So Rayna had chosen another man once again. But, this time, Deacon was sober and ready to be a husband, ready to be a father.
Maybe Coleman was right and he was addicted to drinking and Rayna Jaymes. He had kicked the habit of drinking even if it took him 5 trips to rehab and cost him 13 years of not knowing his beautiful baby girl was half Claybourne instead of half Conrad. What if he could kick the habit of loving Rayna Jaymes? He vowed the night that she didn't show at the Bluebird Cafe to do just that.
The first couple of weeks were rough. The "it" couple of country music, Luke Wheeler and the beautiful redhead, were all CMT and the local newspapers wanted to talk about. It was torture seeing Maddie have to pretend to like Luke and even more upsetting to know that he had lost his soulmate to a bro-country artist. But, he was gonna break his greatest vice of all. He was going to prove to himself, the world, and Rayna herself, that he was more than her sideshow.
Writing was much more difficult when you were trying to finally get over your muse. Penning happy songs or breakup melodies were just not in his headspace.
He didn't perform for a bit. Considered leaving Nashville all together but had missed out on enough of Maddie's life and wanted to be of emotional support for Scarlet.
He turned to another of his bad habits... women and tried to drown his sorrows in a different lucky lady every night. When he rose each morning and looked over to the mystery woman beside him, he longed for the gorgeous red gold locks of Rayna. This was going to be hard. Very hard.
Maddie told him that her mom and Luke had set a date. That date came and went. Tour obstacles or Mercury Retrograde or a reluctant bride or broken hearted daughters may have been the reason, but Deacon was determined to remain indifferent about the delay in the nuptials.
Then, it all changed. He decided to play a writer's round at the Bluebird. It was the first time he had stepped foot in the venue since the night Rayna didn't show. Also in the round was a singer songwriter that immediately grabbed his attention because she had chosen to play a keyboard. Her name was Jessie Caine and she took his breath away.
After the round and after letting her for a lack of a better word, "fan girl" over him for a few minutes, he asked if she wanted to get together and write. Deacon didn't write with women. In his career, he had written with exactly two women and they were the headliners of the Red Lips White Lies tour. Their songwriting sessions ended in bed or the couch or a guitar closet. He was a man after all and knew he certainly wouldn't be upset if he found himself naked with Jessie as they attempted to write a song.
Jessie was a bit apprehensive and seemed to come up with an excuse to turn him down but eventually said yes. The pair agreed to meet the next day at Deacon's house.
Jessie ended up being 25 minutes late and confessed to Deacon that she was arguing with her ex husband because their son wanted to rap for the school talent show. Deacon quickly put two and two together and realized that her ex husband was Brad Maitland, one of the label heads in town, and that Jessie had ran away with a rock star a few years back. This made Deacon even more interested in Jessie because she definitely didn't sound boring.
Writing went according to plan and by late afternoon, Jessie was cuddled up next to Deacon in his bed as he played a few cords on his Martin. Yep, Deacon Claybourne was well on his way to finally recovering from his biggest addiction, The Great Rayna Jaymes.
As the weeks passed and Ruke or Layna or whatever their fans called them continued to postpone their wedding, Deacon and Jessie became inseparable. Sure Brad wanted to make their life a living hell and pushed Deacon's buttons on numerous occasions, but they fell for each other quick. Deacon had already began to form a relationship with Jessie's son and decided it was time to introduce Maddie to Jessie.
Maddie was at Deacon's for her weekly guitar lesson when he mentioned that he had a girlfriend that he wanted her to meet. In fact, he wanted her to come over and have dinner with him, Jessie, Jake and Scarlett. Maddie still hoped that her parents would eventually find their way back to each other but was so disappointed with her mom by that point, that she immediately agreed.
Maddie told her mom about Jessie that night and in true Rayna fashion, she texted Deacon and said, "What the hell Deacon? You should have told me you had a girlfriend before telling our 15 year old." Deacon was at a new place in his life and didn't feel the need to let her walk all over him like she always had. He simply replied, "Clean slate Rayna." He used her own words against her. Jessie was that clean slate for him and wasn't going to destroy it with the toxicity that had been in his life for the last 25 years. This was a grown up healthy relationship and he wanted Maddie to get to know Jessie and love her before he got serious. Something he knew Maddie resented Rayna over for jumping head first into her relationship with Luke, which had now stalled.
