Rayna stares vacantly at the wall, leaning against the counter, her head resting in her hands. The talk with the girls had not gone well. They had stormed off to their rooms after hearing the news of the divorce. Rayna had followed them, in an attempt to calm them down, but they had not been receptive. On top of it all, photographs of her and Deacon had surfaced from the night before. Apparently they had been spotted in the restaurant kissing. Since the news of her divorce has not been released, the media outlets are all speculating that she has been having an affair. Rayna sees headlights in her driveway and knows that Bucky has arrived to discuss the situation.
"How are you, Rayna?" he asks in greeting.
"As good as I can be," she says.
"Well, I'm afraid I have some bad news. The PR people think that you should avoid Deacon for a while until we can get this thing to blow over. They also want you to do some interviews in order to clear the air," he tells her.
She had been expecting something like this. The approach makes sense but the last thing that she wants to do right now is to avoid Deacon, especially since his birthday is in a few days.
Rayna groans.
"I guess I need to call him then," she replies.
"I'm sorry, Rayna. I know how hard this must be for you but you probably should call him and let him know. This is very serious. Until we can get the real story out there, you cannot be seen with him," Bucky says.
"It isn't your fault, Buck. We should have been more careful," she responds.
"I'll call you later to check on you. I have a meeting set up with Marshall to discuss everything that we are planning. No matter what you do, be cautious," he tells her.
Rayna knows that Bucky suspects she will not be able to stay away from Deacon. He has witnessed their relationship. He has learned that they rarely act logically in situations like this.
Rayna picks up her phone and dials Deacon's number.
"Hey Ray," Deacon answers.
"Hey…" she says softly.
Deacon immediately knows that something is wrong.
"What's going on? Is everything okay with the girls?" he asks compassionately.
"The girls didn't take the news well but they are okay. This is about us," she replies.
Deacon begins to panic. He wonders if she is already having second thoughts.
"What about us?" he asks quickly.
Rayna sighs loudly.
"Deacon, have you seen the news?" she questions.
"No, Ray. I haven't turned on the TV since I've been home," he replies.
"Someone took pictures of us kissing last night at the restaurant. It's all over the news. They are saying that we've been having an affair," she explains.
"Damn, Ray. Are you serious?" he says.
He knows that this isn't going to be good.
"Yep. On top of that, Bucky and the PR people think that I need to avoid you until we can get the real story out or until this blows over," she tells him sadly.
"Damn. What are we gonna do?" he asks curiously.
He hopes that she plans on ignoring their advice. He doesn't want to stay away from her now that they have reconnected. The emotion in his voice kills Rayna. She can no longer stop the tears from falling. She wishes that they had been more careful. Now that they are together she doesn't want to be away from him. She was hoping that she would be able to turn to him during all of her trials. Now, she will have to avoid him. Once again, she would be forced to suffer without him, just when they had finally started to figure everything out.
"It makes sense, Deacon. It would be horrible for my reputation if we are seen together again," she responds. "I just… I wish it didn't have to be like this… I mean we just figured things out and now we won't be able to see each other. I… I wanted to be there for you for your birthday," she chokes out through the tears.
"It's okay, Ray. We'll figure it out. Don't cry," he says.
"I wish you were here," she tells him.
"Me too, Ray. Me too," he replies.
"I love you," she says, her voice thick with emotion.
"I love you too, Ray. Call me if you need me," he answers.
Rayna hangs up the phone and notices that Teddy has reentered the room. He is staring at her. He must have heard the end of her conversation.
"Who was that?" he asks her. "Was it Deacon?"
"Yes, Teddy. It was Deacon," she replies truthfully.
"Damn it, Rayna. I can't believe you let this happen. Do you have any idea how much this will affect the girls?" he asks angrily.
"Apparently you don't even care about them if you are still talking to him," he adds.
Rayna can tell that he is still jealous of her relationship with Deacon. Even now, Teddy feels conscious of the fact that he was her second choice.
"I'm sorry, Teddy, but you have no room to talk. You asked for a divorce. You cheated on me with Peggy. You can't just storm in here and tell me what I can and can't do with my life," she responds, her voice rising.
