A/N: Thanks to all my reviewers.

Chapter 11

Deacon swirled his straw around his tea and looked over at Vince. "Vinny, you can start talkin' any time now, brother. I have a wife, two daughters, and mother waitin' on me at home."

Vince lit a cigarette and took a long drag off it. He blew the smoke out of his nose. The process gave him a minute to collect his thoughts. He took a picture out of his shirt pocket and laid it down on the bar. "That's the issue. I have no idea how to handle this."

Deacon picked up the picture and studied it. "That's a baby." He observed.

"Apparently, it's my baby." Vince took another drag off his cigarette.

"What? How is that possible? I thought that you were careful. The last time that I checked you were too busy on a bender to have had time to go spreadin' pollen." Deacon slid the picture back over to him.

"Amy is his mother. I don't think I have to explain my long complicated history with her to you. Him and Maddie are pretty close in age." Vince put the picture back in his pocket.

"Does he have a name?" Deacon asked.

"Royal Vincent Jameson. She gave him my last name. It's Amy I'm inclined to believe her. She's not like all the other skanks that I've slept with. She wouldn't lie to me 'bout this. And I mean you saw the picture. I can't deny that he looks like me. I just don't know what to do in this situation. I'm barely sober I just started takin' care of myself. How am I supposed to take care of someone who is completely dependent on me for everythin'?" Vince answered him.

"The first thing that you do is get a DNA test. I know that this is Amy and she would be more likely to lie and tell you that he's not yours. It would save her a whole lot of hassle. My gut tells me that this is your son. I have no doubt 'bout it. Just do the test to be on the safe side. You don't wanna have that little bit of doubt creep up every time you look at him." Deacon advised him.

"I don't wanna be the asshole that asks her for a DNA test and basically accuses her of bein' a whore. I wanna take her word for this. After everythin' that I've put her through she deserves a little understandin' from me." Vince shook his head.

"Vince, you've been away from home for so long that I think you've forgotten who you are. You may have shed your family and who you were supposed to be, but that doesn't mean that God forbid should somethin' happen to you that any child fathered by you wouldn't be entitled to your estate. So, you better make damn sure that is actually your son." Deacon tried to reason with him.

"I suppose that would make my daddy very happy. His first son producin' a boy on the first try. If I were to call him right now he would tell me to have the test done. I don't wanna tell him and momma 'til I know for sure and get their hopes up. Like you said it's more likely that she would have lied in the other direction. She knows who I am. I've gotta ask for the test." Vince sighed loudly.

"That's my advice to you, brother." Deacon shrugged his shoulders.

"I'm takin' that advice. You want a cigarette?" Vince pushed the pack down the bar to Deacon.

"No, I go home smellin' like smoke Ray will be checkin' my breath for alcohol and she won't let me hold the baby 'til I shower. It'll be this whole big thing that I don't want to deal with. I should get goin' anyway. I left all my girls home alone together and I'm a little scared of what I'll go home to." Deacon stood up and patted Vince on the back.

"I understand completely. Thank for comin' and for listenin' to me, brother." Vince replied.

"Any time you need me you know that. Don't stay here too long. I don't want you fallin' back into old habits." Deacon warned him.

"I'm a big boy I'll be alright. You ain't gotta worry 'bout me." Vince assured him.

"I will see you later." Deacon left the bar.

"Hey, babe, you're home earlier than I thought you would be." Rayna was in the living room with June and both the girls when Deacon came home.

"Yeah, Vince needed some hand holdin'. I didn't wanna be gone all night, so I said what I had to say and I came home." Deacon sat down next to her.

"What kinda mess did he get into this time?" Rayna asked.

"Vince is a daddy now. Apparently, he got Amy pregnant. I don't know why she caved and told him, but I don't doubt for a second that this baby is his." Deacon answered her.

"That would explain the leave of absence she took from being my backup singer. It's Amy, babe, there's no way that this baby belongs to anyone other than Vince. She's as hung up on him as I am on you." Rayna laid her head on his shoulder.