Deacon was cleaning in the kitchen when he heard his door open. He wasn't exactly surprised when he turned to see Rayna standing there looking pissed as hell. "I'm allowed to be happy Rayna. If you're here to put a dark cloud on that, please leave. We're co-parents and that's it. I don't have to ask your permission to date. I promise she won't be a bad influence on Maddie." Deacon stated before Rayna was even able to open her mouth. She countered with, "But, she cheated on her husband Deacon and left her son to be with a rock..." "HUSH Rayna! I'm not listening to it. The Queen of Country Music lied about the paternity of her daughter for 13 years. You think people don't talk about you over that? Don't throw stones at glass houses. There has never been a man who has loved a woman as much as I loved you and looked where that got me. Thrown in rehab, lied to about my daughter for years and blamed for the car wreck when I found out... even though you were driving!" He yelled back at her, getting louder with each word. Tears were in her eyes by this point and she simply asked, "Loved? You don't love me anymore?" "I'll always love you because you gave me Maddie but I'm not in love with you anymore. Go get married and leave me be. We can discuss Maddie and that's all. I'm tired of this. Please leave." With that, Deacon goes to his bedroom and doesn't glance back once at Rayna. Her sobs no longer hold a trance over him.
Weeks turned into months. Deacon and Brad slowly began to come to terms with each other and be cordial to one another. Jessie and Maddie had formed a tight bond and they frequently went shopping or to get their nails done along with Scarlett. Jessie mentioned to Deacon one night that she wanted to fall asleep next to him by the river once the leaves started to fall and the weather got chilly. He smiled to himself because he knew just the place. Of course, he had to take a trip there first to remove the remnants of the Rayna and Deacon shrine that still resided there. Gold records and awards went into storage along with personal mementos for Maddie of her parents. Deacon wanted this to be special because he truly believed that Jessie was his one true love after all. Things with her were so simple. She wasn't waiting for him to mess up or take a drink or disappoint her. She wasn't the biggest name in country music and he didn't have to walk on egg shells around her.
Jake was with his dad for the weekend so Deacon surprised Jessie by telling her that he was taking her to the cabin. He's nervous as hell but he knows she will love it. For once in his life, he can just be open and tell his girlfriend the truth about things. Yes, he bought the cabin for Rayna but they split up shortly after and she hadn't been there in years. It is that weekend that Deacon Claybourne finally gets to go canoeing on the Cumberland River with the girl of his dreams. When they return to Nashville on Sunday evening, Deacon takes her to dinner at Lockeland Table in East Nashville and proposes when they get back home. Sure it's quick but when you know, you know.
That same weekend, Rayna surprises Luke by flying out to see him in Dallas. They have been married for 2 months and she misses him while he's on tour. She finds him in the master suite of his tour bus naked with a 20-something blonde and two empty bottles of Jack Daniels. In that moment, before she can even scream or curse or hit Luke, she thinks about Deacon. Clean slate Rayna.
The press has something to talk about because the 20-something blonde posted her tryst with Mr. Luke Wheeler on Snapchat for all the world to see. Every gossip rag in the country has Rayna's face plastered on its cover. Deacon finds out the next day when Maddie and Daphne call him crying and begging him to come pick them up. He has no right to get Daphne but he loves that little girl and it kills him to see her upset. Rayna is on the couch with Bucky and Tandy when Deacon walks in the house to get the girls. Tandy being Tandy immediately snaps at him and says, "Why the hell are you here? Can't you just leave her alone?" Bucky and Rayna simultaneously scold her but Deacon doesn't take the bait. He simply replies, "Maddie wants to go with me. Daphne too. Rayna, is it okay if Daphne goes? Jessie is grabbing us dinner." Rayna looks up at her when he mentions Jessie but she agrees. He has no interest in being caught in the drama and just wants to protect his daughter so he quickly leaves once the girls come downstairs. If he were a heartless man, "Clean slate Rayna" would have been his parting words.
Rayna texts him that night. She had been drinking and even though she discovered her husband cheating, he was not the reason she found herself drinking a bottle of her dad's fine cognac. She was 45 years old and had been married twice. Both husbands had cheated on her and yet, here she sat in the floor of her music room crying and drinking over a man that had legally never been hers. Deacon doesn't see the texts until the next morning. For once, he's in love and Rayna is the odd man out crying over her mistakes. The texts would have meant the whole world to him if they had only came a year earlier. "Deac, I'm sorry. The only slate I've ever wanted is the one beside you. Babe, I love you." He doesn't even feel the need to reply.
He looks up right as Jessie runs out of the bathroom, jumps on the bed, touches his cheek and says, "It's positive, my love. You're gonna be a daddy again." Clean slate Deacon. Clean slate.
