Rayna pulled away, her hand on Deacon's chest. Tears still spilling down her face, she looked him in the eye.
"Deacon…" he sighed, his hand cupping her neck while his thumb rubbed her cheek, "I can't."
He dropped his forehead to her chest and her hands came up to run her fingers through his hair. They sat there for what seemed like forever, Deacon's arms encircling her waist - and then Rayna's phone rang.
"It's home… hello?... oh hey baby, yeah… yeah, I'll be home soon… alright, then," Rayna pushed end and stood up. "That was Maddie, I gotta go, Deac."
Deacon nodded and stood with her, still holding onto her waist. "Does this change anything?"
Rayna shook her head, crying again, "Of course it does – of course it does… Deacon, you know if I'd known, I woulda told you," she said, almost pleading with the man she was sure resented her.
Instead, he pressed their foreheads together again, looking her straight in the eyes. "I know, darlin', I know."
She pulled away, stepping back a few steps, still unsure. "I'll see you tomorrow?" she asked.
"And everyday after that, if I had my way," replied Deacon, grabbing her hand, "Now go – our daughter needs you." And she couldn't help but laugh because even through all the shit hearing him say our daughter was like music to her ears.
Rayna pulled into the driveway and sat in her car for a minute before going inside. She laid her head on the wheel and took a deep breath, not knowing what was to come next.
She knew she should have fought back with Teddy. Should could have blamed it on the test – after all, it was only a strip of paper. But she knew there was no use in denying it. She had been noticing the resemblance between her daughter and Deacon more and more every day, and Teddy had always been suspicious. It was a wonder he hadn't ordered a paternity test sooner.
She opened the door, got out, and slammed it behind her. Walking inside she called out to Maddie, who came skipping in. "What are you still doing up?" she asked, realizing that it would have been a good question to ask over the phone. It was nearly midnight.
"I dunno – I was just reading and then it was late but now I'm hungry again," she said.
"Uh – no, no more food tonight. Go to bed, missy – you're gonna be exhausted in the morning," said Rayna, leading her daughter up the stairs. "What'd daddy say when he found out you were still up, huh?"
"Nothing, he's just downstairs watching TV," said Maddie, scrambling to her room.
Rayna let out a grumble and made her way back downstairs. Best to deal with this now than to wait until tomorrow… or the day after that.
"Teddy? Hon, you gonna come up soon?" asked Rayna, timidly.
"You fuck him?" asked Teddy, not moving his eyes off the screen.
"Screw you," spat back Rayna, tears threatening to fall again. Turning on her heel she walked out of that room for the second time that day.
She lay in bed, waiting to fall asleep, thinking about how her night had turned out. The fact that Deacon was Maddie's father was less of a surprise to her the more she thought about it. They had the same eyes, the same jaw, the same guitar skills. They had the same passion for some things like they had the same disregard for others. She was her father's daughter, that one.
She loved Teddy, but – and there it was. If I really loved him, there would be no but. And Rayna couldn't help but wonder what her marriage was turning out to be. How had it gotten to this point? She and Teddy slept in the same bed but hadn't been intimate in god knows how long.
Rayna liked to think of herself as a woman of her word, but how could she stay with Teddy and be happy? How was that fair to either of them? She knew Teddy was having an affair – she wasn't a stupid woman, her momma had raised her better. But she'd never said anything, because as much as it hurt to know that she'd been betrayed, Teddy was right when he'd said that she'd settled for him. So as much as his betrayal hurt, she knew she'd hurt him just as badly.
Her phone rang next to her. "Hello?" she picked up without even looking at the caller ID.
"You make it home okay?"
"Mmmhmm," she replied, settling deeper into the mattress, listening to the calming timbre of his voice.
"You remember the first tour we ever did together – Los Angeles? And you were so nervous, and I said –"
"You said it would be just like the Bluebird, 'You and me, baby, just you and me,'" she finished, remembering that night with the utmost clarity.
"'Night, Ray," he said, his voice getting quiet, "Sleep tight."
"I won't let the bedbugs bite."
"That's ma girl."
TBC... and reviews (as always) are appreciated!
