Deacon wakes up to the sound of Rayna crying. His heart breaks at the sight of her. She is curled up underneath the covers, sobbing into her hands. He puts his arm around her and pulls her closer to him.
"Come here, Ray," he says.
She turns around and buries her head in his chest. Deacon kisses the top of her head softly. He hates seeing her like this. He hates Teddy even more for doing this to her.
"I don't want to lose them," she cries.
"You aren't going to lose them," he says firmly. "I have a plan."
Rayna looks up at him. Her eyes are red and there are tears running down her cheeks.
"What kind of plan?"
"Well, haven't you been getting along better with your father since his heart attack?" he asks.
She nods her head. She wonders what that has to do with anything.
"We'll go talk to him. Tell him the situation. I've never liked Lamar but I know that he has the ability to help us. He won't let you lose your daughters," Deacon explains.
Rayna is surprised at his suggestion. Deacon has always disliked her father and he has never suggested that they ask him for help before. Her heart swells with love for the man in front of her. She knows that he would only ever suggest something like that for her. The fact that he is willing to set aside his differences with Lamar to help her is eye opening for Rayna.
"That's a good idea, Deacon. Are you sure it will work?" she asks.
"We both know that your father has ways of getting whatever he wants in this city," Deacon responds.
Rayna knows that Deacon is right. Her father has money and brains. If her father will help her, there is no way that Teddy will get away with this.
Rayna smiles for the first time since Teddy's unwanted appearance. Deacon is happy to see her smile. He thinks she has a beautiful smile.
"Why don't you hop in the shower while I make us some breakfast and then we can go visit Lamar?" Deacon suggests.
"Deacon, that sounds nice, but we can't be seen together, remember?" she asks.
"We won't be seen. We'll go straight there and then come straight back," he answers.
She hesitates. She doesn't want to cause any more problems than she already has but with the way Teddy is acting she doesn't really care about being seen with Deacon. Plus, it isn't very likely that anyone will see them on this little excursion.
"Okay," she agrees. "But are you sure you don't want to keep me company in the shower?"
Deacon smiles. He loves taking showers with Rayna. He loves watching the water fall down her body while he helps her to clean the places that she can't reach.
"If you don't mind waiting a little longer on your breakfast," he replies.
"I don't mind at all," she says, as she walks into the bathroom.
When they emerge from the shower, they both look significantly happier. Rayna is still worried about the situation but she is confident that her father will be able to help. They eat breakfast quickly. Deacon is visibly anxious about talking to Lamar. He has never purposefully approached Lamar but he is willing to do it for Rayna.
When they arrive at Lamar's house, Rayna gives Deacon's hand a firm squeeze. She wants him to know that she appreciates his willingness to be there for her in this situation. She tries to convey her gratitude with a meaningful look. He responds by giving her a quick kiss on the cheek before walking with her to the front door. Rayna does not ring the doorbell. She simply walks into the house. They find Lamar sitting in his study.
"Daddy," Rayna says, as they walk in.
"Rayna, Deacon, what a surprise it is to see you both," Lamar replies.
Rayna sees his eyes linger on their joined hands.
"And it seems that the two of you have gotten back together," he comments.
Lamar does not let his thoughts on the matter show. Rayna is surprised by his restraint. If this had happened before his heart attack he would have been voicing his displeasure at their union forcefully by now.
"Daddy, I came to ask for your help," she begins. "Teddy has issued a restraining order against me and Deacon. Neither of us is allowed to see the girls. He has also filled for full custody. I was hoping you'd be able to help get rid of the restraining order and make sure that he doesn't win full custody," she says.
"I certainly can. Consider it taken care of," Lamar responds.
"Thank you, Daddy. I really appreciate it," Rayna replies.
"You're welcome, Rayna," he says.
Rayna and Deacon turn to leave but Lamar stops them.
"Be careful, Rayna. Teddy is acting out of fear. Many of his secrets are on the verge of being revealed," he tells her. "He is afraid of losing the girls, especially Maddie."
Rayna looks at her father warningly. She doesn't want him to be the one to reveal the truth about Maddie to Deacon. If he is going to find out then she wants to be the one to tell him. Deacon notices the odd exchange but decides that now is not the time to ask any questions.
Thirty minutes later, they are sitting together on Deacon's couch.
"That went well," Deacon says, commenting on Lamar's willingness to help.
"Yep," Rayna says shortly.
She doesn't mean to sound annoyed but she has been dwelling on her father's final words ever since they left his house. What did he mean by saying that Teddy's secrets were about to come out? And, more importantly, why had he said the last part about Maddie in front of Deacon? Rayna hopes that she can find a time to tell Deacon about Maddie in the right way. She doesn't want to tell him now because she wants to ease him into the news. Deacon's next question makes Rayna wonder if he is reading her mind.
