A/N: Thanks to all my reviewers.

Chapter 4

"I gotta say I love it when I get to spend the mornin' with ya. It makes the whole bein' separated while I'm out tourin' thing a little more bearable." Luke smiled at Rayna over the rim of his coffee cup.

"I don't hate it either. It's a nice change of pace from all the craziness that's been goin' on in my life since I announced my pregnancy. I forgot how much of a circus it is to be pregnant and working on an album in this business." Rayna leaned forward on her elbows on the counter.

"You're the queen and you're bringin' a future member of country music royalty into the world. That's a big deal to the media." He pointed out to her.

"I know that. I just miss the times when we had more privacy. Before TMZ and other websites like it popped up. It's crazy I can't even go out to the store without someone tryin' to take my picture. It never used to be like that here." She sighed.

"It's the price we pay for the lives we lead. We gotta take the good with the bad." He pointed out to her.

"I know that too. I just don't need any added stress at the moment. I'm already pushin' it 'cause of my age and then the accident. I don't wanna do anythin' else to mess with Baby Claybourne's health." She ran her hands over her face.

"You seriously gonna give the baby his last name? I woulda thought a woman such as yourself would just buck convention and give it your name." He rubbed the back of his neck to relieve some stress.

She smiled at him patiently. "I can't do that. If I know nothin' else, I know that this is the one thing he will fight me on. This is his first child and I can't do that to him." She was still keeping Maddie's true paternity a secret from him.

"In a way I get that. I would will feel the same way in his shoes." He replied.

"For the most part he will play along with what I say, but I still have to tread carefully. We still have a lotta things to work out. I have faith that we can do that." She informed him.

He pursed his lips thoughtfully. "When do y'all find out the sex of the baby?"

"We have an appointment tomorrow. I'm very excited about it and I know he is too." She rested a hand on the swell of her belly.

"Uh, if this isn't too forward I could go with you if you wanted me to. I get that you might not want him in the room or want to do it alone. The offer is on the table." He offered.

Both of Rayna's eyebrows shot up to her forehead. "Luke, I can't do that either. I have to let him have those moments as the father of this baby. I don't wanna wave you in front of his face like a red flag. Things between me and him are difficult enough without me doin' things to provoke him. I really appreciate the offer thought."

"I just thought I'd offer and let you know that I'm here. I know that Deacon has a history of not bein' the most reliable person in the world when it comes to you." He shrugged helplessly. This was a tough situation for him to navigate, but it was worth it if he got to be with her.

"I know how Deacon used to be when he was drinkin'. Believe me I know better than anyone, but if we are gonna do this you can't say things like that 'bout him. I don't want this baby thinkin' they are less than worthy 'cause of they way their father used to be." She cradled her stomach lovingly.

"I understand," Luke nodded his head stoically.

Deacon walked in the side door without bothering to see who else was in the room. "Ok, woman, I brought your daily smoothie over and your allotment of junk food for the mornin'. I think my work here is done." He sat a cup and paper bag down on the counter.

"Thanks, Deacon, that was real sweet of you. Luke and I were just gettin' ready to do somethin' 'bout breakfast." Rayna smiled at him to temper her words.

"I should probably get goin' anyway. I just wanted to bring ya that. You need the smoothie and the doughnut is for your sweet tooth." Deacon's face fell.

"Hey, Deacon," Luke waved in his general direction.

"Luke," Deacon nodded stiffly.

"At least talk to your baby before you go." Rayna walked out from behind the counter to give him access to her belly.

Deacon bent down and kissed her belly repeatedly. "Hey, Squirrel, daddy loves you so much, but he has to go now. Momma and I will get to see you tomorrow. Try to keep your Claybourne genes in check and let us find out what you are." He straightened up and went to walk back out the door.

"Deacon, wait," Rayna chased after him. She didn't want him to go away mad and upset. That wasn't good for his sobriety and she didn't want to do anything to jeopardize that ever again.

Luke sighed loudly. Keeping his temper in check around Deacon was a feat. He wanted to tell him to go away and let Rayna be happy.

Deacon stopped short in the driveway and let her catch up to him. "What do you want, Ray?"

