She'd been running late all morning and so she was 20 minutes late for the table read. She walked in, apologizing profusely, and then slid into the vacant seat next to Chip. She smiled and then set her tote bag down, retrieving her script and a pencil.

"Late night?" he whispered in her ear.

She looked at him. "No. Extra crazy morning." She leaned over and looked at his script. "Where are we?" He pointed at the page and she flipped through until she found it. Then she focused her attention on what was going on in the room.

At the break, Chip offered to get her coffee, which she gratefully accepted. She had not wanted to cause any more distraction by going over to the food table, so she'd been dying for coffee. When he came back, he had coffee and a plate of fruit. Then he went back and got his own coffee. When he'd settled back in his chair, she glanced at him over her mug. "How was your weekend?" she asked.

He shrugged. "Addie had a soccer match and Chase had a meet, so spent a lot of time at those. Otherwise, meh. What about you?"

"Yoby's sick. One of the reasons I was late this morning. Olivia needed to come to the house, so everything was kind of out of whack."

He gave her a look. "Hmm," was all he said.

"What?"

"Later," he said.

The day felt endless. It was always nice to get together with everyone, but the process always moved slowly. Even though they were sitting next to each other, she and Chip didn't talk a lot. She didn't know if he was upset with her. They had not really resolved the Daniel thing and that had weighed on her. She had truly thought it might help, that it would take any heat off Chip but she was afraid she'd miscalculated. She had female friends she could spend time with – maybe that's what she'd do instead.

Every so often, she'd give him a quick glance. He didn't seem any different than he normally did. He was up and about, talking to others during breaks. He joked around, just like always. Nothing really seemed amiss, except that she couldn't decide if his seeming coolness towards her meant anything. He'd said, more than once, that they would talk, but nothing more. They looked at each other while they read through their lines together and she'd convince herself nothing was amiss. But was that true?

Later in the afternoon, she saw him tapping something out on his phone. He waited and got a response, then put his phone on the table, turned over. She was curious but thought that if it had been meant for her, she'd have known that. The big scene they would have together was coming up soon and she was trying to get herself in the right headspace for it.

"I feel like there should be more," he whispered, pointing his finger at the scene. She looked at him. "It feels unfinished."

She nodded. "I agree. I thought the same thing the first time I read it."

"So, uh, can you stay a little later after we're done?" His eyes shifted away for half a second, then back to her.

"Sure."

He gave her a quick smile. "Great."

She had a headache. She'd spent the whole day wondering what Chip was thinking, wondering what they would be talking about, worried that she'd made a terrible miscalculation. She couldn't wait for the day to be over. She sort of wanted to go home, take something for her headache and crash. But now, not only did she have a headache, but she was feeling a little sick to her stomach. They were finally finished and she put everything back into her tote. That was when Chip leaned in.

"Call me from your car before you leave," he whispered. She was confused but she nodded. He got up and walked out, chatting up Clare as they left the room.

She got waylaid several times before she was finally able to exit the building. It was moving towards dusk, but was still not completely dark. She looked around and did not see Chip's car and wondered if maybe he'd left. She checked her phone but there was no message or missed call from him. When she got to her car, she put her tote in and then got in herself. She fastened her seat belt and then pulled her phone back out and called him.

"Hey," he said.

"Hey. Sorry, I got stopped a few times."

"No problem. So if you drive to the main road, turn right. Count 3 buildings on the right, then turn in. I'm parked around back."

"Okay. I'll be there shortly." She started the car and eased out of the parking lot. She followed his directions and turned into another parking area. There didn't seem to be anyone at the building, but she couldn't tell if it was empty or just closed for the day. She slowly drove around back, then saw Chip's car parked near the back of the lot. The parking lot wasn't well lit and with the approaching darkness, it was very secluded. She drove towards his car and parked next to him, not sure what to do. Her phone lit up with a text. Get in my car. She pushed her tote down in the floor of the car, although it didn't appear anyone would come back there. Then she got out of her car and locked it, sliding into the passenger seat of his. She caught a quick glimpse of his face as the interior light came on but couldn't tell his mood. When she shut the door, he leaned over the console, put one hand on the back of her neck and pulled her in close for a kiss. When he released her, he smiled.

