~Deacon~
Two days after their appearance at the Bluebird, Watty asked Deacon and Rayna to come to his office. "What do you think it's about, honey?" Rayna asked, as she put on her makeup in the bathroom.
Deacon was leaning against the door jamb. "Since he wanted both of us, I'm guessing it has something to do with 'Surrender'," he replied. "You know he wanted to put it out there."
She paused and looked at him, holding her mascara in her hand. "Maybe he got it on the radio?" she said, her voice rising up with excitement.
He shrugged. "Maybe. But I don't know if stuff happens that way."
She turned back to the mirror and applied mascara to her lashes. "I'm nervous, Deacon," she said.
He chuckled. "Don't be nervous, baby. It'll be all good." Of course, he knew it might not. He'd spent all that time with Beverly, trying to get someone interested and it had never happened. He'd been lucky to run into Watty that one night, but that was no guarantee. But he liked seeing Rayna excited and so he didn't want to burst her bubble.
He walked around the truck, in the downtown parking garage at Watty's label, and opened the door for Rayna. He reached for her hand and helped her out. His breath caught in his throat as he looked at her. She looked so pretty, in her sundress and sweater. Ever since she'd been able to be honest with him about her feelings about singing, it seemed like the stress of it had lifted off of her. He hadn't even realized it until he saw her now, looking so radiant. They'd been in Nashville for three months and things seemed to be looking up for them.
She took his hand as they walked towards the elevator. "You've been here before, right?" she asked.
He nodded. "Yeah."
She smiled and looked at him, excitement lighting up her eyes. "What's it like? A real record label?"
He shrugged. "It's an office, like any other office." He paused. "Probably like your father's office." She frowned and rolled her eyes. "But the lobby has record covers on the wall. All kinds of artists. Like Travis Tritt and Tanya Tucker." He bumped her shoulder. "Merle."
She was all smiles again. "Really? Oh, wow, Deacon! This is the big time, isn't it?"
He nodded. "Yeah, it is." They got in the elevator and he had to smile as she bounced lightly on her toes the whole way up. He loved seeing the excitement and wonder on her face.
Once they were in the lobby, she left him on the couch so she could go check out the album covers of Sony's large stable of artists. He smiled as he watched her stop at her favorites, touching the framed covers almost reverently. He then thought about their meeting with Watty, wondering what it was about. Watty hadn't given them any hints and he wondered if it had to do with their performance at the Bluebird.
Watty came up to Deacon and Rayna, standing at the bar. "That was quite a performance," he said.
"I was so nervous," Rayna said.
Watty shook his head. "I would never have known, my little songbird. You were flawless."
"This was just so exciting," she said. "I mean, we've done other open mics, but this was special."
Watty looked at Deacon. "I hadn't heard that first one before. Is that new?"
Deacon shook his head. "I wrote that back in high school."
Watty nodded contemplatively. "It has a real sweetness to it. The two of you doing it together felt really right." Deacon looked at Rayna and she gave him a tiny smile. Watty put down his glass. "I'll be in touch, probably in a couple days. Good job tonight." And he was gone.
Rayna came back and sat down next to him and he turned his attention to her. She pointed at the far wall. "There's 'It's All in the Game'," she said. "Probably one of my top two or three favorite Merle albums."
He nodded. "It's a good one, for sure."
Just then Watty appeared in front of them. "Hey there, you two," he said, with a smile. "Come on back." They followed him into his office and sat in the two chairs across from his desk. When he sat down, he smiled at them. "I have some good news." He steepled his fingers under his chin. "There were several industry people at the Bluebird the other night. And I got several calls about the two of you."
Rayna smiled and looked at Deacon, taking his hand and threading her fingers through his. She turned back to Watty. "Really?"
He nodded. "Yes. I was hoping that would happen, even though I really had no intention of letting you go anywhere else." He paused, putting his hands flat on his desk and leaning slightly forward. "We have a fairly new imprint label here, Edgehill Records, that I think would be perfect for you. They would be able to give you all the attention you need and nurture you."
Deacon sat forward as Rayna squeezed his hand. "A record deal?" he asked.
Watty made a face. "More like a development deal. But it would lead to a record, would be the idea."
Deacon frowned. "I don't understand."
"I pitched you two as singer/songwriters, but Deacon, you're really the one who has the song catalog, even though it's not particularly large right now. And most of what you've written would not be songs I would see Rayna singing. We would need more like 'Surrender'. And songs that highlight her voice." Watty sat back in his chair.
