Rayna
She woke up in the middle of the night. Sleep had been mostly elusive the last couple of nights, and it had been again that night, but she had finally fallen asleep after midnight. But then a sharp pain woke her up. She sat up in the bed, wondering if it was real or if she'd dreamed it. She looked over at Deacon. He was dead to the world. His hair was all messy and it made her smile. She wanted to smooth it back but was afraid she'd wake him up. As she got closer to her due date, he'd been extra helpful and extra sweet to her. He would bring her breakfast in bed or run errands for her. He rubbed her feet and her back.
There had been a few times when she had thought about his desire for them to get married before the baby came. Ever since the tense conversation they'd had after he'd given her the engagement ring, he'd mostly left it alone. She didn't want to tell him how much of her hesitance was purely vanity. She didn't want to wear a wedding dress tent to get married. She wanted, as she'd told him, a beautiful dress, one that hugged her body and would make her feel special. But she also wanted to give him enough time to adjust to having a baby in the house.
She rested her hand on her stomach. She had 3 weeks to go and she was ready. As much as she'd loved being pregnant, she'd gotten to the place where she felt uncomfortable and tired almost all the time. She carefully moved herself to the edge of the bed and pushed herself up to a standing position. She made her way to the bathroom, a place she felt like she was in a hundred times a day. She put a hand on her back as she felt the ache. After she was finished in the bathroom, she headed for the kitchen, thinking a cup of tea might help.
First, she stopped at the nursery. She walked over to the crib. She put her hands on the rail and looked at the crisp white bedding, with the pink trim. There were 2 or 3 small stuffed animals in the crib, which she knew would have to come out when the baby started sleeping here. She ran her hand over the soft white blanket that was draped over the foot of the crib. Everything was perfect. After she looked around once more, she made her way to the kitchen.
She filled the teapot with water and waited for it to heat. She got a teacup and put a teabag in it. When the water was hot, she poured it into the cup. As she waited, she suddenly felt a wave of something that felt like a mix of pain and pressure. It increased in intensity, reminding her somewhat of cramps. In this case, though, the intensity didn't stop. Instead, it seemed to continue to increase and she felt a sensation of pressure on her lower abdomen. When she put her hand on her stomach, it was rock hard. She felt anxious, wondering what exactly was happening. She'd had quite a lot of those Braxton-Hicks contractions, but this felt a little different. After what felt like minutes, the pressure started to ebb. Then she felt a cascade of liquid rush down her legs.
She looked down and saw a puddle on the floor. "Oh no," she whispered out loud. She looked around and found a dish towel, using it to try and wipe off her legs. Then she turned and walked towards the bedroom, her tea forgotten. When she looked into the bedroom, Deacon was still sound asleep. She stopped at the door. "Deacon?" she called out. He didn't move. "Deacon?" she called out a little louder. He made a noise and move slightly, but still didn't wake up. "Deacon!" she cried, practically shouting.
He lifted his head, his eyes still closed, then turned it towards the sound of her voice. "What?" he murmured sleepily.
"Deacon, I think the baby's coming," she said, starting to feel a little anxious. His eyes flew open.
He pushed himself up and then he jumped out of the bed, hurrying to her side. "Are you sure?"
She nodded. "I think so. My water broke. And I'm starting to have contractions, I think."
He looked a little panicky then. "So what do we do? Go to the hospital?"
"I don't know. Maybe we should call the doctor and see what she says."
He breathed in deeply. "Okay. Let's do that." He grabbed her hands then. "Are you okay? How do you feel?"
She tried to smile. "Nervous, I guess. Excited." She squeezed his hands. "We're going to have a baby." For a moment, he looked terrified, then he seemed to collect himself.
He smiled at her. "Yeah, I guess we are."
She hadn't been exactly sure what to expect, but as it turned out, things went pretty slowly at first. Her contractions were somewhat irregular and far apart. Dr. Hamilton told them to take it easy, start timing the contractions, and to come to the hospital when they were about 5 minutes apart. So she got cleaned up and made sure everything was ready to go to the hospital and then they waited. It was early afternoon before things seemed to start to speed up and they finally headed to the hospital a little after 5 in the evening.
