A/N: Thanks to all my reviewers. The songs used in this chapter are You and Tequila by Kenny Chesney and Sinners Like Me by Eric Church.

Chapter 25

"You excited about your campin' trip this weekend, Squirt?" Deacon asked as the girls got ready for school.

"I'm really excited it's gonna be a lot of fun." Daphne chattered away.

He would have attempted to make conversation with Maddie, but she had her headphones in her ears.

"Well, don't ya'll look like a lively bunch this morning." Rayna came into the kitchen fully dressed.

"I spent half the night on the couch with Deac. I don't know what his problem was last night, but he was really fussy." He replied. "What are you so dressed up for?"

"I only have a week of maternity leave left and I'm gonna just ease myself back into things. There is some stuff that I wanna take care of. You stay home with the boys and come in when you feel like it. I know that you were up and down with Deac all night. I'm gonna take the girls to school and let you get some rest. It's time for me to get back in the swing of things." She pecked his lips.

"You have no idea how good that sounds to me." He grinned at her.

"What's with Maddie this morning?" Rayna knew that she could talk about her daughter and she wouldn't hear her.

"I don't know what's up with her. She's been in a mood the last few days if you haven't noticed." He shrugged his shoulders. He didn't understand teenage girls.

"I've noticed I would have to be comatose not to have noticed." Rayna rolled her eyes. She walked over and pulled one of the headphones out of Maddie's ear. "Maddie, time for school. We have to get going."

"Whatever, mom, I'll be in the car." Maddie got up with a huff and grabbed her bag before heading out to the car.

"If I was anything like her I admire my father's restraint at only throwing me out of the house instead of killing me." Rayna sighed.

"How, 'bout this, you get the girls off to school and I will get the boys ready and we will meet you at the studio? We still have a couple tracks to lay down for that duet album. You can do your stuff at the office this afternoon after we finish." He suggested.

"That sounds amazing actually. I'll see you at the studio in lets say an hour?" Rayna asked him.

"That works for me. I'll go get the outlaw and the rebel ready as soon as you leave." He replied.

"See you then." Rayna gave him a quick kiss. "Come on, Daph, let's go."

"Bye, sweet girl, have a good time this weekend." Rayna bid Daphne farewell when she got out of the car.

"Bye, mom," Daphne chirped happily.

"So I was thinking with your sister busy this weekend it might be nice for you and I to get some one on one time in. Jade St. John is in town and I can get us tickets to the concert if you want." Rayna turned to Maddie.

"Mom, I have plans already. I'm supposed to hang out with my friends." Maddie replied quickly.

"Alright, well have a good day." Rayna told her as she climbed out of the car. She hadn't made it very far when she realized that Daphne left her overnight bag in the car. She pressed a button on her steering wheel and called Deacon. "Hey, babe, I know that I'm supposed to be meeting you at the studio, but Daphne left her bag in the car and I'm gonna be running a little late."

"Ray, when you said an hour I figured on it bein' closer to two. You're never on time for anythin' and I don't expect you to start now." Deacon laughed on the other end of the phone.

"Don't you get sassy with me, boy, I will have to punish you later if you're not careful." She bit her lip. Things between the two of them turned dirty quickly if they weren't careful.

"Oh, I wish you would. It seems like it's been so long since I got any lovin' from you." He retorted.

"I think we are addicted to each other it's only been two days." That was slow torture for them though they didn't go long periods without having sex. She pulled into a parking spot and looked up in time to see Maddie kissing a boy. Her jaw dropped when she saw that it was Colt. "Babe, I'm gonna have to call you back." She hung up on him without waiting for a reply. She took her sunglasses off just to make sure that she wasn't seeing things.

"I know, your momma is so slow and we are gonna be waitin' on her for probably another half hour." Deacon pushed the boys back and forth in their stroller. He was standing in the sound booth with Bucky waiting for Rayna.

"Deacon, I know that you don't expect anything less out of her. You're the one I count on to be on time. I always have. Even drunk you were still more reliable than her about being on time." Bucky just shook his head there wasn't much else that he could do or say.

"I'm gonna take them for a lap around the building while we are waitin' they get a little impatient." Deacon told him.

"I'll be here when she gets here." Bucky replied.

Deacon made a lap around to the front door just as Rayna walked in. "There you are, what held you up?"

"I may have gotten to the bottom of Maddie's attitude problem lately." Rayna informed him.

"What is it?" He asked. He craned his head in annoyance when Luke walked out talking to Jeff.

"Oh, you'll see." Rayna marched over to where Luke and Jeff stood.

"Rayna, hey," Luke greeted her cheerfully.

"Hey, are you two working together now?" Rayna asked to be polite.

"I'm actually working on developing new talent." Jeff's jaw had clenched at the question.

"It's good to have a hobby." She quipped.