"Why can't I sing Deacon's songs?" Rayna asked, looking first at Watty and then at Deacon, a slight frown on her face. "I do now."
Watty shook his head. "We really need to have songs that complement your voice. And the female point of view. I'd really be interested in seeing what else the two of you could write together."
Deacon sat back in his chair. He thought he knew where Watty was headed with this. "But we can both sing," Rayna protested. "I'm not sure why it matters. He can sing lead and I can harmonize or the other way around. And 'Surrender' is a duet. We could do more of those."
Watty sat for a moment and Deacon kept his eye on Rayna, who was sitting almost at the edge of her chair at this point. "Well, the thing is, Rayna, the feedback that I got is that the spotlight really should be on you. Yes, you can both sing, and Deacon complements you extremely well, but you have a voice that people are drawn to. The two of you could still do duets, but you would be the artist out front."
Rayna put her hands on the arms of the chair. She turned and looked at Deacon and he looked back at her, raising his eyebrows. Then she looked back at Watty. "No. This is Deacon's dream. He's the one you should be focused on."
Deacon reached out and put his hand on her arm and she looked at him, concern on her face. "It's okay, baby," he said.
She turned towards him. "No, it's not. We didn't come here so I could be a singer. We came here for you. I'm just along for the ride." She frowned and turned back to Watty. "No. I don't think this is what we want then. I'm not doing this on my own."
Watty shook his head. "No, no, my dear, you wouldn't be doing it on your own. I still want you and Deacon together. You would just be the featured artist."
Rayna shook her head. "I don't know," she said. "I don't know if I could do that."
Deacon reached for her hand. "Watty, we'll talk about it," he said.
Rayna looked at him and scowled. "No, we won't," she said firmly.
Deacon narrowed his eyes and set his jaw. "We'll talk about it," he said, evenly. Rayna looked at him for a moment and then she got up and walked out of the office, leaving Watty and Deacon. Deacon watched her as she walked out and then turned back to Watty. "We'll talk about it," he said as he got up from the chair.
Watty stood as well. "Deacon, you're a great songwriter. A great guitar player. Your voice blends perfectly with hers. I don't mean for you to feel you're not a part of this."
Deacon shook his head. "She's the star," he said quietly. "I know it. I could see it when I watched her in Natchez." He shrugged. "She'll come around." He reached across the desk to shake Watty's hand. "Thanks for everything."
"Do this, Deacon. I think this will be the right thing for both of you."
Deacon just nodded and then turned to walk out of Watty's office. He stood for a moment in the hallway, taking in what had just transpired. He took a deep breath. Rayna hadn't been completely wrong. It had been his dream to make it in the music business. There was a part of him that felt let down that he wouldn't be front and center. But he'd also known, when he'd seen Rayna perform that night at the Landslide, the night he'd come back to Natchez, that she was something special. He knew he could write a song and he'd seen the start of Rayna's own ability to write songs as well. They would still do this together. It's okay.
He headed down the hall to the reception area but Rayna wasn't there. He started to feel a little worried that she'd just left, but when he walked out to the elevator, he saw her standing by the window, looking down at the street below. He walked up to her and leaned against the window. "I think it's a good offer, baby," he said.
She turned to look at him and he could see she'd been crying. "No, it's not, Deacon," she said, shaking her head. "Coming to Nashville was for you. This was your dream."
He reached for her hand. "You said it was your dream now too," he said quietly.
She pulled her hand away and looked back out the window. "But it's not my dream to push you out," she said stubbornly.
He gave her a half-smile. "Baby, you ain't pushing me out. I'm still right there. Standing right next to you. Singing in your ear. Playing guitar. Standing there next to you."
She looked at him. "I can't do this, Deacon," she said softly. "I don't want to be the face, or whatever it was Watty said."
He took a step closer. "Ray, this is your chance to make a choice. We both got choices now. I still can write and you can write with me. I get to stand on the stage and sing with the love of my life." She smiled shyly. "I can sing about how much I love you and get lost in your pretty blue eyes."
She turned then and put her arms around his neck and he put his arms around her waist, pulling her closer. "There's no Rayna without Deacon. I could never do this without you," she said.
He kissed her. "You ain't never gonna have to," he said. He pulled her closer and she tipped her hips towards him. He leaned in and nuzzled her neck. "I wanna get you home, baby."
She giggled. "Me too," she said.
