"You think you can drive the speed limit all the way to Springtown?" Brandon partially teased his little brother as he lifted the light blue Reba suitcase into the back of Reba's dark SUV.
"Why are you such an old man?"
"You know the unspoken rule is always five over right?" Shelby joked as he shut the trunk behind him, jostling it a bit to make sure it was secure against the bags they had just loaded in the back.
"Shelby, the speed limit, the entire way there." Brandon hounded, turning around to face Shelby.
"I got it 'Dad', she's my mom too ya know." He emphasized, patting his older brother's shoulder. Brandon took a big breath before shaking his head and pulling him in for a goodbye hug, slapping his back with both hands, and then quickly pulling away.
"I know you'll be safe, I just worry, being an 'old man' and all." He finished, mocking Shelby's previous comment.
"That and I suppose I love you and stuff." He added, causing Shelby to laugh again.
"I mean you're no Cal Naughton but I guess I love you too brother." He pestered, smiling when he caught glimpse of his brother's own half smile.
"There's my two ornery boys." Reba hollered as she and Kelly walked side by side and out to the SUV where Brandon and Shelby were.
"You mean 'boy', I'm an angel," Brandon smiled, causing Kelly to roll her eyes in disagreement.
"You think you got everything ready for the trip?" Brandon questioned once the four of them were all huddled around the running SUV. Shelby had left the vehicle on so that it could cool down before he and his mother got in.
"You sure you want to go?" He added a second later when Reba nodded in response to his first question.
"I'm sure honey, Mama's gonna make a time out of it and I think this will be good for me," she reassured, grabbing Brandon's arm, smiling sincerely.
"Since we can't change your mind, I set three dates for Kelly's book tour up around Oklahoma and Texas in July before and after the baby is due, so we'll be near when Mitten decides she's ready for her curtain call." He explained, taking a second to look over at Kelly, who nodded in agreement with her husband.
"Y'all really didn't have to do that," Reba said with a touched smile, pulling Kelly in for a small side hug.
"We wanted to." Kelly giggled back, insisting that it really wasn't a burden at all.
"You can't get rid of us no matter how hard you try," Brandon added, moving over so that he could hug his step-mother goodbye. He and Kelly had both discussed how nervous Reba going down to Oklahoma to have the baby made them but also agreed that they would be supportive in any decision she made. Brandon's solution had been to schedule book signings for Kelly around the area in the weeks before and after Baby McEntire's due date, in order to hopefully be as close as possible during her arrival.
"Even if we know you're only doing what you need to do to take care of your baby girl," Kelly added once Reba and Brandon had pulled away from one another.
"I'll keep you updated, promise!"
"Seth and I Facebook Time every couple of weeks anyway, you'll be the first to know when this one is ready to meet us." She reassured, patting her belly lovingly. Brandon, Shelby, and Kelly snickered softly in response to Reba's reply. They all knew she'd meant FaceTime, but that was just semantics right?
"All right, let's get this show on the road and burn some rubber... at appropriate speeds," Shelby said as he slapped his hands together, indicating that it was time for him and his mother to hit the road.
"You know the back roads have more scenery, maybe you could consider showing our little sis the pleasures of a country drive." Brandon hinted as he walked to the passenger door and took Reba's hand lightly, guiding her inside.
"She's barely just grown ears, the highway will be plenty scenic enough." Shelby insisted with a shake of his head as he quickly pecked his sister-in-law goodbye and headed for the driver's side of the vehicle. Rolling down the window once he was inside, he waved eagerly back at his brother and Kelly before swiftly pulling out of the mansion's driveway.
"Why are you ruining Americans most renowned cookie?" Shelby questioned his mother in distaste, as he glanced to the side, watching as she dunked an Oreo cookie into the traveler jar of peanut butter that was nestled in her lap.
"What are you talking about, I'm only making these Oreo cookies better," Reba muttered back as she took a bit of the peanut butter covered cookie.
"And since when is the Oreo, 'the most renowned American cookie'?" She questioned back laughingly.
"Since 1912." He quickly retorted, nothing the year that the Oreo cookie made its first debut.
