Chapter Seven

Two Weeks Later, Mid-August

Reba quickly checked her appearance in her bathroom mirror. She was wearing a pair of comfy but form fitting jeans and a long sleeve violet colored t-shirt. She had put a light application of makeup on and had pulled her hair back into a simple ponytail. She had intentionally not scheduled any showings with clients for today because today was the day that Brock was supposed to be moving out and while she had no intention of helping him actually move, she had every intention of being there to make sure nothing distracted him or derailed him from actually getting out of her house today.

Things had been extremely tense between Brock and Reba for the past two weeks. They had mostly avoided each other except for one brief attempt at a conversation where Brock had tried to bring up the other woman he might have feelings for. The whole thing had caused Reba's infamous red headed temper to appear and she had shut him down before he could even get started. She had absolutely no interest in entertaining his dalliances. After that they had simply avoided each other.

In fact, things had been so tense that poor Jake had taken to spending most evenings at his buddy Bryce's house, waiting until the last possible minute to come home. Reba hated that it had gotten to that point but distance would make things better. She and Brock would always be friends but it was going to take some time to navigate back to that. It was past time for Brock to find his own space and good that they were putting some distance between themselves.

Reba was just about to head downstairs when her cell phone rang. "Hey there, handsome."

"Hello yourself, gorgeous. You are never going to believe where I am."

"Headed to the hospital for rounds?" Reba walked over to the window and looked out to the beautiful morning sky.

"Even better. I'm boarding a flight to Houston."

Reba wheeled around and walked away from the window. "Jack! What? I thought you weren't heading back until Thursday?"

Jack laughed on the other end of the line. "I didn't think I was either but some scheduling got shuffled at the hospital and they didn't need me for the rest of the week so they told me I could go ahead and head back if I wanted to. So, I packed my things, called the airline and hopped on the first flight I could back home."

"Oh my gosh! When do you land?"

"12:15. Any chance I can interest you in a late lunch?"

"Jack, there is nothing I would love more. Trust me. But Brock is moving out today and I want to be here to make sure he doesn't find any reason to not actually move out." Reba winced at the small sigh she heard Jack release. "I'm so sorry."

"No, it's ok. You weren't expecting me to be coming home and I get why you want to be there. I was just really wanting to see you."

A small smile tugged at her lips. "Well, I really want to see you too. Dinner? And then maybe a movie…here at the house? I won't have an annoying roommate to bother us. Call me when you get to your place and get settled and we can make plans."

"Sounds good. Reba, I can hardly wait to see you."

"Me either. Bye Jack. Safe travels." Reba looked at her phone regretfully for a moment after releasing the call and then slipped it into her back pocket before heading downstairs where she found Brock sitting on the couch, his feet kicked up on the coffee table, drinking a cup of coffee.

Reba rolled her eyes. "Shouldn't you be packing your things up?"

"Oh give it a rest Reba. I'm having my coffee, going to have a little breakfast, and then I will start packing."

"Whatever. Just make sure you are out today."

Brock mockingly saluted from where he sat on the couch. "Yes ma'am."

Two hours later…

Reba stepped out of her home office where she had retreated to catch up on some paperwork to check on Brock's progress. Instead of progress, she found him sitting in almost the exact same position she had left him on the couch two hours earlier. "I see you've gotten a lot done since I left you."

Brock laughed sarcastically. "You just can't wait to get me out of here, can you? You know Reba, I don't understand what happened. When you first let me move in here, things seemed to be fine. We were getting along, even enjoying each other's company and then over time things started getting more distant and then all of a sudden they turned hostile."

"When you first moved in here, it was with the understanding that it was a temporary situation while you worked on your marriage with your wife, my best friend. Over time, that didn't happen. Instead of focusing on your marriage and mending what was broken, you started poking your nose into my personal life and spending way too much time worrying about who I am spending time with. And then, to put the cherry on top, your wife informs me that instead of working on your marriage you've decided you might have feelings for someone else. That means it's well past time for you to be moving on."

"Listen, I told you I will be out today, I will be out. I don't get the big rush. Or is the real reason you want me out of here in a hurry because you are anxious to bring your boyfriend over and I am cramping your style?"

