CHAPTER 24
Okay here is the last chapter. First and foremost thank you so much for all the comments/reviews/PMs and follows. They were all so appreciated and truly encouraging. I am working on another story right now, a little different than this one. I think tomorrow's finale will probably rip our hearts out based on the preview but that is what fanfiction during the summer is for :) .
Thanks again for all the amazingness you are! And I hope for all of the other writers I hope you continue writing too!
4 Months Later
Music Row Burgers & Fries
Deacon ate another French fry and smiled widely as Coleman asked how everybody was doing.
"Good," was his simple reply but his face showed things were much better than 'good.' Deacon filled Coleman in on the latest happenings. Rayna's divorce had been finalized almost two months ago, and last week they'd finally finished the property division.
Maddie and Daphne had spent most of the summer at various day camps and playing softball. Rayna's album had a release date of September; Juliette's was being released in November. . He'd done some playing as backup to several of Scarlett and Gunner's songs as well. He had written quite a bit as well but for the first time since before he met Rayna he'd had time just to write for the sake of writing. Some days he'd end up with nothing and other days he write four or five songs.
Coleman laughed when Deacon brought up Maddie's birthday next week. "It is a boy-girl party. And I'm not allowed to talk to anybody. Neither is Teddy or Rayna or Tandy. Oh and she gets to approve our outfits in advance. Apparently Rayna can't wear anything too mom-ish or anything that shows her boobs."
Coleman let out a bark of laughter as Deacon made a nervous expression. Coleman lifted an eyebrow and asked how Lamar reacted to the other news.
Deacon grinned, "Well I asked him. He said 'hell no'. Told him Rayna had already said 'yes' and he shrugged and asked why I bothered to ask him."
Coleman laughed, "and how is the house hunting going?"
Deacon made an annoyed face. "Well Teddy is demanding the girls live close to school. It honestly it is a good idea but I'd rather live in East Nashville. Every house we've looked at so far either reminds me of Lamar Wyatt or it has too much or not enough of something."
"And the cabin isn't feasible?"
"No it is almost an hour away from the girls' school and it is way too far away from the label and the studios. And there are three bedrooms but there really isn't enough room for Rayna's clothes much less two girls…and the um…well the walls are pretty thin."
Coleman laughed again, "So do we have a date yet?"
Deacon smiled, "Nope. Ray wants to wait until after the album is released, she doesn't want to make it feel rushed."
Coleman asked what Deacon wanted.
"I just want to marry her."
Edgehill Records
Rayna made an unimpressed face as Marshall continued to go on about her publicity junket. It had gone from a 10 day media blitz to nearly a month long campaign. In addition to the days of media in New York, LA, and Chicago, there were now eight more cities to visit. There were publicity shows in Dallas, Denver, Atlanta, D.C., Boston, St. Louis, Vancouver, Toronto, and of course Nashville. Liam had insisted adding San Francisco and Miami for his own contacts. Then there was the internet chats, the twitter sneak peeks, the radio interviews, and the newspaper sit-downs. It would be mid-October before she had more than a few hours of sleep at night.
Then Deacon would be starting his press tour with Juliette right when hers was winding down. Scarlett and Gunnar were already touring in small venues with her new material and once Juliette's publicity blitz ended, Scarlett and Gunnar's would be starting.
She looked down at her ring, fiddling with it. It was a simple emerald cut ring. Deacon had taken Maddie with him to ring shop and they'd picked the perfect one. She'd been wearing it for nine weeks now and it still made her smile to look down at her finger.
They hadn't set a date yet but at this rate, it would be 2016 before they had a few weeks of downtime. She sighed as she looked back down at her ring. She glanced down at her phone and discreetly sent a text message.
A moment later she saw Juliette's name and message flash up: What do you need me to do?
2 Days Later
Oakhill Academy
Rayna yelled at Juliette to hurry up as the two bounded down the halls of the Elementary school. Juliette's heels made a loud clanging sound as she caught up to the red head. She apologized loudly, "That hot guy was a Science teacher." Rayna could hear the jokes about chemistry in her head as the two turned into the auditorium and flung open the large wooden door.
They quickly walked down the aisle until they found Deacon and Maddie sitting in two wooden chairs. They sat down in the seats between them as Tandy, a row back, whispered a disapproving "you're late." She caught Teddy throwing her a look from across the auditorium. Rayna breathed out a sigh of relief as she caught Daphne's dance class walking out onto the stage.
Juliette hissed back to Tandy, "We were running errands. Blame Rayna."
The Cabin
Rayna smiled against Deacon's lip as they continued to disagree, "Nope. It is bad luck."
Deacon bit down against her lip, tugging slowly before releasing it again. "It is bad luck to see the dress. I wanna see what you are planning on wearing under the dress." He leaned in again, kissing her hard for a moment before releasing her again with a boyish grin.
Rayna pulled back, "Actually you'd want to see what I'm wearing for the wedding night, but still the answer is no."
