Rayna saw Maddie in the den and went to sit next to her. Tension had been high in the days and weeks after she'd found out about Deacon. Even now, her body stiffened when Rayna sat next to her and she moved slightly away. "Do you want to talk, hon?" Rayna asked carefully.

Maddie narrowed her eyes and crossed her arms over her chest. "No," she said.

Rayna sighed. "It might help. And I'll answer any questions you have. I know it's all so complicated," she said.

Maddie turned and frowned. "It's not that complicated. My mom's a liar, my dad's not my dad, and my real dad's an alcoholic." She smirked at the surprise on Rayna's face. "I found that on the internet. He was in rehab five times. Is that why you decided to lie to him?"

Rayna felt like she had a pit in the bottom of her stomach. "It's not that simple, Maddie," she said.

Maddie smirked again. "Oh, I get it. It's complicated," she said, using air quotes as she said 'complicated'.

Rayna frowned. "It was complicated back then," she said. "Even for me. It wasn't a simple thing. I wanted to protect you and Deacon had a lot, well, a lot of things he had to deal with then."

Maddie shook her head. "And you didn't want anyone to know he was my father. Were you afraid he'd hurt me? Or lose me? Or not love me?" She narrowed her eyes. "Or was it just to protect yourself from people knowing you had an illegitimate child?"

Rayna gasped. "That's not true!" she said, her voice full of emotion. "You were wanted, Maddie." She steepled her hands over her mouth for a moment while she regained her composure. "And I never thought Deacon wouldn't love you," she went on. "He did love you. He does love you."

Maddie looked down. "Then why doesn't he want to see me now?" she asked, her voice small.

Rayna thought her heart would break. She scooched over and put her arms around Maddie and was grateful when her daughter put her head on her shoulder. "Oh, honey, it's hard for both of you right now. I think he just needs to adjust to the idea of being a father, just like you're having to adjust to him being your father." She hugged her daughter closer. "I know he wants to see you and he wants to spend time with you. But we need to give him a little time to adjust and then I know it will work out."

Maddie sighed. "It's okay. I'm still trying to figure it out too." She reached up and rubbed her eyes. "I wish this hadn't happened to me. I wish it had all been different and not so messed up."

Rayna felt tears rolling down her cheeks. What have I done? She kissed the top of Maddie's head. "I know, sweet girl. And I am so, so sorry this is happening to you too." They sat together silently for a long time, Rayna gently rocking her daughter while she quietly cried on her mother's shoulder.

"Mom, I'm ready!" Maddie called out, annoyance in her voice.

Rayna rushed out of her bedroom. "I'm sorry," she said. She was putting earrings in as she walked over to where Maddie stood, guitar case in hand.

Maddie rolled her eyes. "You're not coming in, Mom," she said. "You didn't have to put on makeup."

Rayna frowned and picked up her purse. "I always wear makeup, Maddie," she said. "Let's go, then."

Maddie said little on the way over to Deacon's. Rayna looked over at her several times, but resisted the urge to prattle on. When they arrived at the house, Maddie jumped out of the car quickly. Rayna got out also and Maddie frowned. "You don't have to walk me up, Mom. I'm not a baby."

"I know you're not, Maddie, but I'm doing it anyway. I need to see how long you're going to be here." She was a little nervous, truth be told. She was glad Maddie and Deacon were finally going to spend some time together, but she was nervous all the same. When she had told Maddie last night that Deacon wanted to see her, Maddie had said little. When Rayna had asked if she was okay with going, Maddie had said yes, but she hadn't wanted to talk about it and stayed focused on the movie they were watching. Now Maddie was practically running up the steps and Rayna had to hurry to stay caught up with her.

Maddie knocked on the door, Rayna standing behind her. When Deacon answered the door, a flash of annoyance crossed his face when he saw Rayna, but then he turned his attention to Maddie and smiled. "Hey, Maddie," he said. "Come on in." He stepped back and she quickly slid in the door. He looked at Rayna, his face neutral.

Rayna smiled a little. "Thanks for doing this, Deacon," she said.

He shrugged and gave her a look of annoyance. "Why wouldn't I, Rayna?" he said curtly.

Rayna resisted the urge to snap back at him. "What time should I pick her up?" she asked instead.

"Maybe about six. If that's okay with you?" He was standing with one hand on the door jamb and the other on the door itself, as though he were anxious to close it and make her go away.

