Good Marriage

by Kikideas

This is a series of one shots to the song Good Marriage by Lori McKenna.

A/N: So this little story is a series of one-shots. The format is a little different because each story goes with a verse to one song… kind of. It may just be a line in the verse or even me reading a little more into it than is written but it's there. They don't really go together. I suppose some of them could but they're not in any order. The song is called Good Marriage by Lori McKenna. I first heard her play this song back in September, I think, and I've loved it ever since. It's not on any of her albums but you can find it on her SoundCloud page. I recommend checking it out and checking her out if for some reason you don't know who she is. She's amazing and one of the sweetest people you'll ever meet. I hope you like these and I would love it if people would review to let me know :) Thanks for reading!

Nobody throws rice anymore

Walking out those chapel doors

But the limo's dragging empty beer cans

And your heart is full of small town plans

Rayna sat on her bed with a laptop perched on her folded legs. Her face was freshly washed of her make-up and her long, auburn hair cascaded down over her shoulders after being released from its up-do. The beautiful dress she had worn that afternoon was draped over the chair in the corner and she made a mental note to hang it up before going to bed. The house was quiet, the girls finally settled enough to go to bed and Rayna felt like she could relax for the first time all day.

She felt a slight dip in the bed and didn't have time to look up before she felt someone swipe her hair off of one shoulder and replace it with soft kisses to the newly exposed skin and make their way up to just below her ear. She could feel her whole body start to hum just by the softest of kisses and Rayna still couldn't believe her luck that after all these years, they still could do that to one another. She gasped quietly when one of his hands began to snake around her waist. Her gasp quickly turned into an "Oh shit!" when she realized that her laptop had slipped off of her legs and was almost on its way to the floor. Deacon caught it just in time and placed it back on her lap with a small laugh.

"What had you so engrossed when I walked in that you didn't even notice me? I feel like I should be offended," Deacon said with feigned hurt.

"Oh shut up!" Rayna replied with a laugh of her own. "Come look at these. The photographer just sent me over the first few edits."

"That was fast," he said as he leaned over her shoulder to look at the computer screen. He pressed his lips against her shoulder once more before saying, "It wouldn't have to do with someone bein' a little pushy with the photographer's crew, would it?"

"I don't know what you're talkin' about!" she replied with a smirk but couldn't bring herself to actually look at Deacon when she was answering. "Okay! I was anxious to see the pictures! My sister got married and I wanted to make sure that everything was perfect for her."

And perfect it was. When Tandy had told Rayna that Bucky had proposed six months ago, she couldn't have been happier for her sister. When Rayna started talking about all the people they had to think about when planning a wedding, Tandy had surprised her and told her younger sister that she just wanted a very small wedding. Family and close friends, on both her side and Bucky's, and that was about it. With that, Rayna had suggested using the backyard of her new home that she and Deacon had just bought together and it went from there.

There were no country club goers, no business types, aside from a few from Highway 65, and most of all, no family drama. After everything they had been through in the last few years that was the last thing that anyone wanted. That being said, Teddy was absent from the wedding because for one, he and Tandy didn't really get along very well anymore and two, he always seemed to make a scene when Deacon was involved even after all this time.

Deacon reached around Rayna to scroll down the page and found a photo of just Rayna and Tandy and he was reminded again just how close these sister were. When they were kids they stuck together because they were all the other had and now, even through the ups and downs of their relationship, they were always there for one another in their times of need. He would never tell Rayna, but he always felt a little bad for Tandy because it seemed like the only thing she had was Rayna for a long time. Looking at this photo, in a way he felt he was right.

"What was going on here?" he asked softly.

"I had given her a bracelet to wear that was Mama's," Rayna finally answered after a few moments of just looking at the photo. It was taken from almost behind them in Rayna's bedroom where they were getting ready along with the girls. They were still holding hands and Rayna could see that her eyes were filled with tears that hadn't fallen yet but her sister's face was already wet. They both ended up having to re-do their make-up before making it to the ceremony.

