Again, here's to hoping this torture on our screens will end and there will be bliss at the end of this very dark tunnel.

Rayna counted the stack of plates one more time and pushed them to the side of the counter, exhaling exhaustedly as she began to move on to the cake.

"Babe, these are ready to go out."

She glanced up at her husband. He was staring out the window as if he was watching every blessed move of a loathed enemy; challenging, unwavering. Rayna sighed and turned her head around to catch a glimpse of what he was seeing.

She rolled her eyes at the sight of Maddie and Hunter occupying Jasper in his sandbox, flirting relentlessly as they did so.

"Babe? Come on now."

Deacon shook his head.

"Rayna, I can't handle this."

She wiped her palms on her pants and focused on opening the cake box, hoping against hope that for the second time that day, her disinterest would switch him to a different track.

"Can't handle what?"

He scoffed.

"What we talked about earlier. It's just not sitting right."

Rayna rolled her eyes, tossing the box lid to the side.

"Deacon—"

"Think I should talk to the kid? Or kick him in the dick? Something?"

She paused, bringing her eyes to his in a fit of absolute ridicule. Honestly, she could think of nothing more pleasing at the moment than kicking him in the dick if that's what it took to get him back to earth—not to mention he still needed payback for dressing Jasper as if he was about to do his first gig at Honky Tonk Central.

"Oh, for God sakes."

She rolled her eyes again lifted the cake out of the box, immediately biting her lip at the realization that it was a lot heavier and bigger than she thought it would be.

"Rayna, this is serious."

She stopped dead in her tracks and stared at him, eyes wide.

"What's serious is I'm standing in the middle of the kitchen holding a 900 lb. birthday cake for your son, who in no time at all is going to come crying to you when he's the one getting kicked in the dick."

Deacon pursed his lips and shook his head for what seemed like the 50th time in the last 20 seconds.

"That won't happen."

Sighing, Rayna closed her eyes. She really was trying to execute the perfect party, but more than that, she needed him to take a step back and look at the picture. Her voice softened.

"Deacon, please. Can we just go outside and enjoy today? This is something we'll never get back, babe. Don't let that preppy little twerp ruin it."

He soaked in her words, looking down at his feet as they coursed through him. She was right—it was their last shot at this; his only shot. He was so caught up in being a protective father to one that he was missing being a father to the other.

He sighed and looked back up at her, grinning ever so slightly as a mischievous twinkle ran through his eye. He could admit that she was right to her face, or he could mess with her. Right now, as she stood before him with a wild pony tail and mom jeans holding a designer cake that was minutes away from being demolished, seemed to be an appropriate time to do just that.

"So you think he's a twerp too?"

"Let's go."

The mirror had always been Rayna's harshest critic.

She never really had much use for one until the night her mother died, when she locked herself in the bathroom at summer camp and stared at herself while she cried. Since that night, she'd found something of a comfort in confronting her own face; her own musings. Besides Deacon, no one in her life had ever been 100% forthcoming with her. They'd all managed to either tell her what they thought she wanted to hear, or just place their own wants and needs in front of her and tout them as truth. The mirror, though… the mirror spoke just about as loudly as her husband.

She yawned, gazing introspectively at the lines crossing her face. She'd gone through a lot to get them—but now, she smiled. It had been a long time coming that she was able to look herself in the eye and truly, legitimately smile.

She reflected back to earlier in the day, when they'd brought the cake out and cut the first piece for Jasper. There was a rousing chorus of "Happy Birthday" while Aunt Tandy shot video, Rayna scrambled to get his short off before it was destroyed, Deacon tried to convince her to lighten up with the clothes, and the birthday boy looked back and forth between the cake and all of them like he simply wasn't buying it.

It was a look of cynical skepticism that Rayna had seen more than plenty of times on his father's face and while she was certain it would begin to drive her crazy at some point as he aged, the look was all too precious to her now. The entire day, from the wrong outfit to Maddie's teenage shenanigans to Deacon's malaise to the cake smashing to the presents, was too precious to her.

She blinked, the weight of the day finally catching up to her eyelids as she found it harder and harder to keep them open. Sighing, she stood up and turned off the vanity light, thankful that she could finally sit in front of her mirror and reflect calmly, not in a constant state of entropy.

Shuffling to the bed, she looked forward to the second she could lay her body down and bask in her 1,020 thread count Italian sateen sheets. She smirked; thinking to herself how much even Deacon loved them—though if he found out how much she paid for them he'd probably take them outside and burn them on principle.

Rayna sighed happily as she sank into bed, reaching to switch off her lamp. She leaned over to kiss her husband on the back of the head, immediately sensing a harsh heaviness in his space.

"What's the matter, babe?" She whispered.

"Nothing."

She blinked hard, draping her arm over his bare chest.

"I feel like there's something you wanna be talking to me about."

"Nah, I just…" He trailed off, grabbing hold of her hand and lacing his fingers through. "You're okay with it? Maddie?"

Rayna took in a sharp breath, tightening her grip on his hand as she gathered her thoughts. She didn't foresee Jasper's first birthday leading to any kind of discussion, much less an intense one late at night when she wanted nothing but sleep, about their daughter's almost sex life.

"Babe, of course I'm not." She pulled on his arm, imploring him to roll over and face her. "I'm her mama. It's my job to wanna protect her from everything, but this is just one of those things I can't keep her from forever. She's gonna do what she's gonna do with or without my approval. All either of us can do is be there for her and make sure she's okay."

Deacon lifted his sleepy eyes to hers, grabbing her hand as it lay limply on the bed between them.

"That's all you can do, I guess."

Rayna shrugged.

"It's just hard. All three of them are growing up way too fast."

"They sure are." He smirked, running his thumb softly over hers. "I still say there's no way the boy's a year old."

She chuckled softly, bringing her hand to his face.

"Oh, he is. You remember after they got him cleaned up and they handed him to you?"

"I'll never forget it." He grinned from ear to ear, his voice getting deeper the more exhausted he became.

Rayna grinned, too, sliding her finger across his stubbled jaw line.

"I may not have felt my best ever but I remember watching you." Her eyes locked with his as she habitually continued to move her hand up and down his face. "I know neither of us were completely sold on the idea of another baby but seeing you with him that day and every other day since then… it's right, Deacon. I wouldn't have it any other way—you're a wonderful father."

Deacon stared at her as he contemplated her words, allowing himself to revel in just how in love with her he was; how in love with her he'd always been, even through all the darkness.

He leaned forward and kissed her ever so softly, rolling her onto her back. Her hands roamed all the familiar parts of his torso as he allowed his tongue to explore her mouth at a tortuously slow pace. She whimpered quietly into his mouth, finding herself flustered when he broke his lips from hers.

His eyes burned into her; took all of her in as he lifted his hand to her head and ran his fingers delicately through her hair.

"Thank you," he whispered.

"For what?" She choked out, her throat dry as she sought to catch her breath.

"For them. For us."

He grinned, lowering his face back to hers slowly, shamelessly teasing her as his lips hovered just above hers; his breath melting her down.

"For this."