She was a little worried about Deacon. He looked pale and was jumpy every time she moved. When they finally headed for his truck, his hands were shaking as he led her down the steps. They had gone to all the childbirth classes, understood what would happen, and how things would go, but he seemed agitated. He drove too fast and, when she put her hand on his arm and asked him to slow down, he snapped at her. When she had a contraction in the truck, he nearly ran off the road, and that started to panic her. But finally they arrived at the hospital and she got settled in a birthing room. The contractions were coming faster and harder and she gratefully took the epidural. While she still felt the pressure of the contractions, they weren't painful, and that seemed to calm them both down.
When Dr. Hamilton finally told her it was time to push, they were ready. Deacon held her hand and supported her as she worked to deliver their baby. And when she finally arrived, they both cried tears of joy. She was perfect in every way, despite her loudly protesting her appearance into the world.
"She's gonna be just like her mama," he said, with a laugh. She looked up at him and smiled, so glad that she'd taken the chance to do this with him. He kissed her then. "You done good, mama," he said, tears in his eyes.
"You did too, daddy," she said. She looked back at the baby, with her wispy dark hair and her little rosebud mouth. They had talked for weeks about what to name her and had finally settled on the name just before they left for the hospital. "Madison Amelia Claybourne, welcome to the world," she whispered. "We're so glad you're here."
Deacon
They had gone to all the classes, watched all the videos, and he was still not prepared for Rayna going into labor. Especially not 3 weeks early. When she woke him up in the middle of the night to tell him her water broke, he wanted a drink. Something to calm his nerves. Of course, he couldn't do that. He didn't like hanging around the house waiting for her contractions to come more quickly. He really wanted her at the hospital where someone else could watch her, but the doctor said they should stay home.
When Rayna's contractions started causing her more discomfort, he worried. He kept watching the clock, not even sure what he was hoping would happen. When it was clear she was in pain, he wanted to do something to make it better, but he had no idea what that would be. She would hold his hand as she breathed through her pain and he felt like he was going to have a panic attack every time.
By the time they got to the hospital, Rayna was starting to panic too. She hadn't been as prepared as she'd thought she would be for the pain, for the pressure, for the reality of this baby being born. They were ready and yet they weren't. This was what she needed him for though, what she'd encouraged him about for all those months. I need you, babe. I can't do this without you. He was afraid he wouldn't be able to live up to her expectations.
But then there she was. Their daughter. Madison Amelia. Maddie, they had decided to call her. And when he held her in his arms, he felt a love he'd never known before. He kissed her on her forehead and whispered, "I'm gonna be the best daddy. I promise. I'm gonna love you til the end of time." He knew right then he would do anything to be part of his daughter's life. If Rayna thought being a father would be the thing that turned him around, she was right. Now that he had this family, he was determined to never let it go.
Life with a newborn had not been anything like he'd expected. Not that he'd really been sure what to expect. Maddie was mostly a good baby, but she was still a baby. She cried, she screamed, she pooped, she puked. She couldn't tell anyone what was wrong or how to help. Luckily Rayna seemed to have most things under control and she mostly knew what to do. He actually found himself looking forward to his daily AA meetings in order to get out from underneath the demands of a newborn. Or maybe it was just the demands of his particular newborn. He wasn't sure. When Cole attended his meeting, he would always ask Deacon to go for coffee and he always went. Which is how they ended up talking about the changes in his life, a couple of months after Maddie's arrival.
When the server had dropped off the coffee, Cole looked at him. "So how's it going these days?"
He shook his head. "I had no idea it would be like this. The house is a mess, we get take out most every night, and Maddie seems to have taken over our lives. I'm not sure Rayna's changed out of the t-shirt and sweatpants she put on when she got home from the hospital. She sleeps every time Maddie sleeps. And Maddie wakes up every few hours feels like. Rayna wanted her in our room too and" – he shook his head again – "it's making me crazy."
