beginning of the story, Reba wakes up in Vegas after a night that she can't quite remember and the story reveals how she got there. The first thing is establishing the relationships and history. This will bring the skeletons out of the closet for both Brock and Reba, and then you get to see how they deal with it. The story will go forward from the back-story into establishing how Reba got to Vegas and who's with her. Brock needs to have a challenge to face. He's put her through so much in the last six years. Trying to get back together with her won't be easy for him. She deserves a love affair better than she's had so far.
Previously- "I can't believe it. You're jealous of Terry. Mike, honestly, I have never been interested in Terry ever."
"You looked pretty interested in him when you were dating him? Just why did you do that anyway? To dig the knife in a little deeper?"
"I think that you need to remember who dumped who in Vegas."
"I think that you need to remember who dumped who in Ada."
"You have no reason to be jealous. There is a very simple explanation for this whole thing. If you'll come upstairs with me, then Terry, Lori Ann, and I will explain it to you. Okay?"
Author's note-The story picks up from the first season of Reba. Brock has announced that he's going to marry Barbra Jean because she is pregnant with his child. Cheyenne's pregnancy has been revealed. Cheyenne and Van were married just like in the pilot episode. There's just one big problem that Reba has to face so she's going back to get Mike's help. Reba feels humiliated and alone. She doesn't know what to do, except turn to someone who will show her love and support. She is also extremely vengeful toward Brock and Barbra Jean.
Now on with our story-
The scene was black. Lori Ann's voice came on to narrate.
Lori Ann's Narration-
Reba dragged Mike upstairs to explain about her past with Terry. What else could she do? They'd gotten to the point of losing each other over and over again. The stakes for both of them were too high. Reba didn't want to be alone without Mike and Mike didn't want to live without her anymore. She hung on to Mike's love like a lifeline.
"I don't want to fight with you. I just need you to sit down and listen to me," Reba began.
"I know. This is not how I thought tonight would turn out. I'm sorry that I'm jealous, but it's hard," Mike responded.
"Let me explain, please. My first date with Terry was prom night. If you remember, I couldn't get a prom date. My cousin took me to the junior prom. I had no date to the senior prom. My parents had gone out of town and asked Terry to look after me. He didn't have a date to prom either so we decided to go together. You were going to prom with Kim. After prom, I tried to ditch him to meet you. That didn't work out like I'd hoped. I ended up at home alone. Terry ended up spending the night with Lori Ann. You ended up spending the night with Kim."
"Is that true? You ended up with Lori Ann that night. Why'd you stop me from being with Reba?"
"I'd hoped to be with Reba. I knew that if you weren't around, then maybe I'd have a chance. None of that made a difference. There wasn't anyone else she wanted but you. When I realized that, I left. I ended up at the party with Lori Ann," Terry explained.
"Lori Ann and I had a deal anyway. We don't fight over guys ever. If one of us sleeps with a man, that man is off limits to the other. Terry, I've never had any romantic feelings for you whatsoever, especially not since the night of the first party you guys held at your place when you moved back to town. I couldn't ever have feelings for you after Mike and I ended up together," Reba stated.
"That would've been helpful information a long time ago," Terry responded.
"We weren't close friends like that. Mike rejected me and I never told you why it hurt me so bad. The thing is that you never had a chance with me after the party, but being with Lori Ann sealed the deal. Anyway, Mike and I continued to go back and forth on the relationship until Vegas. We got married the night before in a private ceremony. That you didn't know. I got publicly dumped and very drunk later in the evening. We spent one last night together. I got pregnant. He didn't want Kim to abort her pregnancy so that left me alone. I left town so I could build a new life. I didn't even want him to know where I was. The pregnancy had problems. I got very sick. Mike came and proposed. The baby came early. He was born sick and he died two days later. Instead of dealing with it with Mike, I chose to run away from the entire situation. I told him to go back to Kim. That was a mistake. My next mistake was dragging you into my mess. By the time that I decided I wanted Mike back, I didn't know how to do it. I tried making him jealous by dating Parker. That didn't work so I went to you. That's when we made our deal," Reba explained to Terry.
"What deal?" Mike asked.
"That's what I'm trying to explain to you. I didn't make a deal with Parker, but I was using him to make you jealous. That didn't seem to work so I started talking to Terry about my problem. He knew that I wanted you back. He said that he'd help. We'd pretend to date for awhile. That was supposed to be enough to work. The whole thing was staged for you. It wasn't a real relationship. You didn't budge. I was very depressed at this point. Brock and I had been friends for awhile. One thing led to another. I didn't plan for that to happen. That part was real, which I am sorry about by the way. That worked a little bit too late. If I'd known that you'd be jealous over Brock, believe me, I would've struck a deal with him. It would've saved all of us a lot of heartache in the long run. If I'd known that you'd want to get back together, I can promise you that I would've never let things go that far with Brock. I was lonely and scared of spending the rest of my life without you. I was also still grieving over the baby. I didn't plan to get pregnant, but it helped me get past losing our baby. I can't tell you how sorry I am to both of you," Reba explained further.
"That's not all. You had a right to be jealous. The deal became real for me. I fell in love with her, but she figured that out and that's when she turned to Brock. By this time, I figured out that she would never want to be with me. That's when I urged you to think about your feelings for Reba. I didn't want to keep you apart anymore. She really loved you and she really was heartbroken," Terry explained to Mike.
"Gosh, Terry. I never meant to hurt you. I thought that we were just friends. I never thought that either of us would cross the line. When you did, I panicked. I'm sorry. Mike was gone. I figured that I had to accept that and move on. I'm really happy that you ended up with Lori Ann," Reba said to Terry.
