Rayna was smiling to herself as she waited for the girls. She'd ended up staying at Deacon's until she had to leave to pick up the girls at school, also blowing off Bucky and their meeting. She and Deacon had stayed in bed, alternately making love and talking about the logistics of her moving in. She had been laying on her stomach with Deacon on top of her when she'd rolled her head over and the clock crossed her line of vision.
"Oh, God, babe," she moaned softly. "I have to get the girls."
He leaned into her neck. "Rayna Jaymes, you have horrible timing," he growled.
She laughed softly, rocking her hips against him and then gasped, as she felt a warm throbbing start to run through her. She moaned out loud, giving in to the waves of pleasure.
"Oh, God, baby," he cried out and then he collapsed around her, his hands gripping hers. When his breathing returned to normal, he rolled off to face her, tracing the profile of her face with his finger. "I can't wait till we can do this every day."
She rolled on her side and smiled, threading her fingers in his. "We won't be doing this when the girls are around to hear," she said.
He smiled back at her. "I guess not." He winked. "But when they're at school…."
She laughed. "Then I'm totally and completely yours."
He pulled her in close and kissed her. "That's what I like to hear."
She pushed on his shoulder. "But I do need to pick them up. And I think I need a quick shower." She rolled the other way and got up from the bed. She headed for the bathroom with a quick look and a smile over her shoulder. Deacon leapt out of bed and grabbed her around the waist, nuzzling her neck while she giggled happily.
The opening of the car doors brought her back to the present. She caught Daphne's puzzled look as she climbed into the car.
"Mom, why's your stuff in the car? You're not leaving again already, are you?" Daphne whined.
Rayna cut her eyes behind her daughter and realized all her suitcases were still in the back. She smiled. "I guess I forgot to take them out," she said.
"No, she stayed at Deacon's last night," Maddie said, looking at Rayna, then back at Daphne.
Daphne gasped playfully. "Ooh, Mom, is that true?"
Rayna frowned at Maddie, who laughed, and then looked at Daphne in the mirror. "Deacon's coming for dinner tonight," she said, ignoring Daphne's question.
"Is he bringing the food?" Daphne asked.
"Hush," Rayna said, as she turned the car towards home.
Deacon arrived with a bag full of Chinese food. After getting enthusiastic squeals and hugs from the girls, he set the bag on the counter and pulled Rayna in for a kiss.
"Ooh, Mom and Deacon are in loooove!" Daphne cried.
Deacon grinned and Rayna blushed. "Girls, can you put plates and stuff out?" Rayna asked. While the girls busied themselves with dinner preparations, she busied herself with another kiss from Deacon and some wordless eye communication.
As they ate, Deacon found himself looking forward to more of these meals, on a regular basis, talking about mundane things like homework and school activities and weekend plans. He'd wanted this for so long and then had felt like it had been permanently derailed after the truth about Maddie had come out. Although he knew that he and Rayna had a deep connection that had helped them not cut ties forever, he acknowledged that her persistence had played a part in getting them back to this place. Even now, when he looked at Maddie, he could feel the anger at missing so much, but he'd learned to be grateful for what he did have and not waste time on the mad, as Juliette had put it.
"Ok, it's fortune cookie time!" Daphne announced and handed one to everyone. "Me first." She broke hers open and looked at the fortune. "'Your days will be filled with sunshine'", she read, then smiled at everyone. "Go, Maddie."
"'Watch out for what's around the corner'." Maddie frowned a moment, then shrugged. "I'm going to assume it's something good." She looked at Rayna.
Rayna opened her cookie. "'Big plans are in store for you'", she read, with a smile, looking around the table.
"More tour dates?" Daphne asked.
Rayna shook her head. "No, I think I have enough of those, thank you. I'm guessing it's something else."
Maddie turned to Deacon. "Dad? What does yours say?"
