Deacon
It was late when he walked in the house. It had been his last night to work before the wedding and honeymoon. He'd finalized all the details for the honeymoon surprise, but he'd felt surprisingly melancholy as he'd done so. He couldn't help but wonder if the near-chaotic whirlwind of the past month was getting to him. He set his messenger bag down on the counter, along with his keys, and then headed for the back stairs.
When he got to the top of the stairs, he headed down the hall, first past the girls' rooms, then to the bedroom he shared with Rayna. When he opened the door, he saw her sitting cross-legged on the bed, looking down at her phone. She looked up when she heard him and set her phone down on the bedside table. "Hey," she said, with a smile.
He closed the door. "Hey," he said.
She frowned slightly. "You okay?" she asked.
He nodded, then walked around the bed and headed for his closet. "Busy night," he said.
She watched him as he walked into the closet. "Deacon?" He heard a note of concern in her voice as he took off his jacket and slid off his boots. He walked back to the door and looked at her. "You sure you're okay?" She turned on the bed to face him.
He nodded again. "Yeah, I'm good," he said, and ducked back into the closet to take off his jeans. When he came back out, she looked alert, sitting forward, her hands clasped in front of her. He tried to ignore her, pulling back the covers.
"Deacon," she said, with that tone that warned him she wasn't going to leave this alone. He stopped and looked at her. Her face softened then. "What's going on, babe?"
He breathed in and then he sighed. "You sure we can do this?"
"Do what? Be together? Like we were meant to be?" She raised her eyebrows. "Yes, I do think we can do that."
"Well, you were the one asked that question…."
She waved him off. "Not as a way to get out of this."
He frowned. "I ain't trying to get out of this, Rayna." He breathed in sharply. "But you don't never wonder why it took so long for us to figure this thing out?"
She shrugged. "I don't know, babe. I guess, sometimes, but you and I both know we've got a very long history and it hasn't always been pretty. It took a lot of ups and downs and taking all kinds of different paths to get us here."
He took a step forward and turned on the bedside lamp on his side of the bed. "That's just it, Ray. It was like the damn universe was standing in our way." He made a face. "And you think that just all changed. What about the last time we tried?"
She looked off to the side. "You know what happened then," she said softly, then turned back to look at him, sadness rimming her eyes. "The truth about Maddie." He instantly felt a lump in his throat and looked down. "And it took us some time to get past that." She sighed. "I think it says a lot that we got through that. Figured that whole thing out. Because that wasn't a given, as you well know." He looked back at her and she shrugged. "You would have had every right to have never forgiven me, Deacon. I don't discount that for one minute." She breathed in. "I don't think I was really appreciative enough of that in the moment."
"Rayna, I…."
She shook her head. "You are the heart and soul of our lives, babe. You've always been. And I know it hasn't always been the way we wanted and I get that you've paid the price for that a lot more than I have." She reached her hand out then and he breathed in, then took her hand, letting her pull him onto the bed until he was sitting across from her. "I don't want you doing that thing you do sometimes, where you think you don't deserve to be happy. You do. More than probably anyone I know." She smiled a little and he couldn't help but smile back at her. "I know our lives have been messy, a lot of the time. But I would never want to do any of this without you. You know that, right?"
He leaned in then, putting his hand behind her neck, pulling her in for a kiss. Then he leaned his forehead against hers. "Baby, we both done stuff," he said, his voice sounding a little raspy to his ears. He sat back then. "I thank God every single day we figured this out. I'm the luckiest guy in the world." He shook his head. "And I know our lives together have been messy, mostly 'cause of me." He took her hands in his. "I just don't wanna disappoint you."
She smiled at him encouragingly. "I don't think we can help but disappoint each other sometimes, my love. But what I love most about us is that we work through it." She reached up and put her palm against his cheek. "Sometimes we argue and fight, sometimes we cry, sometimes we beg and ask forgiveness, but it's always beautiful at the end, because we know how much we love each other." She rubbed her thumb against his cheek and he suddenly felt overcome with emotion. "You know, I told Maddie that the best thing about us was that we could always be real with each other and what a gift that is."
