Rayna
She was surprised when Deacon called her. "I was thinking about what you said. About talking." He paused. "You still want to do that?"
"Yes. I do. I think it would be good for us to do that. When did you want to?"
"Might as well do it this week before I head back out."
She took a deep breath. She thought this was a good step for them, regardless of how it went. "Okay. What about tomorrow?"
"I'm good. Where?"
"You could come here."
"I don't think that's such a good idea."
She frowned. "Then where?"
He was quiet for a moment. "What about Soundcheck? We could meet in an office there."
That was probably as neutral a place as any. "Okay, I can do that. Maybe 11:00? I'll need to drop Maddie off with Hannah." She hoped he didn't want her to bring Maddie. She thought that could make things awkward.
"Works for me. I'll see you then." And then he disconnected.
She sat down, breathing in and out to calm herself. I can't have expectations. It was impossible not to feel at least a little hopeful, although she acknowledged that she wanted to feel hopeful. She had to be realistic though. They had not really talked about the future, regardless of what that future might be. This was when she wished she could tour. It would give her something to do, something to keep her occupied. The album was basically put to bed and would be released soon. She had promised Bucky she would do some publicity for it, so she'd have that, but it still left her with too much time on her hands. Too much time to think about the what ifs and the regrets. But whatever she did or didn't have on her agenda, she and Deacon would finally talk. Maybe she'd get some answers, maybe she wouldn't, but it was time.
She dressed carefully. She could remember when it didn't matter what she wore around Deacon. He would often tell her he liked her best when she was just wearing jeans and a t-shirt, with her hair down and no makeup. He liked onstage Rayna, with her denim and rhinestones and short skirts and sky high heels, but once they were off stage, she went back to being just Rayna. Rayna Claybourne, as he liked to call her in private moments. She was forever and always Rayna Jaymes, but she didn't mind being Mrs. Claybourne privately.
She felt a knot in her stomach. She wasn't Mrs. Claybourne anymore. Even in private and it hurt like hell. She decided to wear a looser top over her jeans. It was early June, but already getting hot, so she wore a sleeveless top and sandals. She stood in front of the mirror and put in a pair of earrings. She noticed her wedding ring in the mirror and held her hand out, looking down at it. She hadn't taken it off. She wasn't sure if she should. She had noticed Deacon wasn't wearing his and it had hurt. It made her feel like he'd already put himself out there. She put the fingers of her other hand on the ring, debating whether to take it off or not. They were still officially married. They hadn't talked about divorce, although she thought it was a topic they should discuss when they met. She started to slide it off, then changed her mind and left it on. She ran her fingers through her hair and then she left her room and walked over to Maddie's room.
She had painted Maddie's room lavender before they moved in. The room itself was a good size. Not quite as large as the bedroom in their last house, but she knew Maddie wouldn't care. She had 3 windows, which meant the room was bright and light. She'd also bought Maddie a new bed when they'd moved in and had put white eyelet covers on it, giving it a light feel. Her furniture was white and covered with stuffed animals, dolls, books, and other toys. Maddie had told her her room at Deacon's was purple and she thought it was nice of Deacon to have done that.
"Maddie, honey, you want to come downstairs? Hannah will be here soon."
Maddie was sitting in the chair in her room with a book. She looked up. "No."
Maddie was starting to be a little stubborn sometimes. 'No' seemed to be her favorite word. Truthfully, she thought Deacon was rubbing off on her a little. "Why not?"
"Hannah can find me."
That was true. And she didn't really need to come downstairs. "Alright," she said. "Remember when she gets here that I'm going out for a little bit."
"I member."
She stood in Maddie's door for a minute longer. Her daughter looked more and more like Deacon every day, along with acting more like him. She was still sweet and liked to cuddle but was becoming more independent all the time. Maddie would start pre-school in the fall and that made her a little anxious. She said she was looking forward to the baby, but that really remained to be seen. "Okay," she said. "I'll see you later." Maddie didn't look up, so she turned and walked down the stairs.
By the time she got on the road after Hannah arrived, she was running a little late. She also felt like her stomach was full of butterflies. She shouldn't feel anxious, she kept telling herself. He's still my husband. I've known him practically my whole life. He's my family. But she felt like she didn't know him anymore and she sure didn't know what to expect from him. She was glad he was willing to talk, but she wondered just what she would hear.
