Believe in Love Again

by Reba-Brockfan

Reba finds herself in a Vegas hotel room and can't remember what happened the night before. When she finds out that she got married, she goes over in her mind how she ended up there.

42. The Next Day

Title: Believe in Love Again

Chapter 42: The next day

Time: September-December 2008 (after the sixth season of Reba and beyond)

Characters I don't own: Reba McKinney-Hart, Brock Hart, Kyra Hart, Jake Hart, Cheyenne Hart-Montgomery, Van Montgomery, Elizabeth Montgomery, Barbra Jean Booker, Henry Hart, Jack Morgan, Brian Collins, Mike Holliway, Terry Holliway, Lori Ann Garner, JV McKinney, Helen McKinney, John D. Hart, Liz Hart, and any other characters from the Reba cast.

Characters I do own: Anyone not part of the Reba cast – original characters developed for this story include: Max Thornton, Cheyenne McEntire-Smith (Nana), Vince McEntire (Papa), Kenneth Smith (Gramps), Paige McKinney, Michael Davis, John McKinney, Barbara Ann Grant, Kim Campbell-Holliway, Sam Holliway, Jenny Miller, Nick Holliway, Terry Holliway, Jr., Josh Holliway, Madeline Mitchell (Maddi), Greg Brooks, Jason Holliway, Emma Holliway, Frank Campbell, and Maggie.

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Now on with the story-

This chapter will consist of scenes that will be in regular font, not italicized font. I use the italicized font to distinguish between author's notes and regular scenes. I use bold font when things need special emphasis and flashbacks.

Previously- Reba's hand flew to her mouth. She looked under the sheet. She and Brock were both naked under the covers. Reba pulled the covers up around her. She sat up against the headboard. "This is bad, really bad. This is worse than how you and I got together in the first place. I didn't cheat on Mike before. I've cheated on Mike and you've cheated on Barbra Jean. Why am I not surprised? You don't have any problem committing adultery. You do it like some people change underwear."

"You take that back! I didn't seduce you. You just came on in here, stripped down, handcuffed me to the bed, and had your way with me."

"I will not take back anything that I've said. You could've said something, anything. Didn't you find it strange that I would come in here and do that? If you say that you thought that I was Barbra Jean, I'm gonna slap you. At least, I can honestly say that I didn't know that it was you. I thought that it was Mike. This is our bed. What are you doin' here in my bed anyway?"

Before Brock could answer, there was a knock on the door. "Hey honey, good morning. Why is the door locked?" Reba froze to the spot. Brock's features began to look as worried as Reba's did. Reba got up from the bed without thinking about her state of undress. She threw his clothes at him and told him to get into the closet, and then she quickly put on her robe to answer the door.

Brock pulled his clothes on quickly. He was anxiously to find out how Reba would handle Mike under the circumstances. Reba had accused him of committing adultery. Little did she know that this was not the case here with him. Brock was hoping that there was some way that let Reba out of her marriage to Mike on a technicality. He didn't like the idea that he and Reba were never married. He was running out of ideas. Last night had been sensational, but it saddened him to see how upset Reba was when she woke up in his arms. It had been quite a night for both of them and Brock woke up happy for the first time in quite a while. Too bad Reba didn't feel the same. Brock had to figure out a way to convince Reba that they belonged together...

What will Brock do to try to convince Reba to give him another chance? What will happen between Reba and Mike now? How will Reba handle sharing the apartment with Brock after what just happened between them? Who will Brock turn to for help? How will the rest of the weekend turn out? Who will Reba end up with in Vegas?

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

The answers to the questions above will be revealed as you read the story. Here is the latest installment of Believe in Love Again.

Now on with our next chapter-

Reba answered the door for Mike stoically. She was determined not to let on to what had actually happened with Brock last night. She also didn't want to let Mike think that he got away with not coming to bed last night. "I see that you remembered where our bedroom is."

"Oh, you're mad."

"Yeah, I'm more than a little upset with you." Reba saw that Mike was holding a tray in his hands. It looked Mike had been busy in the kitchen that morning. He made her scrambled eggs, bacon, pancakes, and freshly squeezed orange juice. Her guilt doubled. It cut her anger at him in half. She was in no place to judge him after what happened last night. She still wondered why he put her in this awkward situation in the first place. What happened? Why was Brock in her bed last night instead of Mike? "You made the pancakes in the shape of hearts. You know how much I love that. What happened last night?"

"I'm having a hard time dealing with the fact that the woman I love doesn't want to marry me. I started drinking. At first it was because we were just having a good time, then it was because I realized that you may not ever love me as much as I love you. I know that you'd seduce me just to get your own way on the marriage issue. I talked to Brock about it and he told me to spend the night on the couch. I was so wasted at the end of the night that I was grateful that he'd helped me get upstairs. I didn't mean to hurt you. I just need to know that we both feel that same way and that this relationship is headed to a place where we both want it to go."

Reba put her hand to his cheek. Tears glistened her eyes. "How could you not know? I love you. My plan is to spend the rest of my life with my husband. I waited last night to dance with my husband before we went to bed. So the way I see it, you owe me a dance, Cowboy."

Mike smirked. "Your husband, huh? Do you wanna dance like that, dressed in your bathrobe? By the way, where is your husband? I don't remember Miss Reba McKinney-Hart bein' the marryin' kind. "

"I'm lookin' at him." Reba stood there, eyeing him for his reaction. "Apparently you and I are still hitched by some miracle or fate. I don't know."

"Is that right?" he asked. He wanted to see how she felt about the situation before expressing how he felt about their situation.

"Yeah. Why didn't you tell me about it? I had to hear it from Frank, Kim's idiot kid brother of a lawyer. Have you known long? Did you know when you showed up in Houston? Why didn't you tell me?" she asked in simple curiosity. She didn't want this to turn into an argument. They both had quick tempers.

"I needed to know how you felt. I needed to make sure that it was what you wanted. I needed proof that it was real. I had to prove to you that I could be a better husband to ya this time."

"Are you about done? 'Cause I'm ready to show you how I feel about the situation."

"Now you want to be my wife? What is it about cowgirls like you? Fiercely independent and stubborn. Can't make the right decision until you've tried all the wrong ones." He couldn't help blowing his top. He begs her to marry him and she doesn't want to. But now, she's legally bound to him and it's okay that they're married. He didn't want her to be his wife under duress. He wanted her to want to be his wife. He wasn't so sure that her quick acceptance was such a good thing.

"At least, I'm willin' to fight for what I want!"

"What is it that you want, Reba? I don't even think that you know. Two nights ago, you wouldn't even let me propose to ya."

"You're the first boy that I ever kissed, Mike. I want you to be the last."

"Maybe you and I already had our chance. There are still papers to sign to make this marriage a legal one."

"I want to be your wife. That's what I'm tellin' ya." Reba's temper was flaring up, too. She threw her hands up in the air. "Fine, have it your way, you stubborn mo-ron."

"What do you want to be married to me for anyhow?"

Reba knew that Mike had tried every trick in the book from every romantic movie that they'd ever seen. It was her turn. She walked up to him until they were nose to nose. She grabbed the back of his neck and pulled him into a kiss. It was a soul-searching kiss. The kiss was interrupted by the ringing of Mike's cell phone. It was Sam, calling about some business at the restaurant. Mike got off the phone as soon as he could. "Sorry, it was Sam."

"No, problem. You know if you wanted to get him off the phone faster, you could've told him that you were in the middle of makin' up with your nearly naked wife. That would've been uncomfortable enough to get him off the line."

"I'd like to see you try that with one of your own kids."

Reba laughed. "Touché. You know we need to establish some ground rules. Every good marriage has rules."

"Rules, again? It's like Brock always said. You're one strange woman," Mike responded jokingly.

"I'm worth it, you know. We're going to be together for the next forty or fifty years or so."

"You've got a lifetime sentence planned for the poor guy who's married to you."

Reba smacked him upside the head. He was too much like Brock sometimes. She'd forgotten that. She needed to let her husband know how things were going to be. She was the injured party here and the reconciliation was going to start off her way. "Hey, I'm going to make you very happy. Marriage is not a jail sentence. It can be the most wonderful way to spend the rest of your life in the arms of the person that you love."

"I guess so if you plan to dress like that for me all the time," he teased.