Cole smiled. "How's Rayna doing?"
"I can't tell for sure. I mean, she loves holding Maddie and feeding her and all that. But she looks tired and she can be awful grouchy sometimes. I offer to help but she wants to do it all herself. Sometimes she walks around looking like a zombie. And" – he leaned over the table closer to Cole – "I don't think she takes a shower every day."
Cole looked pensive. "Are you able to take care of Maddie on your own?"
"Well, I could hold her, same as Rayna. I could probably feed her with a bottle, but Rayna wants to... you know." Rayna had been insistent on breastfeeding Maddie, which meant she wasn't sleeping through the night and she had not left the house. "But she wants to do all of it."
"I'm not an expert, but it seems to me like you need to encourage her to show you the things you can do and take some of it on. Insist if you have to. Otherwise, she could resent you, even if she's the one who's taking this all on."
"But she wants to..."
Cole shook his head. "She stayed with you for a reason, Deacon. She wants you to be a father to Maddie. So you need to do that. Show her she made the right decision."
When he got home the house was quiet. He found Rayna in the kitchen. She was still wearing what she'd slept in, which was what she'd also worn the day before. Her hair was a mess. When she turned to look at him, she had dark circles under her eyes and she looked exhausted.
"How was your meeting?" she asked, with a tired smile.
"Good." He walked over and hugged her. He tried not to wince, but she badly needed a shower. And he thought there was baby puke on her top. "Where's Maddie?"
She pointed towards the bedroom. "Asleep."
He nodded. "I want you to go take a shower and then take a nap. Or the other way around. Don't matter. Oh, and sleep in the spare room."
"But what about Maddie?"
"I'll take care of Maddie." She looked like she wanted to protest, so he stopped her. "I know what to do. And you got bottles in the fridge if she's hungry." He put his hands on her shoulders. "You need a break." She gave him a skeptical look. He sighed. "Cole reminded me I gotta do my part. You can't do it all."
She still looked skeptical. "I don't know, sweetie. I hate to put it all on you."
He frowned. "Ray, I can do this. I thought that's why we were together."
"But it's a lot. What if..."
"You afraid I'll run off and get drunk if she cries too much?"
She shook her head. "No, no, of course not." He wasn't sure he believed that but decided to let it go. "It's just that you haven't had to do it all by yourself."
"You'll be right here. If it blows up, I'll wake you up. I promise."
She still looked hesitant, then finally sighed. "Okay. I am really tired."
He led her to the hallway bathroom and made sure she had what she needed and then, while she was showering, he checked the spare room. Then he went and got a change of clothes for her and put them in the bathroom, taking the dirty clothes away. He stopped by the bassinet and looked down at a sleeping Maddie. She seemed peaceful and not at all scary, so he hoped things would stay calm while Rayna had a chance to sleep. He heard the door to the bathroom open and then the spare room door close. Then he went into the great room and sat on the couch. He hoped that if Maddie woke up, he could figure out quickly what she needed. It made him nervous to think he might need Rayna's help. He really wanted to be able to show her he could do it.
Rayna
She woke up with a start. She looked around and was initially disoriented, not recognizing where she was. Then she remembered she was in the spare room, where Deacon had told her to get some sleep. She had to admit she was exhausted. Maddie was 8 weeks old and she had felt like she needed to attend to all of her daughter's needs. If she wasn't feeding Maddie, she was pumping breast milk. She changed her diapers, gave her baths, rocked her to sleep. She had shown Deacon how to do those things – except pumping, of course – but she hadn't wanted to overburden him as he was still early in his recovery. But she also wanted to do everything.
She sat up. She remembered that Deacon had told her to get a shower and then take a nap, that he would take care of Maddie. It hadn't been Maddie crying that had woken her up, and she felt a mix of anxiety and gratitude. She got up from the bed and rushed into the great room. Deacon looked up and smiled.
"Hey, baby," he said.
"Where's Maddie?" she asked.
