Believe in Love Again Chapter 18: Keeping secrets, a reba fanfic

Dear Readers-

I wanted to let you know that my new chapters will be posted on Sundays or Mondays, depending on how busy things get for me. I hope that you know that I have really appreciated the feedback and support that I've received from you. Thanks for continuing to read my story and letting me know that you still want to read more chapters. Keep leaving me comments and reviews. I love reading them. It keeps me writing. Here it goes…

Now on with the story-

I don't own Reba or any of the characters in this story from Reba. They belong to the writers of the REBA TV show. I also do not owe the rights to any of the songs and lyrics that I use in this story. Those are the property of the artists involved. I also do not owe the rights to any television show or movie reference that I use in this story. Those are the property of the Hollywood creative teams involved in their production. The characters of Max Thornton, Paige McKinney, Barbara Ann Grant, Kim Campbell-Holliway, Sam Holliway, Jenny Miller, Nick Holliway and Josh Holliway from this story are my creation though. The story is just a year off from the way that the seasons of Reba actually aired. The story picks up from after the sixth season of Reba and beyond from spring-summer 2008.

This chapter will consist of flashbacks that will be in regular font, instead of the italicized font. I use the italicized font to distinguish between flashbacks and regular scenes. It's not necessary here because every scene is a flashback; only author's notes will be italicized.

Previously- "Hey, sneaking around is kinda fun, you know. Some people consider it a turn-on. I'll see you soon. I kinda hate you, love you anyway. I'm still trying to decide if it's love, lust, or addiction. Go back to bed. Bye."

"You love me. I heard that hate had top billing, but I know that you love me. I've just gotta do some work to prove myself to you and I will. Go get your beauty sleep. Bye, darlin'."

Reba hung up the telephone and quickly tiptoed up the stairs to her bedroom. Meanwhile Brock was pondering the conversation that he had just listened to and tried to plan his next move. As he heard Reba's footsteps towards the bedroom, he closed his eyes and pretended to still be asleep. Reba crept into the room and gently slid into bed beside Brock. She closed her eyes and tried to go back to sleep. Brock moved closer to Reba and pulled her back into his arms again.

What will happen to Reba and Brock this time after she wakes up still wrapped in his arms in her bed, which used to be their bed? What is Brock planning? What's going on with Brock and Reba? Is Brock going to find out what Reba is hiding from him? What information does Barbra Jean get from Kim? Will Reba keep having nightmares? What will happen when Reba goes to Oklahoma? Will Reba try to get back together with Mike or Brock?

What happens next? Stay tuned to find out this chapter!

We left the story in chapter 17 in the year 2008 with a conversation to introduce some new some important information. Brock was eavesdropping. He's planning something. Reba has no idea that Brock overheard her conversation. What happens now? What happens in the present when Reba wakes up in Vegas? How did she end up in Vegas? Keep reading to find out more!

Now on with our next chapter-

Brock woke up a couple hours later. Reba's body was still held in Brock's tight embrace. The two continued to sleep in this connected state despite the interruption of the phone call earlier. He was afraid to move for fear of waking Reba. He stayed still in bed just watching her sleep. She looked so calm and peaceful while she slept. There was no sign of the nightmares that had been plaguing her. When he felt Reba begin to stir, he closed his eyes again and pretended to be asleep. Reba felt Brock's arms around her as she woke up. Reba looked at Brock's sleeping face. She took her finger and trailed it softly down the right side of his face. She pressed her cheek to his before trying to get out of bed. Brock did not loosen his hold of her. He opened his eyes slowly and looked into her eyes.

"Good morning, Sunshine."

"'Morning, Brock." Reba said coarsely. She was unnerved at his greeting and attempted to get out of bed again without success.

"I have to get up, Brock."

"Wait a second, honey. I just wanna to talk to ya. After that, I'll let you get out of bed."

"Fine, so talk."

"You're wakin' up in a grouchy mood. How did you sleep?"