Reba closed her eyes and pinched the bridge of her nose. Why the hell was she here having this argument with her ex-husband when she could be sharing lunch with Jack for the first time in almost three weeks? "Yes Brock, I have a boyfriend. Is that what you are wanting to hear? In fact, I was sacrificing time with him today to be here to ensure you got moved out, but you know what? To hell with that. I am out of here. I will be home later this evening. Make sure you are moved out by the time I get back."

Brock stood in shock as he watched Reba walk to the front door, grab her keys and purse and head out, allowing the door to slam behind her. Well, at least he had his answer. No doubts about it now. The person who had been consuming so much of Reba's time was more than just an old friend after all and maybe any chance he had at getting her back really was gone.

Jack stepped off the elevator into the hallway that led to his fifth floor apartment and pulled his key ring out of his pocket. He was focused on untangling his jumble of keys and thinking about what he could order in for the lunch that he didn't notice the red head leaning against the door frame to his apartment when he rounded the corner. The sound of her voice caused his head to snap up. "I hope Chinese food is ok for lunch."

A wide grin spread across Jack's face and in two giant steps he was in front of her dropping his bag at his side before wrapping her in his arms. "Reba! What are you doing here?"

Reba took a deep breath, taking in his scent, making sure it still matched the memory she had been holding onto for the past three weeks. "I can go if you want me to."

Jack laughed and squeezed her tighter. "You aren't going anywhere except the other side of my front door so that when I ravish your lips, my neighbors don't call the cops on us."

"Well, I guess we better get on the other side of that door then." Reba pulled away from their embrace and bent to pick up the bag of Chinese takeout that had been sitting by her feet. Jack grabbed his bag and quickly unlocked his apartment door, ushering them inside.

The door had barely closed behind them when Jack dropped his bag again and he had turned Reba to where her back was flush against the door. A split second before the bag of Chinese takeout was crushed between their bodies, it was instead dropped carelessly at their feet as Jack's lips descended to hers with a hunger that expressed just how much he had missed her the past three weeks. It took no time for Reba to wrap her arms tightly around his back, pulling him closer and opening her mouth to his searching tongue.

Each fought for dominance as one would give and the other would take and then the roles would reverse. At one point, Reba's knees weakened slightly, and she was thankful for the door and Jack's body pressed against her own to keep her upright. And after what seemed like both a split-second and and an eternity, Jack pulled away and they were both breathless.

Reba smiled up at him with hooded eyes. "Welcome home."

"God, I missed you," he placed another gentle kiss on her lips. "Now, before I completely forget I'm a gentleman, did I hear you say something about Chinese takeout?" Jack followed Reba's eyes to the disheveled bag laying near their feet and laughed. "Oops. What do you say we go see if we can salvage that? I'm starving."

Jack grabbed the bag of food and headed toward the kitchen, never letting go of Reba's hand. When they reached the kitchen, Jack set about dishing up the food into plates while Reba started making them tall glasses of ice water. After just a few minutes they met at the kitchen bar and settled in on the bar stools to share their lunch.

"So, what happened to not being able to get together for lunch because you needed to be at home to make sure Brock moved out?"

Reba rolled her eyes and waived her hand dismissively. "Oh, same old Brock just being an idiot. He was taking his sweet time about getting his stuff out and then starting picking a fight with me about why I wanted him to move out. Asked me if the real reason I wanted him to move out was because he was cramping my style with my boyfriend."

Jack shot her a sideways glance. He knew up to that point, Cheyenne was really the only one she had told she was in a relationship, even if others might have had some suspicions. "Oh yeah? What did you say?"

"I told him the truth. That while having a boyfriend was not the reason I wanted him to move out, that yes, I have a boyfriend."

"Wow. How did he react?"

Reba shrugged. "Didn't stick around to find out. Decided I would much rather be here with you. So, I gave him an ultimatum to be out by the time I got back and I left."

"Well, I for one am glad that your ex-husband is an idiot because it worked to my benefit beautifully. Have I ever told you that I love it when you wear your hair up? Your profile is so stunning and it has the added benefit of giving me easy access to your neck." Jack leaned over and placed a kiss on Reba's neck and she involuntarily stretched to give him more access. His kisses trailed their way up her neck to her ear where he gently pulled the lobe between his teeth and Reba gasped with the feeling that shot to her core.

