Rayna was sitting in the kitchen drinking her third cup of coffee when the sun came up. She was headed to the pot to make more when Maddie walked in.

"Did you ever talk to Deacon last night?" Maddie asked as she sat down at the kitchen counter on one of the stools.

Rayna shook her head. "No, I tried him a few times and he never answered."

"Did something happen?" Maddie asked. "He seemed to happy when he came. What did you do?"

Rayna filled the coffee pot with water and switched it on to brew. She turned back to face Maddie. "Nothing. But, has he seemed okay to you, lately?"

Maddie shook her head. "No, he's been nothing like himself lately, like ever since you called off the wedding."

"Like what?" Rayna asked as she brought over a glass of juice she'd poured for Maddie.

"Like all that stuff I told you about-he'd cancel lessons or not answer my calls. And then that day he did have me over for a lesson, he kept saying he might not be around and then he cried."

"Cried?" Rayna asked. "And where did he say he would be going?"

"He said he'd probably be on tour. Or maybe at the cabin, like retired."

"That is a little weird," Rayna agreed. "So, I arranged for Talia's mom to take you guys to school this morning. I'm going to go over and see if he's home this morning, but if he isn't, I'm just going to drive up to the cabin and see if he's there. If that's where he went, his phone probably isn't working."

"I can watch Daphne after school." Maddie offered. "Can we order pizza?"

Rayna nodded. "Yes, I'll leave money here and I won't be home too late."

"Just figure out what's going on with him, Mom. I saw you guys before you went out and then when you were singing. You love each him and he loves you. He told me that. He told me that he'd love you until the day he died."

Rayna walked over and gave Maddie a hug. "We'll get it worked out, honey."

Ten years earlier

"Yeah, you're with Teddy, I'm the past, I know all that stuff Rayna," Deacon interrupted. "But here's the thing-I'm not sure having Teddy out here with us, to keep an eye on you, is the way to handle it. Either you can be around me, play music with me and still go home to your husband-home to Nashville, that is or we probably need to just stop doing this, because I'm not putting myself in between you and him and I'm not gonna have him between you and me."

Rayna sat next to Deacon, thinking about what he had just said. Was that what she was trying to do?

She was just about to deny it when there was a tap on the door.

"Rayna?" Sam, the bass player said through the door. "Joe says were about the roll out. You staying with us or going back to your bus?"

"Yeah, I'm coming," she said as she looked at Deacon and stood up. Saved by the knock. Or not.

"Sleep well, Rayna," Deacon said as she opened the door.

She turned back. "You, too, Deacon."

The next day she didn't come to lunch before sound check. Deacon wondered if she was avoiding him. But when he walked into the arena with his guitar he saw the reason for her absence.

"Hey, Teddy," he greeted Rayna's husband.

"Deacon," Teddy replied.

"Hey, Uncle Deacon, wanna see what Daddy brought me?" Maddie clamored at him.

"Sure, honey," Deacon said as he set his guitar case down on the floor.

"Maddie, come on, we can do that later," Teddy replied. "We need to go find your mom."

Before Deacon could respond, Teddy had taken Maddie's hand and started leading her away from the stage toward Rayna's dressing room with Maddie crying and protesting every step of the way.

Teddy always seemed a little awkward around him, but no more than when he was with the girls, especially Maddie. It was like he was jealous that they liked Deacon. Deacon shook his head. For a man who looked so uncomplicated on paper, he'd never figure out Teddy Conrad.

Rayna finally showed up for sound check nearly ten minutes late looking harried with her hair not quite fixed and what looked suspiciously like baby spit-up on her shirt.

"Sorry, y'all," she apologized as she walked onto stage.

"It's okay, Ray," Deacon responded. "We've been working on some of the fills for that new song you wanted to try."

"Okay, let's go from the top," she replied.

After running through parts of each song including the new one she'd written with Deacon the week before, Rayna released the band to go get dinner and get ready for the show.

"Everything okay?" Deacon asked as they walked off the stage.

She smiled at him weakly. "Yeah, I mean, it's not easy being a mama and it's really not easy being a mama on tour. I'd better get back to them."

Deacon put an arm around her and gave her a squeeze. "You're doing a great job, Ray."

She looked up at him and he was surprised to see tears in her eyes. "I'm really trying, Deacon. I just...it's just...it's hard."

He watched as she walked away. He could tell that she was overwhelmed. And the last thing he was going to do was to make that harder, no matter how much he wanted to do so.

Rayna came off the stage that night to find Teddy waiting for her.

"Good show out there," Teddy said.

"Where are the girls?" she asked, looking around.

"I sent them back to the hotel with the nanny," Teddy explained. "I thought maybe we could have some time together."

Rayna nodded, watching as Deacon went over and talked to a couple of the back-up singers from the band that had opened for them that night.

"Ray?"

She looked back over. "Yeah?"

"So, did you want to go to the after party or maybe do something else? We've got a free night."

"Uh, the party?" Rayna responded.

Teddy shrugged. "If that's what you want to do."

Rayna swiveled again, watching Deacon again as he walked off with a tall blonde.

"Rayna?" Teddy said again. "The party? Or do you want to go wherever Deacon's going with that girl?"