"This seemed to work. I don't remember any nightmares last night."

"I guess this seems pretty strange to you."

"Yeah, I've been wakin' up in this bed alone for the last seven years."

"Hey, it's only been six years since the divorce."

"We were separated for a year, Brock."

"I remember that the last time that I woke up with you in this bed was six years ago, July 2002. That was the last time that we made love, you know."

"I remember, Brock. You woke up in my bed once in the last whole year of our marriage."

"Our bed."

"My bed now."

"I know that, Reba. The room doesn't look much different than it used to. I haven't been up here since then."

"I'm a creature of habit, I guess. I don't go changin' things that often. We've had the furniture set up in the living room in the same way for the last fifteen years."

"You know if you ever need me to help you out like this again, you can feel free to ask. I don't want you to feel weird about it. We're friends, right?"

Reba relaxed in Brock's hold. "You're right. We are friends. There is no need for either of us to feel weird about this. It would just be easier if we could pretend that we were never husband and wife in this bed. Making comments about our marriage or previous sex life makes this really uncomfortable. If you can do that, then it will be easier for me to come to you for help like this."

Brock chose to ignore her last comment and continued the conversation. "Your birthday is coming up next week. How about I take you out for a birthday dinner? You can pick any restaurant you want. I can also take you to see a movie. How does that sound?"

Reba tensed again. "I'm sorry. I'm not gonna be here for my birthday, Brock. I'm going back home for my birthday."

Brock flinched at her reference to Oklahoma as home. "Are you sure? The kids wanted to celebrate your birthday with you."

"I'll celebrate with them before I leave. You can help the kids plan whatever they've got up their sleeves. I can always go to dinner and a movie with you when I get back, okay?"

"I guess that will be okay. You can pick the restaurant and the movie. Would you also like to go dancing too? I remember that you like to dance. Do you remember your 18th birthday party?"

Reba looked at Brock awkwardly. "I remember that you showed up with Kim as your date that night."

"Yeah, but you and I danced together that night. Remember? I remember that you got up on stage and sang too. If you want to, we can go to a karaoke bar. You have such a beautiful voice. I miss hearing you sing. That night was also the first time that I'd ever seen you in lingerie."

"What was a horrible memory! That's not exactly how I wanted to remember that night. My father walked into my bedroom with you and Terry to catch us in the act. The only thing that you guys saw was Mike on the bed with me and I was dressed in lingerie. All we were doing was kissing. I was mortified. All these years and the memory that you take from it was seeing me in lingerie. I'd forgotten what a dirty mind you have, Brock."

"You looked so beautiful that night. It's been twenty-five years and you still look so amazing. You don't look a day over twenty."

"What's with the sweet talkin', Brock? You're buttering me up for somethin'."

"I take offense to that. I was trying to make a genuine compliment. If you want me to make a dirty comment, then I'll remind ya about what happened three days after your birthday." Reba groaned and Brock continued. "You were flirting with me. You walked right up to me with desire in your eyes. You trailed your finger along the rim of my shot glass, then you sucked the alcohol right off that finger." Brock lowered his voice as he continued. "You kept touchin' my chest. We drank some shots together and danced. I still remember how good it felt to hold you like that. Before I knew it, you were leadin' me into the bedroom. We kissed and fell to the floor together. I never wanted anyone so bad in my whole life."

"I also remember that I punched you in the gut and then kneed you in the groin. I had to teach you a lesson."

"Please teach me a lesson like that more often, except without the punching and kicking."

Reba laughed. "Really? I can't do anything like that anymore, you dirty old man."

"Why can't ya? There's no harm in it. It's just a little flirting, honey."

"Don't call me honey. I told ya that before. I can't because we don't feel that way about each other anymore. No feelings of desire left. We're just friends just like we should've been all along. That was going really well before until you decided to cross the line."

"No feelings left, huh? Cross the line yourself and see what happens. I dare you."

Reba laughed. "Fine. I'll show ya, then we're gonna stop talkin' about stuff like this. We are just friends."