Jack pulled back. "Sorry. Too much?"

Reba shook her head. "No. Maybe. I know I want you, I just need a little more time. If you are willing to give it to me."

Jack ran a finger down her face. "I will give you whatever you need. I will follow your lead."

Reba took his hand and led him over to the couch where he sat back into the corner and she settled between his legs leaning back against his chest, her head back against his shoulder and their intertwined fingers rested on her stomach. "Tell me more about what all you did in Boston."

Jack spent the next bit of time talking about everything he had done while he was gone to Boston. From the boring stuff of rounds at the hospital and catching up with old colleagues over cold lunches in the hospital cafeteria, to describing dinners at all of his favorite Boston restaurants, what he ate and why he loved going to those places. He told her about the time he got to spend with his mom Bernadette and his sister Jennifer and his nephews, Carter and Cooper. Most of it she had heard before during their nightly phone calls but she relished hearing it again with the vibration of his voice transferring from his chest to her back and the feel of his warm breath against her hair. After he was finished with his stories, she in turn, shared everything she had already told him that had happened over the past tree weeks.

They spent the next two hours just enjoying the quiet, sharing plans for the next few weeks before Jack had to go back to Boston and basking in the time to just be together. Occasionally one of them would allow their lips and hands to wander and things would get heated for a bit but never to the point of no return. The late afternoon shadows were just starting to filter across Jack's living room when Reba heard Jack snore softly behind her and then felt him jolt awake.

She laughed and sat up, removing herself from the cocoon of his embrace. "And that is my cue to leave."

Jack quickly grabbed her hand. "No wait. I thought we were doing dinner and maybe a movie at your place tonight."

Reba smiled down at him and leaned over to place a gentle kiss on his lips. "Jack, you are exhausted. I need to go home and make sure Brock is actually out of the house. So, I'm going to go and you stay here and get some rest. I will see you tomorrow."

Jack shook his head. "Tomorrow is Sunday. Family day. So, I won't see you until Monday."

"Actually, funny you bring up family day," Reba replied, squeezing his hand. "Cheyenne knows about us, now Brock knows I have a boyfriend, and I also told Barbara Jean I was seeing someone this past week too. So, I was wondering what you thought about joining me for a family dinner tomorrow night at my house and we can finally reveal to everyone that you and I are together."

Jack stood up and pulled her into an embrace, lifting her off her feet. "What? Are you serious Reba? Of course I want to have dinner with you and your family. I've been waiting for months for you to say you are ready for this moment. You just tell me what time and I will be there."

"Great, let's do it! But Jack, when you get there tomorrow, you steer clear of Barbara Jean. Because we all know she's always had a thing for you since she met you and I don't want her lips on yours."

"Oh, don't you worry. My lips are reserved only for you." Jack replied before pulling her into one last kiss for the evening.

Reba opened her front door and almost tripped over a pile of suitcases and boxes that were obviously the things that Brock had accumulated in the months he had been living in Kyra's old room. She fought back her initial instinct to be furious with the fact that he wasn't already gone and instead focus on her wonderful afternoon with Jack and appreciate the fact that progress had at least been made. It also gave her the opportunity to invite Brock to the family dinner she had planned for tomorrow evening instead of having to make an awkward phone call. She had already reached out to Van & Cheyenne, Kyra, and Barbara Jean to extend invitations on her drive home and they were all on board and excited for a family dinner, it had been awhile since they had all been together.

Just then Brock came down the stairs carrying a large duffle bag. He lifted his hand as if to pre-empt anything she might be about to say and shook his head. "Save it Reba, I didn't realize you would be back this early. But this is the last of my stuff. I am about to load it up in my truck and then I will be out of your hair."

"Oh, it's fine Brock. I'm not mad. In fact, it gives me the chance to invite you to dinner tomorrow night."

"Dinner?"

Reba nodded, not noticing the odd tone of hope that filled his question. "Yeah, I am having a family dinner tomorrow night. I have already talked to all the kids and they will be there. So, will Barbara Jean but don't you dare use that as an excuse not to come. I expect you to be there."