Reba looked down at the robe and blushed. By this time, she'd forgotten all about Brock being in the closet. It had completely left her mind. "Now back to the rules," she reminded. "Rule one: No matter how much we've quarreled, we never go to bed without having kissed the other. Rule two: We are never apart from each other for more than two weeks."

"No. I think we should reduce it to one week. But we don't need the rule because I won't ever leave you alone again," he responded.

Reba continued. "Rule three: We always spend our anniversary in bed. Rule four: The children always come first. No matter what else is important. Rule five: We'll always be there for each other whenever one of us needs the other. Rule six: We can talk about anything with each other. Rule seven: We always kiss at bedtime and fall asleep, arm in arm every night. Rule eight: We dance together before we go to bed every night. Finally, rule nine: No talkin' about our exes in the bedroom. This is our sanctuary. We don't need Brock and Kim invadin' it. It can really spoil the mood."

"Is the mood spoiled? Because I'm just about to agree to all your rules," he said, leaning in for another kiss.

Reba put her hand up to stop him. "Sorry, honey. I have a headache."

"Oh, really?" Mike waited for what she had to say next.

"Yeah. Ask your old buddy, Brock. One of my headaches lasted a whole year."

"Where is Brock this mornin'? Have you seen him?"

"How am I supposed to know? I haven't been out of this room yet this morning. You know, Brock may live in my house, but I am not his keeper." Reba reacted nervously. The thoughts of last night that she pushed to the back of her mind were resurfacing. "You're dressed and I'm not. I don't like the fact that you have me at a disadvantage. When I'm done gettin' dressed, you and I are gonna have a serious heart-to-heart."

Reba walked into the closet to change into some clothes. She walked into the closet, flipped the light switch on, and shut the door. Brock grabbed her from behind as soon as the door was shut. Reba was caught off guard because she wasn't paying any attention. She was busy trying to find clothes to change into. She'd temporarily forgotten that Brock was in the closet. Brock spoke low into her ear. "Forget something or someone? You may not be my keeper, but you can have that job back anytime you'd like. You see the only Hart-to-Hart talk will be between you and me right after you make him go away. We have some things to discuss."

"No, he's right out there. I need to square some things away with him first. He's my husband. That's gonna come first." Reba dropped her robe and moved to change into a sweatshirt and jeans as fast as she could.

At first, Brock was shocked. Then he stood there, holding her bra and underwear in his hand with a smirk on his face. "I figured that you might need these."

"Don't make a big deal outta this. It was a mistake, okay. I should've gotten dressed before I let him into the room. You've seen me naked tons of times before so it's not a big deal if you see me changin' my clothes," she hissed at him in a whisper. She snatched the undergarments from his hand. "You're so smug and casual about this like it's some kind of prank or somethin'. You'd be as freaked out as I am if your wife was on the other side of the door right now."

"Not in the least. I actually want my wife to pay attention to me. I wonder if she even notices me as a person or as a man anymore."

Reba put her hand on his shoulder. "I'm sorry about that. Really I am, but I have to get out there and sort things out with Mike. Promise me that you'll forget that last night ever happened."

"I don't think that I can do that, honey."

"Okay, then promise me that you won't tell anyone about last night. Please?"

Reba gave him the puppy-dog eyes and Brock caved. "Okay, but you have to promise to talk to me about it later. At some point, we will have to sort this out."

"Sure. Just sit tight until I'm done out there."

Reba casually walked back out through the adjoining bathroom and into the bedroom. She made sure that the closet door was shut behind her. "Okay, I'm back and fully dressed. Let's talk. There are things about me that you don't know. If you did, I'm not so sure that you'd wanna be married to be. So it's confession time, let's start at the beginning. While you were gone in Dallas, I wasn't just sittin' around waitin' for you to come back. I tried to move on. I knew that I loved you, but it hurt so much. You didn't call or write so I found myself moving on. It just happened. I met Greg when junior high started. We were friends. He wanted more and we grew into that. We dated until the end of ninth grade, but that's not the whole story."

"Okay, let's hear it. We lived separate lives back then."

"Yes, but you thought that I just sat around waitin' for you. You liked it that I was pure and innocent for you. I wasn't so innocent. It happened when my grandfather died. I was so miserable. I was grieving so much. He wanted to comfort me. One thing led to another and we ended up in my bed together."

"So, he was the first?"

"No, it didn't get that far. We were both naked and things were hot and heavy, but Maddi interrupted us. She knocked on my bedroom door."

"Well, I've never been so happy to see Maddi butt in before. Her nosiness came in handy this time."

"Well after that, I realized that I wasn't ready for sex so I asked him to be patient and wait until I was ready. He agreed. Four months later, you came back into town. I realized that I wanted to be with you, but I had no way of knowing that you'd be comin' back to stay. I cheated on Greg with you. He found out about it. I broke up with him as soon as I knew that you were comin' back. I didn't want to lead him on anymore. Before that, he set up a little test to see if I would cheat on him. He asked his best friend to flirt with me all summer long. The friend was Tommy Johnson. He was messin' around with Kim in secret and flirtin' with me in public. After I broke up with Greg, he asked me out. I didn't know that I was walkin' into a trap. You know most of the rest, except for one major thing. You have to promise not to do anything if I tell you."

"That sounds bad."

"Yeah, it is. Please promise not to take action against Tommy or Greg. I don't wanna see you end up in jail."

"What happened, Sal?"

"Greg swears that he didn't know what Tommy planned. Tommy took me out. When he drove out to the secluded spot that he bragged about, he tried to force himself on me. I was terrified. He had a knife. I got away. I never told anyone. My parents never found out. They weren't around much back then. I've only told you, Kim, Paige, Barbra Jean, Max, and Brock. Kim stopped being my friend after the date with Tommy. She believed his lies. She thought that I was tryin' to steal her man so she decided to hurt me by stealin' you away from me. If you had moved back in June, none of it would've ever happened. It happened because I was stupid and trustin'. I was naive. It wasn't anyone's fault, but mine. I made the choice to go on the date without parental permission and against my best friend's wishes. I just wish that I could go back in time and change things. I'd make things up to Kim and Greg so they'd never have a reason to hurt me later on."

"You keep saying Greg. Do you mean the same Greg that Paige is engaged to marry?"

Reba nodded. "Lori Ann said something once that stuck with me. What a tangled web we weave when first we practice to deceive. She said that on the night that Kim helped me sneak out to meet you at the first party. Well, my web is huge. It's so big that I tangle myself up in it."

"Sal, you know that Kim, Greg, and Tommy were wrong to hurt you like that. Everybody makes mistakes when they're young. You were barely fifteen at the time. It's okay. I want to do somethin' about it, but I won't because I promised you. You have my word. I just can't believe that a guy like that is goin' to marry our Paige."

"Yeah, he's still obsessed with the whole thing too. He still wants revenge on you and me because I cheated on him with you. He really loved me and I hurt him. I wasn't honest. I didn't love him back like I should've and I led him on. I hurt him badly."

"That's not an excuse for somethin' that happened almost thirty years ago."

"It was enough for him to try to hurt me a couple of weeks ago. He knows about the magic in my family. I was honest about that with him. He thought it was cool so I got to try my magic anytime I wanted around him. Later on, he and others called me a freak for it. When he came to Houston, he knew that I wasn't Paige and he tried to make a move on me. Brock came inside and beat him up. Then he came back here with his tail between his legs."

"Okay, so was that it? Man, we gotta find a way to get Paige away from that guy."

"I'm working on that. There's more for me to confess. My magic can get outta control when I'm angry. That's probably why Nana sets the rules for me. She still does and I'm into my forties. When I found out that Terry was expecting more on prom night, I got really angry with him. Things went a little outta control so he found out about the magic. I had to calm myself down or I would've really hurt him. I turned you into a frog once."

"I think I remember that, but your grandmother tried to convince me that it was just a dream."

"There have been many, many times when I wanted to turn you into somethin'. That's why it's against the rules. It didn't seem like fun for that guy on Bewitched."

"I'm just gettin' used to be married to a Samantha."

"But your mother-in-law is powerless so she's no Endora."

"But your grandmother is. Your grandmother is the Endora in this family."

Reba smiled. "Yeah, you better watch out. She's tried to do awful things to Brock. Anyway, speaking of Brock, here's the next confession. I wanted to teach Brock a lesson for tryin' to destroy the wedding. You should already know about this from the video. I flirted with him and kissed him so I could trick him into a place where I could hurt him. The confession is that sometime that night I almost didn't go through with the plan. I started to like him. I started to become attracted to him. When we ended up on the floor of this room together, I wasn't acting. I was making out with him for real. I got in control of my senses in enough time to follow through with the plan. I was scared. I didn't understand how I could be attracted to another man and still be so in love with you. Nana explained the whole thing to me."