Brock was shocked that she'd ever take that challenge. He waited to see what she'd do. Reba kissed him with all the passion she had always put into her kisses with Mike. Her tongue started begging for an entrance and he let her in. She pulled away after a couple of minutes and got out of Brock's arms. She got out of bed and walked towards the bathroom. Brock was too stunned to react.

"See, I told ya. Nothin'. No sparks at all. It was like kissing Parker Reynolds. Now we can go on as friends. You really should go see Barbra Jean. I'm sure that she'd be glad to see ya."

"I can't do that. Things are really bad now. The sparks I once felt for her are gone. We're not even dating anymore." Brock looked at Reba for her reaction before continuing. "For the record, that was the best kiss of my whole life. Where was that woman when we were married?"

"I'm sorry. I didn't feel anythin'. For your information, you hardly inspired that type of passion in me. Like I told you before, your technique barely qualified as sufficient when we were together."

"I can prove that my technique is more than adequate, honey. Come here for a second and let me show ya."

Reba laughed. "I don't have time to play games with you, Brock. I've proven my point and that's all there is to it. I've got to take a shower now and get dressed. Kim will be here soon." She grabbed her robe and rushed into the bathroom. She actually managed to get away without him seeing any reaction from her at all. She shut the door quickly, locking it. Then she slid her back down against the door in relief. She touched her lips where she still felt the sensation of Brock's lips on hers. "Craaap!"

Reba had a fun visit with Kim for the next few days. She maintained a mask of irritability around Brock. Brock and the kids planned a family birthday party for Reba for her birthday. The kids made her a birthday cake. Brock cooked dinner. She opened gifts from Brock and the kids. Brock surprised her by telling her that he still had another gift waiting for her when she returned to Houston. Reba knew that things were bad between Brock and Barbra Jean when Brock didn't invite Barbra Jean to the family birthday party. Reba made arrangements to go out with her as soon as she returned from Oklahoma. Reba had a few more phone calls with Mike up until she left for McAlester.

Brock knew that something was up because Reba went into her bedroom and locked the door just to talk on her cell phone. The wall between the two bedrooms was thin so it was easy to hear Reba's voice through the wall when she was talking on the phone late at night. Reba didn't have any more nightmares in the days leading up to her departure from Houston. An interesting thing happened though. Reba was intrigued by instant messages that she received online. The messages first started in the chat box on the Best Poker Online website while she was playing poker. Brock was there as usual playing poker under his screen name, GoldenGod. She beat him in two games easily and then he left the site. She thought that it was so funny that he still played poker there and she still had him fooled about who RamblinRedRose was.

A short time later she was challenged to a game with a player named LovinCowboy84. She suspected that it might be Mike or Jack, but she wasn't sure. Jack was the only other person who knew that she played poker at that site. She asked some leading questions in the chat box, but the player didn't reveal his identity or his name. They started talking about their lives. Reba felt like she'd found a new friend. Soon LovinCowboy84 was sending her instant messages and e-mails anytime she was on the computer.

Reba returned from Oklahoma three days after she left. She came home four days early. She went up to her room, locked the door, and stayed there for hours. She went through two tissue boxes and Cheyenne had to go to the store to buy more. Reba wouldn't come down to eat or see anyone. Loud music blared through the walls of her bedroom. She played sad songs, cheating songs, and break-up songs. She played one song, Addicted, frequently about twice per hour. She sang along to this song loudly.