Rayna felt a lump in her throat. "Um, that's fine. I'll come back then." And then he nodded and closed the door, leaving her standing on the porch. She swallowed hard, then turned and walked down the steps to her car. As she drove off, the tears rolled down her face, and she thought that they seemed further apart than ever, even as he was finally taking a step towards their daughter. She wondered if Dr. Harris was right and that he might never come around.

Rayna pulled up outside Deacon's house. Maddie paused for just a moment before she got out and looked at her mom. "I think you shouldn't come to the door when you pick me up," she said, her gaze unreadable.

Rayna scrunched up her face. "What?"

"I think it's awkward. For both of us. But especially for Deacon."

Rayna frowned. "Maddie, I'm not going to sit out here and honk the horn for you." Maddie folded her arms across her chest and turned to look out the window. "Sweetheart, I understand that it's awkward. You might be surprised to know it is for me too. But I'm not going to do that. You'll just have to suffer that indignity."

Maddie turned and scowled, her hand on the door handle. "Well, don't expect to be invited in," she said, opening the door. She got out and then retrieved her guitar from the back seat, slamming both doors.

Rayna watched sadly as Maddie stomped up the steps. She saw Deacon open the door and Maddie slip inside. Deacon stood at the open door for a second, then turned away and closed it. Rayna felt a lump grow in her throat. "I don't expect to be invited in," she said softly, to no one. She whisked away the tear that rolled down her cheek and drove off.

Maddie was sitting at the kitchen island, propping herself up with one elbow, a book open in front of her. She looked up when the door opened. Tandy smiled at her. "Hey, Maddie," she said.

Maddie sat up straight but didn't smile back. "Mom's not here. She's picking up Daphne at Sarah's house."

Tandy walked over and got up on the stool next to her niece. "I know. I thought I'd come over a little early and see you," she said. Maddie shrugged and then rolled her shoulders forward and looked down. Tandy frowned and put her hand on Maddie's shoulder, rubbing it gently. "What's wrong, sweetheart?"

Maddie sighed, then looked up at her aunt, her face screwed up. "Why does my life have to be all messed up like this?"

Tandy reached for Maddie's hand and looked at her with compassion. "I know it feels all messed up right now, but it will get better." She looked at her niece closely. "Your mom told me that you are spending time with Deacon though." Maddie nodded. "How is that going?"

Maddie gave her a smile. "Actually, pretty good. He's giving me guitar lessons and we get to just talk too."

Tandy smiled encouragingly, although she had such mixed feelings about all this. Now that Maddie knew the truth, it was inevitable that her relationship with Deacon would change and grow. Even though she knew Deacon had been sober for over thirteen years, she still worried, the same way she suspected Rayna still worried. And, while Maddie had grown up around Deacon, now she would be watching him with different eyes. Tandy admitted to herself that she had been one of the strongest enablers of Rayna lying to Deacon about Maddie. She wouldn't apologize for it, but now that it was out in the open, she felt a need to protect Maddie too, from any hurt from this fallout. "You know, don't you, that you don't have to do anything different. If you don't want to spend time with him, nobody's going to force you to."

Maddie looked puzzled. "But I do want to, Aunt Tandy. He's my dad. I think I should get to know him. And I like spending time with him." She smiled. "He's really cool."

Tandy squeezed her hand and then sat back. That was part of what worried her a little. She knew that Rayna and Teddy had raised the girls a certain way and that Rayna was reasonably strict with them. Considering that Rayna was so famous, Tandy had always been impressed that she kept the girls as grounded and normal as she had. So she worried that Deacon would undo that, especially in his new role as a parent, one he had no experience in. "Well, I'm glad it's going well," was all she said. Then the door opened and Daphne blew in the house, her usual whirlwind of energy, Rayna following behind.

After Rayna sent the girls off to do homework in their rooms before dinner, she and Tandy curled up on the couch. Tandy looked at her sister intently and reached over and patted her knee. "So how's Maddie doing?" she asked, concern on her face.

Rayna looked away and then back, her smile cryptic. "She's okay," she said. "Ups and downs. Some of that is teenage angst, but a lot of it is all this upheaval in her life." She closed her eyes for a moment and rubbed her forehead. "I never know what to expect from her. Some days she's the Maddie I remember, happy and loving. She asks questions, but not hard ones. Then other days, usually around the times that she sees Deacon, she's sulky and rude. She challenges me on everything."

Tandy frowned. "Have you talked to Dr. Harris about it?"

Rayna scrunched up her face. "A little. Mostly we've talked about me and my feelings and all the stuff that went on when Deacon and I were together."

"Maybe he can give you some insight."