He frowned. "Asleep in her crib." He stood up. "She's okay. I changed her. I fed her. I wrapped her up like you showed me and she's asleep." She turned and headed for the bedroom. Deacon cleared his throat. "She ain't in there."
She turned around. "You said she was in her crib."
"That's right. In the nursery."
"But we haven't talked about that."
"We did. Back at the beginning. She was only supposed to sleep with us for a few weeks. It's been 8. She needs to sleep in her room."
She started to say something, but instead she turned and headed back to the bedroom they'd turned into a nursery. The shades were drawn so it was darker in the room. She noticed that Deacon had moved the bassinet into the nursery. She walked over to the crib. Maddie was swaddled perfectly, her eyes closed. She could hear the baby's soft breathing. She felt tears in her eyes, although she couldn't have said why. She felt Deacon's hands on her arms and she let out a deep breath. "I guess she should," she said quietly. She knew he was right. It was only supposed to be temporary and she knew he was chafing against it.
He kissed her on the neck. "She's fine," he whispered in her ear. She had to smile. Clearly he was right. She turned and put her arms around him. "We need to have our own space back." He smiled. "I know she don't know what's going on, but I don't want to make love to her mama with her in the room."
She couldn't help but smile at that. Even though she'd been cleared for sex for several weeks, he'd seemed to balk at her efforts, which had admittedly been few. "You don't, huh?" She looked over her shoulder, then back at him. "Well, she's sleeping now." He took her hand and led her away from the nursery.
He'd been gentle with her, even though she'd told him he didn't need to be. Lying naked under the sheets with him had reawakened her desire for him and she had relished the feel of him inside her again. Afterwards, as he held her, she felt some of her anxiety begin to resurface. She didn't want to feel that way, but she still couldn't shake the idea of how much she was risking. It was one of the reasons she'd pushed back on getting married, it was why she felt like she needed to be the primary caregiver for their daughter. That she loved him fully and completely was not in question, but she felt responsible for his recovery. Everything they said in the program about not taking on major changes right after coming out of rehab was what she'd taken on by making the decisions she had early on. She took on the mantle of responsibility and it weighed on her. She wanted him to be successful this time, the way he hadn't been able to before.
When she thought about what the future could hold, the very real possibility that he could fail yet again, she shivered. He held her a little closer. "You cold, baby?" he asked, his voice soft and loving. She did not want to doubt him. She did not want to feel like she was just waiting for him to fail, the way she had in the past.
She shook her head. "No," she said. "Just happy." It was what she wanted, to be happy. With him. She squeezed her eyes closed briefly. She wanted it so badly. She turned in his arms to face him. There was a crease between his eyes, a look of concern on his face. She put her hand on his cheek. "I'm so proud of you, babe. How you took care of Maddie."
The look of concern turned to a frown. "You think I couldn't do it?" he asked. "I been watching everything you done, Rayna. Putting her to bed, changing her, all that."
She put two fingers over his lips to quiet him. "That's not what I meant." Even though it kind of was. "I just know how important it is to you to be a good father. I want you to know I appreciate it." She didn't want to agitate him. It had been one of the things, over the years, that had been a sticking point for them. He'd told her, more than once, how he felt like she expected him to fail and that her not having faith in him had been part of his inevitable downfall. She had known that was not all of it, but she understood that she needed to hide her anxiety. She smiled, hiding her fears. "You took care of both of us today. I love that. And I love you."
He was looking at her carefully, as though he were trying to decide if she was telling him the truth. Then she saw the frown start to ease and he finally smiled back. "I want you to know you can trust me, Ray. With all of it. With Maddie. With you. With staying sober. I know what I gotta do and I'm gonna do it."
She ran her fingers through his hair as she pushed it back from his face. "I do trust you, Deacon. I know how much this means to you. And I'm your partner, not someone who doesn't believe in you." Just then, a thin little cry came across the baby monitor. She started to get up, but he held her down.
"Let me do it," he said, and she saw the pleading in his eyes.