"I may have been the one to actually cheat but don't try to pretend that you never wanted to, that you didn't think about him all the time. I heard you call his name in your sleep. I saw the way you looked at him. I know that you wanted to be with him instead," he replies venomously.
"Don't you even think about doing this, Teddy. I was faithful to you. I always supported you, even when I didn't agree with you," she yells.
"Fine, Rayna. I don't know why I even try," he says as he walks away.
Rayna sits down on the couch. The tears are falling harder now. She turns on the news.
"Country singer Rayna Jaymes was spotted getting cozy with her long-time guitarist and ex-lover, Deacon Claybourne, last night. The two were seen making out at an Italian restaurant the night after their show. There have always been rumors about a possible affair. It appears that these rumors are now confirmed. Miss Jaymes' husband Mayor Teddy Conrad refused to comment," the reporter tells the audience.
Rayna turns off the TV. She can't believe that this has happened. There had always been rumors but she had managed to avoid a scandal of this magnitude for the entire length of her marriage. She had been faithful. Even when she had wanted to give in to Deacon, she had remained strong. Now all of her hard work seemed pointless.
She isn't worried about her career because she knows that it will blow over eventually but she is worried about the effect these reports will have on the girls. The pictures are very damning. She knows that she will have to explain everything to them.
She needs to see Deacon. She needs to feel his comforting embrace. She needs to talk to him about everything that has happened in the past two days. She knows that she can't be seen with him but she feels like she is sinking without him.
Can I come over?
She hesitates before sending the message, but once she has sent it, she feels a wave of relief pass over her. Deacon has always been the one constant in her life. She wants to get lost in the familiarity of him in order to find peace in these rocky and uncertain waters.
Of course.
His reply is simple but she knows that he wants to see her too. She grabs a hat and a scarf, which will help to disguise her face if she is seen at his house, and leaves her house in a hurry. She is desperate to see him.
When she arrives, she takes in her surroundings, making sure that no one is around. She gets out of her car and walks quickly to his front door. She knocks urgently. He opens the door and lets her in.
"What's going on, Ray?" he asks in concern. "Did something else happen?"
"No. I needed to see you," she responds.
She steps forward and pulls him down for a kiss. The kiss is desperate and passionate. Deacon reacts quickly, responding to her kiss enthusiastically. He pushes her into the wall. He holds her up as she wraps her legs around his waist. Her hands are everywhere. She runs them over his strong back muscles. She brings them down to caress his butt. She brings them back up to play with his hair. She moans his name against his lips. He reacts by kissing her more forcefully. She pulls her shirt over her head and then begins to unbutton his shirt. She needs to feel him. She needs to know that nothing has changed. She needs to know that he is still there. They don't make it to his bed. They are too impatient for that. Instead, Deacon places her on the table. Their desire and passion for each other combine for an intense session of lovemaking.
Afterwards, Rayna puts on Deacon's shirt and Deacon wears only a pair of boxers. They sit on the couch together, enjoying each other's company. The experience has made Rayna feel better. Even in the midst of this chaos, Deacon is by her side.
"This is nice," Deacon says.
Rayna smiles at him and brings her head down to rest on his shoulder. She clutches his arm, holding on to him as if he is a life preserver, ensuring that he stays close.
"I'm glad you stopped by," he tells her.
She laughs.
"I bet you are," she responds.
"You enjoyed that just as much as I did," he replies knowingly.
He is right. It was great. It is always great.
"Do you want anything to drink?" he asks her.
"Some water would be nice," she answers.
He stands up and goes to get two glasses of water. When he returns, she is softly strumming a few chords on his guitar.
"What's that you're playing?" he asks.
"Just something I was thinking of for a new song," she tells him.
She accepts the glass of water and takes a sip before setting it down on the table.
"We haven't written a song together in ages," he comments.
"That's because you admitted that all of your songs are about me," she answers.
She had always known that they were about her but when he had admitted it that day on the bridge it had only reinforced her decision to avoid listening to them or using them on her albums.
"That shouldn't be a problem anymore," he says, laughing.
"Not a problem at all. Have I inspired you to come up with any new material in the past couple of days?" she asks jokingly.
"Baby, you're always inspiring me," he replies sweetly.
She gives him a soft kiss and brings her hand to his cheek. She leans back and looks into his eyes.
