Thank you for all the wonderful comments. This is the next to last chapter. I must say, I am still BEYOND NOT OVER the last episode! Our babies were perfection!

Chapter 23

The Cabin

Rayna watched as Deacon tried to loop his tie. His hand fumbled with the material, causing Rayna to drop her purse and help him.

She focused on straightening tie before looking up at his face. His beautiful eyes were swimming with tears and his face showed how tired he was. She let her palm cup his jaw, causing him to lean into her touch.

"I love you," she whispered. His mouth turned toward her hand, kissing her fingers before sighing deeply. Rayna whispered that they better go, "We told Juliette we'd be there by 10 and it is already 9:15."

He nodded and grabbed his black jacket.

Lamar's Home

Rayna looked up at the ceiling in frustration as Maddie bounded up the steps again. At least there was no name calling or cussing this time. But Maddie was still so confused and mad. And with Teddy going to prison in three days, it would probably get worse.

Belle Meade

"So can you take anything with you?"

Teddy shrugged, swallowing another large sip of beer. "Pictures and toiletries mainly. There is a cantina for drinks and snacks."

Rayna asked if he needed any money but Teddy grimaced, "I can afford Pepsi and candy bars."

"What about books or other stuff to do?"

Teddy guzzled the rest of his bottle, "There is a library and if I'm lucky a cross-stitch class."

Rayna pressed her lips together in frustration, knowing he was just venting and scared. Rayna asked where Peggy was but Teddy changed the subject. Okay. Rayna breathed in deeply, knowing they couldn't avoid this conversation anymore.

"We need to talk about what is going to happen in the next six months."

Teddy jerked open his fridge and opened another beer. His tone was biting but he said "fine."

2 days later-The Cabin

Deacon inhaled with a shaky breath as Rayna kissed his neck trying to calm her own breathing down. A few kisses later and Rayna laid down on top of him.

"Ray, that was…."

She smiled, always loving when he lost control like that. "I couldn't help it, I missed you and you were so sexy just laying there."

He grinned widely, then frowned realizing they couldn't stay like this. She saw his face and knew what he was thinking. "Shower before you go over to Juliette's?"

Deacon nodded, jumping out of bed and grabbing her hand.

Juliette's House-1 week Later

Deacon took in the sight of Juliette, wearing jeans and a sweatshirt. Her face was swollen from all the crying she'd done but she still managed to look thinner. With no inflection in her voice she recounted the trip to the courthouse. "It took over two hours to close the estate of a woman who didn't own a dollar."

Deacon asked what she was planning on doing for the rest of the day. She shrugged, walking past several sympathy arrangements that had been sent. Deacon put his hands in his pockets and asked if she wanted to try and write. She gave him a thoughtful look and said "no thank you."

"Juliette you haven't left the house in seven days except to go to the courthouse."

Juliette looked out the window, failing to acknowledge he spoke.

Deacon gave her a minute before speaking again, "Rayna wanted to know if you wanted to go to Belle Meade tonight to have dinner."

"What?" Juliette asked, her head turning around.

Deacon couldn't stop himself from smiling at Juliette's surprised face. "Teddy's in prison and Maddie is still furious at Ray. Maddie's still staying with good ole Lamar but we are having dinner tonight with both girls….And, well you might be a way to avoid a thirteen year old storming off before we eat the first bite."

Juliette cocked her head to the side. "So the plan is to make me feel like I'm being useful and helpful to distract me from my mom dying?"

Deacon shrugged. "It is lasagna. And it is actually good."

Belle Meade-6 hours later

Juliette smiled at Deacon and Maddie played their guitars and wrote a song about Daphne's science project which she and Rayna were helping the little girl with.

Rayna rolled her eyes playfully as Deacon sang that,

"Mars is red and Venus is green,

Jupiter has an eye and Saturn has rings."

Daphne laughed and clapped her hands before Rayna warned it was time for Daphne to string Neptune to the board so it would have time to dry.

