Chapter Nineteen

Storm Shower

Nashville, Tenn. (January 2000) - Edgehill Republic Records Inc. is happy to announce that its leading recording artist, Rayna Jaymes, has married her long-time collaborator, Deacon Claybourne. Ms. Jaymes has been nominated as Country Music Awards' Female Vocalist of the Year four times in the last seven years and her latest album, "Rayna Jaymes: Locked and Loaded" is currently the top-selling country music album in the U.S.

Ms. Jaymes and Mr. Claybourne met in the late 1980's when he became her guitarist and band leader. The pair rose to country music stardom in the mid-90s as co-writers of such hits as, "No One will Ever Love You," "Don't Leave Without Me," and "That Could Be Us." Their songs have been recorded by dozens of top-selling artists across the music industry.

The couple, who make their home in Nashville, are expecting their first child next month.

"Okay, that is about the freakiest damn thing I ever did see."

Rayna shifted her laptop off where it was perched on her stomach and peered down at Deacon, who was lying face down on the bed next to her. He had pushed her pajama top up and was propped on his elbows, staring at her belly.

"What?" Rayna asked.

"It's - I can see her movin' around in there. It's like somethin' right outta 'Alien,' I swear."

"Hey, watch it, babe. That's our daughter you're calling an alien."

"Hang on..."

Despite Deacon's fascination, Rayna was less interested in the sight of her swollen stomach and more interested in the sight of him, wearing light blue boxers with his legs stretched out behind him, feet crossed at the ankles. The skin on his back was smooth and taut and the muscles in his neck and shoulders were flexed as he held his vigilant pose beside her. Rayna felt a familiar flicker of desire, just looking at his body. It didn't seem to matter whether they were married, unmarried, together constantly or apart for months: Deacon Claybourne was and simply always would be utterly irresistible to her. She reached out to run her fingers through his hair.

"There! Would ya look at that!?"

Rayna tore her gaze from him in time to see a familiar ripple - an elbow, maybe, or a knee - swivel across her stomach from left to right as the baby spiraled inside of her. The effect was like a creature slithering under the sand. Or - she had to admit it - like something from a science-fiction movie.

Rayna laughed. "Yeah, that does look weird, doesn't it? I - oh, ouch!"

Deacon looked up at her sharply, then reached for her hand. "What? What's the matter?"

Her due date was just over two weeks away, but at her last OB appointment, Dr. Madsen had told them labor could start any time. Rayna saw the veiled panic in Deacon's eyes and knew what he was thinking. She shifted her weight, one hand rubbing the top of her stomach. "It's nothing serious, babe. It's just now that she's facing down, she gets her foot wedged up underneath my rib cage and then she kicks, really hard. And it hurts!"

Deacon frowned, then leaned in and kissed Rayna's belly repeatedly, rubbing his hand in circles across it. "Now, I know you're ready to get outta there, little darlin', but kickin your mama like that is not the way to do it," he cooed.

"I like how you're reasoning with her, Deacon. I'm sure that'll go over well when she's a terrible two."

"Terrible?" He was not addressing her, but her stomach, and using a sing-song tone of voice that he'd adopted recently. "Not my little princess; she'll never be terrible, not by a long shot."

Rayna looked back over at her laptop, smiling to herself. It was becoming obvious that, given half a chance, Deacon would spoil his little princess rotten. Rayna teased him about it at every opportunity, but she actually found his devotion to the baby pretty adorable.

She re-read the draft press release Bucky had emailed, then she turned the screen around so Deacon could see it. "Hey babe, how's this look to you? Buck's gonna send it out today if we're good with it. And then he's taking off for vacation."

Deacon peered over her stomach and skimmed the email. "Looks good to me, darlin'. You know me - I'm okay with it if you are. I'm just glad we're goin' public with this thing, finally."

Rayna reached for him and he scooted up and kissed her. "Me too," she said, as they shared a smile. Then Deacon pushed himself down beside her again while she composed a short reply to her manager, pressed send, and closed her computer. The fact that the news about their wedding hadn't leaked was nothing short of miraculous, proving that Deacon's wedding plan - while unorthodox - had been effective. And nothing made her happier than to finally be controlling the narrative of her personal life again.

Well, she thought, glancing back over at Deacon - almost nothing.

The baby delivered a savage kick under her ribs again and she yelped once more, grimacing, to Deacon's obvious consternation. He watched until she shifted her weight and her face relaxed, one hand rubbing her tummy. Then he leaned in toward the spot she was touching.

"Should I kiss it and make it all better?" he asked, shooting her a sly look and lifting her pajama top higher. She smiled in anticipation as his head disappeared underneath the blue cotton fabric.