"And I'm serious, how can you possibly stand that mixture?" He asked again, looking back at the road in front of him as he squinted his eyes in disgust thinking about the peanut butter and chocolate cookie.
"Oh quit being ugly." Reba laughed.
"You have no idea the things you used to think were good when you were in my tummy."
"Do hot dogs and honey ring any bells?" She questioned in amusement, causing Shelby to gag a little at the thought.
"Does a barf bag ring any bells?" He quickly replied, shaking his head at his giggling mother. Licking her lips, she proceeded to close the lid on the peanut butter and place the remaining contents of her snack in the bag at her feet. Sitting back and sighing in satisfaction Reba closed her eyes.
"Stick a fork in me I'm done." She said rubbing her stomach in reference to the fact that she was full from indulging in the car snack. Shelby just laughed as he looked back over at his mother.
"I don't think Stella would like that much." He added, causing Reba to turn her head, facing his direction.
"Stella huh?"
"You know, like Stella Parton." Shelby continued on.
"You know more than just one Parton sister?" Reba curiously questioned back. Snorting at Reba's comment, he took his eyes off the road for a moment to stare seriously at his mother.
"My mother is the Queen of Country music, I know ALL of the Parton sisters." He said with a slight roll of his eyes. Sometimes he had to question his mom's faith in his country music heritage.
"Fair play." She giggled in acceptance.
"I swear, once she's here it's gonna be like Sophie's choice," Shelby muttered a moment later after his mom's giggle had let the car fall silent.
"How so?" Reba inquired, her eyebrows furring together in genuine confusion. She was familiar with what Shelby was alluding too, that once the newest addition arrived her youngest son would be far from her immediate worry but she had to wonder why he felt that way because, in fact, that was the furthest from her reality.
"She's a baby and you're a single mom now, things are going to be different this time." He confessed, his voice a little sad.
"You know you'll always be my number one buddy, always Shelby," Reba said sincerely, causing him to give her a small smile.
"I know Mama."
"I know."
"But there's a difference between knowing and understanding, yeah babies need a lot of attention but that doesn't mean I'll disappear on ya, you'll just have more fans at the track, that's all." She said, causing his smile to grow a little wider.
"Raising you has been the highlight of my life baby, nothing tops being a Mama." She added, rubbing his shoulder a bit before pulling away so that he could focus back on the road.
"Sometimes I just wish you and dad were still together." He added under his breath.
"I know you do."
"My god I need me a race car chauffeur, you two made it here in record time!" Susie McEntire exclaimed as she welcomed her sister and her nephew into her Mama's Oklahoma home.
"Looking ginger there, buddy." Mark Eaton, Susie's husband teased, as he shook Shelby's hand in a warm welcome.
"Good to see you too there Mark," Shelby replied, moving further in through the foyer so that his mother could hug her adoring sister and brother-in-law.
"Where's Grandmaw Jac?" Shelby questioned, looking around the large wooden table that was behind them and into the open living room next door.
"She's fixin' up some grub for her daughter and grandbabies."
"She figured the pair of you would be starved," Susie added as she ruffled Reba's shorter red hair, taking in her sister's new style, it had been a while since she'd seen her and she had yet to see the new cut in person.
"I don't know how she can be hungry after ruining an entire box of Oreos," Shelby muttered with a shake of his head, causing Mark to stare at him blankly, waiting for a further explanation.
"Apparently Shannon thought peanut butter and Oreos were a good mix." He finished explaining, making a disgusted face in which Mark mimicked.
"Oh, would you quit riding that." Reba huffed, rolling her eyes at her son's excessive teasing.
"When did you decide on the name Shannon?" Susie perked up, ignoring the exchange between her sister and nephew a moment.
"I didn't," Reba stated.
"The kids think that if they continue to call her a different name every time she's mentioned, they'll finally find one I like.
"No such luck." Shelby intervened, his hands on his hips as he shook his head in fake disappointment.
"Oh good, so there's plenty of time to still convince you that this family needs another Susie then?" Susie added eagerly as she began to guide Reba into the living room next to the foyer, encouraging her to sit down on the leather sofa.
"We have time yes but that much... I don't know." Reba teased, shaking her head at her sister's suggestion to name the baby Susan.
