The Weekend

Chapter Fifteen

Reba woke up to the sun beaming down against the delicate skin on her face, the warmth quickly filling all of the empty places inside of her. The last thing she remembered from the night before was being wrapped up in Brock's strong arms and even now, she felt her heart skip a beat at the memory. She rolled over expecting him to still be next to her, but when her hand hit nothing but a cool sheet, her smile quickly faded.

Right.

He had gone home to his wife and the bed the two shared together. Her chest tightened at the thought and she opened her eyes, staring directly at the ceiling. Why did she have to do this to herself? She knew he wouldn't be there in the morning, why did she allow herself to believe that he would be?

She sighed and stood, pulling herself from the warmth of her bed. She needed to get a jump on the day before her thoughts began to consume her once again. She shouldn't have taken the extra day off. Now more than ever she needed work to invade her mind and block out the rest of the world. But of course, that was not an option today. Instead she would spend the day cleaning her already clean home.

She pulled her red locks back into a ponytail and slipped on an old pair of blue jeans and a baggy tee shirt that read Nashville on the front of it. There was no point in showering when she'd just get all sweaty from the unnecessary housework she was about to commence.

Reba hadn't even eaten breakfast yet as she pulled a sponge out from under the sink and dipped it into the bucket of warm suds that sat on the floor next to her. She pushed the sponge harshly into the tile of the kitchen floor, the invisible suds suddenly gushing out of its sides, and moved it across the surface slowly. Of course, using a plain old mop would have been the logical way to do this, but it wouldn't have distracted her long enough and given her a reason to hide. Besides, this way she got to live out her Cinderella fantasy. Except Cinderella was a good person and she was not. She was just a trampy, old housewife.

Reba snorted at her last thought. Ex-housewife.

No wonder Cinderella got the guy.

"Mom…" Cheyenne started as she walked into the room and stopped immediately when she noticed her mother down on her knees, scrubbing relentlessly at the tile below. "What're you doing? You could just use a mop, y'know." Cheyenne giggled as she spoke, having never seen her mother clean the floor in such an odd way.

"I know."

"Okay, then. You're in a bad mood. Is it still from your trip? Do you want to talk about it?" She pulled out one of the chairs surrounding the kitchen table and plopped down, grabbing an apple from the bowl in front of her.

"Not really." Reba continued to focus on the task at hand, afraid she'd spill everything to Cheyenne if she looked away. She wanted nothing more than to tell someone the secret she was holding in, but Lori Ann had moved away a long time ago and there was no other option.

Cheyenne bit into the shiny, red fruit and waited a moment before speaking once again. What happened on that trip to make her mother so fowl? She had to wonder. "C'mon, mom, it couldn't have been that bad. I mean, you and dad were friends at one – "

"Cheyenne, please, just give me some peace and quiet." Reba gritted through her teeth, rather harsher than she had intended to. This whole situation had her on edge and her self-control was diminishing more by the second. She didn't know how else to behave.

"You know what? I'll come back when you're not in such a mood." Reba could hear the hurt in her voice and felt the guilt wash over her. She hadn't spent time with Cheyenne in so long and here she was, watching as her daughter stormed out of the kitchen door. She wanted to tell her to stop, but she couldn't.

Once the door clicked shut, Reba threw the sponge off to the side, immediately feeling the water hit her forearm as it squished from its surface with a soft thud. She pressed her back up against the cupboard and leaned her head into her hands.

She was about to lose it all. Between Cheyenne; and Brock; and Kyra; and Barbara Jean, she had so much to worry about that she didn't know where to start. It was all becoming too overwhelming and she could feel the lump climbing up the back of her throat. The tears stung as they slipped through her eyelids and stained her cheeks.

She had done the one thing she had sworn she never would this weekend. She had fallen back into his arms and was about to mess this family up even more.

It wasn't long before the tears fell heavily and a sob escaped her throat. Who was this person? She didn't recognize her. This person was weak, nothing like the Reba she knew and she kicked herself for it. Her strength was the only thing she had known for years now. What was she to do without it?

Cheyenne took another bite of her apple as she made her way down the driveway. She couldn't believe her mother, always complaining she never sees her anymore, but goes and does this when she does finally come over? She scoffed to herself.

She was pulled from her thoughts as she spotted Brock making his way up her mother's driveway. Just what her mom needs, the cause of the problem to drop by.

"Hey, honey."

"I wouldn't go in there if I were you, Red's in a mood." She took another bite of her apple and continued to walk.