"So the dating and partying was just an act?" Mike asked Reba.
"Mostly, but it was also a way to try to forget and move on, if you didn't come back to me."
"I knew everything all along. I'd hoped that she'd get you back, but she ended up with Brock," Lori Ann added with emphasis.
"What's wrong with that? Did I suddenly make you jealous or something? I know that you wanted him in Vegas." Reba turned to Lori Ann.
"Reba, the man is a complete moron. We dated, but he didn't really want me. I figured that out quickly. He used me to get over someone else."
Reba's hand flew to her mouth. "I'm sorry. I didn't know. I mean, I know he's a moron. I didn't know that he used you like that. I didn't think that he'd do anything like that to you and then try to date me."
"I didn't want you to know. I was friends with Brock for awhile. I got over it pretty quickly. I planned on talking to you about it someday and having a real good laugh about it. I stopped being his friend when he started being a moron again and hurt you."
"Yeah, he's very good at fooling women. It's funny that I'm not quite a bitter about it as you are."
"We'll talk about that some other time, okay?'
"Sure, anytime."
"Does that clear things up for you, honey?"
"Okay, but I still get to be a little jealous of Brock."
"Why? We're not together anymore. No sparks, nothing. He's getting married to someone else."
"You're still his wife right now. You've been his wife for the last seventeen years. It's hard, but I'll stop being jealous once we're married."
"You got a deal. I love you, Jack."
"I've always loved you, Sal." Mike planted a gentle kiss on her lips.
Reba yawned. "Can we go to bed now?" she asked. She turned to walk to their bedroom.
"Sure. I'll be there soon. Just relax and you'll get a good night's sleep."
"Jack, are you forgetting something? How quickly do men forget?" Reba turned back to face him. When he didn't get the message, she pulled on his shirt. "I said that I wanted us to go to bed. I never said anything about sleep. Don't you remember?"
Mike smirked. "A momentary lapse in memory, darlin'. Won't happen again."
"It better not. I thought that you'd forgotten."
"Baby, I remember everything about us."
"Good answer."
Mike's telephone began to ring. Lori Ann answered the phone.
"It's Kim. She says that it's urgent."
Reba groaned. "This just keeps happening. Go on, take the call. Don't keep Blondie waiting." She gave him a quick peck on the lips.
"Be nice or I'll start calling your ex names, too."
"Like I care. It's not my fault that you married someone who resembles a Barbie doll."
"Well, you married a guy who looks like a Ken doll."
Reba laughed. "I can't argue with that."
Mike gets on the phone with Kim.
His face fell. "I'll be right there." Mike put the phone down.
"Josh fell. He missed a step on the stairs and fell straight down the stairs. He hit his head and he's complaining that his leg hurts. Kim is rushing him to the ER right now."
Author's note-Josh is one of Mike and Kim's sons. He is the same age as Jake was in season one.
"Don't worry. I'll drive you there," Terry offered.
"It's going to be okay. The doctors will check him out. He'll have you and Kim there. He'll be okay," Reba soothed. She hugged him and rubbed his back.
"You stay here and get some rest. Stress can't be good for the baby. I'll be back as soon as I can."
Reba nodded. Mike and Terry left the apartment quickly.
The next scene came on. Reba was freshly showered and had changed clothes. She was dressed in one of Mike's dress shirts, a tie, and socks. When Lori Ann saw her, she laughed.
"What's so funny?"
"What's with the outfit?"
"I saw it in a movie once. I'm trying to look sexy for Mike when he gets home. Besides, when I slide, I look like Tom Cruise in Risky Business. Watch this!"
Reba slid across the kitchen floor in her socks. Lori Ann laughed again.
Reba opened the refrigerator and started setting food on the counter.
"Whatcha doin' now?" Lori Ann asked.
"I'm pregnant and hungry. I'm also making a sandwich for Mike when he gets home to save for him in the fridge. Do you want one?"
"Sure. Why are you making him a sandwich now?"
"I might be asleep when he gets back. I want to make sure that he gets something to eat when he gets back. I did learn some things from being married to Brock, you know."
"Like what? How to play golf or how to get a good tan?"
"No. Brock told me that there are three things that are important to a man: a sexy woman, a sandwich, and a sexy woman making him a sandwich."
"You should put that in the marriage guide."
"Seventeen years of marriage and that's about all that I've learned that I can add to the guide." Reba shook her head. "At least, I've achieved all three things for Mike tonight. Plus, check this out." Reba went into the bedroom and came out quickly, wearing a blonde wig.
"I can be anything he wants me to be. I have a brunette wig, too. I can be many women for my husband."
Lori Ann laughed. "You look funny as a blonde. Take that thing off. You'll lose brain cells."
"I don't know. I think that I kinda look like Cheyenne. Don't I?"
Lori Ann nodded. "Maybe a little, but that girl gets her looks mainly from Brock."
"Do you think that Maggie will be blonde?"
"I don't know. Are you worried that she's look like Brock?"
"Nah. If she looks like Cheyenne, Kyra, or Jake, I can say that she gets it from me. They're my kids, too. Besides, Brock looks good. We've made some beautiful children together so far."
"Do I need to remind you what a moron he is?"