It's like you're a drug
It's like you're a demon I can't face down
It's like I'm stuck
It's like I'm running from you all the time
And I know I let you have all the power
It's like the only company I seek is misery all around
It's like you're a leech
Sucking the life from me
It's like I can't breathe
Without you inside of me
And I know I let you have all the power
And I realize I'm never gonna quit you over time

It's like I can't breathe
It's like I can't see anything
Nothing but you
I'm addicted to you
It's like I can't think
Without you interrupting me
In my thoughts
In my dreams
You've taken over me
It's like I'm not me
It's like I'm not me

It's like I'm lost
It's like I'm giving up slowly
It's like you're a ghost that's haunting me
Leave me alone
And I know these voices in my head
Are mine alone
And I know I'll never change my ways
If I don't give you up now

I'm hooked on you
I need a fix
I can't take it
Just one more hit
I promise I can deal with it
I'll handle it, quit it
Just one more time
Then that's it
Just a little bit more to get me through this
I'm hooked on you
I need a fix
I can't take it
Just one more hit
I promise I can deal with it
I'll handle it, quit it
Just one more time
Then that's it
Just a little bit more to get me through this

Brock became increasingly worried about Reba. He decided to let her have some space to deal with whatever she was going through for the first day. If she wasn't out of her room by the next day, he would take action. Reba was exhausted from the traveling and the misery. She cried herself to sleep and slept for four hours that afternoon, but by the time it was much later that night, she decided that she was all cried out. She didn't want to fall asleep crying again. She got on the computer. LovinCowboy84 was online and sent her an instant message.

LovinCowboy84: Long time, no see. How are you? Did you have a nice time on your trip?

RamblinRedRose: Not exactly. My birthday was great. I celebrated with my sister and my friends in Ada. We went to a bar and I rode on the mechanical bull. I sang karaoke. My sister dared me to drink 42 shots of whiskey. I didn't get that far. Everything was going fine. I was having fun. The only problem is that I chose the wrong bar. I happened to choose a bar that was owned by one of my exes. My boyfriend wanted to surprise me so he showed up at the bar. My ex decided to try to make a move on me after I'd had about 20 shots. My boyfriend saw what happened and left angry. If he'd stayed a couple of minutes more, he would've seen me slap my ex. The man kissed me and I didn't kiss him back. My boyfriend and I spent the next day fighting and it was our anniversary. We said some things that we shouldn't have said and I walked out. You'd think that I'd be smarter than that.

My second marriage ended in the same way. I was too mad to think straight. I let one of my friends talk me into a plan to get the fighting to stop. I was just supposed to make a move on him to get him to calm down and then I was supposed to shut him down. It was supposed to get him to chase after me and apologize. It had always worked before. About halfway into putting the plan into action, I decided that I was going to use it to break up with him. I was really mad. I made a comment that my ex-husband was better in bed and available to me at home. I didn't mean it. The problem is that the topic of my ex-husband is my boyfriend's Achilles heel. I've given him reason to worry about the two of us before. I got back together with my boyfriend during my divorce.

I was planning to marry him and then I realized that I still had feelings for my ex-husband so I left. We've struggled to stay together through the years because he is worried that feelings could be rekindled between my ex-husband and me. He doesn't want to lose me. There's no way that I'd actually want something like that to happen. My ex-husband and I are just good friends. The thing is that I was sorry about ten minutes later, but I'd already walked out and drove away. The next day I got on a plane headed back to Texas. There are some things that you say when you're angry that you can never take back easily. My boyfriend didn't want to talk to me before I left for the airport so I never got the chance to say anything else. He hung up on me when I tried to call later and I've never been sorrier in my whole life.

Reba was happy to finally have someone to talk to. She'd kept the story bottled up until then.

LovinCowboy84: Maybe you'll hear from him when he finally calms down.

RamblinRedRose: I'm not sure. He's really mad this time. He didn't know about the ex who was kissing me so he felt even more betrayed.

LovinCowboy84: Why didn't you tell him about that ex?

RamblinRedRose: It was a sticky situation that I wasn't proud of. He wasn't really an ex. Just someone that I made a mistake with when I was eighteen.

LovinCowboy84: What kind of mistake did you make?

RamblinRedRose: My child had died about a month and a half before that night. I was miserable and not thinking straight. My boss, Max was the only one who had befriended me throughout my pregnancy. I was a single mother having a baby alone. My son was born premature and died when he was two days old. I didn't handle it well. I shut out my son's father, who happens to be my current boyfriend.

