Maddie was sitting at the counter as Deacon was making dinner. She leaned forward on her elbows and smiled. "Did you have to learn to cook when you and Mom were together?" she asked.
Deacon grinned and shook his head. "No. This came a lot later. Your mama always liked to be the one cooking."
"Was she bad back then?"
"She wasn't awful. Let's just say her cooking skills were kind of like her guitar playing skills. But at least she didn't kill me or give me food poisoning. But she does okay."
Maddie laughed. "Daphne and I kind of miss Dad's cooking. He was pretty good." Deacon just nodded. "And you are too," she added quickly.
Deacon smiled. "It's okay. He can be better than me at cooking."
Maddie watched a little longer. "So are you and Mom really back together?" she asked.
Deacon raised his eyebrows as he looked at her. "I think so," he said.
Maddie smiled. "Good. Mom seems happier."
"What about you?"
"I'm happy. I want you two to be together. That makes me happy." She looked at him with a question on her face. "Do you think you'll get married some day?"
Deacon breathed in sharply. "I think we're a ways off from even thinking about that, Maddie."
Maddie sighed. "Okay. I guess."
Deacon didn't say anything else about that, but kept cutting his eyes over at Maddie as she seemed to be processing that. Finally he cleared his throat. "Should we watch a movie tonight?" he asked.
Maddie looked back, her eyes a little sad. She shrugged. "Yeah, that sounds good."
He hated not being able to be more definitive but he didn't want to rush things. He and Rayna still hadn't slept together since they'd started seeing each other again. It had been hard to stick to that, but it felt like a milestone they'd be crossing when that happened, and he wanted to be very sure when he made that commitment. Anything beyond that was not something he even wanted to entertain at this point.
He went and pulled the chicken casserole out of the oven and set it on the counter. "Ready to eat?" he asked Maddie.
She smiled. "Yeah, I am." She eyed the casserole. "That looks amazing, Dad. Can't wait to try it."
It was one of those early February days that turned into a tease for spring. It wasn't going to last, but it was nice to sit outside along the river while it lasted. Rayna turned when she heard the truck door slam. She smiled as she watched Deacon jump over the ledge and then walk down the incline. He hopped up on the picnic table and turned to smile at her. "You still drive like a bat out of hell, you know that?" he said, with a wink.
She grinned. "I've always got places to be and people to see. You know me."
He bumped her shoulder. "Yeah, I do know you." He looked out towards the river. "I thought we had a good session today."
Rayna nodded thoughtfully. Dr. Harris had gotten them to revisit some of what they hadn't really touched on before, mostly around Rayna's motivations for keeping Deacon in her life while she and Teddy were married. He had wanted to be sure there wasn't residual baggage that would crop up unexpectedly because they'd never really talked about it. "I don't think I realized just how selfish I was. And how wrong that was. I didn't do right by you then. Or Teddy either, really."
Deacon took a deep breath and looked at her. "I think I always knew why you did it. I just never understood why you didn't just leave him."
Rayna gave him a sad smile. "It's hard when there are children involved. And taking the whole Maddie piece out of it, I'd made a commitment. I felt like I had to honor it." She looked down at her hands in her lap. "You know, he was always more in love with me than I was with him. And I did love him, Deacon. He was a good man, for a long time. I wasn't in love with him, maybe, but I did feel love." She looked up and out towards the horizon. "Of course, in the end I hardly knew him anymore. He wasn't the same man. And I don't know how much of that was because of me. Because, you know, he always knew. Deep down inside, he always knew it was you. For me. I think he did all that stuff he did to compete with that. To show me, in his own misguided way, that he was worthy of my love." She looked back at him. "When I told you I had always loved you, that was the truth. It was the first time I'd really admitted that out loud to myself. And I did that knowing that I'd kept our daughter a secret from you. Which was a very stupid, selfish thing to do. I know that. But I couldn't go one more second without telling you how I felt."
