This chapter has less Maddie and more Rayna, Deacon and Teddy, but that's really to move the story forward.

Maddie picked at her food, anxious about the conversation she would have with her mom about spending more time with her dad. She was sure her mom was going to say no, that she wouldn't want to rock the boat. Even though things were better and her mom was more open to talking about Deacon, she still sensed that Rayna was holding back. But she was going to be firm about this. It was what she wanted and she felt like she deserved this chance to know her real dad better.

After Daphne went to bed, Rayna headed for Maddie's room. She was a little nervous about the conversation. She'd been surprised at Maddie's request and, based on Deacon's lack of comment about it, she was afraid he supported her. She didn't think either of them realized the potential for all of this to blow up. Maddie spending more time with Deacon just increased the chance that word would get out about their relationship and she wasn't sure either one of them really understood the consequences of that.

She stood at Maddie's door. Maddie had her iPod going and her eyes closed. Rayna walked in and sat on Maddie's bed. When she felt the movement on her bed, Maddie opened her eyes and gave her mom a small smile, turning off the iPod. "Hey," she said.

Rayna smiled at her. "Hey, sweet girl." She paused, not really sure exactly how to start.

Maddie decided to start it for her. "So, can I spend more time with Deacon?"

Rayna took a deep breath. "What made you decide you wanted to do this?"

Maddie rolled her eyes. "He's my dad. I want to get to know him better. I want to spend more time with him. What's so hard to understand about that?"

"I do understand, Maddie. But it's complicated."

"That's what you say about everything that has to do with him. That it's complicated. But I think it's pretty simple. Every one of my friends whose parents aren't together gets to spend time with both parents. All I get is a couple afternoons during the week I'm with you. I don't think that's enough."

Rayna thought about what she wanted to say to her daughter. "It's really not that simple, Maddie. For one thing, you have your dad to consider. He has you and Daphne every other week and I'm not sure how he's going to feel about your request."

Maddie rolled her eyes. "He isn't going to like it. I get that. But Deacon is my dad, not him. He's the one that deserves to get to spend time with me." She looked at her mom with a very determined look on her face. "And he wants it too. Just ask him. That's what he said to me when he dropped me off."

Rayna looked away and took a deep breath. She expected that Deacon supported her request. Then she looked back at Maddie. "I don't want you to get hurt, Maddie. I'm your mama and it's my instinct to protect you. That's what I want to do. Protect you from pain." Maddie started to say something and Rayna held up her hand. "Yes, your dad will be very upset. But it's more than that, I'm afraid. This…relationship between you and Deacon is still so new, so fragile, and it still scares me just a little."

Maddie frowned. "What, that he might get drunk or something?"

Rayna raised her eyebrows, but gave a tiny nod. "Or something," she whispered.

"I can handle it. He's been pretty honest with me about it and he says he's back on track. And I promise that if something happens, I'll call you." She sighed. "Mom, I want this. Dad's just going to have to understand. It's important to me. Why won't you help?"

Rayna shook her head. "I'm not saying I won't help. If you truly want this, here's what I'll do. I want to talk to Deacon first, to be really sure that he understands what this means and that he's ready for it. And if I feel okay with that, then I'll talk to your dad."

Maddie beamed and threw her arms around her mother's neck. "Thank you, Mom!" she cried. "This means so much to me."

Rayna hugged Maddie close. She was still scared. Not about talking to Deacon, not even about talking to Teddy. She was scared that this was going to open up the unspoken wall of silence around the reveal that Deacon was Maddie's father and not Teddy. There had not been any discussion around the need to keep things private, but it seemed to be understood. Even when she had found out that Maddie had confided in Juliette Barnes, she had been relieved that Juliette agreed to keep it quiet. But if Maddie spent more time with Deacon and it became public, there would be questions. Questions with unpleasant answers that would mean pain for everyone. Rayna felt a hollow pit in the bottom of her stomach as she considered the freight train that was Maddie Conrad barreling down this path with its uncertain outcome.

After Maddie went to bed, Rayna went into the den and sat down on the couch with a glass of wine. She sipped on it thoughtfully as she thought about her conversation with Maddie. She shivered. She wasn't sure she had a good feeling about all this, but Maddie was right about one thing. She did need to spend more time with Deacon. It was only fair. And she couldn't protect her forever. She would have to trust Deacon to have the same care for their daughter as she did.

She picked up her phone and considered all that could come out of this. It was worrisome, but she needed to just move forward. She had made her bed long ago, when she found out she was pregnant, and allowed herself to make the decision to deny Deacon and move forward with Teddy. She'd been so naïve then, not realizing that the decisions they made all those years ago could come back to haunt them in a big way. And so now they were. She took a deep breath and scrolled down her contact list and tapped Deacon's name. She put her phone to her ear and waited until he answered.

"We need to talk," she said. "Can you meet me tomorrow?"

"What time?"

"Eleven?"

"I'll see you there." And he hung up.

