Epilogue

Maddie parked the car next to the Wyatt plot. She got out and, closing her eyes, turned her face up to the sun, smiling to herself. It was a beautiful spring day with just a light breeze. She heard the other car doors close and turned, watching Daphne take Tandy's arm. They walked over to her and Tandy smiled and gripped her arm as well. The three of them walked to the bench that overlooked the Wyatt plot and sat.

This particular cemetery was a peaceful place in the middle of Nashville. The grass was lush and green, almost like a soft carpet underfoot. The trees had grown tall and full and provided ample shade. The grounds were well-maintained, with azaleas beginning to bloom and other flowers starting to bud. It was a wonderful place for meditation and contemplation. A few minutes passed before anyone said anything.

"I can't believe it's been three months," Daphne said quietly, breaking the silence.

Tandy looked at her. "I know. And yet it also feels like it was yesterday," she said.

Maddie took a deep breath. "I really miss her," she said. "Both of them. So much." She turned to look at them. "Do you think she's at peace now?"

Tandy looked back at the gravestones for Rayna and Deacon. Loving wife. Devoted husband. "Here's what I think," she said. "I think he was waiting for her and when she passed over, he was smiling when he saw her. And I think she ran to him and kissed him with all the love she'd been saving up for all those years. So yes, I think she's at peace." She looked at Daphne and then Maddie, laughing at the surprise on their faces. "What? So I'm a romantic at heart."

Maddie raised her eyebrows. "But about Mom and Dad?" she asked.

"I told you, I made peace with your father a long time ago. And we actually became friends."

Daphne laughed. "I can't even imagine that," she said. "The making peace stuff, yes, but the being friends?"

Tandy shrugged and smirked. "Even I can acknowledge someone has changed. Besides, he really did love your mom. He made her happy and that made me happy."

Daphne sighed. "I wish Michael was old enough to remember him. I know he has Dad, but I wish he'd had more time with Deacon."

They settled back into silence again. The breeze lightly rustled in the trees and the smell of freshly blooming flowers wafted over them.

Daphne cleared her throat and Tandy and Maddie looked at her. She looked at them, then away. "I've decided to leave Nashville," she said.

"What?" Maddie cried.

Daphne nodded. "Yeah. I mean, you know Nick and I had kind of drifted apart. So after Mom died, we talked. I mean, really talked. And we didn't want to split up. We still love each other. But if we're going to make it work, we need to be in the same place. This lack of proximity is killing us. So I'm going to go be with him. Both Michael and me."

Maddie still looked like she was in shock. "But what about Highway 65?"

"I'll do what Mom did and find someone to handle the daily operations. I can still do oversight wherever I am." Daphne wrapped her arms around her waist. "I had to do something. I couldn't let it slip out of my hands. I thought about Mom and Deacon and I didn't want to look back and wish I'd done something differently." She paused. "You know, she told me once that back when Deacon had cancer, there was a time when she thought she'd waited too long, that she'd lost her opportunity. So, after the transplant, she said she wasn't going to let anything get in their way."

Tandy smiled at her niece. "I'm so glad for you, Daphne," she said. "I'm happy the two of you are going to make this work. I think your mom would be so pleased. So, where will you go?"

"LA. For now. That's where most of Nick's work is. And Michael likes it there. It'll be different, but we're actually excited to see what's next." She breathed in deeply. "I think Mom would have approved. That was the one thing I considered. I mean, she gave me Highway 65 to run and she trusted me with it. But I think when it came down to the label versus love, she would always have chosen love. And I think she'd have given me her blessing."

Maddie nodded. "I think she would have too. I'll miss you, though. I mean really, really miss you. You've always been there with me, through the good and the bad. And even when I was awful to you, you took me right back."

Daphne looked confused. "When were you awful to me?" she asked.

Maddie laughed. "Long enough ago that the memory had faded, apparently," she said. She got serious. "I'm glad you're doing this. Even though I'll miss you like crazy, it's the right thing to do."

Tandy reached for Maddie's hand and then Daphne's, holding them tight. "Your mom loved you two so much. And she was so very, very proud of both of you. You both came from her heart. You know, of course, that our mom died when we were pretty young, and your mom wanted the two of you to have what we didn't. She always tried to make sure you had normal lives, even though that wasn't always easy to do. She wanted to protect both of you from all the pain life can throw your way. I know she wasn't always successful at that and I know that you both had your moments of rebellion and wanting to break away. But she still loved you more than anything. Being a mom was what she'd always wanted." She smiled, but tears were in her eyes. "She was happy for both of you. That you'd grown up to be such wonderful women and that you were happy with your lives." She looked at Daphne. "Your mom knew you were struggling, but you were right that she would have told you to follow love." She closed her eyes and turned her face up to the sky. "I know she'll always be looking down on us, watching over us. She will always be in our hearts."

After a moment, Maddie said, "I think what I always appreciated most about her was her loyalty. Even when I made things hard, she wouldn't give up on me. I think it would have been easy for her to say 'you wanted to be on your own, you're on your own'. When my own girls got to be that age, I finally realized how devastating it was for her. For me to tell her I wanted to separate from her, I know it tore her apart. We're closer to our mothers before we're born than we ever are to another human being. I let her down so badly, but she never, ever walked away."

Tandy nodded. "She wasn't made that way." She put her hand on Maddie's back and rubbed it gently. "You know, I disappointed your mom too. I kept things from her, things I should have told her, and left her to handle things she never should have. I let her down. She was angry with me but we always found a way to fix it." She sighed. "It was one of the reasons I made such an effort to be friends with your father. I felt like I owed it to her. She always made such huge sacrifices for the people she loved and I thought it was time I paid her back."

"You know, I remember when I performed with her in New York City. It was the night you came back, Maddie," Daphne said. "I still remember, even after all these years, standing on that stage with Deacon and him telling me how many people would be out there and I was terrified. I wasn't like you, Maddie. I loved to sing, but I think that was when I realized that getting up on a stage and performing might not really be my thing." She smiled. "But that night, Mom told me I would be great, and that if I forgot the words or something, not to worry, that she was right there and would cover for me. And she really did that for us our whole lives. She was always right there and she always had our back."

Maddie smiled. "She raised two strong women, Daphne, that I know for sure. We both learned so much from her."

Daphne nodded. "We did. You know, when I was putting together some of the material for the thirtieth anniversary of the founding of Highway 65, I realized all over again how strong she was. She fought for that label. She bet everything she owned on the label. She believed in what she wanted to do – be a refuge for artists, develop young artists. And she did that. She overcame so many obstacles. There were so many times early on when she'd be right on the brink and something would happen to knock her back, but she'd get back up and keep fighting. I think there was a time when she was the only artist on the label who had any record sales. That had to be so scary for her, but she never let it show. She just kept fighting."

"That's true," Maddie agreed. "I loved reading about how she got started in the business. She and Dad played all kinds of honky tonks and dive bars and hole in the wall places – for years – before she finally caught a break. And it was always a struggle, because she was a woman in the industry. She just had to work harder. But even more than what she did as an artist was that she was a great mom. No matter what, I did always know that she loved me, that she loved us." She sighed. "She really was a great example for us."

Tandy took Maddie's hand and then Daphne's and lifted them up, squeezing them gently. "We were lucky to have had her in our lives. And now you two will carry on her legacy. Just as she always wanted."

The End

Sorry it took so long to finish this. I got caught up in my other story, but I always wanted to wrap this up with an epilogue. Thanks to all those who read this and especially to those who left a review. Always grateful.