Becky asked me if I could do a second chapter from Deacon's perspective so I thought I'd oblige. Another short one-shot. Hope you enjoy!

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Deacon opened the door to his truck and jumped in. He saw the time flash on the dash as he turned the key in the ignition. 11:48. As he drove, pure adrenaline pumped through his veins. He'd done it, exactly what he'd set out to do, and it had gone just as planned. She was speechless, frozen, but he could tell that her mind was moving at lightning speed. The moment he'd pressed his lips to hers and felt the quiver of her lip as it pressed back, he new he'd been right and there'd been no reason to worry. He didn't ever have to worry when it came to he and Rayna, not really.

Earlier, when he'd been driving over there in his truck, he fondled the ring in his pocket. He thought about how he should have never let her give it back to him, he should have fought for her, for them. Well, even if he hadn't done it then, he was going to do it now. He knew that all he had to do was take her in his arms and tell her not to marry Luke and she'd relent. She belonged to him. She always had, and she always would. No matter how much she tried to deny it, they both knew it. Just one word from him, one kiss, and she'd follow him to the end of the Earth. It was a power he'd always had, but one he'd used sparingly, and never lightly. He always preferred when she came to him, like that night on his front porch, more than a year ago now.

But things had gone too far with Luke, he'd had to put a stop to it. There was no more time for waiting, no going slow and figuring things out. He was a mess when she'd married Teddy, unable to stop her then, not strong enough to do what he should have done, but things were different now. He was different. He never felt more secure in his life. He was a damn good father to Maddie, and he knew he could be every bit of the husband that Rayna always dreamed he could be. If he'd been this confident all those years she'd been married to Teddy he could have used his power then, and things might have been different. He'd realized it that day in the elevator when he'd decided to stop thinking and start doing, but there was no reason to dwell on that now.

He parked the truck in front of his house and walked in his front door. Scarlett was fast asleep in her room, she hadn't even heard him leave, nearly an hour ago now. He went into the bathroom and splashed some water on his face before walking into his bedroom and tossing his boots under his chair in the corner. As he stood by his dresser pulling out a fresh undershirt he opened up the top of a small wooden box that had once held loose change, but had been home to a silver eternity band for the last year. It was empty now and he smiled to himself knowing that the ring was back where it belonged, with Rayna.

As he drifted off to sleep he could still smell her hair, taste her lips. It was the most alive he'd felt in a year, and he never wanted it to end. He knew he just had to be patient. Rayna would do what she always does, she'd try to rationalize, deny what she felt, even try to runaway, but in the end she'd fall back on her impulsive nature as a musician and an artist. Her feelings would get the best of her, and she'd show up on his doorstep, or text him to meet her in their spot, or write him a song that she'd sing to him in public that only they knew was a testament to their long suffering, but enduring love. He reached out and ran his hand over the spot where she had once slept. A spot that had been occupied by others, but had never belonged to anyone but her. He could almost feel her there now, hear the lilt of her breath as she wrapped herself in all the covers. It was just a matter of time before she was back there again and he'd be keeping her warm.