You all are so kind! Thanks for all the reviews! I'm really enjoying writing this! Hope you continue to read & review!
Two days later…
It always felt like Deacon knew everything there was to know about Rayna. He knew every scar on her body and where they came from, he knew about her obsession with cinnamon whether it was a candle or sprinkled on her food, he knew when her voice got a pitch higher than normal she was mad as hell. He thought he knew every little detail there was about her.
As for Rayna, she thought she knew everything about him too but after spending time up at the cabin she wasn't so sure. She was sixteen when she met him which seemed like a lifetime ago to her. She knew he hailed from Mississippi, had a sister she met three times over their relationship, a talented niece who was discovering the music business and a beautiful daughter which she took pride in helping him create. That was the extent of Deacon's family history she knew until today.
Deacon got to thinking with all this talk about Lamar maybe he shouldn't be so afraid to talk about his daddy. It was only Rayna after all. The rest of the world was miles away.
They sat on the couch while the fire crackled, swapping stories of their painful past.
Rayna sat beside him with her feet curled up under her, actively listening as she held her cup of tea in her hand. "Oh and then I'll never forget the time my daddy came home after being fired again. I believe it was the fifth job and our fourth home in six months. Couldn't keep a job or a house to save his life. And I remember my mama finding the bottle of whiskey and she said 'don't you know your children are starving? You can't even put food on the table but you made damn sure you had your whiskey huh?' and that was all it took. He grabbed her by her hair and swung her across the room. She sliced her head open on the corner of the kitchen counter. There was blood everywhere. My sister and I hid behind the curtains until he was passed out and then we checked on my mama. Tried to take care of her and the blood stains the best way we knew how." Deacon said glancing at the floor and shaking his head at the tragic memory.
Rayna gasped, setting her mug down on the coffee table. She suddenly wasn't interested in drinking it anymore. "Oh my God. I am so sorry. Why didn't you ever tell me this" She felt guilty for never getting to know this side of Deacon.
Deacon looked up and shrugged his shoulders. She could tell it bothered him to talk about it. "I didn't want anyone comparing me to him because I knew I was falling right into the footsteps of the man I hated most." He said, his tone bitter.
Rayna looked over at him and shook her head. "Are you serious?" She asked sitting up a little straighter. "I don't think that at all. You've lived in the same house for the past 12 years! You've been playing guitar for how long now?" Rayna asked pointing out the positive.
Running his hand through his hair, he tried to shake the memory. "Well one day I finally got the courage to stand up to him. I had saved up enough money from bussing tables to buy a one way ticket. I hopped on the Greyhound heading to Nashville and never looked back. Music was the only thing that saved me. It fed me, it clothed me and it led me to bigger gigs." Deacon nudging Rayna with his knee. She smiled. "You've done pretty damn well for yourself." She said. Deacon laughed. "I guess for the most part I have."
Rayna sighed, recalling a memory of her own. Deacon knew more about her family than she did his. He WAS there when Lamar kicked her out when she was just sixteen. He was there when Tandy had begged her to stay. He had been there to watch her children grow. He had been there when her marriage to Teddy fell apart. The one person in Rayna's life he didn't know too much about was her mother. She spoke about her often when they were writing a song. He sensed that her Mama was a big inspiration in her music career. But other than that little bit of information she shared with him at the cemetery he didn't know all that much about her mother.
"My mama had me sneaking out of the house when I was seven. She'd wake me up around 11 at night and we'd head off to these bars where the beer was cheap. One night my daddy caught us sneaking back in and boy did he give her the devil. He didn't want 'his daughter carrying the Wyatt name to be singing at no dive bar'." Rayna said imitating Lamar's voice with a smirk.
"So the next morning he came up to my room and told me he could get me a gig at the Country Club gala. I finally thought he was coming around to my passion for singing. I was all hyped up, even picked out a Patsy Cline song to sing at the Gala but when I got up on the stage and you would've thought I set the place on fire. Everyone ran as far as they could from my singing." Rayna said.
Deacon gave her a look. "Why?" He asked.
"Well-" She started to say as she bit her lip before proceeding with her story. "those country club types don't take a liking to country music. They wanted to hear me sing opera." Rayna said with distaste in her mouth. Deacon wrinkled his forehead. "Opera?" He asked in disbelief.
