Scarlett, Maddie, and Gunnar had gone to the little bar a few miles from the cabin for a night out away from the kids. Deacon and Rayna were left to babysit all 3 grandbabies at the same time for the first time ever.
Mason had bailed and gone fishing after the first couple dirty diapers.
"OK, that's number 6 in just over 2 hours." Deacon quipped as he disposed of the 6th dirty diaper since the kids had left
"Any regrets yet? You're the one that offered to babysit them all." Rayna laughed as he snuggled with Ginny after her diaper change
"None." He smiled as he held his baby granddaughter nuzzling her until she smiled and laughed
"Clay! Be nice to Deke." Rayna scolded Clay for taking a toy from Little Deacon resulting in the toy being thrown across the room and Clay crying again
"I think somebody could use a warm bath and bedtime." Deacon said gently placing Ginny on the floor with Deke
"Are you sure you can handle him alone?" Rayna asked as Clay kicked and screamed fighting Deacon all the way up the stairs
"NO BATH! NOOO BATH PAPA! NNNOOOOOOOO!" Clay only screamed louder as Deacon climbed the stairs with the squirming toddler
Rayna listened as Deacon fought Clay all through bath time. He clearly didn't care for baths. She smiled as he calmed down, listening to Deacon read and sing him to sleep. It took more than an hour of stories and guitar playing before Rayna finally didn't hear Clay's little voice saying "More Papa" anymore.
"He's out! Such a sweet little face when he's asleep." Deacon smiled as he showed Rayna a picture of a sleeping Clay he'd just snapped on his phone
"I've missed bath time, and little voices at bedtime. You used to spend hours reading and playing guitar for Maddie and Scarlett at bedtime." Rayna wrapped her arms around Deacon as he joined her on the couch to watch Ginny and Deke play on the floor in front of the fire
"I remember. You used to get so mad at me for spoilin em." Deacon just laughed
"Well, I secretly loved listening to you play with them, and their happy little voices, and giggles at bed time."
"Now we get to do it again, but as grandparents, and when we're sick of em…their parents can have em back!" Deacon laughed again as Rayna slapped his shoulder
"He's really not OK, is he?" Deacon asked as he watched Ginny and Deke
"No, Maddie and I talked a little this afternoon. His specialist suspects autism, possibly severe."
"Ginny is so alert and all over the place. He's just kinda in his own little world." Deacon said worried as he watched the developmental differences in the twins
Ginny was a typical 18 month old. All over the place, interested in everything around her. She'd been walking since around 11 months. Deke still hadn't taken his first steps, but preferred to army crawl. He showed little, if any interest in anything, and was hard to engage, or even get eye contact.
"What are they doin to help him?" Deacon asked
"Speech therapy, physical therapy to try and get him to walk, another specialist of some sort to help him learn to chew food. Maddie said he really doesn't like to eat, or doesn't want to chew food. He does chew everything else. Blankets, toys. She said he's chewed the varnish off his crib bars in a couple spots. Colt has a hard time dealing with him. He wanted the son to bond with and Deke barely looks at you when you talk to him."
"Don't even get me started on Colt, Ray! Jesus, he should be here. Deke needs a father more than ever. Colt needs to be a man and accept that he has developmental issues that aren't goin away. He needs both his parents to overcome this. It's not the kids fault."
"I know, but it just adds to the stress of bein a new family, tryin to handle a bus tour and juggle Deke's doctor's appointments. We had a healthy normal baby when we tried it, Deacon. Plus we only had one. They have two and Deke's special needs, plus all the same stressors of life on tour. We came close to getting a divorce. I'm not sure we could have survived all of this." Rayna said sadly, feeling bad for Maddie and Colt
"Yeah, I guess you're right. I'm sure it's hard on him, but dammit you don't just walk away when your wife and kids need you no matter how hard it is."
"Oh I dunno, Deacon! Cut Colt a little slack, please? I seem to recall a few times when things were tough between us early on. You escaped to the cabin alone to sort things out."
"You always knew I'd come back, right?"
"I do now, but back then I wasn't so sure. You still drank then, and had one hell of a temper. You scared me a few times." Rayna admitted
"You're right, as usual, baby. It's just hard watchin my baby girl in so much pain because of him."