"I guess so. I needed to remind myself of that quite a bit over the last two weeks. You know I almost told him everything. I wanted to. We were sitting there in therapy and I begged him to come home. He just looks at me and tells me that he can't because he has to marry his pregnant girlfriend, Barbra Jean. He tells me this right in front of the kids. I felt like a fool. I decided not to say anything after that. I thought that I was caught for sure when Jake found my pregnancy test in the trash can. He brought it up in front of Brock. Cheyenne thought that it was hers. That's when I found out how bad things were for us. On Cheyenne's wedding day, he came in and held me. I wanted to tell him so bad. I just started crying and he just kept holding me. Then that blonde bimbo came in. He brought "Her" to our daughter's wedding. She was even in the family picture that was taken. That was the worst day of my life. I was hormonal, emotional, and tired. The kids were fighting. I broke down and screamed at him. I cried and ran upstairs. I held it together later for the kids, but I started to figure out what to do. He has pictures of the two of them in his office. He keeps bringing her over to my house. I'm done. Once I'd had enough, I just decided to run as fast and as far as I could away from that man. I can't believe that I was willing to forgive the affair and take him back. Do you think that I'm making a mistake in taking Mike back? He's a cheating ex, too."
"Reba, Mike would crawl on his knees, begging for your forgiveness. It isn't cheating if he made the mistake while you were not together. Just like the little mistake you made in Vegas."
"I didn't make a mistake in Vegas."
"So it's good that you had a one night stand with a complete stranger?"
"No, that's not it. I figured it out. Everything is out in the open now. It's kinda neat how it turned out."
"You know about that?"
"Yeah, I think that it's sweet. He does love me. He was just as confused and scared as I was back then. I'm just happy that John was conceived in love. I always hated the thought of it being something so cheap and wrong."
"Reba, look at me. You are losing focus. You need to keep repeating this to yourself. Brock is a moron. I do not love him anymore."
"Why are you bringin' up Brock to me again? I was talking about Mike."
"What? Now I'm confused."
"Mike was the one I ended up with in Vegas. I know that now. I figured it out. The whole thing was too simple not to figure out. I know him very well. I just forgot that in a drunken haze."
"Wow! Really? You think that Mike's the one you ended up with in Vegas? Good for you. Good for you both. I'm really happy for you, Reba. Believe me; it could've ended up a lot worse for you."
"I know, but this is not working well right now. I just keep thinking about Brock. I need serious help."
"Okay. I've got a videotape for you that I've made. I was worried about this happening. I got video proof that Brock is a moron and not the man for you."
Reba and Lori Ann begin watching the videotape. The videotape contains the scenes of Reba's 18th birthday, Reba and Mike's engagement party including Reba's prank on Brock, Reba's pictures for Mike, Reba and Mike's vows, John's birth, Reba's party before she married Brock, and Reba's meeting with Mike two months ago.
"Do you see now?"
"You've got yourself a good man right now who loves you. He knows that he screwed up before. He's not gonna do it again. He doesn't want to lose you. He's been patiently waiting for you to get rid of the moron."
"I know. It was so much fun tonight. I love being up on stage singing with Mike."
"And you get to do that all the time now."
"How do I go back to Houston? How am I gonna face Brock?"
"Hold on to the anger, Reba. Remember that. Mike will be with you in Houston right after you tell Brock."
"How do I tell Brock that a beautiful night in our marriage meant nothing? How do I turn something beautiful into a lie? I've got a valid reminder of our love right here." Reba puts her hand to her abdomen.
"How do you look at your other children without thinking of Brock?"
"That's easy. What he's done has hurt the kids so much."
"Your job is to protect Maggie from the pain. She needs you to do what's best for her. What is best for her?"
"Being born into a loving family without custody battles and divided loyalties. She doesn't deserve to know that her mother got treated like a one night stand. He didn't call me or talk to me for two days after. We haven't ever talked about that night since. She deserves better than to have a father who didn't want to stick around."
"Good, now you're on the right track. How do you feel now?"
"I want to take him down the same way I did eighteen years ago."
"Good. Just keep focusing on that."
Reba starts getting ingredients out of the cabinets.
"What are you doing now?"
"Making cookies."
"Good lord, you're goin' Stepford on Mike now."
"No, I'm not. I'm just making him some cookies for when he gets home. My grandma always said that the key to a man's heart is through his stomach."
"That's not exactly true."
"Yes, it is. Believe me, if Cheyenne offered Van fresh baked cookies and sex, he'd be the happiest guy on earth. I think that how I ended up being a grandmother. It's my fault for keeping fresh baked cookies in the house."
Lori Ann laughed.
While the scene continued, Reba was reminded of the memories of that night also.
Her cell phone rang, bringing her out of a deep slumber. She picked up the phone and answered it without looking at it. "Hello," she answered groggily.
"Hi there, honey. I really wanted to talk to you. Did I wake you?"
"Yes, but that's okay. I've been waiting to hear from you. Is everything okay?"
"Yes. Things are doing better."
"Is she there with you? Is Blondie there right now?"
"No, honey. I'm all alone."
"Good. I know that I promised to be nice, but it's gonna take me awhile to stop being bitter. That woman wrecked my marriage. It's not easy."
"I know. Are you doing okay?"
"Yeah. I had fun tonight."
"What was the best part of the evening?"
"It was amazing to get up on stage again. I haven't sung like that in years."
"I know. I always loved to hear you sing."
"I told Lori Ann about Vegas. I figured that we should be honest about the whole thing. She seemed surprised. I guess she should've been. I never had any indication from your reactions earlier that day that we'd end up in bed together later that night. Just to let you know I'm really happy that it was you. It makes it so much more special to me."
"Really? I figured that you didn't want to talk about it ever. You never mentioned the baby at all."
"That's what's so great about being here. I feel like the old me. I'm working things out. I don't have any reason to let the past haunt me anymore. I want to talk about the baby again. Speaking of kids, did you get a chance to check on the other kids?"
"They're in bed sound asleep. Being a father is important to me, you know."
