Enough people requested a part two that I decided to oblige, but this is really the last chapter. Check out my other story The Cover if you want a story that covers later up the road.
##
Rayna drove through the large metal gates and up the driveway through all the rolling hills at Freewheelin Ranch. She remembered the first time she was here when Luke took her shooting. It was the first time in months that she'd felt free from all the burdens that her secrets had caused. Thinking about it now she guessed that she'd mistaken that excitement at no longer carrying that heavy weight, and the joy at surviving the accident, for the excitement that comes with new love. She'd wanted to hold on to that lightness as long as possible, and as a consequence had held onto Luke far past when she should have.
She looked ahead at all the trucks delivering chairs and flowers, and lights for the wedding and she chastised herself for letting it get this far. This was going to be much harder than it needed to be if she'd only let herself follow her heart a few weeks ago. She knew that day at the house with Deacon that he was right, Luke didn't belong in her life, just as she didn't belong in his, but she had been so scared to admit that she'd been wrong all these months, that she wasn't ready to let go. Rayna sighed, yes, it would have been much easier if she'd just done this then.
She climbed out of her car and started walking towards where they were setting up for the ceremony. She spotted Luke by the stage in the front instructing a man where to put the string lights. As she walked up she saw the surprise hit his face and she swallowed hard.
"Hey sugar, what are doing here this early? You know it's bad luck for the groom to see his bride before the actual wedding."
Luke's smile was so sweet that it made Rayna feel ashamed. She stumbled a little trying to get the words out. "I know you're going to think I'm the worst person in the world Luke, and you have every right to think that, but I thought to myself, if I go through with this, I would be an even worse person."
Rayna hoped that he would just read her mind and she wouldn't have to continue to try to find the right words, but the look of confusion on Luke's face signified that he hadn't quite grasped her meaning.
"What are you talkin' about? Go through with what?"
Rayna choked back a tear as she gestured with her hand. "All this."
"Darlin' you're not telling me that you want to elope are you? Cause it's kind of late for that. I mean we have 500 people coming in about 5 hours. That wouldn't look too good if they show up and we've flown off to Vegas."
Rayna realized that her hand was shaking. She put it in her pocket to try to steady herself. "No babe, I don't want to elope. I don't want to get married to you…at all."
Rayna watched as the smile on Luke's face fell away. She took a deep breath and continued. "See the thing is this just doesn't feel right. None of it does, and I know I should have done this before today, but it's better than us having to put our kids through another divorce up the road."
Rayna couldn't quite read the look on Luke's face and then all of a sudden his eyes darkened and it scared her a bit. "What did he say to you?"
"What, who?"
"Deacon, what did he say to make you do this?"
Rayna shook her head. "This isn't about Deacon Luke."
Luke smirked as he shifted on his boots, "Of course it's about Deacon Rayna, if you're going to do this to me at least you can have the decency to be honest."
Rayna looked down at her shoes and wondered how long it would take her to get to her car if she just turned and ran, but then she realized she had to be a grown up here and face the music. "Alright, if I'm being completely honest, part of it is that I'm still in love with Deacon, I've always been in love with Deacon, and it wouldn't be fair to you if I married you feeling that way. I did it to Teddy, and it hurt him more than I'm sure he'd like to admit."
"Is this a joke? Is this some kind of game the two of you play to make it hotter when you're back together?"
"No Luke, don't be silly." Rayna reached out taking his hands. "I love you, I do. Just not the way I'm supposed to if I'm gonna be your wife. I'm sorry."
Luke stood there motionless. Surprise was an understatement. Rayna let go of his hands. "I'm going to leave now. Just let Bucky know what the cost is for all this and I'll pay half." Rayna turned and walked quickly to her car making sure not to look back. She started to cry harder as she turned the ignition, but by the time she hit the gate she'd cranked down the window, the breeze was in her hair and she thought to herself, "Now this freedom."
##
Rayna had stopped at Teddy's on the way home to tell the girls that they wouldn't be bridesmaids today. Daphne had been mad, Maddie had just been annoyed. "Now I'm going to be known as the daughter of the runaway bride. Why do your decisions always fuck up my life?"
"Hey, language young lady. I thought you'd be happy about this?"
Maddie gave her the typical teenager look of 'I could care less.' "I guess, at least we don't have to move."
Rayna had let the girls stay with Teddy since they were worried there'd be some serious media attention buzzing around the Belle Meade mansion. They were right, by the time she got home photographers were already waiting outside the gate. Rayna assumed they were waiting for her to come out in her dress, so it was a surprise when they saw her drive back in. Rayna kicked off her boots when she got inside and collapsed on the couch.
"Where the hell have you been?" Tandy asked as she looked up from her laptop. "I thought you were going out for 5 minutes. It's been two hours! You barely have enough time to get ready."
"There's nothing to get ready for Tandy. I called off the wedding?"
