Hey y'all ! I decided not to write about the wedding and write a little future scenario instead. I've had this idea in my head ever since Rayna flew across the country to surprise Luke during a show ... Writing this kinda fixed things for me and I hope you enjoy reading it just as much as I enjoyed writing it ;-)
Thanks for the edit, Rachel !
June 2017
Rayna knew from her own experience that going on tour was not always sunshine and roses. She loved performing, connecting with the audience in a way that was only possible during a concert and she liked being surrounded by music almost the entire time. That was about it, though. The traveling, partying all night and sleeping on a tour bus had only been exciting while she was young and still new to the business.
It changed immediately when Maddie was born and suddenly she had a husband and a sweet little baby girl she had to say goodbye to. She hated having to leave her girl, and later both of her girls, at home and as soon as she was one the road, she missed them. The days seemed longer, the paparazzi more annoying than ever and waking up in a luxurious suite every morning didn't mean anything without her girls cuddled up next to her. On days like this she felt nothing but alone and thought that being on tour, far away from home, was actually the worst part about being a musician.
Sitting on a plane now, she was headed to Mountain View, CA and thought about all these years she spent flying across the country and playing arena shows almost everywhere. Missing the girls had always been the hardest part about being on tour, but the good thing about being away from home, was that she got to spend so much time with Deacon. Coming out of a 11-year relationship it took a while for both of them to figure out how to deal with each other without being in a romantic relationship. Neither one was used to the distance, the lack of time together, and it was hard to accept that they weren't a permanent part of each others lives anymore. Other than that, especially when it came to music, their lives always remained completely entangled. When they were on tour together, performed together every night, wrote together and walked up to the nosebleed section before the show to have a quiet moment together and maybe talk a little, it almost felt as if nothing changed between them. They had to remind themselves more than once not to cross the line they had drawn, because they knew that once they crossed it, there was no way they could go back and pretend that nothing happened.
Rayna never admitted it to anyone, but the main reason she had been on tour so often over the past few years, was Deacon. She needed him in her life and she always found a way to keep him there since she was a 16 year old girl.
Looking down at her hand now, she drove her thumb over the wedding band Deacon had given her on their wedding day a little more than a year ago. She definitely found a way to keep him in her life permanently, so she didn't have to worry about that anymore. There were however, other things she had to worry about now.
When he had gotten an offer to open for Brad Paisley during the first leg of his tour this year, she had practically pushed him to go out on the road. Deacon hesitated at first, not wanting to leave her and the girls. It took a lot of convincing from her, the girls and Scarlett until he finally took the offer. He was on the road for three weeks now and Rayna missed him like crazy. While he was gone, Rayna found that being on tour without the girls had been one thing. Being at home with Deacon being out on the road, was a completely different issue. It had been so easy for her to fall back into his arms and get used to having him by her side every day. Waking up to a sweet kiss every morning and falling asleep in his strong arms every night, made her realize just how much she needed him, needed them as partners and lovers. It also made her realize that staying at home while your husband was on the road was way harder than she thought it would be.
"Ms. Jaymes, we're landing in San Francisco in about thirty minutes. Please stay in your seat now and turn off all electronic devices," the voice from the young flight attendant pulled Rayna out of her thoughts.
She had toyed with the idea of surprising Deacon for a while now, but she had to meet obligations herself at home and so it had just never been possible for her to fly out and see him. Scarlett, however, had offered to stay with the girls for a few days and that was all it took for Rayna to hop on a charter jet and fly to San Francisco. She made it three weeks and two days without him, but now all she wanted was to be in his arms again.
"So he really doesn't know you're coming to the show tonight?" Tandy asked as she pulled onto the interstate. She had offered to pick her sister up at the airport in San Francisco and drive with her to the concert.
Rayna smiled at her and shook her head. "No, he doesn't suspect anything. I just hope Steve doesn't spill the secret. He promised secrecy, though, so I hope I can rely on him."
"Steve was the bass player, right?" Tandy asked, wanting to know.
"Yeah. He's gonna meet us before the show and give us backstage passes. We just have to be careful that we don't run into Deacon," Rayna explained.
Tandy laughed. "You sound like you're his dirty little secret. Sneaking in through the backstage entrance and all … You're married now. You don't have to hide anymore."
"Oh shut up! I just wanna surprise him. And I wanna make sure, everyone knows he's mine when I surprise him on stage," Rayna joked, a devilish grin on her face.