"Why this sudden plan to have a big family dinner?"

Reba just shrugged. "Does it matter? We haven't spent any quality time together as a family in several months and I just think we ought to. So, I'm having dinner with everyone tomorrow night. Be here by 6. Now, unless you need my help loading your stuff in your truck, I am heading upstairs."

Brock narrowed his eyes as he watched her disappear up the stairs. As much as it would be nice to have the whole family enjoying dinner together, even with things being uncomfortable between he and Reba and the ongoing tension between he and Barbara Jena, he didn't trust that Reba didn't have an ulterior motive. No, something else was going on. He was sure of it.

The next evening…

See you a little after 6 pm. I will wait until everyone is inside and then come sit on the bench on the front porch. Once you have broken the news, you can come get me.

Reba smiled at Jack's text and quickly sent a reply. Sounds perfect. Can't wait to see you.

They had talked the night before and decided that he would let Reba tell everyone that she had been dating someone and then she would invite him him inside to reintroduce him to the family. They were both a little nervous about the reactions they were going to receive but had simply resolved to work through it all together. Reba was just turning back to check on the dinner dishes she was cooking on the stove when the back door opened and Kyra entered.

"Kyra!" She pulled her youngest daughter into a tight embrace. To her delight her daughter returned the embrace with just as much warmth. "You're here early. Not that I mind at all."

"Well, I thought I would see if you needed any help with dinner. I figured you would be doing it all yourself."

Reba smiled at her daughter and handed her a knife. "Well, now that you mention it, you can help me chop vegetables for the salad."

Kyra smiled at her mom and sat at the bar to begin prepping the salad for dinner. She had been chopping for a minute before she glanced back up at her mom. "I also thought it was a good chance for us to spend a little time alone together. It's been awhile since we've had time to talk, just the two of us and I figure things are bound to get a little hectic around here tonight with everyone here, especially after you introduce everyone to your boyfriend."

Reba choked slightly on the gravy she had been taste testing for seasoning. She turned and looked at her daughter. "My what?"

Kyra flashed a mischievous grin. "Oh c'mon mom, don't act like that's not why you invited us all over here for dinner."

"Ummm, well…" Reba finally just gave up and shrugged her shoulders. "Talk about your worst kept secrets, I guess. How did you know?"

"Mom, I may not live here anymore but I still stop by on occasion and I talk to Cheyenne and Jake. You've been going out a lot. It doesn't take a genius to figure out what's going on."

"Wait, was I gone too much? Did Jake say something?"

Kyra shook her head. "No, Mom, not at all. Jake is fine. If anyone was griping about you being gone too much it was Dad and I just ignored him. We all just want you to be happy so as long as you are happy, we are just glad to finally be meeting this guy."

Reba smiled. "I am happy. Really, really happy. Now, tell me what is going on with you. How are things with the band?"

"Things are going really great with the band." Kyra paused. "I actually wanted to discuss something else with you. It's kind of big."

Reba rounded the bar and sat in the stool next to her daughter and took her hand. "What is it honey?"

"The band has been offered a really great opportunity. There's a music producer, a reputable producer, not some no name nobody who wants us to put together some demos and work towards getting signed to a label."

"Kyra! That's fantastic!"

"There's a catch."

"Ok…"

"We would have to move to Nashville."

"Wow, Nashville. I think that's great."

"Now Mom, before you start telling me what a bad idea it is…wait, what?" Kyra asked, realizing what Reba had said.

Reba smiled at her beautiful red headed daughter who she was just learning to navigate a real relationship with. "Kyra, it's obvious that music is really important to you and something you want to pursue and beyond that you are really, really good. Not everyone gets an opportunity like this, and you shouldn't let that pass you by. There was a time many, many years ago in a different life that I almost moved to Nashville myself to pursue music but then I met your dad and I had you kids. And don't get me wrong, I don't regret my decision to not go for a second because you, your sister and your brother are my greatest accomplishments in life, but if you go do this, I will get the chance to live a little bit of an old dream through you."

Kyra quickly wiped at her eyes, not daring to let a tear that was threatening there fall. "Wow, that was not the response I was expecting. Having your support in this really means everything, Mom."