"What?"

"See the women in my family all end up with two important loves in our lives. One is the soul mate and the other is the distraction. The distraction feels real and can become real. I'm not makin' this up. Papa was Nana's distraction and Gramps is her soul mate. It's sad really. My father is my mother's soul mate and your father is my mother's distraction. Brock is my distraction."

"All of a sudden, I'm honored and less threatened."

"Thank you. There's more. I slept with Max."

"I knew that."

"What?"

"Max is a stand-up guy. When I went to see him, we talked. He was very clear about what happened. So, you dated on and off for the past five years or so."

"That's not all. I got drunk and slept with him after John died. When I woke up, I freaked out and drove back to you immediately without a word to him. I'm amazed that he actually forgave me for that. We haven't had a relationship at all. We are friends. We were friends with benefits. It was simple and strictly physical. It's been over for months."

"Since March, I know. But there's more to it than that."

"He helped me whenever I needed him. He became an on-demand booty call. It started on the night Brock married Barbra Jean. I showed up at the hotel. I watched the reception like some poor lovesick fool. I ended up at the bar. Max was at the hotel on business. He saw me at the bar. I was a mess. I was the one who came onto him, but I promise you that I'm over that whole thing. There's more. I was worried about continuing to need Max's friendship, not the physical side of things. So back in June, I met a guy online. We're just friends, but he's there for me to talk to. It's nice. I have no romantic interest in him whatsoever."

"So you share with Brock and this other guy? Is there a place in there somewhere for me? I should be the one that you come to for talkin' about anythin' and everythin'."

"I know. I'm workin' on my issues. Okay, now we're at that weekend in June. You know that I slept with another man. There was neediness and alcohol involved..."

"I slept with Kim that night, the night that you set us up on the date. I didn't mean for it to happen. But because it happened, I knew that I didn't want her anymore. I realized that I only want you and that's when I started plannin' to move to Houston."

Reba felt her temper rising again. "Maybe I should be grateful that you didn't sleep with Maddi, too."

"Don't be ridiculous. I have no interest in your cousin ever. Kim and I share a history and you told her to figure out if there was something left between us. It happened and now we know that there's nothin' left. I was devastated. I thought that I lost you. You pushed me away. You're the one who's supposed to be my wife and the mother of my children."

Reba smiled at the thought of being his wife and the mother of his children again. "Yeah, Jack. I know. I love you more than anythin' in the world. I'm just a little shocked and hurt."

"You're not so lily white in this mess, are ya? You slept with someone else, too. I'd say that makes us even."

"I guess so. I think that sleeping with Kim is at least worth a pout on my part. You know how I feel about the two of you. I'm always jealous and scared."

"That's how I feel about you and Brock. He lives in your house. The two of you are only separated by a wall. That's hard for me to take, too. Can you imagine how hard it would be for me if you two slept together?"

"Yeah, well that's not gonna happen. There's nothing left there to worry about. He'll be back together with Barbra Jean in no time. Speaking of which, how do we get our marriage back on track?"

"Well to make the marriage legal, you have to sign a paper. We both sign to say that we didn't intend to commit bigamy. It reinstates our marriage and invalidates our marriages to Brock and Kim."

"You want me to sign a paper that says that I was never married to Brock and you were never married to Kim. What about the kids?"

"What about them? They've been okay with things the way they are for awhile now."

"Mike, I refuse to sign any paper that tells my kids that their happy childhood and family was a lie. You should be worried about sending that message to your own kids, too."

Mike scoffed. "Happy? I remember tons of times when you cried on my shoulder about how miserable you were with Brock. He couldn't even bother to show up at the hospital when you were havin' Kyra and Jake."

Reba sat down on the bed and Mike sat down next to her. "I know, but we had some good times. We had sixteen happy years. I just came down to Oklahoma when things were bad so all you heard was the bad stuff. There were good times, just like I'm sure that there were good times between you and Kim too." Mike was silent at this point. "I want to marry you someday. I'm not ready to be an instant wife. My first duty is to my children. This will shock them and hurt them. I can't do that to them. I know that I can get them used to the idea by December."

"What about the baby?"

"This weekend was not supposed to be about gettin' pregnant. It's the wrong time of the month for that. I just wanted to get that intimacy back with you. We've still got an appointment with the specialist comin' up."

"No, I mean John. His birth certificate and headstone say McKinney. My name isn't listed as his father. I want him to have my name. If I agree to back things off until December, will you agree to consider changing his name to John Holliway? You were my wife and he was my son."

"How about John McKinney-Holliway?"

"You're a tough negotiator and you are so beautiful." He kisses her. "I'm sorry I was so stupid. I just didn't know what to do, but I know I want you. I just need a second chance."

"You're so dense you might need a fourth or fifth."

"I'll take whatever I can. I love you."

"I hope that's not just the leftover alcohol in your system talking."

"No, it's not."

"Good, 'cause I love you."

"I think that I've loved you since that first day I saw you that day in the mall before the party. I felt love for you before, but I wasn't sure that I truly loved you until that moment. You were just walkin' along smilin' and laughin'."

"What about when I had my hand slidin' up your pants during those heated sessions in the closet?"

Mike smiled. "Definitely the beginning of the passion in our relationship."

"Men are so easy. All I have to do is get you into a closet."

"Oh, yeah." He kisses her again. She wraps her arms around him and they dance together without any music, just the rhythm of their hearts. It was like there was like they were the only two people in the world. They held onto each other as they started floating into the air. Just then, Bewitched, Bothered, and Bewildered played on the radio. No one turned the radio on. "Thank your grandmother for me. I'm definitely grateful that she fell for the distraction because it brought me you. What about the radio and the floating?"

"The radio was definitely her. The floating is me, well us. Things are magical when we're together."

"I dare ya to make things like this happen around others like Brock."

"Sure, when you have that man-to-man chat with him about us gettin' married. You have to get his permission and my children's permission. I've already had that talk with Kim. Man up and get it over with. Until you do, I'm gonna keep saying no. I want to say yes, so make it soon." The floating stopped and they were both back on solid ground.

"I'll get right on that. I have a big day planned for us so you'd better get ready to go. I've planned a great day so hurry up." Mike kissed Reba on her nose.

"You're gonna have to do better than that, Cowboy." She grabbed him and pulled him to her in another soul searching kiss. She felt the sparks that flew between them. She pulled away first. She let him out the door. She wanted to eat her breakfast before it turned completely cold. Paige rushed into her room before she could do that. She desperately needed some advice from her big sister. She grabbed a pancake off the tray and ate it fast.

"Geez, Paige. That was my breakfast. Mike made me breakfast in bed."

"How'd it go last night? Did ya finally hit the sheets together?"

Reba shook her head. "Nah, he got rip-roaring drunk and slept it off on the couch. The breakfast is a peace offering."

"I stayed out all night. Don't ya wanna know where I was?"

"I figured that you'd tell me when you were ready."

"I slept with Michael last night!" Paige blurted.

"Michael, as in your husband?"

Paige nodded. "I'm not sure how I feel about that. It was amazing. We were always very compatible in that regard, but I'm engaged to marry another man. I don't wanna be married to him. I did once, but not anymore. I really do love Greg."

"Ugh, don't tell me that."

"What do ya have against him?"

"For starters, how much has he told ya about his past?"

"He's had a hard time trusting women. He had this ex who made him miserable. He really loved her and she cheated on him a lot."

"Paige, I didn't wanna have to be the one to tell you this. That Greg that I told you about is Greg Brooks, my ex and best friend of Tommy Johnson. Now put his side of the story with mine and you'll see what happened. I'm your sister and I'd never lie to ya. You have to believe me."

"I definitely suspected something last night. He was lookin' at you the whole time you were on stage. It made me really uncomfortable. Between that, the alcohol, and Michael singin' and flirtin' with me on stage, something was bound to happen between me and Michael.

"So stick with Michael. He's your husband. He loves you. Greg doesn't really deserve you, Paige. Do you really wanna marry someone who's dated your sister?"

"But I love him. It's been over between you and Greg for decades. He says that I'm his dream come true."

