-Chapter 21-
Brock stood in front of me looking like a child. It was silent a few seconds after I asked as he looked at me with big eyes and an open mouth.
"Ye- I mean, I would love- I-" He strained to find the right words to say.
"Brock yes or no?" I tried to look confident to hide how nervous I had become.
"Yes. I would love nothing more than that." He finally choked out, almost beaming. Without warning he jumped forwards and wrapped his arms around me, pulling me tightly into him.
"Alright, alright..." I said, laughing and trying to pull away. He looked down embarrassed, but still smiling from ear to ear.
"I'm sorry about that, I just got a little excited." I laughed at him. He usually didn't act like this. He seemed like a little boy. "Wait, you're not playing a joke on me, are you?" He asked suddenly.
"No, Brock! I just... Like I said. I think we would have a good time." I said smiling up at him.
"I think we would too. Where do you want to go? What should I wear? I'll pick you up. What time? Boy, we haven't done this in a while." He reminded me of Jake. I couldn't help but giggle at him again.
"The new Italian place downtown seems nice. Dress formal, but not too formal. Jeans and a nice shirt would be fine. Be at my house around 6:30ish." I knew that this time around, I was calling the shots.
"Okay! Sounds like a plan!" He said grinning. I hadn't seem him smile so big in a long time. It made me extremely happy, and I wanted him to stay like that forever.
"Alright, then! I'm going to go back in side." I said, stepping back and awkwardly gesturing towards the house.
"Okay!" He said as we laughed at the awkwardness of the situation. My rush was calming down and I was just realizing what I had done. I turned to walk back in the house, but Brock stopped me. "Hey Reba?" I turned around as he walked up to me. When he reached me, he had a serious yet grateful look on his face. "Thank you." He said.
"For what?"
"For giving me another chance. I know this may be nothing, and to you it probably seems just like something small. But I never thought I'd have a chance for anything even close like this to happen. So, thank you. So much." He smiled, looking almost embarrassed.
"Of course, Brock." I hugged him one last time before turning and going inside.
I marched back across the lawn, trying to seem confident while on the inside I was flipping out. What did you just do, Reba? I practically screamed inside of my head. I passed between Van and Jake, and was yelled at again by Van, but like the first time I didn't even notice. I continued walking, fighting the battle going on inside my head.
Did I make a good decision? Was it wrong? No, no. It wasn't. Cheyenne was completely right. Take a chance. It will be worth it. It will be worth it.
I repeated to myself. For a few minutes, I had managed to push the part of me keeping Brock away to the back of my mind. But I could feel it slowly creeping back up as I began to have doubts. No. I finally told myself as I was walking in the back door. You made the right decision. It will be worth it. I closed the door behind me and leaned my back against it sighing.
"Mom?" I looked over to find Cheyenne and Barbara Jean where I had left them, looking confused. "What just happened?"
I took a breath. "I asked your father on a date." I turned my back quickly and started walking out of the room. I mentally counted to three, and right on the mark I heard two high pitched squeals that nearly broke my ear drums. Cheyenne and Barbara Jean came running after me.
"Mom wait!" I stopped and turned around.
"Yes?"
"So you just asked him on a date? Just like that?"
"Yes."
Cheyenne looked shocked. "But... How... For when?"
"Tomorrow night at 6:30." I turned and began walking again, only to be stopped by Barbara Jean.
"Wait Reba! So, this means y'all are going to start again?" She asked jumping up and down.
"No, Barbara Jean. It could in the future, but as of now all this means is that we're going on a simple, casual date. Nothing more to it." I tried to walk away again, but wasn't surprised when Cheyenne pulled me back.
"Where are y'all going? What are you going to wear? Oh mom, this is great! You two are going to be so happy, I just know it!" She hugged me before I could even answer her questions.
"I'll discuss details later," I finally managed. "I'm going to go talk to Kyra, though. I'll be down in a minute."
"Okay." Cheyenne and Barbara Jean, still sounding like teenage girls, hugged each other and continued jumping up and down as I went up the stairs to Kyra's room. I could hear her music playing from down the hall. When I reached her door, I had to knock three times before finally just opening the door. As soon as I did, she glanced up at me from her bed and turned off the stereo on her nightstand. She looked at me with an irritated face.
"Yes?"
"Can I talk to you?"
"I guess."
I walked in and sat down next to her on her bed. I pulled my legs underneath me, getting comfortable. Kyra stared at me coldly, making it obvious she didn't want me there.
"Well, I have some news for you." I smiled, still not sure how she would take it.
"Okay."