"Sorry to be so secretive and sketchy. When you said Yoby was sick at home, I almost asked you to come to my apartment, but then thought that might not be a good idea."

She smiled back. "Probably not."

"I also figured you probably would need to get on home, so...here we are." He reached for her hand, threading his fingers through hers. He rubbed the back of her hand with his thumb, not saying anything.

"Chip, I..."

He shook his head. "I need to get this out." He turned to look at her. "I'm asking a lot from you. I know that. I want to be with you all the time and I want you to know that, first of all. So not being able to do that is making me a little crazy. I'm not a patient person, really, and having to wait this out is fucked up." He paused. She kept silent. "It bothered the hell out of me that you told me you wanted to date that guy again." She opened her mouth to say something, but he waved her off. "I know, it wouldn't be a date, but it's a guy, Connie. And I can't help but wonder, not about you, but about him. Really more about him. You're Connie Britton, so you're smart and gorgeous and funny and wonderful. I'm sure he knows that. And he would be spending time with you that I don't get to."

"I won't do it then."

He shook his head. "I don't want to tell you what to do. Thing is, I really don't have the right to do that. All I can do is try to get through all of my shit so that we can do this together." He sighed. "We went to another one of those counseling sessions and it made me wonder if I should just say yeah, there was someone. To just put it out there. But my lawyer reminded me that all it would do is probably make this worse. It would take a long time and it would be expensive and it would hurt the kids more. It's also hard to just say I don't want to be married anymore and leave it at that. It makes it seem like all we'd need to do is try harder."

She could see the pain in his eyes and feel his despair. She put her hand on his cheek. "I don't want this to get you all wound up inside."

"I just want it to be done. I don't want to hurt her, but I've already done that. It just feels, I don't know, crappy to say 'I just fell out of love' and move on."

"But isn't that what happened?"

He nodded. "Yeah. It is. I have felt like this for a while, but didn't really know what it was I was feeling. At least not until I saw you at lunch that day. And it wasn't even just seeing you, because I knew who you were and had watched you on TV. It was getting to know you, feeling how much we connected, how we just fit. I knew we were meant to be together, like I'd been hit over the head with it."

She smiled. "I know. I felt it too. It surprised me because I wasn't expecting it." She thought about the first time she'd laid eyes on him. It had taken her breath away. "I don't want to make this harder on you. I guess I was just hoping to kind of take that off the table for you. But if it's going to come between us, it's not worth it."

He took a deep breath. "How would you see this playing out? How would it work?"

"You mean if he and I spent time together?" He nodded. "Well, it wouldn't be a date, that's for sure." She sighed. "I won't do it, Chip."

"I can't ask you to put your life on hold for me. I have no idea how things will go and I won't let you be in the middle of it."

"So what are you saying?"

"I'm just saying I need to be smart about this." He brushed her lips with his. "I want you to be in my life, both now and in the future. What I'm saying, I guess, is that it will be tough, already is. I would understand if it was too much. I'd be sad, but I would understand."

She frowned. "I'm not walking away. If I go out for drinks with a male friend, people might think it's a date, but we'll know it's not. Or if he's part of a group of friends. That's all it is. That's all it would ever be. Plus it's not like he's here all the time."

He smiled. "I trust you. Plus, you're a lot smarter than me, so I trust that too. I have to be honest, though, and tell you that sometimes I might be a jackass about it, but it's not on you." She smirked when he said that, because she knew it was true – he probably would do that. "It's just that I want to be that guy who's having drinks with you or dinner with you."

She smiled back at him. "I know. But we can still have other time together. While we wait. Right?" He nodded. "What about..."

"Tonight?" She nodded. "I can do that." He leaned over and kissed her. "I love you. I'm in love with you."

"I'm in love with you too." She kissed him. "I'll see you later then."

It was a night when they just needed to be together, needed to be close. "You know the best day of my life was when I got this job," he said to her, pushing her hair back.

She smiled. "You always say that."

"It's true." He gave her a quick kiss. "I know I've told you that you were a big reason why I wanted this job. It's almost like it was meant to happen this way."

She ran her fingers through the hair on his forehead. "Maybe it was. I do think that sometimes things happen because they're supposed to."