Deacon raised his eyebrows as he looked it over. He quickly looked at Rayna, then turned his attention to the girls. "Mine says 'You will soon be living with three female roommates'. Hmm."
Daphne gasped. "Does Mom know?" she asked.
All of a sudden, Maddie's eyes lit up and she was bouncing in her chair. "It's us! You're gonna live with us! That's it, isn't it?" she cried.
Rayna smiled and Deacon laughed. "Yes, it is," Rayna said. "That is, if you two approve."
"Yes! Yes!" both girls cried.
"And we're moving to Deacon's house," she added.
Daphne looked confused. "We aren't going to live here anymore?"
"Well, I really don't think we need such a big house, you know?" Rayna said, scrunching up her face.
"But Deacon's house is kinda small," Daphne said.
"It's big enough for us," Rayna responded.
Maddie winked at Daphne. "It's their house, silly," she said. "They lived there back when they used to date."
Rayna and Deacon exchanged glances. Daphne considered that. "Oh," she said finally, and then she smiled. "Okay, then."
Maddie looked back and forth between her parents. "Daphne and I can take the attic bedrooms, so y'all can have the downstairs." She looked at Deacon. "I know you put your guitars up there, but…."
Deacon smiled at her. "I can move them." He looked at Rayna. "I think we have a plan then."
Rayna smiled happily. "We do. Now all we have to figure out is when."
After the girls went to bed, Deacon and Rayna cuddled together in the den. Deacon had his arm around Rayna and she was resting her head against his shoulder. He took her hand in his and gently ran his thumb over the back of her hand. "Are you sure living in my house is okay?" he asked.
Rayna turned her head to look up at him. "Why wouldn't you think so?"
"I couldn't tell if the girls were okay with it or not."
"I think they'll be fine. I'll take them over one day soon and they can look around. It'll be fine." She smiled. "There's a lot of history in that house. I think it's going to be the perfect place for us to be a family together."
Rayna and the girls drove over to Deacon's house. He was not in town, but Rayna wanted to start getting things organized for the three of them to move in. Her house was on the market and she hoped it would sell quickly, but she wasn't optimistic. When she and Teddy had had it built, she'd spent hours and hours with architects and designers laying out the house just the way she wanted and designing it to reflect the lifestyle of a country music superstar. It truly had always been too much, but Teddy had wanted to have a showplace. It was back in the days before the disaster at the credit union, when he was riding high in the financial community. Maddie had been tiny when they'd built it, so, in essence, it was the only home the girls had ever known. Even though it wasn't her dream home anymore, it was a big step.
The last time she and Deacon had been in town together, they had measured rooms, and made a few decisions on Deacon's furnishings. But now it was time to figure out what the girls could actually bring with them and what they would all need to leave behind. Rayna was happy to walk out with nothing more than the clothes in her closet and her awards, but she knew it might be different for Maddie and Daphne.
They parked on the street and walked up the steps to the porch. Rayna put her key in the lock and opened the door. She smiled at the girls. "Let's go check out upstairs," she said, and they hurried in and raced up the stairs. When she got to the top of the stairs, she saw that the rooms had been completely emptied.
"Mom, I don't think all my stuff is going to fit in here," Daphne whined.
Maddie rolled her eyes. "It's not, stupid. It's a smaller house."
"Maddie, don't call your sister stupid," Rayna warned, with a frown. She turned to Daphne and put a smile on her face. "Daph, you don't need to bring everything. Why don't you think about it like you're going to start all over."
"But Mom, I love my bed." Daphne still had the bed she and Teddy had bought for her when she was three, with the tall fairy tale castle headboard. That was definitely not going to fit into either of the attic bedrooms.
"Daphne, that was a little girl's bed," Rayna said. "Maybe we can get you a new bed." She tried to give her an encouraging look.
Maddie looked around and said, "I'd be fine if the only thing I brought was my mirror." Maddie had recently gotten a full-length standing mirror and she loved being able to model her outfits in front of it.
