A/N: I know some of you have been anxious for an update and I'm sorry for the delay. Truthfully, right in the middle of the story, I had a multi-day writer's block, something I haven't experienced before, and it's taken a lot of time to try to get back on track and figure out what needed to happen to move things forward. In fact, I'm still struggling some with it, so this chapter is a little shorter than most. I hope you still enjoy.

She was looking forward to going to work that day. She had a scene with Chip and the actress who played his girlfriend. He'd stopped by the previous day so they could talk about it, but she was pretty sure they both knew it was more to spend time with each other than to really dissect the scene. In the end, they managed some of both. It had been over a week since they'd been together, so she wanted to make the time count.

"I think it should be a really supportive scene. That's the way it's written, that she's happy to see that he's getting back into music and doing what he probably wanted to do back when he first came to Nashville," she said, when they talked about it.

"It's kind of like they're starting to find their way a little bit," he said.

"Yeah, but there's trouble ahead. The video that Maddie posts. I'm interested to see how that plays out."

"What do you think about the talk she has with Maddie when she says she wants the relationship between Maddie and Deacon to be private? Doesn't that feel a little bit like she's trying to still keep it secret?"

She thought about that. She'd thought about it when she first read the scene. "I don't know. I don't know if I think she's still trying to keep it a secret or just take it slow to protect Maddie. You know, I try not to judge the actions of my characters and really try to understand why they might take a certain approach. It doesn't mean it would be my choice, but I support it, if you will."

"So what does that mean?"

"I think it's not so much that she wants to keep it a secret, but it is kind of an explosive reveal. She's trying to navigate how Maddie knowing about Deacon changes things. Deacon and Teddy have already shown they aren't necessarily going to stay in their lane and that there's a bit of power struggle between them. And they do it again."

He laughed. "Especially Teddy."

"Yes, especially Teddy. And Maddie's a teenager and Rayna wants to protect her from things that could hurt her, until they figure it all out."

"I think Deacon might see it differently."

She smiled. "I'm sure he does."

"Well, he's trying to feel out being a dad and Rayna and Teddy aren't really making that easy. Rayna seems to lean towards Teddy and not totally support Deacon's side."

"You think so?"

"I do. Teddy sure sees it that way." He shrugged. "It's an interesting dynamic, I think. Teddy wants Deacon to stay in hiding and Deacon's starting to feel like he doesn't want to. He's starting to want to actually be Dad. It puts Rayna in the middle, but she's made promises to Teddy that she hasn't made to Deacon. I think she probably still isn't sure Deacon won't fuck it all up somewhere along the line. He's a hot head, we know that, and he's sensing from Maddie that she wants more of a relationship with him and he's all in on that. Up to a point. But he's not afraid to push back on Teddy. And he's not inclined to get on the wrong side of Rayna, because he's not sure where she really stands."

"I think she does want to control it. Because that's what she does." She laughed. "I think she's just trying to hold it all together and not have it become a publicity nightmare. I mean, after all, she's a public figure, they all are really, but she's conscious of how that comes across. She made a choice all those years ago and probably never really thought she'd have to face the consequences. Now she is and she has to play it carefully."

He grinned. "I'm thinking Deacon's gonna start pushing back. I don't think he cares about how Rayna comes across. Plus he hates Teddy. And has even more reason to by the end."

"Ooh, that's true. Not only does his girlfriend step out on him, but she does it with the enemy." She laughed. "So I don't think I really want to talk about Rayna and Deacon anymore. How about you?"

He gave her a cheeky smile. "What did you have in mind?"

"How long can you stay?"

"As long as you want me to." He leaned in and kissed her. "I moved into the apartment yesterday."

That surprised her. "You did? You didn't tell me."

He grinned. "I'm telling you now. I wanted to surprise you."

She made a face. "I hate surprises," she said. "But I will admit that's a pretty nice one. I didn't expect it so soon though."

"It needed to happen. For the time being I'll be at the house on weekends, like I told you, but I hope that won't be for too long."

"How did your kids take it?"

He cleared his throat. "It was emotional. For everyone. But they know I'm available for them anytime." He smiled then. "So you had something in mind then?"