He sighed. "I wish it just didn't have to be so complicated." He put his arm around her and pulled her a little closer. She laid her head on his shoulder and placed her hand on his chest. She wished it wasn't either. She still had moments when she questioned herself and what they were doing. When she was with him, though, it felt like exactly where she was supposed to be and that could sometimes make it confusing. What she did know was that it all required patience, something she knew was not Chip's strong suit. He could easily get impatient, which led to him sometimes not being as careful as he should. She hoped through all of this they would be able to see each other enough that it made a difference.

"We'll get through it," she murmured. "I know it's hard to be patient, but we have to."

He didn't say anything for a long time, and she wondered if he had fallen asleep. "Yeah," he whispered finally, then kissed her on the forehead. Then he sighed deeply, and she closed her eyes, letting herself be lulled to sleep by his deep, even breathing.

It was dark when she woke up. Chip wasn't in bed with her. She sat up. "Chip?" she called out but got no answer. She wondered if maybe he had left, although he had brought a bag with him that had felt like there was nothing in it.

He laughed at her confused look. "Underwear and a toothbrush. I didn't have anything smaller."

She smiled. "At least you're planning to stay all night."

"I need it."

She looked at her phone and saw that it was just before 4 AM. She saw the duffle bag in the corner, so it didn't appear that he had left. She got out of bed, slipping on her glasses, and then walked down the hall. The light over the stove was on, as it always was, and she saw him asleep on the couch, under a blanket. There was an empty glass on the coffee table. She picked up the glass and sniffed, the smell of bourbon letting her know he'd had a drink. She sat gingerly on the edge of the couch and gently put her hand on his arm. He made a noise and jerked a little, then opened his eyes.

"Hey," she said.

"Hey." He gave her a lopsided smile. "I'm sorry. I couldn't sleep and didn't want to wake you up."

"When did you come out here?"

"I don't know. 1 maybe? You were sleeping so soundly."

"Maybe I shouldn't have woken you up."

He shook his head. "No, I'm glad you did. I didn't mean to stay out here. I thought I'd just have a drink" – he nodded towards the glass – "and that would help me feel sleepy." He smiled. "Which obviously it did." He sat up then, pushing aside the blanket. He swung his legs onto the floor and stood up, reaching for her hand and pulling her up as well. "When do you have to be up?"

She was shooting that day, scenes in Rayna's kitchen. "My call time isn't until 10, so 7:30. Unless Yoby wakes up early."

He smiled and kissed her. "Let's hope he doesn't. I need more time with his mom."

Together they headed for her bedroom, crawled under the covers and he wrapped her up in his arms. Surprisingly, they fell back asleep quickly and didn't wake until shortly before her alarm went off.

She felt surprisingly good as she made her way to the set. Yoby was still sick, so at home with Olivia, but having Chip spend the night had put her in a good mood. She had a busy day but as she walked across the facility, she thought about waking up that morning in his arms.

Her alarm hadn't yet gone off, but the light in the room indicated that it was closer to wake-up time than not. Chip's hand was up under her t-shirt, fondling her breast, which was what had woken her up. She smiled and made a little satisfied noise, her eyes still closed. She could feel his full arousal, which reminded her they had not had sex the night before. Her body was telling her she wanted it now and her head was hoping they had enough time. His lips brushed her neck and his breath against her skin caused her to laugh just a little. The tingling between her legs told her she was ready. She moved her hips, then reached down and pulled at the waistband of her bottoms, trying to work them down.

He moaned and moved his hand from her breast to help push down her pants. Then he grabbed her hip and positioned her so he could enter. She could hear herself panting as she took him in, shifting so that he fit all the way inside her. He slid his hand down between her legs as he thrust into her. She was already spiraling as she tightened herself around him. His leg was draped over hers, holding her legs together, which just made his movements hotter. He was snug inside her and she was tight around him, and the friction bubbled up. Then he touched her right where she needed him to, and she gasped as the waves of pleasure rocked her. She felt like she could see stars behind her eyelids as her orgasm seemed to go on and on. Then he thrust into her one last time, hard and powerful, crying out with his release.