"Paige, he's the distraction. We can sleep with the distraction. We can have a hot sweaty fling with the distraction, but we don't marry the distraction. True love is your soul's recognition of its counter point in another. We marry our soul mates. That is our destiny. Don't ruin your destiny. When you come together with your soul mate, it can be very magical."

"It was pretty magical last night."

"Did the floating thing happen?"

"Yeah, right away when he kissed me after we got back to his place."

"Mike and I had that happen between us this morning. It was electric and so special. It had been so long since that type of thing happen between us."

"You really need to marry him ASAP. He's so good for you. You're much nicer and less of a pain in the rear when you're happy and in love."

"Thanks, I think. You don't have to decide the rest of your life right now. Why don't you take some time to sort things out? You could always see both of them until you can make up your mind."

"Reba! That's awful. I don't wanna cheat on Greg."

Reba smiled with glee. "You already did. Poor Greg seems destined to get cheated on by a McKinney girl. You've already done the crime. Someday you'll have to pay for it. Might as well have some fun in the meantime. It really was worth it in my case. Mike is so amazing. I'm glad that I took the risk to go after him. We were in the closet last night during dinner and it was just like it was the first time. We've snuck away from the family before, but this time was different. I felt it down deep in my heart. I felt that love. It will never go away. He loves me and I love him. Something just hit me right then. He's the one that I want to marry and spend the rest of my life with."

"I envy you. I wanna be sure like that."

"Someday, you will. It will hit you right between the eyes and you'll know without a shadow of a doubt." The two sisters shared a smile and a hug. Paige was so grateful that Reba was back home. She missed her so much when she was in Houston. "I've got to get ready because Mike has a special day planned for the two of us." Paige quickly scurried out of the room to let Reba finish getting ready. Reba locked the door so no one would find out who was hiding in her closet. She went to go deal with her own pain in the rear. He stood there, smiling at her. "What?" she asked with her hands on her hips.

"You're the most adorable woman that I've ever met." Reba rolled her eyes at him. His hand went up to caress her cheek and left it there. "I mean it."

Reba lightly groaned. "That's some line of bull that you're shovelin'."

"Come on, you've already done the crime. How about some fun in the meantime before you have to pay for your crime? Wanna have a hot sweaty fling with me?"

Reba laughed. "Come on, Brock. That ship has sailed. I'm marryin' another man, who's one of your best friends. Get serious. You're a married man."

"I am bein' serious. I am 110% completely serious. It's just sex, right? You've done the same thing with Max. So, why not with me?"

"I'm not dumb like Barbra Jean. You must really think that I'm stupid, right? You don't even know how to use a condom. I'm having a baby with Mike Holliway and no one else. Understand?"

"You weren't worried about a condom last night."

"I was perfectly safe last night. You and I both know that we haven't been so lucky before."

"The end result was three terrific kids. We were very lucky, Reba."

"The answer is no, Brock. There's no way in the world that I'd agree to somethin' that crazy."

"How about makin' a little wager on that?"

"No way!" Reba's eyes blazed.

"What's the matter, Reba? Are you afraid that I'll get you into bed again? If you're so sure that it'll never happen, then you should take the bet. I think that you're afraid that we'll end up in bed together again," he taunted.

"No! I'll take that bet. You're gonna lose. There's no way that I'll ever agree to have an affair with you. I'm not doin' the casual sex thing anymore, no matter how great last night was. Understand?"

"How great did you think it was last night?" He stood there, smirking again as he waited for her answer.

"Better than it's ever been before between us, but not so good that I'm willin' to throw away the rest of my life for it."

"It was pretty great, wasn't it?" He beamed at her words. She thought that it was the best they'd ever had so he had to hang onto that thought.

"I'm not sayin' another word about it. I have to take a shower and get ready."

"Go ahead. By all means, take your shower."

"You're in here with me, you mo-ron. You're such a pervert. Are you gonna watch me take a shower? Go back in the closet."

"Wanna make out with me in the closet?"

Reba looked at him disgusted. Now he was taking things too far. "Not even if you paid me a million dollars, Hart. There's not enough money in the world to get me to knowingly cheat on my husband. You're gonna lose just like you did during the race at Jake's school. I'm tough and stubborn. When I set my mind to somethin', there's no changin' it."

"You're goin' down, Red. You're headed for a rude awakening, McKinney. You see the distraction doesn't like bein' called the distraction. This distraction has somethin' to prove. Did you ever think that maybe Mike is the distraction and I'm the one?"

Reba scoffed. "Yeah, sure. That's why you had to break up a wedding and try to steal the bride. You toyed with me as long as you wanted and left when the fun was over. That has distraction written all over it. You have Barbra Jean now. You don't need me. Playtime is over. Time to get serious. I'm seriously in love with Mike Holliway." She turned away from Brock and started to undress to get into the shower. She started the water in the shower. She stepped in. She started to wash her hair and soap her body. The shower door opened to her shock. Brock stepped in, getting his clothes wet. He captured her lips fiercely and ran his hands up and down the sides of her body. His hands were covered in the soap that was rinsing down. He just kept kissing her, then he stopped and step away.

"Look, things aren't so cut and dried as you thought, huh? You want me and I'll be waiting for ya, Red."

"I wish that there was a way to surgically cut you out of my life. I wish that I had a time machine so I could go back and change things so this would never happen. If I did, I'd be married to Mike Holliway and the name Brock Hart would mean nothin' to me."

"That's too bad 'cause I'm just gettin' warmed up. You are my counterpoint, Reba. No one but you."

"What a line of bull. That's just like the time you said 'there's a hole where my heart should be' to Barbra Jean to keep her from moving to Little Rock. You're good at conning women. I'll give you that. Get outta my way. I've got a romantic date to go on with the man who still makes my heart soar after twenty-eight years. Please go home. Go back to your wife and leave me in peace."

"Would you believe me if I said that's what I'm tryin' to do?" Reba just shook her head at him.

Mike took Reba on a picnic in their favorite spot near the creek that ran alongside the McKinney and Holliway properties. He packed her favorite food and her favorite love songs. He played them and they danced. He didn't miss a thing. He even packed their suits so they could go for a swim. Reba jumped on the old rope and swung on it over the water. She yelled and let go into the water below. They agreed on the spot of land that Reba had her eye on the day before when she was out with the kids for their new house. Reba was lying in Mike's arms on the blanket that was on the spot where their house would be built. They spent about four hours together, enjoying each other's company when Reba realized that she had to get back to the apartment to cook dinner. Mike and Reba were gathering their families together so the kids could get to know each other. It was the perfect time to get their blessing for the wedding. It was also time for all four parents to iron out some custody arrangements for Jake, Josh, and little Terry.

Brock knew that the topic might come up someday, but he'd hoped that it never would. Reba was doing something that he never thought that she'd do. She was moving on and giving him the house and the kids. The house and the kids were the only things that she fought for during the divorce. It didn't matter to her anymore. He had to hand it to Mike Holliway. The guy was one heck of a distraction for Reba. She had blinders on where he was concerned. Throwing Reba off course was going to be a lot harder than he thought. He watched the two of them while Reba cooked dinner. Before he knew it, Mike pulled him to the side to ask for his blessing to marry Reba. It was really happening. What could he say? Reba gave Barbra Jean her blessing when Brock married her. He had to do the same. They were friends first and foremost.

He had to put her first ahead of his own selfish wants. He loved her enough to let her go if she really decided to marry Mike in December. He wasn't giving up without a fight though. Something was still there between them and Reba felt it too. He begrudgingly gave Mike his blessing. Now he knew how Reba felt back then. It was the hardest thing that he'd ever gone through, except for the day when he found Reba lying motionless in the apartment. She'd tried to take her own life because she couldn't be with Mike.

He wasn't going to let Mike put Reba in that sort of position ever again. It wasn't that he'd treated her much better because of the way that they broke up, but he never drove her to that type of desperate action. Then the thought occurred to him that Reba was feeling desperate when she ran off to McAlester. It occurred to him that it may have only been the baby that was keeping her alive back then. Brock felt truly ashamed of himself. He vowed to love, honor, and cherish this woman until death do us part and he had to start living up to his promise. He would rather die than hurt her again.