"Maybe. But I think it's just that whenever she sees him it reminds her that I kept her away from him, that I didn't tell her about him. And she's still angry with me about that. I don't need a therapist to tell me that."

"Have you and Deacon talked about it at all?"

Rayna shook her head sadly. "Very little. He's still very angry with me too, so we don't talk much. Mostly just about when Maddie's coming over and when to pick her up. I'm hoping that changes soon, but I get that I hurt him. A lot."

Tandy frowned. "But you had good reasons, Rayna."

Rayna shook her head. "I don't think I had the right to make the decision for him," she said, her voice firm. "That's one thing I'm coming to realize. I think my instinct to protect Maddie was normal, but keeping the truth from him for all these years is something I'm having to come to terms with." She looked hard at her sister. "Not all the decisions we made back then were good ones, Tandy. Some of those choices were not ours to make."

After tucking Daphne in, Rayna walked down to Maddie's room. Maddie was sitting on her bed, reading, and Rayna walked over and sat on the edge of the bed beside her. "How are you doing, hon?" she asked.

Maddie looked up and shrugged. "Okay, I guess."

"Your dad said he grounded you this week. Do you want to talk about it?"

Maddie shook her head. "There's not really anything to talk about." She sighed. "It's just hard."

Rayna reached out and smoothed Maddie's hair back from her face. "What's hard?"

"I wish Dad would understand about me wanting to spend time with Deacon. He's just not being fair."

Rayna sighed. "I don't think he means to not be fair."

Maddie's eyes flashed with anger. "I think he does," she said. "He doesn't understand about my music. At all. All he wants me to do is study and then he took away my guitar."

"Well, Maddie, school is important. And it does come first, before guitar lessons." She gave Maddie an understanding smile. "But he told me that you yelled at him and then threatened to go live with Deacon. Did you do that?"

Maddie scowled. "He hates Deacon. And he tries to keep me from seeing him. He told me that I couldn't go over there at all and I don't think that's right."

"How did you get to Deacon's?" Maddie looked at her guiltily. "Yes, I know you went over there. Deacon called me. How did you get there?"

"I took a cab."

Rayna sighed. "Sweetheart, you'll still get to go spend time with Deacon, but you can't go off by yourself like that. And it's not fair to Deacon to put him in that kind of position." Maddie sat, fuming. "You know your dad loves you. He's just trying to do the right thing by you, but you're not making it easy. I know you feel like this is hard for you, but it's hard for him too."

Maddie pouted. "He's not the one who found out he has a different father," she said.

"I know that. But he's the one that feels like he's losing his daughter." She looked closely at Maddie, who looked away. "Maddie, he loves you. He's loved you your whole life. And now you're starting this whole new relationship with Deacon and he's afraid he's going to lose you." She reached for her daughter's hand. "I know you're excited about spending more time with Deacon, but think about how your dad feels. He just wants to know that you still love him too."

Maddie looked up at her mom. "I do love him, Mom. He just needs to understand that I need time to get to know Deacon as my dad."

"I think he understands that, but it's hard for him. Just be patient with him, okay?"

Maddie shrugged. "I guess."

Rayna moved to sit next to her daughter and put her arm around her. "We're all learning our way here. Your dad too. Just remember that, okay?" Maddie nodded and then snuggled into Rayna's side.

Rayna and Daphne started up the walkway to Deacon's. Daphne sighed dramatically. "I hope they invite us in this time," she said, wistfully, as she did every time they picked up Maddie. "I don't ever see Deacon anymore."

Rayna looked at her younger daughter. "That's not true," she said. "You see him every time we come."

Daphne looked up at her and rolled her eyes. "We never go inside, so I never get to talk to him," she complained.

Rayna wanted to say she felt the same way, but she decided to say nothing. So it was surprising when Deacon came to the door and then stepped back. "Why don't y'all come in?" he said. "Maddie wants to play a song for you."

"Yes!" Daphne crowed and hurried in, Deacon smiling as he watched her.

Rayna looked at Deacon hopefully and he gave her a small smile. "Thanks," she said softly. "We'd love to hear her." She walked in. Maddie was sitting in a chair with her guitar. Daphne was already kneeling at her feet. Deacon went over and sat in the chair next to Maddie, pulling up his own guitar.

Rayna sat across from them on the couch and felt her breath catch as she gazed at the three of them together. This should be my family.

"What do you want to play, Maddie?" Deacon asked.

"'Believing'," she said. She looked at Rayna. "It's on his album." Rayna smiled and nodded.

