Love by Love – 12
Reba intensely glared at Brock, only if a look could kill. Cheyenne and Kyra giggled, covering their eyes and running away. It was their way of saying yes, now that the kids weren't there. Instead of kissing Brock, Reba elbowed him and hit him. Dang, he should have just seized the moment while the kids were still in here. At least he would get a good peck.
"How dare you suggest that? If they want to play, they are just kids, you don't have to jump in and join them!" Reba whacked him between speeches. She smiled and pretended to caress his arm like a loving couple when Kyra came back in the kitchen to get her Teddy Bear.
"Kyra, Kyra." Brock called her back before she ran away. He learned that when the kids were around, Reba wasn't so violent toward him. "Do you want to go out for a bike ride?" Kyra nodded. "Tell Cheyenne to go get her bike, we're going to the park." Kyra excitedly called Cheyenne to go get her bike.
Grabbing Brock's ear and twisting it, Reba growled. "We? I still have a lot to do around the house!"
"Aoowww, we'll just go for an hour." Brock wailed, "Gosh, you're so forceful." He rushed out of the house when Reba made her way toward him. Brock was amused. She could be so vicious, forceful, aggressive and scary sometimes, but he still loved her. Yes, he loved her, for many years now and he never stopped. Being this close to her, only nurtured his love for her to grow even stronger. Brock pushed the tandem bicycle that he won from the charity auction out of his garage. Cheyenne had her bike with training wheels. Kyra had her tricycle. Reba didn't own a bike.
"Hop on." Brock patted the seat behind him.
"I'll just walk next to Kyra."
"You don't have to walk next to me mom, I know how to peddle." Kyra pushed Reba to Brock's bike. They rode slowly around the park. Kyra got bored and asked Cheyenne if she could try to bike. She couldn't even reach the pedals but she stood and tried to make the bike move. She laughed when it did and screamed when she hit a bush. She loved it!
"A bit of a daredevil we have here, don't you think?" Standing next to the parked bike, Brock commented and slowly wrapped his arms around her waist trying not to startle her.
"Yeah" Reba snickered. She could feel his warm body behind her, but she wasn't in the mood of pushing him away. "Kyra always enjoy sports. She wouldn't cry when she got hurt. And what do you mean we?" Reba elbowed him and stepped away after his comment just registered.
"What I mean is…" Brock immediately searching for excuses… "Kids, do you want to go out for pizza." Well he couldn't come up with anything, so he just decided to change the subject. He got the kids attention. They rode to a pizza parlor: Brock's treat. After they went back to Reba's place. Brock said good night to Kyra and she said 'Good night, dad'. They had fun playing family that day. Kyra loved her father, but he passed away when she was merely three years old. He was sick most of the time for what Kyra could remember. Thus her memory of him started to fade. She loved Brock. He cared for her. He picked her up from school when Reba had to work late. He took her and Cheyenne to the ice-cream shop and listened to her talking about her school.
"I really had fun playing family yesterday with the kids," commented Brock to Reba when he came to have a cup of coffee with her first thing in the morning, again. "Maybe you and I could play husband and wife sometime." Brock kidded, ducking behind the kitchen counter expecting Reba to smack him. But instead, she gave him a smile with her eyes sparkling. Brock was a little unsure for his safety when she slowly walked toward him. He stood in a defensive mode. Reba gently placed her hand on his upper arm, caressing it a little sending a chill along his spine.
"You know, I was thinking about that last night... And I think it's a good idea"
"Okay, you're scaring me." Brock backed off a little, but Reba continued to make her way closer to him.
"Why? I honestly think it's a good idea to play husband and wife from time to time." Reba crawled her fingers toward his chest and ran her hands along the hem of his robe intentionally brushing her fingers on his skin. "Ever since Terry died, I have to… do everything... myself," stated Reba suggestively with a sexy husky voice. "It would be nice to have a... big..." Brock swallowed hard when she lowered her eyes as she continued to speak. She then seductively met his eyes with her brow raised. "... helping hand." Brock found the room temperature began to rise and it became harder for him to breath. "So... Let me ask you this... darlin'... Would you like to, errm... 'do me'... a favor? Do you want to feel what it's like to be my… husband?"
"Wha... what do… What do you... you have in mind?" Searching for his own voice, Brock stumbled. His heart raced thousand beats per minute when he felt her warm breathe tickling his ear and Reba pressed her body on his as she leaned over to whisper. Dear God, she almost killed him with a heart attack!
"Take out the garbage and go mow the lawn, you mo'ron!" Well that wasn't quite the kind of dirty talk he was expecting.
"If this is how you treat your husband during the day, he should hope for something rewarding and satisfying during the night," stated Brock running out of the house before Reba could catch him with the fly squatter. Nevertheless, he helped her mow the lawn.