She hesitated for just a second. "Okay," she said, her heart beating hard. Then she watched as he got out of bed. As he pulled his clothes back on, she couldn't help but think about what a handsome man he was. His body was lean and tight, yet he was strong. Even as he tried to hold all his demons deep inside, his emotions always played out in his eyes, across his face. His hands were rough and calloused from years of playing the guitar, yet they were always gentle with her. And if all she ever did was listen to his song lyrics, she knew what was in his soul. The depth of emotions and the depth of his love for her were woven throughout. He seemed to sense she was watching him and he turned to look at her. She smiled and, after a second, he smiled back. Then he left the room. She rolled onto her back and breathed in deeply.
She got up then and got dressed, listening to Deacon talking to Maddie and Maddie's little breathy sounds. She had to admit that seeing him with their daughter touched her heart deeply. When she thought about how she'd considered not telling him about their baby, she felt ashamed. Her fear hadn't gone away though, she just did a better job at hiding it and giving him the opportunity to be successful. She left the room then and headed for the nursery. She felt anxious about Maddie being away from her – from them – but Deacon was right, it had been time.
Deacon didn't hear her as she came up and stood in the doorway, so it gave her a chance to watch him. He was dressing Maddie as she waved her tiny arms in the air. When he was finished he picked her up and turned around. "I didn't know you were there," he said, a smile crossing his face.
"I just got here." She walked over and, putting her hands on his face, she drew him in for a kiss. Then she turned her attention to Maddie, giving her a little kiss on the forehead. He had dressed her in a cute little long-sleeved onesie with little pink bunnies all over it. With her dark hair and crystal blue eyes, she looked more like Deacon every day. She rubbed the back of his arm. "Well done, Daddy," she said with a smile.
He smiled proudly. "I was gonna bring her to you. I'm guessing she's hungry."
She nodded. "Probably." She inclined her head towards the great room. "How about we go sit in there?" He followed her and then sat down on the couch next to her, carefully transferring Maddie to her. She unbuttoned her blouse and opened it. She had not put on a bra, so it made things easier. Maddie latched on to her breast easily and she sat back, as Deacon put his arm around her.
"I love watching you do this," he said. She looked at him and saw a mix of joy and wonder on his face and in his eyes. And love. Most of all, love.
This was why I did this.
Deacon
It was a beautiful sunny day in late August. He was standing in the spare room with Cole and was watching himself in the mirror as he tied his tie. Finally, after a bit of a struggle, he was satisfied. He took a deep breath.
"You ready for this?" Cole asked.
Maybe he was looking for it, maybe he just couldn't not assume the worst. He frowned. "You think I'm not?"
Cole shook his head. "Not what I meant. I know you wrote your own vows, so I wondered if you were ready with those."
He didn't know if he believed him, but it was his wedding day and he didn't want anything to spoil that. He smiled a little. "I'm good." Rayna had told him that, since they were songwriters, they should be able to do their own vows. He would have been okay with the traditional ones, but he would do it for her.
He was sitting in the great room, picking out a melody on his guitar. Rayna walked into the room after putting Maddie down. He looked up at her and smiled. She smiled too and then came to sit next to him on the couch. "Is that something new?" she asked.
He nodded. "Yeah. Just a melody though."
"It's pretty. Do you have a song in mind?"
"Not yet." He grinned. "Thought maybe me and you could come up with something."
"I bet we could." She reached over then and took the guitar out of his hands, setting it on the coffee table. He was confused. She moved a little closer. "I was thinking, though, that maybe we could write vows first."
He wasn't sure he understood at first. "What do you mean?"
She smiled. "Vows. Like wedding vows. For us." He just stared at her. "I know you've wanted to do this for a while, but I think we're ready to go ahead and, you know, get married."
"Seriously?"
She nodded and then laughed. "Yes, seriously. I want to marry you, Deacon Claybourne. For real."
He grabbed her up in his arms and hugged her tight. "You really sure?" he asked.
"I am." She pulled her head back and looked at him. "And I think we should write our own vows to each other. If we can write songs, we should be able to write vows. What do you think?"
He smiled. "I think we should too." He kissed her. "Baby, this makes me so happy. You sure?"