"You ain't tellin' me a thing that I don't know." Deacon kissed the top of her head.

Scarlett crawled up into Deacon's lap.

"Ya'll are so cute together." June smiled at them.

Rayna rubbed Scarlett's back when the little girl yawned. "Bug, I think it's time for you to get to bed."

"I'm not tired, momma. I wanna be with mawmaw." Scarlett yawned again.

"Bug, mawmaw is still gonna be here when you get up in the mornin'. I know that you've missed her, but she ain't goin' anywhere." Deacon assured her.

"It's not a school night I get to stay up later." Scarlett argued.

"Oh, little girl, you are barely awake right now. Come on, momma will tuck you in." Rayna stood up and held her arms out.

"I'm not tired." Scarlett shook her head.

"Scarlett, your little eyes are barely open. Let me take you up to bed." June offered her hand to her granddaughter.

"Ok, mawmaw." Scarlett took her hand and rubbed her eyes with her free hand.

"I will be right back." June led Scarlett up the stairs.

"How's the baby? She didn't do anythin' cute while I was gone did she?" Deacon looked over at Maddie.

"She's absolutely perfect. And she's always cute. She takes after her daddy that way." Rayna grinned at her.

"I think she is like her momma." Deacon picked Maddie up and took her into his arms. "Hey, baby girl."

"She says hey daddy I missed you." Rayna rubbed Maddie's belly.

"I missed you too, Princess." Deacon rubbed his nose against hers.

"I can't believe that Vince is a daddy." Rayna commented.

"Vince is a father anyway. It remains to be seen if he will be a daddy. Like we said earlier it's Amy. She has a way of makin' him behave like a normal person." Deacon shrugged. "Yes, Uncle Vinny has a son that's your age. If he comes near you when you get older daddy is gonna punch Uncle Vinny in the balls."

"Deacon John," Rayna giggled.

"What? No little boys better come sniffin' 'round my little girls ever." Deacon arched his eyebrow.

"Good luck with that. Your daddy said the same thing 'bout your sister and you know how that turned out." June came back into the room.

"Might have been better off if he had. Though we wouldn't have Scarlett and that is the most precious little girl I think I've ever met." Deacon lifted Maddie up and kissed her cheek.

"You are just surrounded by women, ain't ya?" June laughed softly.

"I am I'm startin' to think that's my lot in life. To be surrounded by beautiful women." Deacon squeezed Rayna's knee.

"You're gonna be needin' a son to help even things out a little bit." June joked.

"He's gonna be waitin' awhile for that. My label is already on me to get back to work. They might revolt if I get pregnant again right away. I've gotta get at least another tour or two in first." Rayna stopped that idea in its tracks.

"Honey, I don't blame you one little bit. Your body needs a rest." June sat down again.

"Momma, how you settlin' in?" Deacon asked.

"I feel right at home. Ray has taken good care of me. I'm goin' on tour with ya'll and then I'm gonna find a place when I get back. I don't need anythin' too elaborate just somethin' big enough that I can have the girls sleepover sometimes." June replied.

"I'm still on the hook for my apartment. You could try it out and see if you like it. There's also Deacon's old place. You have options. And don't you dare worry about gettin' a job. We need ya free to take care of the girls." Rayna told her.

"I do not want ya'll takin' care of me. I can pull my own weight. I've been doin' it my whole life." June argued.

"Momma, you are just gonna have to not be so damn prideful. I want to take care of you. You worked hard to give me a good life it's my turn to give you a good life." Deacon argued back.

"Ok, if it means so much to you I'll put a pin in it." June relented.

"June, I like havin' you around already. He is much easier to deal with." Rayna smirked.

"Alright, ya'll, you keep up and me the baby will go to the den." Deacon threatened.

"You are not takin' that sweet girl anywhere. As a matter of fact, let me hold her. I haven't got to spend enough time with her." June held her arms out for Maddie.

"Go see your mawmaw." Deacon passed the baby to his mother.