As Maddie and Deacon played the opening notes of the song, Rayna sat and listened to her daughter's beautiful voice and how perfectly Deacon's voice harmonized with hers. The blend of their voices together nearly broke her heart, when she thought about what they'd missed together. Daphne added her own perfect sweet harmonies and it made Rayna want to cry. She watched Maddie's fingers fly over the guitar strings. The words touched her heart. When I get the feeling that my prayers have hit the ceiling / On those darker days when my faith has lost all meaning / You keep me believing. She looked over at Deacon at one point and he nodded slightly and gave her a look that said "she's amazing". And she was.

When they were done, Rayna sat still, stunned a little by the beauty of it. Then she realized they were looking at her. She smiled. "That was so beautiful," she said. Maddie beamed at the praise. "Thank you for sharing that."

While Maddie put away her guitar and gathered up her things, Daphne chatted up Deacon. Rayna watched the three of them and she felt tears prick her eyes. I messed this up so bad.

Then the girls rushed out to the car, leaving Rayna standing at the door. She turned to Deacon. "Thank you for that," she said and she smiled. "Maddie is really enjoying the time with you."

Deacon smiled back. "I am too. She's a really quick study." He hesitated a moment. "I was actually surprised she didn't want to do the song she wrote."

Rayna looked surprised. "She wrote a song?"

Deacon nodded. "She did. And it's really good." He shook his head with a smile on his face. "She has a lot of talent, Rayna. And she wants to perform. Like you."

Rayna's eyes got wide. "Well, she's not old enough for that," she said, then looked at him. "Don't you agree?"

Deacon nodded. "I do. She should be at least sixteen." And he winked.

Rayna frowned. "I want her to finish school. So I need you to support me on that."

"I will. No worry." He smiled again. "But she really is good."

Rayna had to smile. "Yeah, she is. And the two of you together was perfect." She immediately felt a catch in her heart, thinking of how much time had been wasted. Would she ever not feel guilty about this? "Well, the girls are waiting, so…."

"Yeah. Well, thanks again. I'll see her next Tuesday?"

Rayna nodded. She started to walk out, then turned back. "Thanks, Deacon. You're really doing a good job with this."

Deacon took a deep breath, his hand on the door frame. "Bye, Rayna," he said, his voice quiet.

She smiled at him and said, "Bye." She lifted her hand in a wave and then turned and walked down to her car.

As she drove home, the girls chattered to each other, which allowed her to think about what had just happened. Deacon had invited her in – Daphne, too, of course, but he didn't have to – and they'd actually had a conversation that didn't feel angry. They'd talked about Maddie without accusations or hurt feelings. And they'd been able to talk about Maddie's future, just like parents would. It had felt good and it had felt a little like progress.

Rayna was so ready for this tour to be over. Back when she and Juliette had started the Red Lips, White Lies tour, she had counted down the dates until the tour was over. She and Juliette Barnes were like oil and water, although she had developed a somewhat grudging respect for her over time. Just after Juliette's mother had been involved in a murder-suicide, Maddie had found out that Deacon was her father and in the aftermath of those events, the tour had been put on hold. When they finally resumed, several months later, not only did they have the fifteen remaining dates, but the new head of the label, Jeff Fordham, had demanded another forty shows. They were the top grossing tour for the label and he wanted to strike while the iron was hot.

It was a horrible time to be out on the road. Maddie was still running hot and cold, although now that she was spending time with Deacon, she seemed to be leveling out. It felt like it was more teenage angst these days than anger at her situation. Teddy was still making life difficult, trying to control Maddie's time and requiring Rayna to make time to smooth things out. And then things were still chilly with Deacon. They had very little time to try to bridge the divide between them and Rayna was feeling a little desperate about that. It felt like the more time went by, the less opportunity there was for them to reconnect. The little moments they did have seemed hard fought and they never seemed to string them all together into a pattern that felt like they were truly moving forward.

She missed her girls. She was feeling really alone, even in the midst of all the people that surrounded Juliette and her on the tour. She hated the nights in the hotel rooms the most. That's when she missed Deacon most of all. He had been with her on the tour, in his unofficial capacity as her "companion". They had both hated it, but she'd wanted to be careful reintroducing him into her life and, especially to her girls, as her boyfriend, or whatever she was supposed to call him, now that she was forty. He would wait in her dressing room until she finished her set and then when the show was over, they would be whisked away in a limo to the hotel, where he would make love to her all night long.

