Author's Note: Unfortunately, I do not own these characters or the storyline that inspired this.

Chapter 1

"Rayna, do you take Luke for your lawful wedded husband? Will you love, honour, comfort, and cherish him from this day forward, forsaking all others, keeping only unto him for as long as you both shall live?" The voice blurred around her. It was her turn to speak but she couldn't find the words yet. It wasn't that she didn't love him, it was just… Deacon. She had thought that he would make some grand gesture to stop the wedding, declaring his love for her. He hadn't. Part of her wished he had, the part of her that couldn't stop loving him. No, she told herself. This was what she wanted. She wanted to marry Luke. Why else did she say yes?

"I do…" She eventually answered. Her voice was shaky but she could pass it off as nerves; there were five hundred people behind her watching eagerly as the 'King and Queen of Country' wed. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Luke smiling. This was the right thing to do. Luke was dependable, he would be there for her, there wasn't the risk that he would suddenly abandon her and turn to a bottle when things got difficult. Daphne loved him, even Maddie had come around in the last month and wasn't acting out so much. And Rayna did love him. She just wasn't so keen on his lifestyle and the media attention that had descended on her family since she had accepted his proposal. But then of course, there was Deacon and that never ending thing between them. Or maybe it was ending. Maybe by choosing Luke, she had ended it and there was no going back. That would explain his absence today. She had invited him despite Luke's reluctance partly for Maddie's sake, partly for her own. Perhaps it had been because his presence would symbolise his blessing towards the marriage and that was what she needed before going through with this: for him to be ok with it. Perhaps after everything they had been through in the last twenty years, all the hurt and the anger and everything else that came with it, she needed assurance that he was ok with her marrying someone else again. But he wasn't there, he wasn't ok with it. Yet there she was going through with it regardless.

Rayna was so caught up in her own musings that she didn't even hear Luke's vows or the Celebrant's words to her. Luke's gentle squeeze of her hands brought her back to the present.

"Sorry…" She smiled, hoping that no one would realise that her mind was focused on a man who wasn't the man stood beside her in front of the alter. "I, Rayna take Luke to be my wedded husband, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love, honour, and cherish, 'til death do us part, and thereto I plight thee my troth." She had said the words enough times both in rehearsal and her previous wedding to know it by heart.

Was it naïve to think Deacon would show? Why had she even invited him? It was cruel in the same way that it was cruel for her to marry Luke but not be fully committed to it. She had made her own secret vow that morning that her marriage to Luke would not be a mirror image of her and Teddy's marriage. She had promised that Deacon would not be the third person in the marriage. Luke deserved better and she wanted to give him better. She would give him better.

"With this ring, I thee wed. Wear it as a symbol of our love and commitment." Luke spoke clearly as he slid the silver band onto her finger, she smiled as he did so.

"With this ring, I thee wed. Wear it as a symbol of our love and commitment." Rayna copied his words and action. She had done it. There was no going back. This was going to be a success or she would die trying to make it one. Deacon hadn't given her his blessing but he also hadn't cared enough to show up and put a stop to it. She was finally drawing a line under whatever it was they had in the past. She was moving on. He was Maddie's father but that was it. There was no longer anything between the two of them. She had picked Luke. It was the right choice. She loved him.

"You may now kiss the bride." The Celebrant spoke. Suddenly, Luke's lips brushed against hers, hesitant at first, his hands on her waist. She leaned into his touch, placing one hand around his neck, the other one on his face and he deepened the kiss in response.

After signing the register, they followed the guests into the huge marquee that had been decorated for their reception. Luke led her in and the guests (many of them from the music industry), who had already taken their seats clapped and cheered. Maddie was the first of her family and friends to congratulate the couple. Rayna and her oldest daughter shared a warm embrace before Maddie stepped back and smiled. It was going to be ok. Maddie was going to be ok. Next was Daphne who couldn't have been happier that the two had married. She hugged both Rayna and Luke, followed by Sage and Colt, Luke's children. Whilst they congratulated their father, Rayna was embraced by Tandy.

"You made the right choice…" she whispered softly so that only Rayna could hear. "Last night was just nerves… you love him and he loves you." Rayna nodded. "This is best for your girls… it's healthy, stable." Tandy continued. She was right. It was healthy, it was stable and it was what she wanted. It had always been what she had wanted, she had chosen Luke after Deacon had proposed after all. Last night was just confusion of what had happened the last few months with the Rolling Stone article and Deacon's sudden emergence as a good father to Maddie and his confession of his love for her. Luke was who she wanted.