"What? You're telling me I just flew half-way across the country for something that's not happening?"
"Just let it drop. I don't want to talk about it."
"Don't worry, you don't need to. It's written all over your face…and it looks like a brooding guitar player."
Rayna flashed her eyes up at Tandy but didn't say anything.
"This is because you're still in love with Deacon correct?"
Rayna just nodded her head and pulled the blanket up higher towards her face.
"Oh Rayna." Tandy shook her head. "I don't even know what to do with you anymore. Why did I think this time would be any different? It's never different with the two of you, you're like two magnets, the harder you try to pull them apart the stronger you snap together. Have you told him yet?"
"No."
"Well, I think he already know."
"What? What makes you think that?"
Tandy turned her laptop around so Rayna could see it. "Check this out, it's trending on Twitter."
It was a video titled "Wheels Up Knockdown!" and it was clearly Luke trying to beat the crap out of Deacon in his front yard until Deacon swung back with one solid punch and knocked Luke on his ass. Luke scrambled to get up then jumped back in his SUV with his bodyguards and drove away.
"Oh no," Rayna sighed. "This is not good. I should text Deacon."
Rayna picked up her phone and typed "Haven't seen that bar room upper cut in a while."
Two-minutes later she got in return "Luckily haven't had to use it much lately, but I still got it."
Rayna smiled and typed back "Crazy day. Meet on the bridge in our spot?"
There was a pause of about thirty-seconds where Rayna's heart started to beat quickly, then…"When?"
"Thirty?" she typed.
"See you then."
##
When Rayna got to the bridge he was already there. She stood back and watched him as he leaned on the railing looking out at the water. There was a certain sadness about him that seemed odd to Rayna, but she pushed the thought away as she approached him.
"Hey babe."
Deacon turned to look at her and right away she noticed he had a black eye. "Ouch," she said as she tenderly examined the purple puffiness surrounding his eye with her fingers. "Does it hurt?"
"Of course it hurts Ray. I got punched in the face. You know this is the second time you've gotten me punched by that guy in six months?"
"I'm sorry. I never thought he'd go after you like that."
"Well just shows you how little you knew him."
Rayna nodded her head and took Deacon's hands in her own. "I am sorry Deacon…about all of it. I never meant to hurt you, I was just trying so damn hard to be someone I'm not, and I guess it finally caught up with me."
"I'm just glad you didn't go through with a marriage that wasn't going to make you happy. You deserve better than him Rayna."
Rayna smiled and pulled his hands to her face kissing them. "What like you?"
Deacon smiled sadly and pulled his hands back from her. "I didn't say that Ray. I just meant someone who really understands you."
"Well that's you, you know that. That's always been you." Rayna paused and turned looking out at the water. "After the accident I was so determined to put all that behind me, to put us behind me and be someone new, like a rebirth of sorts. I wanted so much not to love you anymore, not to need you, but no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't deny my feelings for you. I will never love anyone the way I love you Deacon. Not even close."
"Rayna, I don't want to be with someone who doesn't want to love me. I want someone who feels lucky to love me and be loved by me in return."
Rayna ran her hands up Deacon's chest and onto his face. "I know it may not seem like it, but I do feel lucky to be loved by you, and I promise I will never turn away from us again."
Deacon reached up removing Rayna's hands from his face, but continuing to hold them. "Ray, besides a month or two here and there, when was the last time you were single? I mean really single."
"I don't know, I guess before we met."
"Exactly, before we met, when you were 15. That was the last time you were single. You just broke off an engagement five hours ago. Don't you think you need some time alone to figure out what you really want?"
Rayna shook her head. "I know what I want. I want you, for all of time I want you."
Deacon smiled and kissed her forehead, "And I'm sure I will love you more than anything until the day I die, but I think you need to figure out that it's okay for you to live without a man in your life. That you'll be alright if it's just you and the girls."
Rayna wasn't sure why he was saying this to her, but it unsettled her. "But it won't be just me and the girls."
Deacon smiled and once again kissed her hands. "Just take some time Ray. It will be best for everyone. You were supposed to go away for the holidays right?"
"Well yes but…"
"Take the girls, get away for a couple of weeks."
Rayna was really confused at this point, she thought for sure Deacon would want to spend the holidays with Maddie. "You don't want to spend Christmas with us?"
"I'd love to baby, but I think you need to get the girls away from all this media attention, and I think me going with you would just fuel the fire. I'll be here when you get back."
Rayna was unsure about this plan, but she really couldn't argue with Deacon's logic. "Alright, but we'll readdress this after the New Year, right?"
Deacon just nodded his head. "Sure Ray. After the New Year." Then he pulled her into his arms. Rayna buried her face in his chest and Deacon tilted his head down to smell the scent of her hair. Then they both looked up quietly watching while the lights of Nashville flicker off an on.