Deacon put his arm around her and pulled her close. She laid her head on his shoulder and he rested his chin on the top of her head. "There's a whole lot of things I wish we'd done different, Ray. I wish that I hadn't been a drunk. At least, I wish that I'd figured out how to get my act together a long time before I did. But I think maybe it just took you breaking up with me and moving on to make me get serious about that." He brushed his lips against her hair. "I know you were scared back then. I get that." He paused. When he spoke, his voice was quiet. "You know, I was so close to going to a bar that night. I'm still not really sure why I let you take me home, but I'm glad you did." He ran his hand up and down her arm.
Rayna was quiet for a moment, then asked a question she'd wanted to ask for a while. "Did you date anyone, you know, while all this was going on?"
Deacon pulled back and frowned. "Why?"
Rayna shrugged. "I just wondered. I wouldn't blame you, I guess. I know how angry you were with me."
Deacon huffed. "No, I didn't. I needed to focus on Maddie and that would have just confused things." He worked his lip. "Did you?"
"No, of course not."
"Well, I know Liam was in town for a while. And he sure had a thing for you."
Rayna made a face. "Deacon, I sent him a text that said 'sorry, can't make it', an hour before I was supposed to fly to St. Lucia with him. He was not my biggest fan. He was only here to help me finish my album, and that was under a lot of duress. And, he was a jackass the entire time."
Deacon looked at her for a minute and then he laughed. "Now that part doesn't surprise me," he said.
Rayna gave him a rueful smile. "He could really be quite charming when he wanted," she said. "He just didn't want to then. So, no. No dating for me either."
He looked at her for a long moment and then leaned in and kissed her. Then he sat back and smiled at her. "I have some news," he said.
"What?"
"I got a tour offer."
Rayna scrunched up her face. "Please tell me it's not with that awful Luke Wheeler. The 'Wheels Up' tour." She made air quotes around wheels up and rolled her eyes.
He laughed. "No. Keith Urban. Opening for the North American leg of his tour."
She sat back and grinned, genuinely happy for him. "Wow! That's the real deal, babe. Congratulations!" Then a tiny frown crossed her face. "What's the schedule?"
"I've got it at home. I know this will make things more complicated, with you going out again and all."
She sighed. "I hope we cross paths at least occasionally."
He leaned towards her and kissed her. "We'll make it work."
Rayna hurried up the steps to Deacon's house. He was leaving the next day on tour. She was leaving in three days. Since the girls were at Teddy's, it was a good time, she thought, for them to hang out at Deacon's, instead of her house. Besides, she wanted his help on a song, and this had always been a magical place for them for songwriting.
He opened the door with a smile and reached for her hand to pull her in. She giggled as she wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him. Truth be told, a part of her hoped this might finally be the night they'd have sex again. Songwriting usually led to that. At least in the past. But Deacon had wanted to move slowly, so she wasn't holding her breath.
"Hey, baby," he whispered in her ear.
"Hey. Are you all packed?"
He smirked. "As packed as I'm gonna be. As long as hotels still have someplace to wash clothes, I'll be good with an overnight bag."
She smiled, running her fingers through his hair at the nape of his neck. He had always teased her about the number of suitcases she brought on tour, not including her outfits for on stage. He always wore some combination of jeans and a t-shirt or flannel shirt. "Must be nice," she murmured against his lips before she kissed him.
"I made dinner," he said a few minutes later, tearing himself away from her inviting mouth.
"Mm," she murmured, not really hungry for food. She'd felt him getting aroused and she didn't want to let him go, but he stepped back and quickly headed for the kitchen. Not tonight, I'm guessing. "I'm not really hungry right now, babe," she said. "Maybe just some water."
He pulled two bottles of water out of the fridge and walked back over to her, handing one of them to her. He led her to the couch and they sat next to each other. Rayna draped her legs across his lap. She smiled up at him. "I've been working on a song," she said. "But I'm really stuck."
"Do you want to show me?" he asked. She nodded. "Where is it?" She pointed at her purse and he reached for the notebook that was sticking out.
She took the notebook from him and flipped it open to where she'd been working, then handed it back. She watched him as he read. "You can be honest with me, babe," she said.
He looked up at her when he'd finished reading. "I know why you're struggling with it," he said, his eyes sad.
"Why?"