"I think that would fit perfectly," Rayna agreed. "We can get you both all new furniture. You could pick out new colors, even paint the rooms if you want."
"Really?" Daphne cried, more interested now. "Could I paint my room purple?"
Rayna laughed and nodded. "Yes, you can paint it purple."
"Yay!" She danced around the room happily.
Rayna left the girls upstairs trying to decide what furniture they wanted and where they'd put it. She walked down the stairs and then wandered around the main floor, thinking about when she and Deacon had first bought this place. They'd had very little furniture and a little bit of money, so they'd splurged on the leather couch and club chair set that was still in the living room. As time went on they had furnished the house and, in typical Deacon fashion, it still looked much the same as it had the day she'd moved out. Deacon was a creature of habit and he only replaced things that broke. The cabin was the same. Every piece of furniture, every single picture was the same as when she'd been there last. Even the 'Eternity' sign. She smiled to herself. There was definitely comfort in that.
She walked into the bedroom, the room that had been theirs and would be theirs again. She planned to add some touches, but she didn't want to change much. It reminded her of all those years ago and she didn't want to forget that. She saw an envelope propped up on the chest of drawers that had her name on it. She walked over and picked it up. She turned it over and slid her finger under the fold. Inside was a sheet of paper and a note from Deacon. Dear Ray, Welcome home. I wish I was there with y'all right now, but I'll be there soon. I can't wait for all of us to be together. I love you, Deacon. She smiled as she held it to her heart.
Since she was headed back out the next day on the final leg of her tour, Rayna had dropped the girls at Teddy's. She drove home and spent time packing, then poured herself a glass of wine and relaxed. She kept checking the time and when it finally was late enough, she called Deacon.
"Hey," he answered.
"Hey, babe." She smiled. "We went over to the house today."
"Yeah?"
"Daphne wants to paint her room purple. I hope you don't mind."
"Whatever they want is fine with me."
"I don't think their furniture is going to fit, so they're ordering new things. I think that will be easier."
"I'm just ready for y'all to move in."
Rayna smiled. "Me too." She paused. "Thanks for the note."
"I'm ready for us all to be home together."
"I am too. Remind me again how much longer you have?"
"The North American leg is over in six weeks. Then I'm off."
"I'm done in about four weeks. And then the girls and I will pack everything up. We'll be ready to move in when you get home." She felt tears welling up in her eyes. "I can't believe we made it, babe. That night at the CMA's, I thought it was the end…." Her voice trailed off as the tears overtook her.
Deacon was quiet, listening to her. He heard her sniffing. "Baby, don't cry. I thought it was the end too, Ray, but it wasn't. I think because you were fighting for it and then both of us were fighting for it, we got there. It wasn't easy, and I think we might always have to work at it, but we made it. And now Maddie, Daphne, you and me, we'll be a family. We'll be together, like we were meant to be."
"I miss you so much, babe."
"I miss you too. I'll see you in LA though."
"I know." She took a deep breath. "I love you."
Deacon smiled. "I love you too. Sweet dreams, Ray."
Moving day was both hectic and stressful. As excited as they had all been to take this step, the reality was sobering. The girls had struggled with what to bring with them and fought with each other over silly things. Deacon and Rayna had bickered over how much space she needed in the closet. She had pointed out that his shirts did not need to be hung and could be folded in drawers and he accused her of taking over the house. There had been yelling and slamming of doors before a sheepish hug and kissing that elicited high-pitched "eww's" from the girls.
The girls' bedrooms had been painted and furniture delivered, but Daphne had an uncharacteristic tantrum when she saw the paint color she deemed too lavender. Maddie hated the furniture, even though she'd picked it out. Rayna had cried about giving the portraits of the girls that had been hanging in her bedroom to Teddy. Deacon had told her there was no way he'd hang them in their bedroom, like a couple of watchdogs, and there was no other suitable wall space for them. That had resulted in angry tears that eventually got kissed away, along with the promise of a trip to a portrait studio for a picture of the new family.