Jeff had to walk right past Deacon and the boys to leave. He looked down at the boys and then up at Deacon again. "I don't know, Luke, if I were you I would demand a DNA test."

Rayna turned to look at Deacon there was no telling how he would react to that.

Deacon stiffened up and fought every urge in him that was telling him to kill Jeff slowly with his bare hands. "Jeff, don't you have to go snort coke off the nipples of underage call girls or whatever it is you super villains do with your time? I mean you should be happy you don't have a job anymore you have all the time in the world to live like a porn star now."

Jeff's face turned red and he walked out without another word.

"I would have thought that Freakin' Deacon would have knocked him into the middle of next week for that one." Luke mused.

"Believe me, I wanted to." Deacon seethed.

"Luke, I was at the school this morning and I saw Maddie talking to Colt. I didn't know that he was staying here now." Rayna broached the subject casually.

"Yeah, he's been back for a couple of weeks now." Luke replied.

"The only reason I mention it is because I saw them making out." Rayna could almost see the steam coming out of Deacon's ears without turning around to look at him.

"Well, that's not so odd considering they are boyfriend and girlfriend." Luke informed her.

"Since when?" Deacon asked.

"For a few weeks now. I assumed that you knew she's been spendin' a lot of time out at the ranch with him." Luke answered.

"That's interesting. Thanks, for being so willing to have this conversation." Rayna smiled at him.

"The first of many I'm sure since our kids are together." Luke smiled back. He went over and peeked down at Little Deacon and Jaymes. "Well, you sure are some cute little fellas ya'll look just like your daddy."

"It's nap time you ain't gonna get much of a response outta 'em." Deacon made conversation.

"Hey, Luke, you wouldn't happen to know if the kids have plans this weekend would you?" Rayna asked.

"Yeah, Colt had me get them tickets to the Jade St. John concert." Luke replied.

"Just curious, thanks." Rayna said.

"No problem, I'll see you around." Luke headed back into the studio.

"Babe," Rayna tried talking to Deacon.

"Oh, Ray, not now. We should probably just go record those songs now." Deacon took a deep breath.

"I know you're pissed. I'm pissed too, but you can lay into her later. Come on, let's go get some work done." Rayna guided him back to the studio.

"Baby here I am again kicking dust in the canyon wind waiting for that sun to go down. Made it up Mulholland Drive hell bent on getting high, high above the lights of town." Deacon started the song.

" 'Cause you and tequila make me crazy run like poison in my blood. One more night could kill me baby one is one too many one more is never enough." They sang in unison. This was the song they had written together the night the twins were conceived.

"Thirty days and thirty nights been putting up a real good fight there were times I thought you'd win. It's so easy to forget the bitter taste the morning left swore I wouldn't go back there again." The words couldn't have described their relationship more perfectly if they'd tried.

" 'Cause you and tequila make me crazy run like poison in my blood. One more night could kill me baby one is one too many one more is never enough."

"When it comes to you oh, the damage I could do. It's always your favorite sins that do you in." Rayna harmonized with him at the end of that line.

"Cause you and tequila make me crazy run like poison in my blood. One more night could kill me baby one is one too many and one more is never enough. Never enough, you and tequila, you and tequila."

"Make me crazy." She sang softly.

"As usual you two nailed it. And have I thanked you for getting married and not inflicting your torture on anyone else?" Bucky's voice came over the intercom.

"Buck, we're together again that means you have to go back to checking utility closets to find us when we disappear together." Deacon reminded him.

"Yeah, I'm holding the manifestation of your inability to keep your hands off of each other in my arms right now." Bucky retorted.

Rayna threw back her head and laughed.

Maddie sat cross legged across her bed. She had her phone in her hand texting. She looked up in annoyance when she heard someone step into her room. "What do you want, mom?"

"You know I'm really bummed about that concert. I was really looking forward to doing something just the two of us. Dad gets alone time with you when you two do driving lessons. I feel like it's been forever since we've done something just the two of us." Rayna played it up a little bit for Maddie's benefit.

"I told you that I have plans, mom." Maddie sighed.

"Do these plans include Colt? I saw you two this morning. Why didn't you just tell us?" Rayna asked.

"How was I supposed to tell you? I know that you don't like Colt." Maddie reasoned with her.

"It's not that I don't like him I just don't think he has the best judgment. Remember the Maddie Claybourne video or the party ya'll threw?" Rayna corrected her.

"I don't get what the big deal is. It's not even like you're with Luke anymore so it doesn't matter." Maddie crossed her arms over her chest.

"The big deal is you lied to us about it, Maddie." Rayna pinched the bridge of her nose.

"God, you are such a hypocrite. Where do you think I learned it from, mom? You lied to me my whole life about who my father was and then you were fooling around with dad when you were supposed to be with Luke." Maddie was just being difficult.