"Oh I see. Marking your territory. Just promise me that you wait with ripping your clothes off of each other until you get off the stage," Tandy mocked her sister.
"I'm not gonna promise you anything here ...", Rayna grinned and got a loud sigh from Tandy in response. Only 20 miles and a few hours separated her from Deacon now and just the thought of it made her feel all tingly and warm inside.
Today was one of these days were Deacon asked himself why he agreed to go on this tour after all. Sure, he loved playing, and working with the guys and girls from his band rather was fun than actual work. He'd know some of them for many years know and he considered himself a lucky guy for getting to make music with them. Still, something or someone was missing. Rayna. And the girls.
He had someone to come home to now and that made leaving harder than it had ever been.
Back in the day he had embraced every tour offer he got. It had been a welcoming distraction for him and there were days where he felt more at home on the road than he did in Nashville. The further he was away from Nashville the easier it was for him ignore the fact that Rayna had a family of her own and played house with someone else and he always felt a little bit lost when he was in Nashville, without her. Nonetheless he only jumped on other tours every once in a while. Most of the time he had been on tour with Rayna and although being around her 24/7, singing love songs with her every night and yet not being able to love her the way he wanted to, drove him crazy sometimes, it was what got him through 13 years of sobriety.
Deacon sighed as he thought about the old times. They were long gone and his life completely changed in the last couple of years. Being married to the love of his life and being a father was more than he could ever ask for. The downside of it was, however, that it made him feel a level of homesickness he never felt before. He contemplated packing his stuff and getting on the next flight to Nashville more than once the last couple of weeks, but he didn't want to let down his band and he had to admit that playing his own songs every night felt pretty damn good.
Grabbing his room keys and cell phone, he left the hotel and headed to the amphitheater for his soundcheck.
"Okay guys, that's the last one for today. Brad looks like he's ready to kick us off the stage," Deacon announced as they finished the song, glancing over to the side of the stage where Brad Paisley was waiting. Waving at him, Deacon grabbed the bottle in front of him and cleared the stage for the headliner. Similar to being on tour with Luke, everyone had to stick to a schedule on this tour as well, but other than that, being on the road with Brad was nothing like being on the road with the king of country. Brad didn't mind his openers changing their setlist occasionally and he would never cut their time on stage short. Deacon really appreciated the creative freedom he had on this tour, but what he appreciated even more was that he didn't have to stand on the side of the stage, watching the headliner sing songs about- or even with- the woman HE was in love with. As a matter of the fact, now he was the only one, who sang songs about Rayna and singing them was at least a scrap of comfort. If he didn't have her here with him, he could at least tell the world through his songs that she was his.
"Hey man, you sure you wanna do "He Ain't Me" tonight? Pretty obvious that song's about good ole Wheels-up," Steve caught up with him as they were walking through the backstage area.
"Well, I'm pretty sure Luke ain't gonna be here tonight, so ..."
"... but 20,000 fans are gonna be here tonight and I don't know if you heard that before, but most of them have these small electronic devices called cell phones. If you do that song, it's gonna be all over the internet by tomorrow, at the latest," Steve told his boss, only half serious. Frankly, he didn't give a damn about Luke Wheeler and he knew that "He Ain't Me" was a pretty good song, Luke Wheeler allusion or not.
"So what? Let's give them something to talk about tonight," Deacon said, determination clearly audible in his voice.
Steve clapped him on the shoulder. "Oh believe me, man. They will sure have something to talk about tonight," he laughed and left Deacon standing by the backstage entrance.
Raising one eyebrow as he noticed the weird smile on Steve's face, Deacon couldn't help, but wonder, if his bass player was hiding something from him. Something was definitely off with his behavior, but Deacon had no idea what it was.
"Okay, so you're gonna sing the first verse with him and when you usually have your solo part, you mute your mic and I switch on mine," Rayna summarized their plan.
They managed to sneak in backstage, unnoticed by Deacon and were talking everything through in Brad's dressing room now. He- and Rayna had a feeling almost everyone from the road crew- knew that she was here to surprise Deacon tonight. Brad had generously offered his dressing room to Rayna and Tandy, knowing that the chance that they would run into Deacon here, was virtually zero.
"Yeah right. And then you start singing and come out on stage," Sarah explained. She played the fiddle and was the background singer in Deacon's band and they recently started singing "Jackson" together at almost every show. It started as a joke, but the audience loved their version of the classic and so it had become a permanent feature of the setlist. When Sarah heard that Rayna would come to the show, she suggested Rayna would take her part during that song and Rayna immediately loved the idea.