When she pulled into the parking lot at Soundcheck, she saw that it was moderately busy. It was a weekday morning and activity would pick up in the afternoon. She often used Soundcheck for rehearsals as it had plenty of space and large rehearsal halls. It also had numerous smaller offices that were great for meetings or even songwriting sessions. She looked around the parking lot and saw Deacon's truck. The butterflies were back. She pulled into a spot and put her car in park. Her chest felt tight, and she breathed in and out slowly. Then she reached into her purse and pulled out her phone. She was 10 minutes late. Usually he was the one who was late, not her.
She threw her phone back in her purse and turned off the car. She got out, noting that it was already hot and humid, portending a steamy day. She was not looking forward to being pregnant during the heat of the summer, particularly since it would be most of her third trimester. Maddie being born in the spring had been a godsend from a seasonal standpoint. She walked up the steps and entered the building. The receptionist told her the room Deacon was in and she headed that way.
The office was small and had a conference table with chairs on both sides. Deacon was sitting in a chair on the side facing the door. He stood up when she walked in. They'd just seen each other 2 days before but in some ways it felt like weeks. "Hey," she said, smiling a little. "Sorry I'm late. Hannah came to the house and was running behind, so it made me..."
He shook his head. "No worries."
She walked up to the table and took the chair across from him, sitting down and setting her purse in the chair next to her. He sat as well, resting his arms on the table with his hands clasped. "So, thanks for doing this," she said. He nodded. "How's your tour going?"
"Fine. Good crowds."
"And how's working with Luke again?"
He shrugged. "He's typical Luke. Can't mind his own business."
She thought that probably meant Luke had said something to him about their breakup, but she decided to leave it alone. She reached into her purse and pulled out a sheet of paper, then slid it across the table towards him. "I went ahead and just made up a schedule for Maddie. I know we'd talked about it, but I thought it would be good to put it down on paper. If anything changes for you, just let me know."
He looked it over, then looked back at her. "Looks good to me." he hesitated. "I appreciate getting to spend this much time with her."
"Of course. I know she loves spending time with you too. Um, is everything going okay with that? She's handling it all okay?"
"Well, you know she had a little trouble at first, but she's good now. She's got her own room and things she likes."
She nodded and smiled. "She told me. She said you painted her room purple."
He smiled just a little. "A light purple. Nothing dark. She said it was the same color as her room at your house."
She wanted to talk to him about his program, but she knew that was always a dicey subject. He could get defensive about that. "I, uh, I wanted to see if you were doing okay with your program. Your meetings..."
He frowned. "I'm good. There's an AA meeting on tour, so I'm not missing meetings."
"Well, I know Cole told me he's not your sponsor anymore..."
"No, he ain't. I don't got one full time right now, but there's guys that I can talk to if I need it." His voice was clipped, and she could see the clenching in his jaw. "It ain't your responsibility anymore."
"Well, it's good that you have support. I'm glad." She felt her chest tighten again and she tried to swallow. Maybe it wasn't her responsibility, but she couldn't just dismiss it. She cleared her throat, deciding to just jump right in. "So, uh, do you want a divorce, Deacon? Is that how you want this to go?"
Deacon
He'd second guessed himself after he had called Rayna. He wasn't sure he wanted to sit in a room with her and hash things out any more than they had been. Rayna always liked to know her options, make sure she had clarity on everything, have a plan. It was how she'd always been and he wasn't sure she wouldn't try to nail him down to something. So when he had gotten to Soundcheck and she wasn't there, he hoped maybe she'd changed her mind. Then she walked into the room and he'd felt anxious.
It had started off with the easy things, like Maddie's schedule and how his tour was going. But she'd asked about his program, which had made him feel like she was still watching him. He felt like he'd proven to her that he was serious about staying sober and didn't like the implication that without her around he might falter. And then she jumped to a place he hadn't expected.
She looked a little nervous then. "So, uh, do you want a divorce, Deacon? Is that how you want this to go?"
He swallowed. He really hadn't thought about it. He supposed it wasn't out of place for her to ask and it certainly hadn't been discussed when he had left, but he wasn't prepared with an answer. "Is that what you want?"
