A/N: Thanks to all my reviewers. The songs used in this chapter are Ready, Set, Don't Go by Billy Ray Cyrus, You're Gonna Miss This by Trace Adkins, She's Like Texas by Josh Abbott Band, Maybe It Was Memphis by Pam Tillis, and I'll Love You Anyway by Trent Willmon.


Chapter 50

"Maddie," Deacon nudged his daughter softly to wake her up.

Maddie swatted him away with her hand. "Go away, dad. It's too damn early." She griped.

He laughed because he thought it was amusing if Rayna had heard her say it there would have been a shit storm. "Come on, Princess, you have very, very important plans with daddy this mornin' and you have been lookin' forward to them for a very long time." He held a cup of coffee under her nose and that seemed to do the trick. "Get dressed and ready you have half an hour I'll be waitin' out in the driveway for you. But, first I have somethin' I wanna play for you."

He picked up the guitar he'd carried into the room with him and started to play. "She's gotta do what she's gotta and I gotta like it or not. She's got dreams too big for this town and she needs to give 'em a shot whatever they are. Looks like she's already to leave nothin' left to pack. Ain't no room for me in that car even in she ask me to tag along, God I gotta be strong. She's at the startin' line of the rest of her life as ready as she's ever been got the hunger and the stars in her eyes the prize is hers to win she's waitin' on my blessin' fore she hits that open road. Baby get ready, get set, don't go." He'd searched for the perfect song to sing to her this morning and none of them fit so he'd written one.

"She says things are fallin' in place feels like they're fallin' apart. Painted this big ol' smile on my face to hide my broken heart. If only she knew this is where I don't say what I want so bad to say. This is where I want to, but I won't get in the way of her and her dreams and her spreadin' her wings." He had to blink back the tears in his eyes.

"She's at the startin' line of the rest of her life as ready as she's ever been. Got the hunger and the stars in her eyes the prize is hers to win. She's waitin' on my blessin' fore she hits that open road. Baby get ready, get set, don't go."

Even Maddie had to fight back tears now.

"She's at the startin' line of the rest of her life as ready as she's ever been. Got the hunger and the stars in her eyes the prize is hers to win. She's waitin' on my blessin' fore she hits that open road, but baby get ready, get set please don't go. Don't go. Mmm don't go. Ohhh. She's gotta do what's she's gotta do. She's gotta do what she's gotta do. Mmm. Don't go. She's gotta do what she's gotta do."

He put his guitar down and pulled her into a hug. "Happy sixteenth birthday, baby girl. I love you so much." He had saved that song especially for the two of them because it captured the essence of the bond that they shared.

"I love you too, daddy, I just wish you hadn't woken me up so early." She replied.

"Just hush up and get ready." He wiped a tear away from her cheek.

Maddie was still grumbling when she met him down at his truck half an hour later.

Deacon sat in the passenger seat reading the morning news on his iPad while he sipped coffee from his travel mug. "It's 'bout time you're ready to go I've only been waitin' out here for forever."

Maddie got behind the wheel of his old truck. He'd forbidden her and Rayna both from driving his new baby for good reason. She put on her seatbelt and adjusted everything that needed to be adjusted before she pulled out onto the road. She didn't have to ask him where they were going because she already knew.

He climbed out of the truck once he reached their destination, but not before kissing her cheek. "You're gonna do great, baby girl, I have complete faith in you." He walked inside the DMV as the tester came out to get in the truck with Maddie.

He went in and took a seat to wait for his daughter to take her driver's exam. It didn't seem possible to him that she was old enough for this already. He'd just gotten here and already she was driving and having relationships with boys. He'd decided to have her take her test in his old truck because that's what she drove the most. He wasn't nervous in the least bit he knew that she had this in the bag. They had spent hours out on the road together not to mention the time she'd spent in Driver's Ed at school.

He'd only been waiting for twenty minutes when Maddie walked into the building with the biggest smile he'd ever seen on her face.