The alarm on her phone was going off but she couldn't lift her arm to even reach out for it. Finally, he reached across her body for the phone, and she squeezed herself around him one last time. He still had her pressed tightly against him and she couldn't move, but she also didn't want to. He fumbled with the phone until he finally got the alarm to stop and then breathed hard against her shoulder, his hand settling back where he'd started, on her breast.

It seemed like forever but was probably just seconds when he let out a deep sigh and unwrapped himself from her. For a moment she couldn't move, but then finally she stretched out and pushed herself up on the bed. They quickly showered together and, as she pulled on the clothes she would be wearing to set, he put back on the clothes he'd worn over – with clean underwear, he reminded her with a grin – and then they had walked to the front door together. He wrapped her up in his arms and kissed her deeply and she hated letting him go.

She was approaching the kitchen set and she refocused herself on getting set for the scenes they would be doing that day. It would be a couple days before she saw him again, both on and off set. She was meeting Daniel for drinks that night and had decided that's all it would be and that she would tell him she wasn't up for a relationship. She had not mentioned it to Chip, feeling like it was best to not talk more about it. One thing she was looking forward to was filming scenes at the river house they used to double for Deacon's cabin. It had surprised her the first time they'd been there, how rural it looked when it was just minutes from the city itself. It was a nice little house hugging the Cumberland River. All but one of their scenes together would be filmed there and she was looking forward to that.

Her phone buzzed and she looked at, then smiled. I miss you already. As did she.

She was already late when she hurried into Patterson's as the car service let her out. She liked Patterson's because she could be relatively safe from intrusion there, so it was usually her go to when meeting people for drinks. It was dark inside and it took a minute for her to find Daniel. He saw her first and raised a hand. She walked over and slid into the booth. "Hey," she said with a smile. "Sorry I'm late."

Daniel smiled and shook his head. "No problem. I know your work can be unpredictable."

"That's true. But my son is also sick, so, you know, I needed to check on him."

"Sorry to hear that."

She noticed there was already food and drinks on the table. "I see you ordered for us," she said, smiling again.

"I hope this is okay. A whiskey flight plus a charcuterie board. Since you said dinner was out, at least you get a little sustenance."

"And I appreciate that." She took a sip of the whiskey in her glass. "So tell me what's going on with your restaurant plans."

She sat back against the seat as the car headed for her home. The drinks and light appetizer had been satisfying. The conversation, as always, had been fun and lighthearted. With him continuing to spend most of his time in Chattanooga, Daniel had agreed that anything more than a friendship was probably not feasible for them. It had been a relief for her that it hadn't played out differently. She did tell him she hoped he would let her know when he was in town so they could meet to catch up and she felt satisfied that she'd set in motion something that would give the appearance she wasn't available. Of course, her job was still pretty all-consuming, which meant she didn't have a lot of time for dating anyway.

She pulled her phone out of her purse and noticed a text from Chip, letting her know he'd call her later. She smiled and then she called Olivia to check on Yoby. After finding that her son seemed to be feeling better and was already asleep, she settled back and watched as the city lights turned residential. By the time the car turned into her quiet, secluded neighborhood, she felt fully relaxed.

The car pulled into her driveway, and she got out, then walked up to the porch and the front door. She took a moment to look up towards the sky. With the trees still mostly bare, she could see the myriad of stars sparkling against the velvet black background. She didn't see this often in LA and it was one of the things she loved about Nashville. She then turned and let herself in the house.

She smiled when she saw Chip's name on her phone. "Hey there," she said when she answered.

"Hey yourself," he said. "How's your day been?"

"Busy. Ran over at work, then had drinks with a friend, and now I'm just relaxing. How about you?"

"Low key. Had a writing appointment that lasted most of the day, then had dinner with the kids."

"How are things going with them?"

"You know. It's a process. Addie's taking it a little harder. She got a little weepy, so I sat on the back porch with her for a while and we talked." He sighed. "It's not like she doesn't know other kids who have gone through the same thing, but it's different when it's your own situation. Speaking of kids, how's Yobes?"

"Better. Thankfully. So, what do you think about getting together after we do the GMA scene to talk about the other? I'm really kind of anxious to pick it apart."

"That works for me." He paused. "I'm not sure I'll get to see you otherwise until next week."

He sounded disappointed and she had to admit she was too. "I understand. Schedules can be tricky."