She flattened her hands on the table. "I wasn't the one who left. You did. I'm just assuming there was some sort of plan for what happened next. Was that your plan? Is that your plan?"
He didn't know exactly what his plan was. He didn't want to mislead her, but he just wasn't sure what the right next step was. "I don't really have a plan, Rayna." He could hear his voice sound a little sharper than he'd intended. "I needed space, that was the plan. And probably, I guess, divorce could be the next step. Logically." He was kind of going on the fly here, because he knew she wanted some kind of answer. "I think we talk about it after the baby comes."
She frowned slightly. "We don't have to be married, Deacon, to have a baby. We weren't married when we had Maddie."
"So, then that's what you want, is that it?"
"I didn't say that." She made an irritated noise. "Here's what I think. You need to be the one to decide what's next. If you want a divorce, then file for it. I won't stand in your way. We'll figure out how to handle things with Maddie and the baby. But the ball's in your court, Deacon."
"Okay." He wasn't sure what else to say. She looked a little uneasy.
"So do you still want to be at the hospital when the baby's born?" He didn't know why she was asking that. He thought they'd already settled it. He'd told her early on that he would be there, and it was still his plan. Maybe they weren't together, but he wanted to be there when his son was born.
"Yes. 'Course I do."
"Okay, well, you know my due date is mid-September. According to your schedule, Luke's tour doesn't wrap up until the end of September. Is he okay with letting you be here, in case it interferes with a tour date?"
"I ain't asked him, but I'm sure he'd understand."
"It makes me a little nervous. What if you're somewhere you can't get back from easily?"
"We finish up around here. Little Rock, Memphis, Birmingham, Nashville. It should work out."
"Well, I would feel better if you'd nail that down with him."
He bristled a little. "I will," he said. He hadn't brought it up to Luke because he didn't want to have a conversation about Rayna. He knew he needed to, he just didn't like her bugging him about it.
"I'll let you know when labor starts, how about that? Should give you plenty of time."
"Okay."
She stood up then, picking up her purse, and he stood up as well. She looked closed off. "Everything's going well, just so you know. He's right where he should be growth-wise. The doctor doesn't expect any surprises. And Maddie's pediatrician will be there, so we're all set."
He nodded. "Good. Great."
She gave him a last look and then she turned and walked out of the room, leaving him alone. After a moment, he slowly sank back down into his chair. He put his head in his hands, breathing in deeply. Part of him desperately wanted to get up and run after her, take her in his arms and tell her he loved her and ask her to forgive him. The other part was afraid he would always regret the path not taken, the road not traveled. And, at least for the time being, he felt that he had to travel that road and take that path.
Rayna
She held her head up as she walked back out to the front of the building. She only saw a few people so only had to force a smile on her face a few times. She pushed the door open and walked out into the heat and bright sunshine. She reached into her purse for her sunglasses and put them on. She grabbed the railing and walked down the steps, then across the parking lot to her car. She got in, started it, and then pulled out of her space and drove towards the exit. As she pulled out onto the road she could feel herself start to shake. She tried concentrating on breathing in and out, but she couldn't stop shaking. Tears started to spill down over her cheeks and led to gulping sobs. She had to pull over onto a side street where she could allow herself to break down, knowing she couldn't go on without letting all the grief and hurt pour out of her.
She didn't know how long she'd sat there, but her shoulders hurt from the racking sobs and her stomach hurt from crying so much. She wasn't sure what she'd expected. A part of her wondered if this truly was what Deacon wanted. Did he want a divorce? Was that the end game? She couldn't tell, but he didn't dismiss it. He said he wanted to be there when their son was born, but did he really? She told him how things were going after every doctor's appointment, but he seemed unengaged. She looked down and put her hands on her stomach. These days she could feel the baby move around, kick, even hiccup. All things that they would have shared together, but now she didn't even know if he cared.
All of a sudden, she felt sick. She opened the car door and threw up on the asphalt. She closed her eyes and just concentrated on breathing in and out. She felt around for a tissue and used one to wipe at her mouth. There was a bottle of water in the cup holder, and she took a swig, swishing it around in her mouth and then spitting it out. The water was warm from sitting in the car, but it did the trick. She did it one more time and then she closed the car door. She breathed in and out again, long, deep breaths. When she finally felt under control, she put the car in drive and headed for home.