"Because it's so personal. You put a lot of yourself out there, Ray, in your songs. You always have. But this is pretty raw. More than you would normally do." He watched as she turned that over in her head. Then he looked back at the notebook and read. "'I'm living over and over / Not stayin' here divided, I've drawn my own line / I've talked my way out of the lie / I'm finding it's not a weakness, it's forgiving myself'." He looked at her again. "You don't need to tell other people that. You only need to tell me." He kissed her gently. "And you just did."
She smiled a little sadly, as a tear streaked down her cheek. She brushed it away and leaned forward to kiss him again. She let her lips linger there, then lightly bit down on his lower lip, pulling it closer. He put his hand on the back of her head and deepened the kiss. He moaned slightly as their kisses turned more raw and intense. Rayna moved to straddle Deacon and he ran his hands down her back and over her ass, pulling her towards him. She threaded her fingers through his hair, moaning deep in her throat. She was incredibly turned on and she could tell he felt the same. Then, suddenly, he surprised her by pulling away from her mouth and, grabbing her by the waist, moving her off of him. He got up off the couch and walked a few steps towards the kitchen, before he stopped, his back to her.
Rayna sat on the couch watching him, breathing hard, completely confused. She watched as he put his hands on his hips and clearly struggled to get himself under control. When he turned back to face her, his eyes were full of hurt. "I can't do this," he said, his voice cracking with emotion.
"I don't understand…." Rayna said, puzzled by his sudden change in behavior.
"You took away thirteen years of time I could have had with Maddie. It's just not that easy to completely overcome that. I thought I was there, but I'm just not yet."
Rayna felt a lump in her throat and she nodded sadly. "Okay," she said quietly. She got up off the couch, picked up her purse, sliding her notebook back in, and walked out the door. She held it in until she got to her car, but once she'd shut the door, she broke down in tears. She was devastated and confused. She thought things were better between them and this had totally taken her by surprise. After a few minutes, she started the car and headed for home.
~nashville~
Rayna was lying in bed, wide awake, unable to stop her mind from going over and over the events of the evening. She felt heartsick, knowing that Deacon was leaving the next day and their lives were seemingly in turmoil. They'd come so far and it felt like it was all for nothing now. She couldn't find a comfortable position in bed and she sat up, her fingers rubbing her temples, trying to decide what to do. Her phone buzzed. She reached for it and saw that it was a text from Deacon. I'm sorry. Not giving up on you. Just not ready for the next step.
She read the text over and over, then held the phone to her heart, as the anxiety started to drain out of her. Finally she texted back. I understand. See you soon?
Yes. Love you.
~nashville~
Deacon had felt bad about Rayna leaving the night before. Things hadn't ended the way he'd wanted them to. He guessed having her come to his house like that was not such a great idea, at least until they were ready to take the relationship to the next step. He didn't feel like the text was enough, so once the bus was on the road the next day, he called her.
"I'm sorry about last night, baby," he said, when she answered.
"I know."
He hesitated, working his lip. "You know, sometimes, everything just kind of comes back to me and I just, I don't know, I still feel mad. I guess I'm still working on that forgiving thing, making it stick."
She thought about that. "I get it. You told me it might take you longer. I guess it just scared me a little. Like you were done with me, or something."
"No. I'm not done. I love you, Rayna. It's gonna work out."
She sighed. "That's what I want."
"I've got a couple days off when you're in Chicago. I've already bought a ticket to come see you."
She smiled. That was just two weeks away. "That would be great." She felt tears prick her eyes. "I love you, babe. I really do."
"I know. I love you too."
~nashville~
Rayna walked off the stage in Chicago, her eyes darting around looking for Deacon. Bucky was right behind her, giving her a running commentary on how things had gone and what was up next with the after-party. She hardly heard him. She'd been on pins and needles all day. She'd felt a little down when she'd gotten Deacon's text, just before she went on, that his flight was delayed by weather in Atlanta. She had a lump in her throat as she realized he wasn't backstage.
"Rayna? Are you paying attention?" Bucky was saying, an annoyed note to his voice.
She turned to him, a scowl on her face. "What?" she said, a little sharply.
Bucky frowned. "Where's your head at tonight?"
She stopped and closed her eyes, shaking her head a bit. "I'm sorry," she said. "I'm distracted. Deacon is supposed to be here and he's not."