He felt the tears rise up in his eyes and he laughed. "Yeah, you're right about that. Everything we been through, all the hurt and pain, it got us here. We worked through it all, you're right about that." He smiled. "And there ain't nobody I'd rather do any of this with, good or bad." He put his hands around her waist and leaned in to kiss her. "In two days, I'm gonna get everything I ever wanted," he said.
She rose up on her knees and moved towards him, settling herself on his knees and winding her arms around his neck. "We both are," she said with a smile, then kissed him.
All he wanted right then was her and he tipped her onto her back, hovering over her for a moment. Then he lowered himself on top of her. "Let me show you how much I love you, baby," he murmured. "How much I always loved you."
She laughed, a low, husky sound. "Yes, please," she whispered. And so he did.
Rayna
She was suddenly wide awake. She turned her head to look at the digital clock and closed her eyes, groaning silently. 3:42 AM. She sighed. She had not slept at all well, wedding details still nagging at her, and she was afraid now she'd be awake for the duration. She turned her head back and looked over at Deacon. He was laying on his side, with his back to her, and she smiled to herself as she watched his slow, even breathing.
I'm getting married tomorrow. To the love of my life. The man I've wanted to marry since I was sixteen years old. Who would ever have thought true love would last that long? Hell, who would ever have thought you could even find your true love at sixteen? Before you even know yourself? He'd just always been there, though. She found it hard to remember sometimes that she hadn't known him until that fateful night at the Bluebird, when he had approached her shyly and told her how good she was.
She hadn't told him then that she had noticed him the previous time she'd been there, had fallen in love with the way he played a guitar, the sound of his voice, the deeply sensitive look in his eyes and on his face. She had felt things she didn't understand that night. Things that had caused her to have dreams that had woken her up, her heart pounding and her mouth dry, feeling a throbbing between her legs. It would have scared her, except that it had felt deeply satisfying in a way she wouldn't know until she was actually in his bed.
She closed her eyes then, thinking about how infinitely better her life always was when Deacon Claybourne was in it. He was her heart and soul, the beginning and the end, and, no matter what, the one person she never wanted to live without again. She sighed deeply and finally fell back asleep.
Deacon
The sky was just starting to brighten and the room got marginally lighter. He opened his eyes and breathed in. He was laying on his back and she was curled up against his side, the back of one hand pressed against his side and her foot draped over his. He smiled to himself. This bed was a big bed and yet, most of the time, they slept pressed up against each other some way.
Back when they had first lived together, in that dumpy studio apartment in a sketchy area of East Nashville, all they had was a twin bed. Practically a cot, it was so small and uncomfortable. So they were forced to sleep basically clinging to each other. Not that he'd minded that. When she first came, he'd let her sleep on the bed and he slept on the couch, which was really more like a loveseat and was lumpy and even more uncomfortable than the bed. She had felt bad about that and offered to switch, but he wouldn't do it. So when she had invited him to sleep in the bed with her, he'd known what she really wanted.
It was obvious, from the first time he'd met her, that she was naïve about most things that had to do with relationships. He'd had experience, of course, but he took his time with her, didn't push, made sure he was gentle. He didn't want to scare her. He remembered talking her through that first time, step by step, letting her get used to everything he did. It had been worth the effort, for sure. He'd been surprised, though, by his own feelings afterwards. He had already told her he loved her – and he did – but he hadn't expected to wake up the next morning and feel like she was the person he would love for the rest of his life.
She had been though. He had known their lives would be forever connected and it had been true. But he'd spent the first half of their lives together making hers miserable and she had spent the second half doing the same to him. It felt kind of like they were even. They'd done terrible things to each other, truly, but they'd still always clung to each other, the same way they had in that twin bed years ago.