Finally, everything was packed and on a moving truck, the keys were turned over to the realtor, Teddy had one last snit over the arrangement, and then they unpacked late into the evening. Pizza solved a lot of the pouting and crying and temper tantrums and before long they were laughing and enjoying all being in one place together.
Rayna snuggled up to Deacon late that night, after he turned off all the lights and crawled into bed. "Finally," she said. "We're all under one roof."
Deacon laughed softly. "Hopefully there's no more arguing and crying."
Rayna smiled. "Babe, it's girls. Get used to it."
He put his arm around her and pulled her close, kissing her. "I'm just glad we're all here. This is all I ever wanted."
She felt tears spring up in her eyes. "Me too." She ran her foot up and down his leg, planting little kisses on his face. "I love you, babe," she whispered.
"I love you, too." Then he rolled her on her back and rolled on top of her. He looked down and then leaned in to kiss her. She wrapped her arms around his back and moaned deep in her throat as they celebrated their first night living together under the same roof in more than fourteen years.
Rayna sat in front of the mirror, brushing her hair. Today she and Deacon were getting married. Just the two of them and the girls on the beach at Sea Island. She gazed at her reflection in the mirror and smiled softly. It was a beautiful day, the sun was out, and she was marrying the only man she'd ever truly loved. What could be better?
She thought about the last two years. They'd been tough. It had taken nearly a year of work after the paternity reveal for Deacon and her to get to a place where they could even really talk to each other again, without Deacon shutting down or something, and start to explore if they could make things work. When they decided to try, Rayna surprised herself by suggesting they keep going to Dr. Harris.
That had turned out to be a good idea, because they realized that there were still trust issues between them and she doubted they would have survived doing it alone. They went through another six months of pain and hurt and anger, working through what still remained. Rayna remembered thinking they had reached a turning point when Deacon took her to the cabin for the weekend. They'd had that one exquisite night – their first time together since he'd found out about Maddie – but the next morning a simple disagreement had escalated to an impasse and they'd driven back to Nashville, in complete silence.
It took another six months for them to finally push through and get to this day. By the time Rayna and the girls moved into Deacon's house, two months ago, the arguments had diminished and things finally felt more normal. She'd been surprised to wake up one morning nearly three weeks ago, with Deacon's arms around her and him nuzzling her neck. "I think we should get married," he whispered.
"What?" She turned towards him and took his face in her hands. "Are you sure?"
He smiled and nodded. "Yeah, I'm sure. Will you marry me, Rayna Jaymes?"
She burst into tears and then kissed him. "Yes! I will definitely marry you, Deacon Claybourne!"
He tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. "I don't want to wait. I want us to do it now."
She looked surprised. "Really? I mean, I'm fine with that, but are you sure? I mean, we haven't been back together…."
He silenced her with a kiss. "We've loved each other almost all our lives, Ray. I don't think we have to wait to do this, do you?"
She stared into his eyes and then shook her head. "No, we don't." She raised her eyebrows. "But don't we need to tell the girls first?"
He smiled. "Already done. I asked their permission before they left for Teddy's. I hardly got the words out of my mouth before they said yes."
Tears sprang up in her eyes and she laughed. "I can't believe you did that. And that they kept it a secret." She moved closer to him. "This is the best day of my life. So far." She kissed him. "I love you, babe."
He looked deep into her eyes. "I love you, too, Ray."
They had decided they wanted to go someplace close and, after talking to a travel agent, decided on The Cloisters at Sea Island. It was secluded and private and they'd be able to get married on the beach. It was right before the CMA's and they decided that was the perfect time. They were going to make a long weekend of it, returning to Nashville in time for the awards show. Then, after Christmas, Deacon and Rayna were going to go to the west coast of Mexico for a two week honeymoon.