Next to congratulate her was Bucky, the one man who had been by her side through everything. He was smiling.

"Are you ok?" He whispered to her. "Tandy told me about last night…"

"I'm fine… it was just nerves." Rayna whispered. Bucky smiled reassuringly. "Good." He said before turning to Luke. "Luke…" He held out his hand and the two shook. "Take good care of her." He concluded. Rayna laughed and Luke promised that he would. Then, they took their seats at the table. They were seated with their kids and Tandy, Rayna had managed to convince Luke to sit Faith and Tim somewhere else.

The rest of the day passed in a daze. Rayna remained in a dream like state, aware of what was going on but almost seeing it through someone else's eyes. As though it was someone else's waist beneath Luke's hand during the first dance… someone else's lips connecting with his… someone else being congratulated by their guests.

"Have you seen dad?" Maddie asked Tandy whilst they were eating the main course.

"No, I didn't realise he was invited." Tandy replied before turning to Rayna, who was engaged in conversation with Luke. "Is Deacon here?" Rayna felt Luke tense beneath her hand, where it was rested on his thigh.

"No, he's not." She replied, smiling weakly at Maddie, who nodded her head, turned back to Colt and started a conversation with him. "What were you saying?" she asked Luke. Changing the topic of conversation was the best way to avoid any altercation with him about their missing guest. Furthermore, she didn't want to keep thinking about Deacon, talking about him meant that she had to think about him. He had decided not to come to the wedding and she accepted that just like he had accepted her decision to marry Luke by not contesting the wedding.

Rayna gave Luke's leg a squeeze. He turned to her and she kissed him in order to appease him. It worked, he continued with what he had been saying before Tandy interrupted them.

It was until later that night, once the guests had all left and they had returned to her house that the surrealism of the day finally passed.

"Is there still a bottle of champagne in the fridge, babe?" Luke asked her, walking into the kitchen.

"I didn't realise there was one…" She replied, hanging her coat up

"Yeah, I put one there yesterday… I had thought you and Tandy would drink this morning."

"We would've done if I had known it was there." She answered checking her phone. There was a message from Deacon that said congratulations. Seconds after reading it, her phone buzzed in her hand. This one was from Scarlett and it read "Ignore the message from Deacon."

Confused, she stood up. "I'll be in the bedroom…" She announced to Luke who was in the process of pouring champagne into two glasses.

"I'll be there in a minute…" He replied.

Rayna took a seat on the plush bed, trying to steady her breathing. What did the text mean? Had he given her his blessing? Was he accepting that she had chosen Luke? Did that mean he was prepared to have a healthy relationship with her? Or was Scarlett's text right? Was she supposed to ignore it because he was being sarcastic or he was drunk? If that was the case, did that mean they were done? No. she wasn't going to do this. She had just married another man. This was her choice. The only thing between her and Deacon now was their daughter. That was all there could be. She wasn't going to do it to Luke, she did love him after all.

Luke was true to his word and within minutes had joined her in the bedroom. He placed the two glasses on the bedside table before taking her hands in his and pulled her on to her feet. Wrapping his arms around her waist he gently kissed her lips.

"So, Mrs Wheeler…" He said when they broke apart. Rayna laughed. Gently, he turned her around and unbuttoned her dress. His hands softly skimmed her skin lower, she thought, than required to do the task. They hovered at the small of her back for moments before moving up to her shoulders where they pushed the fabric slowly to the floor. It pooled around her feet leaving her stood in her slip; he trailed kisses down her neck and along until his lips found themselves blocked by the strap. In haste he pushed the straps and the slip found itself in a similar position to the dress. She leaned against him as he returned to kissing. He continued for a few more minutes, her breath became shallower and shallower, desire took over her; she turned around to face him, stepping out of the garments at her feet, capturing his lips with hers, moving back towards the bed. Her attention turned to undressing him as quickly as possible. He laughed at her desperation for him to be naked and pushed her onto the bed, climbing on top off her. Rayna pulled him towards her when something caught her eye. The seven carat diamond engagement ring was flickering in the light but that wasn't it, next to the ring was the silver band that her husband had placed there earlier. Her husband. She momentarily froze. But then a small voice in her head repeated the message that Deacon had sent her. He had let her go and now she was able to do the same. She turned back to her husband, leaned into kiss him, deeply, passionately. She was letting him go.