Reba and Kim were arguing in the kitchen. Both men knew before they entered the kitchen that Reba was still fuming about Kim sleeping with Mike back in June. Mike told Barbra Jean to take over the cooking. He lifted Reba up over his shoulder and carried her out of the apartment and downstairs to Holliway's with Reba still fuming; only this time it was directly at Mike. He set her down on her feet. "Are you ready to be reasonable now? Because you wouldn't want the kids to witness that little scene up there."

Reba nodded and sat down in a chair. "The woman makes me feel crazier than Barbra Jean does. She took me out to Victoria's Secret so we could shop for lingerie for me to wear for you. Then she goes off and sleeps with you after you and I have a fight. Do you get how insane that is?"

Mike pulled a chair over and sat down next to her. "I get it. I really do, but you've got to get control over your anger. We have to leave what's past in the past because there's no way to go back and change it. Neither of us can go back and take an eraser to our pasts. We are trying to do what's best for the children so we have to come to some sort of agreement together. That means putting aside our differences to get along like what you're done with Brock and Barbra Jean."

"I know that in my head, but my heart is something else entirely. I set up the date between you, but I never dreamed that you'd sleep together. I just wanted to be sure of what was meant to be in my life. So I've got another confession to make. Back in June, I was feelin' kinda desperate and lonely. I was vulnerable. The man that I told you about was Brock. I went out a couple of times with Brock."

"Did you sleep with him?"

"Yes, but it didn't lead to anythin'. We were both lonely and it happened. I'm tryin' to help him get back together with Barbra Jean. I don't wanna be with him. I only wanna be with you." Reba took his face in her hands. She waited anxiously for his answer.

After about another minute, he answered, "You did have an opportunity to try again and you didn't take it. I guess that should answer my doubts. I know that you wanna be with me. I do. I just get as jealous as you do. I love you so much." He took her into his arms and hugged her.

Reba sighed with relief. It was out in the open now, except for the incident from last night. He knew that she'd dated Brock and still chose him so he could be secure in the knowledge that Reba only wanted him. The problem was that when Reba closed her eyes the events from last night were playing in her head. Things weren't as clear as she thought that they were. She knew that she didn't love Brock anymore, but that wasn't the point. Something was stirred up inside of her. It was the same thing that she felt for him when he kissed her before the wedding in Vegas all those years ago.

It was lust, plain and simple. She hoped that she'd rid herself of those feelings soon. She knew that she could if she were to take the relationship with Mike to a physical level. On the other hand, it would be nice to develop the relationship more slowly and build it into something deeper and meaningful. He seemed to want more than just her body and it was nice to be wanted like that from a man again. As she ran through the list of men that she dated over the years, she couldn't find one that wanted to connect with her for more than just her body, even Brian was eager to take her to bed after just a few dates.

Mike took her in his arms and led her over to the jukebox to dance. He put La Vie en Rose on and they danced softly swaying to the music. Reba felt a surge of happiness rise up within her. This was the way that she wanted to feel every day for the rest of her life. Once again, she felt loved, cherished, and special. This was the one. Reba knew it. No other man ever made her feel this way, not even Brock could be this charming and romantic. The song changed and the song, Sway could be heard. Mike took the opportunity to spin her around the floor. He spun her again, dipping and turning her. Reba couldn't help but be impressed by how romantic he was with her.

They found themselves seated at the dinner table that she borrowed from her grandmother, surrounded by Kim, Brock, Barbra Jean, Henry, Van, Elizabeth and the seven children that they all shared now. Baby John was asleep in the playpen in Reba's bedroom. An agreement had been reached between all the adults about custody. Reba made Mike's favorite meal. She made baked chicken. She never gave away her cooking secret. The chicken was coated with Shake 'n Bake.

Mike liked it and he never gave an indication that he knew that she didn't make the chicken with a recipe from scratch. She'd spent an hour preparing the meal before Mike carried her away. She made the mashed potatoes from scratch, but she cheated with the gravy. It was store bought. She made green beans from a can, too. What could she say? She wasn't the perfect housewife. Making everything from scratch would've taken her all afternoon and she wouldn't have enjoyed a great afternoon with Mike.

She watched Brock and Van eating the salad. She felt a sense of déjà vu. It almost felt like it did during family dinners when they were married. The kids seemed to be getting along. Kyra was talking to Nick. Cheyenne was talking to Jenny and Van was talking to Sam. Josh was getting to know Jake. Henry and Elizabeth were talking and laughing with little Terry. Reba felt so fulfilled. It was her dream for the kids to get along and become one big happy family. She rushed into the kitchen to pull the crescent rolls out of the oven. She checked on the cake to make sure that no one had snuck a piece yet. She made Mike's favorite cake and he never could resist sneaking a piece behind Reba's back.

He came up behind her and put his arms around her. "What a meal! It's perfect. The kids seem to be gettin' along and you've made your special cake to top it off, cinnamon-orange pound cake. I'm a lucky man. You're quite a woman. You have a special talent of seducing me with your cookin'."

"So, that's what it takes. You just wanna marry me for my cookin'."

Mike smiled. "Among other things." He turned her around to face him and kissed her.

Reba pushed him away. "Remember the kids are still at the table. I don't want them to see anythin'." He responded by pulling her into the pantry with him. Reba's head was reeling from the rush of feelings. She tried to keep from taking things too far. Her life was finally perfect and all the loose ends seemed to be tied up and out of their way. She remembered that the kids were at the dinner table. She pushed his hands off as they were sliding up her thigh. "The kids, remember? I think that it's time that we made our announcement." He nodded and they straightened their clothing before going back to the dinner table. Reba returned to the table with the fresh batch of crescent rolls.

"We have something to talk to you about. As you know, Mike and I have been datin'. Things are goin' a little fast, but that's to be expected since we've known each other so long. We want to spend the rest of our lives together. We've even talked about having another child together. So, we'd like to ask your permission to get married." Reba waited to see their reaction.

"When would you be getting married?" Cheyenne asked.

"New Years Eve, if that's okay with you," Reba answered.

"Where are you gonna live?" Jake asked.

Reba took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "If we decide to get married, then I will move in with Mike after we get married. I've planned to sign the house back over to Brock. It's the right thing to do. It's a family home for you kids and we don't wanna sell it. Your dad worked hard for eighteen years to be able to afford that house. You and Henry will live with your dad there. Mike lives in a three bedroom apartment so you'll have a bedroom with us whenever you want to stay with us. You've been talkin' about livin' with your dad for awhile and I'm finally gonna let ya. If your dad gets back together with Barbra Jean, then Van and Cheyenne will get the house. It will be your choice where you wanna live. You can stay part time in the house with them and split weekends with me and your dad."

"So you'll let Jake live in the house with no adult supervision?" Kyra asked.

"No, Cheyenne and Van will be living there. They'll be in charge," Reba explained.

"Like I said, no adult supervision."

"Hey, I resent that, Kyra. We're adults now, aren't we, Mrs. H?"

"Yes, Van. You and Cheyenne have grown into adults. You've both grown up so much in the last six years. You have two children of your own. I'm really proud of both of you."

"Where was this mom when I was Jake's age? You would've done anything to keep me from livin' with Dad."

"Kyra, I did let you move in with your dad and he did a fine job with you. You got a chance to grow closer to him. I'm just givin' Jake the same chance. Your dad is a wonderful father to you kids."

"I would love to have Jakey around more," Barbra Jean commented. She reached over and hugged him tightly. Jake looked over at Reba. "Help me," he mouthed to her. She smiled at Barbra Jean's constant overwhelming outpour of love for the kids.

"What about the rest of your plans?" Sam asked. Leave it to Sam to get right to the heart of the matter. He inherited his directness from both Kim and Mike.

"We've decided that your mom will keep primary custody of Josh and Terry. You kids'll be with us every other weekend. One of those weekends will be spent in Houston and one of those weekends will be spent in McAlester," Mike answered to Sam.

"So we've got to get on a plane to spend time with you once a month? We've got to disrupt our lives because you wanna play happy family," Jake addressed both Mike and Reba.

"You and Josh are not forced to do anythin' that you don't wanna do. We just want to be fair to everyone here," Reba responded.

"Come on, Mom. We know that's not all. There's got to be somethin' else that you have to spring on us," Kyra remarked.

Reba sighed again, trying to find the words to tell her children rest of their plans. "We only plan on staying in the apartment in Houston for another year. We're movin' back here after that. We'll finish our degrees and get our teaching certifications in Oklahoma. We're having a house built here. It will be big enough for all of you to come and visit. You can stay with us anytime that you want."