"Dad! I passed!" She squealed and threw her arms around his neck.

"I'm so proud of you, baby girl. I knew that you could do it." He hugged her tightly and made sure that she couldn't see the tears welling up in his eyes.

"I just need to go get my picture taken for my license and then we can go." She told him.

"I'll be right here waitin'." He took a seat again. He tapped out a quick text to Rayna to let her know that Maddie had passed and to get her surprise ready.

"We can go now." She said when she returned ten minutes later.

"Ok, let's get out of here." He waved off the keys when she tried to pass them to him. "You drive us home."

Rayna was waiting for them in the driveway when they pulled in. She held a stack of pancakes with a lit candle in the middle of them.

"What's this?" Maddie asked a look of surprise on her face.

"Happy sweet sixteen, baby girl." Rayna kissed her cheek.

"Thanks, mom." Maddie blew out the candle.

"That's not all you've got for your birthday." Deacon hit the garage door opener. Sitting in the space next to Rayna's SUV was a brand new yellow Jeep Wrangler.

"Oh my God! Dad! Are you serious right now? This is mine?" Maddie jumped up and hugged him tightly.

"It's all yours, baby girl. I thought that a jeep would be perfect for you. It's the right mix of badass and girly." He grinned at her.

"Thank you both so much. I don't even know what to say." Maddie gushed excitedly.

"Well, you're gonna need the keys. I know a few people who are waitin' for you down at the diner by the office to celebrate with you." He tossed her the keys to the jeep.

"You guys are the best I love you so much." Maddie hugged them both again.

"You're welcome. You deserve it." Rayna gave her a watery smile.

"So, I'll be back in a little while." Maddie ran and jumped into the driver's seat of her jeep. She gave them a honk a little wave as she pulled out of the driveway.

"There goes our baby girl, Deacon. She's all grown up now." Rayna looked up at him teary eyed.

"I know, babe, I know. But, she's gonna be just fine, because she has us and she always will." Deacon did his best to keep his emotions under control.

"That's right she can't get rid of us for anything in the world. What do you we go pick out bathroom tile while you help me give the twins their bottles?" She suggested.

"Damn it, I should have known I wasn't gonna get out of picking out bathroom tile." He grumbled playfully.

"Maddie, I know that I said I wouldn't embarrass you in front of all your friends tonight, but I lied a little bit. I wrote a song and I wanna play it for you tonight." Deacon spoke into the mic. They had rented out the Bluebird for her birthday. She only turned sixteen once and it was worth doing in style.

Maddie just rolled her eyes, but there was a smile on her face.

Deacon softly strummed the opening chords to the first song. "She was starin' out the window of that SUV complainin' sayin' I can't wait to turn eighteen. She said I'll make my own money and I'll make my own rules momma put the car in park out there in front of the school. And she kissed her head and said I was just like you."

"You're gonna miss this you're gonna want this back. You're gonna wish these days hadn't gone by so fast. These are some good times so take a good look around you may not know it now, but you're gonna miss this." Rayna joined him. This was a message that they had both wanted to send to their daughter.

"Before she knows it she's a brand new bride in her one-bedroom apartment and her daddy stops by. He tells her it's a nice place she says it'll do for now. Starts talkin' 'bout babies and buyin' a house. Daddy shakes his head baby just slow down."

"Cause you're gonna miss this you're gonna want this back you're gonna wish these days hadn't gone by so fast. These are some good times so take a good look a around you may not know it now, but you're gonna miss this."

"Five years later there's a plumber workin' on the water heater, dog's barkin', phone's ringin', one kid's cryin' one kid's screamin' and she keeps apologizin' he says they don't bother me got two babies of my own one's thirty-six one's twenty-three. It's hard to believe, but you're gonna miss this you're gonna want this back you're gonna wish these days hadn't gone by so fast. These are some good times so take a good look around you may not know it now, but you're gonna miss this. You're gonna miss this. Yeah, you're gonna miss this."