I drank more than I should have. Max was comforting me and I didn't realize that he was slowly coming on to me. We had a one night stand. I was so ashamed of myself in the morning. I woke up early and snuck out of his bed. I packed my stuff fast and left town in a hurry. I showed up at my boyfriend's apartment and I never told him about what happened with Max. It was just a stupid mistake. That what makes what happened on my birthday so much worse in my boyfriend's eyes. The thing is that my ex-husband made the same mistake himself. I remember that I was just as unforgiving as my boyfriend is now. I'm thinking that I deserve what I get now. I made him just as miserable as I am now.

LovinCowboy84: You do not deserve this. Your mistake happened over twenty years ago, right?

RamblinRedRose: Yes. I never even thought about it again until two days ago. I just feel guilty for being so unforgiving to my ex-husband before. He's been nothing but great to me lately. We've just gotten into a friendship again and I've refused to see him or talk to him since I got home. I've been pretty self-absorbed in my room, crying my eyes out.

LovinCowboy84: You could try reaching out. You'd be surprised at how much support you'd find around you if you'd let others help you. Your kids have to be pretty confused about everything going on with you right now.

During Reba's online conversation, Brock answers the home telephone. "Reba, there's someone named Paige calling for you. Should I tell her to call back another time?" He yells this message from the stairs.

Reba sticks her head out from the bedroom. "No. I'll take the call. I'll answer it in here.

RamblinRedRose: Hold on, my sister is calling me. I'll be right back.

Reba answers the call on the telephone in her bedroom. She has a brief conversation with Paige and quickly hangs up.

RamblinRedRose: Hi. I'm back. My sister called me to give me an update.

LovinCowboy84: An update?

RamblinRedRose: She's at my boyfriend's apartment talking to him about what happened. He's still not okay. He's okay about what happened at the bar now, but he's furious about the comment I made about my ex-husband. He doesn't want to talk to me. The last time he got this mad it took him at least a year before he cooled off. That time, I was really drunk at a bar with my best friend. He came to Texas to surprise me. I was too drunk to know what I was doing. I said something to upset him.

He found out that my ex-husband was separated from his new wife. He was afraid to come back until he was sure that nothing was going on with my ex-husband and me. I'm going to have to let him cool off awhile longer. My sister did the best she could to help. I've got to be patient for awhile. It's not like I have a love life in Texas. I haven't found anyone who makes me feel the way he does. I feel every emotion at once when I'm with him. No matter how bad things get, we usually bounce back. I can't believe that he took my comment seriously. I've always told him how great our sex life is. I rate him a perfect 10 in the bedroom. It's honestly that good between us.

LovinCowboy84: He can't be the only man that you've been with since your divorce. Haven't you dated at all?

RamblinRedRose: I've dated, but I haven't found anyone that I've fallen in love with other than my boyfriend. I don't believe in sex without love. With the exception of Max, I loved the two other men that I was intimate with. I realize how unusual that is, but I'm old-fashioned. I believe that two people should only have sex if they are in love.

LovinCowboy84: So you really love your boyfriend?

RamblinRedRose: Yes. I've waited years to be with him. What I feel is so powerful that it scares me. It always did. That's how I've measured my feelings. I have to feel something that strong for me to call it love. I've only felt that way twice in my life.

LovinCowboy84: What happened between you and your ex-husband if you loved each other that much?

RamblinRedRose: We had problems with communication. He spent a lot of time with friends after work. He wasn't around when I needed him. I was raising three kids, cooking, and cleaning alone. Most couples work as a team with the house and the kids. We didn't. He had a midlife crisis and decided that he didn't want to be with me anymore. He found someone else who was better for him and started a new family with her. It took me awhile before my feelings went away. Everything happens for a reason. I think that I'm finally in a good place in my life to be able to have an honest relationship with good communication. I just have to work on my temper and my control issues.

LovinCowboy84: Can I ask you a question?