Then just when she was ready to step out into the world on his arm, Maddie had discovered the paternity test and their world had blown up. When she considered it now, she had no idea what she had been thinking when she walked away from the weekend trip with Liam and drove herself to Deacon's. He had always worn his heart on his sleeve where she was concerned and she couldn't shake how he'd looked that night as he'd told her he couldn't get past her and then watched her walk away with Liam. But she had not once thought about the fact that she hadn't told him Maddie was his daughter, as she had driven to his house, instead of going to the airport. All she could think about was the fact that she loved him, had always loved him, and why the hell were they apart now when she and Teddy were getting divorced. So she had walked up his steps, knocked on his door, and told him she loved him. For a split second, she thought he was going to turn her away, but, of course, he did not.

It wasn't until the next day, in the cold light of reality, that she realized she was in a dangerous position. She had no idea how to navigate things and she had tried, not particularly hard, to push him away. But once he had her back, he wasn't giving up and she didn't really want him to, so she kept that little piece of dynamite tucked away as far back in her mind as she could put it. Until it exploded in the worst possible way.

They were in Dallas and Rayna was closing the show that night. She was sitting in her dressing room in her robe, halfway watching the monitor as Juliette silently was prancing on the stage. Her hair and makeup was done and in thirty minutes, her glam squad would be back to help her get dressed. She got up and started pacing the room. When her phone started to buzz, she pounced on it.

"Hey, Mom," came Maddie's voice.

"Hey, sweet girl," Rayna said as she curled up on the couch. "What's going on?"

"Not much." She was quiet for a moment. "I miss you."

Rayna's eyes teared up a little. She treasured these moments these days, when she got them. "I miss you too, sweetheart. And Daphne too. Are y'all being good for your dad?"

Maddie sighed. "Yeah. But he still doesn't understand about my music."

Rayna smiled sadly. He never had. "I know, baby. But I do."

"And Deacon does."

Rayna bit her lip. "Yeah, Deacon does too."

"Can I spend the weekend with him?"

"With Deacon?"

"Yeah. You know, I've never stayed with him."

"Have you talked to him about it?"

"Yes. He said if you and Dad were okay with it, he was okay with it."

Rayna thought for a moment. "He isn't out on tour?" He had gone out on his own and was opening for Luke Wheeler, newly signed at Edgehill. She had hoped, when Jeff had signed Luke to great fanfare, that he would lighten up on the Red Lips, White Lies tour, but that had not been the case.

"He's on a break."

"Have you talked to your dad?"

Maddie sighed. "No. I was hoping you would."

Rayna smiled. "Well, let me do that. I'll let you know."

"Thanks, Mom. I love you."

"I love you too, sweet girl."

She waited until the next day to set things up for Maddie. Teddy had fought with her about letting Maddie stay with Deacon, as she expected. She was beginning to wonder if he'd ever get over his extreme jealousy of Deacon and be able to feel secure in the knowledge that Maddie did love him. Eventually she got Teddy to agree and then she called Deacon.

"Hey, Rayna," he answered.

She wasn't sure, but she thought the edge to his voice wasn't there. "Hey. So, Maddie called me last night and asked me about spending the weekend with you."

"Yeah, I told her she needed your permission. And Teddy's."

"Well, I'm fine with it. And I got Teddy to agree."

He laughed softly. "I'm sure that wasn't easy."

Rayna smiled on her end, but didn't respond to that. "Are you sure you want to do this?"

"Of course I do, Rayna. She's my daughter." The edge was back.

"I'm sorry. I just meant, are you ready for it? She's a teenager, after all, and it's a whole weekend."

"Oh, okay." The edge softened. "Yeah, I'm ready."

"Good." She paused for a moment. "Congratulations on your album and the tour. That has to feel good."

"Thanks. It does." He paused. "So, is Teddy going to drop her off?"

Rayna felt a lump in her throat. "Yeah," she said finally. "Have a good weekend."

"We will. And thanks, Rayna."

"You're welcome." And then he was gone.

Rayna was sitting on the couch in the den, reading emails, when Maddie walked in and sat down next to her. Rayna looked up and smiled. "Hey, sweet girl," she said.

Maddie smiled back. "Hey."

Rayna put her phone down and looked at her daughter. "How are things going? How was the weekend with Deacon?"

"It was good. Thanks for letting me do that."

"I'm glad it went well. How is everything else with him?"

"It's good. He's really helping me a lot with my guitar and with my songs."

Rayna reached out and grabbed Maddie's hand. "You're very lucky, you know, to have him as a teacher. He's the best guitar player in Nashville."