She nodded. "I'm sure. I want you to dress up though."
He made a face. "Like a suit?"
"Yeah, I'd like that. To go along with my dress. And I was thinking we could get married on my mom's land, out near the river. It's so beautiful there and it's always been my dream."
"Anything you want, Ray. I wanna make all your dreams come true."
He still wanted that. She hadn't wanted to wait long, so this was the date she'd picked, and then she'd taken him out to her mother's land. She was right – it was beautiful and peaceful. They had agreed to go to the cabin for their honeymoon and he'd convinced her to let Tandy take care of Maddie while they were there. That last part had taken some convincing, but in the end she agreed that taking a baby on a honeymoon probably wasn't the best idea.
"Deacon?"
"What?" He realized he'd been lost in thought.
"You ready to go?"
He took a deep breath, then smiled. "Yeah, I'm ready."
Rayna
She was seated in front of the mirror in Tandy's guest room. Her hair and makeup team had just finished getting her ready. She was waiting for Tandy to come with the dress. She stared at her reflection in the mirror, twisting and turning the engagement ring on her finger. She had wanted to marry Deacon Claybourne for her whole grownup life. That she had felt for much of that time that he wasn't in a place where he could do that said much about the demons he'd lived with. Still lived with, truth be told. She wondered if she'd ever feel she could relax, feel like she didn't have to keep tabs on his meeting attendance and working his program. As much as she tried not to hover and be obvious, she knew he knew she did it.
They had a baby now, though, which changed a lot of things. It hadn't been enough for her to fully commit to marriage until now and she still hoped she wasn't wrong about all this. He'd wanted her to marry him before Maddie was born, but she had wanted to wait. When she no longer really had a reason to wait, she'd told him she was ready. She was still anxious about it, was feeling nervous butterflies that very day, but she believed he wanted this life with her and with their baby. Honestly, she did too. As much as she worried, she loved him with her whole heart. He was her one true love.
Just then Tandy hustled into the room with the dress and she smiled, getting up from the chair. "It's a beautiful dress, sweetheart," her sister said. She looked at it and had to agree. It wasn't a traditional wedding dress, but it was white and it had lace on it and she thought it was perfect for getting married at her mom's property. It was cocktail length and sleeveless, perfect for a late summer day. "Are you ready?"
She nodded. "I am. Will you help me with it?"
There was a hesitancy in her sister's eyes and she knew she was going to get some unwanted advice. "I mean this wedding. This marriage. Are you sure Deacon's ready for all this?"
She sighed. "Deacon's already been doing 'all this', Tandy. And I've always wanted to be his wife. You know that. Do I think he's in the right place sobriety-wise for this? I think so. He's worked really hard at this and I trust him."
"I just know the pain he's caused you."
She frowned. "Yes, he has. And I've caused him pain too. But he's been a good father to Maddie and a good partner to me. He loves me and I love him. If you feel like you can't support me, then maybe you need to not come."
Tandy shook her head. "I do support you, Rayna. You know that. And I trust you to do the right thing for you and for Maddie."
She wasn't sure she believed Tandy completely, but she didn't want to ruin the day by having a fight with her sister. She finally smiled. "Well then, can you help me with my dress?"
Deacon
The sun was shining. There was a little bit of a breeze, so the air didn't feel so oppressive. The sound of the river running by was calming. The wedding was small, just close friends and family. As he stood, waiting with Cole and the officiant, he looked over the guests. Most of them were other artists and songwriters, people they'd come up the ladder with over the years. Neither he nor Rayna had close friends from their prior lives. He'd asked his sister to come but she had declined. Rayna had hoped her father wouldn't show up, but he was there, sitting in the back. He closed his eyes briefly, hoping Lamar didn't cause any trouble or ruin the day for Rayna.
Just then a car drove up and, as he watched, he saw first Tandy and then Rayna exit. He couldn't help but smile when he saw Rayna. They weren't doing all the traditional wedding things but the guests did stand as she and Tandy walked up to where he stood with Cole. He thought she looked so beautiful in the white dress. She had tiny white flowers in her hair that had been piled on her head. She carried the small bunch of daisies he'd sent over. She smiled and his heart turned over with love for her.