2 hours later

Rayna walked into the kitchen surprised to see Juliette still there, sitting on a barstool. Juliette wiped the few tears that had spilled down her cheek s and asked if the girls were asleep.

"Daphne is. Maddie is still pouting over the fact she has to stay here tonight."

Juliette choked a sob. "Does she have any idea how lucky she is," Rayna pulled up a barstool beside Juliette and gave a knowing look.

"She's thirteen and she has realized that her parents aren't perfect."

She sniffled, "I never thought either one of mine were anything but horrible growing up."

Rayna titled her head to the side. "You know when my mama died, I went through years of not knowing how to deal with it."

Juliette nodded, "I'm sure it was a shock."

Rayna raised an eyebrow, "For any twelve year old, losing a parent is a shock. But yeah it was a car accident."

Juliette sniffled, "I've known this is how it was going to end for a long time. I just figured that she'd be with some drug dealer in Alabama and I'd find out about it three days later."

Rayna shook her head, "Knowing an overdose was a possibly isn't the same as knowing for sure it would happen. You are allowed to be shocked, that doesn't make you stupid or naïve."

Juliette looked out the window onto the front yard, letting silence fill the air. A moment later Juliette turned back to Rayna, "Why didn't she love me more than she loved those damn pills."

"Listen to me, this is not your fault." But Rayna's words fell on deaf ears as the younger girl broke into an uncontrolled sob."

1 week later

Belle Meade

Deacon sat at the window while Rayna sat on the bed with Maddie. Maddie looked at them both in disbelief.

"So I don't have a choice then?"

Rayna flipped her hair behind her shoulder. "Maddie you are thirteen years old. And your father, and Deacon and I have all spoken. We think it is better for you to come home."

The girl crossed her arms in front of her and threatened to run away if they made her go back to the Mansion.

Deacon spoke up, "Maddie, would you please quit threatening to run away or actually running away. It scares the hell out of all of us."

Maddie's gaze turned to Deacon and she gave an apologetic "sorry."

Rayna reached out to brush Maddie's hair out of her face. "Baby, I know you are mad at me and you are confused but honey you belong at home, not with your Grandfather."

Maddie looked at them both. "I don't really have a choice right?"

Rayna looked at her for a moment, "Honey, we've let you stay here because we know how much you are hurting and we knew you needed some time apart but it's time for you to come back home."

Maddie stayed silent for a moment and then turned to Deacon, asking him if he was going to stay at the Mansion too. Deacon shrugged, "Maddie that isn't really my house. That is the house your mother and your father had. And I agreed I wouldn't move in or stay there at night."

Maddie read through his words, "You hate the house 'cause Dad lived there. You wouldn't want to live there even if you could."

Deacon admitted that hate was a strong word. Hell, he'd used that word a lot to describe the house, so it wasn't completely inappropriate. "I just never saw your Mom wanting to live in a house that big or in Belle Meade. And when she did, it felt like she was rejecting me."

Maddie gave him a confused look, "but she was already married and I was like two when she moved here."

Rayna took over, "Baby, do you know how you feel about your Father and I being different people than you thought we were?"

Maddie rolled her eyes, "You mean like finding out Daddy was a criminal?"

Rayna exhaled loudly, "Um… sure. Okay. Well Deacon thought me moving into that house was a symbol of me being something other than the person he knew."

"Okay here is the deal. You are moving back home. But if you need some space, you are still welcome to come over to your Grandfather's house."

Maddie looked over at Deacon, "Why can't I go live at your house?"

Belle Meade-2 Weeks Later

Rayna hugged her sister, "Are you sure about this? You are Madam Mayor now and I think you have better things to do than babysit."

Tandy took her hand up, "Oh please. They are my nieces and I love them. Besides Juliette Barnes is doing the heavy lifting: dinner and taking them to the movies. I just have to make sure they get into bed before midnight."