Rayna went on clicking on a number of other photos that had been taken throughout the day, stopping every once in a while to make a comment about something. Deacon sat silently behind her listening to her go on and on and couldn't help the smile that stayed on his face. He halted her movements when she came to a photo of them walking up to the minister. He leaned in closer and felt her smile as he pressed his cheek against hers. She clicked a few more times a settled on one.

"I don't know if I've ever seen her this happy before," Rayna said as she looked at the photo that was taken right after the 'you may kiss the bride' part. She could see that he sister had tears in her eyes but had the biggest smile on her face. Everything about her was just screaming excitement. "She looks so beautiful."

"She does," Deacon replied. He couldn't deny that Tandy did look very beautiful. "They both look really happy."

"I think the only other time I've seen her like this, aside from when she told me Bucky had proposed to her, was when the girls were born. I think she held Daphne before Teddy even had a chance," she said but then trailed off a bit. Even after four years, Rayna knew that there were some things that would never not be painful to talk about.

"Wasn't she married before?" he asked changing the subject. When Rayna didn't answer him right away, he turned to look at her but she was still staring at the screen.

"Hmm? Um, yeah, she was, if you could call that a marriage. My father told her that she and Charlie Hampton made 'a good pair'," Rayna said as she threw up her hands in air quotations to emphasize the point. "What he meant was that it was a good business deal and he didn't think about Tandy in the process. My father got millions from signing a deal between the two companies and my sister cried herself to sleep for weeks."

After hearing this, Deacon knew that he was always right in his assumptions that Tandy really only had Rayna to lean on. Their father always kept his oldest daughter in his 'good graces' as long as she did what he told her to. It was when Tandy wanted to change the direction of the company and how they did business that he changed his tune and started treating her like he had Rayna almost her whole life. He could never imagine being that cold to Maddie or Daphne and he thanked God every day that he was not the same kind of man as Lamar Wyatt. He may never have millions or more power than he knew what to do with, but he had his family and the people he loved and that meant more to Deacon than anything.

"Well, she looks real happy. I never would have put those two together but they work."

"They really do," Rayna agreed as she shifted the laptop on her legs. Moving it a little gave Deacon a clear view of what she had on and his eyes trailed upward of their own accord. He took it upon himself to reach for the laptop and close it before going to place it on the bench at the foot of the bed. "What are you doing?"

"I really don't want to be talking about your sister when we're sitting on our bed with you wearing that little tank-top and those short shorts."

Rayna couldn't help but laugh. As much as Deacon had come to accept Tandy in his life again, there were just times when he didn't want to talk about anyone or anything. Times like these. Her laugh was quickly silenced when Deacons lips connected with hers and her little tank-top and short shorts soon made their way to the floor.

The house – sure needs a little work

Full of hand-me-down furniture

Tattoos and honeymoon tans will fade

Half the time – half the bills get paid

It had been so long since she had been to this cabin. Over fourteen years to be exact. Just walking along the porch brought back memories of that awful day she made the decision to lie to Deacon. She could still hear her sister's voice in her ears telling her it was best for the baby. She loved her sister dearly and knew that she only wanted to protect her but in that moment Rayna wanted nothing to do with her. She only wanted Deacon but he wasn't able to be there for her.

Thank God those years had passed and they'd all gotten through them relatively unscathed. She had said that she was looking ahead and that's what she planned to do. In the few weeks since Rayna had broken up with Luke and told Deacon that she wanted to try to finally have the family they always dreamed of, so much had happened. Deacon was no longer touring with Luke because it would have been too awkward so they had a lot of time to spend together and get everything and anything out in the open.

They had decided to take their relationship slow this time and this weekend was the first time they were going to be alone. The girls had usually acted as a buffer of sorts when they spent time together at home but now they were all alone and all bets were off. But before anything happened they had to clean up this cabin. Deacon hadn't been up there in a while and it showed.

There was a layer of dust on every surface and large sheets thrown over the furniture. Clearly Deacon hadn't been up here in a few years. She walked around to open a few windows and saw that everything was exactly as she remembered it. Her albums were still framed on the wall, the same curtains hung in front of the sliding glass doors and the eternity sign held its place where it had be hung years ago.