"Where will Terry visit?" Elizabeth asked.

"Terry will visit me and his dad in Houston. We'll also come out here and he'll stay with us at our apartment. When he's in Houston, we'll bring him by to visit with you. If your mom and dad will let ya, then we'll bring you to visit us in McAlester," Reba explained.

That answer seemed to please Elizabeth, but not Henry. "What about me?"

"You'll live with your daddy at the house with your brothers and sisters. But I bet that your mom and dad will get back together and then you'll live at your house all the time," Reba answered.

"When will I visit you?" Henry asked.

"When I come to visit, I'll see you. Eventually I'll spend time at the house with you when I come to visit."

"Will you live in your room when you visit?" Elizabeth asked.

"No!" Reba and Mike responded in unison. They looked at each other and smiled. There was no way that Mike wanted to spend a night in a bedroom that Reba once shared with Brock. Reba knew that. "What we mean is that your grampy or your mom and dad will get my room so we'll stay somewhere else in the house like Meemaw and Grandpa do when they come to visit," Reba explained tenderly.

"Don't worry, Henry. I'm sure that she won't forget about you once she and Mike have a baby of their own," Kyra remarked with her usual sarcasm.

"Kyra Eleanor Hart!" Brock and Reba shouted at the same time. Reba looked at Brock questioningly. He was never the harsh parent. He left that job to her.

"What? You know it's true. Henry is not her kid. She's gonna be busy with her new family. We'll see her when she flies in once a month to visit. She'll have her hands full with a new baby, maybe two new kids and she won't have the time for any of us like she used to. She'll be a stranger that passes into our lives every once in a while," Kyra commented.

"You will not speak about your mother that way, young lady!" Brock warned sternly.

"I will always love you. I will always make time for you. We're building a house big enough for each kid to have their own bedroom. You can come and see me anytime. We'll get on that stage together and sing. Won't that be fun?" Reba responded.

"Like that will make up for not having a mother around. You've always been there when we've needed you and you're the one who holds this family together. You just can't leave us."

"I've lived for the past six years vicariously through others. It is time that I get to live my own life. Six years ago, we planned to be together and raise our children together. We were supposed to have a baby. I wanted to move you kids here and raise you here. I've put my life on hold for you. You kids are almost all grown up and I've always put you first. It's my turn to live my life for myself. All of you kids are off livin' your own lives. You have a room at the house, but you are never there. Cheyenne and Van even tried to move out. Jake is never home. Let's face it! You don't need me as much as you think. I've been a good mother and this is the thanks that I get. Excuse me!" Reba explained as she fled into the sanctuary of her bedroom. Tears were falling and she couldn't stop them.

She sat on her bed and cried, trying to muffle the sounds of her own tears so she wouldn't wake her sleeping grandbaby. Brock crept into the dark bedroom. He found her distraught on the bed. He sat down beside her. He put his hand on her back, gently rubbing it. She turned her head to look at him. She didn't want to make the same mistake twice. She wanted to make sure of who was there with her. "Don't be insulted if I confirm that Brock Hart has entered my bedroom for the second time in twenty-four hours without my consent."

"Okay, I deserve that."

"What are you doin' here?"

"I came to check on you. Honey, Kyra had no right to attack you like that. You're right. You've lived your life for everyone but yourself. It's your turn for happiness. I'm sorry about how the kids reacted."

"I should've expected it. You tried to tell me how hard it would be. They don't want their lives to change. They've come to expect this family to stay the same. It was my mistake to maintain the status quo. I should've stayed here after I lost the baby. We had plans. We were gonna have such a beautiful life together. We still can if everyone would just mind their own business. Mike and I had so many hopes for our new family. That baby was our second chance."

"I'm trying to comfort you here. That's not so easy to do when you're reminding me about how you and Mike tried to keep my child from me to play happy family. You don't even bat an eyelash about that scenario, do ya?"

"What do you want me to say, Brock? I made the right decision to divorce you. Marrying Barbra Jean was the right thing for you to do. It was my body and my child. It was my duty to do what was best for me and for my child. This is a wonderful place to raise a family. Mike is a great father."

"You keep sayin' that and it's startin' to grind my gears. Do you know what I heard earlier? I heard you tell everyone at that table that I'm a wonderful father."

"You are. You're great with them. You've been a wonderful father since the divorce."

"So only since the divorce?"

"Well yeah."

"Why do I feel like I'm the one who needs cheering up?"

"Because you're a self-absorbed mo-ron who focuses most of his time and attention on himself."

"I resent that. I don't know if you've noticed, but I've been focusing most of my time and attention on my family."

"If only you'd put that much time and attention on your marriage, you'd be in great shape."

"Does it really make you feel better to insult me?"

"A little. We've got to keep it down. There's a baby sleepin' in here."

"Yeah. Cheyenne and Van did a great job with him. Did you ever notice how he looks like the other baby John? I noticed that when he was born."

"Yeah, but Cheyenne looked like him too. It's not that unusual for siblings to look alike and for families to carry on certain traits."

"Sure, if they share the same set of parents. Do you know what I've always wondered?"

"No, what?"

"What our lives had been like if you would've accepted my marriage proposal the first time."

"That was a really romantic moment. You proposed so I wouldn't leave town. My body, my baby and my decision. You just wanted to control me like you always did."

"Like it was so difficult bein' my wife."

"Not at first. At first, it was easy."

"See, now was that so hard to admit? You liked bein' married to me. We had four beautiful children together. We could've had five by now." The baby started to fuss. Reba picked him up and cradled him in her arms. "You sure do look good with a baby in your arms."

"Don't sweet-talk me, Brock. I'll admit that we had a lot of good times in our marriage, but it ended badly and now I'm just doin' what I should've done six years ago. As bad as this feels for the kids, this is what divorce is really like. It's time to really be divorced now, Brock. We've got to move on."

Brock took the baby into his arms. "It would be fun to do it all over again, to actually work together as a team to raise the kids."

"We're already doin' that."

"No, I mean get married and have some more children."

"Yeah, right. That's still upsetting the status quo."

"The kids would come around when they saw how happy we are together. I think that Kyra and Jake would love to have another brother or sister, as long as we stayed the same family in the same house."

"I already know how the story ends, Brock. My lovin' husband gets bored with me and runs into the arms of another woman. No thanks!"

"Or we could spend the rest of our lives in each other's arms just like we did last night."

"That's impossible. Things are what they are. You are with Barbra Jean raising Henry and I'm with Mike, about to have my own child with him. What's past is past."

"We'll always be tied together through Cheyenne, Kyra, Jake, Elizabeth, and little John. They are not in the past. They are in our present and our future. Henry loves you as much as our other children do. Come on, Reba. Think about it."

"So I can spend the rest of my life waiting for the other shoe to drop, waiting for my husband to leave me."

"It's not gonna be that way! We can be better this time."

"Call me when you come back from visiting Fantasy Island. Face reality, Brock. I love Mike Holliway. You tricked me into bein' with you. You kept me from Mike. Just because we're good in bed together doesn't mean that we should be together. Whatever feelings that are left are just some leftover lust. I'm not willing to blow the rest of my life for it."

"You know there has to be something illegal about what you did."

"What?"

"You signed papers stating that you weren't pregnant and you were. That's got to be illegal. There was fraud takin' place during our divorce proceedings that should nullify our divorce."

"I hate to be the bearer of bad news, Brock. You can't prove anything. I didn't give birth. As far as anyone was concerned, I have an entire town of people who will swear that Mike and I were together that July. If you try to sue for fraud, then you'd have to admit in a court of law that there is a possibility that your wife was as unfaithful as you were. I can use reasonable doubt to argue that I thought that the baby was Mike's."

"You'd do that?"

"If I had to. Don't sue me. Don't drudge up something long gone. It will hurt the kids to see us fighting each other in court. You'd ruin anythin' that you have left with Barbra Jean. You'd make a mockery out of the last six years. Please leave it alone. You don't wanna be married to a woman who doesn't wanna be married to you. I love Mike Holliway, plain and simple. Like I said, call me when you get back from Fantasy Island." Reba walked over to the door and walked out of the room. She felt much better. It was strange how sparring with Brock always seemed to make her feel better."

It was wild how far Brock would go to pull her out of one of her dark moods. That conversation wasn't nearly as bad as the ones they'd had before, but she'd never heard him talk about suing her in court before. That was a new one. Nullify the divorce. Reba just shook her head. Where did he get a wild idea like that? She hoped that he wasn't serious about that one. Why ruin a good thing? Their relationship had greatly improved since the divorce and he shouldn't mess with a good thing like that.