When Rayna arrived the next day at their traditional meeting place along the river, Deacon was already there, sitting on the picnic bench. She stood at the bridge for a moment, just looking at him. They'd come a long way since the night they'd met next to the fans' memorial at the accident site. That night, although she wasn't foolish enough to think she'd never cross paths with him again, she thought she had put a period at the end of their long, complicated past. She had not really thought, at that point, about whether he and Maddie would ever want to explore their relationship. In some part of her mind, she guessed she hoped she could keep Maddie away from him forever, both to protect her as well as to push the reality of all that had happened deep underground. But that was not to be, predictably, and so the two of them had slowly begun to come together and figure out how they would coexist as Maddie's parents, if nothing else.

He turned and looked up at her, a question on his face. She gave him a small smile and a wave and then made her way down the hill, walking over and stepping up to sit beside him. She smiled a little more and nudged his shoulder. "Hey," she said.

He smiled back, his eyes crinkling in that way that still sent a shot of heat through her. "Hey."

She leaned forward, her elbows resting on her legs, her hands clasped in front of her, looking out towards the horizon. "So, I guess we need to talk about Maddie's request." She turned and looked at him.

Deacon nodded, working his lip a bit. "She kind of surprised me with that yesterday." He shook his head, with a small grin. "Along with a bunch of other stuff."

"The 'Dad' thing." It was more a statement than a question.

"Yeah, the 'Dad' thing. I have to tell you though, Ray, I like it." He rubbed his hands over his mouth, then turned to her. "I never thought I would, but I liked it. I never thought I'd hear that. Ever."

Rayna smiled encouragingly and reached over to squeeze his forearm. "It's important to her to know you, Deacon. She really came to a place where she needed her dad. She needed you. And you were there for her. I appreciate it."

Deacon looked down. "She's a great kid, Ray. You did a great job with her." He looked at her and she smiled. "I really want to do this, though. Even though she was the one that brought it up, when she asked me, I realized that I really wanted to do it too. I want her to spend time with me. More than just a couple afternoons every other week. We need more time." He took a deep breath. "We have a lot of time to make up for."

Rayna looked down and away and nodded sadly. "I know you do." She wrapped her arms around her waist. "I'm scared, though, Deacon. Scared you'll disappoint her. Scared of what this will all lead to."

Deacon bristled a little bit. "I'm back on the program, Rayna. Stronger than ever. And having Maddie, well, that makes me more determined not to mess this up. This time. I want to do right by her."

Rayna nodded. "I hope so. I hope you'll understand my caution, though."

"I guess. But I promise, I won't ever hurt her. That way."

"I'm also afraid that this will become more public. And hurt both of you."

Deacon raised his eyebrows and took a deep breath. "I hadn't really thought about that. But you know, that impacts you and me more than her."

Rayna nodded. "I guess."

They were silent for a moment. Then Deacon looked over at her. "She wants to meet Megan."

Rayna took in a sharp breath. She felt a quick pain to her heart that she told herself she shouldn't feel. She smiled sadly. "Well, that would make sense. Megan's a part of your life and, if Maddie's going to be part of yours too, they should get to know each other." She looked at Deacon. "She's met Luke."

Deacon nodded, no expression on his face. "Yeah, she told me."

Rayna's eyebrows went up. "Oh? What did she say?"

Deacon shrugged. "Not much. I think the jury's still out."

Rayna laughed softly. "I guess that's to be expected. She may end up the same about Megan, you know."

Deacon nodded. "Yeah." He wasn't comfortable talking about their respective relationships, so he decided to change the subject. "She's really challenging me. Maddie, that is. Is it typical of teenagers to just be so all over the place?"

Rayna laughed. "Oh, yeah. And Maddie's not as bad as some, but she's certainly a typical teenager. She knows more than anyone and she's so sure of herself." She looked playfully at Deacon. "At least she hasn't discovered boys yet. Much."

Deacon looked uncomfortable. "She can wait a long time for that, as far as I'm concerned."

"Well, remember that I was only sixteen when I fell in love." She looked meaningfully at Deacon.

Deacon frowned. "That's what I was thinking about. Sixteen's too young."

Rayna smiled broadly. "Seriously? You sure didn't think so when you were wooing me."

Deacon smiled and shook his head. "You were different."

Rayna shook her head. "Not really. I actually think Maddie's a lot more mature than I was. She's had to deal with a lot and it's made her grow up more than I did. I was still a silly teenager with stars in my eyes." She looked at Deacon carefully. "She's actually a lot more like you, Deacon. I've always thought that. She's always been more serious, more careful, like you are. But she always seemed sort of awkward, like she wasn't sure how she fit in her own skin, and I realize now that it's because, maybe unconsciously, she realized she didn't. That something wasn't quite right. And she's really come into herself since she's been spending time with you. It's actually been good to see."

Deacon rubbed his face, then smiled. "She's helped me too, you know. Helped me come out of myself more." He shook his head. "But she's so smart, Ray. I don't know if I can keep up with her."