"That's a conversation that we can have, but you need to be respectful about it." Rayna kept her voice even.

"I don't respect you." Maddie spit out.

"Then the natural consequence of that is you'll be missing that concert." Rayna turned on her heel and walked out of the room.

"Deacon, I don't know what we are gonna do with her. She wanted us together so badly and she got that, she wanted a record deal and she's got that. I honestly don't know what else could possibly be wrong with her." Rayna leaned on her elbows on the kitchen counter.

"I'm not makin' excuses for her, but she's a teenage girl, Ray. Bev and my momma used to go at it all the time for no good reason at all. Of course that wasn't when Paul was around. They saved that for when he'd stay gone for weeks and months at a time with one girlfriend and then the other." Deacon stepped behind her and rubbed her shoulders.

"I'm so out of my depth here. By the time I was this age my momma was gone and I guess I don't know how to relate to Maddie anymore. You seem to be the only person who can get through to her. Babe, I'm so grateful for that I really am, but I miss my little girl. We used to be close she used to tell me things." She leaned back into him.

"Mom," Maddie said meekly from the entryway.

Rayna turned to look at her. "Maddie,"

"I'm so sorry, mom. I didn't mean a word of what I said to you. I was just scared to tell you about Colt. And sometimes I feel like I ruined things between us forever when I found out that Deacon is my dad. I guess it's just easy to push you away than feel like you hate me." Maddie bowed her head.

"Come here, baby girl," Rayna opened her arms to her.

Maddie went over and hugged her.

"First of all I appreciate the apology. You don't ever have to be scared to tell daddy and me anything. It doesn't matter what it is we are always gonna love you. You didn't ruin anything between us Maddie if anyone did it was me because I didn't tell you the truth. I'm glad you found the damn DNA test. If you hadn't we might not have the family that we have now. There's nothing that you can ever do that's so bad that I won't still love you." Rayna told her.

"I know that I'm a pain and I'm sorry." Maddie snuggled against her mother.

"It's alright, I'll always forgive you no matter what. I'm your momma that's my job." Rayna kissed the top of her head.

"Why don't you two go do something together tonight and I'll stay in with the boys?" Deacon suggested. He knew that they needed their time alone together.

"You sure, babe?" Rayna asked him.

"I'm positive. Go on now. Maybe I want ya'll women out of my hair for the night. I can sit here and catch a baseball game with my boys." He grinned at them.

"You're the best, babe." Rayna smiled at him.

"I can't believe I let you two drag me to this." Deacon grumbled the next night. They had come to see Layla open for Jade St. John.

"Babe, you complain more than a woman sometimes." Rayna shook her head at him.

"That's rich comin' from the woman who just spent two hours gettin' ready and we are still runnin' a little late." He scoffed.

"Oh my God, I can't be seen in public with you two if you're going to argue like this." Maddie tried to act like she didn't know them.

"I'm gettin' us t-shirts for the next time we all go out together and they are gonna say Maddie's parents on them in neon letters." Deacon laughed.

"Dad, please just stop." Maddie begged him.

"I need to go find Layla and talk to her before she goes on. Can you two behave yourselves until then?" Rayna asked them.

"I'm behaving talk to your husband." Maddie arched her eyebrow.

"Ok, I'll behave." Deacon threw his hands up in a sign of surrender.

The pair stood around watching the roadies get the stage ready while they waited for Rayna.

"I should probably try to find Colt soon." Maddie said.

"I get it you're too cool to be seen in public with your dad." Deacon winked at her.

"Dad, that's not it and you know it." Maddie told him.

"Alright, I got her all squared away." Rayna said as she rejoined them. Her shoulders were tense.

"Everythin' alright?" Deacon asked her.

"Everything is fine. It's nothing for you to be worried about anyway, just a minor annoyance." Rayna assured him. She looked over and saw Colt lurking. "You can come on out now Colt she's all yours." She laughed.

"Maddie, I got you something." Colt showed her a cookie.

"Thanks, Colt." Maddie hugged him.

"Son of a bitch. I told them this damn amp was broke the last time they tried to use it." JC pulled an amp off the stage and sat it up against the wall. "Oh, well it's someone else's problem now."

"Jimmy, what are you doin' here? I thought you had a thing tonight." Deacon addressed the young man. He called him by his given name more often than not.

"Yeah, I have a gig tonight. I drew one of the last slots. So, I had time to do set up, but I'm not tearin' it down tonight." JC explained. He looked away quickly when he saw Maddie with Colt. He grabbed his guitar case. "That cowboy better have remembered my hat if not my beer is on him all night." He grumbled about Will.

"Boy, you gotta stop puttin' so much on yourself you're gonna burn out." Deacon advised him.