"I know that. Is the little guy okay now?"
"He's doing a little bit better. I have everything under control. Don't worry about a thing."
"That's a relief. I went to bed, worrying about that tonight. I miss you."
"I miss you too, honey. You have no idea how much."
"I hate it when we argue. We've wasted too much time already to let stuff like that get between us."
"I agree. What are we gonna do about that?"
"I like the sexy thing that you're doing with your voice."
"Really? What do you like about it?"
"I can't quite describe it. It's just turning me on. I also love being sung to, you know."
"Really?"
"Yep, it works as an aphrodisiac for me. I'm a sucker for a man with a guitar. You'll have to sing to me in the privacy of our bedroom sometime."
"I'll be sure to keep that in mind. Why are we just now having this conversation?"
"I don't know. This seems like the right time. You're my best friend. I don't want to lose you again. You said that we'd work on things so I'm trying to communicate with you more. I can't keep my heart locked up forever to keep from getting hurt. I'd miss a lot of good stuff, too."
"I wanted to tell you that I thought about what you said to me earlier. You're a wonderful mother and I want to do more to help you with the kids. It's not fair for you to have to take on so much. I want to be involved and work on parenting together. You shouldn't come back to Houston until you're ready. No pressure here. I really do love you, you know. I don't think that you really believe that and I can see why. I do see things from your perspective. I've made mistakes, but that didn't stop me from loving you and wanting to be with you. I tried telling you two months ago."
"I know. The message was clear. I was in a really difficult situation and very confused. I was scared of committing to something else when I clearly couldn't give you what you needed. I've just blown through two marriages at this point. I've lost two men to pregnant blonde bimbos. It doesn't feel good. I'm scared that the next time I get to say those important vows, I'm gonna get hurt again."
"You shouldn't feel that way. You didn't do anything wrong. I did. You tried as hard as you could to keep us together. I messed up. I'm so sorry. I've been wondering how in the world I could get you to take me back after everything that's happened."
"That part is easy. Love makes it easier than you think. We've hurt each other a lot; but if we can get past that, we'll be okay."
"I still see you as my wife, you know. I always wanted to marry you. I've felt that way since the first time that I asked you to marry me. It's not old-fashioned for me to want to marry the mother of my child because I'm in love with you. It's always been about love for me."
"I believe that I've found the magic formula to keeping you happy. I told Lori Ann about it and she laughed at me."
"That sounds like Lori Ann. So what's this magic formula?"
"The one thing that I learned from my ex is that there are three things that are important to a man: a sexy woman, a sandwich, and a sexy woman making him a sandwich."
He chuckled. "That sounds about right."
"I'm doing my best here. I just want you to be happy. I even put it in the guide. Lori Ann and I were baking cookies and I told her that the way to a man's heart is through his stomach. It's true."
He chuckled again.
"You've got to stop doing that with your voice. You really working that Texas drawl, aren't you? It's been too long."
"Well, I like your Okie twang, too. You've always had a sexy voice."
"How much do you miss me?"
"Very much. I'd show you how much, but I'm not there with you."
"So come home already. It feels like I've been waiting forever for you to come home. I could dress in something sexy and greet you home properly. Maybe we could have a candlelight dinner, if we could get the place to ourselves."
"You want me to come back home?"
"Definitely! You've been gone too long. I really miss you, honey." Reba's voice changed to a more sultry tone. "I've been frustrated all night. I was thinking about how it used to be for us before. I've missed singing to you and seeing your face every day. I've been really lonely. I don't want to be lonely anymore. I want you to wrap your arms around me and hold me. I want to feel your touch on my skin. I love kissing you. When you're not around, it feels like a part of me is missing."
"I guess I didn't realize that you still felt that way. I just didn't know you felt so strongly about me. I want the same thing, honey. I just didn't realize how much I missed you until you kissed me again. I just haven't known what to do or say. Just when I figured out that things were really over, you came back to me. You have no idea how much that means to me."
"I'm lying here dreaming about satin sheets, rose petals, tequila, Passion Margaritas, slow dances, black lingerie, your strong arms wrapped around me, the way that my fingers feel running through your hair, your bedroom eyes, fiery kisses, and wild passion."
"Is that what brought you back to me two months ago?"
"Sure. Being with you again would be like a dream come true. Since we've technically been married twice already, do you think that third time is the charm?"
"Sure thing, honey. Do you really want to marry me again?"
"Yeah, I thought that I made that pretty clear. I've got the papers. A wedding should be in our future."
"How about we forget about those papers?"
"Sure. No more talking about the divorce papers. We'll can take things slow and see where things go. I just really thought that you wanted me to be married to you."
"I do, honey. Believe me, I do. This is a strange conversation. We never talk like this."
"So who's the better girlfriend, me or the blonde?"
"You. Why? Do you want to be my girlfriend? I thought that you wanted to be my wife."
"I thought that we'd date until we finally get married again. Why? What do you want to call me?"
"I call you anything that you want to be called, honey."
"I like it when you call me honey. It sounds so good to me."
"I can remember a time when you hated it when I called you honey."
"If you're not going to be honest and upfront with me, then I always get mad at ya. You tried to chicken out on being with me forever."
"It wasn't like that."
"Then what was it like? Sorry, honey. She's pregnant and I have to marry her. You vowed for better or for worse, and when things got rough, you wanted out. All you had to do was talk to me. You never even asked me how I felt or tried to work things out with me so we could face it together. I was ready to accept the situation and deal with it, but you didn't want to know that. After that, I think that I've earned another wedding where you prove to me that this time will be forever."
"That doesn't seem like such an unreasonable request to me. I would love to prove to you exactly how much I love you by exchanging vows in front of the kids and our families."