Maddie's smile got bigger. "I really want to be the best I can be and he's really patient with me." She gave her mom a curious look. "What was it like when you were pregnant with me? How did you feel about having a baby?"

Rayna first looked surprised and then smiled. "Well, it was exciting. I'd always wanted a family and I really was excited about being a mama. The first baby is always really special, so it was really exciting for me. But it was also scary, because I didn't know how to be a mama and I didn't really have anyone to learn from. 'Cause, you know, my mama died when I was younger than you. So I worried that I wouldn't do the right things."

Maddie rolled that over in her head. "Did you ever think about Deacon when you were pregnant?"

Every single day. Rayna's smile was sad. "I did. I thought about him a lot. It was a confusing time. We had talked about having a family before, so I was sad about that." She didn't want to tell Maddie how she'd cried every day, how every time she looked at herself in the mirror or looked down at her growing belly, she felt an anguish like she'd never known. She wasn't going to tell her that as she was pushing her out, she'd cried because Deacon wasn't the one standing there, holding her hand. "But you know that your dad was there and he was so happy that day. He loved you so much."

"Did you wish you'd told him? Deacon, I mean."

Rayna took a deep breath. She'd decided that she wasn't going to lie to Maddie about Deacon, that she'd done enough damage. She nodded. "Sometimes I did. But, you know, things were really tough for him back then and I was really afraid that he wouldn't be able to be a good husband and father. That he would want to, but he wouldn't be able to, and I couldn't do that to you."

"Do you wish things had been different?"

Rayna looked away. Tears had started to form in her eyes. When she looked back at Maddie, she reached for her hand. "I don't ever want to not tell you the truth again, Maddie. I'm so sorry that I did and I'm so sorry for the pain it's caused you." She breathed in slowly and then let it out. "Deacon asked me once, not so long ago, if I'd change anything. At first I told him nothing, then I told him I'd change everything. I know I keep saying this, but it's true. It's very complicated. I didn't know that he'd get better. If I had known that, then maybe I would have made different decisions then. But I also have to think about the fact that if I had made different decisions then, we wouldn't have had Daphne. And I love her just like I love you." She gave Maddie a sad smile. "But do I wish that Deacon had been stronger then? Yes, I do. Because it was all I wanted back then, to have a family with him. We'd talked about it a lot and it was important. But those were hard choices to make. I wish you'd been able to know him as your father, regardless of how that had worked out."

Maddie moved over and snuggled up to Rayna. Rayna put her arms around her and held her tight. "I am glad Deacon's my dad," Maddie said. "And I'm glad I'm getting to know him better."

Rayna ran her hand over Maddie's hair. "Me too, baby. Me too."

"Mom, you'll be home in two weeks, right?" Maddie asked. Rayna was Skyping with her daughters in her dressing room in Boston, but Daphne had run off, so it was just Maddie now.

"I'll be home in three days," Rayna responded.

Maddie rolled her eyes. "Well, I know that. I mean, you'll be here two weeks from now."

Rayna looked confused. "Yes, I will. The tour is over in two days."

Maddie smiled shyly. "I signed up for an open mic and I want you to be there. It's in two weeks."

Rayna's eyes widened. "Maddie, you're too young…."

"Chill out, Mom," Maddie said, rolling her eyes again. "It's an open mic for kids."

"Oh. Okay then, I guess."

"It's at Two Old Hippies. On a Sunday afternoon." She bit her lip. "I invited Deacon."

Rayna felt a flutter in her heart. Things had steadily improved with Deacon and they were talking more, still mostly about Maddie, but it felt like things were getting better for the two of them and she was hopeful. "Well, sweetheart, you know he's out on the road, so he may not be able to be there."

"He's coming," she said firmly. "He'll be on a break then, so he can come. I already asked him and he said yes."

Now the butterflies were going crazy. She bit her lip and then smiled. "That's great, Maddie. I'm glad he'll be there. And I'm looking forward to seeing you."

Maddie smiled broadly. "Dad and Daphne won't be able to come, but that's okay. Maybe they can come next time."

Rayna didn't know what to say. She couldn't believe that she and Deacon would actually be there together for their daughter's debut at an open mic. Well, maybe they wouldn't be together. They might not even sit together. But they would both be there and that felt really good. She collected herself and smiled. "I can't wait. So, I need to go get ready now, so I will see you in three days," she said.

"Bye, Mom," Maddie said and turned off the feed.

Rayna sat, looking at the blank screen, thinking that maybe this was the beginning of better times for her and Deacon. And Maddie as well.