The week went by without incident. Deacon kept his promise and worked on putting Rayna's feelings before his own. More future music performance date details were set up. Tandy had brought over more of Rayna's belongings, which Rayna unpacked and slowly took over Deacon's house with. It had been a good, productive week.
Deacon knocked lightly on Rayna's bedroom door, slowly peeking in to see if she was awake.
Rayna stretched and yawned, pulling her body into a sitting position. "Good morning," she greeted him, grinning ear to ear.
"Good morning, beautiful. Happy Birthday!" He smiled, carrying a tray on his arm.
Her eyes lit up. "Breakfast in bed," she asked, amused. "Well, I've never..."
"Only the best for my girl," he said as he put it over her legs. He'd prepared chocolate chip pancakes, scrambled eggs, bacon, and a glass of freshly squeezed orange juice, her favorite.
"Mmmm, this smells delicious." She dug in as he sat down beside her.
"So what do you want to do today?" He loved seeing her so happy like this.
"Honestly?" She looked up at his eyes. "I just want to spend the day here in bed with you."
"Well I think spending the day with me can be arranged," he chuckled, "but we can't stay in bed all day."
"Oh, no?" She frowned. "I'm eighteen today…"
"I know, baby, but I've got a few surprises planned for you," he explained. He waited for her to finish her breakfast. "Come join me in the living room," he said as he picked the tray up and sat it to the side before standing up. She followed him.
"Deacon Claybourne," Rayna said as she stepped into the doorway. It was full of balloons with a banner that read 'Happy Birthday Rayna!' hanging down over the fireplace. There was a fresh bouquet of roses placed in a large, glass vase in the center of the coffee table. Her hands went up to her mouth excitedly. "What have you done?"
"Only the best for my girl on her birthday." Rayna put her arm around him as he kissed her tenderly.
She deepened the kiss. "Do we really have to go anywhere today?" She didn't care about anything but spending time with him.
"Yes," he answered reluctantly. "I think you're gonna like it though." He chuckled as he gave her a squeeze.
"Ok, as long as there's nobody popping out and yelling 'Surprise!' involved." She did not surprise parties. She already startled easily and having to mingle with people she hadn't seen in years was not her idea of fun. If she had her way, she and Deacon would have a quiet night in with wine and a romantic movie.
"No worries about that," he assured her. "I wouldn't do that to ya." He chuckled at her response. "We don't actually have to be anywhere until after lunch, though. Would you like to write together?"
A large smile filled Rayna's face. "I would love to write with you this morning. In fact, we can do that all day," she hinted, trying to get out of the other plans he'd made.
"Nice try, but you're going to enjoy the rest of the day more," he laughed. She rolled her eyes at him as he went to pick up his guitar. She grabbed her songbook and they got to work. He strummed while she started writing lyrics. In no time at all, 'No One Will Ever Love You' was written and perfected. "It's amazing how easy it is to write with you," he pointed out. "I think this is a hit."
"I don't know," she hesitated. "Deacon, this was just a fun little song that we threw together off the top of our heads. Hit songs take a lot longer to write." She put the songbook to the side and sat up, smelling the roses on the coffee table.
"Baby, we're perfect together. This is a hit," he insisted. "Wanna write another one?"
She agreed and they spent the next several hours writing songs for their upcoming performances.
"Ray, we gotta get going," Deacon announced as he looked at the time. "Why don't you go get dressed?"
She just collapsed back against the couch. "How do I know what to wear if I don't know where we're going," she asked, pouting her lips at him. She didn't want to move.
"Just wear something nice," he suggested. "A nice dress, but not too fancy."
As she went to get ready, he put his guitar, her songbook, and a long, small wrapped box in the back of the car. He decided to hide the present in the glovebox until later in the evening. He came back in to find her waiting at the door.
"Whicha doin'?" She had a smile on her face that reached her eyes. She was dressed in a beautiful light pink dress with roses on it. The small straps met a necklace that softly highlighted her breasts, and the hem fell right below her knees. She was holding a small purse and a jacket.
Deacon's breath caught in his throat and he did a double take of her. "Just starin' at you, beautiful. You look gorgeous." He smiled and kissed her cheek.
"Thank you," Rayna said against his lips. "Now, we were goin' somewhere…" She laughed at how easy it was to distract him.
"Right," he said as he grabbed his jacket and headed out the door, her hand in his. He walked her to the passenger side of the vehicle and opened the door for her, gently closing it after she got inside.
The drive was a short one as they pulled into the parking lot of The Bluebird. Rayna saw a poster on the door advertising her and Deacon's names on it with today's date. She sat there looking at it in amazement.
Deacon grinned at her reaction. "I hope you're not upset...I scheduled you to perform here today." He knew it was a dream come true for her to be the sole performer at The Bluebird. He wanted to make that happen for her on her birthday.
"Oh my gosh, Deacon," Rayna beamed. "How could I be upset? This is something I've always wanted!" She leaned over as far as her seatbelt would let her and gave him a big hug.
Once they got inside, Deacon told her to sit down as he was going to introduce her. She agreed and found a table while she waited for him.
Deacon walked up on the stage with his guitar and took the mic. The room was full and applause rang out as he did a soundcheck. "Ladies and gentlemen," he started, "Today I would like to play for you a little song I wrote for a special lady in my life, whom I love more than life itself…"
Rayna gasped in the audience. She was expecting him to call her up, not do this. She sat on the edge of her seat with her hands on her mouth in awe.
