A/N: Thanks to all my reviewers.


Chapter 26

"Whoa, look at you two love birds. I woulda bet even money that I had to send a search party out to get y'all here on time." Luke greeted Rayna and Deacon when they stepped into the lobby of the hotel where everyone on the tour was staying.

"If it were up to me we wouldn't be here yet, but we needed a day in between our vacation and startin' the tour up again to get into the swing of things again." Deacon replied. He had Rayna's hand gripped tightly in his. He was sorry to be going back to the real world after the amazing honeymoon they'd had.

"I coulda used two more weeks of laying around doing nothing, but my husband." Rayna quipped.

"I don't wanna hear 'bout all that. I know enough from when we were workin' the tour circuit together in the old days." Luke chuckled uncomfortably.

"We deserve the reputation that we got." Deacon wouldn't even try to deny how bad he and Rayna used to be and still were for that matter.

"Y'all ready for this tour?" Luke changed the subject.

"We are as ready as we are ever gonna be. I know that this is good for the label and good for my career, but I think the girls are more excited about the European leg than I am." Rayna answered him.

"I know the feelin'. Sage is pretty excited that she's gonna get to spend part of her summer hangin' out with Daphne." Luke replied.

"Daph is really excited to get to see her again. I've heard rumors of massive shoppin' trips bein' planned and I don't think I want to know anymore than that." Deacon added.

"Did you have any problems getting checked in?" Rayna asked.

"Uh, no, I had no problems at all. As usual Bucky took care of everythin'. All any of us have had to do is show up." Luke nodded his head.

"Spread the word amongst your guys. I'm holdin' a meetin' for all the bands later just so we can go over some stuff and iron out some last minute details. I just want to make sure that we are all on the same page." Deacon wanted to be on top of things and head off problems before they could arise.

"I will let everyone know." Luke replied.

Before Deacon could say anything else Maddie and Daphne walked up to them. "Mom, dad, there you are." Daphne took turns hugging each of them tightly.

"Hey, sweet girl, we missed you too." Deacon laughed and kissed the top of her head.

"What are y'all up to?" Rayna asked.

"We didn't know how long it would be before you two got here, so we were getting ready to go get some food and explore a little bit." Maddie answered for them.

"I think that we are down to do a little exploring with y'all." Rayna smiled brightly.

"Oh yeah, our bags will get to the room just fine without us here to supervise 'em. Why don't you two ladies lead the way and we will follow you? I think today is family day and we will spend some time together before I have to go conduct my meetin' with the bands later." Deacon put his arm around each of his daughters' shoulders.

Rayna smiled happily. "You were born to have daughters, babe."

"Almost thirty years of dealin' with you has taught me a thing or two 'bout how to please women." Deacon chuckled.

"You hush and be sweet to me in front of these girls." Rayna shot a mock glare in his direction.

"Darlin', I'm always sweet to you. As I recall I was real sweet to you earlier. I don't wanna her you complain." Deacon threw a suggestive wink over his shoulder at her.

Maddie made a sound of disgust in the back of her throat. "You guys are so gross."

"They may be gross and say things that we really don't want to hear, but for the first time since we found out mom was getting a divorce it feels like we are a real family again." Daphne retorted.

"That's because we are a real family. Even if we are real weird sometimes." Rayna stepped on the other side of Daphne and put her arm around her waist.

"You guys are so weird." Maddie made a show of rolling her eyes.

"We know we are. Tell us somethin' that we don't know." Deacon smirked at his oldest daughter.

"What do y'all say we make daddy feed us before we go explore?" Rayna suggested.

"I think that sounds like a damn fine idea to me." Deacon agreed with her.


Maddie sat on the balcony that was off the hotel suite they were staying in. She looked lost in thought as she stared at the night sky dotted with a million little stars.

"Hey," Rayna stepped out on the balcony and took a seat next to her daughter. "What's goin' on in that head of yours? You look just like Deacon right now."

"Do I really?" Maddie turned her head to look at her mother.

"You do. He looks the exact same way when he's deep in thought. Tell me what's on your mind. I can't help you if I don't know what's wrong." Rayna reached over and took her hand.

"I was just thinking about how I got here and how it's nowhere close to where I thought I would be. I think I made a huge mistake, mom. I should have never sat for my GED. I should have stayed in school. I see all my friends getting excited about the things that are gonna happen next school year and I feel like I robbed myself of that experience by listening to someone who didn't have my best interests at heart." Maddie couldn't stop the words from rushing out of her mouth.

"I don't know what you want me to do unless you tell me." Rayna told her. She had a good idea of what her daughter wanted, but she wanted to hear her say it.