He kissed her again, then let her go, taking her hand and leading her to the elevator.
~Rayna~
The apartment was dark and quiet. Maddie had gone down surprisingly easily, only needing two songs to fall fast asleep in Rayna's arms. She and Deacon had stood beside her crib, watching their daughter sleep, holding hands. They had sat at the kitchen table for a while, working out their schedule, doing a little writing together. No one will ever love you, like I do. Those words kept coming back to them and, although they weren't able to come up with something they liked to go along with it, there was no frustration, just satisfaction in the process. They would come back to it, that she knew.
The one thing they hadn't done was talk about the meeting with Watty. She wasn't ready for that yet and he'd seemed to sense that. It was one more thing about the two of them that surprised her sometimes, that he knew her so well, that he knew when to give her space. He was patient. He would wait for her. She somehow knew, deep inside her, that he would always wait, however long she needed, whatever it was.
And now, as he had sunk into her and she had taken him in fully and completely, she thought there was no other place she wanted to be. No place other than this small apartment, cramped and shabby, but filled with love and laughter. No place other than the bed they slept in, with the slightly lumpy mattress and the stiff sheets, so unlike the soft sheets she had on her smooth, feathery bed in Natchez. No place other than this city, that sounded like music day and night, that inspired them both, that had welcomed then and enveloped them. No place other than with this man, whom she had first met as a boy, really, when she was still a girl, this man who made her feel more loved than she had ever felt in her life. This man to whom she felt a connection that she didn't have the words yet to describe. He had touched her soul, back when she was sixteen and he was seventeen, awakened something in her heart she couldn't name.
She shivered as his fingers lingered over her skin. "You cold, baby?" he whispered, his voice thick with his desire.
She shook her head. "No," she whispered back. "I feel amazing."
He raised his head slightly and looked in her eyes, running his tongue over his lips. "I love you, Ray," he said, his eyes filled with such emotion.
She smiled slightly. "I love you too." He slid his hand up and cupped her breast, rubbing her nipple with his thumb. She moaned breathlessly as she felt the little zings of electricity run through her. When his tongue replaced his thumb, she arched her back and slid her hands down his back. And then the combination of the roughness of his tongue and his quickened movement inside her sent her on a tidal wave of pleasure and she cried out over and over, barely hearing his own cries of release.
The sun peeking in through the curtains woke her up. She was laying with her head on Deacon's shoulder. His breathing was light and even and so she stayed still, not wanting to wake him up. She thought back to the day before, the meeting in Watty's office. She had not expected him to propose what he had and she worried about Deacon. She wasn't at all sure she could do what Watty had suggested. She had come to Nashville to support Deacon. He'd acted like it was all okay, but she found it hard to believe.
While she had stood at the window by the elevator, she had actually found herself wondering what it would be like to stand on a stage, in front of thousands of people, and sing. She wasn't sure they'd even performed yet for a hundred people, so thousands seemed very overwhelming. It wasn't that she'd never performed as a solo artist, of course, because she had. But doing it at the Landslide was different. Those people were her friends or at least they were hometown fans who were welcoming and inclusive. It wouldn't be that way in an arena. If they even made it that far.
She thought about what she'd told Deacon about making choices. And he'd thrown that back at her. Ray, this is your chance to make a choice. We both got choices now. She had liked what he'd said about writing together. She thought she would like that part. And singing to each other, she liked that as well. He was right. This was a chance to have a choice. But at what cost?
The baby monitor came alive. "Mama!"
Deacon sat straight up, pushing her off to the side. "What?" he said, his voice groggy.
Rayna smiled. She wasn't sure why they used the monitor. Maddie wasn't far from their door and she was loud enough that she could be heard over top of the monitor. She rolled onto her back and pulled the covers up. "It's your turn," she said, looking up at Deacon.
He turned and looked down at her, his eyes still heavy with sleep, his hair sticking up on his head. "Okay," he mumbled. He rubbed his face, then breathed out heavily. Then he swung his legs off the side of the bed and stood up, his back to Rayna.
She rolled onto her side and smiled. "You have a really cute butt, babe," she said. He looked back at her over his shoulder and smirked. "Seriously. You do," she said, laughing.
He reached for a pair of boxers and pulled them on, then turned to face her. "Thank you for the compliment," he said with a laugh. "You have a pretty nice one too."
"Out!" came Maddie's angry voice over the monitor and through the wall.