"But we've got to be equal partners. I'm strong willed and you're stubborn. We've got to agree to do everything 50/50 this time. We've got to talk, laugh, and spend time together. We've got to have nights out without the kids. I want to dance with you every night before we go to bed. I want to wake up in your arms every morning for the rest of our lives. I want us to fool around while making breakfast in the kitchen, fall asleep watching movies on the couch, and maybe even make love in every room of our home. We've got to share fantasies and stuff."
"Fantasies, huh?"
"We've got to keep things exciting. We could fool around on the desk in your office or we could try the one where you pretend that we're strangers and you try to pick me up. You take me home and have your way with me. If you are so attracted to blondes, then I can wear my blonde wig for you. It'll be like you're cheating on me with me."
He chuckled again. "You want me to have my way with you? When did you go out and buy a blonde wig?"
"Don't laugh. I have a brunette wig, too. I bought them twenty years ago when you made that dirty little comment."
"What comment?"
"You said that you'd barely begun to sow your wild oats before settling down with me. You'd wondered how I would look as a blonde and a brunette. It got me thinking. I figured that our married life wouldn't be so boring for you if you got to indulge your fantasies a bit with me. I'd like to try the one where I'm dressed in nothing but your old football jersey and laid out on the bed like a Playmate. I'd let you take pictures of me and then ravish me on the bed or the floor or both."
"Where have you been all my life?"
"Waitin' for you to wake up. You've had the key to happiness all along. All you had to do was reach out for it. I've been waitin' for you to want to be with me again, really be with me. Connect with me like the soul mates that we were meant to be. We have a second chance now. Let's not blow it this time."
"I know, honey, I know. If you really take me back, I'll promise you all of that and more."
"I'm glad. If you're good, I have plans for you when I see you again. I wanna grab you, throw you up against the wall, and make love with you right there with fierce, passionate intensity. I wanna see that look in your eyes that you had the night we first made love. You had that look in your eyes the last time we slept together, too. I've missed seein' that look in your eyes."
"Honey, you're the sexiest woman that I've ever met. Wanna come home with me, tonight?"
"Ohh, now you're getting' into it. Can you picture me on top of the bar singin' and dancin' for you? I could handcuff you to a chair and do a sexy striptease for you or you could strip for me. I could always undress you, but remember you don't get to touch me until I say so. I know that you'd like that."
"Honey, you have no idea how badly I want you right now."
"Are you sure? I'm gonna be a grandmother. Are you still gonna want me when I'm somebody's grandmother?"
"Well, you're not my grandmother. Believe me; I'll still want you when we're old and gray."
"We're getting old. Just ask one of your kids. We're almost in our forties."
"We're barely gettin' started. Besides you'll always look twenty to me."
"Good answer. You're lucky that you're not here 'cause I'd rip the shirt right off ya." The phone on the nightstand began to ring. "Hold on, a sec. I have to answer this. I'll be right back." Reba answered it.
"Hey, darlin'. Did I wake you?"
"Who is this?"
"Honey, are you okay? It's me. Sal, I'll come home right now if something is wrong. Is everything okay with the baby?"
Reba froze. She looked at the phone in her hand. Who was on her cell phone? It's not Mike on the cell phone. Mike is on the other phone.
"I'm fine now. I just had a really strange dream. Is everything okay with your son?"
"Yeah. We're just about done here in the ER. Josh doesn't have a concussion, just a headache. His leg is broken and it'll be in a cast for the next six weeks or so. I'll be home soon. Do you wanna go back to sleep?"
"Yeah, I think I need to get some more sleep. Goodnight, Jack. I'll see you in the morning."
"Bye, babe. You get back to sleep and in the morning, you'll wake up with my arms around you. 'Night."
"That sounds perfect. 'Night." Reba put the phone back down on the nightstand. She moved slowly back to the call on the cell phone.
"Hi. I'm back. Okay, who is this because I know that this has to be some kind of joke? It's not funny. Terry, I swear, if you think that you can sweet talk me, you've got another thing comin'. You're dating Lori Ann, you moron. She's not gonna find this funny either. You can't be comin' on to me while you're sleeping with my best friend. I'm taken and spoken for, so that's that. I thought that we'd cleared this up before. I wouldn't have danced with you tonight if I'd known that you'd pull somethin' like this on me. Prank calls are so stupid, you moron. You better not be serious, Terry. 'Cause I'll take you down. I'll punch you in the gut and knee you in the groin. You know that I can do it."
"Slow down, Reba. This is not Terry, okay?"
"Is this your idea of a joke? I didn't do anything to deserve this. You woke me up out of a dead sleep. It's three o'clock in the morning. Who in the world would call someone at this hour to have this type of conversation?"
"Reba, honey, I didn't start this type of conversation. You did. This was a friendly call to see how you were doing and to set your mind at ease. Before you start jumping to conclusions again, I suggest that you look at your caller i.d. Honey, I didn't call to fight with you, honest."
Reba took her cell phone away from her ear. She looked at the name on caller i.d. It read Home. Reba's hand flew to her mouth. "Brock, wow, what are you doin' at the house?"
"Honey, you didn't leave me much of a choice. I got a note and then you left. There were four kids in the house to take care of. You wouldn't believe how hard it is to take care of a sick little boy, an angry preteen, and two married teenagers who can't keep their hands off each other."
"Brock, I do it every day. That is my day-to-day life. I cook, clean, and manage that household. Remember?"
"I meant it when I said that I wanted to help out more. You don't have to do it all alone, Reba. I'm here for you. They're my kids, too. And I wanna reassure you that Barbra Jean has not been in this house since you left. I am here alone taking care of the kids on my own."