It was a lot to process. This change was something she didn't expect to happen quite this soon. But it did seem to indicate his intentions to move forward were on target. It didn't mean everything would go this quickly or this seemingly smoothly, but it was progress. She smiled back at him and took his hand. "I do have something in mind," she said, standing up and prompting him to do the same. She led him back to her bedroom. They walked over to the bed and she started to undress him, starting with unbuttoning his shirt and tossing it on the floor. Then she unbuckled his belt, unbuttoned his jeans and unzipped them, sliding them down, along with his underwear, part way down his legs. She could see he was aroused and she felt breathless. "Sit," she murmured and he did. She knelt on the floor and pulled his boots off, one after the other, and then his socks. Finally she slid the rest of his clothes off.

He rubbed his hands over his legs, staring at her as she knelt there. "What now?" he whispered.

She stood up and took a couple steps back. Then she proceeded to do a striptease for him. She first slowly pulled her sweater up and over her head, taking her time pulling her arms out. She slid her hands into her yoga pants and slowly slid them off, shimmying her hips as she moved them down her legs. She stepped out of them and her shoes, standing there in her underwear. She heard him suck in his breath and she swallowed as she looked at his erection. He was very ready for her. She reached around her back and unfastened her bra, letting it slide down her arms, freeing her breasts. And then finally she shimmied out of her panties until she was standing naked in front of him. She stood there for a moment before she took off her glasses and set them on the bedside table. He looked entranced and she gave him a tiny smile.

She walked up to him and straddled him, guiding him inside her. Then she pulled her legs up and wrapped them around him. "Oh my god," he groaned, closing his eyes. She put her arms loosely around his neck, then leaned in to kiss him. She felt his hands on her waist, then sliding up her abdomen to cup her breasts.

"Look at me," she whispered in his ear. He opened his eyes, looking deeply into hers. She started moving her hips and he fell into her rhythm. She bit her lip as she concentrated on how he felt inside her, shifting herself so that he was focused on the areas that gave her the most pleasure. His hands moved down to her hips and he took one breast in his mouth, sucking her nipple, then grazing it with his teeth. She moved her hands to his shoulders and gripped him as waves of pleasure rolled over her. He moved his mouth to the other breast and then back again and she moaned in appreciation.

He slid his hands under her ass and tipped her slightly towards him, hitting her in just the right spot to send her over the edge. It took her a little by surprise and she cried out his name over and over. He held her tight, thrusting into her with increasing force, finally tilting his head back and shouting out incoherently. She clung to him, feeling his heartbeat against her chest. He buried his face in her neck, breathing heavily, and she ran her fingers through the hair on the back of his neck. After several minutes, he pulled back and looked at her, one hand tangled in her hair, his thumb tracing the side of her face. "Every time I think you can't surprise me more, you do," he said, breathing heavily.

She smiled. "I do?"

He chuckled. "You're fucking incredible, Connie." Then he kissed her. She finally moved off of him and they fell back against the covers. He reached for her hand, lifting it to his lips, then smiled at her. "God, I love you."

"I love you too." She turned on her side. "Do you have to leave?"

"I wish I didn't, but I need to. I've got a really early call tomorrow and I know you're not in that early."

She shook her head. "I'm not. I hate for you to leave, but at least I'll see you tomorrow."

She suddenly realized the water in the shower was running cool and she snapped out of her reverie. She turned off the water and opened the shower door, shivering as she stepped out and grabbed a towel. After she dried off, she quickly threw on some clothes and headed upstairs to get Yoby up. She couldn't help but wonder how long things would go on this way. She supported him handling the situation the way he thought was best, but there still seemed to be a long road ahead and so many things could change.

When she got to Yoby's room, he was surprisingly still asleep. She sat on the edge of the big boy bed she'd bought for him before the holidays and put her hand on his arm. "Yobes? You ready to get up?" she said softly. She watched as he screwed up his little face, then opened his eyes. She smiled. "Breakfast?"

He sat up. "Yes!" he shouted and then scrambled out of the bed and out of his room. All she could do was laugh. He had so much energy and he was always 90 to nothing from the time he woke up until the time he went to bed. She got up and headed after him, thinking that she had actually woken up that morning in as good a mood as he had.