He wondered sometimes if, when she had kicked him out that last time, it would have stuck, had she not gotten pregnant. Or maybe they would have done the same thing they'd always done and he would have disappointed her over and over again until…well, until he'd finally died. He swallowed over the lump in his throat. That didn't feel good. So maybe we needed all the rest. So I could figure out how to get outta that dark hole and she could let me.
They'd be getting married the next day. He'd wanted to marry her back when they were still together, but she would never agree to it. If you can stay sober for a year, then we'll talk about it. He never managed to stay sober a year. So it never happened. Until now.
He thought about what she'd said the night before, about the fact that they would probably continue to disappoint each other. He liked that she said they'd always work it through. That would be the part they'd really never done before – worked together to make the relationship work. They'd be partners, real partners, for the first time. He smiled as he thought of that.
He breathed in and gently curved his arm around her, trying not to wake her. She frowned slightly, made a little noise and then settled back down. He closed his eyes, reminding himself he was the luckiest man in the world, and slowly fell back asleep.
Rayna
"So we going straight to the Bluebird after?" Deacon asked.
She was putting on her makeup and caught his eyes in the mirror. "Yeah. They're having some finger foods and drinks first, then dinner." She put on her lipstick. "Plus we don't want to be out too late." She smiled. "I don't know about you, but I'm getting married tomorrow and I need my beauty sleep."
He smiled back and walked over, then leaned against the wall, watching her. "You'll be beautiful no matter what, baby, you know that," he said.
She began taking the curlers out of her hair. "Well, that's sweet, babe, but I really do need to get enough sleep so I don't have bags under my eyes." She looked up at him. "Speaking of bags, I can't find my blue suitcase. You know, the one I usually take with me on the bus."
He raised an eyebrow. "Really? You sure you looked?"
She made a face. "Did you take it?" She gasped. "You packed for me? Are you serious? Deacon!"
He held his hands up. "Don't worry. I packed a nightgown."
She picked up a brush and started brushing out her hair. "I don't wear nightgowns."
He smirked. "Then you don't gotta worry then," he said. He pulled out his phone. "We gotta leave in five minutes, baby. You gonna be ready?"
She pretended to be offended. "Yes, I am." She got up from the vanity. "I just need to change clothes."
He rolled his eyes. "I guess we're waiting another hour then," he said, a teasing smile on his face.
She reached out and swatted his arm. "I don't take that long," she said.
He reached for her, pulling her into his arms and kissing her. "Not unless I keep you busy doing something else," he murmured against her lips.
She laughed softly, running her hands over his shoulders. "Are you planning on distracting me?" she asked.
He ran one hand down her back, landing on her bottom. Then he pressed her close to him. "What do you think?" he whispered in her ear.
She squealed. "I think I'm gonna end up having to reapply my lipstick," she said, with a laugh, letting him push her backwards towards the bedroom.
She looked in the mirror and brushed her hair back, pinning it up and out of her face. She leaned over the vanity and reapplied her lipstick. Then she threw it into her clutch bag and Deacon grabbed her hand, pulling her out into the hallway. They were laughing as they hurried down the back stairs. Tandy and the girls were sitting in the den and they looked up when the two of them rushed in, both a little breathless.
"What took you so long?" Maddie said, a frown on her face. "You made such a big deal out of us being ready and now the two of you are late."
Rayna just looked at her daughter and was glad that Deacon saved the day. "She had to change dresses four times," he said, looking perturbed. "That's why we're late." He squeezed her hand and she laughed.
Deacon
They sat on the chairs in the front row and listened while Lane outlined the ceremony and what everyone would do when. Rayna held his hand tightly and he would smile at her occasionally. This was a big step and he was feeling a little jittery. It wasn't that he didn't want to marry her, because he did. It was just that it was so important and he'd almost given up thinking it would ever happen for him. For them. He wanted it to be perfect, just like she was.