"Thank you. I appreciate you telling me that. I don't want that woman in my house, taking over my life."
"So you got up on stage and sang tonight, huh? How was it?"
"It was amazing. I even got up on stage and sang with Kim. You should've seen it. It was hilarious. Kim and I had an interesting conversation today. I've stopped calling her a tramp and she's stopped calling me a slut. I still call her Blondie, though. It's not like we're good friends all of a sudden or anything. We're learning how to be civil to each other, but not before she attacked me. It was great. I was throwing punches like Cheyenne. All Kim could do was pull my hair. Well, what's left of my short hair now. I made her cry. I felt like I'd gotten the anger out of my system. We talked later after Mike pulled us apart. When I sang tonight, everyone cheered and it felt so great! I even joked around with Mike on stage and everyone thought it was really funny. It was just like old times."
"I wish that I'd been there. That would've been somethin' to see you fightin' with Kim."
"I know, right? I felt better today than I've felt in eighteen years. It was really freeing. I went by McAlester High. I got to sing and dance. I saw people that I haven't seen in years. It was so much fun. I gotta come back more often. I can see the attraction of having a midlife crisis. It would be great to just have fun and think about myself for a little while."
"I know. That's why I said that you shouldn't come back to Houston until you are ready. I am ready to share the load of responsibility with you. I really meant that. Are we gonna talk about the rest of the conversation?"
"I don't know if you really want to do that. It's not gonna be any more comfortable talkin' things out now, then it was during the couples' therapy sessions that you ducked out on."
"So where are you staying tonight?"
"You shouldn't ask questions if you don't wanna know the answers. You're takin' this path at your own risk. I'm staying at the apartment."
"The apartment? Mike's apartment? The one over Holliway's"
"We've been over this several times. It's my apartment. Mike gave it to me when we split."
"I still can't figure out why he did that."
"Someday when we have the time, I'll explain it to ya. In any case, it appears that I still have some stuff here so I'm pretty comfortable. Lori Ann is here with Terry. They go at it every chance they can. The walls are thinner than I remembered. Did you ever think that they'd be a couple?"
"Lori Ann and Terry? Nope. That's an interesting pair though. She's a tough gal to deal with. I wish him luck with that. I hope that you meant what you said earlier. I do want to talk 'bout happened in Vegas and 'bout what happened to the baby."
"Okay, here it goes. To be honest, I didn't know that I was talkin' to ya earlier. You know that. I thought that it was Mike. It wasn't a stranger in Vegas, okay. I know that Mike was wrong to do what he did, but drunk or not I wanted somethin' to happen. He had to have left you and your buddies at some point that night. I was already drinking. He started drinking. There wasn't any birth control around and it happened. I'm not sorry. He didn't take advantage of me. I wanted it to happen. I remember that much. We both panicked the next morning. You know that. He wasn't gonna let Kim have an abortion. He knew that I'd never abort my child. I know that he tried to tell me the truth in the delivery room after I had the baby. As far as the baby's concerned, I'm not gonna pretend like it never happened. I'm not gonna pretend like he never existed. I've tried to do that for too long."
"Okay. I'm not happy that my wife accidentally flirted with me on the phone because she thought that she was talking to another man, instead of her husband. I never asked for you to take the conversation in that direction. Someday when you're ready, I intend to get some answers about good ole' Mike. I didn't call to fight with you or pressure you. So you figured out that it was not a stranger in Vegas?"
"Yes. I wasn't hard to follow the train of breadcrumbs, Brock. There were little clues. I just had to piece them together. I confront Mike about it and we had a good honest talk about it. I was talkin' to Lori Ann about it earlier. It was just too personal to have been with a stranger. It wasn't just sex. It was somethin' else, somethin' that really touched me deep inside. It was just like I'd imagined that making love would be like. It's nice to know that my baby was conceived that way. You were a good friend to me, Brock, through the whole thing with the baby. I really have to thank you for that. I really appreciate how much you helped me through that. I was terrified and alone. I did a horrible thing. I do that a lot. Every time, things are really mad. I hold it in. There have been so many times that I should've been leaning on Mike for support because that's what you do when you love someone. You let them be your shelter from the storm, your home. He was my best friend and everything else that mattered. So I'm talking to him now about everything. I'm either gonna get closure or something else entirely. I'm gonna talk to the kids about the baby. It's important that I let the girls know. John was a part of me the same way that Cheyenne, Kyra, and Jake are."
"Of course, he is. He's their brother, too."
"Half-brother, but that's beside the point. I want to help Cheyenne understand that it's very important for her to do everything she can to take care of herself. I wanna help her through this pregnancy so her baby will be born healthy."
"Our grandchild will be fine, Reba. I know it. What happened to John was not a common occurrence. You could've died, too. If John had lived, we might not have had Cheyenne, Kyra, or Jake. I am very happy to have those kids. We are very lucky."
"You mean because I didn't accept your proposal? I've thought about that. Sometimes I think that things worked out the way that they were meant to, but that doesn't mean that I don't mourn my losses. I had some pretty bad things happen to me in one short year. I didn't even have time to figure things out. I'm almost forty years old and I don't know who I really am. I'm tryin' to do that now."
"I know who you are. You're Reba Hart and you're a survivor."
"But I want to know who I am other than being someone's wife, mother, or grandmother."
"I want you to figure that out, too. I'm here for you, honey."
"You're with another woman, Brock. You're not here. I need support."
"I'm talkin' to you right now alone in our house, in our bedroom. I'm at our house, taking care of our kids. I'm here. We are still married. I am not married to Barbra Jean, am I?"