A smile came across Rayna's face as she remembered the day that they hung that sign. Deacon had picked it up at a thrift store in a small town a few miles away and was so proud of himself when he presented it to her. He told her that the sign made him think of her because that was how long he was going to love her. They decided to hang it above the door so they could see it every time they walked out the door to remind them that they had time. They were leaving the sanctuary of this place to go back to the real world but they had all the time in the world because they would love each other for all eternity. Their 'eternity' now had a fourteen year gap in it but they were finally back on track.

She turned when she heard the door slide open a little further and saw that Deacon was carrying their bags in from the truck. She had told him that she would help but he insisted on carrying them himself. Rayna watched as he carried the bags upstairs and then ran back out to the truck to grab the grocery bags and unload them in the kitchen. As she was making her way to the kitchen, her phone beeped. Rayna couldn't help but giggle at the look of horror that crossed Deacon's face.

"Please tell me that you do not get service up here," Deacon said as he watched Rayna pull out her phone to look at it. When he noticed the look on her face he got a little concerned. "Ray? What's wrong?"

"What? Oh, it's nothing. Maddie is with Tandy. The text must have come through before we lost service and I just missed it," Rayna said as she was still reading what seemed like a novel length text from her sister.

"I thought the girls were with Teddy this weekend. Ray, I wouldn't have asked you to come away this weekend if you had the girls."

Rayna finally looked up from her phone and smiled at him. He really was one of the sweetest men she'd ever known. Deacon had always loved her daughters like his own even before he knew that one of them was. Whenever they planned something, he would always ask if it would work for the girls first.

"Babe, it's fine. Daphne is still with Teddy but I guess Teddy and Maddie got into a fight so she's staying with Tandy. She said everything is fine but just wanted to let us know," she explained.

"Did she say anythin' else? Is Maddie okay?" Deacon asked.

"Deacon, she's fine. She's going to hang out with Tandy and Bucky for the weekend and we'll pick her up there when we head home," Rayna said as she walked closer to him. She could see the wheels turning in his head about what could have possibly happened. He hadn't yet gotten the cold shoulder from Maddie so he had no idea that when she wanted to be difficult about something, everyone knew about it. She wrapped her arms around his waist and placed a soft kiss to his cheek and he nodded his head.

"Okay. Wait, Bucky? I'm lost," he said and Rayna couldn't help but laugh. "Wait, your sister and Buck? When did that happen?"

"Remember New York?" she asked. When he nodded his head, she pulled him closer again and continued. "Well, I guess that's when they decided to give it a shot. And then of course he came back to Nashville with us when Daddy had his heart attack. He was really there for her when I didn't think she needed or wanted anyone to be there for her. She's always been so good at hiding things that she didn't think she should feel and I just went along with it."

"Ray, you had a lot going on at that time as well," Deacon reminded her.

"I know but she's my sister," Rayna stated. She had suddenly realized that talking like this was exactly what they came up here to get away from. They had come up to hide in the woods in their cabin to focus on them and their new relationship, not talk about sad things. They had hashed out pretty much all of their problems before coming up here to take the next step in their relationship and that's what she wanted to do… as soon as they cleaned up a bit.

"Ray…"

"For the rest of the weekend we're not going to think about the rest of the world, okay?"

"Okay…" he agreed and then watched her walk across the room to pull the sheets off the furniture.

"I can't believe that you still have the same furniture in here! Deacon, this stuff is almost twenty years old!" Rayna said.

Deacon walked over to where she was standing, waving his hands in front of his face to push the dust out of the way, and pulled her into his arms. She went willingly and met him halfway as he leaned down to capture her lips in a heated kiss. When they broke apart several moments later, Deacon couldn't help the satisfied grin that came onto his face at watching the blush raise from Rayna's chest up her neck to her cheeks.

"The furniture works just fine, Ray. And as I recall, we tend to use the floor more."

If it's a long kiss in the hallway

That takes away - your breath

If it's - something you would die for

And it scares you half to death

If it fights sometimes in the kitchen

But then it takes you up to bed

Then it's a good marriage

Rayna knocked softly on the door in front of her. The door that used to be hers. The door that kept so much that she held precious to her behind it. Her right hand dropped to her side but it was her left hand that felt heavy. It had felt heavy since the night before when Luke had placed the monstrosity of a diamond on her finger in front of thousands of people.