"I don't want you to be hurt and upset, but I'm with Luke now and I need you to accept that." Rayna leveled with him.

"Rayna, it ain't my job to make havin' a relationship with another man easy on you. that one is all on you. You know that I don't understand why we can't be together and raise this baby up under the same roof. Maddie already has two men as father figures she don't need a third. And this baby don't need two. What I desperately want is a child that sees me as the most important man in his life. I don't wanna have to share that with anyone else and I don't think that makes me wrong." Deacon replied hotly. He fiddled with the sobriety chip in his pocket.

"I promise that things aren't that serious. It's just 'bout the most uncomplicated thing in my life right now and I need that." She tried explaining things to him.

He shook his head violently. "I can't even pretend to understand that. The thought of another man with his hands on you while you're carryin' my baby makes my skin crawl and it makes me wanna be sick to my stomach. I'm the only man who needs to be attendin' to those needs you have right now. This situation ain't fair to none of us in it, Luke included. We both know ain't nothin' serious ever gonna come of it. You're just stringin' both of us along for the ride. You can't look me in the eyes and tell me that you don't want to take this second chance to do things the right way and together this time 'round." He didn't hesitate to let his true feelings be known.

She slipped her hands into the pockets of her pajama pants and sighed. "I do want that. I won't lie and say that I don't. We ain't good for each other and you know it. I don't want a wildfire to start and us drag our children down with us. It ain't just 'bout us anymore and I need you to see that. I promise you that you will always be the most important man in this baby's life. I wouldn't have it any other way. And I'm doin' what I can to help build a bridge between you and Maddie. You just have to be patient with me. If it makes you feel any better I ain't done nothin' with Luke since I found out I'm pregnant. I won't disrespect you like that again and it just don't feel right to me."

"Ray, I don't wanna fight with you. I just wanna figure out how we make this work together. I know that the kids are the most important ones in this situation and that ain't lost on me. I ain't gonna apologize for wantin' that fairytale with you, though. It makes me feel a lot better that you ain't done nothin' with him and I will show you that same respect by not takin' up with another woman right now. It just wouldn't be right. I really do have to go now. I will see you tomorrow for our appointment. If you want I can come pick you up." Deacon didn't want to argue with her, not when they seemed to be getting to good place.

"Yeah, I'd like that. I'll make sure that I'm the only one in the house. I thought that maybe we could do a cute little gender reveal with the girls. Only if you're game for it though. I don't want you to think that you have no say in the way we handle things." Rayna replied. She was willing to meet him in the middle.

"I don't know what that is, but if that makes it more fun for the girls, then I'm in." Deacon agreed.

"I'll see you tomorrow then." She smiled softly.

"Yeah, I'll see you tomorrow." He smiled back at her.

"Hey, Deacon, before you go, what do you think? Boy or girl?" Rayna called after him.

"Well, from the readin' I've been doin' I think it's a boy." Deacon answered her.

"God help us, I think it's a boy too. I don't know if I just wish that 'cause I want you to have that father-son relationship or if I think it 'cause this pregnancy has just been different." Rayna took his hand and squeezed it.

"Well, we find out one way or another tomorrow. I'm just gonna be happy with a healthy baby." Deacon laced their fingers together.

"I'm lookin' forward to it. Just so you know the way you're involved right now is what I always wanted for you and Maddie." Rayna had to get that off her chest.

"I just wish you'd told me sooner. It shouldn't be this hard for me to be her daddy." Deacon replied. He kissed her hand before he got in his truck.

Rayna had one arm behind her head and with her free hand she held Deacon's. They had just finished up with her amnio test and now they were getting ready to find out the sex of the baby.

"You ok, Ray? That needle didn't look fun at all." Deacon's face was pale and it looked like he was going to be sick to his stomach.

"I'm alright. I didn't hurt as bad as it looked like it did." Rayna reassured him. She loved this caring empathetic side of him.

w"Alright, now that the not so fun part is out of the way. What do you say we find out the sex of this baby?" Dr. Ford asked.

"Yeah, I think that anythin' would be better than that needle right now." Deacon took a deep breath to calm his nerves.

"Here we go then. Rayna, you know the drill by now." Dr. Ford squirted some gel on her exposed belly and moved the ultrasound wand around. She froze the frame when she saw what she wanted to see. "Do you see that right there?"

