I am borrowing the characters and imaginings of the great Callie Khoury. I do not own these characters.

Sorry this has been so long in coming. Hope you enjoy it! Your comments and feedback are welcome and appreciated

Chapter 3 - Birthdays

There was a major rave going on in the backyard. There had to be about 100, maybe more, scantily clad young men and women jumping in and out of the pool, dancing, more like grinding on each other, and groups of friends chatting and laughing. It was Maddie's 18th birthday and she wanted to do it up right.

Rayna and Deacon were more than happy to oblige, but they wanted to make sure it didn't get out of hand. They stayed out of sight, choosing to wait out the storm in the study, a room they rarely found themselves in. However, they gave strict instructions to the caterer, to report any sketchy behavior to them. And, they insisted that Daphne be allowed to attend. That one couldn't keep a secret if her life depended on it.

Happily, the group was relatively well behaved. "You know, if our daughter did what we did at that age, we'd be in for a world of hurt. She gives us some major headaches sometimes, but she's a good kid."

"What do you mean if she 'did what we did at that age?" Rayna said indignantly.

"Come on, Ray. You know damn well what I mean! Let me see, on your 18th birthday we went to lower Broadway with Vince and the band. You were the only one underage. All the guys were buying you shots and you were drinking them. By the last bar, I was doing tequila shooters and lime off your belly button. And, if I remember correctly, when we got back to the apartment you could barely keep your clothes on long enough to make it to the bedroom. Vince almost got the thrill of his life. I ended up fucking you so hard and so long you couldn't walk right the next day."

Rayna grimaced, "I vaguely remember that." She laughed and hit Deacon in the chest. "Yeah, we're lucky our daughter is somewhat tamer than we were."

Daphne suddenly rushed in and interrupted their walk down memory lane. "Hey, kiddo, what's up?" Deacon asked.

"Well, they're getting ready to have a wet t-shirt contest out there. Just thought you might want to know."

Deacon popped up off the coach, "Damn straight we want to know. You wait here Ray; I'll take care of this."

Rayna laughed, and grabbed Deacon's arm. "You relax babe, I'll handle this."

"Party pooper," Deacon yelled after her with a chuckle in his voice.

Rayna went outside and pulled Maddie aside as the girls collected t-shirts from the DJ and slipped them on over their bikini tops then turned around and untied their tops and shimmied them out from under their t-shirts.

"Maddie, if you were on Spring Break, you'd all probably be doing the same thing. But this is at our house and you are a rising country artist. Save yourself and me some headaches please and just ask the DJ to ask everyone in attendance to turn in their cellphones before the contest begins. Y'all can enjoy it. It doesn't need to be snapped, insta'd or uploaded to YouTube. Live in the moment."

"Ok, mom," Maddie replied reluctantly. "I know you are just looking out for our privacy and I respect that."

"Well now, 18 seems to agree with you," Rayna said, proud of how much her daughter had grown up since she came back to the family.

"That's all under control!" Rayna exclaimed, re-entering the room behind Deacon.

"Oh, good. I wouldn't want to have to go out there and see all those young, nubile breasts," Deacon smirked and said in mock indignation.

"Well will these, old lady, once around the block, breasts work for you." Deacon swung his head around and took in his beautiful wife in a soaking wet, see through, white t-shirt clinging to her ample breasts and growled. "Oh yeah, those will do just fine! Wait, you did not..."

And, Rayna cut him off, "...for your eyes only, babe." She walked over to him and straddled him, and he gazed at her breasts hungrily. The t-shirt might as well not be there, he could see everything, including her dark areola and the pink of her hard nipples

"You know I'm a breast man Rayna." And with that, his hands covered her breasts and he squeezed and massaged them while Rayna closed her eyes and moaned. From the first time he held her breasts in his hands, back when Rayna was 17, he always loved that they filled up his hands and easily responded to his ministrations.