If Maddie had taken the message to hear about not growing up so fast she hadn't let show she was too busy having a good time with her friends.


Dallas

The tour was scheduled to stop for four days in Dallas two days to play the Dallas County Fair and two days for the Angels and Outlaws tour. It just so happened that JC and Will were both from the Dallas area.

"Look at that my three favorite Texans all on the same bus not that that should surprise me. I just wanted to know if any of you wanted me to leave any extra tickets and backstage passes at the stadium for family and friends." Rayna addressed Gunnar, JC, and Will.

"Can I get three? For my nephew Micah and his grandparents." Gunnar asked.

"Consider it done." Rayna granted. "Jimmy, Deacon already had Rusty take care of you when it comes to that. I know that Vince had more relatives than the Walton's. That just leaves you, Will."

Will gave a humorless snort. "All the friends and family I got are on these buses. My parents disowned me and none of the rest of the family will have anythin' to do with me."

"You don't even need a pass for Kevin?" She asked.

"Kevin couldn't make it. He's got some big time writin' gig that he couldn't pass up and I wouldn't want him to. Besides that why do I need extra passes and tickets when my parents are the co-headliners of this tour?" Will tried to make a joke out of it.

She smiled warmly at him. "Ya'll are free to go explore as long as you stay sober before your performances. Ya'll know when you're supposed to be back for sound check don't make me have to hunt you down. I can promise you all that it won't be a pleasant experience if I do. Now, get out of here before I change my mind and have all of you fit with ankle monitors." She shooed them off.

"How is it that you told them to go explore and we still ended up with the majority of them?" Deacon laughed as he pushed the twins' stroller.

"I don't know it's like they are all our children or somethin'. And you should know by now that everywhere I go Sadie goes just in case any juicy gossip comes up that we have to share with each other." Rayna looped her arm through his.

"Hey, Daphne, you wanna see these horses?" JC climbed over the fencing and into the pen with the horses he made a clicking sound with his tongue and a coal black horse approached him.

"JC, what are you doin'? The last time I checked it was still legal to shoot horse thieves in Texas." Deacon stressed.

"Don't worry so much, Uncle Deac, this is plenty legal." JC reached into a barrel and pulled out an apple that he handed to Daphne. He led the horse over to her by his reins. "Go on and feed him that apple he'll be gentle. He's a friendly guy." He stroked his muzzle. "Shh, Apollo, it's ok, you're safe. She ain't gonna hurt you."

Daphne giggled as the horse slurped the apple out of her hand.

"See, there, Apollo, you really have to learn to trust me more often." JC stroked the horse's mane.

"Apollo has trust issues since his best friend abandoned him to join the Army and then run off to Nashville to be a big ol' country music star." A bear of a man walked out of a horse trailer. "Little Jimmy Grayson, look at you, boy."

"Mad Max Waterson, still looks like you can toss around beer kegs for fun." JC grinned broadly.

Max opened his arms and hugged JC so tightly he was lifted off the ground. "It's damn good to see you, little brother. You don't call, you don't write, you don't email. We were startin' to worry 'bout you."

"Max, put me down you overgrown teddy bear. You still don't know your own damn strength." JC bitched.

"Sorry, Hailey, is gonna be real happy to see that her baby brother is alive and well." Max put him back on his feet.

"Yeah, or she's gonna bitch me out and give me an earful about how horrible I am. One of the two. You know how Hailey is you're the one married to her mean ass." JC joked and then he remembered his manners. "Everybody, this is my brother-in-law Max. Max, this is everybody."

"I know Rayna Jaymes and Freakin' Deacon Claybourne when I see 'em. We only played poker together countless times. A little secret you might not know about me, Jimmy Boy, I was Rayna's bass player for awhile." Max shook Deacon's hand and hugged Rayna. "It is so good to see both of you."