"All we can do is sit back, help Maddie when she asks, and see what happens." Rayna squeezed Deacon a little tighter as they watched the twins
A phone shrieked from the kitchen counter top breaking the silence
"Not mine." Deacon patted his shirt pocket and phone
"Mine's in my purse." Rayna said pointing towards the chair near the door, holding her purse
"I got it." Deacon said getting up to find Colt's name on the display
"Are you gonna answer it?" Rayna asked
"Must be Maddie's phone. It's Colt callin." Deacon said reluctant to hit the green talk button
"Well, answer it!" Rayna sniped
"ahhh, hello?" Deacon said as silence filled the line
"Is Maddie around?" Colt asked recognizing Deacon's voice, but hesitating a bit
"No, she must've forgot her phone here at the cabin. She's out with Scarlett and Gunnar."
"Oh, well…uuhhh…would you give her a message, please? My parents really want to see the babies. Can you tell her they'll be coming by the cabin tomorrow?"
"Yeah, yeah, I can do that, Colt. Hey..you know the original invite was for your whole family. You're all still welcome, you know?" Deacon was trying his best to be civil
"Thanks, but I think Maddie and I need some time apart. I'll let mom and dad know the party invite is still open. Thanks, Deacon." Colt said as he hung up
"I'm proud of you, babe." Rayna kissed Deacon's cheek as he put Maddie's phone back on the counter
"I don't like it, but it is what it is. Hopefully he'll come to his senses and show up too. Why don't we put the kids to bed and turn in a little early. Tomorrow's gonna be a long day. John and Lilly will be here by noon."
"You know Ray he does respond to the vibration of the guitar. Look…he likes it." Deacon had a reluctant to sleep Little Deke in bed with him and playing a few guitar chords as the little boy smiled and reached for the guitar
Deacon continued playing chords as Deke watched intently and reached for the guitar, even laughing and smiling several times.
"This is the first time I've ever had his attention." Deacon smiled as he played with and was finally able to engage little Deke in something
"Why don't you get one of your old guitars and let him play with it, babe. This is amazing. I've never seen him show such interest in anything. Maddie is gonna be so happy."
Deacon came back a few minutes later with an old guitar that he could let Deke play with. The little boy laughed and giggled as Deacon let him strum the strings.
"I think we might have a future musician on our hands. I'm surprised we've never noticed how much he likes guitars. I guess we never really let him get so close to one, huh?"
Deacon and Rayna were so caught up in playing guitar with Deke they hadn't noticed Maddie was watching from the doorway as Deke laughed and plucked the strings.
"He's laughing and playing." Maddie had tears in her eyes as she grabbed Deke and hugged him
"Yeah, I just kinda stumbled on his interest guitars. I think it's the vibration he likes, sweetie. He wants to be close and touching the guitar. He wasn't interested until I had him and the guitar in my lap where he could feel it." Deacon explained
"Colt's tried playing guitar for him so many times, but I guess he's never held him at the same time. He should be here to see this." Maddie teared up a little again
"I have it on video. We'll send it to Colt." Rayna grabbed her phone to send the video she'd taken of Deacon and Deke playing guitar and the little boy laughing and playing.
"Oh, Colt called tonight. You left your phone on the counter downstairs. I answered it."
"Oh…What did he say?" Maddie asked trying not to sound overly interested
"Luke and Stephanie want to see the twins. They're gonna come by tomorrow."
"Colt isn't coming?" Maddie asked sadly
"I dunno, sweetie. I invited him. He said he thinks you need some time apart. I'm sorry." Deacon felt horrible seeing the pain in Maddie's eyes, but he didn't want to lie to her either
"Why don't you get some rest, Maddie. I'll get Deke to sleep. Ginny is already in your room in the pack and play. Guess grandpa's guitar playing bored her. She was out pretty quick. Things may seem clearer in the morning."
"Thanks, mom and dad for everything." Maddie's voice cracked a little as she turned to go
The next morning was busy for everyone getting ready for what had become an annual tradition. 4th of July at the cabin was a time for everyone to come back to Nashville and celebrate as a family. The party seemed to grow every year.