"I think this world can only handle one Susie McEntire at a time."
"Is that Reba Nell's voice I hear?!" Jackie exclaimed as she came through the entryway of the kitchen, behind Mark, a huge grin on her face.
"Is that fried chicken I smell?" Shelby questioned, licking his bottom lip as he leaned in to hug his grandmother, who's cooking apron was still on.
"You sure have your Mama's nose, get in there and get you some before it's all gone." She instructed as she accepted the hug from her grandson before he headed off in the direction of the kitchen.
"Reba, Reba Nell, gimme a sugar," Jackie said as she walked over to the couch, where her daughters had just stood from and engulfed Reba in a hug. Pulling away she whipped one of the stray tears that had rolled down Reba's cheek, snickering a bit at her daughter's tenderness.
"Mama I've missed you more than you know," Reba said, pulling her mama in for one more kiss and hug.
"That's a bet you'd lose," Jackie assured as she patted Reba's growing stomach, looking down at it with glowing eyes.
"This one has grown so much." She said as she set her hands on either side of Reba's tummy, instantly feeling a small flutter kick back in response.
"She has nothing but kicks of agreement." Reba laughed back.
"So does Little Miss have a name yet?" Jackie pestered, sitting down on the couch cushion behind them and patting the one Reba had previously occupied next to her.
"It'll start with an S." Reba smiled encouragingly as she looked from her mama to her amused sister, who now sat on the cushion next to her.
"That's great honey but usually names take up more than one letter," Jackie replied a little worry etched in her voice.
"I had all of you littles' names picked out even before I knew what you'd be." She continued on, grasping Reba's hand in her own.
"We can talk about all that later, more importantly, how is everybody?" Reba asked quickly changing the subject. She was beginning to get annoyed with everyone's hounding questions on what the baby's name would be. Sure she knew she was only a month away from giving birth but some mothers didn't even know what they'd name their children until they held them for the first time. The name would come to her, she was sure of it.
"I have a mind to slap that boy." Jackie huffed as she turned her attention away from the bowl of strawberry jello she was fixing.
"And I have the other half." Susie piped up, sitting at the kitchen island on the other side of her older sister.
"Who does he think he is, taking Starstruck and leaving you in the dust?" Jackie continued to question, slamming the spoon harder and harder into the bowl of jello.
"I'm still a CEO Mama and I get full rights to Starstruck studios, we're just splitting up management wise," Reba explained hesitantly and she watched her mother set the wooden spoon on the counter next to the white flower bowl, sighing a bit in relief.
"I don't know what his drink is but it sounds to me that he never stopped pour it'."
"I'm going to stop before I get nasty but this is all porpoise poop." The elder redhead interrupted herself with a shake of her head as she wiped her hands on her apron, looking over at her nearly identical daughters.
"Does this sudden change have anything to do with...?" Susie questioned apprehensively, trailing off as she shared a glance with her mother.
"Well, it's hard to know what goes through that thick skull of his when you no longer speak to one another," Reba responded, a hint of bitterness in her voice. Why was leaving the companies management such a big deal anyway? To tell the truth, she was actually quite relieved. It wasn't like her fans weren't going to follow her and besides this gave her the freedom to literally run her entire career, finally make all of the decisions on her own. Maybe this change wasn't such a bad thing after all. Her partnership with Cracker Barrel surely wouldn't have come to fruition if Narvel were still involved.
"Why do you need another line of Reba products, we already have Dillards?" She could hear him argue.
"You take every damn thing in stride, it's almost painful," Susie muttered with a shake of her head as she leaned over to grasp Reba's hand lovingly. She understood partially where her sister was coming from. What was the point in fighting anyway? It was clear Narvel wanted to move on and in the end, he was only hurting himself. Starstruck ran off of Reba, not the other way around. He'd soon realize that.
"Bless her heart anyway," Jackie mumbled with a laugh, catching both of their attention once again.
"If there's one thing I know for sure, that boy's lucky he waited until Clark was called home, otherwise..." She muttered again before trailing off as she watched her daughters hide their soft amused smiles. There was just something about Mama Bear Jackie that both amused and warmed her soul.