Rayna and Deacon sat up in the nosebleeds at the Bridgestone. They were kicking her tour off in Nashville.

"You ready for this? Your first big tour since we got married and Maddie was born." Deacon had his hand on Rayna's knee.

Rayna squeezed his hand. "I'm more than ready. I love our life and I love our girls, but I'm so glad to be getting back to work. It's hard to believe that we've been doing this for so long. This feels like a whole new chapter even though it's the same thing we've been doin' since we met."

"Everythin' feels brand new since Maddie was born. It's still the life we've been livin', but it's new to us cause everythin' is new to her. This was inevitable from the moment we met. I knew that we would get here even when it seemed like we wouldn't." Deacon replied.

"Those girls do make everything new and exciting. We get to watch Scarlett come out of her shell more every day. Maddie doesn't do much of anything yet, but the way that she lights up anytime she sees or hears one of us is everything. I never thought when it was just the two of us on the road we could be any happier." Rayna peppered kisses along his jawline.

"You and those girls are my everythin'." Deacon put his fingers under her chin and kissed her lips.

"You are just angling to get laid on that bus tonight." Rayna giggled when he nuzzled her neck with his beard.

"I don't ever have to try too hard. I get plenty of action I don't have to sweet talk ya if I want in your panties." Deacon pulled her onto his lap.

"I love it when you get physical with me like that. You're even sexier with all this muscle that you've put on since you stopped drinkin'." Rayna wrapped her arms around his neck.

"You've mentioned that a time or two. I did extra curls this mornin' just for you." Deacon kissed her again.

"I thought your flannel shirt was huggin' your arms a little tighter." Rayna smiled against his lips and ran her hand through his hair.

"I'm glad you noticed." Deacon laughed.

"We really need to get back to the girls and your momma. If the way my boobs feel is any indication Maddie is gonna wanna eat soon." Rayna grazed her nose against his.

"Mhmm, you sound so sexy when you say things like that." Deacon pulled her closer to him.

"I swear it doesn't matter how old we get I'm always gonna be findin' you two lookin' like you're 'bout to screw." Vince sat down in the row behind his two friends.

"And no matter how old we get you're always gonna be sneakin' up on us actin' like our third wheel." Rayna shot back at him.

"Did you have the damn test done?" Deacon tilted his head back to look at Vince.

"I had the test done and I'm the father. I'm actually someone's daddy and it scares the shit outta me." Vince replied.

"You better have a picture. I need to see Vince Jameson's first child." Rayna teased him.

Vince took the picture out of his wallet. "There he is. Royal Vincent Jameson. We call him Roy for short."

"You didn't need the DNA test he looks just like you, the poor thing. He's so precious that makes me wonder how he came from you. I can't wait to meet him. Is Amy gonna let you bring him out on tour?" Rayna smiled at him.

"Amy said that we would play it by ear, but she would be willin' to come out to a couple tour stops. I take that as a positive sign. I think she's waitin' to make sure that I don't go back to old habits. I can't blame her. I've put her through a lot." Vince replied.

"That's great, brother. I'm happy that you two are workin' things out." Deacon told him.

"I'm pretty happy too. I'm scared outta my mind, but I'm happy. I'm probably gonna find a way to screw this up cause that's what I do best, but I'm willin' to try my best." Vince shrugged his shoulders.

"I hate to break this meeting of the minds up, but Ray I need to come do some press stuff." Bucky walked up.

"How long is it gonna take, Buck?" Rayna looked up at him.

"I don't expect it to take longer than an hour. It could be a little more or a little less." Bucky answered her.

"Alright, I can go an hour before I feed the baby. However, if my boobs start to feel like they are gonna explode you have to get me outta there." Rayna stood up.

"Whatever you need." Bucky just shook his head.

"I'll see you in a little while, babe." Rayna pecked Deacon's lips.

"I'll see you when you're done. I may have to put in the earplugs to block out the tiny noisemaker. She gets mighty testy 'round feedin' time." Deacon smiled.