"I will always support you in whatever you decide to do in this life, baby girl. Besides, " Reba said, leaning over to kiss Kyra's forehead, "don't think I won't be racking up those frequent flyer miles coming to Nashville to visit you real often."

"I'm really glad I came early so we could talk."

"I am too. We should make a point of having lunch or dinner a few times before you leave." And suddenly their moment of focused time together descended into chaos when the front and back doors swung open simultaneously with Van, Cheyenne and family entering the front and Barbara Jean and Henry entering the back. "I guess it's time to let the fun begin."

They watched as Henry ran screaming into the living room and met a squealing Elizabeth as Barbara Jean chased after him. Reba and Kyra laughed at the chaos of it all. "Hey Mom, do you mind keeping all this between us for now? I just want to make sure a few more details are in place before I tell everyone else."

"Sure. You let me know when you are ready to make your big announcement and I will invite everyone over for another insane family dinner."

6:15 pm

Making my way to the porch. Will be waiting for you when you are ready for me.

Reba glanced down at the text she had just received on her phone while she made a last minute check on dinner before she headed back out to the living room where everyone was snacking on a meat and cheese tray and a veggie tray she had setting out. Everyone was in good spirits, laughing and telling stories and if it weren't for the fact that Brock and Barbara Jean were keeping opposite sides of the room and Brock and Reba hadn't really said much to each other since he had arrived right at 6, you wouldn't really know there were tensions between them all.

"Is dinner almost ready, Mrs. H? It smells great." Van said as he stuffed a pile of salami and cheese into his mouth.

"Just a little bit longer Van," Reba replied as she rolled her eyes at her son-in-law. "Before we get to dinner, I wanted to talk to everyone for just a minute."

Suddenly Reba felt very self conscious as silence filled the room and six sets of eyes focused on her. The only people not staring at her were Elizabeth and Henry who were playing in the corner and Mason who was napping. She cleared her throat and subconsciously rubbed her palms on her jeans. "I suppose this might be the worst kept secret, I certainly thought I was being discreet but it's been brought to my attention maybe not as much as I thought, but I have been dating someone for the past couple of months. I haven't been necessarily hiding my relationship but considering the dynamic of everything that was going on around here and some things that are unique to our relationship I felt it was better to wait to bring him around until I knew for sure things were solid between us."

"So wait, you are saying you've been dating a man for months and we haven't met him, Mrs. H?" Van crossed his arms across his chest.

"Yes Van, a man. I've been dating a man. As opposed to an alien."

"I don't think I like that. If you are going to date someone, we need to meet him first, you know, to make sure he's not some crazy psycho killer."

"I'm not your child Van. I'm perfectly capable of taking care of myself."

"Relax Van. He's a nice guy."

Van gasped at Cheyenne in shock and all eyes turned to stare at her instead of Reba. "You knew?!"

Reba jumped to take the focus off her daughter. "Guys! Can we get back on track here? The point is, I have been dating this really fantastic guy for awhile now. We've been taking it slow, seeing where it would go, not rushing into anything and just seeing where things were leading. Well, as it turns out, things are getting pretty serious and we both decided it was time to bring my family into the loop. So, that brings me to this dinner tonight. He is actually sitting on the porch right now, waiting for me to tell you all everything and then join us for dinner."

"Well Reba, are you going to invite him in?" Barbara Jean was almost giddy with anticipation of meeting the new man in Reba's life.

"Give me just a second Barbara Jean, there's more. You all need to know that this person I am dating, is someone you all know."

"Oh my gosh! You're dating Terry!"

Reba shot Barbara Jean a look. "No, Barbara Jean, I am not dating Terry. I do expect you all to have mixed reactions, I'm just asking you all to keep an open mind and be fair. Are you ready to meet him?"

Everyone responded with either a nod of the head or some sort of affirmative response with the exception of Brock who had taken to sitting sullenly in the side chair in front of the kitchen pass through the longer the conversation went on. Reba took one last deep breath and walked over to the front door, she opened it and stepped out onto the porch and held out her hand to Jack. "Ready?"

Jack stood up from the bench and took her hand. "More than ready."