"Oh ..." she moaned, her eyelids fluttering shut as his soft lips kissed the swollen undersides of her breasts. A jolt went through her when his warm, wet mouth closed over one nipple. Rayna let out a groan, reaching over to caress his back. As she did, she caught sight of the clock on his nightstand. Another jolt went through her as she realized what time it was.

"Oh my god!"

"What?" His voice was muffled against her skin.

"Damn it, I've gotta get up, babe. I had no idea how late it was. I told Tandy I'd get there early and help with the introductions. She's totally freaked out because she says she doesn't know any of the people I invited. Even though she met all of them at our wedding reception."

Rayna looked down at Deacon, who had emerged with a disappointed look on his face.

"I'm sorry, babe. I don't want to leave you right now, believe me." She extended her arms and he helped her lean forward and swing her legs off the bed. She leaned over and kissed him. "Can I get a rain check on the making it all better thing?"

"Yeah, I guess," he grumbled. "Just don't hold that rain check for too long."

"Nuh-uh. I never could," she smiled, kissing him again. "What're you doing today? After your meeting, I mean."

Deacon rolled over onto his back, folded his hands under his head and looked up at the ceiling. "Well, let's see. I got a whole list of chores need doin' around this place. I'm thinkin' today'd be a good day to knock 'em out, what with you at Lamar's all afternoon. I figure I'm not gonna have much free time for stuff like that once-"

"-once the little alien bursts out?"

Deacon smiled. "Once our little princess has her comin' out party."

"Well, it's wonderful to see you Miss Jaymes!"

"It's lovely to see you again too, Mildred. And please - it's Rayna." She gave her father's maid a hug.

"How long has it been, Miss Rayna? Your father's just fit to bust, he's lookin' forward to seein' you so much."

Rayna smiled, both at the reflexive formality and at this woman's description of Lamar. She'd seen her father "fit to bust" a time or two, but never out of happiness. At least not when it came to her. In truth, Rayna wasn't sure when she had last set foot in this house. More than a year, surely. Maybe two. In fact, she wouldn't be here right now if Tandy hadn't insisted on giving her a last-minute baby shower and protested that her condo was too small to "do it up right."

Rayna stepped into the foyer of the Wyatt mansion in Belle Meade, looking around at the tasteful opulence on display. She suspected that one item on Tandy's agenda for today - along with embarrassing shower games and a pink-frosted cake - was to broker a father-daughter truce before her baby was born. Tandy swore that Lamar was so eager to be a grandfather that he was willing to forgive all the "mistakes" he believed Rayna had made over the years, including her latest: marrying Deacon. Rayna was skeptical - and she hardly appreciated her career and her marriage described as "mistakes." But surprisingly, even Deacon was encouraging her to finally make peace with her father.

"Miss Rayna, if you'll give me your address, we'll load up all the gifts from the party today and Charles can run them out to your place tonight."

"Oh, that's awfully nice of you, Mildred, but my husband has a truck. He'll be picking me up later. I'm sure we'll have room for everything."

My husband. It was surprising how easily those two little words tripped off her tongue. It was as if this was the role that Deacon had always been meant to play in her life: lover, partner, protector, husband. And soon, father of their child.

Rayna smiled, just thinking about how happy the two of them were together.

Then she handed over her coat and purse and made her way to the back of the house, to the expansive sun room whose windows overlooked her mother's rose garden. The bushes were all bare now, but they were still meticulously tended by Lamar's staff. The bright room, painted white and filled with white bamboo furniture and striped, royal-blue cushions, was awash in pink and white streamers and balloons. Silver trays of fancy tea sandwiches, covered carefully in plastic wrap, were laid out on a large table. Tandy was arranging frosty pitchers of lemonade next to a silver coffee-and-tea service.

"Hey, babe."

"Well, it looks like the guest of honor has arrived! Don't you look beautiful?!" Tandy breezed across the room to hug and kiss Rayna. Then she held her out at arm's length. "I think lavender is your color, honey."

"An improvement on the khaki, huh?" Rayna asked. The two of them laughed, as they had many times over the past couple of weeks, about the wedding-that-would-live-in-infamy. Then Tandy reached into the pocket of her navy blazer and pulled out a list of names. "Now, you know everybody I've invited from the club, I'm sure. But you're going to have to help me with the names of your..." she paused a moment, her brow furrowed. "Your Al-Anon friends."

Rayna smiled. Tandy had been making a major effort lately to understand and accept her, and Deacon. And Rayna had been treading lightly around Tandy. Neither sister ever wanted to come as close to losing the relationship as they had recently.

"I'll handle the introductions, don't worry," she said. "And really, you met Jill and most of the others at our wedding party. They're lovely women. Even if Daddy might say some of them live on the wrong side of the tracks."