Deacon was sitting on the couch, working on a song, when Rayna walked in and sat down, holding a small velvet bag in her hand. She curled one leg underneath her and listened as Deacon sounded out some lyrics. Then he stopped, giving her a puzzled look.
"You don't have to stop, babe," she said. "That sounded good."
He set his guitar aside and looked at her. "You look like you want to say something."
She gave him a tiny smile and looked down at the little bag. "Yeah, I guess." She sighed. "I've held on to this for fourteen years. You gave it to me the night we made Maddie." She opened it up and turned it over, letting the ring fall into her hand. She held it out to him and he reached for it. She watched him as he turned it over with his fingers. She could see him clench his jaw and, for a moment, she was afraid she'd done the wrong thing. But then he looked up at her and his eyes were full of both sadness and love.
"Is this the ring you want?" he asked.
She nodded. "I kept it all this time, hoping we would need it someday." She smiled. "I looked at it every day for a long time. Then I finally had to stop doing that, but I'd pull it out every now and then and think about you and what we'd lost." She pointed at the inside of the ring. "You had it engraved with 'Eternity'. That's what we thought we would have back then and I think it's what we can have now."
He reached for her hands. "Do you want to wear it now?"
She shook her head. "I want you to give it to me on the beach when we get married. I think that's appropriate."
He dropped the ring into his left hand. "I remember buying this, Ray," he said quietly. "I just don't remember giving it to you."
She gave him an encouraging smile. "This time you will."
The day before the wedding, Deacon and Rayna left Maddie and Daphne at the pool and took a walk along the beach. At first, they just walked silently, Rayna's arm linked through Deacon's. It was a perfect early November day, just warm enough. After they'd walked a bit, Rayna turned to him and said, "Do you remember back when we were first starting out? Back when Watty introduced us?"
He looked down at her and smiled. "I sure do. I remember I didn't want to go, but it was Watty, and you couldn't say no to Watty."
She laughed. "That is true. He told me he had someone he wanted to play guitar for me and collaborate with me on songs. That made me so mad, because I wanted to do it all myself."
"Well, you ended up with the career you wanted, so I think he knew a thing or two."
She smiled. "Yeah, I guess. I don't think he expected us to fall in love, though."
"Probably not." He breathed in. "Do you ever miss those days?"
"All the time. Everything was so much simpler then, it seemed like. When we were driving all over the place for gigs, living in that tiny studio apartment, living on love, it felt like." She was silent for a moment, leaning her head on his shoulder as they continued to walk. "Sometimes I feel like when we finally got that big break that it was just too much. I love my career and I know it was what I always said I wanted, but it was like that's what got things all messed up. When it wasn't just you and me and love and music anymore, that's when it felt like things kind of went off the rails."
They continued to walk silently. Then Deacon finally broke the silence. "I'm sorry, Ray, for being such a mess back then. I wish I'd known back then how much it would end up hurting us."
"I wish I'd been stronger."
Deacon stopped and turned towards her. "You're the strongest person I know, Rayna. But I pushed you beyond what anyone should have. You did everything you could and you did the best you could for me. I just wish I hadn't made it so hard on you."
Rayna looked off towards the ocean. "I wish I'd done more though. I wish I'd known what to do to help you. I feel like I abandoned you."
"You were right to do that then. As hard as all this has been, knowing what happened now when you got pregnant, you letting me go back then probably was what saved me. You were always there to pick me up and I needed to figure it out on my own."
"We've been through a lifetime of stuff, haven't we?"
Deacon nodded. "Yeah. But now we get to go through the rest of it together."
Rayna smiled. "Yeah, we do."
They turned back then, heading back towards their future.
So now she was finally, after all these years, going to marry the man who had rescued her back when she was sixteen years old. The man she'd fallen in love with the first time she'd seen him. Back then they hadn't fully realized that they were two halves of a whole. All they knew was that apart, they were good, but together they were great. It was the music and the love that drew them together and created the fabric that was them.