The weather was perfect. Warm, very light breeze, the sun was shining and the river glistened. It was supposed to be the same the next day, which was good. He didn't want any dark clouds spoiling their day, including the dark clouds of his past and all the disappointment he'd caused her over the years. He breathed in deeply and she glanced over at him, frowning ever so slightly. He gave her a little smile to let her know everything was okay and her forehead smoothed out and she smiled as well.
"Okay, everybody, let's walk through it, just like that," Lane said.
He stood and took Rayna's hand as she stood up as well, laughing just a little. He smiled. "You ready for this?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.
She grinned. "So ready." She let go of his hand and headed for the back of the rows of chairs.
He stood next to the judge and looked down the aisle at her, standing there holding her hands together in front of her, as though she were carrying a bouquet of flowers. Even from as far back as she was, he could see her eyes on his and he knew she only had eyes for him in that moment. He tried to imagine her in a white dress, looking more beautiful than he thought he'd ever see her. He smiled to himself as he thought about their conversation about the dress earlier.
"You want to see it?" she asked, as she headed for the closet with the dress bag.
"Ain't that supposed to be bad luck or something?" he said.
She wrinkled her nose and shook her head. "I don't believe in bad luck."
He grinned. "Well, still, why don't you let the dress be a surprise?"
She hung the dress on a hook on the closet door and walked over to him, putting her arms around his neck and leaning into him. He put his arms around her waist and pulled her closer, kissing her. "We'll wait then," she said with a wink. "You have a surprise. So I guess it'll just be my surprise."
He did want to wait. He wanted his first glimpse of her in that dress to be as she stood there, ready to marry him. They'd done so many other things in their lives out of order, it was one thing they could do by tradition. So he watched as she walked towards him, a smile on her face, joining him in front of the judge. Lane walked them through the ceremony, which would be simple, with the two of them exchanging vows they'd written for each other, along with rings.
They practiced the dip. It wasn't the first time, but he didn't want to mess that up. After Lane wrapped up the plan, he heard Tandy from behind them. "And then we all head over to the reception and have a nice stiff drink," she said, standing up. He turned and looked at her, knowing that was her way of expressing her continued displeasure about the marriage. He let his eyes drift past Tandy to Beverly, who had a tight smile on her own face as she gave him an almost imperceptible nod. He felt his jaw clench. Rayna don't need this.
Rayna was pulled aside by Lane, with a few last minute questions. He steeled himself and then walked over to where Beverly was standing. He gave her a smile, even though she looked up at him with disdain. "You gonna tell me what's bugging you?" he asked, trying to remain pleasant.
She pursed her lips angrily and crossed her arms over her chest, looking off in the distance. He waited her out. She looked back at him. "So I get it, why Scarlett and Gunnar are singing at the wedding," she said, her voice clipped with irritation. "They're on Rayna's label, so she needs to take care of them." Her tone of voice indicated the opposite, that she didn't understand at all, that she was still pissed. "But then I find out those girls are singing tonight." She sighed dramatically. "You just don't want me to do anything, do you, baby brother?"
He breathed in, trying not to let her get under his skin. "That's not true, Beverly," he said. "It ain't a contest. And those girls are Rayna's daughters, as you know, and they wrote a song for us."
She huffed and then threw her arms out. "Why am I even here then?" she said, sounding whiny and petulant.
He frowned. "You're here because you're my sister and because I want you to be," he said. Then he raised his eyebrows. "But if all you're gonna do is complain, maybe you don't belong here." He took a step closer. "It's a big day, for me and for Rayna. I know she ain't your favorite person, but you ain't gonna ruin this for her."
She narrowed her eyes and shook her head. "I don't know why you do this, Deacon," she said. "She has jerked you around for all these years, lied to you about your daughter, and when you get sick, she finally decides to stick around."
He grabbed her arm and pulled her closer, scowling at her. "This don't have nothing to do with me being sick, Beverly," he said angrily. "You know our history. She was being cautious."
She looked at him for a second, then laughed nastily. "Cautious? Really? That's what you call it? She just didn't want you dragging her down, little brother. She tossed you aside a long time ago but you just sat around and waited for her…."