"You all remember Dr. Jack Morgan. Jack, you remember my family." Reba and Jack stepped back inside hand in hand, closing the front door behind them and waited for the reaction. Initially there was silence, then a low murmur started and then eventually there was an outbreak of simultaneous reactions.

"You have got to be kidding me!" Brock jumped up from his seat angrily, his face turning read underneath his fake tan and he stalked into the kitchen to retrieve a beer from the fridge.

"Well, well, well.. the prodigal lothario has returned to try take advantage of our sweet, naïve Mrs. H once again." Van circled uncomfortably close into Jack's personal space. "Well, not on my watch buddy."

"Van!" Both Reba and Cheyenne admonished and he backed away as Jack tried to hide his smile.

"You came back for me!" The shout drew their attention as they looked up and saw Barbara Jean making her way across the room and launching herself at Jack. At the last minute, Reba placed herself between her friend and Jack and used her the palm of her hand on her shoulder to block the inevitable attempt at a kiss that she knew was coming.

"Actually Barbara Jean, he came back for me."

Barbara Jean righted herself and backed away. "Of course. I'm sorry, I don't know what came over me. Hi there Dr. Morgan. It's good to see you again."

"You can call me Jack, Barbara Jean. It's good to see you too."

Out of everyone, Cheyenne, Kyra and Jake seemed to be the least affected by his appearance. Cheyenne, of course, had known but Kyra and Jake both acted like they didn't care at all that there was a history between Jack and Reba. Brock had made his way back into the living room but was standing angrily in the corner swigging his beer, Van was still suspiciously circling Jack at a distance and Barbara Jean was at least attempting to not assault Jack in front of Reba at the moment.

"I know this is unexpected, especially how things ended between Jack and I a few years ago but I want you all to know that we have worked through all of that and that's part of the reason why we kept our relationship quiet for so long."

Jack released her hand and moved to wrap his arm around her waist. "I want you all to know that my intention was never to hurt your mom and I feel very lucky that she has given me another chance. I have every intention of making things work this time."

"So, all of that being said, we want this dinner to be your opportunity to ask us anything you want about the last few months and how we got back together but please know, there may some things we choose to keep private and we just ask that you respect that for now. But, for now I am starving, so what do you say let's eat some dinner?"

Brock came down the stairs from putting Henry in his bed after he had carried him home from Reba's house and went in search of Barbara Jean. He found her sitting on the back patio sipping a glass of white wine. He didn't wait for an invitation and instead sat in one of the other patio chairs. "What a night, huh?"

"I really enjoyed it. It was great having all the family together again and everyone seemed to be having a really good time. Plus, I will take any excuse I can get to have Reba's meatloaf."

"C'mon Barbara Jean, you know what I mean. Can you believe that she invited him?"

Barbara Jean laughed. "Do you mean, can I believe that Reba invited her boyfriend to her home to join us all for a family dinner? I mean, how dare she. I don't know what the big deal is, we all pretty much knew she's been dating someone."

"You certainly had a reaction to seeing him."

Barbara Jean took a drink of her wine. "I will admit that I was surprised to see that it was Dr. Morgan initially and I might have had a temporary lapse back to when I had a crush on him back when he was our therapist but I recovered."

Brock rolled his eyes. "Well, I can't believe she's giving that guy another chance after everything that happened between them last time."

"I can. They've always been attracted to each other and one thing I know about Reba is that she didn't enter into this relationship with anything but eyes wide open. I trust her and if she's good with giving Jack another chance, I'm giving Jack another chance."

"Whatever. Now that their relationship is out in the open and not an exciting, secret tryst I give it a month, two at the max. Jack will get bored and they will break up yet again."

"Oh, I think you are wrong about that. I don't know if you just weren't paying attention tonight or if you were willfully choosing not to see it because of your feelings for Reba, but they are in love. Whether they have said it out loud or admitted it to each other or even to themselves yet, there is no denying it. Jack and Reba are head over heels in love with each other."

Brock didn't say anything in response, instead he looked up at the moon and thought about the redhead living down the street and the man who was probably still there with her tonight instead of him.

"I think I love her."

Barbara Jean sighed sadly for the significance those five words held for her marriage. "I know you do. But Brock, you need to realize you may have missed your chance with her. Reba's happy. I told you once and I will tell you again, I won't stand by and let you torpedo that."