Deacon grinned. "I guess I better get her out," he said. Rayna smiled as he turned away and headed for the door, then she laid back on the pillow and closed her eyes.
She could hear the sound of their voices, her man and their daughter. It was the sweetest sound she thought she'd ever heard. She wouldn't have believed it if it hadn't happened to her, that she could meet someone who would sweep her off her feet and still make her as happy as she was. They came from such different backgrounds and circumstances and yet together they fit each other perfectly. She knew they'd grow old together and that she would love sitting and looking in his eyes as much in fifty years as she did now.
Then she rolled onto her side and sighed. This thing with Watty was gnawing at her. Even as she tried, she was finding it hard to get comfortable with it. She'd only just acknowledged that she wanted to sing. Needed to sing. Now this. I don't understand why I have to do it this way. Why can't we just keep doing what we're doing? Play at places around town. Raise up Maddie. Be happy. Why does it have to be more? She tucked the sheet closer around her. Deacon hadn't brought Maddie back in the bedroom, so she wondered what they were doing. But she didn't really want to get out of bed, because she knew at some point they would have to talk about this development deal Watty had proposed.
Deacon wanted to do it. She knew he did. She'd seen something in his eyes. Heard it in his voice. She wondered if she could ever get to the place where she wanted it the same way he did.
"Well, sweetie, it sounds like a really great opportunity to me," Tandy said. "Why don't you want to do it?"
Deacon had taken Maddie to the park and Rayna had just told her sister about the deal Watty White had proposed to them the day before. "Because," she said, knowing that wasn't a satisfactory answer.
"Because why?" Tandy asked. "Is it because you're afraid Deacon will resent you?"
Rayna gasped. "No. Of course not." But she knew that was part of it. "Not really."
"Rayna, you're doing it again. Just talk to him. Tell him how you feel." Rayna didn't know how to answer that. "He's not a mind reader," Tandy went on. "And he's not going to change the way he feels about you if you tell him this."
Rayna sighed. "I just don't want to disappoint him, Tandy. This is his dream, after all. To make it in the music business. I don't want to be the one who gets in the way of that."
"Talk to him, sweetheart. If you don't, you'll just end up resenting him." Tandy paused a minute. "And be honest with yourself too, while you're at it. I think you really want this and you need to admit that."
Rayna walked over to the kitchen table after putting Maddie down for her nap. Deacon looked up when she sat down. "So, we gonna talk about the Watty thing?" he asked.
She shrugged. "I guess." She was still a little rattled after her conversation with Tandy. She felt so confused.
He frowned. "Do you not want to do it?"
She could see the tension in his body. "I don't know, babe. I mean, it's not a sure thing. It's not a record deal. It's just a 'let's see what happens' deal. And I like what we're doing now."
He worked his lip and then breathed out. "Rayna, it'll lead to a record. We'll get more exposure. There ain't no downside I can see," he said. His voice was tight.
She narrowed her eyes. "You make it sound so simple. But what if it doesn't work out? And I suppose we have to go places outside of Nashville. What about Maddie?"
He raised his eyebrows. "We bring her with us," he said.
"Who's gonna watch her, Deacon?"
He lifted his hands. "I don't know, Rayna. We'd have to figure it out." He sounded exasperated, which just made her mad.
She frowned. "That's not a very good answer, Deacon. But maybe I should have expected that. It's not like you know what it's like to be a parent."
He scowled at her. "That ain't true, Rayna. I've been being a parent ever since I knew about Maddie. And it ain't like I known about her that long."
She sat back and crossed her arms over her chest. "That's just it. You don't know how complicated it is to take care of a child, to make sure her needs are met. You didn't carry her inside your body or give birth to her or take care of her – all alone – like I did. All I do is make sure that Maddie is taken care of. And now you just want to go out on the road, like we don't have a care in the world, and you're not even thinking about our daughter."
He leaned forward, his face dark. "That ain't fair. And it ain't all true. I ain't pretending like we don't got a care in the world, Ray. But right now all we got is what I make at the diner and any paying gigs. And that's barely enough to get by. Going out on the road could mean bigger venues. And more money."
She shrugged. "Or not." She pointed her finger at him. "And you're willing to give up being the front man for me? When you were the one who wanted to do this?"
"It don't matter, Rayna. I done told you that already and I meant it." He rubbed his face. "And that about me not caring about Maddie. That's just wrong and you know it."