Thinking back to the night before, Rayna should have known something was up. Luke was a little peppier than usual and she knew she should have stopped him when he started towards the stage when she was saying her final 'thank you'. What she didn't expect was for him to drop to one knee and ask her to marry him. Rayna had never even thought the word marriage and Luke in the same sentence and here he was, on one knee asking her in front of thousands of people. She didn't want to say yes but she felt her head nodding the affirmative only because she didn't want to embarrass him in front of so many people.

She had wanted to talk to Deacon about Maddie after the show but he must have left as soon as Luke's stunt was over. They had been making progress as co-parents and as friends which meant more to her than anything and she wanted to make sure this didn't change anything. Finally after getting everything out in the open up at their cabin, they seemed to come to understand each other a little better. And with that understanding came something Rayna wasn't sure she was ready for.

Whenever Maddie would invite Rayna to listen to her and Deacon play together she had always declined. But the last few times the invitation was extended, Rayna found herself jumping at the opportunity to get a peek at the relationship that their daughter was forming with her father. Just watching them together made Rayna think about what could have been. If she had told Deacon about Maddie when she found out she was pregnant, then maybe this would be a daily occurrence in their family home. Maybe they would have had more kids to round out a family of singers and musicians like The Carters or The Whites. Maybe she and Deacon would be more in love now than they ever had been.

Rayna was brought back to the present when Deacon pulled open the door and just stood there. He didn't say 'hello' or 'come in', he just stood there and stared at her. The look on his face was so painful. Rayna could see the hurt in his tired eyes and it made her own eyes start to well up a little.

"Hey," she said, breaking the silence but not their eye contact.

"Hey," Deacon replied softly as his gaze fell. Rayna followed his eyes as they trailed down her face, past her shoulders and all the way down her arm to her hand. She nervously fidgeted with the heavy ring placed there before shoving her hand in her pocket.

"Can I come in?" Rayna asked. "I'd really like to talk to you."

Deacon pulled his eyes away from her hand and cleared his throat before saying, "Yeah, sure," and stepping aside so she could enter the house that was once hers.

"Um, I guess, uh congratulations are in order," he said once she made her way across the room to drop her bag and coat on the couch. She stood there, not facing him for a moment and he couldn't tell what she was thinking. That was one thing that he hated so much about the distance that had been put between them since the accident. He could always read her like a book and now he couldn't even tell if she was happy or sad about her new engagement to Luke Wheeler. "Ray?"

"I don't know," she said, even though it came out more like a whisper. Being inside this house had always brought back memories but today they seemed to come back ten-fold. All the good times and the bad times they'd had in this house. All the songs they had written on the floor she was standing on or just down the hallway in the bed that she missed every night. Everything was hitting her all of a sudden and she couldn't help the tears that formed in her eyes.

When she finally turned back to face Deacon, he saw that the tears had fallen and she had tears streaming down her cheeks. Not thinking twice like he would have two months ago, he moved quickly to wrap his arms around her and held her tightly. Rayna's arms in turn found their way around Deacon's body and hooked beneath his to hold his shoulders from behind. With her face buried against his chest, Deacon could feel her hot breath through his old flannel shirt and the slight dampness from her tears.

After a few moments, Deacon felt Rayna relax and pulled back just a little to look at her face. He had always hated to see her cry and hated even more when he was the cause but at this moment, he had no idea what that cause could possibly be. He watched as her gaze fell from his eyes to someplace a little lower and then back again. Before he could think to say anything, Rayna unhooked one arm and placed her hand on the back of his neck to pull him closer and pressed her lips softly against his.

The shock of the kiss wore off pretty quickly and Deacon found himself responding. It was gentle and slow, something that reminded him of the kinds of kisses they would share on a lazy Sunday morning. No rush and the possibility of it going further or staying the way it was. Long, drawn-out passes of lips and strokes of tongue that lead to a soft moan here or there. Her moan this time pulled him back and made his realize what they were doing. He reluctantly broke the kiss and pulled away just enough to place his forehead against hers while keeping his eyes closed.