"You gonna hang out here or are you gonna head home?" Rayna asked.

"We will stick around here. We will wait for you to go get some food. Go, handle the press as masterfully as I know you can." Deacon blew her a kiss.

"See you then, babe." Rayna blew a kiss back to him.

"Ok, Maddie, you're ok, you're ok. Daddy's got you." Deacon walked the floor of the tour bus with Maddie over his shoulder. "You're just a little fussy. You're not used to this. You'll get used to the bus movin' in no time." He patted her back.

Rayna stumbled out of the bedroom half asleep. "Is she ok?"

"She's a little fuss bucket tonight. I think it's cause the bus is movin'. Though that doesn't make much sense cause she falls asleep every time I put her in the truck. She could just be fussy for no reason. Sometimes a baby just has to let it out." Deacon jiggled the baby gently.

"Want me to try to nurse her?" Rayna offered.

"Or and this is a great idea we open up that pack of pacifiers and give her one. We've toughed it out for a long time I think it's time to give in." Deacon suggested.

"Babe, I don't know." Rayna hemmed and hawed.

"It might soothe her. I don't think we are gonna do irreparable damage to her if we give her a pacifier." Deacon argued.

"And she might become dependent on the damn thing and then we will have a hell of a time gettin' her off it." Rayna made her argument.

"But if she ain't hungry and she just needs somethin' to do with her mouth this could cut out the number of times you have to be awake to nurse her." Deacon knew that would sway his wife.

"We aren't horrible parents are we? We let the older one stay up and party with the band and we're givin' the little one a pacifier." Rayna stressed out.

"I was right there the whole time Scarlett was with the band. We taught her how to play cards and we have known these guys for years. And I don't think that we are gonna screw Maddie up if we let her have a pacifier. Again, let me stress the more sleep part." Deacon reassured her.

"Where did you put those pacifiers when you packed her stuff?" Rayna asked.

"They are in her diaper bag." Deacon answered.

"I'll be right back." Rayna went into their sleeping quarters and retrieved a pacifier. "I got it. Here let me see her."

Deacon took Maddie off his shoulder. "Say hi to your momma. You've been screamin' at daddy for the last hour. She's got somethin' that I think you're gonna like."

"Hi, pumpkin, here you go maybe this'll make you happy." Rayna put the pacifier in Maddie's mouth.

"And we have a quiet baby. Look at how content she is now." Deacon cooed.

"And she's just starin' up at her daddy. She is so taken with you, babe. I think she's as in love with you as you are with her." Rayna rested her chin on his shoulder and smiled down at their daughter. "Hi, pretty girl. You love your daddy don't you? He spent months lovin' on you, talkin' to you, and singin' to you while you were still in momma's belly."

"You're just takin' it all in aren't you, Peanut? Wait 'til you get a little bit bigger. You're gonna love this as much as momma and daddy do. This is how you're gonna grow up get used to it now." Deacon rocked the baby gently.

"And she's almost out again. You have a way with her, babe." Rayna kissed his cheek.

"I'm typically good with women." Deacon grinned teasingly.

"You better watch it you're tryin' to sweet talk the wrong wife." Rayna poked him in the ribs.

"Did I forget I wasn't talkin' to my other wife there for a minute?" Deacon winked at her.

"Honey, you can barely handle me. I don't for a second think that you could juggle two wives." Rayna laughed.

"Baby, I got you I don't need two wives. You're more than one man can handle." Deacon laughed with her.

"You finally get that girl quiet? The last time I heard a woman scream like that I was payin' her by the hour." Vince went to the kitchenette and started looking for something to eat.

"You are disgustin', Vince. I can't believe you just said that." Rayna snorted in disgust.

"I don't know why you let anythin' that he says surprise you. He's really gross. And I happen to know that what he just said is untrue. Vince Jameson doesn't pay for sex it's a known fact. His stupid pride won't allow for it." Deacon explained to her.

"I say whatever bullshit pops into my head. I don't know when you're gonna realize this 'bout me." Vince shrugged his shoulders.