"I'm sure he'll get here. In the meantime, you need to get changed for the after-party."
Rayna looked at him. "I don't want to go."
Bucky looked annoyed. "Not an option, Rayna. Maybe we can shut it down a little early, but doing a no-show at your own after-party isn't happening."
Rayna rolled her eyes and stomped off towards her dressing room.
~nashville~
Rayna put on her best performance face and chatted up the radio station program directors and other execs, as well as label people, and various other local VIP's. She truly hated this part of the business, not because she didn't like to talk to people, but it reminded her so much of the society affairs that her father had dragged them all to over the years. She hated small talk and being nice to people who were just trying to get a piece of her, whether it was a favor for more record play or an inside track to her father. But she had learned very early on that this part of the music business was probably more important than any album she released or concert tour she went on. This determined whether her records got on radio and, thus, were heard by the buying public, and whether there were those who would promote and sponsor her tours with money and publicity. Over the last almost two years, she'd realized how much she had relied on Deacon during these events. He always reminded her who people were and could easily steer her to the right contacts. She had learned a lot from him and was able to maneuver well on her own these days, but she missed that support.
She was talking to yet another local radio industry bigwig when she happened to look up at the entrance to the ballroom. And there he was. Looking a little tired, but she found herself smiling a little more as she realized he'd been watching her. She politely wrapped up her conversation and made her way purposefully to where he stood. She reached for his hands as she drank him in and then he pulled her into an embrace.
"I'm sorry I missed the show, baby," he whispered.
"You're here now. That's all that matters," she whispered back. "Get me out of here."
He grabbed her hand and pulled her out to the elevator and they rode up smiling furtively at each other, mindful of others riding up with them. When they got to her suite, he pulled her into his arms for a long, slow, deep kiss.
"Mm, I missed you," he said, when they finally, reluctantly pulled away from each other.
"I missed you too," she said. "But you're here now, and not for long, so I just want to enjoy it."
"Can we sit?" he asked. She nodded, and he took her hand and led her over to the couch. He pulled her into his arms and ran his thumb over her face, drinking her in with his eyes. He sighed. "You're the most beautiful woman in the world, Ray," he murmured, and she smiled, blushing slightly. "I wanna do this right, you know."
She looked up into his eyes and ran her thumb over his lips. "I know. I'm trying to be patient and not push."
He kissed her lightly and then looked deeply into her eyes. "There's nothing I want more than to be with you every way possible. You may not know it, but it's hard for me to not just make love to you all night long. I remember how good that was, how amazing that was. And I miss that. But I need you to understand that, when that happens, there's no going back. We have to be a hundred percent sure, because I can't do this again with you." He kissed her again and brushed her face with the back of his hand. "I wanna be all in. For a long time, I didn't think that would happen. I had no plan for it to happen. But you're in my blood, Ray, I know that. It's more than just because we have Maddie, it's just always been that way. You know that." She nodded. "So, I want to do this with you. But not yet. I want to be sure that I can deal with what comes after. I can't do that until I'm sure I can wake up the next morning and fight through anything with you."
She laid her head on his shoulder and sighed. "It hurts for me to know you still have doubts. I can't lie."
He threaded his fingers in her hair and nuzzled the top of her head. "I'm fighting for us too, Ray. I wanted to come here and tell you that."
She snuggled up closer to him and he put his arms around her, drawing her in tight, and they sat like that until they both nodded off, close to dawn.
"So when is the next time you have a weekend off?" Deacon asked Rayna, late one night as he was relaxing in his hotel room. Now that they were both back out on tour, finding time together had been more challenging. There had been lots of phone calls and texts. He was in Denver and he thought he remembered that she was in Houston.
"Um," Rayna said, stalling for time as she pulled out her calendar and looked at it. "Three weeks."
"Amazing. Me too." He paused and worked his lip. He'd been thinking about this for several weeks and decided to pull the trigger. "How about we go to the cabin that weekend?" he asked.
Rayna caught her breath. She felt her heart flutter and a happy tingle run through her. "I'd love to," she said softly. "When do you get back to Nashville?"