"Ray, what are..."

"Tell me not to marry him," she cut him off.

This made Deacon pull his head away from hers and he searched her face for any sign that she wasn't being truthful. What he saw was the love he had seen in her eyes for almost thirty years and it broke his heart. What was going on? She just accepted another man's proposal last night and now she's here kissing him! Something wasn't right.

"What?"

"Tell me not to marry him," Rayna repeated.

"Yeah, I heard what you said. Maybe I should be askin' why? Rayna, what's goin' on?" Deacon asked.

"I'm so sorry I never gave you the chance to fight for us when I married Teddy. I never should have lied to you, I should have waited. I don't love him..." she started to ramble on.

Deacon saw her tears start to fall again, this time only harder and gathered her back into him arms. He rubbed her back trying to soothe her but nothing seemed to do the trick.

"I don't love him; I could never love another man the way that I love you. Tell me not to marry him and I won't. I'll take this ring off right now if you tell me to," she continued.

Deacon thought about it for a moment. This was what he wished had happened when Teddy proposed. Granted, he was in rehab at the time, but he still wished he would have had the chance to talk her out of taking that step. Now he had that chance and she was asking him to do it. But what did that mean? Would she just break up with Luke and come running back to him? They still had so many things to work out that he wasn't even sure they could make it work.

Even with all those thoughts running through his mind, one thing always rang true. He loved Rayna. He loved Rayna more than anything in this world, aside from their daughter. He would have given anything to have Rayna say this to him for years and he was pretty sure that he still felt the same way. This woman had his heart and even though she'd put a few cracks in it, he still wouldn't ask for it back any more than a bird would give up its wings.

"Don't marry him," Deacon said in a low voice.

Nobody gets to sleep anymore

Rocking babies and pacing floors

And it's a full-blown miracle just to find the time

To make some love on a Friday night

A soft melody being plucked from a tiny ukulele drifted down the hall and into the kitchen one floor below. A sweet voice added itself to the instrument to deliver a beautiful little tune for anyone who could hear. The song was cut short rather abruptly when a wrong chord was played followed by a very dramatic sigh.

"She's getting the hang of it," Tandy said to Rayna as they listened in on Daphne's practicing from the kitchen.

"She is. Deacon has been helping her," Rayna replied.

Daphne had decided a few months ago that she also wanted to play an instrument and because she was so small, chose the ukulele. It was a perfect fit and she really took to it. Rayna was worried at first that she would be cursed with her own inability to play anything with strings but they were all pleasantly surprised. Now she wouldn't stop playing it for anything.

Since Deacon had moved in with them, they had all started to play and sing together and it was everything Rayna had always hoped for. Deacon helped Maddie with her guitar and Daphne with her ukulele while the girls just naturally found the right harmony notes to sing along with their mother and Deacon. Life was good. The only thing that wasn't 'good' was that it was very difficult to find time alone with the girls always with them. Not that they minded, they were their daughters, but their relationship was still in it's sort of new phase where they couldn't keep their hands off of each other so it made for a lot of cold showers. Not that their relationship ever got to the point where they could keep their hands off of each other…

Tandy saw the far off look on her sister's face and knew exactly where her mind had gone. Since they had gotten back together, Rayna and Deacon had been anything but subtle. And as much as the sisters shared private details about their relationships, Tandy didn't really want to be a witness to all of it all the time. There was a big difference between talking about it and actually seeing because the last time that happened, Tandy couldn't look Deacon in the face for over a week.

"Speaking of…" Tandy started and couldn't help but laugh at the look on her sister's face. Rayna knew she had been caught by the way her cheeks had suddenly gone warm.

"What about Deacon?" Rayna asked, taking a sip of her tea.

"We haven't really had a chance to sit down and talk as of late with everything going on. How are things going with Deacon?"

"Things are great, they really are. It's been a bit hectic getting time together with him going out on a road every once in a while and I'm trying to balance things with the label. And with Teddy in the full swing of his campaign the girls are with us pretty much all the time," she explained and saw the sympathetic smile cross her sister's face. "But it's gotten better since he's moved in here. We are sort of looking for a new place of our own but until Highway 65 really gets up and running I can't really sell this place."