He sighed. "Fuck it. I feel like I just need to do whatever it takes to make this happen. She knows I want to leave. I'm not really living in the house anymore. So, I don't know how else to get her to just agree to end things."

His impatience was showing and that always concerned her. Yes, this was all very messy, and they were having to hide their relationship, but if he blew things up it could be disastrous. "Chip, you have to stick to your plan," she said, her voice firm. "I know it's frustrating. But if you give in to it, it could be worse. At least we have opportunities to see each other at work and, when we're lucky, outside of it. I have a job that takes up a lot of time and when I'm not working, I'm a single mom of a toddler. That's a lot by itself. With everything else we just need to be flexible. Right?"

He was silent at first. "Right," he said finally, but he sounded dejected.

"I love you. Remember?"

"Yeah."

"I'm not going anywhere. You need to spend the time you need to work your plan. You don't need to worry about me."

"It's me I worry about."

"What do you mean?"

"That I'll lose my patience. Do something crazy."

She laughed softly. "You probably will lose your patience. But before you do anything crazy, you call me. If all we can do is talk, that's what we'll do. I'm here for you, sweetie. I really am. And when everything's been worked through and we can walk out into the light, we will."

"You always know the right thing to say."

"I don't know about that, but I'll always try."

"I know this is a lot on you. I know this isn't the way you thought things would be."

"Well, to be fair, I'm not sure I had expectations. But we'll get through this."

"Okay. I have to believe that." He sighed. "I love you."

"I love you. And I'll see you in a couple days."

When she disconnected, she thought about their conversation. Chip was impatient, that was true. It meant he might make a mistake because he didn't want to wait. She wanted him to take the long view on this though. But then there were her own feelings. She couldn't completely shake the feelings of guilt she had and the knowledge that this wasn't what she'd wanted for herself. But she loved him. All she could do was believe that the end result would be worth all of what they were dealing with. But was it the right thing to do? That was her struggle. She sighed.

"I love him," she said out loud. "I love him." In the end, it was all that mattered.

They found a quiet place where they could talk but started by talking about the scene they'd just finished. "I feel like it was hard for Deacon to go do that interview, but ultimately he did the right thing, even if maybe it wasn't what he wanted to say," he said.

"I feel like maybe he's just learned a lot in all the years he's been sober. How to manage all that."

He looked a little surprised. "You think so? Because I can't really wrap my mind around the idea that he's good with everything. It did take a lot of courage to sit on that stage with Teddy after what happened."

She smiled. "Yeah, I'll agree with that. I do think he has learned something though. And maybe it's just since he found out Maddie was his daughter. He wasn't so sure in the beginning about being a father but he's figuring it out."

He looked a little pensive. "Why would Rayna bring Luke with her?"

She shrugged. "Because he's her boyfriend?"

"Maybe let me phrase it differently – why would she have let him talk her into it? It wasn't her initial inclination to do that, because, I guess, she's still trying to keep that separate."

"Good question. I know she said she didn't know what to expect, but that really wouldn't have been completely true. She dealt with Deacon for many years and knew what she could potentially face. Which she didn't because he's learned how to deal with the normal ups and downs of life. Of course, she had no idea he didn't know what had happened."

"Here's something I don't get. Why would there still be a bottle of booze at the cabin? Did he bring it up there after he found out about Maddie? Or had it been there all those years? It just seems so out of place. Like, let's make it look like Deacon fell off the wagon? Over that?"

"I suppose it's to justify why Luke's there."

He looked like he was rolling things over in his head, so she stayed quiet. Finally he looked at her. "I think I already told you this, but I feel like there was a lot more to say in that last scene. And I guess the fact that Rayna lying to Deacon isn't going to really be dealt with."

"She acknowledged it."

He shrugged. "Maybe I feel a little protective here, but I can't help but think that finding out something like that about the person you trusted the most would have to kind of pull the rug out from underneath you. It changes everything. Not only do you find out that you have a daughter who's grown up right in front of you without you knowing, but the woman you loved orchestrated it. Did it on purpose."