Brock just stood there stupidly and watched his daughter walk away, before turning and cautiously entering what once was his kitchen.

The house was dead silent and he looked around to see any evidence of life. The kitchen was empty, the living room seemed to be empty, what was Cheyenne talking about?

And that's when he heard that heart wrenching sound escape from behind the island. He quickly rounded the counter to see Reba seated on the floor, crying into her palms. He froze, the sight absolutely breaking his heart. She was always so strong, so damn strong. The sight of her being anything other than that always had a strong effect on him.

"Oh, honey." He kneeled next to her and pulled her into his arms, holding her tightly against his chest. Another sob escaped her throat and he winced at the sound. She was in pain and it was all because of him.

Reba sat there, pressed into his body, his warmth surrounding her for what felt like forever. She hadn't spoken, she only cried, letting everything that had been consuming her for the last two days loose. And while she didn't like people to see her cry, she was thankful that Brock had shown up when he did. Had it been anyone else, she'd be mortified.

Brock smoothed her hair against her back, rubbing soothing circles against the fabric of her shirt. Before he could think twice, he slid his other hand under her knees and lifted her into the air. He had expected her to make a noise at the sudden change in position, but she didn't. She only wrapped her arms around his neck and nuzzled her nose further into him.

He knew just what to do.

He carried her up the staircase and to her bedroom, moving as quietly as possible as he had no idea who else was home. He used his foot to close the bedroom door behind him and made a beeline to her bathroom. He flicked on the light and Reba finally lifted her head from his neck, her eyes puffy and bloodshot.

"What're you doin'?" Her voice was hoarse and he was suddenly wondering how long she had been crying.

"Just wait." He sat her in a seated position on the edge of the bathtub and reached from the nob, the warm water rushing from the spout and quickly filling the tub. He kneeled in between her knees and looked at her. She looked exhausted and worn down, how hadn't he seen that earlier?

"Lift your arms."

"Brock…"

"I said, lift them."

Reba did as she was told and lifted her arms above her head. Brock reached for the hem of her shirt and gently pulled it up the length of her torso. A warm bath always soothed her, so that was what he was going to give her.

Once the shirt was free from her body, he placed his hands on her hips and forced her to stand above him. He popped the button through the loop and drug the zipper down its track.

Reba gripped his shoulders and he peeled the denim from her body, taking her panties down with them. She was soon bare to the room and she had to admit, she felt somewhat uncomfortable. It was one thing being in front of him like this on their weekend, but this was her home. This was their reality. And being naked in this bathroom with him, brought back more memories than she'd care to admit.

He wrapped an arm around her legs as he reached behind her and turned off the tap. He dipped his finger into the water to make sure it wasn't too hot.

"Go on, get in." His voice was soft and she couldn't help the smile that formed on her lips. The one thing he was always good at was taking care of her.

Reba stepped into the warm water and stood there for a moment as she readied herself. Finally she sat down in the ivory tub, the water sloshing around her for a split second. She rested her back against the end of the tub, feeling her entire body relax, and turned her gaze toward Brock.

"I'm sorry." He had a smile on his face as he watched her and despite everything, she felt her heart flutter in response. But the smile faded when he registered her words.

"You don't have a thing to be sorry about, Reba. I'm sorry." They held each other's gaze for a moment and Reba could feel the sincerity in his words. He was blaming himself and that realization stung. She was as equally at fault as he. "Now scoot up and lean your head back, let me clean those curls of yours."

He poured the water over her scalp, gently running his rough hands over her smooth, red locks. He was taking his time that she knew, not wanting to rush through the moment. He hadn't done this since she was pregnant with Jake and she found herself closing her eyes and taking in his soft caress. It had been so long since she had experienced this side of Brock and right now she realized just how much she missed him.

Once her hair was rid of the rose-scented soap, he leaned forward and placed a delicate kiss on her forehead.

"I'll let you finish up in here and I'll wait downstairs, okay?" She nodded and he kissed her once again. He hoped with everything inside of him that this would be over soon. He knew she couldn't take it much longer and nor could he. He could not stand seeing the love of his life in so much pain.

I just wanted to take the time to thank everyone who has read this story. The reaction this has gotten has outdone the rest of my stories and warmed me to the core. I appreciate every one of you who takes the time to read and review, or even just the time to read. So, truly thank you. You have made writing this story a pleasure and I will be finishing it up in the next chapter.