At that moment, Rayna's phone buzzed. She looked down at the screen and saw that Scarlett was calling her and told Tandy that she had to take it. She stood up to walk across the kitchen and grab a glass of water when she saw her sister leave her seat at the kitchen island and head upstairs. Rayna heard Daphne's playing stop and knew that Tandy was talking with the little girl but couldn't hear what was being said. Moments later, Tandy was coming back down the stairs just as Rayna finished talking to Scarlett and took her seat once again.

"What was that all about?" Rayna asked as she sat back down.

"Oh nothing. What were you saying before?" Tandy asked.

"Just that Deacon and I are doing great," she answered skeptically. She felt like her sister was up to something but didn't know what. "How about you and Bucky?"

"We're doing really well, thanks," Tandy replied and it was Rayna's turn to smile at the slight blush that came across the other woman's face. "We're actually going away for a weekend at the end of the month. We're renting a house in Orleans on Cape Cod before it gets too cold to go up there for the season."

"That should be nice," Rayna said and looked up as the door opened. "And speak of the devil."

"Uh oh, what did I do?" Bucky asked as he made his way into the room.

"Nothing, baby," Tandy said with a smile as she stood up to give him a soft kiss on the lips. "I was just telling Rayna about our trip."

"Oh, okay," he said as he leaned over to give Rayna a kiss on the cheek. He turned back to Tandy and asked, "Ready to go?"

"Um… yeah. Just a minute," she said and walked to the bottom of the stairs. "Daph! We're going," she called.

They heard a few shuffling noises and then a soft 'can you help me?' before Tandy took off up the stairs. Rayna and Bucky exchanged puzzled looks and turned back towards the stairs when they heard more shuffling and then Tandy and Daphne talking about something.

"What's going on up there?" Bucky asked with a soft laugh.

"With those two involved? I have no idea," she replied.

A few minutes later, Daphne was coming down the stairs was a bag over her shoulder and her ukulele case in hand followed closely by Tandy who also had a bag over her shoulder but had Maddie's guitar in her hand. Bucky looked to Tandy and silently asked her what was going on. She nodded her head and then smiled to herself because she knew that Bucky knew exactly what she was up to without even telling him.

"What's going on?"

"Mom, Maddie and I are going to stay with Aunt Tandy and Uncle Bucky this weekend. We're going to go shopping and have candy and stay up…" She was cut off quickly when Tandy put her hand over the little girl's mouth to stop her from telling her mother that she could basically get away with murder while with Aunt Tandy. Rayna gave her sister a mock glare but she couldn't say that she wasn't grateful.

"Okay, okay. Come give me a kiss," she said and the little girl launched herself into her mother's arms. "You be good for Aunt Tandy and tell your sister the same thing. Oh, wait. What about Maddie? She's at a friend's house."

"I know. I sent her a text earlier and told her that we were going to be picking her up. I know where Talia lives so don't worry about it," Tandy said then turned to Bucky. "Want to get her settled in the car? I'll be right out."

After they left, Rayna turned to her sister and pulled her into a hug. They had been through so much together their whole lives but especially these last couple of years. Tandy had actually left Nashville for a short time because she couldn't take that her sister didn't want her in her life. Shortly after their father had died, Rayna cut off all ties with her sister. It wasn't until she was actually gone that Rayna realized how much she needed and wanted Tandy in her life. Bucky had planned to go visit Tandy one weekend and Rayna convinced him to let her go in his place so she could talk to her sister and maybe get her to come home. All she had to do was ask and Tandy was on the return flight with Rayna the next day. And it was things like this that reminded her why she loved her sister so much.

"You don't have to take them for the whole weekend, you know," Rayna said as she still held onto her sister.

"I know. But Bucky and I have time alone all the time. You and Deacon need it! We'll be fine. Have a great time," Tandy said as she pulled away from Rayna to press a kiss against her cheek and walk towards the door.

"Thank you! Love you, babe," she called out and heard her sister echo the sentiment on her way out the door.