"Your father and I are going on a date tomorrow." I said. She raised her eyebrows a bit and the cold look left her face. I smiled at her. "How do you feel about that?"
"Like, a real date?" She seemed shocked.
"Well yes, I guess so." I chuckled. "I mean, it's not a big deal or anything. We're just going out to eat. But it'll be fun." I smiled at her, and she slowly returned it. It had been so long since I'd seen her smile, and my heart filled with joy.
"I think that's awesome, mom. Did he ask you?"
"No, I asked him. Just now." I said laughing.
"Really?" She stared at me for a minute. "Is this some joke?" Why did everyone keep asking that?
"No! I really want to go out with him. I think we'll have fun." Kyra was looking down and playing with her comforter, trying to hide the grin on her face. "Do you think it was a good idea?"
She looked up, showing me her beautiful smile. "I think it was a great idea, mom."
"Thank you baby. I sure hope so." I hugged her, and she actually hugged me back. I pecked her on the cheek before getting up. Right as I was leaving, and as she was turning her music back on, I turned to see the smile still huge on her face.
.
...
.
"Alright mom. Strip."
"What?"
"You heard me. Strip." Cheyenne and Barbara Jean stood in front of me in my walk in closet. Cheyenne had a black dress draped across her arm, and Barbara Jean was making a huge pile with different pairs of heels.
"I'm not getting naked in front of y'all!" I yelled.
"We just spent an hour sorting through all of your clothes trying to find the perfect thing to wear. We even found shoes that will go with it! Now, we have to make sure everything fits. The last time you wore this was probably in the 80s." Cheyenne said, holding the black dress up. I rolled my eyes and began looking through my closet.
"Maybe even the 60s..." I heard Barbara Jean mumble behind me, followed by their giggling. I shot them an evil glare before returning to dig through my clothes.
"Mom what are you doing?"
"Finding something to wear. A black dress is too formal."
"Mom!" Cheyenne practically screamed. "It is not! You're just scared to dress up. The only time you ever dress up is award shows, and there's only a few of those a year! C'mon mom, this is a big occasion. You can't wear boots and jeans, you know."
"I wasn't planning to. But maybe something a little less dressy."
"Mom, please just try it on?"
I sighed. "Okay, but y'all have to leave. I'm not getting naked in front of you."
"Okay, fine!" Barbara Jean pouted as they walked out of the closet. I closed the door behind them and braced myself as I slowly took off my clothes in front of the full length mirror.
My body had aged some over the years, but not as bad as some of my friends had. My hips had gotten bigger, and my breasts a little larger. Other than that, my body was almost still the same as when I was younger. I could never tell if I had a good body or not, because I had always been so self conscious that I hated even thinking about it. And then, when Brock left, my confidence seemed to get ten times worse. Even staring at my body in the full length mirror, only wearing a bra and panties, made me uncomfortable. Finally, I slipped into the dress and looked at my reflection.
The straps were thin, but not too thin. The cut was low enough to show the beginning of my cleavage, but it wasn't too revealing. The dress was a little snug around my stomach, but it made my waist look small and emphasized my hips. It cut off a little above my knee, and thankfully I had shaved the night before. I picked out the simple black pair of heels from the stack Barbara Jean had made and slipped them on. I called Barbara Jean and Cheyenne in when I was ready.
The each gasped when they walked in. "You look beautiful!" Barbara Jean yelled, hugging me tightly.
"Thank you." I breathed out, trying to get her off of me. Cheyenne stood by the door with her hands over her mouth. "What?"
"Mom! You look... flawless. Plus, you have a body! Where the heck did that come from?" She asked, looking me up and down. I blushed.
"You're wearing this tonight. No doubt about it." Barbara Jean said. I wasn't sure if I wanted to or not. I turned and looked at my reflection in the mirror again, admiring the way the dress twirled when I turned around. I didn't feel gorgeous, but I actually felt almost pretty-something I haven't felt in years. Finally, I agreed.
"Okay." I said quietly with a smile. The squealing started again as Cheyenne pulled me into the bathroom and they started on my hair and makeup.
"If y'all keep screaming, the security guards are going to think I'm killing you." I said. We had arrived back at the house right as the security guards were showing up, and Cheyenne was disturbed by the idea of having them around. She shivered at my comment.
"Those guys scare me, mom." She said, putting a long strand of my red hair in a curler.
"Why? There here to keep us safe, honey."
"I know, but from what? Sure, stalkers get kind of crazy. But I'm sure we can handle it! I doubt whoever it is even knows where we live!"
I bit my lip and looked down, trying to shove away the anxiety forming in my stomach. Tonight was my night to have a good time- I wasn't going to worry about him.