Reba was happily on stage singing with Mike later. Her parents were there and all their kids were there. Reba had a feeling that Mike would propose. Kyra approached Brock. "Hey, Dad. How're you doin'?"

"Okay, I guess."

"So, did it work?"

"She was very upset when I saw her. She was pretty broken up about the whole thing."

"So I was pretty good, right?

"You and Jake pushed her too far. I wanted her to feel guilty about leaving you, but nearly drove her into a nervous breakdown."

"Geez, Dad. I'm sorry. How was I supposed to know that she'd go off the deep end like that?"

"You didn't. I'm the one who's sorry. I should've told you before. I know that your mom always seems so strong, but she isn't always that strong. A long time ago, she tried to kill herself. I was lucky to find her when I did or she wouldn't be here right now. Just watch what you say. Don't take things too far. She loves you kids more than anything in the world."

"Well, I've got a plan B."

"Plan B?"

"I am my mother's daughter, aren't I? My plan is to give her a taste of her own medicine. She wanted to get Grandma back together with Grandpa by doin' scandalous things with Mike so that's what I'm gonna do to her."

"You'd better explain yourself, young lady."

"Relax, I struck a deal with Nick Holliway. We're gonna pretend to date for awhile. That should get Mom and Mike fightin' in no time."

"That's actually a pretty good plan."

"Thank you. Never underestimate the power of a redhead." Kyra smiled at her father. "Relax, Dad. This plan should work but you should have somethin' else just in case."

"I will. Thanks, kiddo."

"Don't mention it. We're got to act fast because I get the feeling that someone is gonna pop the question tonight. Are you up for sabotaging another wedding?"

"Only if it won't hurt her. I'll have to let her go if that's what she wants. I don't want her to be forced to stay."

"Where's your charm? Can't you charm your way back in? Then you can prove to Mom that you're the one for her."

Just then, Kyra was interrupted by the next song that the band was playing. Mike and his band were playing Why Wait.

What do ya say girl we do something crazy
Quit puttin' it off, you know what I'm sayin
Ain't like it ain't gonna happen
Forever's a given
It's already written
Who we kiddin' baby, come on
The stars can't line up any straighter
Let's do it now and think about it later

Why wait another minute
For something we shoulda done yesterday
I know a little church with a preacher
Who could hook us up right away
Love don't need a reason
Baby, I don't see how I could love you anymore
Than I do today
So why wait

Now I love your momma, let's save her some trouble
And your daddy won't mind if we save him a bundle
Girl, it just so happens
That ring that you wanted
Well guess what, I bought it
It's in my pocket, baby come on
Let's get it done, let's get it on your left hand
This is me girl poppin' the question

Why wait another minute
For something we shoulda done yesterday
I know a little church with a preacher
Who could hook us up right away
Love don't need a reason
Baby, I don't see how I could love you anymore
Than I do today
So why wait

Let's do something crazy
'Cause crazy's what you make me

The song ended and Mike stood there, waiting for a sign for Reba that he could propose without a rejection this time. "Well, Red. What did ya think?"

Reba smiled. "I want that can't eat, can't sleep, reach for the stairs, over the fence, World Series kind of thing. You think about that and I'm gonna see another song," she quipped. That's when Reba, Paige, and Kim broke out into their version of 15 Minutes of Shame.

Yeah,
This song is about you!
I'm giving you more than fair warnin'
Right now on your radio!

Everybody's gonna hear
All the things that you did
That you don't want the world to know!

I'm spillin' the beans,
I'm shouttin' it out!
Yeah, you're gonna be sorry now!

Every single lie you told
I'm tellin!
Every promise that you broke
I'm rattin' you out!
Every girl in this world's gonna know your name!
And I hope you enjoy your 15 Minutes Of Shame!

Yeah!
Oh-oh!

Hey,
You're lookin' nervous!
Now that your double talkin' has caught back up with you!

Stick to your alibi!
Don't try to deny it,
When I reveal the truth!

Sure, you're pretty good,
At workin' a line.
But it's all just a matter of time!

Every single lie you told
I'm tellin!
Every promise that you broke
I'm rattin' you out!
Every girl in the world's gonna know your name!
And I hope you enjoy your 15 minutes of...

Shame, shame, shame on you!
Look who's lookin' like a fool!
Now!

Blame, blame, blame yourself!
Won't be foolin' no one else!
Anymore...

Every single lie you told
I'm tellin!
Every promise that you broke
I'm rattin' you out!
Every girl in this world's gonna know your name... Brock
And I hope you enjoy your 15 minutes of shame!

Yeah-yeah!
Ooh-ooh!

Your 15 minutes of shame, shame, shame!

Uh... huh...

Your 15 minutes of sha-a-ame!

Reba and the girls sang more songs. They sang You're No Good and You're So Vain. Kyra stood there next to Brock. "Geez, Dad. It's almost like she's singing to you. Whatd'ya do to get her so mad at you?"

"It's complicated," Brock answered, not meeting his daughter in the eye.

"Whatever you did is working. Mom is all worked up about it and she's singing to you. It's better than I thought. She's attacking you because she feels threatened. She's afraid that you'll take her nice, happy new life away. Whatever you're doing, keep it up. I just don't want any details. I already know what you did anyway. It was clear what was gonna happen last night. You were all over her and you both were pretty drunk."

"What makes you say that?"

"Please! Do you really think that we kids don't pay attention? She came by Meemaw and Grandpa's house and didn't even see us. She was overdoing the lovey dovey stuff with Mike this afternoon. She only does that when she's guilty about something. She made his favorite meal and kept reaching over to hold his hand during the meal. Those are things that she used to do when she was still married to you. She would come home from a trip feeling guilty. She'd be so loving and attentive. It's the only time that she didn't focus on us kids. The guilt is all over her face."

She sang Here for the Party, Twenty Years and Two Husbands Ago, I May Hate Myself in the Morning, The Other Side of the Door, If I Could Do It All Again, and Leave the Pieces. After that, Mike took over lead vocals. He started to play a familiar song. Reba's breath hitched in her throat. He was playing the same song that he played the first time that he proposed to her, Forever by the Beach Boys. He led her to a chair on stage for her to sit down in while he sang to her. When he was finished, he got down on one knee. "I may not always know the right thing to say. I may not always do the right thing. That's why I need you. You are my compass. As long as I have you, I'm home. I don't know what the future will hold but I know that I love you and I wanna marry you. Will you marry me?"

He gave Reba the same proposal that he did when he proposed to her for the very first time when she was seventeen. That was the proposal that she turned down. She cried at his sweetness. He was trying so hard to get her to say yes. She wanted to, but she was so afraid of how much it would change her life and if it would hurt her kids. Love was a gamble and worth the leap. She decided to accept his proposal in a memorable way. "We're always arguing over control in this relationship and why should this be any different. I love you and that was a wonderful proposal, but I have something to say first. I had a surprise planned for you back in June. I didn't get to do this so I'm gonna do it now. It's a little unconventional, but we're not your average couple. So, here it goes."

Reba took off her shoes and slid them towards him. "This way you know that I'm not gonna run away this time. I'm in this for the long haul." She stood up from the chair and had Mike sit down in it, then she nervously got down on one knee.

"Honey, what are you doin'? I'm a control freak and you love me anyway. I made up my mind to do this back in June and I'm not gonna be happy until I've had my say. I love you, Michael Jonathan Holliway. Will you marry me?"

He looked into her eyes. "Honey, I've tried to propose to you 25 different ways and you always say no. Are you sure?"

She pulled another chair over towards them. She sat down in it and faced him. She took a deep breath and began to deliver her speech. She had been practicing for this moment since before they'd reunited for their anniversary. "I guarantee that we'll have tough times and I guarantee at some point one or both of us will want to get out. But I also guarantee that if I don't ask you to be mine, I'll regret it for the rest of my life. 'Cause I know in my heart you're the only one for me." Reba had tears in her eyes as she waited for Mike's reaction.

He smiled at her and took her hands in his. "That was a heck of a speech, Sal."

"I've had a lot of time to practice."

He let go of her hands and stood up. Reba sat in her chair, wondering what he would say or do next. He walked over to his jukebox and another familiar song played. He came back to her and held out his hand. "Dance with me. It would make me very happy if I could dance with you for the rest of my life." He took her in his arms and they slow danced to It Never Entered My Mind.