"That was kind of a weird comment your father made at the end though," Deacon says. "Do you know what he meant by it?"
Rayna becomes extremely nervous. She wonders what she should say. Should she just tell him right now? How will it change things between them? How will he react to the news? She wants to make sure that he doesn't do anything stupid if he becomes upset.
"I'm not sure what he meant about Teddy's secrets," she answers.
"What about the other part? The part about Maddie," he clarifies.
Rayna looks at him. She is afraid that the secret will destroy what they have built in the past few days. She doesn't want to keep it from him any longer but she doesn't know how he will handle it. Her mind flashes back to another time. In her memory, Deacon is drunk, screaming at her, throwing furniture, and threatening to leave. Rayna knows that he has been sober for a long time but she is scared that this secret might be the catalyst that sends him back to that dark place. She knows that she can't evade the question. She has always told herself that she would be honest if he ever asked her about it directly.
"Deacon, I think the answer is going to upset you," she tells him sadly.
He looks into her eyes and sees pain. He begins to wonder if he even wants to know the answer to his question.
"Why would it upset me? What does it even have to do with me?" he questions in confusion.
"It has everything to do with you," she replies.
She takes a deep breath to calm her nerves. She needs him to know how she feels before she ruins everything.
"Deacon, I just want you to know that I love you so much. I always have and I always will," she says, earnestly.
"I know that, Ray. I love you too but you're starting to scare me. Tell me what it is," he requests.
"Well, I guess I should start at the beginning. Do you remember the night before I took you to check into rehab for the 5th time?" she asks.
"Not really, Ray. Most of those days are pretty fuzzy," he replies.
"We were both emotional. I hadn't told you yet but I had already decided that I needed to move on. You kept promising that you'd finally get sober this time. I had faith in you but I knew that you had said those same things many times before. I needed to be with you one last time. I needed our relationship to end on a good note. You brought me flowers and a teddy bear. I still have the bear in the back of my closet. We made love that night. We made love for what I thought was the last time. The next morning you were in rehab and I was moving my stuff to Tandy's house. Shortly after I started dating Teddy, I found out that I was pregnant. I knew that the baby could be yours and I told him that it might be. He said that he didn't care. He proposed and said that we would do a paternity test after the wedding. We did the test and found out that she was yours," she tells him.
"She's mine?" he asks, his voice rising. "How could you keep that from me?"
Deacon clenches his jaw. Rayna notices that his eyes are starting to water. She is hit with a strong feeling of regret. She wishes that she had done things differently, that she had told him from the beginning.
"We thought we were doing what was best for Maddie," Rayna explains.
"Damn it, Rayna. I can't believe you have been lying to me for 13 years," he says angrily.
Deacon feels like he has been betrayed. She has been deceiving him for 13 years. Every moment that they have spent together is now tarnished by this lie. The only other time he remembers feeling so hurt was when he found out that she had married Teddy.
"Deacon, try to remember how you were then," she tries.
"I got sober, Ray. I got sober. You could have told me," he replies.
"How was I supposed to know that the 5th time was finally going to stick?" she asks, her voice rising to match his.
"You should have trusted me like I have trusted you. You should have waited for me like I have waited for you," he answers, his voice full of hurt.
"I'm sorry, Deacon. I did what I thought was best at the time," she says remorsefully.
"I can't talk to you right now, Ray. I need space," he responds.
"Deacon, I don't want to leave you like this. I need to make sure that you're gonna be alright," she answers.
"I just can't right now, Rayna. You betrayed me. I trusted you more than anyone and you betrayed that trust," he tells her.
"Let me at least call Coleman before I leave. That way you have someone to talk to about all of this," she suggests.
"Fine. Call Coleman. Make sure I have a babysitter. But the second he gets here you are leaving," he says, pointing his finger at her in anger.
Rayna is relieved that he is allowing her to stay until Coleman arrives. She won't have to worry about him as much if she knows he is in good hands. She calls Coleman and he says that he will be right over. Deacon sits on the other side of the room, staring at his hands. Watching him makes Rayna feel miserable. She wishes that she could comfort him.
"Listen, Deacon, I know you don't want to talk to me right now but I really don't want to lose you. I'll give you some time and space but I really hope you can forgive me. I need you," she says, desperate to express her feelings.
Deacon doesn't acknowledge her. He does not move at all.
A moment later, Coleman enters the house. He walks over to Rayna first.
"I've got it from here, Rayna. I'll give you a call later," he tells her.
Rayna doesn't want to leave but she knows that Deacon will be okay now that Coleman is here. She gets up slowly and walks over to Deacon. He doesn't look up. She gives him a soft kiss on the top of his head.
"I love you and I'm sorry," she whispers.
She takes a deep breath and heads for the door. She knows that she has really messed up this time but she hopes that she will hear from Deacon soon.