"All done." Cheyenne finally said as she poofed my hair one last time. She leaned down and put her face next to mine. "You look gorgeous, ma."
I smiled weakly at my reflection, getting nervous. "Thank you baby." I said slowly standing up.
"Brock will be here any minute! It's 6:30 right now!" Right after Barbara Jean spoke, we heard the door bell ring. Brock on time? That was a first. Cheyenne and Barbara Jean screamed and ran down stairs to get the door, already more excited than I was.
As I was turning the corner I could hear Van's loud voice talking to Brock, as well as Cheyenne and Barbara Jean chipping in.
"Now remember, Mr. H. You two are grandparents. There are certain things that grandparents just don't do- especially on the first date. I expect you to keep your hands and tongue to yourself, are we clear?"
"Shut up Van, that's my parents you're talking about!" Cheyenne said. I walked around the corner and noticed them get quiet as I started down the stairs. I was so focused on not falling in my heels that I didn't look up until I was at the bottom. Brock was staring at me, his mouth open. When I noticed him, he tried to hide it, but couldn't.
"You look beautiful." He finally said.
"Oh, did you hear that?" Barbara Jean whispered to Cheyenne as they jumped up and down. "That's so sweet!" I felt myself blush as he continued to stare at me. He didn't stare at me like he had seen me every day of his life, and he didn't stare at me like he wanted my body. He stared at me as if I were truly beautiful, and for a second I believed it. Finally, I broke the silence we had brought on the room by our gazing at each other.
"Are you ready?"
"Yes ma'am. Oh, these are for you!" He said, picking up a bouquet of roses off of the couch and handing them to me. His hand was shaky and I could tell he was nervous.
"Oh gosh!" Cheyenne and Barbara Jean were fanning themselves.
"Thank you!" I took the roses and sniffed them, blushing.
"I'll take those." Van stepped in and grabbed them from me. "I'll put them in a vase, Mrs. H. And as for you," He pointed to Brock, trying to act stern. "Have her back by 8:30 and no later. Do you hear me?"
"Yes sir." Brock said rolling his eyes. I stepped forwards and dragged Brock out the door. We ignored the squeals, the advise, and the warnings of unprotected sex that our family was yelling to us. We quickly got in the car and drove off.
.
..
.
The restaurant was dimly lit and soothing. Our conversation was light during our whole meal, and after my second glass of wine we spent most of the time laughing. It was strange being on a date with him, but at the same time it didn't feel like a date. It felt just like two friends getting together and having a good time. It was nice to feel that way- no pressure, no fear. Just fun.
When we finally arrived home, Brock jumped out of the car and ran to my side to open my door for me. I thanked him, and almost lost my balance as I stood up in my heels. He grabbed my hand and held onto it as I regained my posture. When I was okay, he lightened his grip a little, as if asking if it was okay to continue to hold my hand. In response, I squeezed his hand. He smiled and tightened his grip again as we walked up the steps. He rubbed his thumb across mine the whole way, causing my stomach to flutter. When I finally got to the door, I turned to face him.
"I had a great time." I said, meaning it with all of my heart.
"I did too, Reba." I could tell he meant it to. "And thank you again. For everything."
I smiled and squeezed his hand, which I was still holding. "Of course." It was quiet for a second as I looked at him sincerely. "Brock?"
"Yes?"
"Be careful tonight, okay?"
"What do you mean?"
"Just... Don't do anything stupid." I've thought about his drinking a lot since the accident. I couldn't bear the thought of coming close to losing him again.
"I have no reason to. Tonight was one of the best nights I've had in a long time." He said with a smile.
"What do you mean you have no reason to?" I asked, feeling sadness inside at his words.
"The only reason I'd drink before is because I was nearly positive I'd never have a chance at us again. But tonight I did. For a while, we were us again. And I loved it. Every second of it."
I looked at him deeply. "Are you happy?"
"Very." He said with a true, genuine smile. I couldn't help but smile back. I loved to see him happy.
"Well, I'm glad. Go home and get some rest, okay? Sweetdreams darlin'." I put my hands on his shoulders, and leaned up to kiss him briefly on the corner of his mouth. It lasted only a second, but I felt a million fireworks go off in my stomach at once. I could tell Brock felt the same way.
"Sweetdreams, Reba." He finally mumbled with a silly smile. "Call me if you need anything. I'll be here in a heart beat."
I grinned and looked at him one last time before walking inside and slowly shutting the door behind me. I leaned against it and couldn't believe how happy Brock had made me feel that night.
Yes, I thought, That was definitely a good decision.