She could see the hurt in his eyes and it stabbed at her heart, but she just didn't see how they could do this. "This plan just won't work, Deacon," she said stubbornly.
He looked down at the table and shook his head. He looked back at her and then got up from the table, walking into the kitchen and standing at the counter. "So, what, you just decided that? For the both of us?" he asked, looking incredulous.
"Well, somebody had to, Deacon. Somebody with a clear head. I mean, I'm not going to be a solo artist. If we're doing this, it's together."
He shook his head again with a frustrated laugh. "We would be doing this together, Ray. We would write songs. Together. We'd be on stage singing. Together." He eyed her carefully. "How do you figure we're not doing this together?"
She looked away. "You would just resent me, Deacon." She looked back at him. "If we do it Watty's way, then it becomes my career. And that's not what I'm in this for."
He looked at her as though he didn't understand anything she'd said. Then he shook his head again and rubbed his face. "I just…well, I just don't get you." He rocked back and forth on this feet for a moment, then pointed his finger at her, raising his voice. "You need to figure out what it is you want to do. 'Cause I can't keep going on this merry-go-round with you. One minute, you want this, the next minute, you use Maddie as an excuse." He raised his eyebrows. "I just can't do this, with you, right now." He turned and walked out the door, leaving her to stare after him, her heart in her throat.
~Deacon~
Deacon stormed out of the apartment and out to the street. He walked up to his truck and then realized he didn't have his keys. He wasn't going back in the house though, so he started walking. He didn't understand Rayna. First it was the whole thing around singing making her feel like she wasn't being a good mama. Now it was focusing on who would take care of Maddie instead of on the opportunity. He felt like a ping pong ball, being bounced back and forth. The past few months had been more than he'd hoped for. Singing on stage with her had been fantastic, better than he could have imagined, and more satisfying than the time he'd spent with Beverly.
So he didn't understand why she seemed to throw up roadblocks at every turn. Is she scared? Is she unhappy? Is it something else? He thought she was happy, but now he wasn't so sure, and that scared him. And what she'd said about being Maddie's father. That had hurt. It had felt like she blamed him for not being there, when she'd said all along that she didn't. He felt like he'd been a good father to Maddie and done his best to be involved, even if it hadn't been what he'd planned for.
He looked up and realized he had walked to Shelby's house. He hoped she was there, because he really needed a friend. He walked up the steps and knocked, then stepped back, shoving his hands in his pockets. There was no answer and he stepped forward and knocked again. Then he turned and looked towards the street, but didn't see Shelby's car anywhere close. He sighed. Damn. He didn't want to go home, but he had nowhere else to go, so he trudged down the steps and retraced his steps.
When he got back to the Carlisle's house, he saw Coleman Carlisle sitting outside on the front steps. He waved and Coleman waved back. He liked the older man. He knew Cole worked for the Metro government, in the Mayor's office. Cole and Audrey were native Nashvillians, although they had not met until after college. Deacon headed up the walk and then up the steps, sitting down next to his landlord.
"So, what's going on, Deacon?" Cole asked, with a smile.
Deacon gave him a tight smile, squinting a little against the sun. "Just walking," he said.
Cole nodded and looked towards the sun, then back at Deacon. "How'd your meeting go?" he asked.
Deacon leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees, shaking his head. "I thought it went good," he said. "Watty offered us a development deal, he called it. Wants us to write some more, keep playing, work towards a record."
Cole reached his hand out to shake Deacon's and smiled. "Well, that sounds like it was a very good meeting then," he said.
Deacon took his hand, then looked down at his feet. "I don't know. Rayna don't seem that excited about it."
Cole frowned. "How do you mean?"
Deacon sighed and then looked out towards the street. "I don't know, Cole. I mean, Watty wants her to be out front and she, well, she don't want to do it, don't seem like." He looked back at Cole.
"But I thought you two were playing together around town and she seemed to enjoy it. She's told Audrey how much she's enjoyed it."
Deacon shrugged. "I don't know anymore. Things seem to be real smooth and then something happens and it's like I don't know her." He lowered his head. "I wonder if sometimes she wishes she'd stayed in Natchez."
Cole was quiet for a moment, then said, "Have the two of you talked about that?"
Deacon shook his head. "Not really. She says she's glad she's here, but it all happened real quick." He worked his lip. "When I left Natchez, she was pregnant with Maddie. I didn't know that and I didn't know her father sent her away then. I was supposed to come back for her when she graduated, but I didn't." He breathed in. "I had gone back before and she was gone, so I figured she'd left for good. But she hadn't."