"Actually that Wednesday before. What about you?"
"Not until Friday. Like early, early Friday morning. I've got a show in Knoxville that Thursday night and then we drive back to Nashville."
"We could drive up Friday afternoon," he said. "If you don't think you'll be too tired."
"No, I'll be fine. I'll sleep on the bus. It'll be good." She took a breath. "I'm looking forward to it."
Deacon smiled on his end. "Me too. I think we're ready."
Rayna smiled. "I think we are too."
After they hung up, Rayna let out a little cheer of excitement. She wasn't at all sure how she was going to make through the next three weeks.
~nashville~
The bus had rolled in to Sound Check about three in the morning. Rayna had dozed some on the bus, but she'd been too excited to sleep much. Even once she got home, she'd gotten no more than a couple hours sleep. All she'd been able to think about was sex and that had kept her hot and bothered and unable to rest. But she was running on adrenaline and, in a burst of energy, had packed and straightened up the girls' rooms and cleaned the kitchen.
Deacon was picking her up at three and she was ready well before then. When he came to the door, she'd kissed him hungrily, first, because she'd missed him, and second, because she couldn't wait to get to the cabin with him.
The drive to the cabin was not quite an hour and a half, but for both Deacon and Rayna it felt a lot longer than that. They held hands and said little, Deacon occasionally lifting her hand to his lips. They exchanged furtive glances and smiles. At one point, Deacon commented that they could pull off the road for a bit. Rayna laughed softly and reminded him they were probably too old for sex in the back of the truck or in the backseat. Deacon reluctantly agreed and stepped down on the accelerator a little more.
When they got to the cabin, they blew out of the truck and stumbled down the porch, Deacon's arms around Rayna from behind as he hurried her forward. They both laughed shakily as he fumbled with the keys. Finally, with a frustrated groan, he got the door unlocked and pushed her inside, slamming the door behind him.
She turned and started unbuttoning his shirt as he worked on her belt and skirt. She moved her hands down to his belt, unfastening it and deftly working open the button and sliding down the zipper, while he was pushing her skirt and panties down. Then, with a groan, he captured her mouth with his own and, lifting her, carried her over to the couch. He laid her down and she watched through heavy-lidded eyes as he shed his boots and jeans, then pulled her boots off. She reached up her arms to him and he covered her, moving inside her with no preamble.
The next few minutes were hands and lips and moans and whispered words, all leading to loud groans fo pleasure and fulfillment.
Afterwards, as they lay on the couch, wrapped in a blanket, Rayna smiled happily. "This was worth waiting for," she said breathlessly, wrapping her arms around his neck.
"Yes, it was," Deacon whispered in her ear, kissing her on her neck. "Maybe I should go bring our stuff in?"
"Babe, there is nothing out there I need right now," Rayna said with a smirk. "We could, however, move somewhere more comfortable."
Deacon laughed and pushed himself up and off the couch, throwing aside the blanket. He took Rayna's hand and helped her up and they made their way quickly to the bedroom, where they got rid of the rest of their clothes and crawled into bed.
It was very, very late when Deacon got up and retrieved their bags from the truck. Then he climbed back under the covers, wrapped himself around Rayna, and they continued making up for lost time.
~nashville~
The next morning, Rayna woke up to find Deacon laying on his side watching her. She smiled lazily. "Hey," she said.
"Hey." He reached out and stroked her arm lightly. He smiled. "How did you sleep?"
She rolled over and snuggled into him. "I think you know I didn't sleep a lot."
He kissed her. "Funny, neither did I." He wrapped his arm around her. "I'm glad you're here."
"It feels like it's right where I'm supposed to be."
He kissed her again. "You are." Then he rolled her over and rolled on top of her. "I don't think I can get enough of you," he whispered and then kissed her more deeply.
She wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled her legs up. "I know I can't get enough of you," she murmured. He slid his hands behind her back and down to her ass, tilting her up towards him. As he moved into her, she moaned deep in her throat. She wanted to stay here with him until they'd made up for all the time they'd missed.
~nashville~
As they were cleaning up the kitchen, Deacon said, "I'd really like to take Maddie to the Bluebird with me the next time I'm in town."