He pulled her close to his face, almost ready to slap her. "Beverly," he hissed menacingly.
"Hey, y'all, what's going on?" Rayna's voice came from behind him and he recognized that she wasn't just asking to be pleasant, but because she'd seen something she didn't like. He let Beverly's arm go and she took two steps back, sneering at him.
He turned and looked at Rayna, smiling a smile he knew she'd know was fake. "Just talking about how things are gonna go," he said.
Rayna narrowed her eyes just a bit. "You sure? 'Cause it didn't look quite like that." She flashed what he knew was one of her performance smiles at Beverly. "We're just glad you're here to celebrate with us, Beverly."
Beverly smiled a less practiced fake smile. "Of course. Where else would I be? My baby brother's getting married, my daughter's singing in the wedding, and my niece is singing at the rehearsal. Just a family affair." She smiled again, wrinkling her nose just slightly, then turned and walked off.
He watched his sister head towards Scarlett and silently apologized to his niece. Then he turned back to Rayna, who was frowning. "Please tell me we're not gonna have any fighting between the two of you," she said.
He breathed in and raised his eyebrows. "I ain't fighting, but I can't control Beverly," he said.
She smiled then, but it didn't reach her eyes. "You're gonna need to figure out something then, babe," she said. "Because I don't want anything – or anyone – to spoil this day." She then turned and walked over to the girls. He stood, watching, as she put an arm around each of them and they walked off together. He sighed.
Rayna
"So how you girls doing?" Rayna asked, looking back and forth between Maddie and Daphne. She wanted to be sensitive to each of them, especially Daphne, as the wedding approached. She wanted them both to be excited – and she was sure Maddie was – and not feel left out of things. She was also wary of Tandy being around them and what her sister might say, or not say.
Daphne looked up with a frown on her face. "Why are we doing this so far away, Mom?" she asked.
Rayna raised her eyebrows. "I told you, sweetheart. This was your grandmother's land and she loved it here. Your Aunt Tandy and I used to come out here with her when we were young and it's just a really special place." She smiled. "Plus it's private."
"It is really beautiful, Mom," Maddie said and Rayna turned to her with a smile. "Such a romantic place."
"Well, I think so too," Rayna replied. "Just the perfect place for a wedding. And I'm so glad it's supposed to be a nice day tomorrow too." She looked around then. "Where's your Aunt Tandy?"
"Oh, I think she went ahead to the car," Maddie said, pointing towards Rayna's SUV.
Rayna set her jaw, hoping this didn't mean her sister was going to be difficult. It wasn't just Beverly she was worried about. Tandy had never been shy about sharing her feelings about Deacon – and they were mostly negative – and she wasn't interested in playing referee at her own wedding. She was glad Beverly was riding to the rehearsal dinner with Scarlett and Gunnar. She looked over her shoulder and saw Deacon standing along the edge of the river, not far from where they'd practiced. She looked back at her girls. "Y'all go ahead and get in the car," she said, putting a smile on her face. "Looks like I need to go get Deacon to head our way. Okay?"
Maddie nodded. "Okay, Mom," she said, with a smile. She and Daphne then headed to the car and Rayna turned back and walked towards her fiancé.
He was standing right along the bank, his hands in his pockets, his shoulders rolled forwards. She approached him and put her hand on his back. He turned to look at her, but she couldn't read his expression. "You ready?" she asked.
He nodded. "Yeah." He breathed in, then pulled one hand out of his pocket and took hers. "I'm sorry. I know I shouldn't let her get to me, but…."
She shook her head and smiled ruefully. "You and I were blessed with very challenging sisters, babe." Then she chuckled. "Or maybe I should say cursed." That got a smile from him. "We'll survive it. Hell, they're the least of our worries, I'd say. They're just unhappy and we don't have to let them bother us." She put her other hand on his face. "I'm getting ready to marry the love of my life. I'm sure not going to let my sister or your sister ruin that for me. Are you?"