"Mom, I want to go back to school and do my senior year with my friends. I can see now that you were right the whole time. I should have slowed down and enjoyed what I had instead of being so eager to try to be some kind of superstar before I graduated. I figured that I can still make music and play around town while I finish out school." Maddie explained what she wanted.

"If that is what you want then I will make it happen for you. With what we pay that school they will welcome you back with open arms. I know that it would mean the world to your daddy if he could get to see you graduate. I don't wanna guilt you here, 'cause it ain't your fault, it's mine. He missed all those other milestones with you and this one would make his life. He loves you girls so much, but y'all have put him through his paces. I think it would be nice for him to get to experience the good part of bein' a parent too." Rayna was on board with her idea.

Maddie laughed a little bit. "We really don't make things easy on him. I'm sure he probably wishes he had at least one son to go along with the crazy daughters he has. No matter what he keeps coming back. It didn't matter to him how horrible I'd been or the things I'd said when I needed him the most he was there to save me. Even more than that he has been so good to my baby sister. He doesn't treat her any different than he does me and I know how hard that has to be for him because of how much he hates Teddy. If I didn't know she wasn't his I wouldn't know. They have a bond that even I don't have with him. It's like they are soul mates or something. Not in a romantic way, but in like a musical slash personality way."

"Those two are a pretty good fit for each other. I don't know what we would do if we didn't have both of them to occupy each other." Rayna had to agree with her.

"Mom, I think when I put my first album out I want to call it Claybourne. I can see how much it bothers him that his only child doesn't have his last name. I can also tell it really bugs him that I use your name as my stage name he just won't say that to me. Truth be told I would have never done that, but it was Cash's idea." Maddie rambled a little bit.

"I know that he would really love that. You know you don't have to be Maddie Jaymes if you don't wanna be. Up on that stage you can be whoever the hell you wanna be. Good lord knows if I had kept my name I'd be Rayna Wyatt. I guess what I'm sayin' is you don't have to be Maddie Conrad if that's not who you feel like you are anymore either. I took my momma's name there's no rule that says you can't take your daddy's if that's somethin' you want." Rayna could tell there was so much more she wanted to say and didn't feel like she could. She gave her, her permission to change her last name if that was what she wanted to do.

"I promised Daphne, but I think she's in better place now and knows she will always have a place in this family no matter what. I know that I was a Conrad in the past, but I think my future is as a Claybourne. I hope that doesn't bother you." Maddie admitted.

"That doesn't bother me at all. I want you to do whatever makes you happy. Your daddy and I will support you no matter what." Rayna assured her.

"It's who I want to be and more than that I think it will heal the damage I did." Maddie told her.

"I think that's a damn fine idea and somethin' we can take the summer to think 'bout. Nothin' has to be decided right now. It sounds to me like your mind is made up and I am behind you." Rayna promised her.

Maddie nodded. "I love that we get to spend the summer before my senior year in Europe. As much as I wanted to come to Australia, I'm even more excited for us to go to Italy. Between the pasta and the clothes I may never leave."

"Just wait for Ireland that is your dad's jam right there. Granted he doesn't drink anymore, but he still finds a way to have the best time out of every member of the tour. I know he's really lookin' forward to it." Rayna replied.

Maddie laughed and covered her face with her hands. "Mom, you did not just say that Ireland is dad's jam. I can't take you anywhere."

"It is his jam. I can't help it that the man ain't right. He gets the guys in those pubs all fired up and plays for them all night. I've had him roll into the hotel room at like seven in the morning before. I don't know what it is 'bout him and the Irish, but they just seem to click." Rayna had to laugh too.

"One of my girls is in the room binge watchin' Netflix without me and she knows how I feel 'bout that. What are my other two girls up to?" Deacon stepped out onto the balcony. He'd just gotten back from his band meeting.

Rayna smiled and tilted her face up to give her husband access to her lips for a kiss. The smile grew wider when he kissed her. "Hey, darlin', we are just out here talkin'. How was your meetin'?"

"That was a fast meeting." Maddie observed.

"My meetin' was fine. I was just givin' the guys a word to the wise to be on their best behavior and I was makin' sure that the guys on the front of the house crew do their jobs. I don't want any unexpected complications 'cause they are goofin' 'round." Deacon answered them. "You two just talkin' scares the hell outta me. The one I'm married to gets me into enough trouble I don't need the one of you I fathered to encourage any of the madness."

"I love havin' you as a bandleader. You make sure all the trains run on time. I don't know how I ever thought I could do any of this without you." Rayna praised him.

"After you took care of my ass for all those years I owe you my best now." Deacon bent down and kissed her again.