"I don't know why you don't just file for the divorce." Tandy had come over after work and was sitting in the den with a glass of wine. She looked at it covetously, wishing she could have a glass of wine because she surely could use it. She picked up her glass of water and walked around to sit on the couch by her sister.
"Because he was the one who walked out. If he wants this to be permanent, and I guess I have to assume he does, then he should take that step." She sighed. "I don't know why I think this, but you remember how set he was on us getting married before Maddie was born. I think he wants us to be married, even if it's just in name only, when this baby is born. And then he'll do it."
Tandy rolled her eyes. "I feel like you're hoping he'll change his mind."
"Maybe I do."
"Rayna, he basically told you he didn't care when you told him you were pregnant. You even begged him to come home, although I don't know why you would have done that, and he still said no. Do you really think that watching this baby be born is going to be any different?"
She shrugged. "Probably not. But you never know."
Tandy set her glass down and reached for her hand, looking at her earnestly. "Sweetie, you don't need him. And if he doesn't want to be here then I think you just need to accept it and move on. Get back to your career. Maybe meet someone new..."
She frowned. "I don't want to meet someone new, Tandy. And I'm pretty sure there aren't a lot of men who'd want a woman with 2 kids."
Tandy smirked. "I think a lot of men would be interested in someone like Rayna Jaymes."
She shook her head and waved her hand. "No."
"Is Deacon seeing anyone, do you know?"
The idea of that made her a little sick. "I don't know. I haven't heard that he is." She swallowed hard. If he is, then I think it could really be over.
Deacon
He was looking forward to his Songwriter Showcase at the Bluebird. He did this whenever he could while he was in town, and it was a great way to test out new material. He had always liked performing at the Bluebird. It was a small, intimate audience and generally filled with people who were big supporters of Nashville songwriters. Lots of careers had been started at the Bluebird, including both his and Rayna's, but more than that it was a safe space. He had his band with him, which now included another guitar player, and Erika had told him they were sold out that night, so he was expecting an appreciative crowd.
He was still trying to sort through the conversation he'd had with Rayna, not knowing quite what the next steps should be. He'd been surprised that she'd brought up divorce and that she'd pushed it onto him. He had honestly not thought in those terms although, when he considered it, it was probably the next step. They couldn't just stay married unless this wasn't meant to be permanent. If he was really serious about his career though, he wasn't sure if they would find their way back. The idea of actually filing for divorce made him a little sick to his stomach though. It wasn't where he thought they'd be at this point in their lives. But even considering Maddie, and the new baby, it didn't seem fair to anyone to be constantly fighting.
Tonight though he wanted to leave those thoughts behind. He had several new songs he hadn't performed before, and it would be a good night to try those out. The buses would be pulling out early the next morning, headed for Orlando, and he hoped to get a good sense as to whether it would be worth putting them in his lineup.
Watty showed up that night. He hadn't seen Watty in a while and wasn't sure what to expect, but the older man greeted him warmly and asked if he had a minute to talk. He agreed, a little hesitantly. He didn't really want to get into anything about Rayna with Watty. He had always been her mentor, although they had both benefited from the association.
"How are you doing, Deacon?" Watty asked.
"Staying busy," he responded.
"How's the tour with Luke?"
"Good. Good crowds and people seem to be responding to my music."
Watty smiled. "That's good." He tapped his fingers on the table. "I know this was your plan when you came here. It's good that you're getting the chance to see where it takes you." He looked thoughtful for a moment. "I have found that sometimes you have to turn things upside down and see what shakes out. As long as you know what your endgame is, you can get where you're going. Or where you should be."
He had to go get set up, but Watty's words stuck with him.
He had just started his second song when he saw Caroline walk in. She was talking to someone at the entrance, and he frowned slightly. He remembered that he'd told her he was performing but hadn't been specific and he wondered why she had come. He watched as she walked around to the bar. There were no seats available, so she stood watching him, drinking a beer. It bugged him, but he tried to stay focused on his music and not on her.
When the show was over, he interacted with fans, but he noticed she was still there, now sitting on one of the bar stools. When everyone but the staff had finally cleared out, she walked over as he was putting his guitar away. He looked up and stopped what he was doing.
"Great show," she said with a smile.
"Thanks."