He smirked against her lips and kissed her quickly before asking what they were going.
Rayna looked over at Deacon in his jeans and black shirt and smiled. "You look kinda handsome."
Deacon smiled, "Well you picked it out."
He raised an eyebrow when he noticed her blue jean skirt and white blouse with her pink cowboy boots. He asked again where they were going.
"The Macon County Magistrate's office."
Deacon scrunched his nose in confusion before Rayna held up the wedding rings she and Juliette had picked up a few days before.
She smiled, "I know I said I wanted to wait until after things settled down but I just want to marry you. And I want it to just be the two of us when I become your wife." He smiled and asked if she was sure. Her hair fell beside her in waves, "I told the girls today that we were getting married for real tonight and we were having the fake wedding in a few months. They were okay with it so long as Maddie still gets to wear heels. And Daphne made me promise we'd have cheesecake ."
Deacon's smile got wider. "So we are getting married now?"
Rayna smiled wider, "I mean it is like 20 minutes or so to the magistrate's office…but yeah, if you are okay with that."
Deacon nodded and leaned in to kiss her, "Does this mean I get to see this wedding night…er attire afterwards."
Rayna smiled and let out a, "Maybe" in a long southern drawl. He pulled her closer and looked into her eyes for a minute. His voice was full of wonder when he asked for confirmation one more time.
"We're really getting married?"
Rayna smiled back and looped her arms around his neck. She whispered against his lips, "marry me."
Macon County Courthouse
45 minutes later
Deacon didn't take his eyes off Rayna as she gazed into his eyes. His voice cracked with emotion, "You are my best friend and you are the only woman I've ever loved." He took a breath of air and continued, "I can't promise you the world but I can promise you are my world. You always have been and you always will be everything to me."
He watched as Rayna's eyes filled with tears and she sniffled. Deacon continued, reminding her of the first time he told her that he loved her and the time they spent a week at the cabin without ever being fully dressed. His eyes turned a deeper shade of blue as he took another breath.
He described seeing her for the first time, "You took my breath away then and you still do now." He brushed a tear from her cheek. "I love you and I cannot wait for you to be my wife."
A buzzer sounded, followed by a steel door opening and closing carrying a police officer and a young guy dressed in orange with handcuffs. If either noticed, they didn't let it on. The magistrate asked if Rayna wanted to say something. She nodded and sniffled, trying to remember how to speak.
"You are my best friend and my partner in everything. You are who I want to wake up beside every morning and go to sleep with every night." She squeezed his hand tighter, "You have this amazing gift of making everyday this exciting adventure and at the same time you give me a peace that ….that makes me feel so safe. I can't even put into words how much I need you and want you. I love you. I love you so much and I can't wait to be married to you." The magistrate said a few words that neither really heard, so lost in each other to care.
The magistrate cleared his throat and asked Deacon to repeat the phrases. Quickly and quietly, they repeated after the elder man, " I, Deacon, take you Rayna, to be my wife, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better or for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish; from this day forward until death do us part."
Deacon grinned widely as Rayna started to cry. She sniffled again as she repeated the phrases as the magistrate said the words, "" I, Rayna, take you Deacon, to be my husband, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better or for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness….and in health, to love and to cherish; from this day forward until death do us part."
Deacon blew out the breath he'd been holding. His own eyes filled with tears as he mouthed, "I love you." She smiled through her tears back at him. The magistrate took the rings they'd placed on the Formica counter. The man smiled and told Deacon to place the ring on. Deacon smiled and repeated the magistrate's words, "with this ring, I thee wed." Rayna quickly did the same to him, placing the ring on his finger.
As the magistrate announced "congratulations" Deacon leaned. Rayna happily laughed against his lips as they kissed, "I love you." "I love you too."
4 Months Later
Rayna laughed as Deacon kissed her and tilted her back. The thirty or so people seated in the white chairs continued to clap and let out whistles of approval.
They quickly walked down the makeshift aisle, before leaning in to kiss each other again. They broke apart when Deacon felt a tugging on his pant leg. They both turned to see Daphne looking up at them expectantly.
"Guys, you are all in the way and the crowd is getting hungry." Both the bride and the groom laughed as they moved out of the way and allowed the rest of the guests to head into the cabin.
2 hours later
Deacon strummed his guitar, sitting on the arm of the chair that Rayna was in. Maddie was seated on the floor near the fireplace following his direction. Gunnar sat down on the opposite couch with Liam as they continued to play old songs.
Juliette hummed against the wall sharing a piece of cake with Daphne. Buck and Tandy were nowhere to be seen and Lamar was sneaking a cigar out back. He could hear Scarlett and his sister Julie talking in the kitchen.
He looked over at Rayna and mouthed an "I love you." She smiled back at him happily. He thought for a moment about how long it had taken him to get married, to be with Rayna again after everything fell apart. As he watched Maddie blush at something Gunnar said tried not to roll his eyes. He smiled happily realizing the journey wasn't over he and Ray, it was just starting.