"So how did you end up going back again?"
"My friend Vince died. He and my sister and her boyfriend and me all went to Memphis, then came here. I took him back to Natchez and saw that Rayna was singing at a local bar. I went to see her and a week later we was driving back here."
Cole looked over at him. "What's the future for the two of you? Have you talked about that?"
"Singing together, I thought."
Cole shook his head. "No, I mean more personally. I mean, I know the two of you are together and you're raising Maddie, but what's the future look like?" He looked over at Deacon. "Maybe that's what she needs to know." He leaned forward. "Sounds like she uprooted her life for you. She strikes me as a girl who wants to be settled. There's been a lot of change and now it sounds like even more. Maybe she just needs to feel settled."
Deacon took a deep breath. He hadn't thought about that in a long time. He had wondered, early on, about whether they should get married, but then things happened quickly and now they were here and he just hadn't thought about it again. They were together and they loved each other. They were raising Maddie together. They called themselves a family. But maybe she needed more. He looked over at Cole. "Maybe you're right," he said. He reached his hand out and Cole took it. "Thanks."
He got up and walked down the steps, then around the back to the apartment.
~Rayna~
They hadn't talked much, but the silence had felt comforting rather than awkward or troubling. All Rayna had had to do was look in Deacon's eyes to see how sorry he was they had fought. She knew she felt the same.
When he came in the back door, she would have sworn he looked relieved, when she knew she was the one who had more reason to feel that way. She had walked over to him and reached her hand up to his face. She felt him put his hand on the small of her back and nudge her closer to him. "I'm so sorry," she said, and then he kissed her, not letting her say anything else.
When he pulled his lips away, he put his forehead against hers. "Baby, it's okay," he whispered.
She felt tears in her eyes. "I don't want to push you away," she said.
He gave her a lopsided smile. "Rayna, you ain't never gonna be able to push me away."
She laughed through her tears. "Me either." She bit her lip. "I know we need to talk about the Edgehill thing."
He shook his head. "We'll talk about that tomorrow. I got someplace I want to show you."
They had left Maddie with Cole and Audrey and then driven to the park along the river. They took a short walk towards the river and then up on a bridge that spanned the Cumberland River. "No cars are allowed on this bridge," he said. "And it's got a great view of Nashville."
She smiled at him. "We just had this great view of Nashville from the park," she pointed out.
He shrugged and smiled shyly. "I know. But I like this better."
She slid her hand up his arm and bumped against him a little. "I really do like Nashville, Deacon," she said. "I'm glad we came."
"Me too. And I'm glad you like it." He sighed. "I wish we could have a better place, but…."
She shook her head and bumped against him again. "It's fine, babe."
"Well, I wish I could do better," he said. "You deserve better."
They were starting to crest the rise in the bridge. "As long as we're together, that's all I need," she said. She stopped then and turned to him, her face lighting up. "Oh, Deacon, this is amazing," she cried. There was something very different about looking at the city skyline from the bridge. It felt special.
He stepped into one of the viewing decks and drew her in with him. She leaned against him and he put his arms around her as they looked at the view. He kissed her shoulder. Then he moved in front of her and got down on one knee. She gasped and put a hand over her mouth, as he held on to the other one. He looked up at her and she could see tears in his eyes. "Rayna, I love you so much. Will you marry me?"
She was suddenly crying, even though she'd never felt happier in her life. "Oh, Deacon," she murmured. "Of course I'll marry you!" She leaned down and put her hands on his face and kissed him.
He stood up and took her in his arms, twirling her around and laughing. When he put her down, he kissed her again. "Oh, baby, you just made me the happiest guy ever!" he cried. He bit his lip. "I wish I had a ring, but I promise, when I get my first songwriting check, I will."
She slid the promise ring off her right hand and held it out to him. "We can use this," she said. "You made a promise to me and you came back. Now it can be the promise of our lives together forever."
He took the ring from her and slid it on her left ring finger. "So now we're official?" he asked.
She grinned at him. "Yeah, we're official." She reached up and wrapped her arms around his neck, tilting her head back slightly to look up at him. "I love you. Forever and always."
A/N: I took some dramatic license with the use of the bridge, as it had not yet been turned into a pedestrian bridge during the approximate timeline of this story. But since it's such an iconic part of Deacon and Rayna's story, it seemed appropriate to play with the timing a little for the purposes of this story.