"I remembered you said you were performing so I checked to see when. I hope you don't mind. I wanted to see you in this kind of environment. Very different from standing on a stage in front of tens of thousands of people."
"That's true."
"Sounded like you had some new stuff tonight." He nodded. "I liked it."
He breathed in deeply. "Thanks." She looked really good. The conversation with Rayna still had him a little jacked up though. It was clear though that Caroline was hoping he'd invite her to his place. It felt like crossing that line he didn't want to cross though. The silence between them seemed to grow.
"Why don't you stop by for a bit?" she asked. "You can follow me."
He hesitated. He breathed out. "Sure." He picked up his guitar case and, after giving a wave to the staff, he walked out to the parking lot, Caroline behind him. Coincidentally she was parked right next to his truck. He put his guitar in the back, then walked around to where she stood by her car. He put his hand on the small of her back and pulled her close, kissing her. She put her hands on his biceps and kissed him back, tipping her pelvis into him. He pulled away and went back to get in his truck, as she got in her car.
She pulled him through the front door and then into her bedroom. He pulled her t-shirt off and unfastened her bra as she unbuttoned his shirt and pushed it off. She looked at him, her eyes dark with desire, then licked her bottom lip. He groaned softly. They grabbed at each other's jeans, unzipping them, and pushing at them. When they were finally undressed, they tumbled onto the bed, and he took her quickly.
Afterwards, when they were both laying on their backs, he thought about what he wanted to say. He wished he hadn't done this. Finally, he turned on his side and she looked at him. "You know this isn't..."
She smiled, a little sadly he thought, and turned onto her side. She ran a finger down his arm. "I know. I really just came to listen to you tonight. But, you know, what turns me on is listening to you. And you were really, really good tonight."
He couldn't help but smile. "We have fun on the tour and that don't have to end. But what you said, on the road ain't real life..."
"Hey, don't worry, Deacon. I'm not going to try to get into your life here. I mean, we both live here, and if you ever wanted to, you know, get together sometime, I'm cool with that. I'm also cool with not." She took a deep breath. "Here in Nashville, there's a big shadow over you. Not one most women would want to take on and not one I'm sure I want to either."
He frowned. "What do you mean?"
"Rayna Jaymes. I know you two aren't together right now but that's just not something I'd want to get in the middle of. And I know you have a daughter."
He nodded. "I do."
She smiled. "I'm not into that right now. Who knows what the future holds, but right now I don't want that kind of life." She leaned over and brushed his lips with hers. "This was fun, but we probably shouldn't do it again here. I'll just see you back on the road."
"Okay." He felt a sense of relief as he got out of bed and got dressed. He turned to look at her. She slid up and sat back against the headboard, the sheets pulled up around her.
"I'll see you tomorrow night," she said with a saucy smile. She watched as he walked out of the bedroom and headed for the front door. He waited a second, then walked out onto her front stoop. He headed down the walkway and out to his truck. He stood next to his truck and looked back at her house, taking a deep breath.
The road's not real life or real love. Now that things had crossed over, even if they both knew it was a mistake, he thought it meant the road was just the road. He got in his truck, started it, and drove away.
Rayna
She got out of the car, and it felt like she was stepping into a warm, wet blanket. "Oh my god," she said. They were in the middle of a heat wave in Nashville, made all the worse by the fact that she was 7½ months pregnant and terribly uncomfortable.
Bucky looked at her with concern. "You okay?"
She waved her hand in front of her face. "Yes. I'm just hot as fucking hell." Her language had kind of gone down the toilet as her belly got bigger. Summer had a lot to do with that too. It made her miss the pool at the near-Belle Meade house. There had been days in the past few weeks when she had actually stood in the shower and turned the heat down on the water until it was just north of cold. She looked over at Bucky and put a smile on her face. "Sorry. Part of the joy of pregnancy."
Bucky gave her a half-embarrassed smile. God, but she was glad he was her manager. She'd been his first major client and within just a couple of years after signing her, he had let go of all his other clients. He was her confidant in so many ways, her friend, her protector, her go between, managing so much more than just her career. "I can't even imagine," he said, with a little chuckle. "It'll be cold as ice in the studio, so that should feel better."