"You kids behave yourself. Will you be ok here with him, Mrs. H?"

Reba rolled her eyes as she followed Van who was carrying a sleeping Elizabeth and Cheyenne who was carrying a sleeping Mason in his car seat out onto the front porch. "Van, stop it. We are grown adults and we will behave as such."

Van looked at her in horror. "Mrs. H, gross!"

Reba laughed and finished pushing them out the door. "Love you guys. See you soon."

Reba closed the door behind them and turned leaning back against it, looking back at Jack who was standing near the couch. It had been a long evening, at times it had been tense, at other times it had been just an easy-going fun evening with family. Everyone had asked a lot of questions about their relationship, how they had reconnected, what Jack had been doing for the last few years, and what they had been doing the past few months as they had been keeping their relationship private. To his credit, Jack had handled the questions like a champ, but she hadn't really had a private moment to check in with him to see how he was doing. "Hey there."

Jack smiled at her and moved closer to her, eventually pressing his hands against the door on either side of her shoulders. "Hey there."

"How are you feeling?" Reba managed to ask before Jack captured her lips in a deep kiss.

After a minute, Jack released the kiss. "I feel fantastic. Don't get me wrong, that was a gauntlet, they didn't take it easy on me. But I kind of love how protective your family is of you. And now, everything is out in the open and we don't have to sneak around anymore. I can pick you up for dinner, I can walk you to your front door after a date and kiss you good night, and if I'm really lucky I can make out with you while pretending to watch a movie on the couch."

Reba blushed. "So, my crazy family didn't make you want to run for the hills?"

"I'm not going anywhere, Reba."

"Good, because I am really looking forward to exploring that making out on the couch while we pretend to watch a movie idea. Want to get some practice in before you have to head home?"

Jack took her hand and led her to the couch. "That does sound tempting but to be honest, I am feeling a little bit jealous right now."

Reba settled in next to him but glanced up at him. "Jealous?"

"Yes, jealous. I mean, I knew your other boyfriend was going to be here tonight, but I didn't realize just how much of your attention he was going to take. He was in your arms almost the whole night."

"What can I say? He is pretty irresistible. That red hair, those dimples, and he smells so good…most of the time. I warned you that my attention would be split anytime he was around."

Jack shrugged. "It's ok. I think I may have another girlfriend anyway."

"Barbara Jean?"

"Think shorter, with freckles and a missing front tooth and much more charming."

"Oh, I did notice Elizabeth seemed quite enamored by you this evening. She has great taste. Just like her grandma. It actually works out perfect though. When Cheyenne inevitably asks us, you can save face with your gym buddies and say we have a double date instead of telling them you are helping me baby sit."

Jack's laugh rumbled through his chest. "I would be happy to go on a double date with you and Mason and Elizabeth anytime you need me to. I'd do just about anything with you."

"Well, since you mention it, now that you have passed the 'let's tell the family' test, do you think you are up for the next test?"

"Lay it on me."

"A weekend trip back home to Oklahoma with me right after you get back from Boston next time? I'm going back to McAlester for a four-day weekend to attend my 30th high school reunion and to also celebrate my daddy's 70th birthday. I thought maybe you might want to join me?"

Jack sat up a little straighter on the couch. "Wow, that's a lot of monumental firsts for us. That would be our first weekend trip together out of town, then getting to be your arm candy at your class reunion and meet your old friends and hear all the stories about you from high school, and to top it all off, meeting the parents? Pretty big deal."

Reba pulled away from him slightly and shook her head. "You are right. It's too much. I understand. I can go by myself."

Jack slipped his arm around Reba's waist and pulled her tight against him. "It's not too much. I would love nothing more than to visit your hometown, be your date at your class reunion and meet your parents. Of course, you realize this means that you are more than just my girlfriend now. I think it means we are going steady."

Reba smirked. "Does that mean I get to wear your letterman's jacket?"

"If I had one it would be all yours baby. How about we just practice that making out on the couch thing instead?" Jack had barely gotten the words out before Reba captured his mouth with her own and their conversation was forgotten for the rest of the evening.

To be continued…