She smiled, "thank you! Deacon and I are in serious need of a night away. He's still helping Juliette out, and he's been here for the girls and me. He's also trying to put some polish on Juliette's album and trying to be supportive of me while I finish mine."

Tandy smiled, "He has been amazing through all of this."

Rayna shot by a wide grin, "He really has and tonight I plan to show him how….grateful I am."

The Cabin

Deacon continued to fist Rayna's hair in his fist while his head rested against the back of the couch. He breathed out her name several times. Rayna rocked back on her heels, loving seeing him out of control like this.

She smirked and stood up. "Okay I am going to start dinner. When you fully recover, zip up your pants and meet me in the kitchen." She leaned over and kissed him on the cheek before bouncing off to the kitchen, humming to herself.

The Next Day

Rayna smiled as Deacon lit several candles around the kitchen. The radio was on an AM station playing country music from the 70s. She gave him a taste of the chicken, placing the fork up to his lips. He gave her thumbs up and a quick kiss to show his approval.

The two ate in relative silence off of one plate, something they use to do all the time. They danced to songs they hadn't heard in years. He spun her around while she hummed older songs. Rayna laughed as Deacon dipped her so her hair glided over the floor. They eventually turned off the radio, instead preferring for Deacon to play some of their old songs, strumming the familiar cords in a lazy fashion.

Eventually the two made their way upstairs, hand in hand.

Belle Meade

Rayna smiled as she unpacked the groceries, filling Tandy in on the details. Her sister gasped at several of the more explicit details before Rayna admitted there was something else.

Tandy asked what else happened.

"Deacon thinks we should get married at the Cabin."

Tandy's eyes lit up and grew wide. Her mouth opened wide as she grabbed Rayna's hand. Finding nothing on either hand, Tandy shot her sister a questioning look.

Rayna shrugged, "No proposal or anything. Just something he casually said while we were fishing this morning. He said it in between pass the bait and asking what time my meeting with Marshall was."

"You went fishing?"

Rayna rolled her eyes, "I was not fishing; Deacon was. But I think, I think he is planning to propose soon."

Tandy turned serious. "Rayna, I know the paperwork is almost done between you and Teddy but are you sure about this?"

Rayna smiled widely. "I've been waiting for Deacon to ask me to marry him since I was like 21 but we aren't in some big hurry. I mean the girls need some stability and I don't want to be one of those women who get married the day their divorce is final."

Tandy smirked, "Just don't make me wear something hideous like a big yellow dress with bows."

The Country Kitchen

"So it just came out?" asked Coleman as he laughed before taking a gulp of coffee.

Deacon shrugged, "Yep. I mean it isn't like we've never talked about it before."

Coleman reminded Deacon that those conversations happened a long time ago, while Deacon was still drinking, "before there were kids and divorces and sobriety to deal with."

Deacon laughed, "Look, she's not ready. I mean she is but the girls aren't so that means she's not."

Coleman turned to a more serious matter, asking how he was dealing with Jolene's death. Deacon looked out the window. "She wasn't nearly as bad as I was. I mean I remember my really dark days being so much worse than hers. "

"And you are wondering why you are still here and she isn't."

"I just thought I could help her, I thought I was helping her. And then she's just gone, like Vinny."

Belle Meade

Rayna kissed Deacon, "You are a good man Mr. Claybourne."

Deacon smiled, "So are we going to talk about what I said this morning?"

"Nope, we aren't talking about you proposing to me."

Deacon gave her a bemused expression, "Right and we aren't talking about it because?"

"Because...you aren't going to propose yet and no offense but we've talked about it before." Deacon swallowed, knowing that he'd often talked about marriage before but never followed through with the actual ring or the proposal.

He waited until she took a big gulp of water before nonchalantly admitting he had the bought the ring. He grinned as she chocked on the water and looked at him with her blue eyes brightly shinning. He walked over to where she was standing and kissed her quickly.

He smiled against her lips, "I love you. And you better say yes."

She kissed him deeper, enjoying the taste of him for a moment, "Then I guess you better make sure to do it up right."