"I'm so excited," Rayna admitted and tapped her feet nervously.
"Me too. I can't wait to see the look on his face when he realizes it's you, who's singing," Sarah said, genuinely excited.
"I just hope the poor man's not gonna faint," Brad, who listened to their conversation, laughed.
"I would be more afraid that we get to see a show we actually don't wanna witness …" Tandy chimed in, sarcastically.
Rayna gave her a warning glance. "Stop it! What is it with you that every conversation we have goes in one particular direction?"
"Well you know, you two tend to forget that sometimes there are other people in a room with you …." Tandy teased her sister. She remembered one particular situation where the two lovebirds got a little carried away during a good morning kiss last Christmas. Rayna was on the counter already, with her legs wrapped around her husband and Tandy couldn't decide if they were still kissing or having each other for breakfast. It was then when she decided to clear her throat and let them know that she was sitting on the couch, apparently unnoticed by them, and watching their little show.
Knowing immediately what situation her sister referred to, Rayna blushed and slapped her arm lightly. "We're not gonna talk about that now," she clarified and hoped the other two didn't understand their little banter.
Brad and Sarah didn't react on it, but they just exchanged a knowing glance. Whatever the sisters had talked about, it didn't take an expert to tell that Rayna Jaymes and Deacon Claybourne were madly in love with each other and that it was about time for their little reunion tonight.
As the show was in full play, Rayna stood at the side of the stage and watched Deacon perform. She had to be careful that he didn't see her, though, so she stayed behind a curtain and only peaked out occasionally. She could, however, hear him all the time and that was all it took for her heart to swell up with love. When she heard him announce "He Ain't Me", she even thought that her heart skipped a beat. She knew that he had written it while she was with Luke, but as they broke up and she and Deacon got back together, she heard him play it at home and she immediately liked the groove it had. It was also one of the most confident songs Deacon had written in a long time. Rayna asked him to try it out at the Bluebird or the Beverly, because she was sure that others would like the song just as much, but he denied it, stating that it was too obvious it was about Luke and that it would be disrespectful. She didn't know where his sudden empathy for Luke had come from then and she didn't know what changed his mind now, and frankly, she didn't care. She loved his new self-confidence and the faith and trust he had in their relationship and maybe she also loved that this song, indeed, was a little possessive. He made clear that he was the one for her and that everyone, who tried to compete with him, would lose. Country music superstar or not.
"Thank you," Deacon said into the mic as he finished the song.
"Are y'all ready for a real classic?" he asked. The audience replied with loud cheering noises and Rayna knew that it was time for her appearance. She took the mic, one of the roadies handed her, and waited for Deacon to start the song. Sarah put her fiddle away and went to stand in front of the mic next to Deacon. He said a few words about the song, before he hit the first note on his guitar and launched into the song. Singing the first verse together, Sarah took a few steps back when it was his turn to sing. She usually went solo on the next verse, but this time she didn't move towards the mic again, but just stayed put and smiled.
Well, go on down to Jackson; go ahead and wreck your health.
Go play your hand you big-talkin' man, make a fool out of yourself.
Yeah, go to Jackson; go comb your hair !
Deacon was confused at first. He looked at Sarah with a questioning look, but she just smiled at him. He heard a female voice, but Sarah clearly wasn't singing. What the hell, he thought, when all of a sudden, it hit him. He knew that voice! He would recognize it among a thousand voices, but he didn't expect to hear it tonight. He didn't have any time to give more thought to it, though. Hearing the audience clapping and cheering loudly, he turned around and there she was. Walking on stage, she smiled that smile she only gave him and he felt as if the world stood still for a second. He forgot that he stood in front of 20,000 people. He forgot that he was supposed to sing the next verse and he even forgot to play guitar. All he could do was to stare at his beautiful wife, flabbergasted and with the happiest grin he knew.
The moment her eyes locked with Deacon's, she knew that they wouldn't make it through the song. He missed his entry and stopped playing while his blue eyes practically pierced her. She could tell that he had absolutely no idea that she would be here tonight. He was in shock, not able to move, so she took the last missing steps and closed the distance between them. With only his guitar between them, she took his hand in hers and put down her mic. "Hey," she said softly, for his ears only.