"Gotta have food, gas, and rent money." JC shrugged his shoulders. He tucked his dog tags back into his shirt. They had fallen out when he'd bent over.

"Where are you playing tonight?" Maddie finally attempted conversation with him.

"It's one of those unorganized organized things. I'm playin' at the warehouse tonight. I texted you about it. It's no big thing it's a two song set." JC looked everywhere, but directly at her.

"You gonna do that new one you were working on?" Maddie asked.

"I don't know I don't think it sounds right yet." JC replied.

"Well, hell, son, you're standin' in a room full of musicians right now. Try it out on us." Luke piped up.

"Alright, I can do that." JC took his guitar out of the case and put the strap around his neck. "I was fifteen when my daddy's old man caught me halfway through my first beer. He laughed so hard when my face turned green he said you come from a long line of sinners like me. Now me and brother go to see him sometimes, but he don't have much to say anymore so we sit on his headstone with a fifth Jack D here's to a long line of sinners like me. La di da di da la di da da di I come from a long line of sinners like me."

Deacon smiled proudly.

"One of yours?" Rayna whispered and he nodded.

"My momma had a soft spot for a hell raisin' boy so she had two more just like him. It takes an angel to raise a family that comes from a long line of sinners like me. Well now maybe who knows one day I'll settle down and give my dad a grandson of his own and when the doctor smacks him he'll probably take a swing 'cause he'll come from a long line of sinners like me. La di da di da la di da da di I come from a long line of sinners like me."

"On the day I die I know where I'm gonna go me and Jesus got that part worked out. I'll wait at the gate 'til his face I see and stand in a long line of sinners I'll stand in a long line of sinners like me. La di da di da la di da da di I come from a long line of sinners like me. La di da di da la di da da di here's to a long line of sinners like. I come from a long of sinners like me." JC looked up once he had finished singing. "It'll hopefully sound better than that with a band."

"There ain't a damn thing wrong with that song, son." Luke nodded his head impressed.

"Thank you, Mr. Wheeler." JC replied politely.

"JC, that's what I'm looking for when I tell you about depth. Now try that with a song that isn't Deacon's." Rayna told him.

"I'm workin' on it." JC assured her.

"Deacon, you wouldn't be interested in sellin' me that song would you?" Luke asked.

"No, the only reason I let him have it is because I wrote it with his daddy. That's Vince's boy." Deacon would let that song sit and rot before he gave it to Luke.

"Small world, your daddy was one of the best drummers in the business when we were comin' up together." Luke shook his hand.

"JC Grayson, nice to meet you." JC smiled politely.

"Text me directions as soon as I hear Layla's set I'll head over." Deacon told him.

"Great, I'll have the cowboy and the exes save you a seat." JC clapped him on the back. He put his guitar back in the case.

"See you there, my man." Deacon patted his back.

"Break a leg, partner." Maddie smiled at him.

"Thanks," JC grinned.

"You'll do great." Rayna told him.

"Alright, ya'll take these tickets and go have fun." Luke gave Colt the concert tickets.

"Thanks, dad." Colt grabbed Maddie's hand.

"What do you say after we see Layla play we go have a date?" Rayna asked Deacon once they were alone.

"I think that sounds like a good idea, but what about Maddie?" Deacon had a pretty valid point.

"We can come back and get her. Or we can see if Luke will give her a ride home. I know that you really don't want to be here and you much rather have gone off with JC just now." She knew this music wasn't his cup of tea it wasn't even hers for that matter.

"Sounds like a good plan to me, babe." He wrapped his arms around her from behind.

"You've been so great the last couple of days. More so than usual and I'm so grateful for you." She leaned against him.

"That's what I'm here for, babe." He kissed on her neck.

"You better stop that or we will never even make it out of this arena." She warned him.

"So? It wouldn't be the first time that we've been in a utility closet here. Maybe they finally fixed the lock on the janitor's closet. At least I hope they did after the last time that Buck walked in on us." He rubbed his beard against her neck.

She ground against his hips teasingly. "You need to go call my sister and check on your sons. Make sure that her and Bucky aren't ready to sell Jayme to the highest bidder."

"How do you expect me to concentrate with what you're doin' right now? I'm sure they are fine. Jayme gets that difficult streak from his momma Tandy can handle that just fine." He pulled her hips flush against his.

"You are so payin' for this later, darlin'. You know that I can tease you a lot worse than you can ever tease me." She warned him.

"Bring it on, I can take it." He whispered in her ear. He pushed her away from him and smacked her ass playfully.

"Just you wait." She smirked deviously at him.

A/N: Here's the next chapter for you guys. Don't worry this little teenage love triangle is far from over it's just starting to heat up. I've got some pretty good stuff in store. Don't forget we've still got Deacon's father lurking around somewhere in need of a liver. Until next time please review.