"It's good to see you too, Max." Rayna smiled at him.

Max bent down so that he was at Daphne's level. "How'd you like to come in here and see some horses up close and personal?" He didn't wait for her to answer he just lifted her over the fence and sat her on top of Apollo. "This is Jimmy's horse. The kids all love him and he loves them. He's real gentle natured just like Jimmy is." He put the reins in her hands. "He knows what to do all you have to do is hold those reins. And I'll be right here to watch out for you."

JC tugged at his earlobe uncomfortably. "Ma and Pop comin' today?"

"What do you think? They bought tickets to see you play the minute they went on sale. They should be here anytime now. Though you know Pop he's gotta supervise all the ranch hands and tell them what to do like they don't know what to do without him standin' right there over them." Max chuckled. He nodded in Will's direction. "Looks like you know your way around a horse too."

Will extended his hand to Max. "Will Lexington, I grew up around these parts."

Max took his hand and shook it enthusiastically. "Max Waterson, I know who you are. I can't get my son to stop playin' your record on repeat he loves it. I'd wager to say that I know the words to I'm On It 'bout as well as you do at this point."

"It's always a pleasure to run into a fan." Will smiled politely. This was not at all the reception he'd expected to be given in Texas since he came out at gay.

"I don't mean to put you on the spot or anythin' I just want you to know I think what you did took brass balls. I ain't praisin' you for admittin' to somethin' that was none of no one's damn business. I'm praisin' you for havin' the courage to stand up like a man and basically tell the world they could like it or not." Max said.

"Thank you very much." Will blushed.

"Hey, MJ, come here a minute!" JC called out to his nephew.

MJ appeared from the inside of the trailer a moment later. "Uncle Jimmy."

"Hey, I got someone here I want you to meet." JC told him and he pointed at Will. "This is my best friend Will Lexington. I heard that you're a pretty big fan of his. I thought you might like to meet him. The best part is he can rope steer and ride horses too."

"Mr. Lexington, it's such an honor to meet you." MJ blushed. He had hair the color of honey butter and light blue eyes. He'd clearly taken after his father in the looks department.

"None of that Mr. Lexington stuff call me Will. I'm playin' a set here tonight and I would be honored if you would join me stage side. That invitation is extended to your momma and daddy too of course. In the meantime, I'll see if I can't dig up some merchandise to sign for you. How's that sound to you?" Will asked him.

"That sounds amazin'." MJ gushed.

"MJ, what do you say?" Max asked his son.

"Thank you, Will." MJ said gratefully.

"No problem," Will ruffled his hair.

"I'll tell ya'll what. I'd be absolutely honored if you'd let me give those adorable little boys their first horse ride." Max indicated Little Deacon and Jaymes.

"I can't think of anyone else I'd rather have do it." Rayna smiled at him.


The reunion that Deacon had been hoping to avoid for as long as possible happened just before JC took the stage to play his set.

"Well, Deacon, are you just gonna stand there like you don't know me or are you gonna say hi?" An older woman with silver hair asked him.

"Hi, Dixie, it's really good to see you. I just didn't know if you'd wanna talk to me or not given how things ended with Vinny." Deacon stuffed his hands into his back pockets.

"Deacon, I never blamed you for one second for what happened to Vince. I know that you tried like hell to save his life that night. What we never told you was because of you doin' CPR they were able to restart his heart and that kept him alive long enough for us to be able to tell him goodbye. I could never be mad at you for that. You, Rayna, Amy, and eventually Jimmy were the only family he could always count on. I'll always be grateful to you for that." Dixie pulled him into a hug.

Deacon took a deep shuddering breath. "Thank you, Dixie, you have no idea how badly I needed to hear that from you."

"Deacon, it's good to see you." Jack Grayson offered his hand to him.

"It's good to see you too, Big Jack." Deacon shook his hand.