When she left hair and makeup, she walked out to where they would be filming. They were getting set up for the concert scene sequences that would be filmed over several days. She couldn't remember what Chip was filming that morning, but the scene they would be shooting was the backstage scene prior to the show, when Deacon and his girlfriend arrived at the venue. She would have a couple additional scenes in the backstage area to film that day. She was pretty sure Chip's day was done once they'd filmed their scene.

She sat in one of the set chairs while she waited, not really having anything else to do. She tried to surreptitiously look around to see if she spotted Chip. Finally she did and she got up from her chair, smiling to herself. She watched the actress who played the girlfriend walk off in another direction and Chip approached her, a smile on his face.

"Hey there," she said.

"Hey yourself," he said. "Fancy meeting you here."

She laughed. "I know. It's sure been a while." He grinned. "Are you done after this?"

He nodded. "Yeah. I'm, uh, I'm spending some time with my kids today. And tonight. Dinner."

She understood that it would be this way. While they both wanted to spend more time together, it was important for him to spend quality time with his kids, even if he wasn't living at the house full time. "I know you're looking forward to that."

"I am. It's been tough for them." He leaned in closer. "How 'bout I call you tonight?"

She smiled. "I'd like that." She spotted Christina walking towards them. "Here comes your girlfriend." She winked. He turned and she touched his arm. He looked back at her. "I'll see you in a bit," she said and he nodded. As she walked away, she couldn't help but feel like this was not only her work life, but her personal life too. Bits and pieces of time to spend together, with no particular rhythm. Somehow she hadn't expected it to feel like less time together once he was in the apartment, but maybe it wasn't fair to assume everything had changed. It hadn't. It was a step. An important one, for sure, but just a step. One of many, she was sure, on the path to...to what, exactly? It wasn't totally clear. Just like her character's journey, moving in conflicting directions without a clear timetable. Time would tell.

She didn't like how she was feeling. She didn't see Chip again, but that was as much her own doing as his. She had left the set to go to her trailer and spend time with Yoby. By the time she was back on set, he was gone and there had been no text or message from him. Get a grip, Connie, she thought to herself. You've done the same – put time and distance between us. It's his turn. But that was just it, up to this point it had been her who had created the space. He had gone along with it – because she'd allowed no option – but hadn't liked it. Now it seemed she would be the one who didn't like it.

Her phone buzzed and she reached for it, expecting it to be Chip. To her surprise, she saw that it was Daniel. It had been quite a while since she'd last heard from him. She lifted up the phone. "Hello," she said, a statement rather than a question.

"Hello," he said, a hint of amusement in his voice. "Did you think I'd fallen off the planet?"

She laughed. "Something like that."

"Life happens, but I'm sure you know how that is. I was planning to come to Nashville for a few days to look at some plans for the new restaurant. We're pushing out the opening just a bit and making it a bigger project than it started out to be. So we had a brief pause. Anyway, I'll be in Nashville next week and wondered if I could interest you in drinks or dinner one night. or both."

She hesitated. She liked Daniel. A lot. If things had been different, he would have been someone she'd like to spend more time with. Romantically. Who says it has to be romantic? She'd have to be honest with him, to a point, that she was just interested in being friends, but he was fun and a good conversationalist and he made her laugh. Ironically, a lot of the same things that attracted her to Chip. But she didn't want to sit home every night, or even most nights.

"Connie?" She realized she'd drifted away with her thoughts.

"Sorry. I was thinking about my schedule and then realized that we'll be starting a new episode next week and I don't know my schedule yet. But yes, I'd like to go for drinks. Or dinner. Or both." She paused. "Or play it by ear. When will you be in town?"

"Tuesday through Thursday."

"Call me Monday. I'll know more then."

"I'll do that. And Connie?"

"Yes?"

"I'm looking forward to it."

She smiled. "Me too." As she disconnected, she realized she was looking forward to it. She needed something to take her mind off the rest of her life and all the uncertainties. She would need to be clear about her expectations, but that could be done over drinks. It was a conversation that would need to happen face to face, not over the phone. She looked back down at her phone and sighed. She'd need to talk to Chip too, make sure he didn't misunderstand. It could be a convenient cover for them. No one would have to know the true nature of the relationship with Daniel, and it could make Chip's path easier. But that also would need to be an in person conversation.