"I see it." Rayna answered.

"I see somethin'. I'm not sure what I see." Deacon responded.

Dr. Ford pointed to the screen. "That's your son letting it hang out loud and proud for the whole world to see. Congratulations, it's a boy."

Rayna's eyes filled with tears. She looked up to see Deacon red faced and holding back tears. "He's a boy."

"We're havin' a son, Ray. And my God he's already beautiful." Deacon finally let his tears fall.

Rayna didn't know what came over her, but she grabbed him by the front of his shirt and pulled him down so she could kiss him deeply.

Deacon kissed her back without any hesitation.

"God help me, Deacon, I don't know what I want right now and I'm not gonna make any rash decisions. I can't with all these hormones, but in this moment I can't think of anythin' more perfect than raisin' this boy up together and bein' a real family." Rayna didn't bother to try to keep her emotions under control.

"I can't think of a thing I rather do either." His voice was barely above a whisper. He used his thumb to wipe a tear away from her cheek.

Dr. Ford cleared her throat. It was far from the first time she'd seen such a display in her exam room and it probably wouldn't be the last. "I will print these out for you and leave them at reception. I will see you both again in a month."

"Ok," Rayna started to get dressed once the doctor left the room. "So, I was thinkin' that you don't have to take me home right away. I would very much like to go shoppin' with you. I need to get a few maternity clothes and I'm real excited to start shoppin' for him. I've put it off for as long as I could, but I can't wait another moment to start buyin' him stuff now that we know he's a boy."

"I'm sure that he's gonna be the best dressed little boy in the city. Whether he likes it or not. He's probably gonna take after his daddy when it comes to shoppin' and designer clothes." Deacon teased her.

"Hush up, and take me shoppin' for our son." Rayna swatted at him playfully.

"Alright, I can do that." Deacon chuckled at her.

"So, I was thinkin' 'bout the gender reveal with the girls. I thought we could get a balloon filled with blue confetti and let 'em pop it. This is a special time for them too and I want them to see that." Rayna changed the subject abruptly.

"When do you wanna do it?" Deacon asked. He wasn't going to deny her this or anything else that she asked for. Right now it was his job to make things easy on her where he could. That was the best thing that he could do for his unborn son.

"The girls are with me come Sunday. I thought that we could do it then. Daddy and Tandy will be there of course. And I was thinkin' that we could fly in your family from Natchez." Rayna explained to him.

"I think that momma and my grandparents would love that. You know how Bev is, so I can't speak for her, but what she thinks don't matter anymore than what your daddy and sister think 'bout us havin' this baby together." Deacon was totally on board.

"Alright, I will get everythin' set up then. Right now I wanna go buy some cute outfits for our son. I'm thinkin' that newborn flannel and jeans are gonna be the most adorable things I have ever seen. I'm nervous and scared for this boy. Nervous 'cause I'm not quite sure I know what to do with a son and excited 'cause this is gonna be a new adventure for me. He's a Claybourne and I already know he's gonna keep me on my toes a lot." Rayna unloaded everything she was feeling on him.

"We can do that for sure. Newborn flannel and jeans sound perfect to me. It's only right that he comes into this world dressin' like his daddy. Who he becomes once he starts dressin' himself is another matter. I promise you right here and now that I will always love him no matter what or who he is. I do hope he's a lot like me, though. I'm real excited to have a little mini Deacon." Deacon smiled from ear to ear.

"This may come as surprise to you, but I want a little mini Deacon too. I already know that he's a little baby Deacon. He will come out lookin' just like you the way his sister did. Your genes overpower mine and there is no denyin' that. Personality wise I'm excited to see who he is more like. I really hope that he picks up on your accent. I'm not sayin' this to hurt you, but Maddie sounds a lot like Teddy when she talks and I'm lookin' forward to havin' one that sounds like a little redneck like his daddy" Rayna looped her arm through his.

"I like that sound of that too. Right now let's go pick him out some clothes. I need some at my place and you need some at yours." Deacon leaned against her. "Ray, I know that you probably don't wanna talk 'bout it right now, but that kiss, it reminded me of the old days. I'd give anythin' to have that relationship back minus me bein' a drunk. I miss the days when we were able to trust each other implicitly." Deacon replied.