Rayna turned back to her husband. "No, that's not it, I'm just trying to figure out where Bucky went to. But, we should go to the party for a little bit. There will be promoters there that I should talk to."

"Oh, okay," Teddy replied. "I mean, I figured this was our one night before I took the girls back home."

"Sure, hon, we can do that, I just...let's go to this party for a while and then we can do that," Rayna replied, though she was clearly distracted.

"Rayna, if you don't want me here, you need to just say that," Teddy responded. "But you were the one who called and asked me to come."

She turned back to him and flashed her famous smile. "No, I'm so glad you did, Teddy. So glad. So, let's go, shake some hands and then we can have our night."

He followed her as they went backstage to the hospitality suite. It was filled with local dignitaries, radio people, Edgehill staff and the members of the band. But as both Rayna and Teddy noted as soon as they walked in, there was no Deacon and there was no leggy blonde.

"C'mere," Rayna slurred as she pulled Teddy toward the bed. "A night off and with my gorgeous husband."

Teddy stood at the edge of the bed where Rayna had half sat, half fallen. "You're drunk, Ray and not a very pretty drunk at that."

"No, I just wanted to have some fun tonight," she explained, as she struggled to take off her boots.

Teddy knelt down next to her and helped her first take off the boots, and then the skintight jeans she'd worn to the party.

"Oh, it's like a party in here," Rayna exclaimed as she lay back on the bed.

"What do you mean?" Teddy asked as he stood next to his half-naked wife, who lay across the bed.

"Cause it's all spinning like a disco ball," she replied. "Oh…"

She jumped up and started making her way toward the bathroom. Teddy followed her and pushed past her to lift the toilet seat before she emptied the contents of her stomach.

"Here," he said handing her a glass of water. "Rinse out your mouth and let's get you into bed."

He helped Rayna back into the bedroom, pulling the covers back and assisting her as she got between the cool sheets. He stood there for a minute, then walked to the other side of the bed, grabbed a pillow and headed into the living room of the suite, closing the bedroom door and leaving Rayna alone in the bed.

The next morning Rayna woke up with a crushing headache. She was ready to pull the covers back over her head when the door to her bedroom opened and Maddie ran in and jumped on the bed. Teddy walked over and handed her Daphne and a bottle.

"I'm going to go get some coffee," he said as he walked back toward the door. Rayna thought about asking him to bring her something, but then decided against it. She tucked the baby in her arm, brought the bottle to her mouth as Daphne made a face and burst into tears. Maddie continued jumping on the bed for another minute until she fell off the end and burst into tears and after a few minutes of listening to them both cry, Rayna joined in.

"Ray?"

She looked up to see Bucky standing in the door.

"Can I do anything?" he asked as he came in and picked Maddie up off the floor. He settled her back on the bed and she calmed down. She tried again with the bottle, this time Daphne tried it hesitantly.

"You any good at turning back time?" she asked him.

He chuckled. "Looked like you were having a pretty good time last night."

She shrugged and wiggled the bottle in Daphne's mouth a little bit. "Had to wean the baby since Teddy's taking her home with him, so yes, I might have gone a little crazy."

"Where is Teddy?" Bucky asked, looking back out into the living room.

"He ran away," Rayna replied. "I don't think he's very happy with me right now."

"Well, we've got those two press events set up in an hour and then we're going to be ready to hit the road after noon? You gonna be ready for that?" Bucky asked.

"Yeah, the nanny should be back soon. Can you send Jennifer up. I'm gonna hop in the shower as soon as I've got these girls taken care of and then I should be ready for hair and makeup," Rayna replied. "But bring some ginger ale, if you can and maybe a few cups of strong coffee."

Bucky nodded and headed for the door. "You sure you're doing okay?"

Rayna looked at him and shrugged. "I'm doing, Buck. Just like always."

Thankfully the nanny arrived and was able to take the girls to get dressed and get Maddie some breakfast. By the time she got out of the shower Teddy had returned.

"Sorry about last night," she apologized as she came back into their bedroom, wearing a robe and her hair in a towel.

"Yeah, me too," Teddy responded. "You made quite a scene, Ray."

She would probably have been more sorry, more embarrassed if she wasn't so darn hungover.

"What was that about?" he asked. "Me being here or Deacon being with that woman?"

Rayna loosened the towel around her hair, drying it a bit more and then beginning to comb it out. "Let's not do this, Teddy."

"Then when are we going to do it, Ray?" he asked. "You wanted me here and then you couldn't get away from me fast enough. You want the girls on tour and now you're sending them home. I can't seem to figure out what you need or want or what will make you happy. But I know I didn't want to come here and take care of you while you're drunk. I saw my mom do that enough growing up with my dad."

"That was just a mistake," Rayna replied. "And if anyone knows about taking care of a drunk, its me."

"Yeah, well, sometimes it still feels like the only one you're looking out for is that drunk," Teddy shot back.

There was a knock at the door.

"That's my hair and makeup," Rayna said. "Can we finish this later?"

Teddy stood up and walked over to let Jennifer in. "Hey, you're busy until you go, so I'm just gonna get the girls' stuff together and get on the road."

"Teddy…" Rayna started as he walked out the door, but before she could say anything, he had gone.

TBC