Chip. Suddenly she felt a little disloyal, having made plans with Daniel before even talking to Chip. She had no idea how he would react. Would he feel hurt? Would he believe her that it wasn't something more than friendly? Would he walk away? Or be angry? Just then her phone buzzed. It was Chip. Her stomach turned flip flops.

She held the phone to her ear. "Hey," she said, trying to be sure she sounded upbeat.

"Hey. Sorry it's so late."

"It's fine. How was your evening?"

"Good. I got a little bit of surprising news though."

"What's that?"

"Taylor's looking at going to Belmont this coming year."

"Really?"

"Yeah." He hesitated. "Not sure what that'll mean, but it may mean Patty's gonna want to stay in Nashville."

"You knew that was a possibility."

"True. And in some ways it would be good. From the standpoint of the kids and seeing them." He sighed. "I wish I could come by, but it's so late." It was late. And she had an early call. She was tempted to tell him to come anyway, since she knew he would.

"I've got an early call," she said, but she knew she didn't sound like she was telling him not to come.

"I don't have to stay long," he said.

She bit her lip. She didn't really want him to come for just a little bit. She knew she needed to tell him they'd work something out another time, that this just wasn't good timing. She wanted him though. Wanted to feel his skin on hers, his lips pressed to hers, joined together. She knew he wanted to as well. "Okay," she whispered.

She was going to regret this. Actually, that wasn't true. She wouldn't regret it at all. She would just be grateful, yet again, that the makeup artists on set were so very good at hiding those tired circles under her eyes and refreshing the weariness in her face. But his hand was on her back and his face was close to hers. His leg was draped over hers and his erection was hard against her stomach and she didn't care about undereye circles or tired lines around her eyes. Or anything else except the two of them. His breath tickled her cheek as his eyes captured hers. When he drew his knee up between her legs, she moaned, fighting the desire to close her eyes and give in to the heavenly sensation. Her mouth opened slightly and he took advantage of it to kiss her, lingering there as she rubbed herself against him.

"Look at me, Connie," he murmured against her lips and she flicked her eyes open, realizing she'd let them drift closed. She breathed in and smelled the hint of whiskey on his breath, a little oregano on his skin, and the occasional whiff of sweat, indicating he'd not showered since morning.

When she'd opened the door for him, he'd slipped in and pulled her into an embrace, kissing her hard, letting his hands run up and down her back and down over her ass. He was already aroused, so they didn't waste much time getting to her bedroom. They undressed each other quickly, touching each other provocatively as they did. She had heard herself whimper with need when he'd slid 2 fingers inside her briefly as she struggled to unbutton his shirt. He groaned as she wrapped her hands around him as he unfastened her bra.

They had fallen back on the bed together, frantically touching and kissing, and then he had surprised her by slowing things down. The pads of his fingers barely scraped her skin. His kisses were flirty and light – the brush of his lips against hers or her skin, the touch of his tongue behind her ear, a feathery touch between her legs. Her skin felt like it was on fire, her nerve endings buzzing. His hand cupped her ass as he controlled her attempts to rub herself against him.

"Please, Chip," she whispered raggedly. He looked at her, a smile playing around his lips, his eyes twinkling. He didn't have to say anything for her to know that he wasn't quite ready to give her what she wanted. Without taking his eyes off hers, he moved his hand to her breast, his thumb and index finger tweaking her nipple, first gently, then more insistently. He'd been a good student, able now to bring her right to the brink with just the right touch, just the right amount of pressure and pain. She sucked in her breath and then moaned appreciatively. Part of her didn't want him to stop, because her whole body felt charged with the electricity of his touch. But the other part of her wanted more. "Please," she whispered again.

He bit his lip, then moved his hand to her back. She moaned again. He shifted slightly and then his mouth crashed down on hers, just as he entered her. she clung to him as he pushed in forcefully, giving her no time to adjust. She didn't really need it though. She came almost as soon as he was fully inside her, having been teetering right on the edge. She lifted her hips and pelvis as she met his thrusts, feeling her insides spasming in waves of pleasure. She pressed her mouth against his shoulder, feeling like she was hanging on for dear life. And then he stiffened and finally let go, burying his face in her pillow.