Deacon had been working on his relationship with John, and while things had been strained at first they were in a good place now. John had accepted the fact that Deacon never knew about him and didn't intentionally abandon him. Deacon and Rayna had helped John financially with an attorney to gain visitation with Lilly and were also working on a relationship with their now 7 year old granddaughter. John and Lilly were part of the cabin festivities this year.
Rayna was busy with food preparation and Deacon was taking care of outdoor details like the grill, fire pit, boat, golf carts, jet skis and the fireworks with Mason's help.
"Hey Dad, need some help with anything?" John asked as he and Lilly arrived
"There's my new fishin buddy!" Deacon pulled Lilly in for a hug. The little girl was still a little standoffish with Deacon and Rayna, but was adjusting to new grandparents
"Sure, jump in anywhere. We need firewood for the fire pit, and Rayna's getting the food ready inside. Whatever you can do would be great."
"I've never been fishing." Lilly told Deacon after their hug
"How about I take you bright and early tomorrow morning? Just the two of us." Deacon asked as Lilly kinda clung to John
"You know I've never really had the father/son fishing experience. How about the 3 of us go?" John jumped in sensing Lilly's apprehension
"I'd love that. I think grandma might need some help with cookies in the kitchen. You think you're up for that?" Deacon asked Lilly, knowing she seemed to prefer Rayna to him
"Yeah…"Lilly kinda shyly replied as she walked towards the cabin
"I'm sorry, dad. She's still a little confused and unsure of everything." John told Deacon once Lilly was inside
"It's OK. 7's an awkward age. I raised two daughters. Been there. We'll be alright before long. She just needs a little time. That's all. She seems to like Ray."
Deacon cringed as the Wheelers arrived, but felt a little happy to see Colt had come with them for Maddie's sake. The disappointment on her face the night before when he'd told her Cold didn't want to come had broken his heart.
"Freakin Deacon!" Luke said as they approached with a dish for dinner much to Deacon's chagrin. It meant they planned to stay for the party. He'd hoped they'd visit and be on their way.
"Wheels Up!" He responded and extended a hand always the gracious host
"Hey, Colt played us that video of you and Little Deke playing guitar. That's amazing. I've never seen the kid laugh or respond to anything like that before."
"He just needs some extra special attention. That's all. It was a pretty great moment for us too. Rayna's in the kitchen, and I think Maddie's in the living room with the babies if you wanna go ahead and go in." Deacon replied trying to usher them away politely
"Hey, Dad….How's Maddie?" Colt cautiously asked after Luke and Stephanie had gone inside
"She's pretty upset, Colt." Was all Deacon said barely looking up from his grill cleaning
"Should I just maybe…go…." Colt took a step towards the car
"Do you want your marriage to work out, son?...or do you want the party life? Cause you can't have both. The way I see it….you need to make a choice, NOW! You've got a wife and two kids that need you, but…if you're not gonna be there, then the sooner you admit you made a mistake gettin married, and let her go, the better off she'll be."
"You're right. Just have my parent's call me when they're ready to leave." Colt replied as he got in the car and left
The Wheeler Ranch was almost 2 hours away. Colt didn't really want to go all the way home just to come back for his parents later. He ended up at the little bar a few miles from the cabin. The place knew the Claybournes well. The walls held pictures signed by Deacon and Rayna and even a few by Maddie and Scarlett. Most were family pictures taken at the cabin. The bar owners had become close with the Claybournes over the years as neighbors. There wasn't much else out near the cabin.
Colt replayed the video of Little Deke laughing and strumming the guitar strings with Deacon from the night before several times. He thought about Deacon's words.
"the sooner you admit you made a mistake gettin married, and let her go, the better off she'll be."
He'd never thought about it that way. Things had been hard since the twins birth, but he'd never really considered Maddie a mistake and he loved the twins even as hard as the past year had been.
His parents had divorced when he was young and didn't get back together until he was well into his teens. He had very few memories of Luke during those years when his parents were divorced. He and Luke had become somewhat closer in the years since Luke's accident, but he didn't have the family memories with Luke that Maddie had with Deacon. His parents while closer now didn't have the same bond he saw with Rayna and Deacon.