"This song is called 'I Know How to Love You Now,' he said as he began to sing. As he played the guitar and sang every lyric, he kept his eyes locked on Rayna. He never revealed to the audience that she was who he wrote the song for, out of respect for her until she was ready to reveal themselves as a couple, but she knew the song was a birthday gift for her.
After it ended, Rayna jumped to her feet with the rest of the audience and clapped her hands with all her might.
"Now," Deacon announced as the crowd settled down, "I would like to invite Rayna Jaymes up on stage to perform. It's her birthday today so please give her a warm welcome!"
Rayna blushed as she made her way up the stage to Deacon. Deacon handed her the songbook she had written in earlier. "What's this?" She frowned, confused.
"This song is a new one we hope you enjoy," Deacon yelled out to the crowd.
"Deacon," Rayne whispered, " we can't perform this! We just wrote it a couple hours ago!"
He just smiled as he started playing the chords to 'No One Will Ever Love You' and gave her a promising look.
To Rayna's surprise, the song ended without any imperfections. The crowd again gave a standing ovation. Rayna shook her head at Deacon, giving him a devilish smile. This was what he had planned all along...getting her up on stage and having her play this new song they had written in less than an hour earlier that day. It took her out of her comfort zone and proved two things: it was a hit song, and they were as good as he'd claimed they were. She was amazed at the crowd's reaction.
Rayna took the stage for the rest of the evening with Deacon accompanying her on guitar. At the very end, Deacon had everyone in the Bluebird sing 'Happy Birthday' to her. Rayna blushed and smiled the entire time. They then thanked everyone for coming out and Deacon grabbed Rayna's hand and pulled her out to the car.
"Deacon, that was amazing," Rayna exclaimed. "I couldn't have asked for a better birthday! Why are we rushing out," she asked. She was still riding the adrenaline high of the reaction from the crowd.
"You'll see. It's not over, baby. I'm glad you enjoyed yourself though!" Seeing her happy gave him the best feeling in the world.
They were soon on the road. "How did you know that song we wrote this morning was going to go over so well?" She was still amazed they performed it in front of a crowd before trying it more in private.
"I just knew, Ray," he reassured her as he drove off. They pulled into the Oak Steakhouse parking lot. He exited the car and ran over to her side as quickly as possible to open her door.
"You are quite the gentleman tonight," she observed as she took his hand and stepped out of the car.
"You deserve the best, my love," he grinned. He really was surprising her tonight.
Thanks to Deacon calling ahead of time and making reservations, they were seated almost immediately at a large table with a dark red tablecloth and a candle lit in the middle. The waiter came over shortly after.
"May I take your order?"
"Ummm, we'd like two 8 oz filet mignons please. Also a plate of aligot potatoes and roasted mushrooms with sauteed onions on the side," Deacon responded.
Rayna's mouth dropped open. He knew it was one of her favorite meals but she wondered how on earth he could afford this.
"And to drink," the waiter asked.
"The best Champagne you've got," Deacon replied. He wasn't much of a wine connoisseur but knew Rayna liked Champagne. He handed a napkin to the waiter after their order was written down. It was a note that read, 'It's the lady's birthday tonight. Would you please bring her a caramel creme brulee at the end of the meal?"
"Of course, sir," the waiter agreed.
"What was that about?" Rayna was getting tired of the secrets and surprises now. As happy as she was, it was becoming a long evening.
"I just want everything perfect for you, baby." He gazed into her eyes as they waited for their meal to come.
They devoured their meal. Deacon then excused himself to the bathroom, but rather than going to the restroom, he actually ran back out to the car to grab the box he'd placed in the glovebox earlier in the day. When he returned, Rayna suddenly understood what Deacon had been up to. The waiter brought a crowd over and presented her with her favorite dessert and another performance of 'Happy Birthday.'
"A birthday isn't a birthday without presents," Deacon smiled as he handed her the wrapped box.
Rayna stared at him with wide eyes as her jaw dropped. She slowly unwrapped the gift and carefully opened the box. A beautiful gold bracelet encrusted with diamonds lay in it with a charm in the shape of a heart in the middle. Inscribed on the heart were the words 'My one true love…'
"Awww, babe," Rayna sighed as she took in the beautiful piece of jewelry in front of her, "This is lovely! Thank you!" She took it out of the box and he helped her put it on.
"I hope you like it," he blushed.
"I love it," she assured him, kissing him deeply.
As they made it back home, Rayna realized just how exhausted she felt. She was thrilled to see the house again as they parked. Deacon, once again, ran to her side to help her out of the car. As they extended the steps on the front porch, she leaned in and kissed him.
"So are we finally going to go all the way tonight," Rayna eagerly asked. She'd been waiting for this day for so long.
"Not tonight, baby," Deacon whispered, kissing her again as she gave a little frown. "We have plenty of time for that. I thought we'd go in and watch a movie together."
They made it inside and Deacon got the television set up to put on Rayna's favorite movie, 'Breakfast At Tiffany's.' She went to change into her pajamas and joined him on the couch. They curled up together with a blanket and she fell asleep within the first twenty minutes of the movie. Deacon chuckled softly as he looked down at her. After the movie was over, he pulled her into his lap and picked her up, carefully carrying her to his bed. He gently laid her down and kissed the top of her head as he whispered, "Goodnight, baby. Happy birthday!"