They laid that way for a long time, just holding tight to each other. She could feel his heartbeat against her chest. He was breathing heavily, as was she. She wrapped her arms around his neck. "Don't go," she murmured. He didn't say anything, just held on tightly. When their breathing finally returned to normal, he slid off her and then wound himself around her body, burying his face in her hair. She breathed in deeply and then out. His skin was slightly damp against her own, his arm draped over her waist. He sighed deeply and then seemed to snuggle into her a bit more. She closed her eyes and quickly fell into a deep sleep.

She seemed to swim through darkness until her eyes opened slightly. He wasn't in her bed, but she could hear him. She blinked and he came into a fuzzy focus. "Are you leaving?" she murmured sleepily.

"Yeah," he said, his voice wistful. He was buttoning his shirt as he walked over and knelt down beside her. He leaned in and brushed his lips over hers. "If I don't, you'll be late tomorrow." He chuckled softly. "Today, I guess."

She put her hand on his face. "When will I see you again?"

"Tomorrow. The real tomorrow." She only vaguely remembered they had another scene.

"Okay."

He kissed her, a little harder this time. "Go back to sleep," he said. "I love you."

She nodded. "Love you," she said, feeling herself drifting back into sleep. She felt his hand against her face and then she was back asleep.

She found him on a side hall, his glasses on, looking at his phone. She stopped for a second, thinking how much she liked him when he wore his glasses, which he didn't often. As though he sensed someone was there, he looked up. He put away his phone and the glasses and smiled. She walked up to him. "You could put those glasses back on," she whispered, leaning forward slightly.

He grinned. "You like 'em?"

She nodded. "Oh yes. Very sexy. Actually I think Deacon needs to add those to his wardrobe." She looked around, then leaned against the wall. "Do you have some time to talk later?"

He frowned. "Yeah. Something wrong?"

She shook her head. "No, nothing's wrong. But I had something I wanted to talk to you about, see what you thought about it."

He looked a little puzzled, but nodded. "Sure. After we're finished?"

"What's your last scene?"

"Onstage with Will."

She smiled. "Sounds good." She pointed back down the hall. "I'm heading back. Are you?"

He smiled back at her. "Yep."

She had to wait for him to finish, so she found a small alcove area off one of the hallways where she could wait. She texted him so he'd know where she was, then went and found a couple of chairs. When she got them set up, she sat in one and put her feet up on the other, pulling out her phone. She responded to messages, made a few calls, and then settled in to wait.

When she finally heard footsteps, she took her feet off the other chair. When he rounded the corner, she felt the little thrill she often felt whenever she saw him. The same feeling she'd had the very first time she'd ever laid eyes on him. He made her heart beat a little faster. She could feel the heat in her face. And the sexual craving in her core. Whenever he was dressed as Deacon, he seemed to be a scruffier version of Chip, with a smoldering heat emanating from him. Deacon was raw, and while Chip could take on some of Deacon's characteristics, Chip was more polished in his way.

He dropped into the other chair. "Hey," he said, with a smile.

"Hey." She just wanted to stare at him.

"You had something you wanted to talk about?" he asked.

She laughed. "Oh, yeah. Sorry. I was just, well, looking at you."

He grinned. "I've been guilty of doing the same. To you."

She decided to just jump right into it. "So, something unexpected happened. I got a call the other night from Daniel."

He frowned slightly. "Who's Daniel?" She could tell from the look on his face that he knew exactly who Daniel was and was being a bit deliberately obtuse.

"You know, the guy who's working on opening a restaurant here." Chip was still silent. "The guy you saw me with." He just raised his eyebrows, although the skeptical look was still on his face. "He's going to be in Nashville and wanted to get together."

"I thought you'd ended that."

She shook her head. "Not technically."

"So, I don't understand. Are you saying you want to go out with him again?" She could see that he was trying to control his emotions. It would make no more sense here than with his wife as to why he'd be bothered by any perceived interest she might have in Daniel Lindley, so he was trying to keep his feelings under wraps.

She breathed in and let it out slowly. "No, not in that way. But it occurred to me that it could maybe work to our advantage if I did occasionally, you know, go out with him. As friends, though."