His rough thumb brushed her nipple and Rayna jumped a little and hummed. He could feel himself getting excited and she could feel his cock straining against his jeans. He slipped his hands under her shirt and roughly tweaked her nipples and Rayna screamed a little, adrenaline and desire rushing through her body.

Rayna suddenly pulled away from Deacon, breathless. "Bedroom. Now."

Deacon didn't need to be told twice. He wanted to pounce on her right then and there, but it wouldn't bode well for them if the girls or guests or help walked in on them in a compromising situation. So, Deacon let her grab his hand. He followed in quick pursuit up the back stairway.

When they got to their room, he practically slammed the door shut and hastily locked it. He wrapped his body around Rayna and rubbed his groin against her, aching for her. Her lips found his and she gave herself to him. He walked her back to the bed and pushed her down on it a little roughly, but she had him so damned worked up.

###

"Oh, God, babe, have I told you how hot you are? Seriously. You're still that same hot virgin I turned into a woman 30 years ago!"

Rayna slapped his chest. "You lie, but I'll take it."

"I don't lie, and you know damn well you drive me crazy or you wouldn't have come prancing into the study in that wet t-shirt."

Rayna laughed and just buried her head in his chest. "Well as fun as that was, we are the parents now, so we better get ourselves put together and get back to our perch."

"Ugh!" Deacon groaned throwing his legs over the side of the bed as he started to get dressed. Rayna, still naked came up behind him and wrapped her body around him, pressing her breasts into his back.

"To be continued," she said soft and seductively as she planted kisses on his back before springing off the bed in search of her jeans and a dry top.

###

It was after midnight now and a lot of the guests had gotten dressed and were just lounging around the pool and the music had quieted down.

Deacon and Rayna had migrated to the family room and had just finished a movie. Rayna was snuggled into Deacon's side as they sat in silence enjoying each other's company.

Daphne had long ago snuck up to bed. She wanted to hang with her sister, but she still had a lot of little girl in her - for which Rayna and Deacon were mighty grateful.

Maddie made her way in the house and just stared for a minute unnoticed. "I can't believe there was a time that you two weren't together."

Deacon rubbed Rayna's arm, "Hard for me to believe either."

"Come sit with us for a minute," Rayna invited.

"Sure, what is it mom?" Maddie asked as she curled into Rayna's side.

"There's something I want to give you for your birthday."

"I thought the new Gibson was my gift."

"Well, yeah, but there is something I want to give back to you for your birthday." Rayna explained as she saw perplexed looks on Maddie and Deacon's faces. "I took your father from you for 13 years and I'll never forgive myself for that." Rayna quickly put her hand up as soon as she saw Maddie and Deacon try to interject. "I was hoping that it wouldn't always be like that. I was hoping that one day you would get to share these milestones as father and daughter."

"Maddie, your father and I have been reading my diary the last couple months to help heal, to help us know each other better, to fill in those 'missing years'. We didn't get to your birthday entries, but I taped and wrote about each one. Y'all may not recall, but Deacon was at most of them even though he didn't know he was your father. I'd like to give you those memories back. I'd like to share my diary and the videos with you sometime.

Deacon and Maddie looked at each other a little wistfully. Maddie looked back at Rayna hopefully, "Now is a good time."

"Oh, it's late. There's no rush."

"Maddie, get the popcorn. Ray get the diary and videos. I'll pay the DJ and turn out the back lights. We'll clean up tomorrow. I want to celebrate my baby girls' birthdays."

"Really? Okay."

They met back in the living room about 15 minutes later. Rayna was the first one back. She had the video in the VCR on pause and she was wrapped in a blanket. When Deacon and Maddie joined her on the couch, she spread the blanket over them. The sweet tea was on a tray on the unused footrest and the popcorn was perched on the blanket in front of Rayna.

Rayna flipped to the bookmark in her diary. "You ready y'all?"

Deacon and Maddie responded impatiently, in unison, "yes!"