"Hey," he managed to say, still trying to sort his thoughts. How the hell did I get so lucky, he thought. Gazing at the woman in front of him, he realized that she probably expected some kind of reaction from him now.
Kiss her, his heart told him while his mind argued that he should just say a few words to her and introduce her to the audience. Screw it, he told himself and buried his hands in her hair. Pulling her closer, their lips melted together as they kissed each other frantically.
As soon as his lips met hers, she forgot everything around her. All that mattered right now, was him and her and their love for each other. She slung her arms around his neck as he deepened the kiss and sighed against his lips when the background noises got louder again. Not wanting to stop the kiss, she tried to ignore the cheering and clapping, but found that she couldn't. They stood on the stage of a sold-out amphitheater after all and you could tell that everyone in the audience was just as excited to see her as Deacon was.
Breaking away from the kiss, she smiled at him affectionately.
"I guess I can still surprise you, huh?" she teased him.
"I guess you can," he admitted, still holding her gaze. He slung his arm around her waist and turned his head to face the mic again. "Rayna Jaymes y'all," he introduced her as she waved at the crowd.
"That was one helluva surprise, wasn't it?" he asked and smiled at Rayna again. Still at a loss for words, he laughed and shook his head.
"I'm still trying to find the right words for this … I'm as surprised as y'all, as you maybe can tell …" he tried to express his feelings.
"I'm sorry I messed up the song …" he apologized, but no one seemed to hold it against him.
"I hope y'all are not mad at me for doing this during a Johnny Cash classic …" Rayna chimed in, but only got cheers of encouragement in response.
"You know what. Since you came here all the way from Nashville and ruined our last song, how 'bout you make up for it right now?" Deacon teased and had the crowd on his side.
"And what were you thinking about, darling?" Rayna played along.
"Well you know, she and I used to sing together," he said to the audience and turned his head to face Rayna again.
"So I thought maybe we could do one of our old songs?" he suggested, a challenging look on his face.
"We could do that," she replied as she turned around and asked the band. "Which one do you know?"
Deacon just smiled at her as he brought his face closer to hers and whispered against her ear. "They only know the cool ones." Rayna raised her eyebrow, but didn't have time to ask further questions as Deacon told the band to start off "Postcard from Mexico".
Getting a devilish wink from Deacon, Rayna shook her head, laughing. She immediately understood the message he was sending, even without words. Told you, I would use every opportunity I get to sing with you. Guess I turned the tables now.
They barely made it through the song without jumping each others bones. True, "Postcard from Mexico" was one of their 'cool' songs, it was also one of the most sexiest songs they have ever written. Although the song was about 20 years old by now, both of them remembered writing it all too well. Memories of a small rundown hotel, a sticky room, silk sheets and sweaty bodies came to their minds and along with the pent-up tension of not seeing each other for more than three weeks now, they lit the stage on fire, the spark between the couple visible for everyone.
As soon as they got off the stage, their lips found each other as they kissed each other hungrily. When he felt her tongue tracing the outline of his lips, begging for entrance, he willingly opened his mouth and seconds later their tongues were wrapped around one another's. Kissing each other frantically, their hands roaming all over each others bodies, they broke apart when all of a sudden they heard someone clearing her throat behind them.
"Really guys? You could at least go somewhere, where you have a little more privacy," Tandy remarked sarcastically. Rayna's cheeks turned a light shade of red as she looked at her sister and their surroundings, realizing that they stood in a crowded hallway in the backstage area, members of the road crew passing them and looking at them with a knowing grin. She bit her lips and looked at Deacon, coyly, hoping that he would help her out. He just gave her a sheepish grin, though, and took a step back, bringing some distance between them.
"Yeah … ehm, do y'all wanna stay for Brad's show? I'm gonna go out on stage and join him during the encore," he tried to change the subject.
Rayna nodded eagerly. "I'd love to stay," she said, grateful for the topic change.
"What about you?" she looked at her older sister.
"Fine with me," Tandy replied. "If you two promise to behave, I can drop you off at the hotel and then head back home," she suggested.
Rayna and Deacon agreed with her suggestion, smiling at each other, telling one another that they made it more than three weeks without each other. A few more hours sounded quite manageable compared to that.
Bidding their farewell to Tandy, they made it as far as the elevator before they were all over each other again. As soon as the elevator doors closed, Deacon backed her up against the wall and pressed his lips to Rayna's. Moaning in surprise when her back hit the cold wall of the elevator, she slid her arms around his neck, but only returned the kiss reluctantly. She turned her head a little and looked into his eyes when he released her lips.