He looked at her for a second, then leaned in and kissed her. "No, I am not." He put his arm around her and grinned. "Let's go to that rehearsal dinner, okay?"
She put her arm around his waist and laughed happily, letting him lead her back to the car.
Deacon
He did not really understand the whole rehearsal dinner thing. Not even a little bit. There were people here he didn't know and he really just wanted to go home with Rayna. It reminded him a little bit of going to after parties with her. She would flit around the room, a smile on her face, her hands waving in the air, chatting up everyone in the room. He could remember following behind her, standing close by to make sure she knew who everyone was, and then letting her do all the talking. It had been a long time since he'd been on after party duty and he had not missed it at all.
He looked around the room. These were her people, not his people. He was back in her world again, in that place where he'd often felt like he didn't belong, like he was an interloper. She had been raised in this world, filled with wealthy, connected people. She'd married someone from this same world – Teddy – and she hadn't missed a beat. Luke Wheeler wasn't exactly from this world, but he was successful in his own right. He sighed. He just felt out of place.
He finally walked over and sat back down at their table. He didn't know why he felt anxious, but he did. It wasn't that he wasn't happy, because he'd never been this happy in his life. And it wasn't that he wasn't sure marrying Rayna was exactly what he should be doing, because he did. Nothing had ever felt more right than this. But he didn't want to disappoint her and he supposed that was something he'd never quite been able to stop feeling, even after all these years. It was hard to get used to the idea of things actually, finally, working out the way they were supposed to. He poked at the piece of pie at his place.
"How come you're not socializing with your guests?" He turned to see Beverly sit down next to him.
He shrugged. "You know I ain't good with small talk. Never have been." He smiled a little. "I skipped every after party I could. Talking up people just ain't my thing, like it is Rayna's."
She surprised him by smiling, her face softening slightly. "You always were kind of to yourself, that's true," she said. She sighed, then got a melancholy look on her face. She looked at him. "You ever think what might have happened had we had a normal childhood? With normal parents?"
He looked at her and swallowed. "Sometimes," he said. "I try not to think about it much, 'cause there ain't much we can do about it."
She put her hand on his arm. "We had a tough life. It made us who we are. Made us angry at each other, I guess, when we shouldn't be." He thought he caught a glimpse of tears in her eyes. "It wasn't our fault, Deacon," she said quietly, so quietly he almost missed it.
He put his hand over hers. "No, it wasn't," he said. He sighed. "I'm sorry you feel like I left you."
She shrugged and looked away. "You were right. I did have a choice." She looked back at him, a hardness back in her eyes, although he sensed it wasn't directed at him. "I was just scared, I think. Scared to leave what was familiar, which is crazy. Scared to fail." She gave him the ghost of a smile. "You did the right thing, getting out, even though all that darkness followed you anyway." She breathed out. "And I know his sickness is buried down inside you, just like hers is in me." She looked at him again. "It wasn't our fault."
He shook his head. "No, it wasn't," he said again. "It was just a terrible thing to do to kids." He breathed in. "Maybe it's good I didn't pass that to Maddie."
She nodded thoughtfully. "Maybe so. I sure did pass the crazy to Scarlett. I know that. I never meant to, you know."
He nodded. "I do know, Bev. You done the best you could." He felt that old anxiety start to take hold. He didn't like to think about how they grew up, the parents who'd damaged them, the demons they both had carried with them. He breathed in deeply, trying to remind himself he'd come out of that. The fact that he was in this place, getting ready to marry Rayna, was proof of that.
She smiled, a bigger smile. "I'm glad to be here, Deacon. With you and with Scarlett. Things weren't so bad in Biloxi, since he left, but it's better here."
He reached over and hugged her. "I'm glad you're here too," he said, meaning it.
"Hey, everybody," Maddie called out then and they both turned to look up at the girls, standing on the riser. "It's so cool to be celebrating in the very room where the bride and groom first met." He smiled proudly as he looked up at the girls. "Anyway, my sister and I wrote this especially for tonight, because they are finally getting married."