"Okay, this is from Maddie's first birthday." With that Rayna started the video. There are more adults then kids and it seems like quit the major to-do. There are pink balloons everywhere; a massive tent filled with tables with pink tablecloths. The little girls at the party had on tiaras and the boys had crowns and capes. Maddie had on a little white A-line dress with a crinoline skirt, a huge pink sash and bow and an eyelet bodice with capped sleeves. Her wispy hair was gathered on her head with a crooked, clipped pink bow. Rayna laughed lovingly at the image of her daughter. "You were always being groomed to be the 'Princess of Country Music'.

There were a lot of adults there - clearly not just parents of the kids. The adults were in casual, but polished attire. The men were in dockers and button-down oxfords and the women were in dress pants or sun dresses. No jeans and t-shirts...except for Deacon who was awkwardly standing there with a gift in his arms.

"Oh, I remember that. I wasn't quite sure why you invited me. I stood out like a prop in a "what one does not look like the others" pictogram. Teddy was throwing me serious shade all day, kinda like he was afraid I'd steal the sterling silverware!"

"No, babe. He was afraid you'd steal his wife and daughter," Rayna said sadly, hurting a bit for Teddy and what it must have been like for him knowing before Rayna knew that her and Deacon and Maddie were inevitable.

They continued to watch the video while Rayna read her diary entry.

When I look in my baby's eyes all I see is him staring back – his eyes, his soul. His and mine together in this beautiful being we've created. Oh, God, if Teddy knew I felt this way it would just kill him. But I hate that I can't share this with Deacon. I just don't see any other path. Not one that isn't paved with more pain and loss. I can't stand it though. It's eating away at me. It wears me down. Each day I pick up the phone to call him. Each day I lose my nerve.

I'm so grateful that he was here today. I want him to know Maddie, to love her. Even if he doesn't know that she is his. I know that is silly. Who truly loves someone else's child?

One day. One day I'll be strong enough to tell Deacon. One day he'll be strong enough to know the truth and not go back to that dark place that consumed him and broke our hearts. God help me I love him, still. I'll love him 'til the day I die.

When he knows, I hope he'll forgive me, but I wouldn't blame him if he didn't. I stole our daughter, our future. Will Maddie ever forgive me?

She is so much like him, it's scary. How does he not see it? He probably doesn't see it because he couldn't conceive that I could ever be that deceitful or hurtful. That makes this all the harder. I know he still loves me as much as I love him.

I did this for him. I did this for Maddie. I love Teddy for doing this for us. But, when I look back 20 years from now, will I say the same? Will they know and forgive me?

The question hung out there as Rayna finished reading. The video ended and all was quiet. Rayna kept her head down. Deacon and Maddie looked at one another with tear-stained faces. Maddie spoke first. "Mom, I can't imagine what you went through or being in the position you were in. It sounds like it weighed heavy on your heart. I am grateful though that you made sure Deacon was in my life through those years before I knew he was my dad. And, I'm real glad you two found your way back to one another."

"Thank you, Maddie. I honestly don't know if I would forgive me. I love you so much."

Deacon squeezed Rayna's hand. "Babe, you know I've put this behind us. We're here now. I'm focused on our future and being a Dad to these two beautiful girls and being the husband, you deserve. I never stopped loving you Ray, and I never will."

"You two are more than I deserve. It's late. How about we pick this back up this weekend?" Rayna tiredly exclaimed.

"Sure, Mom. Love you."

Deacon and Rayna watched as Maddie made her way upstairs. They turned to one another and Deacon reached out and gently stroked Rayna's cheek. "I know that wasn't easy for you to share, Ray. But I'm glad you did. It means a lot to me and I think it was important for her to hear, too."

"I'm sorry you hurt for all those years and I couldn't be there for you. I won't lie, it took me awhile to forgive you and forgive me. But you know I never stopped loving you."

"I know, babe. I'm tired, let's go to bed. Right now, I just want to be wrapped in your arms."