"We've been separated for almost a year while I tried to deal with everything by myself. I don't want to do that anymore. When I get home, you won't be there. You'll be back at the condo with Her. I want more than that. I need more than that. Every marriage that worth savin' deserves to be saved. I really believe that. If we aren't gonna make it, then I need to go back and take a look at my other marriage. I need to find the answers that I've always wanted to find. I didn't fight hard for what I wanted back then. I was friends with Mike for thirteen years before the wedding. I loved him for four years before we got married. We were closer than anyone thought that we were. I gave up my family for him. We lived together and started building a life before Vegas. We let things get in the way. I ran off to Ada instead of facing the problem head on. He should've had to face me. I let him take the easy way out for awhile. That pushed him further to Kim. If I hadn't left town, I might not have had such a hard time with the pregnancy. I was alone and depending on the kindness of strangers. He came to me as soon as he could find me. He was the first one to hold John. He begged me to marry him. He loved us and I just did what I always do. Whenever I'm mad, hurt, or scared, I run as fast and as far away from the problem as I can. I deliberately hurt the one person that I vowed to love, honor, and cherish for the rest of my life. It's a horrible feeling to betray someone you love like that. He was devastated when I married you."
"I think that we have that in common, Reba. I run away from problems, too. I deliberately hurt the one person that I vowed to love, honor, and cherish for the rest of my life. I made a stupid mistake and I'm livin' with the consequences. I know what that horrible feeling deep inside is like. I betrayed the people that I loved the most. I hurt you. I know that. This is the second time that you've packed up and left Houston. I know that you are not okay. I'm not okay. I'm watchin' you walk away. So is this it? Have you made up your mind about us? Are you really gonna be with Mike now if you can?"
"I don't know. I'm a mess. I'm figuring things out as I go along. He is someone who I can count on. He made a mistake when we weren't a couple. We were just friends. He didn't think that there was a chance for us. This was before we'd ever committed to each other. I ended up with you at a time when my life was like a tornado out of control. We were friends for only six months. We only dated for three months. We didn't know each other long enough to be able to make mature lifetime decisions."
"We've been married for eighteen years and best friends for all of that time."
Reba started crying. "Brock, we've spent the last year apart. We only had about sixteen and a half good years together where we relied on each other as best friends and everything. My life is back to being that tornado out of control again. I can't live like that. The kids and I need stability. I need to be with someone who is gonna love me forever, even through the bad times. I need a real partner to rely on. I need to be with a man who knows for sure what he wants. I need someone who wants to fight for me, for our life together, our family, and our marriage. Can you put us first before anything else, no matter what? Can you put us before your dental practice, your friends, your golfing, your free time, Barbra Jean, and the child that she is carrying with you? I need to rebuild a life, a good one. I might even want more children someday. Is that something that you would want?"
"We already have three kids. I have one more on the way. We have a grandchild on the way. We've got a full house, Reba. I don't know if we can handle having any more kids."
"Wrong answer. You mean that you can't handle having any more kids. I've always wanted a big family. You didn't. Okay, so we're gonna have five kids livin' in our house and another one on the weekends. That takes strength as a couple to handle. What is one more kid gonna hurt? Children are a blessing. I wish that I'd known that you'd be this way before I married you. I just didn't know you well enough. We don't want the same things. We don't want the same life."
"You love me. The way that you talked to me tonight showed me that. Come on, you had to have recognized my voice somehow, even on a subconscious level. You've asked me to come back home. We just made love two months ago."
"That's the problem. I heard all the right things that night. After that, I felt like I got treated like a one night stand. We didn't even talk about it after that. If it was so great, then why didn't we talk about it? Why didn't you try harder to be with me? You told me that you were gonna marry BJ. That is not a way to save your marriage, Brock. You are such a moron."
"Okay, now we're back to the name calling again. I've changed my mind. I want to come home. I'll try harder. Please, honey."
"Do you want more children? Would it be okay to have another child in our house?"
"Are you threatening me? God, Reba, I swear that you don't want this to work out at all. Are you telling me that we're over if we don't have another child?"
Reba started sobbing heavily. "Wrong answer, Brock. I'm your wife and the mother of your children right now. I don't think it's so wrong for me to want to carry another one of our children as a proof of our love and commitment. I see that the last thing that you want is to have a baby with me, but you're having a baby with Barbra Jean. That's just great! I just want a fresh start for our family, but you don't really want the same things that I want. That's what you're telling me now. I see what's going on. You are like a child. You only want a toy after someone else plays with it. Another man might want me and that's why you've suddenly decided that you want me. You just don't want me to end up with Mike. Let me tell you something. Mike does want another child with me. He wants two more children with me and he's got three of his own. Together, we have a total of six kids, plus Van and their baby makes eight. If you add two more, that's ten kids. He is willing to love my children as part of the package. That's how much he loves me. I see that is not the kind of life that you see for us. I feel sorry for you. We could've had something wonderful."
Reba felt her body reacting to the emotion and the stress. She started throwing up in the trash can by the bed.
"What's wrong, honey? Are you okay?"
"No, Brock. I'm sick. I've been sick. You'd have noticed that before now if you hadn't been so selfish. You haven't been around to notice, except for the ten minutes you spend at the house while you are picking up or dropping off the kids. I need some rest. I don't want to throw up again. This conversation is over."
"Wait! Have you seen a doctor? What's goin' on?"