"I'm confused. Is that a yes?"

"I don't know. What do you think?"

She stood there for a moment, wondering how to respond. In typical Reba fashion, she turned to Kim with a quip. "Are you about finished with my husband?"

"He's all yours."

"Thank you." She looked at Mike. "So, you appear to be single, but not for long."

"Does that mean what I think it means?"

Reba nodded excitedly. Mike threw his arms around her and hugged her. "We're gonna be so happy. I promise you. I'll cherish you for the rest of my life and I'll always remember this moment. I'm honored to marry you and be the father of your children."

There they were in each other's arms in front of all of their family and friends. Reba announced, "We're gettin' married! The wedding's in Vegas on New Years Eve and we'll come back to have the wedding reception right here. It'll be on Saturday, January 3rd so mark your calendars 'cause it's gonna be one heck of a party."

Mike whispered in her ear. "Let's show the kids how we dance." He put I've Had the Time of My Life on the jukebox. They began their familiar dance on stage. It was the first time that they'd danced like this in public in years. Suddenly he motioned to her for the lift. They watched as Mike lifted Reba into the air over his head. Barbra Jean started clapping loudly. Cheyenne and Kyra were stunned to see their mother dance like that.

Van walked over to Brock. "Dude, you screwed up because she is smokin' hot!"

Barbra Jean rushed over to where the others were standing. "I want in. Whatever you're plannin' to break those two up. I want in."

"Barbra Jean, you'd steal a man from Mom again?" Cheyenne asked.

"I'm doin' her a favor. I stole her husband and now I'm givin' him back. And after they break up, I'll console Mike myself. So it's not stealin' Reba's man, if they break up first."

Brock laughed at the technicality that she used to justify herself this time. He did need her help. She'd gotten him this far. Brock shook her head to set the deal. It was at that moment that the family began to work to stop Reba's wedding. It was Brock's idea to be the one to marry her in Vegas himself after she broke up with Mike. He promised the kids that they'd renew their vows in another ceremony in front of the kids. In the meantime, Mike pulled Reba away from the noise and the crowd. She packed a picnic basket and they headed out with a blanket to watch the stars right back on the spot where their house would be. They shared a bottle of wine and Reba enjoyed the moment of being there in Mike's arms.

It was about three in the morning when they crept back into the apartment. Everyone was asleep. They got into their bedroom quietly without waking anyone. Reba went into the bathroom to get changed for bed. On impulse, she put on a dress shirt and tie of Mike's. She was ready to climb into bed for a little romance before going to sleep. But when she returned to bed, Mike was already asleep. He drank too much first at Holliway's and then with the wine. Reba was careful and was the designated driver that evening. She was disappointed, but excited to finally wake up in his arms in the morning...

What will Brock do next to try to convince Reba to give him another chance? What will happen between Reba and Mike? How will Reba handle sharing the house in Houston with Brock after what happened between them in McAlester? Who will Brock turn to for help in winning Reba back? How will the rest of the family help him? Who will Reba end up with in Vegas?

What happens next? Stay tuned to find out in the next chapter! Unfortunately, the next chapter isn't coming until we finish the story, Reba Nell Got Married. The events in that story affect the current story because it's a time travel story.

Dear Readers-

This is the last chapter before we transition from Believe in Love Again into the supplemental story, Reba Nell Got Married. This is where the story stops until Reba Nell Got Married gets finished. If you have any ideas for Believe in Love Again, Reba Nell Got Married, Deceived, or Drop Dead Hero, please feel free to PM me or send your suggestions in a review for that story. Thanks.

There is still a poll question on my FF profile. Should Brock keep spying on Reba? Please let me know what you think. I only got a couple of responses. If you haven't voted, please vote. It's completely anonymous. Thanks.

Thanks for the reviews, make sure you review this chapter and give me your thoughts and comments….

If anyone has any suggestions on them I'd love to hear! Review or Send me a P.M with your suggestions! Please feel free to make any comments that you wish. I may just decide to include it in the story. If I do include one of your suggestions, then I will give you full credit.

Many readers have asked when the next chapter for Drop Dead Hero will be posted. I am working on it. The problem for me is that I'm working a full-time job during the day and attending college classes at night. I write about one hour a day average. It takes me about nine hours each to get an update ready for Drop Dead Hero or Deceived. Believe in Love Again takes much longer than that because the updates for this story are much longer in length. I don't post an update unless I am absolutely sure that I'm happy with the writing. I'm working on an update for Drop Dead Hero so that will be the next update to post. I'd just thought that I'd let you know about that one. I will post another update for Drop Dead Hero, then I will post an update for Reba Nell Got Married, and then I will post an update for Deceived. So that's the order for the upcoming story updates for now.

Shout out to Chatte578: Thanks for your feedback! I hope that you liked the Breba moments in this chapter. Don't worry there will be more Breba moments ahead. Reba got her hands full now. Brock is doing incredibly underhanded things to get her back. Unfortunately for him, that will backfire on him right now. Reba will need time to cool off. She'll get that cooling off time when she travels back in time to 1983 when she's not with Mike and Brock's not with Barbra Jean. That's when things will really get interesting.

Shout out to RebaJunkie: Thanks for taking the time to review. I'm glad that Believe in Love Again is your favorite story. Of all the stories that I'm writing, it's my favorite, too. I love your predictions. They're great. I really appreciate that you took the time to go back and re-read those other sections. It looks like the suggestion really did help you follow the current storyline events better. Your predictions are almost right on target. Brock will always love Reba. He has never hated her. He is just a man who is willing to do anything to be with her, even though he's made mistakes. You're right. He is trying to be a new Brock, but he still has a long way to go. So, unfortunately there will still be moments when the old Brock resurfaces. If you haven't already noticed, Reba does like the new Brock better.

You won't be able to find out the identity of LovinCowboy84 in this story. Reba will need his brand of anonymous friendly advice in the next story. I'm so glad that you like the Mike and Reba pairing. Not many people do. I'm wondering if there are other readers who like the Mike and Reba pairing, too. I'd be interested in finding out. Thanks for being such a devoted reader. It really gives me the inspiration and determination to keep this story going. I agree that Reba should be able to live her life her way. That's why whomever she ends up with has to be able to provide that for her and want that type of life together. Any issues that may have seemed glossed over too quickly are only resolved temporarily. They will pop up again. This story will not end until readers get to the moment where Reba wakes up after a drunken night in Vegas and finds out who she's married to. I will not let readers down. I'm so glad that you like my writing.

Shout out to Emily-Jewell: I love your new story, Remember When. I'm dying to find out what happens next. I really hope that you continue that story! I hope that Brock makes the effort to try to win Reba back in Oklahoma.

Shout out to RMandMSFan: Thanks for your review! I'm so glad that you love my story. That's always good for a writer to hear. I knew that the Breba fans would love reading the scene where Reba realizes that she spent the night with Brock. I promise to always keep this story interesting. Please continue onto Reba Nell Got Married. Reba and Brock have traveled back in time to 1983. They're both single. Reba hasn't started dating Mike yet and Brock doesn't even know Barbra Jean back then. I really hope that you like that story.

Shout out to merylandrebafan: Thank you for your encouragement! I love your chapter updates of Afraid to Sleep. The Van-Reba pairing is growing on me. I really appreciate your feedback on my stories. I hope that I encourage your writing as much as you've encouraged mine. Thanks!

Thank you to everyone who took time out of their busy day to read my story and send me a review. This is a thank you for anyone who has ever submitted a review. It is appreciated!

I want to express my special thanks to the following people who have given me valuable support.

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I thank all of you readers for your continued support. Your support really keeps me writing!

Without you, the story wouldn't be continued every week.

Remember read and review, please!

Thanks for reading my stories. These are my usernames for each fan fiction site. The poll is on my profile on the FF site. I hope that you vote soon. I plan to have a new poll up frequently for readers to vote on. Just cut and paste the web addresses in without the spaces.

http:/www. fanfiction .net/~rebabrockfan

Reba-Brockfan— on FF

http:/ www. extremereba. com / forum / ?f=22

Rebafan72—on ExtremeReba

Disclaimer: The story is just a year off from the way that the seasons of Reba actually aired.

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 own 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 own 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. I will be changing some release/airing dates of the titles used to fit in with the story.