Tandy nodded and turned back to fuss with the large centerpiece of pink gladiolas and white mums on the table. Rayna looked over the guest list inscribed in her sister's neat hand. Other than Jill and Janet and Nancy and a few others from Al-Anon, including Gus's wife, Wanda, the roster nearly duplicated the 1990 debutante list from the Belle Meade Country Club: Jayne Dearth, Linda Sue Strothers, Paula Finnegan. Rayna sighed, inwardly. These were the girls who had made fun of her in high school for liking country music and who now no doubt resented her success. Rayna resolved not to complain, however. She knew today meant a lot to Tandy.

Then her eyes stopped on a name that elicited a groan. "Peggy?! Really?" she said, pulling a face and looking over at Tandy in dismay.

Tandy's jaw tightened. "Now, honey, she's just been elected to the treasurer's board at the credit union. You know Daddy and I have a lot of business there. And a position like hers has a way of opening a lot of doors for us."

Rayna rolled her eyes. "Don't tell me y'all are throwing this shower to benefit Wyatt Industries!" she exclaimed. But the hurt look on her sister's face stopped her in her tracks. Business was never far from her father's mind - or Tandy's. That was just a fact of life in this family. But she also knew that Tandy was sincere in wanting to honor her today. And she supposed that if throwing a party for her famous sister improved Tandy's business networking prospects, that was just a benefit she couldn't overlook.

"Okay. I suppose there's nothing I can do about it now anyway," she said, resigned. "Good old Peggy Peters. Teddy told me she was engaged to that older guy from the club, Robert - something?"

"Kenter. Oh yeah, she was. They broke up about five minutes after she heard Teddy was back on the market."

"Oh, good grief!" Rayna rolled her eyes. "I should have known. She always had the hots for him."

The front doorbell rang just then and Tandy took Rayna's hand.

"C'mon, babe. Let's go introduce some new friends."

The shower turned into a success, even though initially the country club set stayed on one side of the room and Rayna's Al-Anon friends huddled together on the other, their eyes wide and their voices hushed. Rayna suspected that the wealth on display in Lamar's showplace home was intimidating, and she didn't blame them for being overwhelmed. She sometimes felt that way even though she had grown up here. Still, the silly party games and Tandy's relentless cheer had finally broken down a few barriers. Rayna was happy to see some friendly conversations taking place across class lines by the end of the afternoon.

Even Peggy had gushed over Rayna's marriage and pregnancy, though Rayna knew her joy was partly fueled by self-interest. The specter of Peggy Peters had always shadowed her relationship with Teddy, and frankly, Rayna was glad on all counts that they were back together. In some fundamental way, the two of them deserved each other.

As the afternoon wound down, Rayna walked into her father's library, where Mildred had neatly stacked the gifts, each with its card taped on top to facilitate her writing of thank-you notes. There were so many nice things, she wasn't sure where she would even put them, especially with the nursery closet nearly already full. But she didn't think Deacon would have any trouble getting them all in the back of his truck, at least.

"Well, well - I'd say you cleaned up today, young lady."

The deep, unmistakable voice sent a chill down Rayna's spine. This was the moment she'd known was inevitable. She composed a careful smile on her face and turned around.

"Hello, Daddy."

"Hello, darlin'," Lamar Wyatt said, walking over to her and placing his hands on her shoulders. He kissed her forehead and then looked down at her. "Don't you look beautiful? You remind me so much of your mother; the way she looked when she was expectin' you. You have that same gorgeous glow about you."

Rayna nodded and pressed her lips together, surprised at how emotional his words made her, even as she recognized he was doing his level best to charm her. The problem was, it was working. The pregnancy hormones had an annoying way of sneaking up on her and turning her into a wreck when she least expected it.

"I trust you got the crib I sent over a while back?"

"I did, thank you. I - we - already have one, but Tandy's got it set up in her guest room for when she babysits."

"Well, that's a wonderful idea. I'll have to get one for this house, too. That is - I hope you'll bring my granddaughter around to visit me once in a while. Won't you, Rayna?"

Lamar looked anxious for her approval, suddenly. It was a strange role reversal.

"Well ..."

"I want you to know that you'll always be welcome here. You and Deacon. We've had our problems over the years. But I want us all to bury the hatchet, now that you two are married and you're going to have my granddaughter. He's part of the Wyatt family now, as far as I'm concerned."

Rayna wondered exactly what Deacon would think about being part of the Wyatt family. She looked up at her father, who seemed softer and more solicitous than she had seen him in years. Deacon had predicted this change in him, and he'd been right. It was amazing how a still-unborn grandchild could break down years of disapproval and rancor.

"Thank you," Rayna murmured. "I ... I want that, too." Her words were tentative, but she managed to smile at her father and receive a corresponding smile and another kiss from him. Then she turned as she saw a movement at the threshold of the large, book-lined room. Teddy Conrad was standing there, staring at the two of them.