"Sugar, you don't owe me a damn thing. But I could think of a couple things I want from you." Rayna muttered against his lips.

"I think that is my cue to go get Daphne and head to the pool or something. I really can't deal with you two. I don't know why you have to be so disgusting." Maddie got up and headed inside in a huff.

"I get the feeling that our kids are absolutely tired of our bullshit." Deacon laughed.

"We totally gross them out and I love it. That means we get some time together while they go out and explore a little bit. I really like this they are old enough and independent enough to take care of themselves thing." Rayna stood up and put her arms around his neck.

Deacon pecked her lips over and over. "You sure you wanna have a baby and lose our alone time?"

"Havin' a baby just means that we will have to find ways to be creative. I want a baby almost as much as I want you right now." She pushed her hands up his shirt and let them wander over his abs.

"I know it did it earlier, but I think it's time for my daily try to put a baby in ya." He grabbed her ass and squeezed it.

She moaned into his mouth. "I do love it when we practice baby makin' I always have."

He kept one hand on her ass and he put the other up the back of her shirt. He skillfully unhooked her bra with one hand. "This ain't practice this is the real deal. You ain't on the pill and I ain't usin' protection. This is gonna happen sooner or later."

"I like the sound of the that." She unbuckled his belt and put her hand down the front of his pants.

He groaned in the back of his throat. "You think them girls are gone yet? I got an erection the size of Texas right now and the last thing I want is them seein' that.

She stroked him slowly. "Your cock is the size of Texas when it's soft. When you're as hard as you are right now I know I'm in for a real treat." She licked her lips. She looked over her shoulder. "The girls are gone. Let's get in there and get outta these clothes."

"I ain't gonna argue with that." He picked her up so that her legs were wrapped around his waist and he carried her inside.


Rayna slapped Deacon's bare back. "Babe, wake up, I just heard somethin'." She tried to wake her husband up.

Deacon woke up with a loud groan. "What's goin' on? I was sleepin', babe."

"I just heard a banging noise from the living area. The girls are both in their rooms and I don't want someone to get to 'em." She whispered harshly.

"Hand me my boxers from wherever the hell we threw 'em last night." He sat up groggily. All it took to wake him up was the thought of someone doing something to his daughters.

She handed him his boxers. "Go see what's goin' on." She urged him.

He pulled on his boxers and a t-shirt and he handed her his phone. A quick look at it told him that it was four in the morning. "You take that and call the police if I yell for you to. I'm gonna go see 'bout our girls."

"Maddie, shh, you need to be quiet. If we wake up mom and dad it's not gonna be pretty." Daphne had her sister's arm around her shoulders and she was doing her best to guide her to her room.

"I'm trying, Daph," Maddie slurred.

"Madison Miranda and Daphne Marie, what in the world is goin' on in here?" Deacon flipped a light on and crossed his arms over his chest.

"Well, you see we went out to club and we got on stage and we played for a long time. There were some guys and they were buying Maddie drinks. I told her not to take them, but as usual she didn't listen to me." Daphne explained to him.

"Ok, here's what we're gonna do." Deacon gathered Maddie up in his arms. "I'm gonna put her to bed and you're gonna go into the bedroom and tell your momma that y'all stayed out later than you shoulda playin' music. She will understand and I will cover for y'all. You didn't take anythin' to drink from anyone did ya?"

Daphne shook her head. "No, I only had soda."

"Ok, that's ok, just go on in there with your momma." Deacon carried Maddie to her bed. "Maddie, what am I gonna do with you?"

"Dad, I don't feel so good the room is spinning." Maddie groaned as he laid her down in bed.

"I know you don't, but I will get you through this." Deacon put a trash can by her bed and got her a glass of water. He gave her some aspirin and had her take them. He kissed her forehead and tucked her in. "Get some sleep and we will talk 'bout this in the mornin'."

"Please don't tell mom." She begged him.

"I have no intentions of tellin' your momma 'bout this, don't worry." He reassured her.

Rayna was sitting up in bed wearing Deacon's flannel shirt with her arms around Daphne when he finally came back. "How drunk is she, babe?"

"I have no idea what you're talkin' 'bout." He tried to play innocent.

Rayna arched her eyebrow at him. "I appreciate what you're tryin' to do for your oldest daddy's girl right now, but I need you to tell me the truth."

"She's three damn sheets to the wind. I don't know how Daffy here got her back to the room." Deacon got back in bed with them.

"She ok?" Rayna asked.