About an hour later Deacon walked through the door to a quiet house. Living alone he was used to the quiet but since moving in with Rayna and the girls, it was something that was rarely present. The house was also very dark. It was far too early for the girls to have gone to be already so it made him wonder if anyone was home.

Deacon dropped his bag on the floor in the den and set his guitar down next to it before making his way up the stairs. Again, the hallway was dark and he didn't bother to turn on the lights as he headed for the door to the master bedroom. He could see a dim light coming from the doorway that was cracked open and knew that's where Rayna must be.

When he opened the door his breath caught in his throat at the sight before him. Rayna was propped up against the headboard in one of his old flannel shirts, with her hair a mess, glasses on and a notebook on her lap. She looked beautiful. No matter how many different ways he saw this woman dressed up she would never stop taking his breath away. She was just stunning. He must have made a noise, or she just somehow knew that he was close to her, because she looked up at him and smiled.

"Hey babe," she said. "I didn't hear you come in."

Deacon stood in the doorway just a minute longer as he watched her take her glasses off and place them on the nightstand next to her. It took him about thirty seconds after that to get to the bed and lose all of his clothes except his boxers on the way. Rayna laughed as she watched the display in front of her until he climbed on top of her and took her mouth with his, quickly turning her laugh into a low moan. Deacon pulled away a few moments later when he remembered what he was going to ask her when he walked into the room before he was distracted.

"Where is everyone tonight?" he asked. "I thought the girls would be home by now."

"They are with my sister and Bucky for the weekend," Rayna informed him and waited for Deacon to catch on to her message.

"Oh… I didn't know they were going over there. Why?" Deacon asked and then saw the look on Rayna's face. "Oh… Oh!"

"Yeah, oh," she laughed.

"So we have all weekend to do this?" he asked as he began trailing kisses down her neck.

"Mmhmm…"

"And this?" he asked again as he began to work on the buttons of the shirt she was wearing.

"Yup," she answered with more of a gasp than anything when she felt his mouth on her stomach.

"How about this?" he finally asked when he pulled her silky boyshorts down her long legs and felt her fingers run through his hair.

"Definitely that."

If it's a very fragile rope

Placed through the eye of a needle like a thread

If it's out in the middle of a storm somewhere

Dangling off a ledge

If it yells sometimes in the kitchen

Then takes back - every word it said

Then it's a good marriage

Luke was pacing back and forth in his dressing room when Rayna walked through the door. Her face was still a little puffy from crying over her fight with Maddie and she didn't think she had it in her to go another round with Luke. He noticed when she walked in and walked past her to push the door shut, hard, behind her. She knew this was going to be a battle that she didn't want to fight.

"Luke," Rayna started but was cut off abruptly when he turned back to her.

"No! Of all the things for you to keep from me, this had to be it."

"It wasn't like that," she tried to defend herself but Luke kept going.

"You know, I could deal with the fact that you have kids with another guy. You were married to him, I get that. But not Deacon," Luke continued to rant as he once again resumed his pacing.

"What are you talking about, not Deacon? Luke, you have to tell me what's going on. Is all this because I didn't tell you something that I haven't ever told anyone other than my family?" Rayna asked. Clearly this was more than just that she didn't tell him about Maddie but she couldn't for the life of her figure out why.

"Really? You don't get it, do you?" he asked sarcastically.

"Okay. You don't need to be mean. I'm sorry that I didn't tell you that Maddie is Deacon's daughter but it's just… hard right now."

Rayna watched as Luke walked over to the bar that he had set up along the wall and proceeded to grab a tumbler and fill it halfway with whiskey. She looked away and inwardly flinched as she heard the glass being slammed down to fill up again and knew that he had downed a full three shots worth in one swig. She heard the crystal cap of the decanter and knew he was filling up his glass again. When she finally looked up again, he was drinking his second glass a little slower than the first but faster than one should be drinking whiskey.

"What's really going on between you and Deacon?" he finally asked.

"Nothing," Rayna answered a little too quickly.

"I don't believe that. There hasn't been a single time in the whole time you've known each other that Deacon hasn't been a part of your life. I'm not Teddy. I won't share you with Deacon."