She smiled and nodded. "Of course even back then I was bullheaded. That wasn't the music I believed in and my father knew that. He thought if I was booed offstage, it would change my mind about pursuing music." Rayna said watching Deacon shake his head. "Unbelievable." Deacon said making a face. "That was the last time I listened to my daddy."
Deacon sat there for a minute absorbing what she just said. He looked up at her. "Opera?" He repeated.
Rayna laughed. "So my mama dragged me offstage at the country club and we stormed out of there so fast I think my head spun. That night she took me down to the Bluebird but I never got to sing. So we'd go back night after night. After waiting in line so many nights, they finally called my number. While I was up onstage my mama started talking to Watty White and that was when the affair started I guess." She shrugged.
Rayna twirled her hair around her finger thinking back. "Watty never used my music to get to mama though. He always had my music in his best interest. He would sit down with me and tell me what sounded good and we'd spend hours discussing song ideas. He'd listen to me ramble on and on about my hopes and dreams. Something my own father wouldn't have ever done with me."
Deacon raised his eyebrows. "Wow. I guess the better half doesn't live so differently."
Rayna nodded in agreement. "It just amazes me that we both turned out somewhat normal given our childhoods." Rayna said.
"Sounds like one bad country song doesn't it?" He asked grinned wide. She laughed at his facial expression. "It sure does."
Deacon stood from the couch and grabbed his guitar hanging on the hall. Rayna watched him and laughed. "Have you lost your mind? We can't write a song about our terrible childhoods." She said throwing her hands in the air.
He shrugged, strumming song chords. "Why not? You got a better idea to pass the time up here?"
She rolled her eyes. He started to strum and sing.
"Well my daddy liked to drink. He'd drink til he couldn't think. And her daddy wanted her to sing Opera." Deacon sang with a grin on his face.
Rayna laughed and reached over to pull his guitar out of his hands. "Stop, stop! That's pathetic." She said still laughing.
"Alright, alright, name a song, a real song and I'll play it." Deacon said pulling his guitar back. She shot him a look. "You know my whole set." She said stating the obvious.
"I'm trying to be serious here Ray. Name one." He said strumming a few more chords.
She studied his face. She could tell he wasn't being serious. "No you're not. You're still thinking about opera." She said. He shrugged. "It was pretty funny." He admitted. "Mmmhmm." She said tightening her lips trying to hold her laughter in but she burst into giggles.
He laughed too. After a few minutes, they collected themselves. "Well one good thing came out of this." He said more serious, setting his guitar next to the couch. She looked over at him. "What's that?" She asked.
"It's nice to hear you laugh instead of cry." The past 3 days since they arrived, she hadn't made it through an entire day without sobbing. She shrugged shyly, not quite meeting his eye contact. "I guess you bring out the best in me." She said looking up, finally making eye contact. She smiled at his reaction. He raised his eyebrows. "Really? I do that?" He asked searching her eyes.
She leaned closer to him, her eyes still hooked on his. "Are you-" He asked swallowing hard. "Are you going to name a song?" He asked leaning closer to her.
She mumbled something as her eyes started become hazy. "A song?" She repeated leaning closer to him.
"I could play." He said narrowing his eyes on her lips as he inched closer to her mouth. She could feel his breath on her skin. Her eyes were becoming heavier and heavier as he got closer.
"I Shouldn't Love You." Rayna mumbled barely above a whisper. "Hmm?" He muttered. "The song." She whispered her mouth almost touching his. "Song?" He asked stupidly, not making any sense any longer.
Not being able to control themselves much longer, they're mouths started to fumble. He cocked his head so he would be able to go in at just the right angle. She lifted her chin, giving him better access.
Their lips were so close to touching when they heard the sound of keys rattling.
Rayna jumped back. "What was that?" She asked alarmed. Both their eyes shot open, bringing them back to reality. "Sounded like someone outside." He said standing up quickly. "What if it's Teddy? Or Tandy? They can't know I'm here!" Rayna said panicking. "Okay you stay here. I'll see who it is." Deacon instructed.
The only thing on his mind as he walked over to the door was he had been so close to kissing Rayna and whoever was at the door, he had to get rid of fast.