"That kiss meant a lot to me too. I don't know if I can' do this with you yet, but I do know that I am keepin' my options open. I've done this wrong way once and I really, really want the chance to do it right this time. I just don't know that I want the pain that comes with us bein' together. I'm not sayin' that everythin' 'bout our relationship is horrible. I'm just sayin' that we always manage to find a way to burn each other to the ground. It just ain't fair for us to put our babies through that." Rayna tried to reason with him.

"Ray, I promise you that we will figure this out for him and Maddie." Deacon swore to her.

"I know we will. We created these two little people from a place of love and that ain't somethin' that a lot of people can say." Rayna was very content to be by his side in this moment.

"What were you thinkin' when it comes to names?" Deacon was excited to get to this part. He had given it a lot of thought.

"I was thinkin' thinkin' Jaymes Wyatt would be a perfect name for a boy." She replied.

He smiled wider. "That means you're on board with his last name bein' Claybourne. I love it, but I was thinkin' that Henry Samuel would be a great name. It would be after his great-grandfathers Deacon Samuel Claybourne and Henry John Charleston." He countered.

"We don't have to decide right now, but I like those names. I also am in love with Deacon Henry John Claybourne Jr." She batted her eyelashes at him.

He laughed at her overt act of manipulation. "We will put all those names on the list and come to a decision later. He doesn't have to have a name right this minute. I don't know how I feel 'bout namin' him after me. I don't have the best habits to pass down to him. I don't want him bein' ashamed of havin' to share a name with me too."

She took his hand. "He ain't got a damn thing to be ashamed of when it comes to his daddy. His daddy is the man he should wanna be like. He needs to think that you hung the moon and I trust you not to do anythin' that will make him see you any differently."

He squeezed her hand. "I'm glad you still feel that way 'bout me." He smiled happily.

"Deacon, move it a little more to the left. No, not like that. My left not your left." Tandy instructed him with her hands on her hips.

Deacon moved the streamer in the direction that Tandy indicated. He was decorating the house for their big gender reveal. "How's that?"

"It's good. At least you're not completely useless when someone is giving you directions." Tandy rolled her eyes. She was still in disbelief that Rayna had told him about the baby. She couldn't see how that was going to end without more heartache and tears for her sister. That was the last thing she wanted, but she had to trust that she was a grown woman and she knew what she was doing.

"Look, Tandy, I know that you don't like me and I ain't all that fond of you either. But, like it or not I am the father of your oldest niece and your unborn nephew. I ain't sayin' that we have to be best friends or anythin' like that, but right now it is important for Rayna's health and the baby's that she be under as little stress as possible. That can't happen if you and I are constantly at each other's throats. We both love Rayna and only want what's best for her. This is what's best for her right now." Deacon climbed down off the ladder he was standing on.

"If that were the case you would walk away and let her raise this baby alone. You would stop trying to push your way into Maddie's life and have her turn her back on the man who raised her. You're too damn selfish to do that, though." Tandy spit out at him hatefully.

"Tandy, I'm tryin' really hard here to be civil to you and you ain't makin' that easy on me. I will say this, you or no one else is gonna keep me away from my kids ever again. You don't get a say in if I get to be a daddy to these kids or not. I'm sorry if you don't like that, but that's how it is. You come between me and my babies at your own risk." Deacon put his foot down with her.

Before Tandy got a chance to reply Luke walked into the room. "Hey, y'all, I know that I'm early, but I didn't wanna miss anythin'. Where's Rayna?"

"She should be down here any minute." Tandy answered him. "Here she is now." She said as Rayna came into the room.

Deacon fumed silently. He couldn't believe that Luke thought it would be ok for him to show up. He already had one man trying to keep him from having a relationship with his child he didn't need another one added into the mix. He would be damned to go to hell if he allowed that to happen ever again. He would fight tooth and nail to keep it from happening.

"Luke, I'm glad that you could make it." Rayna hugged him and kissed his cheek chastely.