"Share me? What the hell is that supposed to mean?" she asked through gritted teeth. Now she was getting pissed. Who was he to get angry at her for not sharing her deepest, darkest secret with him even if they were dating? They hadn't been together long enough for her to trust him with that piece of information and seeing his reaction now, she was right to not tell him.

"Are you going to honestly stand there and tell me that you don't love Deacon? That you aren't still in love with him?" he yelled. When she didn't answer him, he took a step closer to her. He was angry and even though Rayna was almost sure he wouldn't hurt her, he was still scaring her. She took a step back when he continued to yell in her face. "What was goin' on with you two last year, huh? And why in the hell would you get in a car with him when he was drinking?"

"Hey!" they both heard and turned to look in the direction where it came from. Deacon had walked through the door and was making his way towards Rayna.

"What's going on here?" he asked before turning to Rayna. "You okay?" He could see that she was a little shaken but when she nodded her head he turned his focus back to Luke. He had never really liked the guy even when they were all starting out together. Deacon knew that he had a thing for Rayna and was always trying to find a way to get her alone with him.

"This is just perfect," Luke spit out when Deacon put himself in front of Rayna. He turned around to grab his jacket and keys before heading towards the door.

"Luke," Rayna called after him but he wasn't listening. He did stop before getting out the door to look at them one last time.

"I told you, I won't share you. I'm done! I just hope this little reconciliation ends up better than last time."

And with that he slammed the door leaving Rayna and Deacon alone in the dressing room. Deacon turned around to Rayna and saw that she seemed to be really upset. He wasn't sure if it was because it seemed like Luke had just ended their relationship or if it was from what they were fighting about but he was hoping the latter.

"You okay?" he asked again.

"How much of that did you hear?" Rayna asked.

"Enough to know that he's an ass."

"But he's right…" she said softly.

"About what? Rayna, you had every right not to tell him about Maddie. It's not his business," Deacon said.

"Not that. He was right that he would have to share me. Deacon I can never give myself fully to a man because you'll always have a part of me. I think he realized that long before Teddy ever did. Before I think I ever did…"

"Okay… What are you saying here, Ray? I don't know if I can go back down that road."

Rayna's breath caught when he said that. She never imagined that there would be a time that Deacon would say no to her. She was always the one to call the shots in their relationship and she just figured that it would always be that way. She was the one to end it all those years ago and she was the one to come to him just last year. She was also the one that told him that they had the save themselves and not be together. She had regretted saying those words for months and now she felt like she regretted them even more.

"Okay," she said in a shaky voice as her hand came up to wipe the tears that had started to fall. She backed away from him a little and started to look around for her bag so she could just get out of there. "I understand."

"Ray…"

"No, you're right. I can't keep doing this to you. What kind of person am I? All I seem to do is hurt the people that I love the most. You and Maddie and Daphne are the most important people in my life and I've put you all through Hell this past year. I get why you wouldn't want to be with me anymore."

"I've put you through a fair share of Hell so I don't think we can place the blame on any one thing. It's just… you know how I feel about you. You've known since the day we met and that's never going to change. But I don't know if I can go through gettin' you back and losin' you again," Deacon answered honestly. His voice was so raw with emotion that it made Rayna cry even harder. "And I can't do that to Maddie. We can't."

"Okay," Rayna said again and picked up her bag to head towards the door. She was almost there when she felt Deacon's hand on her arm. She turned quickly towards him and was immediately engulfed in his embrace. Reacting the only way she knew how to when Deacon was involved, Rayna wrapped her arms around him and clung to him for dear life.

"I don't wanna say no to you, Ray," Deacon whispered into her hair. "I love you and Maddie more than anything in this world. Daphne, too. I don't ever want to say there's no chance for us again. How about we just take it slow, alright?"

"Take is slow," she repeated.

"We'll see how it goes as friends again and co-parents. Then maybe, if we're lucky, we can try for a little more," he said and placed a kiss against her forehead.

"I'd like that."

Nobody said that love – was an easy thing

That ain't the promise that comes with

A wedding ring

Until death do us part – through rich and poor

And nobody throws rice any more