Jack leaned in and whispered into his ear. "Thank you for always bein' there for my boy and for lookin' out for my grandson."

"Alright, ya'll I decided that I would start my set tonight with a new one I just wrote and I couldn't think of a more perfect place to play it than right here at home in Dallas. Texas forever." JC spoke to the crowd he got a loud cheer in return.

"She's as free as bluebonnets in the summer she's as hot as the Padre Island sun. Most of the time she's as warm and friendly like the hills that surround Austin. She's as bright as the Dallas sky she always holds her head up high she loves the company of her family. She has faith in God's greater plan she trusts I'm a good man and that's why I'll always believe she likes Texas and she likes me." His eyes searched for Maddie on the side of the stage as he sang this was basically his way of telling her how he felt about her. He frowned a little when he saw Colt standing next to her.

"Colt, what are you doing here?" Maddie asked.

"Look, I said some things in Atlanta that I wanted to apologize for. I didn't mean a word of it, it was the booze talking and I was hoping that you would just talk to me and maybe think about giving me another chance." Colt replied.

"We'll see. We can talk. I have a set in a little while, so we will talk before then and then maybe a little afterwards, but that's it. I'm not making you any promises." She retorted.

"Her eyes are green like the trees in Nacogdoches. Her teeth are white as cotton in the fall. And when she laughs you'll always take notice cause her heart's charm will shine right through it all." He put all his feelings into this song.

"She's as bright as the Dallas sky she always holds her head up high. She loves the company of her family. She has faith in God's greater plan. She trusts I'm a good man. And that's why I'll always believe she's like Texas and she likes me."

"Her moods can change like the weather out in Lubbock, but if you show her love, man, she'll return it. She's as bright as the Dallas sky she always holds her head up high. She loves the company of her family. She has faith in God's greater plan. She trusts I'm a good man. And that's why I'll always believe she's like Texas and she likes me. Oh, she's like Texas and she likes me."

He got thunderous applause from the crowd for that song, but he couldn't tell if he'd reached the one person that he wanted to reach the most.

XXXXXXXXXX

"Lookin' at you through a misty moonlight katydid sing like a symphony. Porch swing swayin' like a Tennessee lullaby. Melody blowin' through a willow tree. What was I supposed to do? Standin' there lookin' at you? Lonely boy far from home." Maddie started her set with the song she'd just written.

"Maybe it was Memphis. Maybe it was southern summer nights. Maybe it was you maybe it was me, but it sure felt right." Daphne joined her here.

"Read about you in a Faulkner novel. Met you once in a Williams' play. Heard about you in a country love song. Summer night beauty took my breath away. What was I supposed to do standin' there lookin' at you? Lonely boy far from home."

"Maybe it was Memphis. Maybe it was southern summer nights. Maybe it was you maybe it was me, but it sure felt right." Maddie looked for JC. He was at the side of the stage nursing a beer. Colt was there too his eyes glued to her.

"Maybe it was Memphis. Maybe it was southern summer nights. Maybe it was you maybe it was me, but it sure felt right." It felt so wrong to be singing the song she'd written for JC with Colt standing right there. It was supposed to be intimate and personal.

"Every night now since I been back home I lie awake driftin' in my memory. Think about you on your momma's front porch swing talkin' that way so soft to me. What was I supposed to do standin' there lookin' at you? Lonely boy far from home."

"Maybe it was Memphis. Maybe it was southern summer nights, maybe it was you maybe it was me, but sure felt right."

"Wow, Maddie, that was really great." Colt hugged her when she left the stage.

"Thanks, Colt." She didn't really hug him back her eyes were too busy locked on JC's. "JC, what do you think?"

"I thought it was amazin' as usual. Good job, partner." JC downed another beer.

"Mind if I catch Will's set with you?" Colt asked her.

"Sure, come on." Maddie took his hand reluctantly.

