Disclaimer: I do not own Nashville or any of its music, characters, and dialogue.

A/N: Sorry the delay (again)! I'm actually graduating from college this week, so I'll have a lot more time to work on this story once things calm down. I hope you enjoy this chapter, and I'll try to update as soon as I can! Thanks for reading!

Ball and Chain(ed)

25.

"Confession" (Florida Georgia Line)

"Luke Jr."

"No, Luke."

"Come on, Rayna! We promised the entire country world that we'd have a Luke Jr.!"

"Correction: you promised the world. You can tell people what you want , Luke, but that's for you to sort out. And besides, he wouldn't even be a junior because he's going to have my last name."

At this point, Luke's face flushed red and he paced around the kitchen, his hands over his head. The girls were out shopping with Tandy while the baby was sleeping upstairs in Rayna's room. They'd just gotten home from the hospital and Rayna had been planning on getting some rest, but apparently it wasn't going to happen just yet.

Things with Luke had been... complicated. It was a weird arrangement, really, but they were trying their best to make it work. Luke had been on his best behavior the past few days and had visited Rayna every day in the hospital, bringing her flowers, balloons, chocolate - the entire works, like any new father would.

But still, there was just something off about the ordeal. Rayna had been married when she had her first two children, so it had been different. She had a loving husband who stood by her side day in and day out; she had a man who would take both her and the baby home with absolutely no complications. This time around, though, she had Luke, and she also had Deacon, which was far from an ordinary situation.

"Why are you doing this to me, Rayna?" Luke stopped his pacing to stand in front of her, his eyes pooling as he stared into hers. He'd teared up more in the past few days than he had in the past few months. "I get that you're involved with Deacon and all, but... Can't we just try and do this thing together?"

It wasn't about Deacon, yet it was about Deacon. It was always about Deacon and his influence on Rayna's twisted, convoluted life. Sighing, Rayna ran a hand through her hair before moving to sit down at the island, pushing aside Daphne's half-empty cereal bowl. Luke followed suit and sat down on her right, and Rayna turned to look at him, feeling a cold sort of sadness fill her heart.

"I really don't know what to tell you, Luke," she began, holding his gaze. "I've already said what has to be said, but I guess I'll say it again: we are in this together. Our baby is as much yours as he is mine, and that's never gonna change. You know how much I respect and value that."

It was true. Even with all the turmoil between her and Teddy and, in the past, between her and Deacon, Rayna had always found a way to give her girls the father time that they needed. It wouldn't be any different with Luke and their new son, but judging by the way he was acting, Rayna wasn't entirely sure that he understood that.

"You keep sayin' that, Rayna, but how?"

"We'll work it out, Luke. I don't know yet."

"What about right now?"

"For now he'll stay with me so I can nurse him, and you're welcome to see him any time."

"Any time I want?"

"Yes, Luke."

"Really? Even if he's here with you?"

It was like playing a broken record. Rayna understood how upset Luke must be since he wanted to marry her and since things didn't end up the way he had planned, but she wished for just one second that he would consider her feelings and stop thinking about himself. Any kind of relationship went two ways like that, and when it came to having children, it went three ways. Luke knew that with his own children, of course, but where were they? Did they care that they had a new brother? Did they know that they had a new brother? How would they factor into all of this? And what would that all mean?

Now wasn't the time to go into any of this, though, so with another sigh, Rayna stood up. "You're welcome to stay, Luke, but I really need to get some sleep. Please excuse me."

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

"He's beautiful, Ray." Careful not to exert too much pressure, Deacon gently picked up the baby and held him in his arms, looking down at him. He had soft wisps of strawberry blonde hair that so resembled Rayna's, yet his face was long like Luke's. He was cute in that awkward-newborn way, and it made Deacon feel a warmth that spread from his toes to his ears. "He looks like both of y'all."

"Yeah, he does." Grinning, Rayna was watching Deacon and the baby as she sat cross-legged on her bed, her eyes drooping slightly. She had been taking a nap when Deacon arrived, and he had accidentally woken her up. She was so beautiful when she slept, though, so Deacon enjoyed getting that brief glimpse of her. Rayna normally had to be fierce and ready to take on the entire world, but when she slept, she could just be Rayna; she could just be the country girl from Nashville that she'd always wanted to be.

"You know what you're gonna call him yet?" Please don't say Luke Jr., please don't say Luke Jr., please don't say –

"Not Luke Jr."

"Perfect." They exchanged a smile just then, and Deacon felt every ounce of feeling he'd ever have for Rayna reenter his system. There she was, sitting on her bed with her large, loose-fitting V-neck and her dark brown leggings, and there was her baby, nestled comfortably in Deacon's arms. There was nothing more attractive or more desirable, and Deacon just felt so right and so at ease with the two of them.

"This should've been us," Deacon whispered, feeling something else pierce his heart. Rayna was staring at him, and he bowed his head, moving his finger to brush against the baby's chin. He'd said this to her before back in New York, and he couldn't help but say it again because it hurt. "This should've been us."

"I know." Her voice was barely a whisper, and Deacon heard the springs of the mattress rustle. "I'm sorry, Deacon."

He soon felt her hand snake up his back, and looking over, he saw her kneeling up nearly inches away from him. Her arm moved to rest on his shoulder, and her blue-gray eyes were so sad. He knew those eyes better than he knew almost anything else, and he knew just then how pained and how guilty she truly felt about everything.

"Rayna..." Without thinking, Deacon bent down and claimed her lips, crushing them stronger than he had originally intended. If Rayna was surprised, she didn't show it – she moved closer so that her arms were bent around his neck, and he felt her chest pressed against his and her tongue flicking against his.

Deacon didn't really know what they were at the moment, but this felt good. Her lips had always been his guilty pleasure, and as he got lost in his hunger and felt his face and neck grow hotter at her touch, he didn't care about a label. All he wanted was this, and her. All of her.

"Well, isn't this cozy."'

Luke? Startled, Deacon moved away from Rayna and looked over at Luke's emerging frame, the baby still cradled in his arms. Rayna leaned forward to take the baby, cooing softly as he started to cry from the sudden jerk, and Luke continued to stand there, his face red and his fists clenched.

"I'll tell you what, Rayna," Luke snarled, his blue eyes mere slits as he glowered in Deacon's direction, "I'll be damned if someone else is gonna parent my baby like this."

"Luke, don't be ridiculous," said Rayna, blushing as she shifted to put the baby on her shoulder, "we were just –"

"You'll see."

What was his problem? With a quick glance at his baby, Luke shook his head and then walked back out the door, his body still tense.

"That's just great." Rayna sighed and went over to the baby's crib, laying him down. "This is all we need right now."

"I'm not afraid of that asshole," Deacon snorted, shoving his hands in his pocket.

But when he thought about it, maybe he was. Maybe he was afraid that he'd make Rayna's life miserable over custody, give Rayna hell about Deacon, wedge a gap between Rayna and Deacon...

In the end, maybe Deacon was afraid of the simple fact that Luke was in the picture and would never truly be out of it.