Since that day, sometimes Kyra would call him 'dad', and Cheyenne would call Reba 'mom', depending on their moods. Reba didn't mind Cheyenne called her 'mom', she love Cheyenne. She felt a little uncomfortable when Kyra wanted to call Brock 'dad', because she felt bad for Terry. She understood that Kyra didn't have chance to spend much time with Terry before he became sick. Kyra loved him because he was her dad, and Reba told her good traits about him and how happy he was when he found out he was becoming a father. But, Kyra was bonding with Brock, so Reba couldn't blame her for liking Brock enough to call him dad. But Reba would hiss at Brock every time Brock called her 'honey'. Barbra Jean thought it was cute that the kids accepted their step-parents already when their 'future step-parents' didn't even have one date together.
"Give me one good reason why you shouldn't go on a date with me?" Questioned Brock lingering at her house in the evening like always.
"You're my friend. You're my best friend's ex-husband. You're my current friend's ex-boyfriend. It'd be weird if we're dating, and life is not fair." Noted Reba immediately after he finished his question. Almost sounded like she had recited those reasons over and over in her head.
"I said one," whined Brock. "But you still owe me a dinner, when you asked me to babysit for Kyra so you could go out with that guy Jack."
"But I ended up staying and you didn't babysit. So the deal is off."
"You're right. The deal is off." Reba was surprised when Brock agreed with her. She thought he would at least insist. She might cave. "I don't want you to go out with me because you owe me a favor anyway." Brock got up and left her kitchen, feeling a little hurt. Why couldn't she just forget about the past? Barbra Jean had dated three dentists since they broke up; she didn't care about Brock anymore. Lori-Ann was long gone and she only called once a month to see how Cheyenne was doing. He had no relationship with her anymore. When was the last time Reba talked to his ex anyway? Can they still called each other 'best friends' when they lost touch? As for being his friend, what's wrong with friends to take the next step? But she sure was right; life wasn't fair!
"Mom, you don't like Mr. H?" Asked Kyra when Reba tucked her in.
"Why did you say that honey?"
"You always make him sad. He would be nice to you and you would yell at him. Or say something to hurt him." Kyra pointed out. "You always told me, 'if you don't have anything nice to say, don't say it at all.' Yet, you keep saying mean things to him."
Reba couldn't find any way to win this argument. "Alright, I'll be nice to him. I wouldn't say mean things to him anymore." Reba's replied made Kyra smiled. "You really like him?" The girl nodded. "And you really don't mind now if he'll replace your daddy?"
Kyra shook her head. "No one can replace daddy. You even said so yourself. But he's nice. I like him. He could be like another daddy."
"Why couldn't you think this way when I dated someone else?" Reba lovingly mussed her daughter's hair. She promised Kyra that she would be nicer to Brock. But she still wasn't sure if she should go on a romantic dinner with him. Maybe someday... He still had plenty of times to redeem that dinner anyways. Reba preferred to move one step at a time.
"Hey Reba." Barbra Jean barged into Reba's living room as usual. Reba just glanced up from her magazine, but didn't give her friend full attention. "Can you go shopping with me today?" Barbra Jean didn't wait for Reba to reply, she continued. "I need to buy new bikini. I'm going to Hawaii!"
"Hawaii?" That got Reba's attention
"Yes, Dr. Schneider asked me to go to a dental convention with him, isn't that great?" Barbra Jean was excited.
"Dr. Schneider? My dentist, Dr. Schneider?" Puzzled Reba
"Yeah, the short bald guy."
"Isn't he married?"
"Separated. But that's not the point. The point is, I need a new bikini. Oh and a bikini wax." Barbra Jean steered the conversation away from her having an affair with another married man.
"Excuse me..." Reba turned her back at Barbra Jean and quivered.
"Reba, You cold?" Questioned Brock coming in from the kitchen seeing Reba quivered. She just stared at him blankly. "Anyway, I have to go to a dental convention in three months for two weeks, I'm just wondering..." Brock trailed of his speech studying her reaction.
"You want me to babysit Cheyenne? Not a problem." Reba flashed him a smile.
"No... I'm taking Cheyenne with me and I'd like to ask you and Kyra to come along."
"Ya kiddin' me!" Exclaimed Reba. "We don't even have one date together, and you're asking me to run away with you?"
"Not run away, we'll just go on a vacation together. I have an invitation for myself and a companion. The pharmaceutical company is paying for the airfare and hotel, we only have to pay for the kids. C'mon Reba. It's a good opportunity for a cheap trip." He stared at her with a puppy dog eyes. "Kyra would love to go to Hawaii"
"Don't you think for a minute there, that puppy dog face of yours is gonna work with me!" Not letting out a word, he continued to stare at her, begging. "Urrggg!" Reba sighed heavily. "C'mon Barbra Jean" Reba grabbed her purse.
"Where are we going?" Confused Barbra Jean following Reba.
"Picking up Kyra and shopping for bathing suit!"