Love by Love – 46
With Reba's support, Brock slowly recovered from his clinical depression. He tried to spend more time with the family; the kids let him know he was appreciated: especially Elizabeth.
The little three and a half year old was playing with her little stuffed animals. Brock remembered them; they were the ones he won from the carnival game at the circus. She walked the smallest one to a bigger sized stuff animal and asked "Mommy, where's daddy?" She then spoke on behalf of the bigger one trying to sound like Reba "He's at the golf course, honey."
Tears began to swell as he listened to his daughter's little role play. Standing there in front of the girl's room, Brock tried not to make a sound while observing his little daughter. Lord, how could he miss his little girl growing up when he lived under the same roof with her? He grinned when the girl went and dragged the big bear from a corner of her room; the bear was still bigger than she was. She dragged it across the room and let it rest. She then went and got the little ones to do a happy dance chanting 'Daddy's back! We miss you daddy" One by one, she put those little stuffed animal on the big bear's lap. Before he started to cry, Brock decided to clear his throat, letting his presence known. Elizabeth turned around and happily rushed over to give him a hug. "Daddy!" she yelled.
"I'm home now, honey. I'm home."
"You go golfing today?" Asked the girl cupping his cheeks. Brock looked deep into her bright blue eyes. They were identical to the other bright blue eyes that always looked at him with love and care. How he had put tears in them, how he made them quiver with worries.
"I'm not going anywhere today, baby. Because daddy wants to spend his evening with his little girl." Brock nuzzled at her throat, tickling her. Elizabeth giggled and cried to close the gap between her neck and shoulders. Reba heard her daughter laugh, she decided to have a peak to see what she was up to.
"Oh, you're back." Reba greeted her husband with a loving smile. "Are you staying for dinner or will you get something at the club?"
"I'm not going to the club today. I want to be with you, and the family."
Smiling, Reba told, "Would you settle with just me and Elizabeth? Cheyenne has her biology lab, Kyra has band practice, and Jake's spending a night with Jimmy and Henry at Caroline's house."
"Daddy?" Called Elizabeth, "Where is golf course?"
Chuckling, Brock picked the girl up and walked over to her window. "Do you see that land across the pond?" She nodded. "That's a golf course, baby."
"That's where you go everyday?"
"No, I go to the other one, but it's similar to the one at our backyard."
"Why don't you go to this one?"
"Because I like the other one better."
"Why?"
"Because it's nicer?"
"Why is it nicer?"
Reba snickered when Brock glanced at her silently crying for help. "Each golf course are different, sweetie, just like playgrounds, you prefer one over the other. Now, come here." She took the girl from Brock, helping him ending an endless discussion. "Let's go help mommy cook for dinner."
"Daddy help'd too?"
"Yes daddy will help too," promised Brock. The family walked downstairs to the kitchen. Brock asked about the stuffed animals she played with. She said the big bear was daddy because he's big. The lion was mommy because she's a little smaller and has big hair. Cheyenne was a little pink pony, Kyra was a little tiger, and Jake was a little elephant. "What about Elizabeth?"
"I'm here." She pointed to her chest.
"No, I mean the little stuffed animal, you don't have to represent yourself?" She shook her head from side to side.
"What about Paddington bear Kyra gave you?" Reba asked.
"He's Dillon. He's not family." The girl referred to her make-believe friend.
"Okay, how about tomorrow we'll go to a toy store, and you can pick one to represent you." Brock's suggestion made his daughter happy. She pounced on him and kissed him on both cheeks. Brock and Elizabeth sat in the stools at the kitchen counter. Reba gave them some work to do. She gave them a box of alphabet noodles to sort from A to Z and put them in a bowl so she could cook them for the girl. Brock was impressed that Elizabeth could spell her own name, Reba and his name too. She was now learning Jake and Kyra's name. Cheyenne's name was still too long for her. Boy had he been missing out.
"Daddy... You and mommy fight?" The girl's question made both adults startled in unison.
"Why would you say that, honey?" Reba puzzled, she couldn't be old enough to know.
"She-anne told Kyra, daddy and mommy fight."
"Oh honey, mommy and daddy didn't fight." Reba rushed over to the other side of the counter.
"She said you don't hug anymore."
Brock swallowed a lump in his throat. He never thought his little girl would remember that much information. He must have hurt her so by neglecting her and her mother. "Sweetheart, I love your mother. I love her so much. We may be angry at each other sometimes. But I will never stop loving her." Brock explained to his little one. Although she was right, every since he became depressed, he wasn't affectionate toward Reba like he used to be. He started to realize how much he missed the warmth of her body against his. He glanced at her and held her by her shoulders. "I hope you realize that I still love you, very much."
"I know, I love you too." Reba replied holding back a tear. He pulled her closed and planted a sweet little loving kiss on her lips. A jolt of sparks lit their world. The wildfire had been re-ignited. They looked in each other's eyes and started to giggle.
"What do you say, we tuck Elizabeth in early tonight?" Stated Brock with a little wink.
"Why?" Cried Elizabeth. Reba laughed at her little daughter's innocence and cuteness. Reba continued with her cooking while father and daughter were keeping her company by playing 'I spy' in the kitchen. Reba sighed contently. It had been so long she felt this close to Brock again.
"I spy... something delicious." Reba joined in the game, bringing the food to the table.
"Dinner!" Elizabeth exclaimed excitedly. After dinner time, Cheyenne came back from college and saw Brock watching cartoons with Elizabeth and Reba. She smiled.
"Oh hi Cheyenne." Reba spotted her step-daughter looking at them leaning against the door frame to the living room. "Are you hungry? I saved some chicken for you."
"I had dinner with Van, ma. I'm gonna go upstairs and to bed." Giggling, she asked, "Should Elizabeth be in bed by now?"
"Why?" Elizabeth was genuinely confused. Her reaction made every grown up laughed.
"Hey everyone, what's so funny?" Asked Kyra barging through the front door. "Hey dad, you're home early." Kyra saw Brock's arms draped behind Reba's shoulder, she grinned. Looked like they were starting to getting back to love each other again.
"We're just trying to convince Elizabeth to go to bed early." Cheyenne answered winking at Kyra.
"But they won't tell me why," whined Elizabeth crossing her arms and pouted.
"Here, why don't you come to my room, I'll play Candyland with you." Kyra offered her hand and Elizabeth took it.
"Don't you want anything to eat first, honey?" Reba asked her daughter, concerned.
"No thanks, our music teacher bought us pizza, but thanks mom." She flashed her a smile before disappearing around the corner heading to the stairs with her little baby sister.
"So...?" Cheyenne stared at her parents intensely with a huge grin spread from cheek to cheek.
"Get lost, Cheyenne." Stated Brock moving closer to Reba now that Elizabeth was gone. "'Cause I'm sure you don't want to see this." With that statement, Brock pressed his lips on Reba's lovingly.
"Alright fine, I'll go. But don't you two do anything until at least Elizabeth is in bed. Just in case she decides to look for you." Cheyenne instructed going to her room too.
Smacking his chest embarrassingly, Reba mumbled. "You're awful!"
"It's been so long since I last kissed you. I don't want to wait one more minute. And Gosh, it felt so good." Brock locked his lips on hers again and this time with more passion. Lord, how he missed this. How did his life turned upside down and sent him off to seek for something that was just right in front of him all along. He was searching for happiness, and all he had to do was just connecting his lips on hers and his troubles would blew over. Now that he found what he was desperately searching for. He would never let it slip though his fingers again.