Tandy took her seat on the other side of Rayna's empty chair, giving him a look that said she wasn't thrilled. He tried smiling at her, but she didn't return it. He was grateful when Rayna came back and sat down next to him, giving him an encouraging smile, and then taking his hand in hers under the table. He felt some of the anxiety start to fade away.
Rayna
She hurried down the back hallway to the restroom, but the door was closed. She waited, not particularly patiently, tapping her foot as she did. When the door opened, she was a little surprised to see Tandy come out. "I didn't know you'd come back here," she said to her sister.
Tandy gave her a look. "Was I supposed to ask permission?"
Rayna frowned. "Are we going to be unpleasant with each other?"
Tandy raised her eyebrows. "I'm not being unpleasant."
"You're not exactly being pleasant though. You hardly spoke to Deacon." She sighed. "I thought you were okay with all this. That you'd accepted it."
"I've made my peace with it." She waved her hand impatiently. "But he has hurt you, Rayna. A lot. And you know that. Maybe you can forget all that, but I can't." She took a deep breath. "I know you believe the two of you are this magical, meant to be couple, and I'm trying to stay out of it." She took Rayna's hand. "I meant what I said. All I want is for you to be happy. I will always want that."
Rayna looked at Tandy and wanted to believe that. She didn't know if it was just the emotions of the past few weeks, getting ready for this wedding, but she didn't want anything to get in the way of this being the happiest day of her life. "I just need you to be a hundred percent invested in this, Tandy. You don't know how important that is to me right now."
Tandy breathed in deeply and then gave her sister a little smile. "Rayna, you're my sister, and I love you more than anyone else on this earth. I will never think any man is good enough for you and I will always keep my eye on Deacon to be sure that he never hurts you again. If he's the man you love, and I know that he is, then I support you. Both of you." She reached for Rayna's hands. "I love you, Rayna," she said softly. "You're all I have. I only want you to be happy."
Rayna reached out and pulled her sister into an embrace. "Thank you," she whispered. Then she stepped back and waved at her wet eyes. "Now I really need to use the bathroom before we go home," she said, with a laugh, and Tandy smiled and stepped aside, letting her go past.
Deacon
He pulled her close, wrapping his arms around her, feeling her arm around his waist and her leg draping his. "So you s'pose tomorrow's gonna go off without a hitch then?" he asked her.
She looked up at him. "God only knows, but at least they both seem to be in a good place," she said.
He breathed in. "You sure? 'Cause I kept thinking maybe aliens had abducted Beverly," he said.
She laughed. "Maybe abducted them both." She turned in his arms. "You know what though? I'm not sure I care. If they stay this way through tomorrow, then I'm good."
He raised his eyebrows and shrugged slightly. "We can hope, I guess."
She grinned up at him, reaching up to run her fingers through his hair and then down over his cheek, finally tapping him on the chin. "We're finally doing this."
He grinned back. "Yeah, we are."
She moved her hand and ran it up his back. "Tomorrow's the wedding, then off to the cabin and then…?" She gave him a teasing look.
"Still not telling you," he said, with a laugh.
She chuckled. "Well, I tried." She snuggled closer. "Maybe I could get a wedding night preview though." She winked at him.
He kissed her. "I think we can definitely do that," he said, rolling her onto her back.
Rayna
Deacon was already asleep and she was almost there. She gazed at his profile in the dim light and felt a momentary ache in her chest. It had been a long ride for the two of them. But she truly didn't want to finish their lives apart. He's the best man that I know. He's loving and kind and generous, he truly wears his heart on his sleeve. And I know he'd do anything for me and for the girls. He's the man I want to marry, really the only man I've ever truly wanted to marry. I'm just so grateful we've gotten here. Finally.
She breathed out and smiled to herself as she snuggled in a little closer. He twitched his mouth and seemed to sigh in his sleep. And then she closed her eyes.