Rayna stopped and frowned. "As what?"
Deacon looked puzzled. "Not for an open mic," he said.
Rayna sighed. "I didn't think that's what you meant. But, who do you say she is?"
Deacon frowned and rested his hand on the counter. "My daughter, Rayna," he said. "Who else?"
Rayna turned to face him, leaning against the counter. She looked down. "Deacon, it's not like we've made some big announcement about this. I don't want her feeling pressured."
Deacon slammed his fist on the counter. "Damn it, Rayna, I'm not pressuring her," he said angrily. "But she is my daughter."
Rayna crossed her arms and looked up, her gaze steely. "I want this to be private, just for her. I don't want her to have to deal with the hurtful things people can say."
Deacon shook his head. "You're kidding me, right? I'm not talking about taking out an ad or hanging a banner here. I just want to be able to take my daughter to hear me play. It means a lot to me to share that with her. I'm proud to be her dad."
"I don't want her to get hurt," Rayna said again.
Deacon scowled. "You don't want your secret to get out," he said, raising his voice. "We're back to that. Keeping secrets again. And you don't trust me in public with her."
Rayna threw down her towel, her eyes flashing. "That is not what I said and you know it!" she cried.
Deacon ran a hand over his mouth. "I can't believe this. We've come all this way and I finally feel like I can let you all the way back in, and you're back to keeping secrets! That's exactly what got us here in the first place, Rayna!"
Rayna threw her arms out. "All I want is for Maddie to be able to make her own choices. It's my job as her mama to protect her. And you should want that too. As her father."
Deacon's eyes flashed with anger. "I do want to protect her, Rayna. But not by pretending she's not mine." He turned away from her. "I can't believe we're back to this. I can't do this."
Rayna stood silently for a moment, breathing hard, watching him. "Then maybe we need to go home," she said quietly.
Deacon slammed his towel on the counter and walked over to get his keys. He hesitated only a moment and then he walked out the door. Rayna glared after him and then went into the bedroom to pick up her purse and overnight bag, and then followed him out the door.
The ride back to Nashville felt as long as the drive up, only this time it was because they were angry and couldn't find the words to work through the impasse. As Deacon dropped Rayna off at her house, they both felt defeated and hurt.
~nashville~
Rayna walked in the house and slammed the door behind her. "That man is infuriating!" she shouted, to no one but the empty room. Then she stomped her foot and scowled. He's just looking for something. I'll never win with him. He'll never really trust me.
She walked over to the bar and pulled out a bottle of wine. Then she stood there, looking at it. I can't do this. And then put it down. She went over and picked up her overnight bag and carried it back to her bedroom, throwing it on the bed. She ripped the zipper open and started pulling out her clothes and stomping into the closet with them.
After she'd put away her toiletries, she sat on the bed and wrapped her arms around her waist. She hated this. Why do we keep doing this to each other? She thought about what he'd said, about how much it would mean to him to feel like he really was Maddie's dad, being able to acknowledge her openly. She wasn't really sure why she felt like she still needed to protect her daughter that way. She sighed deeply.
She sat very still for a few minutes and then pushed herself off the bed and ran into the kitchen. She picked her purse up off the counter and headed out the door. When she rounded the corner to the driveway, she stopped. Deacon was standing there, beside his truck. She could see the pain in his eyes as he started to walk towards her. She dropped her purse and ran into his arms.
"I'm sorry," she said, burying her face in his shoulder.
"No, I'm sorry," he replied, his hand cupping her head. "I should have listened."
She pulled back and looked up at him. "I don't want us to fight like that."
"I don't either." He worked his lip. "I'm sorry I didn't listen. You were right. We need to let Maddie decide. We don't have to make a big announcement about it. Just let it be natural."
She gave him a tiny smile. "I think it says a lot that we both came back."
He nodded. "Yeah." He leaned down and kissed her. "I love you, Ray."
Her smile got bigger. "I love you too." She raised her eyebrows. "Maybe we can finish the weekend here?"
He smiled back at her. "That sounds good." And they turned back towards the house, their arms around each other's waist. She grabbed her purse as they walked past it and then they walked together into the house.