RamblinRedRose: Sure. Ask away.

LovinCowboy84: What's your family like? You never did tell me about them.

RamblinRedRose: My parents are complicated. That's a story for another time. My oldest daughter is grown and married with two children of her own. She has a really good marriage. My son-in-law really works with her as a team. My younger daughter will be starting college in the fall. My son is my youngest and he starts his last year of middle school in the fall also. Then there's my sister. She's my younger half-sister.

She is the same age as my oldest child would have been if he hadn't died. It's strange because I'm old enough to be her mother. She helps me to not take things so seriously sometimes. She helps me relate to my kids better. We have the same father. Her mother died about ten years ago. She doesn't get along with my mother that well so I'm there for her as much as I can be. My boyfriend also helps her out when he can. She knows that she can go to him for anything if she can't get a hold of me. She's great, but I tend to get into trouble whenever I try anything that is her idea of fun. My two best friends are the same way though and they're my age.

LovinCowboy84: Where does your sister live?

RamblinRedRose: She lives on her own now in my hometown. She's a part-time bartender and a part-time radio deejay. She reminds me a lot of myself when I was younger.

LovinCowboy84: We got a little off-track here. I was talking to you about reaching out for support from your family earlier. Will you at least try to talk to them and see if you feel better? Everyone needs help every once in awhile. You seem to blame yourself for a lot of what's going on around you.

RamblinRedRose: I told you that I have control issues. I take on everything, including blame. I have a close friend who is a neighbor. I promise that I will talk with her and my kids tomorrow. I hope that I can get a good night's sleep.

LovinCowboy84: We've been talking for awhile now. I better let you try to get some sleep. I'll talk to you again soon. I hope that you feel better tomorrow. Goodnight.

RamblinRedRose: I hope that you have a nice day tomorrow. Goodnight.

Reba logged off the computer. She poked her head out of her bedroom. "Hey, Brock."

"Yes. Do you need somethin', honey?"

"Where are the kids?"

"Cheyenne and Van took Elizabeth to a movie. Kyra went to a gig with her band. Jake is at a friend's house. Did you want to spend some time with the kids?"

"I feel bad about shuttin' myself off from everyone today. I just wanted to let the kids know that I'm okay."

"It's alright. You can talk to them tomorrow. I wanted to give you your other birthday surprise. Would that be okay? How about dinner? Do you want me to make you somethin' to eat?"

"I don't feel like comin' out of my room that much right now."

"I can make you dinner and you can eat it in your room. I can also give you your surprise in your room, too."

"Sure, but I'm not sure that I want to be alone right now. I feel like mopin' around, but I'd like to have some company."

"Do you want to watch some TV?"

"Brock, the TV is downstairs. I don't want to go downstairs. We could play cards or somethin'."

"Are you sure the TV is downstairs?"

"Brock, you mo-ron, of course the TV is downstairs. I don't have a TV in my room."

"Really?" Brock walked into Reba's closet. He lifted up a blanket that revealed two wrapped boxes. He carried them over to Reba's bed for her to open.

Reba tore open the packaging on the boxes. "Oh my gosh, Brock, thank you so much! I can't believe that you bought me a TV and a DVD/VCR combo player for my room. This was really nice of you." She gave him a quick hug.

"Now you can watch TV in your room."

"Only if you're watchin' TV with me. We can have dinner and watch a movie right here."

"Sounds like a plan. I'll just get this hooked up and then I'll make us some dinner. You just sit here and relax. You've had a tough day. I'm here if you wanna talk about it anytime."

Reba was lying down at the foot of the bed watching TV while Brock made dinner. He carried a tray of food upstairs. He set the tray down on the bed. Reba sat up and looked at the food he prepared trying to stifle a giggle.

"What?"

"Macaroni and cheese with chicken tenders and beer. Only you would come up with somethin' like that."

"Hey, I'm a wiz with a microwave."

"Be honest. One of the kids helps you make dinner when it's your turn to cook, right?"