"Babe, what are you doing? We …," she wanted to know, but Deacon interrupted her.
"Baby, I missed you. I'm done talking," he whispered against her mouth as he brought his lips to hers again. Throwing her caution to the wind, she didn't argue this time and buried her hands in his dark hair. Their hips collided as she pulled him even more solidly against her body. Returning the kiss, she felt Deacon humming against her lips as she bit down on his lower lip and slid her tongue into his mouth. Savoring every inch of it, their tongues found each other and they were lost in each other until they heard the signal of the elevator and the doors jerked open.
He loosened his grip around her as they exited the elevator, their breathing heavy and their lips swollen from the passionate kisses they exchanged. Noticing that no one of the other hotel guests was within sight, they hurried down the hallway, hand in hand, until they stood in front of Deacon's room.
Pressing her against the wooden door, their lips crashed together again as Rayna's hands slid into his back pocket, searching for the key. Fishing it out, she broke the kiss to unlock the door while her husband's lips started to assault her neck. As the door flew open they stumbled into the room and he kicked the door closed as soon as they made it over the threshold.
Awaiting his next move in anticipation, she looked into his deep blue eyes, clouded with desire and lust. Biting her lips, she squealed in surprise as his hands cupped her ass and he lifted her off the ground. Wrapping her legs around his midsection, her lips found his neck, alternating between sucking, biting and placing butterfly kisses on the warm skin. He carried her across the room and set her down on the bed. Staying between her legs, he bent down to kiss her bare shoulder and to leave a wet trail of kisses all the way up her throat to the sensitive spot behind her ear. Stretching her neck and pushing her hair behind her ear, she gave him better access and let out a little moan as he gently sucked at the sensitive flesh. Her hands slid under his shirt, roaming all over his upper body and signaling him that she wanted full access to what was underneath it. Stopping the assault of her neck, he helped her getting rid of his shirt as he pulled it over his head and it dropped carelessly to the floor.
Taking in the sight of him, Rayna licked her lips. Knowing him for almost thirty years, she knew that her husband sure was a sight for sore eyes, but looking at him now, she couldn't help but think that he got even more attractive every time she saw him. She traced his scar with her index finger before she kissed her way down to the waistband of his jeans. His chest was already heaving, his breath became more erratic the further down her lips moved. She brushed her hand over the bulge in his jeans and caused him to let out a sharp breath. Smirking, she looked up at him, her own eyes giving away her need for him.
"You really missed me, huh?" she teased, but didn't get a verbal reply to her question. Instead Deacon captured her lips with his again and showed her just how much he missed her.
Kissing him back, she blindly fondled with the button on his jeans. As it sprung open, she unzipped them and pushed them off his hips. Gasping for air, they broke the kiss and Deacon bent down to shed his boots, socks and step out off his jeans. Standing in front of his wife, wearing only his boxers, his arousal was clearly visible, only confined in the comfort of his boxers. When she reached for him again, her hands dangerously close to sliding into his boxers, he caught her wrists and stopped her.
"Not like that baby. You're still completely dressed," he told her as she withdrew her hands and smiled at him, lovingly. He had always been a gentleman. Granted, he enjoyed it when she worked her magic on him, but he always made sure that she enjoyed it just as much.
He stole another lingering kiss from her lips, before he returned the favor and lifted her top over her head. Her other pieces of clothing followed suit, until she sat in front of him in just her lacy bra and matching panties. He unclasped her bra in one skillful notion and tossed it to the pile of clothes next to him.
"God, you're so beautiful," he whispered as his lips brushed hers again. Cupping her breasts with his large hands, he massaged them and placed a number of soft kisses on the top of them. His hot breath on her skin sent chills up her spine as she leaned closer and scraped her fingernails along his neck. She gently bit down on his shoulder as his hands continued to fondle her breasts. As he pulled back, she panted for breath, her eyes pleading and telling him how much she wanted him, needed him. He looked at her beautiful face, her long hair cascading around it, her eyes full of desire and love for him. Exchanging one last passionate kiss, they shed their last pieces of clothing, before she pulled him on the bed with her. Feeling his weight on her, breathing in his familiar scent, a sense of security took over her body.
"I love you," she said softly as she reached out to stroke his stubble with one hand.
"I love you too," he returned the three words as he guided himself into her and they both knew that there was no place they would rather be right now.