From the moment I saw you, I knew. You were the one, my one true love. I knew we were meant for each other and now here we are. For all these years we built our lives on the music and the love and now that's what we'll build our future upon. And now you'll wear this ring and you'll be my wife.
Rayna
Music brought us together and from that music, there grew love. And that music and that love have carried us to where we are now. We've had our joys and our sorrows, our memories and our mistakes, but we've gotten through all of it, and it's led us here, stronger and wiser. And I give you this ring and vow to be yours, forever and always.
As they drove away in his truck, they both were quiet. Finally he reached over and took her hand. She looked at him. He glanced at her and smiled. "We did it, baby," he said.
She started to laugh. "We sure did. I kept holding my breath, thinking something was going to happen. Daddy would make a scene or something. But it was perfect. Just what I wanted."
He lifted her hand to his lips, lingering for a moment. "Thank you, baby," he said and she could hear the emotion in his voice.
"I wanted this too, Deacon," she said.
"Well, it's more than that. It's for believing in me and trusting me, letting me be part of your life and Maddie's."
She could feel the tears in her eyes. "I love you, sweetheart. I want to spend the rest of my life with you."
He didn't say anything at first. Then he sighed. "I was so surprised to see you at the cabin when you came to tell me about Maddie. I figured I'd screwed up so bad I'd never see you again. Would've served me right too, I guess. I don't know why this is so hard for me. And I never wanted to do that to you. You know, they tell you in the program to take each day on its own, not think too far ahead. So I'm trying to do that. Nothing's more important than you and our little girl. I'm grateful. Grateful that you're giving me a chance."
She wiped at her tears. "I believe in you, Deacon. I support you. I have faith in you. Always."
When they got to the cabin, he made her stop halfway across the porch. She stood while he hurried down and unlocked the door, sliding it open. Then he came back for her. He put one hand behind her knees and the other on her back and then lifted her up in his arms. She laughed as he did so, wrapping her arms loosely around his neck. He then walked down to the door and across the threshold. "I did it," he said proudly.
She kissed him. "Yes, you did." He set her down on the floor and then put his arms around her, pulling her close. They shared a long, lingering kiss and then she looked up into his eyes. "I'm so happy," she said. They'd kind of come full circle from the day almost a year ago when she had come to this place, determined that he would know his child and do the work to be a good, present father. She knew it could have gone off the rails and she'd used every ounce of her self-resolve to help him get there. Now they would truly be a family, along with Maddie and, hopefully, all their future children.
"Me too," he said, his voice a little raspy. "I promise I'll be a good husband and a good father..."
She put her index finger over his lips to stop him. "I know. And you're already a good father. Maddie adores you. And now we're going to spend the rest of our lives together as a family."
He nodded and then kissed her again. He let his hands roam over her back as he drew her closer. When he heard the tiny moan he reached for the zipper on the back of the dress, sliding it down slowly to the middle of her ass. She unbuttoned his shirt, pushing it aside, and then let her hands trail down to his belt. They stepped slightly apart then and continued to undress each other. Then he cupped her breasts, letting his thumbs move over her nipples. She ran her tongue over her lips and then he lifted her again and placed her on the couch. He laid on top of her, dragging the blanket on the back of the couch over the two of them. She looked in his eyes and he kissed her. Then he entered her, in one fluid motion, and she cried out, letting herself enjoy the feeling of making love to her husband. Finally.
Deacon
The cabin was drafty and that meant it was cool year round. At one point, he got up and lit the fire. He'd come to the cabin the day before the wedding to be sure everything was set up and to stock the pantry and fridge with the food they would need. He stood watching as the wood caught fire, then turned back to Rayna. She was watching him, a dreamy look on her face.
"Come back here, babe," she said softly. He did and she opened her legs, taking him back inside her. He was the luckiest guy in the world. He vowed to himself that he would always make sure she knew how much he loved her.