"I wouldn't miss this for anythin' in the world. I'm pretty excited to find out what this tadpole is gonna be. You've been keepin' me in suspense and wouldn't tell me 'fore the girls found out." Luke smiled at her and squeezed her tightly.

"What the hell is he doin' here, Ray? Today was supposed to be 'bout our family. The last time I checked that didn't include him." Deacon couldn't take it any longer. He had clearly reached his breaking point.

"Hey, now, I don't mean no harm. I know that this is your baby." Luke defended himself.

"If that's the case, then why are you here? You could've given us today." Deacon retorted.

"Well, I see that some things never change. She and this baby would have been better off if she'd never told you. I can't seem to get her to see reason when it comes to you. I don't know what kind of spell you have my daughter under, but I damn sure wish that she could find some way to break it. You're not going to do anything, but let this baby down the way that you've always let her down." Lamar made his grand entrance. He didn't mince words or make any secret of his profound dislike of Deacon.

Deacon balled his hands into fists. "I guess it's a good thing that it ain't up to you whether I get to know 'bout my baby and be a daddy or not."

Lamar went to open his mouth again, but Rayna stepped in between them and put her hand up like a traffic cop. "That is enough outta y'all. The girls are gonna be home any minute and the last thing they need to walk in on is all of you fightin' like a bunch of little boys. This is Deacon's baby and y'all need to get over that or get on board. Those are the only two choices. Like it or not you don't get a say in if he's 'round for his child or not. The only one who gets to make that decision is him. If there's any of you who can't deal with that it's best that you leave now. I don't need all of this stress and I shouldn't have to deal with all this. This should be a happy time not all this animosity. I don't wanna hear another argument on the matter. Deacon, I need to see you in the kitchen for a minute." She laid down the law with them. She grabbed Deacon by the hand and drug him into the kitchen before he had a chance to say no.

"Rayna, what the hell?" Deacon's jaw was set in a hard line.

"I could ask you the same damn thing. This right here is exactly why I'm hesitant 'bout bein' all in with you. you can't seem to get along with anyone to save your life. I know you don't like it, but sometimes you have to play nicely to make things go smoother. I need you to come to terms with the fact that daddy and Tandy are also baby Claybourne's family and I won't have you makin' him feel bad for half of who he is." Rayna whispered harshly. She didn't want anyone else to hear her chastise him.

"Ray, I can accept them if they can accept me. My problem is with Luke showin' up here. It ain't his damn place and you know it. Things are complicated enough without you addin' him into the mix. This is our baby not his. I don't want him comin' 'round actin' he's 'bout to have a brand new baby." Deacon let her have it. He made sure to keep his voice low too.

"Deacon, I couldn't find a good enough excuse as to why he couldn't come. I knew that you wouldn't like this, but I didn't do it to hurt you. The last thing I wanna do is hurt you again. We ain't over the first thing that I did to hurt you I don't need to add fresh wounds on top of the ones that have already started to scab over." Rayna sighed loudly.

Deacon bit his lip and shook his head. "You confuse the hell outta me, you know that? A couple days ago you were kissin' me like you were a drowin' woman and I was a lifejacket. Now today you're insistin' that we include Luke in what should be a private moment 'tween us and our families."

"Deacon, I know that this is difficult for you. I understand that I really do, but you can't be fightin' with everyone. I know that Tandy and daddy aren't the easiest on you and I know that you hate me bein' with Luke. I'm just askin' that you give me some time to be free and happy before I make a concrete decision. If you want me to choose a life with you then you need to prove to me that you have changed. From where I stand the way you're actin' right now this coulda been fifteen years ago and it sure as hell feels like it to me. I don't want the girls to come home to this and they will be here any minute. Today is 'bout them and makin' them feel included in this pregnancy. If you can't handle that you can go. You don't want that and neither do I, so please don't force my hand." Rayna read him the riot act.

Deacon nodded solemnly. "Ok, whatever you want, Ray. I wanna be here and ain't no one gonna ruin this for me. And I want ruin this for those two little girls. Their lives have been difficult enough lately without me addin' to it." He really couldn't refuse her anything that she asked for. He rather he be uncomfortable than have those girls feel one moment of discomfort.

A/N: Here is the next chapter. I hope you guys enjoyed it. Until next time please review.