"I don't understand how that would be an advantage." He tapped his chest with both hands. "I'm trying to figure out how to exit a marriage without blowing up the world but letting you date someone else is going to make things more advantageous. I guess I'm just stupid, Connie, but all I'm hearing is that you want to go out with other people."

She frowned. "That isn't what I said at all. You're doing that thing where you're just intentionally being hardheaded and don't listen."

He barked out an incredulous laugh. "I'm 'doing that thing'? I thought we'd discussed this and you weren't going to be dating anyone."

She folded her arms across her chest. "I'm still not going to be dating anyone. I thought maybe I could see him and let him know I'm not interested in him that way but would still be interested in getting together for drinks or something whenever he's in town. He could be my, what do they call it, my moustache."

For a split second, she saw laughter in his eyes, but then it was gone. "It's a beard."

She waved her hand. "Whatever. A cover is what I'm talking about. People wouldn't have to think there's anything going on between us."

He sat back, not saying anything at first. "What's the 'something'?"

"What?"

"You said getting together for drinks. Or something. What does that mean? Something more?"

"Forget I said it. You're just trying to pick a fight now."

He leaned forward, resting his elbows on his legs. "What I'm hearing is that you want to still go out with this guy but as just a friend. As sort of a cover for us. Am I understanding that right?" He was being testy with her and she was getting pissed.

"Yes. That's exactly right."

"Have you considered he might not be on board with that?"

"I'm not telling him he's a cover."

He sat back then, crossing his arms over his chest, as though he were mimicking her. "I get that part, Connie. I might be stupid, but not that stupid." He huffed. "I mean, maybe he doesn't want to be friends. Or he goes along, hoping you'll change your mind. Did you think about that?"

He was right. She had not. She sighed. "Okay, so if he doesn't want to be just friends, then it's finished." She stared at him. "I'm not changing my mind. I thought at least that much you understood." She stood up then. After a second, she started down the hallway.

He pushed up from his chair. "Connie," he called after her, his voice a loud whisper. She kept walking.

He was waiting by his trailer as she walked across the back lot after cleaning up and dropping off her clothes. She slowed her steps as she approached, not sure what to expect. He was hunched over against the chill in the air, his hands in his jacket pockets. "You took me by surprise," he said, his voice low. "I'm sorry I didn't handle it well."

She looked at him for a long moment. "I'm not interested in anyone else. I guess I thought that wasn't up for debate."

He sighed. "It's not. It scares me though, Connie."

"Why?"

"Because things change sometimes." He sighed again. "I don't really think you'll change your mind, but I also don't know if I want that tested."

She stood there, not sure at first what to say. He was right, she had probably surprised him. It had seemed like such a good idea, but she could see where he was coming from. Sort of. "You have to trust me, Chip," she said.

"I do."

"Do you?" She heard the buzzing of a phone and watched as he looked at his for a second. Then he focused back on her. "If it really bugs you that much, I won't do it." She shrugged. His phone buzzed again. "Do you need to get that?"

He breathed in deeply. "I do, but not right this second. Look, it caught me off guard. Let me think about it."

"Okay." She turned to head for her trailer.

"Connie." She turned back. "I trust you. You're my best friend."

She gave him a little bit of a smile and a nod. "Good night," she said and headed for her trailer to pick up Yoby and Olivia.

She didn't expect to see or hear from him over the weekend. Weekends were when he stayed at the house and she knew he needed to concentrate on his kids. The next episode's script arrived and had kept her busy, as she jotted notes and thoughts down that she wanted to discuss with him. She was particularly interested in his take on the scene between Rayna and Deacon at the cabin, after the GMA appearance. It felt like they had finally unpacked some of the lingering resentment and emotions and she found herself, as she read through it, wishing there was more. There was so much hurt and pain on both sides. They had just come together for their daughter in a way they'd not done before, but it left the two of them open and raw. Rayna finally had voiced some of what she'd carried with her for all those years, needing to justify to Deacon why she'd felt like she'd had to make that particular choice. It was like an open wound though and again, she wished there had been a little more.

She got an alert that a text had come through and she picked up her phone. It was from Chip. Looks like we have a lot to talk about+ for this one. She wondered what the plus sign meant. Was it a hint or just an errant key error? They did have a lot to talk about, even if it was just about their scenes. Monday would be an interesting day.