He'd been drawn to Maddie's sense of family values. It was something he hadn't really grown up with and he liked the closeness that the Claybournes seemed to share. He remembered wanting that closeness for his own family someday. He still wanted the career and fame. Deacon and Rayna had managed to achieve that and have the close family.
Back at the cabin Rayna was furious with Deacon for interfering.
"Where's Colt? Stephanie said he was here." Rayna asked as she brought Deacon the burgers for the grill
"He left, said have the Wheelers call him when they're ready to go."
"Deacon…what did you say to him?" Rayna asked accusingly
"I just gave the boy some fatherly, marital advice, that's all. Leavin was his choice."
"Yeah, I bet you made him feel real welcome! What am I supposed to tell Maddie now, huh, Deacon? Did you think about that?" Rayna snapped
"YEAH, RAYNA! I DID! WHY THE HELL DO YOU THINK I DID IT? HE NEEDED A WAKE UP CALL, AND I GAVE HIM ONE! HE CHOSE TO LEAVE. SHE'S BETTER OFF IF THAT'S HOW HE FEELS!" Deacon snapped getting defensive
"Alright, fine! Let's not have a huge fight right here in front of everyone, but this isn't over, Deacon. You shouldn't have interfered like that." Rayna stomped back towards the cabin
Gunnar and Mason put on a fireworks show for everyone. Colt sat a few blocks from the cabin watching in Luke's Lincoln Navigator.
Maddie had said she wasn't feeling well and hadn't been out of her room since Colt left.
Deacon wrapped his arms around Rayna at the kitchen counter as she cleaned up, trying to smooth things over.
"Does this mean I'm not gettin 4th of July sex?" he flirtingly asked kissing the nape of her neck
"You'll be lucky to get Aug 4th sex after tonight, Deacon." Rayna was clearly still pissed
"What were you thinking?" she snapped as they finished cleaning up the kitchen together
"I dunno, Ray. If you think it'll help, I'll go talk to Colt tomorrow, but you know what…I still think she's better off without him if all he wants to do is party. He obviously wasn't ready for this, and the sooner they both accept that, the better off Maddie will be!"
"..but that's not your choice to make, Deacon!"
"I didn't make that choice, Rayna! I didn't tell him to leave. He chose to leave. Why in the hell is that MY FAULT?" Deacon was getting angry
"because you shouldn't have interf….." Rayna was interrupted by a knock on the door
"Sorry to interrupt, but uuhhh where's Maddie?" Colt asked as he stood with a single red rose
"Upstairs, first door on the left." Deacon smirked in Rayna's direction as Colt climbed the stairs
There were a few heated moments upstairs as Rayna and Deacon finished cleaning up the party mess. Luke and Stephanie had popped their heads in to say good night, and thanks. They also let Rayna and Deacon know they were taking the twins home for the night to give Maddie and Colt some time alone.
A few minutes later Maddie and Colt emerged saying they were going for a late night walk. They were hand in hand, and both smiling as they left the cabin.
A couple hours later all was quiet. John and Lilly had gone to bed. Scarlett and Gunnar were fighting with Clay to go to sleep after a night of sweet treats and excitement. The little boy was having none of it and jabbering away almost an hour after they'd taken him into the bedroom.
Mason had fallen asleep on the couch a bit depressed that Sage had opted not to come to the party, but they'd grown apart after Deacon's recovery. Sage was older and had started college away from home.
The other party guests had all gone. Deacon was turning off lights and finishing last minute clean up details when he noticed Colt and Maddie in a deep kiss down on the dock, under the moonlight.
"Hey, Ray…C'mere…I think everything's OK. Looks like they've made up, huh?" Deacon pulled Rayna close
"Another successful 4th of July party, huh, babe?" Rayna smiled
"Yeah. How about we make up? We can re-address that 4th of July sex. You can maybe admit that I wasn't totally wrong." Deacon was gloating a little
"…or you can admit that you weren't totally right." Rayna smirked as he drew her in for a deep kiss
"If I admit I wasn't totally right, will that get me 4th of July sex?" He smirked and deepened the kisses, unbuttoning several of her blouse buttons
"Well, let's agree to disagree on this one, and since it's 12:06…How about 5th of July make up sex?" Rayna playfully suggested
"I'll take it."
THE END