Many thanks to my beta readers, TrainwreckPress and KarenES. And especially to my sister, who always says the right thing.
"You need to call Stacey and make things right."
Deacon Claybourne stood backstage in the midst of all of the crazy aftershow activity, wondering if anyone else had noticed what had just happened, shaking his head. Had that really, honestly just happened? Had he thrown away a good thing with a good girl for Rayna again? Had he finally told Rayna that? Had she really just walked away from him, again and with Liam McGuinness?
He shook his head, looked around and headed back into his dressing room to grab his guitar before heading to the car. Shit, Rayna. Call Stacey? That was what he was supposed to do?
"What's up with Deacon?"
Rayna looked up from her phone where she was sending a final text to Teddy about the girls' schedule for the weekend. "What?"
"Deacon. He looked, I don't know, even more heartsick than usual," Liam said. He leaned in and kissed her. "Hope that isn't going to put a damper on an otherwise amazing weekend we're gonna have."
"Deacon...he's just...don't worry about it," Rayna said, pulling away from the kiss.
"I won't if you won't," Liam replied. "That was a good show tonight...nice work there at the end."
"Yeah," Rayna replied. What had just happened? Had Deacon really...had Stacey really...
"Ray?"
She looked up at Liam, half expecting to see Deacon there. He was the one who always called her "Ray"...
"What's going on, Rayna?" Liam asked.
"Nothin', I'm just thinking about the stuff I need to pack. Why don't we have Jonny drop me off and you go get your stuff. We can meet at the airport."
"You gonna show up?" Liam asked, his face serious.
"Of course," she said, smiling. "I'll see you at the gate."
Deacon pulled up in front of his house and parked the Suburban. For some reason the dark house looked even more forlorn than usual.
How many years had he been playing this game? He was a rational man, sober now for thirteen years, he knew he'd lost Rayna a long time ago, but why was it now when he finally met someone he was ready to make a start with that she was messing with his heart again?
Shit, Deacon thought, when wasn't Rayna messing with his heart? It was just like he told Carmen, when she was writing that article about him. He did not get along well with happy-he should have known the minute that things started working out with Stacey that something was going to go sideways.
He climbed out of the car and headed up toward the house, slid the key in and pushed the door open. He was greeted by a whimper.
The dog. Well, at least he would always love him. And never ask him about his feelings for Rayna.
He opened the puppy's crate and reached down to give him a scruff on the neck. "You need a quick walk around the block?" he asked Sue. The puppy answered with a run to the door and a quick spin. "Okay, let's get your leash."
Rayna reached into the closet and pulled out her carry-on suitcase. It was only a weekend, so a couple of dresses, bathing suits-that was all she'd really need. She reached into the drawer filled with t-shirts and pajama pants, then stopped. What was she thinking? She was going away with Liam. She was not going to need a t-shirt and pajama pants-she'd need something a lot more, well, appealing.
She stepped back, her hand holding the silk nightgown she'd bought for her twelfth anniversary with Teddy. Was she really going to do this?
She sat down on the edge of the bed. What was she doing? Now? With Liam? All those years she had just shut down that part of herself, the part that got excited, that went for what felt good rather than what was right.
Go back to Stacey. Make it right. Had she really told Deacon that? Why? Why hadn't she gone to him that night in Chicago after Teddy showed up? Why hadn't he come to her room?
What was she doing? Her phone buzzed with an incoming text on her phone.
Headed to airport. See you soon. L.
All those years she'd kept these feelings in a box, kept Deacon close, but at an arms length, but now that arm wasn't there any more. Why was she still holding herself away? Was she protecting herself? Protecting him? What did it mean, putting Liam between them now?
Her finger paused over the phone.
Can't. Sorry.
She pressed send. Grabbing her keys, she walked out of the bedroom, the half packed suitcase still sitting on her bed.
Deacon filled Sue's water bowl and set it back down on the floor. He watched as the puppy eagerly lapped up the cold water.
When he'd got out of rehab the last time, he thought he'd licked the hardest thing he'd ever have to lick-the booze was hard, the pills were harder, but if he had been honest with himself, he'd known the one thing he'd never been able to give up was Rayna.
For so many years it had been enough to just be near her, to still have the music, to have the quiet conversations. There had been a line there, but they had never crossed it. Never gotten too close again and then for whatever reason this year, the line had started blurring.
They sang that song at the Bluebird. The kiss in Chicago. The trip to see her when her dad was in the hospital. All of it was too much temptation, caused too many of those old feelings to come back and he had been fighting it, working his program, trying to make something real with Stacey, but he had been fooling himself.
Deacon Claybourne-everybody's fool and everybody knew it, except Deacon.
He pulled his phone from his pocket. He should call her, tell her that she had it all wrong, make her understand. His finger paused on the button to call, realizing that he had not pulled up Stacey's number. He'd pulled up Rayna's. Again.
He dropped the phone back down on the table as there was a knock on the door.
He paused, half tempted to just ignore it and head back into his bedroom, to pull the blankets up and try to forget this night, this year, this life had even happened.
The knock came again. He paused and turned back. It was time to face the music. He reached for the knob and pulled the door open, prepared to make his explanations to Stacey. Instead of Stacey it was someone entirely different.
"Hey," Rayna said.
FIN