"No. Barbra Jean did teach me how to cook some things and anything else I microwave using directions off the package. I wanted to fix somethin' fast. I figured that you had to be starving because you hadn't eaten all day."

"I'm sorry. Thanks for pullin' a dinner together so fast. I am really hungry and thanks for the beer."

"Hey, you had a rough day. I figured that you could use it."

"What movie are we gonna watch? I wanna play a DVD. Could you go downstairs and get one for us to watch?" Reba asked with pleading eyes.

"Sure. Do you want to watch a romantic comedy or somethin' else?"

"I want somethin' with laughs and a romantic happy ending. I haven't seen a lot of those in my life lately."

"Comin' right up. Do ya want anything else while I'm down there?"

"Buttered popcorn for the movie and some more beer. I don't want ya to have to make more trips downstairs. Thanks."

Brock nodded and rushed downstairs. He came back five minutes later with a six pack of beer, a bowl of popcorn with butter poured on it, and Reba's favorite movie, While You Were Sleeping. Reba gave him a look. He couldn't fool her. She knew that he just popped some microwave popcorn and put it in a big bowl. He seemed to rush through everything tonight.

She looked over at the movie and smiled. He picked out her favorite movie. He seemed eager to meet her every request. It wasn't perfect the way that it would have been if she had done it herself, but it worked. She finally got some help without having to cajole her family into it. It seemed surreal that Brock would be so helpful without question after all the times that he left her to fend for herself in the past. She realized that he spent a lot of money on birthday gifts for her.

She got three presents from Brock. She suspected that he also helped the kids pay for their presents too. She wondered what got into him. He was spending a lot of money just to celebrate her birthday. He hadn't done that since her 19th birthday, which was shortly before they got married. That was against his nature because he was known for being incredibly cheap. He also seemed to be in a better mood than he was when she left for Oklahoma. She figured that he finally must have gone to see Barbra Jean. She hoped that things were getting better for the two of them.

"At least someone around here gets to fix their love life." Reba thought to herself.

The previews came on and Reba decided to ask him about how it was going with Barbra Jean.

"You seem to be in a better mood. Is there anything special goin' on for ya?"

"Not much. It's the same as it was."

"I thought that maybe you'd seen Barbra Jean. I thought that maybe things were gettin' better for y'all."

"I'm in therapy and workin' on my own issues. Building good positive communication is a long, slow process. Barbra Jean and I haven't argued in a few days. That's better, I guess. Today was a good day because I haven't been hit, yelled at, or argued with by either one of my wives. That's progress."

"That's because you haven't managed to mess anythin' up today, but if it would make you more comfortable, I could hit ya."

Brock laughed. "I guess that I messed up a lot in the last ten years or so. Do you remember when we used to have days when you didn't get mad and hit me?"

Reba shook her head and chuckled a little. "I don't know about you, Brock. When did it become normal daily behavior for you to act like a giant butt?"

"I used to be very selfish, I know. I'm workin' on that. I want to be the kind of guy that his family can depend on. You remember that guy that I used to be, right?"

"Briefly, but it's been a long time since then. I started to think that the good times were just a phase and that other behavior was the real you."

"That other behavior was a symptom of temporary insanity, honey. I'm sorry that you had to deal with that."

"That's water under the bridge. I'm your friend, not your wife. I don't have to worry about that anymore. As friends, we're good. Barbra Jean is the one that you should be apologizing to, but temporary insanity would explain how you ended up with her."

Brock smiled and laughed at her last comment. "If I want to be with a goofy woman, then all I have to do is tease ya or chase ya around the house so I don't need to go far to get that."

"You haven't done that in years. You're really pullin' memories from way back. Are you really okay? You sound different. You can talk to me if somethin' is goin' on with you. You know that, right?"

"I'm in therapy, Reba. I have to go through everything that I've ever done in my life in order to fix my problems. Nothing else is goin' on with me, but I want to reciprocate the offer. I need you to know that you can talk to me about anything that's botherin' you. I'd like to help you anytime you need someone. That's what friends are for. You don't have to be the strong one all the time."