"I gave her some aspirin and put a trash can by her bed. She will be fine. I know why I'm concerned 'bout this, but I also know this is part of her bein' seventeen. I want her to have that. I want her to know she can tell us these things and not sneak 'round. She ain't me and I know that. She's got way too much of you in her to be brought to her knees by the demons that belong to me and my daddy. The fact of the matter is she's my daughter, but thankfully she ain't really a Claybourne. She is a Jaymes and I can handle that." He gave her a longer answer than she asked for.

"Darlin', that girl is every bit a Claybourne like her daddy. She went out to play music and she came home drunk. As long as she doesn't make a habit of it we don't have to worry. It is legal for her to drink here as long as someone else bought it for her. I say we should let her be young and dumb. Just from now on she has to let us know what she plans on doin'." Rayna kissed the top of Daphne's head.

"Daph, what do you say we watch an episode of our show before we turn in for the night?" Deacon suggested.

"Yeah, I'd like that a lot." Daphne nodded.

"Well, fire it up, girl." Deacon egged her on.

"Hey, don't send one of our kids back here when you know what state you left me in like that again. It's a good thing I had already put your shirt on." Rayna whispered harshly.

"I kinda forgot. I was in damage control mode. Do me a favor and don't tell Maddie you know. I told her I'd keep it between me and her." Deacon whispered back.

"I'll let you have that." Rayna kissed him softly.

"Thanks, babe." Deacon kissed her back.

"Dad, I've got it up, you ready?" Daphne snuggled up against his side.

"I'm ready, girl. Let's watch our show. Your momma knows she secretly watches this when she's out on the road without us." Deacon put his arm around her and kissed the top of her head.

Rayna secretly snapped a picture of the two of them on her phone. Her heart absolutely melted seeing how closely bonded her husband and daughter were. She could see the sweet undying love they had for each other even if they weren't biologically father and daughter.


Two Months Later

Rayna splashed cold water in her face and wiped her mouth after she finished retching into the toilet. This was the third morning in a row she'd had this and it wasn't fun for her at all. Given that she and Deacon had been trying for a baby she knew what those symptoms most likely meant, but she wanted to take a test just to be on the safe side. The pregnancy test was sitting on the counter and she was waiting for the timer to go off to check it. She'd peed on the stick before she had started throwing up.

She was thankful that Deacon and the girls were out for the morning on some kind of tour. The last thing that she needed was them there getting into her business. She wanted to surprised Deacon with a positive pregnancy test if she really way pregnant.

Before the timer could go off a call came through on her phone. She smiled a little when she saw that it was her sister. "Hey, babe, what's goin' on?'

"Nothing much. I just wanted to check in on my baby sister. I know that the tour is going very well I'm seen the profits from it. I wanna tell you again how proud I am of you." Tandy replied.

"I'm pretty damn proud of me too. The songs that Deacon wrote for me and Luke are a huge hit. This tour couldn't be goin' better if I tried. As an extra added bonus the songs from Deacon's and my album are doin' very well. How's the bar and studio comin'?" Rayna inquired.

"Everything is moving along the way it should. I got the contractors to come in under cost. You know that I have my ways after working with our father for so many years." Tandy informed her.

The timer on Rayna's phone went off and she could see the bold positive read out on the test. She smiled to herself. "That's good that's exactly what I wanna hear. Do you wanna hear some more good news? If I tell you this I need you to keep it to yourself for a little while."

"I always wanna hear good news. You know that. You cause me enough headaches as it is." Tandy joked with her.

"Tandy, I'm pregnant. I just took the test and it's positive." Rayna told her.

"What? That is amazing. If you're happy then I'm happy for you. I know that you and Deacon were seriously discussing having another baby." Tandy squealed in her ear.

"He is gonna be over the moon. We are in London for the next couple days, but I want to tell him in Ireland. He's always loved playin' that country. I need you to come up with ideas for how to tell him. This has to be really special. I have to try to make up for not tellin' him 'bout Maddie myself. I really didn't think that it would happen this easily. I should have known that with him and me it would be a sure thing." Rayna smiled at he reflection in the mirror. She was so happy about this and it was going to be hard for her to keep it from Deacon for so long.

"Hey, no worries, I will help you come up with something. Until then I'm gonna get you the name of a doctor and you're gonna go in there and get a check up for my future niece or nephew. Or even better I can get you someone to come out there." Tandy told her.

"Whatever you can do to help me with a doctor would appreciated. I love you." Rayna said.

"I love you to and I will get back to you with that information for a doctor as soon as I can. I love you too." Tandy reassured her.

"Ok, I'll talk to you later." Rayna hung up the phone. She still had four months left on tour, but she couldn't be happier to be carrying Deacon's baby again.


A/N: Here is the next chapter. I'm sorry for the long wait on it. Until next time please review.