Rayna looked surprised. "She gets that from you, babe. The book smarts, I'm not sure where that comes from." She laughed a little. "But the instincts and the intelligence, she gets that from you. You were always so good at reading people and getting to the core of stuff." She sighed. "The older she got, the more I could see all of that so clearly. And I felt so guilty about keeping you apart. Especially now that I see how happy she is, happier than I've ever seen her." Her voice hitched. "You know, she told me right at the beginning that this was my mistake. She was right. And now we're fixing that."

Deacon looked at her and just nodded. He was past blaming her; he was just glad they were working together now. "So we're going to do this?" he asked.

"Well, I'm going to talk to Teddy about it. He's not going to like it and I'm sure he'll fight it. But I'm going to get him to see that it's the right thing to do. For Maddie." She took a deep breath. "He's still having a hard time understanding that he needs to think about Maddie first. He's so afraid he'll lose her." She looked serious. "He's been a good dad to her, Deacon. I mean, he knew she was yours and yet he still loved her like she was his own."

Deacon nodded. "I know." He couldn't think of anything else to say.

"So, I'll let you know." She reached for his hand and squeezed it lightly. "We'll work it out. I promise."

Teddy stood up and smiled when Rayna walked into his office. He walked over to her and gave her a quick hug and a peck on the cheek. "Rayna, it's good to see you. But you don't have to make an appointment to come in."

Rayna smiled back. "Well, it seemed a little presumptuous of me to just stop by. I mean, we're not married anymore."

Teddy shrugged a little and gestured towards one of the chairs in front of his desk. He took the other one. "So what brings you here? Something about the girls?"

Rayna took a deep breath. "Just Maddie." Teddy looked at her questioningly. "Um, Maddie has asked if she can have some visitation with Deacon."

Teddy's pleasant expression turned dark. "No," he said firmly. "I will not allow it. It's bad enough you're letting her see him at all. He promised me he would not interfere."

Rayna gave him an exasperated look. "Well, Teddy, it's not really that he's interfering. But Maddie is his daughter." She made a gesture of resignation with her hands. "Besides, this is Maddie's request."

Teddy raised his eyebrows. "Maddie's request? Prompted by Claybourne, I'm certain."

"No, this is all Maddie," Rayna said shaking her head. "And I think we need to let her do this."

Teddy stood up and started to pace. "Rayna, I can't believe you're even entertaining this ridiculous idea. He's a drunk. He nearly killed you not so long ago, in case you have forgotten."

Rayna looked down at her hands. "Teddy, I was driving the car. It wasn't Deacon. You know that."

"But he was in the car and he was drunk. If not for that, it would never have happened. And there's no way I'm going to put my daughter in harm's way with that loser."

"Teddy, I understand that you're upset, but we really need to respect Maddie's wishes here."

"She's a child, Rayna. We have to be the responsible parents and make these decisions for her." He turned and looked carefully at Rayna. "Is this so that you can mend your relationship with him?"

Rayna made a face. "Of course not! I'm seeing Luke Wheeler, you know that. And Deacon has a girlfriend. This is about Maddie and what she wants. And she's not a child, she's a teenager. With a mind of her own. Just remember, Teddy, that if you tell her no, she will resent you. You need to figure out a way to make this okay for her."

Teddy looked at her in disbelief. "I can't believe you're acting so cavalier about this, Rayna. After everything you went through with him. And he proved to you, when he found out he was Maddie's biological father, that you were right when you kept him out of her life. And now you want to hand our daughter over to him?"

Rayna's eyes were flashing. She struggled to keep her voice down so that the people outside Teddy's office wouldn't hear them. "I'm not being cavalier, Teddy! But I am not going to lose my daughter over this. She has been hurt by everything that's happened and I'm not going to hurt her anymore. If you insist on keeping her away from him, she will turn away from you and towards him. Completely. She won't be your daughter anymore. Don't do this, Teddy."

"I don't trust the guy, Rayna." He looked at her again. "You know what this can mean, don't you? If they're seen together in public, people are going to ask questions. And then all that nastiness comes out and who gets hurt? Maddie." He shook his head. "I can't believe you're even asking me to agree to this."

Rayna nodded solemnly. "It's a risk. We'll just have to be prepared to deal with it. But we need to trust Maddie on this. She has promised me that if there's even the hint of a problem with Deacon that she will let me know. Teddy, we need to let her do this. If we don't, she's going to turn away from us."

Teddy walked over to the window and looked out. He was quiet for several minutes. Rayna watched him, but didn't say a word. Finally he turned back. "If I agree to this, I don't want to have to interact with him."

Rayna shook her head. "I'll pick her up and take her there."

"And only two nights."

Rayna sighed. "Three nights, Teddy." She got up and walked over to him. "I know you don't want to do this. And I'm scared too. But we have to trust Maddie. And even though I know you don't, I do trust that Deacon will do the right thing by her. This is important to him."

Teddy shook his head. "I'm a complete idiot to agree to this, Rayna. If it blows up in our faces, it's all on you."

Rayna nodded, then reached out and squeezed his forearm. "Thank you, Teddy." And she turned and walked out.