"Spare me the last minute concern. It's too late. You're never around anyway when things get tough. I'll make this easy for you, okay. It's not your problem. I can take care of myself. I've been doing that for the last year or so. I'm exhausted. If you cared at all, you'd let the conversation end because you'd know that I can't handle any more. I am physically and emotionally exhausted. See that's what a real partner does. A real partner knows what the other person wants and needs. A real partner makes sure that the other person gets what they want and need because they love that person more than they love themselves."
"Fine. I'll let you go now. I really love you, honey. I'm sorry that you're sick."
"You should be, you selfish moron." Reba fired back.
"Fine. I'm a selfish moron, but I'm a selfish moron who loves you and I'm willing to change."
Lori Ann heard the angry exchange and Reba's vomiting. She came running into the room. She took the phone.
"I expected better from you, Brock. You've done this to her for the fifth and final time. She has people who really care about her to help her through this now. You've proven just how dependable you are when it comes to situations like this. Go back to the bimbo. She allows you to continue acting like a selfish child. That's all you really want anyway. Reba's giving you a way out. Take the easy way out. You know that you want to." Lori Ann hung up on Brock.
"He doesn't want the baby, Lori Ann. Even if I wanted to change my mind, I just can't anymore. She deserves to have a father and Mike deserves a second chance. I just have to put Brock out of my mind. I'm Maggie's mother and I'm gonna do what's best for her. Just like I did for Cheyenne. I just don't know how I am gonna do this. It's a horrible, unforgiveable lie. I have to lie to Brock's face. I'm marrying Mike and I'm still in love with Brock. I love both of them. This is just as horrible as it was seventeen years ago."
The next scene came on. Reba was shaken out of her memories to watch.
Reba was in the kitchen in the apartment again, making breakfast dressed in her blue bathrobe. Mike came up behind her. He put his arms around her, spinning her around to face him. He moved toward her unexpectedly and pulled her into a kiss.
"Mornin', sexy."
"Mmm. That was nice greeting. Good mornin' to you, cowboy. Did you like the food that I left for ya last night?"
"Yeah. I love how you always know what I need. I loved the sandwich, the cookies, and the woman who woke up in my arms this mornin'."
"Well, I've been told that there are three things that are important to a man: a sexy woman, a sandwich, and a sexy woman making him a sandwich. I'm just taking the advice."
"Brock!" they both said at the same time. They shared a laugh.
"I'll have to thank him someday."
"Yeah, right." Reba said sarcastically. She rolled her eyes at the thought.
"You don't have to try so hard. You've been throwing up half the night. I don't expect you to worry about making me food when you're not feeling well. This can't be good for the baby."
"I feel fine right now. Do you really want to fight with me?"
"No."
"Good."
She pulled him back against her and kissed him hard. Under the robe, she was still dressed his dress shirt and tie. She took off the robe. He lifted her onto the counter. The kissing continued. Reba started taking off the tie slowly.
"Hey, you guys. Get a room. Don't be doing that in the kitchen," Terry yelled.
Reba laughed. "What can I say, she's a vixen," Mike replied.
"Yeah, it's like Kim says. I have him under my evil spell," Reba teased. She stuck her arms out in front of her and wiggled her fingers. She tried to cackle.
Lori Ann started laughing. Reba joined in her laughter. She threw her head back when she laughed.
"We aren't ever gonna get a chance for spontaneous lovemaking, are we?"
"Plenty of time for that on our honeymoon. How about goin' to Hawaii?"
"That's six months away. I'm gonna look like a big fat pumpkin by then. I'm gonna be eight months pregnant. That is not sexy for a honeymoon in Hawaii."
"You'll look as beautiful as you did the first time. You were gorgeous in the delivery room."
"No, I wasn't. I was huge, tired, sweaty, and mean. I yelled at you and I almost tore Brock's arm right out of the socket."
"You were beautiful to me. I'll never forget the look on your face when the doctor asked you what you were gonna name him. You look beautiful, especially when you're pregnant."
"Okay. Well, let's go to Hawaii after the baby's born so we can really enjoy it."
"Sounds good. We can even make love on the beach."
"You better be careful, buddy. The next thing you know, I'll be pregnant again, only this time with twins. We'd end up with eleven children all together. I don't think that we can fit that many into this apartment." Reba said laughing.
"Then we'll get a house. We'll have as many babies as you want. I'm gonna enjoy making babies with you."
"So you say now, but our house will be loud with that many people living there. It will be chaos to have that many kids living in a house with only two parents."
"Yeah, but think of it this way. One of the kids is a grandchild. Sooner or later, Van and Cheyenne will move out. Brock gets your kids part-time at his place. Sam's gonna be moving out soon. My three boys spend half their time with Kim at her house. Nick will be eighteen in four years. Kyra will be eighteen in six years. After that, it'll just be me, you, Josh, Jake, Maggie, and the other baby that we'll have. That's only six people living in the house. There'll be only four kids; two of them share custody with another parent. That leaves me, you, Maggie, and our baby."
"Wait a minute. You said me, you, Maggie, and our baby. Are you saying that you don't count Maggie as our baby?" Reba fumed.
"Honey, I didn't mean it like that the way it sounded. I just meant that Maggie wouldn't be the baby of our family anymore when we have another baby. By that time, she might be at least six years old, especially when the older kids move out."
Reba's face softened. She was struck by a pain in her left arm. "I don't feel good all of a sudden. Mike, why are there two of you standing there? I'm dizzy."
Reba fell to the floor.
Mike ran to her. "Reba, honey, wake up! Terry, call an ambulance." Mike started performing CPR on her. The scene went to black.
What will happen to Reba? Will the ambulance reach her in time? Will she ever wake up?
It's 2002. What happens in the year 2008? Stay tuned to find out in the next chapter!
Thanks for the reviews! They make my day!
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