It was late when the tour bus arrived at Sound Check. Rayna tried not to show her irritation over the unloading process. She was standing near the cargo hold, her arms crossed, tapping her foot.
"Got somewhere to be?"
She turned at Bucky's voice. He had an impish grin on his face. "Kind of," she said, with a smile.
"How's his tour going?"
Rayna's smile broadened. "It's great. I know I'm not supposed to say this, probably, but I'm glad he's not out with that awful Luke Wheeler again."
Bucky laughed. "Don't let any of the suits hear you say that or they'll want you to do a co-headline tour with him." Rayna made a face. "I think touring with Keith is a perfect fit," he went on.
"He said Keith's been inviting him out for the encores. He really respects Deacon as a guitar player." She grinned. "I'm really proud of him, Bucky. He's had two number ones plus he's on the road with Keith Urban. How awesome is that?"
Bucky winked at her. "Pretty awesome," he agreed.
"Oh, there's my stuff," she said and ran over to get her suitcases organized. One of the roadies put them on a rolling cart and she rushed off, directing him to her car. When everything was loaded in, she peeled out of the parking lot.
Deacon's house wasn't far from Sound Check and, with the late hour and minimal traffic, she was there in ten minutes. She hurried up the steps and went to put her key in the door. Deacon pulled it open, as though he'd been standing there waiting for her, then swept her up in his arms, kissing her fiercely.
Rayna reached up and fisted his hair at the back of his neck, her lips and tongue practically devouring him. When he finally, reluctantly, pulled his lips away, he leaned his forehead to hers. "Hey," he said, breathing hard.
"Hey," she whispered back. "I missed you."
"I missed you." He reached around her and shut the door, then turned and pulled her back to the bedroom.
~nashville~
The next morning, Rayna woke to the smell of bacon and an empty bed. She pulled the sheets around her and breathed in deeply, smiling as she smelled his scent. It had been two weeks since they'd seen each other, although they talked every day. Both of them being on tour had meant they had to be creative in getting together, plus Rayna had to work around the girls. So they didn't see each other as often as either of them would have liked. And now she didn't want to waste another minute without him. She'd left all her clothes in the car, so she got up and walked to the closet, pulling out one of his flannel shirts. She put it on and then stepped into her panties, grabbing them from where they were hanging off the edge of a picture frame, where they'd obviously landed in their haste to undress each other the night before. She padded barefoot into the kitchen, where Deacon was making breakfast.
She walked up behind him and wrapped her arms around him, pressing herself against his back. "Good morning," she said, her voice still raspy from sleep.
He smiled and twisted himself so he could brush her lips with a quick kiss. "Good morning," he said. "How are you feeling this morning?"
She giggled. "Sore." Homecomings were always extra-lusty.
Deacon laughed softly. "You're insatiable." He turned to face her. "Speaking of that, are you ready for breakfast?"
She nodded. "I am."
He fixed two plates and carried them over to the counter and they sat and started to eat. He looked at her. "What's your day like?"
She shrugged. "The usual. I've got to unpack, then meet with Bucky about the tour and some other business. Then pick up the girls." She looked at him with a smile. "Can you come over for dinner? The girls would love to see you."
"I'd love to."
Rayna watched him and noticed a sadness that seemed to cross his face. She frowned. "What's the matter, babe?" she asked.
He shook his head at first, then stopped and looked at her. "You're only home for a week. I leave in three days. It already feels like we're not together enough and then you've gotta go home and I can't really stay with you."
"You could, babe. You know that," Rayna said.
Deacon looked at her a moment, then breathed out, working his lip. Finally he said, "I think we should move in together."
Rayna's eyes widened. "Really?"
He nodded. "Yeah. You, me and the girls."
"Where?"
"Here." He wasn't sure how she'd feel about giving up her house. "I can't live over there."
Rayna nodded thoughtfully. The Belle Meade house was hers and Teddy's and she knew Deacon would be uncomfortable there. This place, though, had been their home first. She smiled. "Yes," she said. "Yes, let's move in together. And yes, here."
Deacon smiled and reached for her hand. He jumped off the stool and pulled her with him, breakfast forgotten. She followed him back to the bedroom, laughing happily.