It would too. Both of those things. Her record had dropped 2 weeks earlier, entering the charts at #5 and then moving up to #3. Her first single, This Love Ain't Big Enough, was getting heavy radio play already. She'd held her breath from the moment the record was finished until it hit the stores, hoping she had a winner. She was starting a radio tour, although much of it would be done over the phone due to her pregnancy and not wanting to travel. But the first stop was at the top country station in Nashville, in the last hour of the morning drive time show. Gerry House was the king of country radio and had always been one of her biggest radio supporters, so it was the perfect place to start.
The air conditioning in the lobby of the station was as icy as advertised and she started to feel a little better. The receptionist brought her a cold water and she drank it gratefully. Bucky leaned a little closer to her. "The good news is that Gerry won't ask you any questions about the situation with Deacon, but he does want to talk about how this album is different, being the first one you've done without him. Are you comfortable with that?"
She nodded. "I think that's a fair question."
"He will introduce you first, although you need no introduction." She smiled. "And then he'll talk about the album. He'll play This Love and then wrap it up. Then we'll head over to WSM." She nodded. 2 minutes later someone came to get her to take her back to the studio and she and Bucky headed that way.
"So good to see you again, Rayna," Gerry said, as he reached in for a careful hug. "I'm looking forward to this."
She smiled. "Me too. I'm happy it's our first stop." She got settled in across from Gerry as the commercial break ended. She could see Bucky through the glass window. He was always there in case an interview went rogue, but she didn't anticipate that here. She put the headphones on and looked at Gerry as he started out of the break.
"We're so fortunate today to have with us the Queen of Country Music herself, Rayna Jaymes. Welcome back, Rayna."
She smiled. "Thanks so much, Gerry. I'm excited to be here."
"This has been quite the year for you," he said. "Quite a lot of change." She could see out of the corner of her eye the concern on Bucky's face. She waited to see if there was a question. "An album mostly written by you, a new baby." She held her breath. "How was it writing without your usual writing partner?"
She could feel her heart fluttering. Not an unexpected question, but she hoped it didn't go further than that. "This album is particularly close to my heart and that felt like something I should write myself. I had never done that before and it felt very empowering to give it a try. I'm very proud of the album."
"How did Deacon feel about you doing this on your own?"
She could see Bucky start to stand. "He would be the first person to say that I could do this on my own," she said quickly. "I also wrote a couple of songs with very carefully selected cowriters, female friends of mine actually. It was my desire to write an album about the feelings, hopes and dreams of women. The things we go through as women and how we come out stronger on the other side. That was what this record was all about. I felt incredible joy as I wrote it and I'm so excited to hear what others think about it."
Gerry smiled. "I think it's safe to say that your fans are excited by it. I think you're probably on your way to another platinum seller. Now, I know you're not touring this year, but can we expect a Rayna Jaymes tour next year?"
"Absolutely."
As they walked across the parking lot to Bucky's car, he chuckled. "I don't know why I worried. The one thing you've always been able to do is change the conversation."
She looked at him and smiled. "One of the few things I'll ever acknowledge having learned from my father," she said. "He can turn around any conversation and come out smelling like a rose."
Deacon
It was the middle of summer and hot as hell, even in a place as far north as Minnesota. The tour had been going well and he'd gotten good response to his new music. Within a week of the night he'd gone to Caroline's house, he'd ended that. He wasn't ready for a real relationship, and it had just felt too much like he was close to crossing that line. If he needed some kind of casual companionship, he could always someone at an after party or hanging around after a show who would be willing to satisfy that itch. He felt like he needed to focus on his music and on Maddie when he was at home.
Rayna had dropped her album and he'd heard her first single. This Love Ain't Big Enough. I'm gonna take what's left of this love and put it in the ground. He wasn't positive the song was about him, but it certainly seemed like it might have been. It was probably only fair though, he'd thought. He'd certainly written enough songs about her. Hell, he was still writing songs about her, although they weren't the kind of love songs they had once been. He had seen her when he was back in Nashville the previous week, when he picked up and dropped off Maddie. She looked very pregnant. It always made his heart pound and his mouth dry out seeing her like that. He was sure people judged him for it and he couldn't deny that once in a while he felt a tug of guilt, but he was doing what he'd always wanted. He was on a major tour, singing his own music, creating his own career, and it energized him.