"Rayna."

"Teddy."

She felt her face flush. She hadn't seen nor spoken to him since the night she had so firmly squelched his proposal of marriage. He hadn't seen her pregnant. She wasn't even sure if he knew she had married Deacon. Just seeing him felt painful. And it only got worse when Lamar looked around and then stepped away from her.

"Well, I've got some work to do, I'm afraid. I hope you two will excuse me. And please - keep in touch, Rayna."

She nodded and watched as Lamar made a hasty exit, wondering if this encounter had been arranged. She would put nothing past her father when it came to his schemes, though even he must realize that it was far too late for her to reconsider her relationship with Teddy. That ship had sailed.

As she watched him, Teddy walked across the room and kissed her on the cheek, embracing her lightly. "God, look at you, Rayna. You're stunning. But you always did dazzle me," he said, his voice soft in her ear. Then he released her and took a step back. "Not much longer now, I guess?"

"I sure hope not. A little over two weeks, officially. But Dr. Madsen says it could be almost anytime."

At her doctor's name, Teddy's face colored. Rayna thought about the awkward trip they'd made to her office to do the paternity test; the one that had proven this baby was not his.

"So, I hear congratulations are in order," he said, the smile on his mouth not quite reaching his eyes. "Deacon, huh?"

"Mmm-hmm. Deacon." Rayna wasn't sure what else to say, but she continued on. "We're very happy. He's doing great."

"Well, I hope so, for your sake. And your baby's."

Rayna just smiled. A few months' back, she might have bristled at his cynical tone. But she was used to skepticism when it came to Deacon's recovery by now. It came with the territory, as everyone at Al-Anon could attest, and the doubters would come around with time. No matter what anyone else thought, she believed in Deacon. That was what counted.

"So. Tandy tells me you and Peggy are back together."

"Uh, yeah, we are. I'm here to pick her up and take her to the club for dinner, in fact."

"Good. I'm glad to hear it."

Teddy looked at her critically a moment, then he shook his head. "No you're not, Rayna. Not really. You're not any happier to hear that than I am to hear about you taking another chance on Deacon."

"Teddy, that's just not true."

"C'mon, Rayna, don't I deserve some honesty from you, after all we've been through? I mean, for god's sakes, a few months ago we were talking about getting married and raising this child together. About being a family."

"I-" Rayna started, hesitantly. This was the last thing she wanted to discuss right now. She couldn't imagine why Teddy would dredge up his ill-fated proposal. Frankly, she had tried to put the entire episode out of her mind. And she certainly hadn't told Deacon about how Teddy and Tandy had urged her to marry him and pass her daughter off as a Conrad. That was one thing he never needed to know about, as far as she was concerned. She could only imagine how furious he would be.

She looked up to realize that Teddy's hands were on her forearms and he was standing very close to her. "You felt something for me once, didn't you? You said you loved me. Or were you lying just to make me happy?"

"Oh, Teddy." Rayna looked down, rattled and once again fighting back tears, maddeningly. "It was such a confusing time. I didn't know what I felt about anything. Hey, you know what? Let's not do this. What difference does it make? We've both moved on with our lives."

"It makes a difference to me. I can take it, Rayna. Just level with me. When I asked you to marry me and let me be the father of your baby, did you at least consider it?"

Rayna hesitated. She was ashamed to even admit it now, but ... She looked up at him, his face just inches from her own. "Yes," she whispered. "Yes, of course I did. It was a really good offer, Teddy."

"But-? We could have had a good life, Rayna. I would have supported your career. Been a wonderful father. Stable. Steady. Given you anything you wanted. God - I loved you so much, babe."

"Teddy," she tried again, feeling sick inside. He was with Peggy now, back where he should be. She was with Deacon. She couldn't understand why he wanted to talk about this.

"We could have had it all, Rayna. I meant what I said about the baby. I would have loved it like it was my own. It would have been mine. Ours. Deacon - he never would have had to know. This risk you're taking on him, the dangerous position you're putting your baby in - it just has me so worried for you. It didn't have to be this way. Maybe it still doesn't-"

"What the fuck are y'all talkin' about?"

Deacon's voice, from where he was standing in the library doorway, was quiet. But a fierce light was burning in his eyes and his lips were compressed into a thin line, his jaw twitching. Rayna felt the blood in her veins turn to ice as she looked over at him. A huge wave of guilt washed over her.

How long had he been standing there, listening?

"Rayna and I are just talking over old times, Deacon. Get a grip. It's none of your business."

"Like hell it's not." Deacon seemed to cross the room in two strides. He took hold of Rayna's elbow and stepped in front of her, placing one hand on Teddy's chest and firmly pushing him backwards.

"And get your goddamned hands off my wife!"