"Maybe you wanna edit yourself now that you're a daddy." Rayna arched her eyebrow at him.

"Nah, I don't see the point in it. My boy is gonna have to learn this stuff from somewhere and I rather it be from me than from someone else." Vince retorted.

"Then watch your mouth in front of my daughter. I don't want her hearin' that stuff." Rayna argued with him.

"She is gonna hear worse than that from her daddy. He's got a mouth on him." Vince pointed out to her.

"Deacon already has to edit himself because of Scarlett. He's used to toning it down some. He's became a little tamer in the last few months. You're the one that I worry about not behaving." Rayna leveled him with a stern glare.

"Ah, hell Scarlett is damn sure used to how rough around the edges we are. You ain't gonna change us." Vince replied.

"I don't think Maddie needs to hear momma and Uncle Vinny goin' for round five thousand in their never endin' battle." Deacon shushed them.

"Now that's another thing that I think Maddie is just gonna have to get used to. Ray and I fight all the time it's what we do." Vince reminded him.

"I know that you two ain't ever gonna get along. I gave up on that happenin' a long time ago. Ain't neither one of ya ever gonna be able to admit when you're wrong." Deacon shook his head.

"It ain't a matter of me not bein' able to admit when I'm wrong it's a matter of the princess always havin' to be right." Vince corrected him.

"How many times and in how many different ways am I gonna have to ask you not to refer to me as the princess? Your family probably has just as much money as mine does." Rayna pushed his shoulder playfully.

"I've disavowed my family's money. I'm just as broke as the Mississippi boy you married." Vince corrected her.

"No, you disavowed your family business not your family's money. I've heard you on the phone cryin' to your momma plenty of times askin' her for money." Rayna called him out.

"Oh, damn, brother, you might be better off just walkin' away from this fight. I think she's got you on the ropes this time." Deacon laughed loudly.

"I don't know 'bout anyone else, but I think it's time to get off this bus." Deacon said the next morning. He looked over at Scarlett and he could tell that she was starting to get restless.

"I think that's a great idea, babe. We could all stand to stretch our legs for a little bit. We can get Scarlett something to eat and Maddie could use some fresh air." Rayna jumped on board with his idea.

"And I can stop watchin' Hayes there clean his clean his toenails with a kitchen knife. That boy is gonna slip and cut himself." June observed.

"Miss June, this is 'bout the only thing I've found that'll work." Hayes defended himself.

"I should have warned you that bein' on a tour bus is a good way to get to know everyone a lot better than you ever wanted to. Deacon and I never make it a whole tour without having to separate for at least one night. Bein' in close quarters like this is a real good way to get on each other's nerves." Rayna informed her. "Hayes, go do that somewhere else. That is nasty. I'll never understand why you do that and I live with a man who cleans his teeth usin' guitar picks."

"Come on, Ray, you know that I get ingrown toenails and this is the only way for me to fix 'em." Hayes reminded her.

"I know all about your disgusting habits. I know more about all of you than I want to know. It's a damn good thing that I like ya'll or I wouldn't be able to stand you. All ya'll are a pain in the ass. The only reason I don't fire all of ya is because I don't know anyone else who could put up with me the way you do." Rayna admitted.

"Did I just hear the princess admit that she is hard to deal with?" Vince looked up from where he was giving Scarlett drumming lessons.

"Vince, for the love of God don't get her started." Max the bassist begged him.

"Here we go." Deacon squeezed his eyes shut and waited for his wife to explode.

"I may be hard to deal with, but I keep all you morons in a job and that's all that matters." Rayna told them.

"Ollie, you need to stop this bus as soon as possible before there is bloodshed." Deacon called out to the driver.

"I hear ya, Deac, I'll pull over as soon as there is some place to stop." Ollie called back. He'd been their bus driver since they started out.

"Vince, learn when to keep your mouth shut. I'm lookin' to keep a little peace on this bus." Deacon shook his head at his friend.

"I do believe you've just been told." Rayna smirked at him.

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