She always felt protective of her characters. She tried to understand motivations even when they might not have been what she would have done. This one was tricky though. "She had her reasons. Maybe you can argue that it wasn't fair or right, but she had a baby to think about. I'll agree that not telling him at all was a little out of character for her. But I think that's more because they made a change in Rayna and Deacon's story and it created drama" – she rolled her eyes – "for story purposes. Probably some somewhat misguided loyalty to Teddy. Clearly some kind of agreement between them in the very beginning." She shrugged. "I think it's one of those things that, because maybe we wouldn't make the same choices, it's harder to really dissect why someone else would." She paused. "How do you think you'd feel or react if that happened to you?"

"Hurt. Betrayed, I guess. It would be hard to understand." He paused. "But I think he's trying to. I don't know, maybe he feels a little bit like he did terrible things to her, this is the terrible thing she did to him."

"You know, I think it's really sad how their lives ended up. They were in love – are in love – from the moment they met. I think they were probably each other's support almost from the beginning and they know each other in ways many people don't. I mean, the regret Rayna feels, that maybe she didn't give him a chance, understanding, I think, the consequences of the decisions she made. She mentions that back when Maddie is first sort of exploring what it means to be Deacon's daughter. Rayna can't answer a lot of her questions because she never gave Deacon the chance to try to figure out what he wanted to do."

He nodded. "Maddie keeps blaming Rayna. Not all the time, but every so often it'll flare up. She's obviously too young to understand and Deacon and Rayna can't really tell her all the adult aspects of it. It's just a mess." He ran his hands down his face. "I feel the same way. There are adult things going on in my life that I can't explain to my kids." She surreptitiously looked around to be sure there weren't people around. "How do you explain feelings that change? How do you not hurt everyone?"

She sighed. "I don't think you can completely avoid that. You have to tell the truth, at least in a way that's not intentionally hurtful." She paused. "You want to try to find a way to make this work for everybody. There are just so many lives that are impacted."

"I forget sometimes that this is probably hard for you too."

She nodded. "I knew that going in though." They sat for a while, not saying anything. Finally, he put his hands on his legs.

"I've gotta get going."

"Me too."

They got up and walked out together, not saying much. Then she headed for her trailer, to collect Olivia and Yoby, and he headed for his car. He stopped for a moment and turned towards her. "See you later," he said. She lifted her hand and nodded, then watched as he turned and walked to his car.

It was on her mind just about every time she had a free minute. She worried that Chip's impatience would outweigh his desire to make everything okay for everyone. It was an interesting dichotomy. He could be unpredictable, especially if pushed too hard. And yet it was never his intent to hurt anyone. The problem was that the former could prevent him from being able to do the latter. She wondered if there was a way to keep that from happening.

The next time they saw each other was on the way to the river house. They decided to meet at the production facility and drive over together, which would give them some time alone. They had barely pulled out of the parking lot when they both got a text saying they were running 30 minutes behind on shooting. He looked at her. "Should we find somewhere to park?" he asked.

She smiled. "Like teenagers, you mean?"

He laughed. "We could, but it's broad daylight. Not sure that would be cool."

"Probably not."

Ultimately, they ended up in a parking lot of an abandoned church off Briley Parkway. He turned off the car and then reached for her hand. "I've got another one of those sessions today," he said. "Tonight actually."

She looked at him thoughtfully. "Have you ever thought about trying to make this a more, I don't know, amicable situation?"

He frowned. "That's exactly what I want. She's the one..."

She shook her head. "What I'm talking about is thinking about how you ended up where you are today. You've known her for how long?"

"Since college. Almost 30 years."

"That's a long time. You've gone through a lot together. Obviously she wants the marriage to continue, but if you aren't both happy, is that good for anyone? And that's a rhetorical question, by the way. What I mean is, is there a way to present it as we both want different things so isn't it better to end up as friends and honor the long time we've known each other?"

He looked uncertain. "I don't know if she would. She seems really determined not to break up."

"Except that you're not living at home, for the most part." She sighed. "I know that I don't have experience with this. When I got divorced, it was very simple. We had no kids and although we said we'd stay friends, we didn't. There was no reason to. But I know people who've made the same decision and have had kids and have made it work."

"I bet that's been because they both wanted it though."