"Right now, my problem is that men are mo-rons. They insist on bein' right about everything. They don't want to listen to explanations when they've already gone off the deep end and it's a fast jump to the deep end. I'm actually not referrin' to you this time, Brock, so don't jump to conclusions."

"Hey, we're makin' progress as friends. You are talkin' to me about a problem. This is good. Keep goin'."

"The movie is startin'. I'll talk to you later."

Brock put his arm around Reba and kissed the top of her head. "I'm sorry that somebody hurt you. I'm sorry that I hurt you. You are a good woman and you don't deserve to be treated like that. The kids and I are workin' on making your life easier for you. It's important that you go back to school. We fully support you, honey."

Reba relaxed against Brock's shoulder while they sat quietly in her bed watching the movie. She decided to put her troubles behind her for the time being and just relax. Stressing out about problems was not good for her blood pressure. This friendship with Brock was really working out better than she thought it would. She wondered how long he would be around to help her out while she went to school. She knew that eventually he'd be going home to patch things up with Barbra Jean.

By the end of the movie, they were both extremely tired and couldn't keep their eyes open. Brock slid Reba's sleeping figure down into the sheets and covered them both with the comforter. He knew that Reba would be mad if they fell asleep with the TV, DVD player, and the light left on. He used the remote to turn off the TV and DVD player; and then he turned off the lamp on Reba's nightstand before allowing his eyes to close and his body to relax into sleep.

Reba woke up the next morning. She was startled to find Brock asleep beside her. She was even more shocked that she'd slept in his arms again. She shook Brock awake. "Get up, Brock."

"What time is it?"

"Time for you to go back to your own room."

"What's wrong, honey?"

"Brock, Barbra Jean will be over here any minute to have coffee with me. I don't want her to find out about this. I also don't want the kids to see this either. It would be too confusing for them."

"Nothing happened. We didn't do anything wrong here."

"I doubt that Cheyenne, Kyra, or Barbra Jean would see it that way. They'll assume that we're lying because something really did happen between us last night."

"What makes you say that?"

"Your track record speaks for itself. You usually do have somethin' to hide. How many times have you slept in here with me?"

"Twice in the last seven years."

"Exactly. We haven't even fallen asleep on the couch together watching TV. This won't look right to them. I usually don't allow you this close to me."

"Fine. What do we do? Barbra Jean is dropping Henry off this morning. He's staying here with us for the week."

"All the more reason to get ready fast. I'll get dressed here. You can sneak back to your room. Hopefully we won't get caught in the meantime."

They heard a knock on the door. "Good morning, Reba. Are you decent?"

Reba glared at Brock and smacked him upside the head. "See. I told you. Get in the bathroom. I'll take her downstairs and then you can sneak back to your room," Reba whispered. Brock nodded and rushed into the bathroom.

"Barbra Jean, I'm trying to get dressed. I'll be out in a minute."

"Okie dokie, Smokey." Reba chuckled at Barbra Jean's silliness.

Reba started to change her clothes. Brock stuck his head out of the bathroom. "Is the coast clear?"

Reba reacted as quietly as she could. "Darn it, Brock. You did this on purpose. Are you tryin' to sneak a peek? Quit starin' at me." Reba was standing there in her bra and underwear. Brock quietly chuckled. Reba glared at him again. He went back into the bathroom again. Reba shook her head in disbelief. She tried to figure out if she could get Barbra Jean downstairs before she could see Brock in Reba's bedroom.

What will happen to Reba and Brock this time? Will Barbra Jean catch Brock coming out of Reba's room? Who is LovinCowboy84? Will Reba keep trying to maintain a safe distance from Brock? What will happen during Brock's date with Reba? Will Reba talk to Mike again? Who will she end up with in Vegas?

What happens next? Stay tuned to find out in the next chapter!

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