"Mom?" Rayna blinked a few times. "Mom," came Maddie's voice, a little louder. Rayna shifted her eyes in the mirror to look into Maddie's. Maddie made a face. "Why aren't you ready?"
Rayna smiled slowly and then, resting her elbows on the counter and leaning her chin on her hands, said, "I was waiting for you."
Maddie smiled. "I think Dad's getting a little anxious."
Rayna rolled her eyes and laughed. "It's not like we have a bunch of people waiting for us. And he knows I'm never on time."
Maddie grinned. "I know." She walked over to stand beside her mother.
Rayna grabbed her hand and looked into her eyes. "Are you happy?"
Maddie nodded. "Are you?"
Rayna nodded back. "I am."
"Well, then, you need to get dressed."
"Will you help me?"
Rayna walked out of the hotel with Maddie and Daphne. They were all dressed in flowing white dresses, simple and beachy. They walked out through the gardens and down towards the beach, where Deacon waited with the justice of the peace. When they got to where he was standing, they smiled at each other.
"I understand y'all have written your own vows?" the JP asked. They nodded. He looked at Deacon.
Deacon took Rayna's hands in his. He smiled at her, but his eyes were glistening with tears. "Ray," he started, his voice hitching. He cleared his throat and started again. "Rayna, I wondered if this day would ever happen. I knew you were the one the minute I laid eyes on you. You put up with more from me than you should ever have had to, but you were always there. We've made it through good times and tough times. We've come back from the edge so many times. We fought for each other. And I just can't let you go. I keep coming back and now I don't ever want to leave. I want to be the man you deserve, be your husband and a good father to the daughter of my blood" – he smiled at Maddie – "and the daughter of my heart" – and he winked at Daphne. "I want to be with you forever, no matter what happens. I finally have that life that's good." He swallowed and took a deep breath. "I love you, Rayna Jaymes. I've always loved you." He leaned in and brushed her lips lightly with a kiss. "No one will ever love you, like I do."
Rayna took a deep breath, tears spilling down her cheeks. She smiled up at Deacon. "Deacon Claybourne, I have loved you since I was sixteen years old. I have never not loved you. You've been my soulmate, my best friend, the person I relied on, my family. We've been through so much over these almost thirty years and yet here we are, still connected to each other. You and me, we just don't know how to be without each other. We've always fought for that and now I know that it's true. True love always, always wins. I can't wait to live the rest of my life with my true love." She rose up on her toes and kissed him. "No one will ever love you, like I do."
"Do you have rings you want to give each other?" the JP asked. Deacon nodded.
Rayna turned towards Daphne, who handed her the ring she'd gotten for Deacon. It was a plain gold band, exactly what he'd told her he wanted. But she'd had it engraved on the inside of the band - 'No one will ever love you, like I do. DC/RJ' She turned back to Deacon and slid the ring on the ring finger of his left hand. Deacon held his hand out and Maddie put the ring on his palm. He looked into Rayna's eyes and took a deep breath. Then he reached for her hand and slid the ring he'd given her all those years ago back on her finger, back where it belonged.
"By the power vested in me by the state of Georgia," the JP said, "I now pronounce you husband and wife."
Accompanied by the excited cheering and dancing of Maddie and Daphne, Deacon leaned down and kissed Rayna, as she wrapped her arms around his waist. "I love you, Mrs. Claybourne," he whispered against her lips.
"I love you too," Rayna whispered back.
THE END
A/N: So, this is my last story, maybe for a long while. I've always had a heart for Deacon and Rayna and I've loved writing about them, but I can't find the heart to write based on what appears to be coming. It hits too incredibly close to home for me and there are others who want to, and already are, writing those stories. So I'll leave that to them. I've had fun writing these stories and I appreciate everyone who took the time to read them. But I'd like to especially thank those who took the time to favorite or follow or leave a review – you are the people I wrote for, and I appreciate the fact that you took the time to share your thoughts or just let me know you were reading. That's all we can ever ask for.