She shrugged. "Maybe. But it just seems like making this easier for your kids by showing them how to act like adults and move on your separate paths would be the answer." She paused for a moment. "I'm not telling you what to do. I don't have that right. I just wish there was a way to work through it without all this pain." He was silent for several minutes, just looking out the window. She didn't know if she'd made things better or worse. It was true, she didn't have the right to tell him how to do this. But she could see how hard it was for him and she worried that he'd do something rash if he felt boxed in enough.

He finally looked at her. "I guess we need to get going," he said quietly, starting the car. She felt a knot in her stomach, but just nodded, not responding. There really wasn't anything else she could do.

On the way back from the shoot, they either didn't talk about anything or they talked about how they thought the scenes had gone. She was afraid she'd gone too far, but she didn't want to bring it up. She knew that sometimes he needed time to think things through and she hoped that was the case now. She wouldn't push though, so they talked about whether they'd gotten the mood right, whether they'd done justice to the history of Rayna and Deacon, where they thought things would lead for the two of them. She thought it would lead to an improvement in the relationship, while he wasn't so sure. I think she still makes him feel like he's not a real part of the equation. She conceded it wouldn't be easy, but that at least Deacon had gotten to tell Rayna some of what he was feeling.

When they got back to the production facility, he stopped at her trailer. "I'll talk to you later, okay?" he said, looking at her.

"Sure," she said, starting to open the door. He reached over and touched her arm. She looked back at him.

"Thanks." She didn't know what to say so she nodded and then got out of the car.

She was sitting on the couch reading through her lines for the next day. What she had thought would be a good day had turned into one that felt off balance. She couldn't tell if Chip was just being introspective or if he'd been bothered by what she'd said. Then she worried that she'd overstepped on something she had no right to give advice on. She heard a knock on her door and looked up. She checked her phone – it was 9:45. She wasn't expecting anyone and certainly no one this late. She wondered if maybe it was Chip, because occasionally he would just show up, but with the way things were left she doubted it. The porch light wasn't on and she didn't want to just get up and open the door. Her phone buzzed. It's me.

She put her script down on the coffee table and got up, making her way to the door. She flipped on the porch light and opened the door. Chip walked in and pulled her into an embrace. After a second, she put her arms around his back and they held each other close. "I'm sorry to just show up," he whispered against her hair.

"It's okay."

He stepped back then. "I know I've said this to you before, but you truly are the smartest person I know."

She was confused. "What?"

"What you said, about appealing to her hopefully not wanting things to get adversarial, was spot on. I mean, we're not all the way there, but when I brought it up she wasn't opposed."

"That's good then, right? Did the person you're working with agree with that?"

"We didn't even go. We stayed at the house and talked. I told her that I didn't want us to hate each other, that I didn't hate her now. She didn't want that either. So we're gonna try to work at it from that perspective."

She stared at him for a moment and then smiled. "So how are you feeling about things now?"

She saw a sense of relief on his face. "I feel good. I feel like it's a start." He grinned. "You're a genius."

She shook her head and laughed. "No, I'm not. It just seemed like, I don't know, something to try." They were still standing in the foyer and she waved her hand towards the den. "Do you want to go sit down?"

He shook his head. "Not really." He put both hands on her face and kissed her. "I want you."

She hesitated for only half a second. It didn't matter that she had to work the next day. He was here and she wanted him too. She smiled. "Okay."

They undressed quickly and then were wrapped up in each other's arms under the covers. His hands roamed over her body, touching her in all the right places, tweaking here, tantalizing there. He smirked when he discovered how ready for him she was. She moaned deep in her throat as she felt how hard he was. He captured her mouth with his and at almost the same time he entered her swiftly. She arched her back as she took him in, savoring the feeling. She clung to him, all thought of anything other than how he made her feel fading away. Being with him reminded her of how much she missed him when he wasn't able to be around.

She felt the waves of pleasure rolling through her body and let herself go, feeling him come at almost the same time. She was breathing hard as she looked up at him. "I love you," she whispered.

"I love you too," he whispered back.

He finally rolled away from her and she turned on her side, facing him, and tucking herself into his side. He put his arm around her and kissed her on the forehead. Then she closed her eyes and quickly fell into a contented, dreamless sleep.

A/N: I'm going to accelerate the timeline with the next chapter, just to move some things along.