"Little brother, here's some free advice. If you like that girl as much as it looks like you do you won't let that douchebag win her over." Max advised him.

"Yeah thanks, Max. I'm workin' on it." JC replied.

XXXXXXXXXX

Will played through most of his set and the crowd was really into it which was a surprise for him. "Now, I'm gonna do somethin' I don't normally do. I'm gonna let my best friend hijack my set. So, ya'll put your hands together for Mr. JC Grayson."

"Thanks, Will, I owe you one, brother. See I wrote a song 'bout a girl and I'm not sure that she got the message earlier, so I'm gonna try this again." JC chuckled and he began to play. He looked over at Maddie to make sure she knew he was talking about her.

"Even if you only need a shoulder if you only need a helpin' hand. And even if right now you're really only just lookin' for a friend. I'll love you anyway, I'll love you anyway, I'll love you anyway I can." He kept his eyes trained on Maddie the whole time he sang.

"If you only want someone to talk to through the darkest hours of your night. I'll even try to help you slay those dragons that you're too afraid to fight. I'll love you anyway, I'll love you anyway, I'll love you anyway I can."

Maddie moved away from Colt and closer to the stage so she could listen.

"I'll be there when the sun is shinin' I'll be there in the pourin' rain. I'll be there when the tears are fallin' through the brightest joy and the deepest pain. I'll be there on the day you wake up and realize that I'm the one and that this is love. Aww, baby, this is love." He poured every ounce of feeling he had in his body into the chorus.

"Someday if our road gets rough and rocky I won't be that guy who walks away. I can promise you without a doubt my love for you will never change, no it'll never change. I'll love you anyway, I'll love you anyway, I'll love you anyway I can. I'll love you anyway, I'll love you anyway, I'll love you anyway I can. I'll love you anyway, I'll love you anyway, I'll love you anyway I can. Anyway I can."

"Thank ya'll for lettin' me do that for you. Maybe the message got through loud and clear this time." JC said before he left the stage he walked right past Maddie like he didn't see her standing right there.

Maddie looked at his retreating form and then she looked over at Colt. "Colt, I can't do this with you, I'm sorry. We just aren't right for each other. I can't waste anymore time with something that will never work. I need to go."

She took off after JC. "JC!" she called after him. "JC, wait up." It took some doing because of his long legs, but eventually she caught up to him. "Didn't you hear me?"

"I don't know I guess that depends if you heard me over Wheeler or not." JC replied and he kept walking. They walked along in silence until they reached his Pop's truck that was parked out by an old set of train tracks. He unlocked the cab and pulled a blanket out.

He let down the tailgate and spread the blanket out. He offered his hand to Maddie and helped her climb up. "I didn't want you to mess you dress up."

"Wouldn't have mattered as long as I was with you." She replied. "Did you mean what you sang tonight?" She asked him.

"I meant every word of it. I'm done denyin' this whatever it is between us. Maddie, I've tried to ignore for six months since I met you at your parents' weddin' and I just can't anymore. I care 'bout you as more than just a friend and I'd understand if you didn't feel the same way. I mean I am three years older than you and I'm the son of an alcoholic who managed to kill himself with his drinkin'. I wouldn't be my first choice either." He rambled.

She looked him dead in his eyes. "Shut up, just shut up and stop talking about yourself that way." She didn't know what else to do or what to say to him so she did the one thing she knew would come through loud and clear. "Jimmy, please take your hat off."

JC removed his hat and sat it in the bed of the truck. He couldn't deny her anything that she asked of him when she said his given name like that it just sent a spark through him. He pulled her to him and planted a passionate lingering kiss on her lips. That said more than any words either of them could have come up with would have said.


A/N: Here is the next chapter. I hope you guys enjoyed it. I'm done putting you through the slow torture with Maddie and JC. I still have plenty of good stuff and twists that I can keep you entertained with. I know a lot of you have been looking forward to this for a long time and I hope I did it justice. Until next time please review.