Seeing her reminded him that he needed to talk to Luke about being at the hospital when the baby was born. He didn't know why he was dragging his feet on that, but he was sure Luke would have something to say about the whole situation. It wasn't his business, but he sure liked to weigh in anyway. Rayna's due date was in 2 months, so he needed to be sure it wasn't going to be a problem, so he finally sucked it up and sought Luke out after they arrived in Minneapolis.
"Luke!" he called out as he saw the other man walking across the lobby.
Luke turned, then smiled and walked over. He clapped him on the shoulder. "Deacon. How's it going, man?"
"Good. Listen, I got something I need to ask."
"Sure, anything." He nodded towards one of the seating areas in the lobby. "Want to sit down?"
"Yeah, that would be good." They walked over to sit in a couple chairs that faced each other over a low profile table. "So, uh, you know Rayna's pregnant." Of course he knew, but he didn't know how else to approach the conversation.
Luke nodded. "I do."
"I told her I'd be there. When the baby's born."
Luke leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees. "Well, I think that's the right thing to do."
"Yeah, well, the thing is her due date is in the middle of September, so while we're still touring." He breathed in. "I guess what I'm saying, asking, is I hope that's not an issue. If it's when we're back in Nashville, obviously not an issue, but if we're not..."
"You could miss a show. Or two. Or more?"
He shook his head. "I don't think it would be more than one. Two maybe."
"Well, if that happens it could leave me without an opener. With no one to fill in."
"I know that's not ideal and maybe it won't even happen that way. But I promised her..."
Luke held his hand up. "I get it. Look, it's a big deal when your kid is born. I don't know what all went on between you and Rayna, but I am glad you want to be there for the birth of your kid. If it falls on a tour date, we'll deal with it." They both stood up and Luke extended his hand. He took it.
"Thanks for understanding."
"Just let me know. Even if it doesn't affect the tour." He smiled. "I may look like just a good time guy, but kids come first. Always. Now, I got an interview to get to, but thanks for giving me the heads up." Then he turned and walked away.
He breathed a sigh of relief.
He stepped out of the shower and dried off. He'd gone to Douglas Corner the night before and played a set. A very pretty blonde had flirted with him after the show and then after a pretty heavy make out session in the parking lot, he'd followed her to her apartment. She lived near Five Points in a studio apartment that reminded him a little of the studio apartment he'd lived in with Rayna. He thought her name was Melanie or Melissa or something like that. He'd fallen asleep in her bed but had woken up when it was still dark out. He'd quietly gotten up and got dressed and left, reminding himself he didn't want to get into this kind of thing in town. When he got to his house, he'd crashed.
He was picking up Maddie for a couple of days and needed to head over to Rayna's. He was grateful that she allowed him as much time as she did with their daughter. It would get a little more complicated once the baby was born, but his plan was to bring him over when he had Maddie. He wasn't planning to talk to Rayna about that yet, but he kept it in his back pocket.
When Rayna answered the door, she said, "She's not quite ready. Why don't you come in?"
He hesitated, then walked through the door. It felt a little awkward, so he tried to fill the silence. "I, uh, heard your song on the radio. You write that?"
She nodded. "I did."
He smiled. "I told you you could do it on your own." He saw something cross her face – appreciation maybe or pride in herself – but then it was gone.
"I wrote on my own all but 3 songs. And those 3 were with cowriters." She paused. "I want to ask you something."
"Sure. Anything."
"Well, it's a little awkward." She looked away for a second, then back at him. "Um, are you seeing anyone?"
He was a little taken aback by her question. "No. I mean, if you're talking about some kind of relationship, no."
"I see." He couldn't read her face. "So, it's just kind of a, you know what? I don't think I want to know. I'll just say this. If something becomes serious, I would hope you'd let me know, especially if you would be introducing that person to Maddie."
He frowned. "Yes, I would do that. Of course."
She nodded. "Okay." Then she turned towards the stairs. "Maddie, your father is here. Hurry up." She watched for Maddie, who came running down the stairs a minute later with her overnight bag and her ukulele.
"Daddy, here," she said, holding out the bag and ukulele, which he took from her.
"Maddie, be good, okay?" Maddie nodded. Then she looked at him. "I'll see you when you bring her back."
"Okay," he said with a nod. He took a second, then turned and headed out the door with his daughter.