"You inspire me too, babe," she tells him.
They sit on the couch experimenting with different chords, trying to find one that sounds right. When they are taking a break, a thought suddenly pops into Deacon's mind. He needs to make sure that she is okay with everything that has happened.
"Do you have any regrets about this, Ray? You know, now that the news is out and everything."
Rayna sighs. She knows that she needs to be delicate with him but she can't lie and say that she doesn't regret anything about the situation at all.
"I don't regret us, Deacon. I regret the way that things turned out. It's going to be hard to explain it to the girls," she says.
"I wish it had happened differently too," he replies.
He is glad that she doesn't regret the past two days that they have shared together. He doesn't know if he would be able to survive being rejected by her again. He wants to ask her another question but he doesn't want to upset her. His curiosity gets the better of him.
"Do you regret marrying Teddy?" he questions.
She doesn't respond immediately. She ponders the question, trying to think of the best way to respond.
"Teddy was a great father to the girls. I wouldn't want to take that away from them… but if I got the chance to do it over then I probably wouldn't marry him," she confesses.
Deacon likes her response. He is often plagued with regrets. He wishes that he had never given Teddy the opportunity to steal her away from him.
They are interrupted suddenly by the sound of someone banging on the door.
"Open up!" a man's voice calls.
They both stand up in a hurry. Rayna rushes around to find her pants. She pulls them on as quickly as she can. Deacon grabs a t-shirt and pulls it over his head. He opens the door.
"Teddy!" Rayna shouts in surprise. "What are you doing here?"
She is bewildered by his sudden appearance. She tries to flatten her hair but she knows that is doesn't help. Teddy looks at them closely. He can tell that they have been intimate. His anger grows. He feels increasingly jealous.
"When I saw you leave, I knew exactly where you were going. I can't believe you're doing this. Your family needs you right now and here you are just rolling around in bed with him," Teddy tells her, angrily.
His comment makes Rayna's blood boil. He is being such a hypocrite.
"Teddy, this is none of your concern. We're getting divorced," she says in agitation.
"Oh, hell, Rayna! Don't you care about your daughters at all?" he asks.
She looks at him incredulously. She can't believe that he is even questioning that. She knows that he is just trying to hurt her.
"Teddy, don't be ridiculous," she replies, trying to keep her cool despite his rude comment.
"Here," he says, handing her a piece of paper.
She looks down at the paper in her hand. It is some kind of official document.
"What is this?" she asks.
"It's the divorce papers that I had drawn up along with a form that I have filled for full custody of our daughters. The last one is a restraining order. Neither you nor Deacon are allowed around the girls until he is out of your life," he tells her.
Rayna sees Deacon clenching his fists. She knows that he is trying to resist the urge to strangle Teddy.
"This is crazy, Teddy! I have done nothing wrong. You know that I love those girls more than anything. You know that you have no right to do this," she answers, her temper rising.
"Well, I'm the Mayor of this town and I don't think you deserve to be around them until you cut him out of your life," he says.
"You can't do this to me just because you are jealous of Deacon," she yells.
"I can do whatever I want, Rayna," he tells her.
Before she can stop him, Deacon is throwing his fist at Teddy's face. Teddy falls to the ground, holding his hand to his face.
"Looks like I was right in issuing the restraining order. Until you get this dangerous man out of your life, you will not be able to see the girls," he says before getting up to leave.
Deacon slams the door loudly. He turns around and wraps his arms around Rayna, trying to comfort her.
"Shh," he soothes. "It's gonna be alright. We'll fight this thing. He can't take them away from you."
Rayna sobs into his chest. Deacon rubs her back, trying to calm her.
"I… can't believe him… he has no right," she cries.
"I know, baby. We'll fix this. I promise," he says. "Here, drink some water."
She takes a sip out of her glass. It helps her calm down a little. Her eyes are red from the tears. Deacon leads her to the couch. They sit down. He holds her close to him, trying to comfort her as much as he can. A little while later he notices that she has fallen asleep. He lifts her up gently and carries her to his bed. He takes off the pants that she had hastily thrown on and pulls the covers up over her body. He gets into the bed next to her and drifts to sleep, hoping that things will be better in the morning.